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

The article listed Lin Buyi's technical problems, including unstable breathing, improper breathing positions, and poor resonance in the mid-to-low range.

Then he said that replacing technology with emotion is a dangerous trend. If this standard of judgment becomes the mainstream, the professional system that the Chinese music scene has worked so hard to build over the years will collapse.

The article presents data and analysis that seem quite reasonable.

After it was posted, Chen Jiahao's fans shared it extensively. The topic of whether Lin Buyi was a good match for him arose, and the two sides started arguing.

Su Nianwei read the article and remained silent for a while.

She messaged Cheng Yi: "No need to respond to this article. Let the team observe first."

Cheng Yihui: "But the controversy is escalating."

Su Nianwei typed: "It's okay if the controversy escalates. More people will be watching the next round."

Cheng Yi paused for a moment, then said, "Understood."

Su Nianwei put down her phone, walked to the basement door, and knocked twice.

"Come in."

She pushed open the door and went in. Lin Buyi was sitting on the sofa with his phone next to him, the screen still lit up.

"Did you see that music review?" she asked.

"I've seen it."

"How do you plan to react?"

Lin Buyi picked up his phone and locked the screen.

"No response."

Su Nianwei sat down in the chair opposite him and looked at him. "That's it?"

"Let them argue." Lin Buyi looked up at her. "The louder they argue, the more people will watch the next round."

Su Nianwei stared at him for two seconds.

When did this person become even more adept at communication than she was?

She thought this to herself, but didn't say it aloud. She stood up and walked out.

"Then let's make a fuss."

As she reached the door, she paused, turned back, and said, "I've asked Cheng Yi to keep an eye on things. If it involves any negative information about you, I'll handle it immediately. As for the technical disputes, leave them alone."

"OK."

Su Nianwei went out.

Lin Buyi leaned back on the sofa, turned his phone over, and glanced at the comments section of the article.

People were split between criticizing and praising him. Those who criticized him most harshly mostly used terms like "unorthodox," "unprofessional," and "a charlatan."

He watched it for a while, then turned it off.

In his past life, he had worked in the corporate world and witnessed too many times like this—when you achieve something, someone will nitpick your flaws. The more they nitpick, the more they've offended them.

What he needs to do now is not to respond, but to refine the next song.

Let them wait and see.

While discussions about the national competition were still ongoing, Su Nianwei received a message from Li Mengqi.

The other party invited her to afternoon tea and suggested a place, a restaurant they used to frequent, located in the city center, with a quiet private room.

Su Nianwei knew that Li Mengqi's invitation wasn't just for a casual reminiscing, but she went anyway. Not going would have been more troublesome.

The two sat down and chatted for a bit about the show. Li Mengqi said she watched the live broadcast and "really didn't expect Lin Buyi to be so popular," her tone tinged with surprise, but there was something else mixed in with that surprise.

Su Nianwei held her teacup, responded a few times, and didn't say much more.

After chatting for about twenty minutes, Li Mengqi picked up her phone as if by accident, swiped a few times on the screen, and then handed the phone to Su Nianwei.

"By the way, I passed by your neighborhood yesterday and saw this. My first thought was that it was your car, but then I thought about it and wasn't sure. Could you take a look and see if it is?"

Su Nianwei took the phone.

It's a photograph. A black sedan, parked in front of a villa complex.

A person's silhouette was faintly visible through the car window, with their back to the camera, but the shape of their hair and their posture indicated that they were a young man.

Su Nianwei looked at it for three seconds and then handed the phone back.

"It might be the driver picking up my friend."

His voice was flat, and his expression remained unchanged.

Li Mengqi took back her phone and said "Oh," then added, "That's it. I thought one of your friends had borrowed your car."

Then the topic changed, and we started talking about other things.

Su Nianwei chatted along with the conversation, but in her mind, she kept going over that photo.

The shot was taken from a high vantage point looking down. The angle is very stable and precise, like it was taken with a fixed camera, not a casual snapshot by a passerby.

Li Mengqi said she saw it while passing by—how could she possibly have seen a surveillance video of a commercial building while passing by?

This photo wasn't taken by Li Mengqi; someone else took it for her, or someone sent it to Su Nianwei through her.

The purpose was simple—to let Su Nianwei know that someone was watching her.

Su Nianwei took a sip of tea and calculated the time. The timestamp on this photo was from two weeks ago, when Lin Buyi had just entered the national competition and was at the height of his fame.

Who started staking out at that time?

Li Mengqi's father had investment dealings with her stepmother, Chen Fanghua. She had investigated this connection before.

Su Nianwei and Li Mengqi sat for another half hour, chatting about some trivial things, before going their separate ways.

Su Nianwei got into the car and texted Cheng Yi: "Check the buildings across from the villa area, from the third to the fifth floor, to see if there are any newly rented offices recently. Give me all the tenant information."

Two hours later, Cheng Yi returned: On the third floor of the commercial building opposite the villa area, there was a newly rented office that had just been occupied a month ago. The tenant registration information was vague. It was registered as a small consulting company, and the payment account had changed hands three times before finally pointing to a small cultural company under Chen Fanghua's name.

After reading this, Su Nianwei put her phone on the table and sat in the study for a while.

Chen Fanghua has already begun collecting evidence.

If clear photos of Lin Buyi entering and leaving the villa are taken, along with some clear background information, they can be collected and used as leverage.

Su Nianwei wasn't sure when she would use this leverage or what she would exchange it for. But with Chen Fanghua in her hands, it was a threat.

Su Nianwei did two things that night.

First, call Lao Zhou and tell him that in the future, when taking Lin out, he should not drive to the villa's main gate, but instead pick her up from the underground parking lot of the shopping mall two streets away, instead of going through the main gate.

Secondly, I called Lin Buyi.

Lin Buyi was practicing singing in the basement when he answered the phone. He put his guitar aside before answering it.

"What is it?"

Su Nianwei's voice was flat, without any emotion: "Wear a hat and mask when you go out in the future, so that people don't recognize you."

Lin Buyi paused for a moment. "Why?"

"Don't ask why, just do it."

Lin Buyi knew from her tone that he wouldn't get anything out of her if he pressed her for an answer. He responded and hung up the phone.

Su Nianwei put down her phone after hearing the other end hang up.

She leaned back in her chair for a while, staring at the line of text on her notebook—"Investigate the dark places."

There are currently two groups of people investigating in secret.

One group was led by Wang Shaohui, who was investigating who had helped Lin Buyi and was currently investigating the Su Group. The other group was led by Chen Fanghua, who was collecting evidence of Lin Buyi's contact with Su Nianwei, intending to use Su Nianwei's private life against her.