After gender swapping, my best friend and I hardcore BL (Boys' Love) became top influencers.

I disagree.

Upon hearing this, Jiao Wangshu immediately stopped in his tracks—he should have known better than to take the shortcut.

Jiao Wangshu secretly regretted it. He never expected that he would find such a juicy story in the underground parking garage. He just wanted to get to the training room quickly.

Now he's trapped here, unable to move forward or backward, and can only secretly pray that he can hide well and not be discovered.

Otherwise, if she were caught eavesdropping by people outside, Jiao Wangshu couldn't even imagine how embarrassing that would be.

The voice from the corner was very low and indistinct, but anyone with eyes could recognize that distinctive red hair.

That was Ji Yan.

The garage was empty, yet the echoes were exceptionally clear.

Jiao Wangshu, who didn't want to hear anything, heard every single word.

Suppressing his anger, Ji Yan growled into a low voice at the person on the other end of the phone, "I've already said it, I don't want to use that incident for publicity! My song, my hard work! I absolutely will not allow anyone to tarnish it! Sister Ling, what are you doing now?"

In contrast, Wan Ling's voice was particularly calm, "Xiao Yan, I always thought you were a smart person."

"What a great opportunity! VENIX is so popular right now, how can we resist this free publicity?"

To be honest, Wan Ling couldn't understand why Ji Yan was acting so high and mighty. In this era where traffic equals money, being famous for being controversial is still being famous. What kind of celebrity is someone who isn't controversial? Countless people would beg for criticism if they could.

She sneered, "Let's not beat around the bush. What can't I say to Sister Ling? I don't believe you didn't mean it that way. Otherwise, why did you choose 'No Man's Land' for the first performance?"

Unexpectedly, these words only further enraged Ji Yan. "Don't you all know why I chose 'No Man's Land'?"

"No Man's Land was originally my song!"

Jiao Wangshu was taken aback; he hadn't expected there to be such a hidden story.

Just as rumored online, Ji Yan did indeed work as a trainee at GSB.

He joined GSB when he was very young, before Ji Yan had even turned six. He wasted ten years of his life in GSB with a dream of debuting, until he returned to China last year and signed with Tianhua.

What many people don't know is that he didn't withdraw voluntarily. Think about it: after spending so much time, energy, and effort, going through countless auditions to finally make it into the debut group, and with debut just around the corner, no one would be willing to give up at this point, right?

But Ji Yan had no choice at that time.

Even the hottest dreams can't withstand the "dream of a miracle." Those with powerful backgrounds and resources want a debut spot. Even though Ji Yan has worked hard for ten years and is a sure thing for the fifth member, he can be kicked out at any time before the final hammer of "debut" falls.

Ji Yan was certainly not willing to accept this. He made a scene, broke down, and fought for it... but all that awaited a disobedient trainee was the fate of being sidelined.

Even Ji Yan is considered lucky. His family is relatively wealthy, and he was able to negotiate a reasonably affordable outcome with Gsb regarding the "sky-high termination fee." Even if he terminates his contract and returns to China, Tianhua is still waiting for him, allowing him to continue his idol dream.

That's not all. What Ji Yan can't let go of is that, as one of the candidates for VENIX's debut, he was involved in the production of VENIX's debut album, and he wrote the most popular debut song, "No Man's Land".

He did everything himself: writing lyrics, composing music, arranging, and producing.

However, the song was stolen by Gsb, and the title of creator was given to that "parachuted" artist. That person even became a "genius musician" in the eyes of fans and the public because of this.

The more popular VENIX became, the more popular their debut song became, and the more intense Ji Yan's anger burned.

That's why when he saw this song among the options for the first performance, he chose "No Man's Land" without hesitation.

Ji Yan just wanted to prove that he could perform this song even better, because this is his song!

That's exactly what happened.

After the first performance aired, the performance of Group A of "No Man's Land" successfully went viral due to its quality and popularity. However, what caused a huge uproar online was the comparison with the "original" performance.

Many marketing accounts and content creators edited the two performances together for comparison and disparagement, and many casual viewers, whether genuine or not, expressed in various comment sections that Ji Yan's version of "No Man's Land" was better.

How could VENIX fans be happy about such remarks? They don't know the inside story, they only know that some unknown nobody has been trying to ride on their coattails endlessly, and even dares to put down their idols? Isn't that just asking for trouble?

All the recent online battles surrounding "Supernova" pale in comparison to this "battle." The disparity in fan numbers and popularity between the two sides is enormous, with Ji Yan's fans being almost completely overwhelmed.

However, Tianhua is still one of the top companies in China. It may not be able to compete internationally, but can it really be bullied in the domestic entertainment industry?

If you don't have enough fans, make up for it with a large number of paid trolls.

For a time, the fight was back and forth, and the scene on the plaza and under the hashtag was absolutely spectacular.

Ji Yan wasn't angry that the company had hired online trolls; after all, he was also holding back his anger. If he could, he would have loved to become a troll himself and personally criticize them. He was just furious that Tianhua was using this incident for publicity.

The spirit of youth is something that is both pure and irrational.

Perhaps his idea seems naive and ridiculous to outsiders, but Ji Yan simply wants to prove them wrong with his own strength.

So what if Gsb stole his song? So what if he doesn't have direct evidence to prove that the song belongs to him?

He knew this song was entirely his own creation, and only he could perfectly present it on stage.

So he stood there, letting everyone see with their own eyes!

However, when Ji Yan told the company his thoughts and made it clear that he was unwilling to cooperate with the hype, Wan Ling just thought he was crazy.

Kids are so easy to fool; they squandered a winning hand.

No wonder I was cheated by my former company for ten years, both for breach of contract and for songs. I've had too many good days and haven't been toughened up by society enough.

Too lazy to waste any more words with him, Wan Ling casually replied with a few perfunctory remarks and decisively hung up the phone, leaving Ji Yan standing there alone.

His expression was inscrutable, and it was impossible to know what Ji Yan was thinking at that moment.

But all of this had nothing to do with Jiao Wangshu.

Just when I finally stopped hearing any sound, the other person suddenly stood there motionless like a wooden pole...

so?

Will he ever be able to get out of here?!

Jiao Wangshu clutched her head and cried out silently.