dkrc Chapter 51 Malicious Negative Reviews
Chapter 51 Malicious Negative Reviews
Chen Hao didn't care anymore.
He stood there in the corner of the subway car, crying, eating bread, and listening to music.
Like an idiot.
But at this moment, he didn't want to be strong anymore.
He just wanted to cry once, for the failed job interview, for the pilling suit, for the cautious tone in his mother's voice when she said she would buy him a new suit, and for the unseen future.
When Chen Hao had listened to "Encounter" on repeat for the fifth time, he arrived at his stop.
He walked out of the subway station, the evening breeze blowing on his face, cool and refreshing.
He took out his phone, opened Weibo, and found Wang Bo's live stream.
In the video, Wang Bo is playing the piano, specifically the interlude from the song "Encounter".
Someone in the live chat said, "I cried. It reminded me of my first love."
Some people said, "This song is so gentle; it soothed my tiredness after a long day."
Someone said, "Wang Bo, I love you!"
Chen Hao hovered his finger over the screen for a few seconds, then typed: "Thank you for this song. It made me cry on the subway. I feel a bit better after crying. Keep going!"
Click send.
The comments scrolled by so fast that his comment was instantly buried.
But he felt that once he spoke out, everything would be alright.
In the live stream, Wang Bo had just finished playing a piece on the piano and looked up at the comments.
"Wang Bo, look at me! I want to have your babies!"
"This song is definitely going to be a hit! If it isn't, I'll eat my keyboard on live stream!"
"By the way, has anyone noticed the comment section of a certain music platform? Suddenly there are a bunch of one-star reviews, saying that this song is not as good as 'Once Upon a Time' and that the artist has run out of ideas."
This comment caught Wang Bo's attention.
Before he could speak, Su Xiaoxiao's voice came from off-screen; she was clearly watching the live stream as well: "Wang Bo, focus on the live stream, don't worry about anything else."
But the comments section was already exploding.
"What? Someone's leaving negative reviews?"
"I checked it out, and it's true! They're all one-star reviews, and the descriptions are almost identical!"
"It must be a paid troll! 'Encounter' is such a good song, how could it only get one star!"
"Protect our Wang Bo, sisters, charge! Let's get him to five stars!"
Wang Bo looked at the rapidly scrolling comments and said, "Everyone, don't get too excited. Music is subjective; some people like it, and some people don't. That's normal."
"But you can't just maliciously leave negative reviews!"
"Exactly, someone's obviously jealous!"
Wang Bo thought for a moment and said, "How about this, if everyone really likes this song, they can write down their true feelings in the comments section—good or bad, as long as it's genuine. But there's no need to argue with anyone."
He paused, then added, "Music is meant to make people happy, not angry."
These words caused the comments section to erupt even more.
"Wang Bo's values are so upright!"
"This is a true musician!"
"Alright, alright, let's listen to Wang Bo and write genuine music reviews instead of arguing with paid trolls!"
In a rented room in Shanghai.
Li Xuan stared at the computer screen, his face ashen.
The online trolls he hired did indeed put in a lot of effort. Within half an hour of "Encounter" being released, more than a thousand one-star reviews appeared in the comment section of a certain music platform, all of which were "not as good as 'Once Upon a Time'", "has run out of ideas", and "exploiting nostalgia".
But to his surprise, Wang Bo's fans reacted so quickly.
In just over ten minutes, dozens of replies appeared under those negative reviews.
"How much does a single online troll post cost? Can you help me out?"
"Can you put a little more effort into the copywriting? The copy-pasting is too obvious."
"Those who say it's not as good as 'The You of Yesterday,' have you even listened to the song? The two songs are completely different in style, why do you have to compare them?"
"Hey passerby, I didn't want to say anything, but seeing how hard you guys are posting, I ended up listening to the song myself. Now I'm back to tell you: the song is really good, I've already given it five stars."
What made Li Xuan even more furious was that, in addition to fans, many passersby spontaneously joined the counterattack.
A music influencer posted on Weibo: "I listened to Wang Bo's new song 'Encounter'. The production is excellent, the emotions are delicate, and the overall quality is very high. I don't understand why some people are giving it bad reviews. It's rare to see such a well-made work in the Chinese music scene. Let's listen to it and cherish it."
This Weibo post was forwarded thousands of times.
Another music critic was even more direct: "Some of my peers, instead of spending money on hiring online trolls, should go and take a music training course to improve themselves. Jealousy won't make you improve; it will only make you uglier."
Zhang Haoming, watching from the sidelines, was terrified: "Brother Xuan, maybe... we should just give up? We can't win this fight."
Li Xuan gritted his teeth: "Impossible! I'll add more money, I refuse to believe it!"
He opened the chat window of the online troll leader and was about to transfer the money when his phone suddenly rang.
She is an agent for Starlight Media.
Li Xuan's heart tightened, and he answered the phone: "Brother Liu..."
"Li Xuan," the agent's voice was as cold as ice, "did you hire online trolls to smear Wang Bo?"
Li Xuan vehemently denied it: "I didn't..."
"Stop pretending," his agent interrupted him. "There are only a few online marketing companies in the industry. You can easily find out who's buying them. I'm telling you, the company is suspending all your activities until you've calmed down."
Li Xuan was dumbfounded: "Brother Liu, why? I didn't do anything wrong..."
"Didn't you do anything wrong?" the agent sneered. "The company is currently trying to cooperate with Wang Bo, and you, instead, stab him in the back. Do you know how much President Chen admires Wang Bo? If he finds out it was you who did it, do you believe you'll be fired tomorrow, without having to pay a single penny?"
Li Xuan's hands began to tremble.
"I...I didn't know the company was going to cooperate with him..."
"Now you know?" the agent said sternly. "Stop right now. If Xiaoyi Media finds out, you'll have to apologize to them in person. Remember to say it was your personal behavior and has nothing to do with the company."
The phone hangs up.
Li Xuan sat there blankly, holding his phone.
Zhang Haoming asked cautiously, "Brother Xuan, what's wrong?"
Li Xuan remained silent.
He just stared at the computer screen, watching the rating of "Encounter" soar from 7.2 to 8.9.
Looking at those heartfelt music reviews in the comments section.
After a long while, he slowly closed his eyes.
In the live stream room, Wang Bo's live stream had been going on for almost an hour, far exceeding the planned time, but he did not end the broadcast.
During the interactive session, participants can ask questions freely in the live chat.
"Wang Bo, Wang Bo, look here! Besides writing songs, what else do you like to do?"
Wang Bo thought for a moment: "Watch movies, read books, or daydream."
"Is daydreaming considered a hobby?"
"Yes, I do," Wang Bo laughed. "Daydreaming is part of the creative process; inspiration often comes when you're daydreaming."
The comments section was filled with "I learned something" and "Now I have a reason to daydream."
Another question: "Wang Bo, which singer do you like the most?"
Wang Bo's answer was very official: "All the seniors who take music seriously are worth learning from."
"What about TV dramas? Have you seen 'The Years of War,' which just finished airing? It was a huge hit!"
This question surprised Wang Bo.
He certainly knew about "The Years of War," a spy drama that had recently dominated the trending topics. It was well-produced and featured excellent acting, but its handling of certain historical details had sparked considerable controversy.
The chat in the live stream quieted down for a few seconds because of this issue.