Chapter 53: It doesn’t matter how well this album sells. I can shoulder the burden.
The haters didn’t stop after Ding Meng posted her official statement on Weibo.
Tang Shiran actually responded very quickly.
Tang Shiran (V): I can’t believe that Ding Meng and Qiao Yichen are married. We spent so much time competing together, yet I never suspected a thing [shock]. With such acting skills, it’s really a shame that she didn’t pursue show business [doge] I feel so sorry for the contestants who were eliminated. For example, Mu Shang was clearly a very strong competitor, yet she was eliminated right before the finals thanks to Judge Qiao’s vote and was unfortunately unable to make it past the top 8.
Since Ding Meng had been browsing through Weibo this entire time, she came across that post very quickly. She didn’t expect that Tang Shiran would actually post such a response onto the internet, as if she was trying to publicize their falling out.
Jiang Man also saw the post and told Ding Meng, “Just ignore Tang Shiran. She works for Xingyao. Xingyao must have encouraged her to speak negatively about you. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have had the audacity to post such a statement.”
Ding Meng pursed her lips. Sure enough, people on Xingyao’s blacklist really did receive special treatment. Xingyao was probably overjoyed that they could eliminate two birds with one stone this time around.
After noticing that Ding Meng’s complexion looked rather poor, Jiang Man spoke up, “There is no need to be so worried. The only one who will lose face after posting a message like that is Tang Shiran herself. The public relations department just sent me the emergency contingency plan. As I have said previously, neither of you two should respond to anything else before hearing from me.”
“Got it.” Ding Meng nodded. She had complete faith in Jiang Man’s capabilities.
“You two can get back to work now. Even though this issue came up, your album production cannot be delayed.”
Ding Meng wasn’t in the mood to record, but Qiao Yichen agreed with Jiang Man, “Let’s go to the recording booth.”
His words were directed at Ding Meng. Ding Meng looked over at him and then followed him out.
The sound technician was also in the recording booth. When he saw the two of them enter, he had no idea how to face them. After a moment of awkwardness, he rushed out while laughing nervously, “You guys can take your time talking. I’ll be heading out first!”
Ding Meng, “…”
If he left, who would do the recording?!
Qiao Yichen poured a cup of hot water into his cup for Ding Meng and passed it into her hand, “You can rest for a little longer. He’ll come back on his own after he gets over his shock.”
…
After lightly facepalming, Ding Meng took her phone out and continued browsing through Weibo. Tang Shiran’s post was still weighing heavily on her mind so she found it again and discovered that it had received quite a few responses.
“So salty [doge]”
“Lady Tang, don’t talk about other people. The one you feel the most sorry for is yourself, right? [doge]”
“I support Ranran! The first place should’ve been yours! You sing better than she does!”
“Even if Lady Tang can’t accept that she came in second place, she doesn’t need to drag my Shuang into this alright? Mu Shuang must be so pissed right now.”
“All three judges voted for Ding Meng in the finals so Lady Tang was forced to use Mu Shuang as an example. Good try [wink].”
“There are still people defending that cheater Ding Meng? She concealed her marriage and tricked her way to first place. Are all her fans masochists?”
“Ignoring everything else, she really did sing better than you did when you two competed against each other. Don’t be so salty. It’s so unsightly.”
“@DingMeng_LemonLeader, return the first place to my Ranran! Winning through connections is shameless!!”
“I actually rather liked you, but this post was too low. Don’t forget that you also lost the newcomer award.”
After scrolling down a bit further, Ding Meng noticed that Mu Shuang had also re-posted Tang Shiran’s post.
Mu Shuang (V): I don’t need your pity. Weren’t you the one went around telling everyone that my aunt was the producer of Heavenly Voice? However, I also had a clear conscience. I know better than anyone that Ding Meng was truly the better singer when we competed. Heavenly Voice is just a competition. If someone wins, there will be others who lose. It’s just that some can accept the loss while others can’t swallow defeat.
Ding Meng stared blankly. She hadn’t expected Mu Shuang to speak up on her behalf. They barely talked to each other at all during the competition, and, just as Tang Shiran had mentioned, she was the reason why Mu Shuang was unable to compete in the finals. However, Mu Shuang actually stood up for her at such a critical juncture. This was a miracle!
Fans from all over the place left one message after another on Mu Shuang’s page. This had been a very busy New Year for the fans.
“Lady Tang got slapped. Paa~Paa~Paa~”
“My Shuang is too cool! I love your songs the most. I recently heard that you’re finally going to sign with a company! Looking forward to your new song!”
“Lady Tang deserves her title as the number one schemer in the Heavenly Voice.”
“Guangchen is the company that Mu Shuang is going to sign with, right? It’s no wonder that she’s standing up for her employer.”
“It’s so easy to see how classy she is from how she speaks.”
“Thank you for speaking up on behalf of Lemon Leader. I, Liang Chen, will never forget this.”
After reading the comments, Ding Meng looked up to ask Qiao Yichen, “Mu Shuang is going to sign with Guangchen?”
Qiao Yichen nodded, “That is true, but what she posted on Weibo is also the truth. Besides, I don’t believe that Jiang Man and the PR department would reach out to her. They’d probably reach out to Producer Mu instead.”
Sure enough, Producer Mu quickly re-posted Mu Shuang’s post, “If Heavenly Voice had any shady dealings, the winner would definitely have been Mu Shuang. It was hardly Ding Meng’s turn.”
Ding Meng, “…”
Did Producer Mu have to be this cool?
“Ok, the company has already started to implement its strategy to clear your reputation. I’ll go bring back the sound technician. You can focus on recording music now.” After speaking, Qiao Yichen got up and left to find the sound technician. Ding Meng’s emotions had been all over the place since earlier that morning so her performance was off throughout the entire recording session. However, Qiao Yichen didn’t scold her even once.
After some contemplation, the sound technician said to Qiao Yichen, “Let’s continue recording in the afternoon. There aren’t any reservations for this booth today so we can take our time. It’s too difficult to get her to calm down right now.”
Qiao Yichen nodded and asked Ding Meng to come out. It was almost noon and the dining hall was open so he took her over to eat first.
While Ding Meng sat in her seat and waited for Qiao Yichen to buy their meal, she couldn’t help but pull out her phone again. The situation on Weibo had changed once more. Firstly, Shi Rou had jumped out and posted, “Haha, so Ding Meng and Qiao Yichen were actually a married couple. It’s no wonder she stood up for him last time.” However, that post was deleted shortly afterwards.
Next, the other two Heavenly Voice judges Xiao Qi and Sun Rui also made statements on Weibo, expressing that they had not been bribed in any way and that each vote of theirs was made according to their own judgements.
Ding Meng felt rather deflated because her situation had prevented everyone from comfortably celebrating the New Year.
She privately messaged two words to each person who had posted on her behalf: Thank you.
After sending out her messages, she put away her cell phone. At that exact moment, Qiao Yichen returned with two set meals, “Do you want soup? The soup of the day is spare rib and seaweed soup.”
Ding Meng stood up, “I’ll get the soup.”
She grabbed two bowls and made her way towards the window. The auntie at the window gave her so many spare ribs that Ding Meng actually felt a little embarrassed, “Thank you, but I don’t need that many.”
Beaming, the auntie replied, “No no, it’s fine. There’s more in the pot. Eat some more. I really enjoy your singing.”
Ding Meng held the bowls dazedly and felt rather moved, “Thank you.”
After she carefully carried the two bowls back over to the table, Qiao Yichen asked in surprise, “Are there not many people eating here today? Why is the kitchen being so generous?”
Ding Meng replied, “The auntie is a Little Lemon. If I had known earlier, I would’ve gone over to buy the meal instead.”
After a moment of pause, Qiao Yichen chuckled, “Then eat more, Lemon Leader.” He picked up the drumstick from his own meal and gave it to Ding Meng. Ding Meng accepted it without restraint.
Two female coworkers just happened to bring their lunch trays over to the neighboring table at that moment. Upon seeing Qiao Yichen give Ding Meng food, they teased, “Aiyoh, when did Qiao dada become so considerate? When’s the ceremony?”
Qiao Yichen turned around to take a look at them, “Soon. We’ll let you know when to pack the red envelopes when the time comes.”
The other girl exclaimed exaggeratedly, “Qiao dada’s salary is so high, yet he still has the nerve to demand red envelopes from us?!”
“Seriously! It’s fine if you want a red envelope, but I want to eat at the $9999 table.”
Ding Meng, “…”
Wasn’t that a bit much?
Due to this interruption, her mood had improved quite a bit. After lunch, Jiang Man called Ding Meng over to her office to share some bad news, “Of the two commercials you had previously agreed to do, one wants to terminate their contract.”
After being stunned for a moment, Ding Meng nodded, “Ok.”
“I’ve contacted the people handling the chocolate commercial and they still want you to represent them. The shooting will begin in the next few days. I’ll let you know when the time comes.”
“Sounds good.”
Jiang Man looked at her, “Don’t let this situation affect you. Since you chose to record an album, you need to do your best.”
After staying silent for a moment, Ding Meng responded, “I know.”
After leaving Jiang Man’s office, she went straight to the recording booth. Qiao Yichen noticed that her complexion looked rather poor so he walked up to her, “What happened? What did Jiang Man say just now?”
Ding Meng shook her head, “Nothing much. It’s just that an advertising company terminated their contract with me.” Truthfully, the contract termination didn’t really bother her. What really worried her was that if this Weibo scandal had actually caused an advertising company to cancel their contract with her, would anyone still be willing to buy her album?
This album was going to be the product of Qiao Yichen’s blood, sweat, and tears, but it looked she was ruining everything.
When Qiao Yichen noticed that she still looked unhappy, he assumed that she was still worried about the Weibo scandal, “Plenty of artists get criticized when first they start out. Even Sima Xiaoxiao was told to scram from the music industry at the beginning of her career. You don’t need to worry about what they say. The best thing to do when facing this sort of criticism and hate is to slap them in the face with your work. Ultimately, when you’re in the entertainment industry, you need to speak with your abilities.”
Ding Meng pursed her lips and nodded, “I understand. I will record diligently, but do you think this matter affect how the album sells?”
She knew that she would lose quite a few fans because of this scandal.
Qiao Yichen grinned and tousled her hair, “Don’t worry. It doesn’t matter how well this album sells. I can shoulder the burden.”
Chapter 53: It doesn’t matter how well this album sells. I can shoulder the burden.
The haters didn’t stop after Ding Meng posted her official statement on Weibo.
Tang Shiran actually responded very quickly.
Tang Shiran (V): I can’t believe that Ding Meng and Qiao Yichen are married. We spent so much time competing together, yet I never suspected a thing [shock]. With such acting skills, it’s really a shame that she didn’t pursue show business [doge] I feel so sorry for the contestants who were eliminated. For example, Mu Shang was clearly a very strong competitor, yet she was eliminated right before the finals thanks to Judge Qiao’s vote and was unfortunately unable to make it past the top 8.
Since Ding Meng had been browsing through Weibo this entire time, she came across that post very quickly. She didn’t expect that Tang Shiran would actually post such a response onto the internet, as if she was trying to publicize their falling out.
Jiang Man also saw the post and told Ding Meng, “Just ignore Tang Shiran. She works for Xingyao. Xingyao must have encouraged her to speak negatively about you. Otherwise, she wouldn’t have had the audacity to post such a statement.”
Ding Meng pursed her lips. Sure enough, people on Xingyao’s blacklist really did receive special treatment. Xingyao was probably overjoyed that they could eliminate two birds with one stone this time around.
After noticing that Ding Meng’s complexion looked rather poor, Jiang Man spoke up, “There is no need to be so worried. The only one who will lose face after posting a message like that is Tang Shiran herself. The public relations department just sent me the emergency contingency plan. As I have said previously, neither of you two should respond to anything else before hearing from me.”
“Got it.” Ding Meng nodded. She had complete faith in Jiang Man’s capabilities.
“You two can get back to work now. Even though this issue came up, your album production cannot be delayed.”
Ding Meng wasn’t in the mood to record, but Qiao Yichen agreed with Jiang Man, “Let’s go to the recording booth.”
His words were directed at Ding Meng. Ding Meng looked over at him and then followed him out.
The sound technician was also in the recording booth. When he saw the two of them enter, he had no idea how to face them. After a moment of awkwardness, he rushed out while laughing nervously, “You guys can take your time talking. I’ll be heading out first!”
Ding Meng, “…”
If he left, who would do the recording?!
Qiao Yichen poured a cup of hot water into his cup for Ding Meng and passed it into her hand, “You can rest for a little longer. He’ll come back on his own after he gets over his shock.”
…
After lightly facepalming, Ding Meng took her phone out and continued browsing through Weibo. Tang Shiran’s post was still weighing heavily on her mind so she found it again and discovered that it had received quite a few responses.
“So salty [doge]”
“Lady Tang, don’t talk about other people. The one you feel the most sorry for is yourself, right? [doge]”
“I support Ranran! The first place should’ve been yours! You sing better than she does!”
“Even if Lady Tang can’t accept that she came in second place, she doesn’t need to drag my Shuang into this alright? Mu Shuang must be so pissed right now.”
“All three judges voted for Ding Meng in the finals so Lady Tang was forced to use Mu Shuang as an example. Good try [wink].”
“There are still people defending that cheater Ding Meng? She concealed her marriage and tricked her way to first place. Are all her fans masochists?”
“Ignoring everything else, she really did sing better than you did when you two competed against each other. Don’t be so salty. It’s so unsightly.”
“@DingMeng_LemonLeader, return the first place to my Ranran! Winning through connections is shameless!!”
“I actually rather liked you, but this post was too low. Don’t forget that you also lost the newcomer award.”
After scrolling down a bit further, Ding Meng noticed that Mu Shuang had also re-posted Tang Shiran’s post.
Mu Shuang (V): I don’t need your pity. Weren’t you the one went around telling everyone that my aunt was the producer of Heavenly Voice? However, I also had a clear conscience. I know better than anyone that Ding Meng was truly the better singer when we competed. Heavenly Voice is just a competition. If someone wins, there will be others who lose. It’s just that some can accept the loss while others can’t swallow defeat.
Ding Meng stared blankly. She hadn’t expected Mu Shuang to speak up on her behalf. They barely talked to each other at all during the competition, and, just as Tang Shiran had mentioned, she was the reason why Mu Shuang was unable to compete in the finals. However, Mu Shuang actually stood up for her at such a critical juncture. This was a miracle!
Fans from all over the place left one message after another on Mu Shuang’s page. This had been a very busy New Year for the fans.
“Lady Tang got slapped. Paa~Paa~Paa~”
“My Shuang is too cool! I love your songs the most. I recently heard that you’re finally going to sign with a company! Looking forward to your new song!”
“Lady Tang deserves her title as the number one schemer in the Heavenly Voice.”
“Guangchen is the company that Mu Shuang is going to sign with, right? It’s no wonder that she’s standing up for her employer.”
“It’s so easy to see how classy she is from how she speaks.”
“Thank you for speaking up on behalf of Lemon Leader. I, Liang Chen, will never forget this.”
After reading the comments, Ding Meng looked up to ask Qiao Yichen, “Mu Shuang is going to sign with Guangchen?”
Qiao Yichen nodded, “That is true, but what she posted on Weibo is also the truth. Besides, I don’t believe that Jiang Man and the PR department would reach out to her. They’d probably reach out to Producer Mu instead.”
Sure enough, Producer Mu quickly re-posted Mu Shuang’s post, “If Heavenly Voice had any shady dealings, the winner would definitely have been Mu Shuang. It was hardly Ding Meng’s turn.”
Ding Meng, “…”
Did Producer Mu have to be this cool?
“Ok, the company has already started to implement its strategy to clear your reputation. I’ll go bring back the sound technician. You can focus on recording music now.” After speaking, Qiao Yichen got up and left to find the sound technician. Ding Meng’s emotions had been all over the place since earlier that morning so her performance was off throughout the entire recording session. However, Qiao Yichen didn’t scold her even once.
After some contemplation, the sound technician said to Qiao Yichen, “Let’s continue recording in the afternoon. There aren’t any reservations for this booth today so we can take our time. It’s too difficult to get her to calm down right now.”
Qiao Yichen nodded and asked Ding Meng to come out. It was almost noon and the dining hall was open so he took her over to eat first.
While Ding Meng sat in her seat and waited for Qiao Yichen to buy their meal, she couldn’t help but pull out her phone again. The situation on Weibo had changed once more. Firstly, Shi Rou had jumped out and posted, “Haha, so Ding Meng and Qiao Yichen were actually a married couple. It’s no wonder she stood up for him last time.” However, that post was deleted shortly afterwards.
Next, the other two Heavenly Voice judges Xiao Qi and Sun Rui also made statements on Weibo, expressing that they had not been bribed in any way and that each vote of theirs was made according to their own judgements.
Ding Meng felt rather deflated because her situation had prevented everyone from comfortably celebrating the New Year.
She privately messaged two words to each person who had posted on her behalf: Thank you.
After sending out her messages, she put away her cell phone. At that exact moment, Qiao Yichen returned with two set meals, “Do you want soup? The soup of the day is spare rib and seaweed soup.”
Ding Meng stood up, “I’ll get the soup.”
She grabbed two bowls and made her way towards the window. The auntie at the window gave her so many spare ribs that Ding Meng actually felt a little embarrassed, “Thank you, but I don’t need that many.”
Beaming, the auntie replied, “No no, it’s fine. There’s more in the pot. Eat some more. I really enjoy your singing.”
Ding Meng held the bowls dazedly and felt rather moved, “Thank you.”
After she carefully carried the two bowls back over to the table, Qiao Yichen asked in surprise, “Are there not many people eating here today? Why is the kitchen being so generous?”
Ding Meng replied, “The auntie is a Little Lemon. If I had known earlier, I would’ve gone over to buy the meal instead.”
After a moment of pause, Qiao Yichen chuckled, “Then eat more, Lemon Leader.” He picked up the drumstick from his own meal and gave it to Ding Meng. Ding Meng accepted it without restraint.
Two female coworkers just happened to bring their lunch trays over to the neighboring table at that moment. Upon seeing Qiao Yichen give Ding Meng food, they teased, “Aiyoh, when did Qiao dada become so considerate? When’s the ceremony?”
Qiao Yichen turned around to take a look at them, “Soon. We’ll let you know when to pack the red envelopes when the time comes.”
The other girl exclaimed exaggeratedly, “Qiao dada’s salary is so high, yet he still has the nerve to demand red envelopes from us?!”
“Seriously! It’s fine if you want a red envelope, but I want to eat at the $9999 table.”
Ding Meng, “…”
Wasn’t that a bit much?
Due to this interruption, her mood had improved quite a bit. After lunch, Jiang Man called Ding Meng over to her office to share some bad news, “Of the two commercials you had previously agreed to do, one wants to terminate their contract.”
After being stunned for a moment, Ding Meng nodded, “Ok.”
“I’ve contacted the people handling the chocolate commercial and they still want you to represent them. The shooting will begin in the next few days. I’ll let you know when the time comes.”
“Sounds good.”
Jiang Man looked at her, “Don’t let this situation affect you. Since you chose to record an album, you need to do your best.”
After staying silent for a moment, Ding Meng responded, “I know.”
After leaving Jiang Man’s office, she went straight to the recording booth. Qiao Yichen noticed that her complexion looked rather poor so he walked up to her, “What happened? What did Jiang Man say just now?”
Ding Meng shook her head, “Nothing much. It’s just that an advertising company terminated their contract with me.” Truthfully, the contract termination didn’t really bother her. What really worried her was that if this Weibo scandal had actually caused an advertising company to cancel their contract with her, would anyone still be willing to buy her album?
This album was going to be the product of Qiao Yichen’s blood, sweat, and tears, but it looked she was ruining everything.
When Qiao Yichen noticed that she still looked unhappy, he assumed that she was still worried about the Weibo scandal, “Plenty of artists get criticized when first they start out. Even Sima Xiaoxiao was told to scram from the music industry at the beginning of her career. You don’t need to worry about what they say. The best thing to do when facing this sort of criticism and hate is to slap them in the face with your work. Ultimately, when you’re in the entertainment industry, you need to speak with your abilities.”
Ding Meng pursed her lips and nodded, “I understand. I will record diligently, but do you think this matter affect how the album sells?”
She knew that she would lose quite a few fans because of this scandal.
Qiao Yichen grinned and tousled her hair, “Don’t worry. It doesn’t matter how well this album sells. I can shoulder the burden.”
