Chapter Forty-Four: The Great Spectator Battle

After the press conference, Rainbow moved swiftly, clarifying each piece of negative news about Zhou Miao and posting evidence to support their statements.

Regarding the rumor that Zhou Miao was expelled for manipulating trainees from a so-called "PUA company," Rainbow released two segments of surveillance footage. Zhou Miao’s series of slick maneuvers in these videos amazed countless netizens.

The first clip was filmed late at night. A woman wrapped in a bath towel lingered at Zhou Miao’s door. Though her face was obscured by a mosaic, her figure was undeniably alluring. She hesitated at the door for a long time, eventually lowering her towel a bit and knocking. The video doesn’t capture her words, but Zhou Miao quickly shut the door upon seeing her. Five seconds later, he opened it again and handed her a hair dryer, then closed the door once more.

The entire process was smooth, without a hint of hesitation. The woman stood outside, stunned for a long time, finally stomping her foot in frustration and leaving unwillingly.

The second surveillance clip was also shot at night. A tall, stunning woman in a short skirt and black stockings arrived at Zhou Miao’s door. She took out a small mirror, carefully checked her appearance, and, satisfied, leaned weakly against the door, knocking listlessly. As soon as Zhou Miao opened the door, she slipped inside like an eel, giving him no time to react—clearly smarter than her predecessor.

But less than five minutes later, Zhou Miao carried her out in a romantic bridal hold, only to unceremoniously deposit her at the doorstep and shut the door without mercy. After Zhou Miao closed the door, the woman sat up from the ground, visibly furious, pounding the floor with her fist. Just then, Zhou Miao’s door opened again. Fortunately, the woman reacted quickly, dropping flat onto the floor, but she moved so fast that her head visibly hit the ground. She endured the pain, not moving an inch, and viewers felt sympathy for her.

Zhou Miao looked around, saw no one, then quietly picked her up again. Had he changed his mind? As netizens speculated, they watched him carry her a considerable distance—at least dozens of steps from his door—before placing her back on the ground.

Goodness! Netizens couldn’t help but exclaim. He did this to avoid misunderstandings if anyone saw a woman lying in front of his door.

“Haha, Brother Miao’s thought process has always been a bit off—this girl must be baffled!”

“Only he could pull off such clumsy moves.”

“I just want to know—did the first girl ever return the hair dryer?”

“Well, now the whole world knows these two were expelled for trying to seduce Zhou Miao. If they still dare to play the victim, their skin must be thicker than a city wall.”

...

Amid the laughter, netizens also speculated why so much negative news about Zhou Miao suddenly appeared—had he offended some big shot? No one was naive; such tactics were rampant in the entertainment industry. Countless celebrities had fallen to scandals.

Fortunately, Zhou Miao’s character was impeccable; otherwise, he might not have survived the storm. Just as everyone thought the matter had settled, multiple idol artists under Wave Entertainment were exposed for scandals—sleeping with fans, cheating, tax evasion, cozying up to rich patrons. The entertainment world was caught in a downpour of gossip for days.

Fans wailed as their idols fell, their tearful theatrics amusing the online crowd. At that moment, a netizen noticed that a verified yellow-V user named Zhou Miao was actively engaging with the gossip, liking several posts about the exposed artists.

Everyone knew Zhou Miao never used Weibo—was this a convincing impersonator?

Upon investigation, it turned out to be a newly registered account, with an adorable white cat as the profile picture, verified as a singer. No posts had been made, and it followed only two accounts: Rainbow Records’ official page and a user named “Snowflakes Fluttering,” who happened to be Zhou Miao’s mother, Hong Xue.

After much research, netizens confirmed this was indeed the real Zhou Miao!

His Weibo followers surged instantly, and news of him opening an account shot to the top of hot searches. Meanwhile, his act of liking posts about Wave Entertainment’s artists drew widespread interpretation.

It couldn’t have been accidental—he must have registered the account specifically to like those posts. Such behavior in the entertainment industry was tantamount to a public slap in the face.

Could it be that the recent attacks on Zhou Miao were orchestrated by Wave Entertainment?

Thanks to the clues Zhou Miao deliberately dropped, netizens soon pieced together the truth. Though no one admitted it, the verdict was already settled in everyone’s mind.

At that moment, in Zhou Miao’s home, Zuo Qiu personally cooked a meal for him. Zhou Miao scrolled through his phone with great enthusiasm, thoroughly enjoying the thrill of being at the forefront of gossip. No wonder so many people loved playing on Weibo.

Zuo Qiu set the dishes on the table, saw Zhou Miao engrossed in his phone, and called out helplessly, “Enough, come eat.”

Zhou Miao put his phone away and sat down, asking curiously, “How did you know about all that news?”

“Honestly, those scandals aren’t secrets in the circle. Wave Entertainment just kept them under wraps, and no one wanted to offend them,” Zuo Qiu poured herself a glass of red wine, sighing, “I spent a lot of money to get those stories out—most bloggers wouldn’t dare cross Wave.”

Zhou Miao laughed, “So you had to pay extra, huh?”

Zuo Qiu smiled back and nodded in resignation. Nowadays, as long as the money is right, not even a tsunami frightens people, let alone Wave.

“But you shouldn’t be so bold yourself. Let the company handle it. Why did you go liking those posts? Now Hu Xiaoqian must hate you even more.” Zuo Qiu sounded worried. She’d only wanted Zhou Miao to enjoy the gossip, but he went and rubbed it in their faces—finishing the melon and spitting the seeds at them.

“Hmph, he embarrassed me so badly online—I can’t sleep at night unless I stir up some trouble for him.” Zhou Miao still felt unsatisfied. If not for Zuo Qiu’s restraint, he would have gone to urinate under Hu Xiaoqian’s Weibo.

He really was petty, able to remember even the smallest slights for ages. Zuo Qiu poked his forehead hard with her finger.

“The exam’s coming up soon, right? How’s your preparation?” Zuo Qiu asked.

“Not bad, the teacher says I’m basically ready—just need more practice.”

“Don’t get careless. If you fail, I’ll be too embarrassed to face your parents.”

Originally, Zuo Qiu had brought Zhou Miao to Beijing just to study, never expecting him to stir up so much trouble. First he wrote songs for Summer Foam, helping them debut smoothly and saving the company in a crisis. Then he composed a theme song for Director Zhang Yichuan, which became famous overnight, with many musicians singing his praises.

Then he managed to provoke the boss of Wave Entertainment, sparking a tit-for-tat feud that left both sides damaged. Zhou Miao lost a lot of his diehard fans; though he didn’t think it mattered, the impact was significant.

Meanwhile, several of Wave’s hottest artists were dragged down by Zuo Qiu, their scandals all backed by solid evidence, making future comebacks impossible.

The two companies had always been bitter rivals; now the conflict had escalated to the point of no return. Though Zuo Qiu didn’t say so, she felt immense pressure. As one of the industry’s giants, Wave Entertainment’s connections and resources far exceeded Rainbow’s. With Hu Xiaoqian’s temperament, he would undoubtedly suppress Rainbow ruthlessly.

Having suffered such losses, he wouldn’t let it go.

Zhou Miao vaguely sensed all this. The company had paid dearly to protect him, so he naturally wanted to find ways to repay them.

Zhou Miao was simple—he would return kindness with interest, but if anyone dared provoke him, he’d show them what it meant to be a true mad dog!

Hu Xiaoqian harbored resentment, waiting for the day to settle scores—but Zhou Miao was no different.

Time would tell. Let’s see who wins in the end.