Being a gigolo was too much for him, so he had to become a music superstar.

Then public opinion will turn into a war of words between two groups, and the issue will never be resolved.

No.

We have to wait.

Once the IP address is obtained, and every link is securely connected, then release everything at once.

After making this judgment, Su Nianwei turned around and returned to her desk. She turned on her computer and began to organize the information she had.

First: Derek Mills' Spotify account activity appears to have lasted less than a week.

Second: The song "Drowning Sorrow" only had 2,000 plays, with almost no organic growth over three years.

Article 3: The way the video was placed was exactly the same as the previous wave of propaganda – multiple accounts, the same time period, and concentrated explosion.

Article 4: The core account of the previous wave of accusations has been found to belong to Brilliant Media, which is backed by Dingsheng Capital, whose actual controller is Wang Shaohui.

Four pieces of information.

The first three points are about this plagiarism accusation.

The fourth one is from the previous wave.

If the people behind this plagiarism accusation are the same group who orchestrated the previous wave of dissent—then the whole chain of events makes sense. Wang Shaohui is not only sabotaging Lin Buyi's eligibility for the competition, but also his ability to create original content.

It's about laying the foundation.

Su Nianwei drew a circle in her notebook and wrote three words inside the circle: Waiting for IP.

Then she closed her notebook and left the study.

She paused again as she passed the basement stairwell.

There was no sound below.

Lin Buyi wasn't practicing singing.

She hesitated for two seconds before going down the stairs.

The basement door was ajar. She pushed it open and saw Lin Buyi sitting on the sofa, holding a phone and looking at something.

He didn't look well.

"You saw it?" Su Nianwei leaned against the door frame.

Lin Buyi looked up at her. He turned his phone screen over to show her—the image was on the comparison video.

"It just broke out an hour ago, and it's already got nearly ten million views." His voice was very calm.

Su Nianwei went into the basement and sat down in the chair opposite him.

What do you think?

Lin Buyi put down his phone.

"I did everything myself, from the melody to the arrangement, so there was no plagiarism involved."

"I didn't ask you whether you plagiarized or not. I'm asking you what your opinion is on this matter."

Lin Buyi remained silent for a while.

"It's a setup," he said. "The last wave of plagiarism didn't kill me, so this time they've changed tactics. The plagiarism accusation is much more serious than the re-recording scandal. The re-recording thing at most makes people think I got in through connections, but plagiarism directly negates my songwriting ability. If this is proven true, there's no point in me staying in the competition—no one will believe a plagiarist singing a song."

Su Nianwei looked at him.

This person is analyzing again, just like last time when he saw the smear article. He's calm, composed, and unusually collected for his age.

"Have you heard that so-called original song?" Su Nianwei asked.

"No. A man named Derek Mills, I've never heard of that name before."

"I had someone investigate," Su Nianwei said in a low voice. "There's something wrong with that account's activity history. The song was released three years ago, but the earliest activity on the account might be less than a week ago. I'm waiting for more detailed technical data."

Lin Buyi's eyes twitched.

"Did you have someone investigate?"

"Um."

Lin Buyi looked at her without saying a word.

Su Nianwei felt his gaze and turned her head away uncomfortably.

"Don't look at me. I've already said I'm protecting my investment. If you get killed by a plagiarism label, all the money I've spent before will be wasted!"

Lin Buyi did not expose her.

After Su Nianwei finished speaking, the two of them remained quiet in the basement for a while.

Lin Buyi leaned back on the sofa, his phone resting on his lap, the thumbnail of the comparison video still lit up on the screen. He didn't open it a second time. Once was enough.

"Are you sure that account is fake?" he asked.

"At this point, I can only say it's highly suspicious." Su Nianwei sat upright in the chair opposite her, tapping her fingers on her knee as she spoke. "Less than a week of activity, two thousand plays, and no organic growth for a song released three years ago. Have you ever seen any truly independent musician with these kinds of stats?"

Lin Buyi thought for a moment. "Even if the data is problematic, how can you prove it? Spotify is an overseas platform; it's not easy to check data in China."

"That's why I had someone check the IP," Su Nianwei said. "When registering an account, an IP address must be left. If this so-called DerekMills registration IP is in China—then everything makes sense."

"How long do you think it will take to find out?"

"If it goes as fast as today, it will take two or three days."

Lin Buyi nodded and didn't ask any further questions.

Su Nianwei stood up, walked to the door of the basement, and then stopped.

"Lin Buyi"

"Um?"

"Until I find out the truth, you must not respond to this matter in any public setting. Do not post on Weibo, do not give interviews, and do not explain to anyone. Do not say anything if anyone asks."

"I know."

"You'd better really know," Su Nianwei said in a hard voice, "Once you jump out and claim you're innocent, no matter what you say, people will seize on your loopholes and attack you relentlessly. The best thing you can do right now is to shut up."

Lin Buyi did not refute.

She's right.

Su Nianwei went upstairs.

Lin Buyi sat alone in the basement for a long time.

He picked up his phone and read the comments under the comparison video again.

After scrolling through about twenty posts, he didn't want to look anymore.

There were quite a few people criticizing him in the comments section, but what really bothered him wasn't the insults, but the disappointment.

"Sigh, I really liked his songs. If it was plagiarized, that would be disgusting."

"I listened to 'Sorrow' on repeat all night yesterday, and now you're telling me it's plagiarized?"

"I hope it's not true. But that comparison video does sound quite similar."

This kind of comment is a hundred times more damaging than insults.

Those who criticize him don't like him anyway, so it doesn't matter. But these people who are wavering—who were his supporters yesterday, are starting to doubt him today because of a manipulated video.

Human hearts are such fragile things.

Lin Buyi turned off his phone screen and placed it face down on the sofa.

He closed his eyes and began to sort out the logic of the matter in his mind.

This song, "Sorrow," is one he copied from Mao Buyi's work. Mao Buyi doesn't exist in this world. This song is his original composition.

But the problem is—he has no way to prove it.

Music creation isn't like writing a thesis, with references and citations. A song just pops into your head, and no third party can vouch for it as your original work.

That's why the other side dared to use this tactic.

First, create a fake song, fabricating a release date earlier than "Xiao Chou," and then ignite a chicken-or-egg debate across the internet.

The debate itself is the goal.

Even if no results are found in the end, the words "suspected of plagiarism" are enough.

This would give the production team a reason to target him and diminish the audience's trust in him.

This would put Fang Yizhou and Xue Xinghe's mentors, who were speaking up for him, in an awkward position—the person you're supporting might actually be a plagiarist.