The male supporting character was actually myself.

Yang Xixi was saddened by Fang Wenche's arrest for a while, and then began to worry that he might sell her out.

I gave him the blue pills myself. What if the police try to trace it back to him?

The more she thought about it, the more frightened she became, and she was at a loss again. She hurriedly went to find the assistant director. Upon hearing this, the assistant director immediately made a phone call to find someone to smooth things over and ensure that Fang Wenche wouldn't implicate Yang Xixi and himself. The price, of course, was that she had to relax with him.

"Xi Xi, you're so young and beautiful, why bother being Fang Wenche's manager? Wouldn't it be better to debut as a star yourself?"

Another big shot casually smoked a cigarette, sizing up her beautiful figure and face, and chuckled, "Fang Wenche is finished. Not to mention that he did something unethical by secretly recording her, which ruined the director's reputation and made him resented, even if no one retaliates against him, he is still a tainted artist."

These days, there are so many promising talents in the entertainment industry, why would anyone risk using him?

So, you shouldn't be an agent anymore.

"Follow me, and I'll make you a star!"

Upon hearing this, Yang Xixi's eyes immediately lit up with interest. Since the money tree had fallen, she might as well go along with the big spender. With someone supporting her, how could she not become famous?

The thought of becoming a big star and enjoying the treatment of being the center of attention, making a lot of money just by taking pictures and looking beautiful, made her mind active. She hurriedly clung to him and said coquettishly, "But... I can't do anything. You have to have real skills to sing, dance, and act."

"Who said that?" The other person laughed loudly, stubbed out his cigarette, and squinted as he asked, "Can't you do anything? Can't you even cry?"

"Crying? Everyone cries, what does that have to do with being a celebrity?"

"It's all thanks to connections!" The big spender leaned back in his chair and explained with a smile, "I used my connections to get you into those talent shows that recruit trainees. For the sake of the show's effect, they specifically look for young people who know nothing and start from scratch, and then film how they package and train you to attract viewers."

This is called a nurturing idol system, you know?

Watching an idol who knows nothing grow and improve step by step gives fans a greater sense of accomplishment and naturally makes them more loyal. As for you, all you have to do is cry.

For example, during the selection process, no matter how well you perform on stage, you start crying when it comes to the judges' comments.

Tell them how poor your family is and what you gave up to pursue your dreams. Teachers will create a persona for you, and all you have to do is cry.

If you fail to advance and cry in frustration, your fans will soften and your score and popularity will go up.

You cried tears of joy after advancing, and your fans thought you were such a genuine person. That's how your "crybaby" or "tearful doll" persona was established, right?

Yang Xixi was completely stunned. "This...this works too?"

"As long as someone is promoting you, anything is possible! The show is made for the audience, and they don't know if it's real or fake. If you cry well, the judges are sarcastic, and the data is manipulated, you can always rise and fall, but you can always get ahead by taking advantage of others. Once you establish a persona, you'll get traffic."

If you listen to me, I guarantee you'll become a household name right from your debut!

I'll provide you with a professional team to release press releases every now and then to hype things up. Even something as simple as getting a "buy one get one free" offer on a beverage can be used to create a relatable persona for you.

That's the kind of thing people in this industry still like, how about it? Want to hang out with me?

She nodded quickly, snuggled against him sweetly, and said coquettishly, "Brother, you're so good to me!"

"Just know that I'm a good person. Remember, I can help you build a persona and make you famous, but I can also ruin your reputation and make you lose everything. So... as long as you behave, I'll guarantee you a smooth career and a life of wealth and glory!"

Yang Xixi immediately moved closer obediently, demonstrating through her actions that she was very obedient and capable.

Fang Wenche spent a week inside, anxiously counting down the days and waiting for Yang Xixi to find a way to get him out. Meanwhile, Yang Xixi had already used her connections to get herself into a talent show that had just started recording, and was beginning to cultivate a persona to become a star.

This is an experimental program that aims to capitalize on existing popularity and make quick money. Each episode is filmed and then released online. This fresh and bold attempt quickly became a hit after a simple warm-up.

"Host, come quick! Isn't that Yang Xixi, the lucky girl who's all the rage?" The little white cat bounced over, holding its gaming phone. Seeing him whispering to Ouyang Anning with occasional soft laughter, it lowered its voice and reminded him, "It seems like she's about to debut. She must have a sugar daddy behind her. Take a look when you have time!"

Is Yang Xixi going to debut as a star?

Upon hearing this news, Jiang Chen frowned slightly after ending his chat with his girlfriend and carefully examined the fluffy ball's discovery.

Sure enough, with her novel persona, coupled with the show's effects and online hype, Yang Xixi's popularity skyrocketed, making her much more popular than Fang Wenche before.

"We can't wait for Fang Wenche to come out before we take action, otherwise if she really becomes famous, there will be a lot of conflicts of interest, and if we reveal anything then, it might be suppressed."

He immediately instructed the little white cat, "Let's start with that company whose money was transferred and whose accounts were falsified. By the way, let those impoverished families trend on social media to warn the public to face up to the phenomenon of crazy idol worship and the chaos in the entertainment industry poisoning students' values."

Remember to target typical cases, especially those involving theft of grandparents' medical expenses or impoverished parents' savings for living expenses; the more sensationalized these cases, the better.

The fluffy ball straightened up and waved its paw, "Okay, meow, host, I'll get right on it and make sure the mission is completed perfectly!"

Yang Xixi felt smug as she read the articles praising her online.

So what if you came from a poor background and didn't study hard? Now you've become an inspirational figure and gradually risen to the top.

Major media outlets are scrambling to report on it; the interview that just ended was with a mainstream media outlet! Fang Wenche isn't nearly as popular as me! How could I have been so blind to fall for him?

"I never realized before, I'm actually so beautiful!" She touched her fair and pretty face, looked at her exquisitely made-up self in the mirror, and couldn't help but smile slightly.

Fang Wenche's career collapsed due to personal reasons, and his fan group was disbanded, leaving him with nothing.

The remaining large sum of money lies in her bank account. With a professional team planning and training her, even more money will flow in in the future. Just thinking about how she can become a big star one day and be adored by everyone, earning hundreds of millions of yuan just by playing games on a variety show makes her grin from ear to ear.

It's like God is feeding us; when luck comes, there's no stopping it!

Humming a tune, Yang Xixi found a high-end, beautiful dress, preparing to put in even more effort to please her sugar daddy that evening. After witnessing everything that happened on the show, she understood one thing even more clearly—as long as someone is willing to spend money to promote you, even a pig can fly!

There are plenty of girls prettier than me in the world. Since I've been chosen, I might as well take the opportunity to eat as much as I can, secure my sugar daddy's approval so I can earn even more, meet more big shots, and have a backup plan if this guy fails in the future...

Just as she was happily preparing to leave, her phone suddenly vibrated with a text message.

[Unknown number: Sister Yang, please, please return my money quickly! I impulsively transferred 100,000 yuan from the company account to help Fang Wenche raise money for contract termination. Now the company boss is auditing the accounts and I can't cover it up. If it gets found out, I could go to jail! Please, Sister Yang, help me!]

"Tch... You want your 100,000 yuan back right off the bat? Why didn't you think about going to jail when you stole the money?"

Yang Xixi, who had little education and no legal knowledge, glanced at it and curled her lip. "I didn't force you to transfer that money at knifepoint. It was all a voluntary contribution from fans. You're having your fun and then expect me to pay for it and take the blame for you? There's no such thing as a free lunch."

She casually deleted the message and blocked the unknown number, fearing that the other party would harass her again and affect her performance that night. After thinking about it, Yang Xixi simply set up the unknown number blocking function.

Aside from those big shots in my contacts, no one can call or text me, so it's completely peaceful now.

The cashier, a die-hard fan of a celebrity, was so anxious that she almost cried because her messages weren't being replied to and her phone calls went unanswered.

She regretted it so much she wanted to slap herself. How could she have spent so much money on a celebrity she'd never even met who had completely ruined his career? Was she out of her mind?

The other party is refusing to refund the money, and the boss is bringing the old accountant to check the accounts. What should we do?

Should they proactively admit the deficit or try to borrow money to cover it?

Jiang Chen's tight schedule didn't give her any time to think. Soon, a news item, manipulated by Xiaobaimao, went viral—[Disgraced celebrity's fans embezzled public funds to support their idol!]

What exactly is the influence of celebrity role models on young people?

[Worshiping your idol to the point of ruining your future—this kind of idol worship is unacceptable!]

…………

Hidden beneath various chaotic phenomena, previously overlooked aspects of idol-chasing have been exposed. Soon, more fans who had followed celebrities came forward to share their experiences, with various conflicts of interest, such as fan leaders having absolute power over cheering and support funds, unclear whereabouts of funds, and some fan leaders acquiring villas in just six months, trending on social media.

Following closely behind were news reports of various negative stories, such as a father from a poor family raising money for medical expenses being used as donations, and a college student using all his tuition and living expenses to chase after celebrities, leading to him dropping out of school and deceiving his parents. This trend intensified, and the power of public opinion became increasingly fierce and difficult to suppress.

Relevant departments acted swiftly, stating that they would crack down on the gray areas hidden beneath the glamorous facade and strictly investigate the issue of illegal fundraising by fan leaders.

"Host, now that the authorities have intervened, Fang Wenche and Yang Xixi have run into the line of fire. Are we in the bag now?" The little white cat licked its paws and looked at the news reports on the matter on the screen, meowing happily.

Jiang Chen frowned slightly and instructed, "Although the protagonist's halo has weakened, it still exists, so we must not let our guard down. Here's what you do: anonymously post all the transfer information received in Yang Xixi's account and the information about the paid fan groups online. The relevant departments need to make an example of someone, so we'll just help them out by offering ourselves up as bait."

Otherwise, if the protagonist's halo kicks in, the official investigation might target the top stars and ignore this nobody.

"Okay, meow!" The fluffy ball of fluff naturally obeyed its host's every word and immediately finished organizing the data and uploaded it online.

This long bank receipt was like pouring a bucket of gasoline on a newly lit fire, causing it to explode instantly!

"Holy crap! The recipient is Yang Xixi? The notes are all for raising liquidated damages for Fang Wenche. Isn't this the inspirational girl who's been all the rage lately? I remember there was a media report about how difficult it was for her to go from being an agent to being in the spotlight."

"Damn it! Fang Wenzhe is such a nobody, yet so many people are giving him money to spend?"

"A total of five million six hundred thousand?! Holy crap, that's more than many people earn in a lifetime!"

"No wonder everyone wants to be a star; look how easy it is for them to make money."

"You have to pay a membership fee to join a fan group to spend money on your idol? There are just too many idiots. There are five fan groups that cost 66 yuan each, and each group has 2,000 members... Can someone who is good at math help me calculate how much this alone costs?"

"The class representative is here. A regular fan group costs 66 yuan. Everyone except the administrators and Fang Wenche's accounts has to pay, which is about 695,000 yuan. There are two VIP level 1 groups, which cost 166 yuan each, totaling 663,000 yuan. A 266 yuan group costs 531,000 yuan, plus a 366 yuan group costs 731,000 yuan..."

"My goodness, they've made two to seven hundred thousand just from the fan group!"

"This part is calculated separately. Fans raised more than 5.6 million yuan for Fang Wenche's breach of contract penalty, not including the money for participating in the support activities of 'The Voice of China'. Being a celebrity is really damn lucrative!"

"Just wondering, with so much money raised illegally, surely no taxes have been paid? Doesn't that count as tax evasion?"

………………

Guided by this trend, the purge quickly reached Fang Wenche and Yang Xixi.

While everyone else was trying to cover up their dirty laundry, one was in prison and the other was serving a sugar daddy, completely unaware of the situation.

There are even videos circulating online, edited footage of Yang Xixi nestled in Fang Wenche's arms as the two discuss how to extract money from fans' pockets, including the entire process of setting up various projects and paid groups.

Yang Xixi had recently spent a lot of money on marketing, buying numerous press releases and online trolls to promote her, and her fame was soaring when this video was released, confirming that she had an affair with Fang Wenche and was planning to carry out illegal fundraising, instantly igniting public anger.

The heated online attack continued until after 10 p.m. When the sponsor, who had relaxed and was smoking, suddenly received a call from his assistant, his expression changed, and he angrily changed his clothes and slammed the door as he left.

Yang Xixi didn't know what went wrong and didn't dare to ask. After thinking about it, she figured it was a waste not to stay in such a high-end hotel, so she got up and took a nice bath in the bathtub. She then fell into a sweet dream on the big, comfortable bed.

She was awakened by a knock on the door the next day.

"Yang Xixi?" The police officer, holding an arrest warrant, stared expressionlessly at Yang Xixi, who was dressed in pajamas and looked sleepy. He raised his chin and said coldly, "Go change your clothes and come back to the station with us to cooperate with the investigation of this illegal fundraising case."

"What? Illegal fundraising? What's that?"

"Don't ask so many questions. Someone at the station will explain it to you."

"me……"

Yang Xixi had a bad feeling, but she had no idea about illegal fundraising. While changing clothes, she called her sugar daddy only to find that she had been blocked and couldn't contact any of the big shots in her contacts...

Fang Wenche felt incredibly unlucky; he was in detention and trouble had fallen from the sky!

Without a cell phone, newspapers, or current events, he really didn't know how he got involved in illegal fundraising. But from the tone of the police officers handling the case, he could tell that Yang Xixi was trying to shift all the blame onto herself after things went wrong.

"Damn it, you little bitch, don't blame me for being ruthless!" Seeing the evidence provided by the police officers handling the case, Fang Wenche felt that he had no chance to argue, so he simply went all out and confessed to his drug use as well; he also revealed the whole story of how the rich woman was keeping Li Jiangchen.

That wasn't the end of it. Yidu Entertainment Company sent over a lawyer's letter—all the songs and dances performed by Fang Wenche on the program "The Voice of Heaven" were personally created by Li Jiangchen, who then authorized Yidu Entertainment Company with the right to use them.

Fang Wenche's unauthorized use of his work in a commercial competition without the copyright holder's permission constitutes a serious copyright infringement. Yidu Entertainment Company will sue him for damages.

..........................................

postscript.

As a typical example, the illegal fundraising case of Fang Wenche and Yang Xixi was investigated by a special task force, which led to the exposure of numerous drug-related cases within the entertainment industry. A large number of people were implicated, and the result of heavier penalties was eventually announced to the public.

Fang Wenche, who single-handedly brought down half of the entertainment industry, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for illegally raising a particularly large amount of money, having no funds or property to pay compensation in an infringement case, and spreading rumors that Li Jiangchen was being kept by a sugar daddy, which damaged her reputation. He was sent to a labor camp to work and earn wages to repay the compensation.

Yang Xixi was convicted of illegally raising an exceptionally large amount of money and illegally possessing contraband. All her property was confiscated and she was fined 100,000 yuan. She was sentenced to 25 years in prison and sent to a labor camp to work and earn wages to repay her debts.