Chapter 096: Quietly Watching You Show Off

Weibo username: Vast Sky.
Personal signature: Is it a crime to be handsome?
Upon seeing Qin Han's personal signature, Lin Feng was speechless once again. This guy was truly narcissistic beyond measure.

Lin Feng thought for a moment, then changed Qin Han's signature.

"My pursuit of music is like a fish's longing for water. Only with heart and emotion can one create good music. I am JJ Lin, an ordinary man with a dream for music."

After revising the signature, Lin Feng used Qin Han's account to post a new Weibo update.

"At this moment, my heart is struggling!"

"Brother-in-law, what do you mean by this?" Qin Han asked Lin Feng with a confused look.

"Yeah, big brother, are you pretending to be JJ Lin? But isn't that your pseudonym? He doesn't even exist," Lin Wen was equally puzzled.

"The answer will be revealed tomorrow. For now, just focus on practicing your song!" Lin Feng played riddles with them.

"Come on, big brother, just tell us," Lin Wen pouted.

Lin Feng shrugged. "I already said the answer comes tomorrow. Your only task now is to practice your song well. You don't want me to lose to Zhou Ziqian on the music PK stage, do you?"

"Oh, alright then," Lin Wen replied, disappointed.

...

The news that Zhou Ziqian was offering a million-dollar reward to find JJ Lin quickly dominated the headlines of every major entertainment section. Countless netizens left messages in support of Zhou Ziqian. After all, up to now, Lin Feng had not produced any solid evidence, and his claim about the pseudonym had become the focal point of ridicule.

Most netizens believed Lin Feng was just making excuses for his own plagiarism.

With the media coverage, attention to the matter soared, becoming the hottest topic nationwide.

After issuing the million-dollar reward, Zhou Ziqian’s Weibo inbox exploded. Some claimed they had clues about JJ Lin, others boldly declared themselves to be JJ Lin.

Yet, after verifying each message, not a single one turned out to be genuine, leaving Zhou Ziqian quite disappointed.

Still, the public opinion was overwhelmingly in his favor, which made Zhou Ziqian secretly delighted. Even if JJ Lin never showed up, this battle of opinion was one he had firmly won.

"Teacher, it’s been hours now and there’s still no movement from Lin Feng. Looks like he’s scared, or maybe he simply has nothing to say." Sun Hao's face was full of satisfaction, as if he could see Lin Feng in real life, overwhelmed and flustered, through the silence of Lin Feng's Weibo.

"Sun Hao, your move was brilliant. Now all the netizens are on our side. No one believes Lin Feng’s excuse about the pseudonym anymore. Hmph, I think we don't even need to appear on tomorrow's ‘Music PK Stage.’ If he can't explain the plagiarism, I doubt Lin Feng would have the face to go up against me. Even if he does, the netizens won’t support him! He’ll be utterly defeated!" Zhou Ziqian said as he sipped his tea.

Just then, someone sent him a message via microchat.

Zhou Ziqian opened it and his smile deepened. "Haha, Lin Feng is shameless to the extreme. Plagiarizing for the audition was bad enough, but the song ‘Old Boys’ he used in the elimination round to compete with you was also plagiarized. My friend just sent me the information they found—the author is neither Lin Feng nor his so-called pseudonym JJ Lin, but a duo, Chopstick Brothers."

"Chopstick Brothers? So the original author of that song was a group! Damn, I knew a basketball player couldn’t possibly have that level of musical talent!" Sun Hao exclaimed angrily. "Teacher, we need to release this information immediately. Let’s see what Lin Feng has to say now. JJ Lin can claim to be a pseudonym, but who would believe that Chopstick Brothers is his pseudonym too? Using a group’s name as a pseudonym? Only a fool would buy it!"

"This information cannot be released just yet," Zhou Ziqian replied. "The copyright website has strict protection policies. The screenshot I posted earlier was already a violation. If the original author pursues it, my friend at the copyright site could be implicated, possibly facing hefty fines! Moreover, ‘Old Boys’ was sung by Lin Feng during the elimination round, but the public knows nothing about it yet, and the ‘Original Good Songs’ program hasn’t promoted it. If I reveal this now, it could cause major complications. So unless absolutely necessary, we must keep this under wraps."

"What a shame, or else Lin Feng would suffer even more!" Sun Hao gritted his teeth. "The ‘Original Good Songs’ team is a bunch of bastards, especially that Qian Jinlai. When they took my money, they promised special treatment, but ended up letting Lin Feng plagiarize. I refuse to believe the producers don’t know Lin Feng's song was plagiarized!"

"You've been in the industry for years; which competition doesn’t have its own backstage dealings? The producers want ratings and buzz. As long as it boosts viewership, they'll greenlight anything. Lin Feng isn’t just the CBA finals MVP, he’s also rumored to be Qin Ruolin’s boyfriend—a hot topic. Of course they’ll do whatever it takes to promote him!" Zhou Ziqian continued, "I suspect Lin Feng has already bought exclusive rights to ‘Old Boys,’ probably even signed a confidentiality agreement. That’s why he dares to use it openly in the competition."

"Damn, thinking of him beating me so badly with a plagiarized song makes me furious. I must settle this score!" Sun Hao said angrily.

"Hao, you needn’t be upset. Lin Feng is already the target of everyone’s anger," Chen Xi, who stood by, laughed. "Besides, if Lin Feng dares to appear on the music PK stage tomorrow, you’ll have a chance to reclaim your dignity before the entire nation."

"True." Thinking of triumphing over Lin Feng in front of the nation, Sun Hao's mood improved.

...

The next day.

It was the day of the live broadcast for ‘Music PK Stage.’

Due to the ongoing #LinFengPlagiarism# and #ZhouZiqianOffersMillionToFindJJLin# trending topics, this episode of ‘Music PK Stage’ was under intense scrutiny.

Producer Zhao Tong was nearly overwhelmed, unable to recall how many interviews she had fielded. Reporters everywhere wanted to know if Lin Feng, embroiled in the plagiarism scandal, would appear as scheduled.

Zhao Tong didn’t give a direct answer, because she herself wasn’t sure Lin Feng would actually attend.

From her perspective, she hoped Lin Feng would participate, even if it meant paying a hefty appearance fee. With years of media experience, her instincts told her that if the episode aired as planned, the ratings would soar, given the intense public interest.

With anxiety, Zhao Tong called Lin Feng.

"Hello, Lin Feng? This is Zhao Tong, producer of ‘Music PK Stage.’ I just wanted to confirm—there’s no problem with tonight’s live broadcast, right?"

As she asked, her heart was in her throat, dreading a negative answer.

"No problem. I’ll be there on time," came the affirmative reply from the other end.

"Excellent! We look forward to your arrival!"

Hearing the positive answer, Zhao Tong was overjoyed. She hung up and immediately updated Weibo.

"Tonight at 7:30, musical prodigy Zhou Ziqian vs. crossover musician Lin Feng—‘Music PK Stage,’ don’t miss it!"

"Damn! Lin Feng actually dares to show up?!"

"Is this for real? Lin Feng still dares to participate?"

"How can someone as shameless as Lin Feng appear on your show? Where’s your integrity?"

"Boycott Lin Feng! He should be kicked out of the music industry!"

"Support Zhou Ziqian! Crush Lin Feng and show that plagiarist what true music and true creativity are!"

"Unconditional support for Zhou Ziqian!"

"Plagiarism is shameless; Lin Feng is an idiot."

"Plagiarism is shameless; Lin Feng is an idiot."

"......"

Zhao Tong’s Weibo post immediately attracted widespread attention. Netizens overwhelmingly supported Zhou Ziqian, while the comments lambasting Lin Feng flooded in once again.

Five minutes after Zhao Tong’s update, Zhou Ziqian reposted it, commenting, "Honestly, I despise sharing the stage with a plagiarist, but this battle was set in advance and I must keep my promise. Also, borrowing the words of netizens, I will teach Lin Feng what music truly is, what originality truly is!"

"Music is not plagiarism, not just a string of simple notes. Music is the eternal flame in our hearts, giving me strength! Tonight, I will let my inner fire burn, so you can feel its power! Lin Feng, don’t chicken out—hope you show up on time!"

As always, Zhou Ziqian’s Weibo was full of sanctimonious bravado, but in the current climate, it was embraced by countless netizens.

Two minutes after Zhou Ziqian posted, Lin Feng—who had remained silent—finally updated his Weibo, with just a few simple words.

"I’ll just quietly watch you act like a poser..."

...