Don't call me a singing god, I just want to go back to doing scientific research.

Ling Luo knew that Gu Yang naturally didn't believe it.

He picked up his phone, swiped his finger across the screen a few times, and tapped on one of the most popular black posts.

Is Zhuo Tongyu senile? Zhang Minghui's song was just screaming the whole time, utterly devoid of any beauty, and he calls it amazing? And he even said it "transcended the music itself"? Pshaw! I think he just got paid off by the production team!

The following comments were all in agreement.

[Exactly, his singing was like a pig being slaughtered; my ears were almost deafened listening to it, and he still gave it a 100? Qi Hanze is a complete idiot.]

[Upstairs, look at what Zhuo Tongyu and Xiao Ruqian said, that's truly malicious. What do you mean by "the Chinese music scene has been silent for too long"? Does that mean all their previous songs weren't songs? They're a king of singers and a top producer, aren't they contradicting themselves by saying such things?]

I think they just want to promote that one person who's fallen from grace, deliberately putting down the entire music scene to create buzz. Disgusting!

My heart aches for my brother. He worked so hard on his music, and they just dismissed it with a single sentence.

Gu Yang was furious when he saw this and almost crushed his phone.

"Are these people blind? Can't they hear how good 'The Nameless' is? Teacher Zhuo and Teacher Xiao's performance was genuine and heartfelt; how can they be so twisted!"

  

"Calm down." Ling Luo took the phone away, her expression remaining calm. "It's not that you can't understand, it's that you're pretending not to."

He held the throat lozenge to Gu Yang's lips, gesturing for him to take one.

Gu Yang put the throat lozenge in his mouth, still holding Ling Luo's hand, and then asked, his words muffled:

"What do you mean?"

Suo Binbin and Zhang Minghui, who were standing nearby, also came over and sat down next to the two.

Ling Luo leaned back on the sofa and slowly analyzed, "Do you think what Teacher Zhuo and Teacher Xiao said today was just praising 'The Nameless'?"

Gu Yang paused for a moment, then thought back carefully.

Zhuo Tongyu said, "This power also transcends music itself."

Xiao Ruqian said, "The Chinese music scene has been silent for too long. We need this kind of voice."

Thinking about it this way, it seems that it's not just praising a song.

Ling Luo continued, "They are affirming a creative direction that is closer to the masses and focuses more on emotional resonance. And this direction is precisely what the mainstream market lacks most right now."

"What dominates the market now? Pop idols' catchy tunes, brainwashing anthems from short video platforms, and all sorts of so-called 'big songs' that are just for showing off skills. Behind these songs is a huge capital chain. These people make music not to express themselves, but to make money."

"Teacher Zhuo and Teacher Xiao's words were tantamount to slapping these people in the face in public. So it's normal for them to be targeted because they've threatened too many people's interests."

Gu Yang understood instantly.

This is not a simple fan war; it is a premeditated media attack targeting Zhuo Tongyu and Xiao Ruqian!

Those companies whose limelight was stolen by "The Unknown" and those capital firms stung by Zhuo Tongyu's words dared not directly attack Luo Mu, because Luo Mu is now the key to traffic, and the cost of messing with Luo Mu is too high.

But Zhuo Tongyu and Xiao Ruqian are different.

They are seniors, but they haven't made any further progress for a long time. Many people think they are too old, so it's cheaper to spread rumors about them, and the effect might be better.

Because by bringing them down from their pedestals, we can also conveniently trample the "Nameless Heroes" they praised and its eventual demise into the mud.

"Then...what should we do?" Zhang Minghui frowned and asked hurriedly. Teacher Zhuo and the others are old, yet they are being implicated because of them, the younger generation: "I'll log in right now and clear their names."

"It's useless," Suo Binbin shook his head. He was often targeted by online trolls and was used to it. He knew that responding to them would only make the other side happier. "Fighting back against those online trolls and incited fans will only make things worse, which is exactly what they want. They'd love for us to get involved and muddy the waters even more so that they have more room to maneuver."

"This won't work, that won't work, are we just going to stand by and watch Teacher Zhuo and the others get smeared?" Gu Yang frowned, feeling suffocated.

Zhuo Tongyu had admired him since the Beijing division, and later supported Zhang Minghui. Now that he was being attacked because of them, he felt bad.

Seeing Gu Yang's anxious expression, Ling Luo squeezed Gu Yang's hand reassuringly.

His little fool is always so kind.

"Don't worry, I already had Shao Hui keep an eye on things online."

As she spoke, Ling Luo took out her phone, found Shao Hui's number in her contacts, and dialed it directly.

The call was answered almost instantly.

"President Ling." Shao Hui's voice was as incoherent as ever.

"Shao Hui, now arrange for the public relations department to get things done." Ling Luo's voice wasn't loud, but it was exceptionally clear in the quiet break room.

"clear."

After saying that, Shao Hui hung up the phone.

Therefore, Yang asked with a questioning look in his eyes: "What kind of work, and how do I do it?"

Ling Luo stretched out her legs, stuffing her phone inside as she explained:

"We just asked them to buy two trending topics on Weibo: #ZhuoTongyu20thAnniversaryOfDebut# and #TheZhuoTongyuWeListenedToTogetherInTheYears#."

"That's...that's it?" Suo Binbin stammered.

"It's over." Ling Luo tossed her phone aside.

"No, Ling Luo," Gu Yang leaned closer, still not understanding, "I understand buying trending topics, but why this kind? Shouldn't we be issuing a statement or presenting evidence to confront them head-on?"

Ling Luo looked up at him and patiently explained, "What you call a direct confrontation is the lowest level of public relations tactic. Trying to reason with a bunch of irrational rabble is useless. The more you explain, the more they'll think you're guilty."

"The war of public opinion is never about the truth, but about winning people's hearts and minds."

"Those haters want to portray Teacher Zhuo as a greasy old man who 'loses his reputation in his later years, takes easy money, and suppresses younger generations.' What we need to do is break that image."

He paused, his voice very soft, as if he were gently teaching Gu Yang the homework that gave him the biggest headache four years ago.

"As for how to break through, it's about bringing his most glorious and deeply ingrained image back into the public eye. Zhuo Tongyu isn't a newcomer to the music scene; he's a seasoned singer who has won two awards, and he's a memory of an era in the Chinese music scene. His songs accompanied a generation through their youth."

When the hashtag #TheListenToZhuoTongyuWeDidInTheYears# trended on social media, how would those who grew up listening to his songs react?

Gu Yang's eyes slowly brightened.

He could almost see that scene already.

Those born in the 1980s and 1990s who don't usually surf the internet stumbled upon this topic while browsing Weibo.

They would click on it, see familiar song titles, and hear familiar melodies.

They will recall their innocent days in school uniforms, listening to these songs on repeat on their MP3 players.

They will remember the carefree days of graduating, when they would hang out with classmates and friends in a karaoke bar.

That was their youth, their past that they can never return to.

Once this sentiment is stirred, it is incredibly powerful.

When they look at those smear posts that insult Zhuo Tongyu through this lens, what will they think?