NOVELS

Zhou Chen didn't bother to think much about the host's next question and answered directly: "The inspiration for 'Desert Camel' came from your show." "From our show? What do you mean by that?" The host looked puzzled. "If I remember correctly, the theme you gave us for this episode consisted of two words: 'desert' and 'camel.' So, I just combined them into a song title," Zhou Chen explained. The host then recalled and smiled awkwardly. "How did you come up with this style of song?" "No reason, I just thought it would be fun." Zhou Chen's answer left the host bewildered once again. She had heard about Zhou Chen's unconventional responses. She experienced it last episode and now, once again, she was faced with it. "Hahaha, the host's expression is hilarious. She probably forgot that Zhou Chen always gives these unexpected answers." "Is it possible that Zhou Chen really just though

Zhao Liang was also thrilled upon hearing the news. After all, achieving a 4.0 rating at the beginning of a show is unprecedented for any variety program. Although Zhou Chen had recently helped many variety shows reach or exceed a 4.0 rating, none had achieved this at the very start. Now, his fully-directed show "Our Music" had done it, which was an impressive feat to boast about. However, despite his excitement, Zhao Liang was aware that once Zhou Chen and Wu Heng stepped down, the ratings would likely drop. Fortunately, he had prepared himself mentally for this. Even if the ratings did fall, although it would be a pity, he could accept it. After all, reaching a 4.0 rating for a program was a distant dream for many directors. Over at Jiang Lin and Lu Jie’s side, their expressions were extremely grim. Especially Jiang Lin, who had been insisting that Wu Heng wouldn't perform well tonight. His reasoning was that Wu Heng’s singing skills were lacking, and the theme of this

After Zhao Liang resolved the performance order issue, he returned to his workstation. At this moment, his assistant Xiao Sun approached, looking excited. "Director Zhao, great news! Unbelievable news! Our show hasn't even officially started yet, but there are already five million viewers in the live stream. If nothing unexpected happens, tonight's ratings will definitely stay above 4.0." "What! Five million viewers in the live stream even before the official start? My God, that's crazy!" Zhao Liang was ecstatic at the numbers. But after his initial excitement, his expression changed suddenly as he realized something. "Director Zhao, what's wrong? You should be happy with such a result, but your expression just changed suddenly," Xiao Sun, noticing the subtle change, asked curiously. "I understand now. It's because Zhou Chen and Wu Heng are the first to perform, which means our show's ratings tonight will start strong but then

With Wang Wei and his wife arrested, the uproar over the manipulated data for "Boundless Ocean, Vast Skies" came to an end. Zhou Chen's Weibo followers had soared to 50 million as a result of the incident. For any artist, this was an astonishing number, one that would typically elicit excitement and joy. However, Zhou Chen seemed indifferent. He barely glanced at his Weibo after posting, never checking private messages or comments. Wan Fangfang found this infuriating and helpless at the same time. Who knew she would end up managing such an eccentric artist? ... A few days later, it was time for a new episode of "Our Music." Zhou Chen, Wu Heng, and Wan Fangfang arrived at the Yang Tao TV station. Since they were the last to arrive, fellow guest artists Jiang Lin and Lu Jie were quite displeased. Jiang Lin immediately complained to the chief director, Zhao Liang. "Director Zhao, the show is about to start, and Zhou Chen and Wu Heng just got here. This is disr

Wang Wei had underestimated Chen Jie. Chen Jie had long wanted to get rid of Wang Wei. However, since Wang Wei was a high-level executive at Wanhe, even as the CEO, Chen Jie couldn’t just fire him without a valid reason. Now, this scandal provided the perfect opportunity, and there was no way he was going to let it slip by. With a stern expression, he said, "Wang Wei, it's too late for everything. You have to bear the consequences of your actions. Take care of yourself. Security, take him away." Soon, two security guards entered and dragged Wang Wei out. At that moment, the police also arrived and took Wang Wei and his wife away for further investigation. Seeing Wang Wei and his wife being taken away by the police, Zhou Chen didn't need to ask to know they were behind the data manipulation scheme. Thinking it over, they were the only ones who would do such a thing. Ever since the incident at the nursing home, the enmity between Zhou Chen and the couple had never been

Upon hearing Wu Heng’s words, Zhou Chen felt a bit anxious. Given Wu Heng’s vocal skills, there wasn't much room for altering "Desert Camel" without turning it into a disaster. Yet, Wu Heng seemed so confident, as if he were a musical genius. Not wanting to discourage him, Zhou Chen nodded and agreed to listen. He got up and followed Wu Heng to the rehearsal room. “Zhou Chen, I’ve added some new elements. Listen carefully,” Wu Heng said, signaling the staff to start. As the melody began, Wu Heng started to sing. Zhou Chen frowned halfway through. Wu Heng had added rap elements to "Desert Camel," turning a perfectly good catchy song into a chaotic mess. Moreover, Wu Heng seemed very pleased with himself, thoroughly enjoying the performance. “How was it, Zhou Chen? How do you like the new elements I added?” After finishing, Wu Heng eagerly asked Zhou Chen for feedback. Zhou Chen coughed lightly and said, “Wu Heng, ‘Desert Camel’ isn’t really suitable for rap eleme

Wang Wei knew that this might be the end. The police's involvement would inevitably reveal that he and his wife were behind this scheme. He was starting to regret getting involved in this matter, but it was too late for regrets now. He immediately called his wife, Zhang Chuchu, to come over, intending to discuss what to do next. "What! This was Mr. Chen's idea? Then it's clearly impossible to get them to withdraw the report. We're doomed. Once this is uncovered, you'll definitely lose your position as manager, and it might even be impossible to stay at Wanhe." After speaking, Zhang Chuchu looked utterly desperate. She had never imagined that what started as a smug plan would end up like this. "Yes! That's why I called you over to discuss what to do." "What can I do? If you, a grown man, can't think of a solution, how could I, a woman, come up with anything?" "Alright, here's the plan: you handle your contacts and tell t

Zhou Chen and Wan Fangfang went to the local police station together. After successfully filing the case, they received a receipt, then returned directly to the company. "Zhou Chen, as Chen Zong instructed, remember to post a Weibo to clarify this matter later," Wan Fangfang reminded. "Okay, I'll post it now." After saying that, Zhou Chen took out his phone and took a photo of the police report receipt. Logging into his Weibo account, he attached the photo he just took and wrote: "It's been a night, and it seems everyone is still not willing to stop, so let me clarify a few points again. Firstly, yes, the song 'Boundless Ocean, Vast Skies' did have its download numbers manipulated, this is indisputable. Secondly, it was not me or my team who manipulated the downloads. Thirdly, someone deliberately framed and set me up. My company and I have chosen to report this to the police, as shown in the attached police report receipt. That's all I have

Chen Jie momentarily forgot that Zhou Chen was always punctual when it came to clocking in at the company. With two minutes left before the official start of work, according to Zhou Chen's habits, he naturally wouldn’t show up at the company. "President Chen, Zhou Chen has always been punctual in coming to the company. Let's wait for another two minutes. He should arrive then. I can go wait for him at the entrance," Wan Fangfang explained. "Alright, go wait for him at the entrance. Bring him to my office immediately once he arrives." Chen Jie felt helpless in this situation. After all, he had previously agreed to allow Zhou Chen to act like this. On Zhou Chen's side, when he arrived at the company and saw Wan Fangfang waiting for him, he already guessed what was going on. "Sister Fangfang, is President Chen looking for me?" Zhou Chen asked directly. "Since you've already guessed that President Chen wants to see you, why are you late? H

Wen Xiaoqian realized that if Zhou Chen wasn't the one manipulating the data, and yet all the evidence pointed to "Boundless Sky" being manipulated, then there was only one possibility: someone else was behind it. "That's entirely possible," the technical staff agreed. "It seems this situation isn't so straightforward. Hopefully, Wanhe can quickly uncover the real cause," Wen Xiaoqian sighed. "Manager Wen, what should we do now?" the technical staff asked. "Keep 'Boundless Sky' on the homepage. Our stance is that unless the industry officially announces that Zhou Chen manipulated data, we won't take the song down," Wen Xiaoqian stated firmly. "Understood," the technical staff replied and then hung up the phone. Online, the debate about this issue was still raging. Zhou Chen, however, couldn't be bothered with it. When it was time, he turned off his phone to charge it, then went to bed and had a good

Wang Wei and his wife were feeling triumphant, even celebrating the success of their plan a moment ago. Their way of celebrating was quite special, involving a moment of intimacy. However, without taking the blue pill, Wang Wei's moments of joy tended to be brief, usually lasting no more than 90 seconds. "Chuchu, that brat Zhou Chen actually responded on Weibo," Wang Wei said, taking a drag from his cigarette as he checked the online updates. "Really? What did he say?" "See for yourself," Wang Wei replied, handing his phone over to Zhang Chuchu. Zhang Chuchu glanced at it for a moment and then exclaimed, "I can't believe Zhou Chen's explanation is so simple, just one sentence. Is he courting disaster? Doesn't he realize how serious this issue is?" "I think he’s just oblivious. This Weibo post was probably something Wan Fangfang told him to do over the phone, and he just casually complied." "So, what should we do now

Wan Fangfang didn’t distrust Zhou Chen; she just wanted a definite answer from him. "Sister Fangfang, I may not know what’s happening online right now, but I can assure you that I would never stoop to manipulating data," Zhou Chen replied confidently. "That's good to hear. As long as you didn't actually manipulate data, everything will be fine." Wan Fangfang felt completely relieved. "Thank you for believing in me, Sister Fangfang. I'll head back now." With that, Zhou Chen turned to leave. "Wait, with such a big issue, don’t you care at all? Aren’t you even a little concerned?" Wan Fangfang was extremely anxious about the situation, yet Zhou Chen seemed completely unaffected, as if nothing had happened. This was too much for her to handle. "It’s not a big deal. Which celebrity doesn’t have some false news about them? Especially now, when I’m in the spotlight, all sorts of rumors and slanders are bound to appear. As long as I know

Zhou Chen’s manager, Wan Fangfang, was utterly bewildered when she saw the latest developments. Zhou Chen suspected of data manipulation? Are you kidding? With his laid-back attitude, would he manipulate data? And right now, he needs money to buy a luxury villa, so why would he spend money on manipulating data? Wan Fangfang certainly didn’t believe the nonsense circulating online. “Fangfang, what’s going on? Why is the internet saying Zhou Chen’s new song is suspected of data manipulation? What exactly are you all doing?”  As soon as Wan Fangfang finished reading the article online, Chen Jie’s assistant, Li Qiankun, called her. “Assistant Li, this situation is bizarre. Everything was fine, but suddenly someone posted claiming that Zhou Chen’s new song’s data was manipulated,” Wan Fangfang explained. “So did Zhou Chen manipulate the data? Or did you arrange for someone to do it?” “Assistant Li, I can assure you that I absolutely didn’t arrange for anyone to manipulate the data. I’m just