This Star Only Wants More Money - Chapter 17
Translator: Diviner
“Video uploaded successfully, pending review.”
Seeing the notification from the website, Xu Feng rubbed his slightly sore arm.
He had kept the audience in suspense for two whole days before finally posting videos on both accounts one after another.
This time, Xu Feng first posted a bass performance video on his main account. Then, “Ding Henrun” followed closely with a performance of the exact same piece.
The skill levels were similarly impressive, almost indistinguishable from one another.
Moreover, this time, Ding Henrun explicitly stated in the video, using handwritten notes, that he wished to have a live PK (player-killer) battle with Xu Feng. He promised that if he won the PK, he would reveal his true identity.
As soon as the videos were approved, a flood of comments poured in. Regardless of the account, the view count seemed to climb with each refresh, and within minutes, the comments had broken into the hundreds, with the numbers continuing to surge by the second!
Xu Feng watched as his account quickly filled with all kinds of notifications, somewhat taken aback, ‘Last time I posted a video, hardly anyone noticed. How did the audience grow so quickly in just a few days?’
The sudden explosion of activity made him briefly think he might have been caught in an internet storm.
Logically speaking, with a niche instrument like the bass, even if it caused a stir, it would only get around 400,000 to 500,000 views at most.
But from the current trend, both videos seemed poised to break the 2 million view mark.
This couldn’t simply be explained by buying views.
Although Xu Feng had initially lost interest in running his official account, he decided to check the video comments and overall trends one more time.
Upon entering, Xu Feng was immediately drawn to a comment thread with over a hundred replies.
A single comment gathering so many responses within ten minutes of a video going live clearly indicated something out of the ordinary.
“Xu Feng was right to call out Meng Guang on the show. I’ve been sick of him for a while—those ridiculous tattoos and metal parts are just an eyesore.”
“I don’t get the instrument, but just based on what Xu Feng has done and said, I have to support him! Finally, someone speaking the truth on the internet. I love his perspective.”
“What’s wrong with Meng Guang having his own style?! Does he deserve to be scolded for that?”
“No one said he deserved it, but Xu Feng didn’t even bring it up first, did he? It was Meng Guang who clung to him, hinting that his lack of popularity was due to others’ biases. Xu Feng just clarified things. If you try to provoke someone and fail, that’s on you.”
“Exactly, Meng Guang’s words disgust me. It’s like if you don’t like his tattoos, you’re seen as tasteless and biased.”
“Xu Feng’s stance was about not caring, not liking, not judging. It wasn’t his fault that Meng Guang chose to self-destruct.”
“Some people always complain that having piercings and tattoos is why companies don’t hire them. Well, isn’t that normal? No one stopped you from doing body modifications, but you don’t get to dictate others’ hiring standards.”
“If it were a congenital issue, you could argue bias… but these are decisions you made yourself. It has nothing to do with bias.”
Xu Feng finally understood.
It seemed that the production team of “Tomorrow’s God of Song” had released footage of his confrontation with Meng Guang.
The scene was highly topical and releasing it to draw in viewers, spark discussion, or even break into other audience circles was not outside of Xu Feng’s expectations.
It seemed netizens had been arguing over that clip for quite some time, and now the debate had spilled over onto his account. Many people who didn’t even watch the show had joined the argument, which, in some sense, meant it had indeed broken through to a wider audience.
In real life, countless people have been frustrated by this kind of underhanded moral coercion, but most have no choice but to swallow their anger.
Xu Feng’s head-on clash with Meng Guang voiced what many wanted to say and brought him another wave of popularity.
People online could turn anything into a heated debate these days.
Xu Feng was never interested in such matters, so he quickly closed the comment and scrolled further down.
The job was done; there was no need to dwell on it. A competent mercenary doesn’t provide after-sales service; the deal is considered done the moment the task is completed.
The subsequent comments were much more normal.
“Uh, what are you all talking about? Isn’t this just two content creators arranging an online music battle?”
“Nothing much, just some TV show stuff. Let’s focus on Xu Feng and Ding Henrun; that’s more interesting.”
“BigBirdSpins: Indeed, both sides are throwing jabs at each other. Instead of arguing, why not set up a live PK? Xu Feng would destroy that ‘Henrun’ effortlessly.”
“Neutral observer here, just watching the drama. I’ve listened to both sides, and apart from slight style differences, their skill levels are pretty close. If they aren’t playing one of Xu Feng’s original compositions, I think either side could win.”
“Bass Amateur Xia You: As a bass player, let me say something fair—I really dislike it when people try to ride on the original artist’s coattails, but the other side’s skill is definitely formidable. I’ve listened closely to both performances many times, and the gap is indeed very small… Keep going, Xu Feng, don’t lose!”
“Wow, we’ve spotted a wild Xia You!”
“So how do these two compare to you, Xia You?”
“Bass Amateur Xia You: It’s hard to say… But seeing two pros from a niche instrument community turning into this kind of drama is pretty sad. There’s actually some insider stuff here—some people are definitely trying to stir the pot, but I can’t say too much; you guys figure it out.”
“Now that you mention it, I get it. No wonder the ‘Ding Henrun’ account suddenly gained so much traction.”
“Oh… I remember seeing someone offering 100k to hire someone in another comment section. This reminds me.”
“The production team can’t keep people, so they resort to suppression tactics; Xu Feng made the right choice to quit.”
“Support Xu Feng!”
“Look, making money isn’t shameful, and ‘Ding Henrun’ is just earning with his skills… The only thing that feels a bit off is how he’s stepping on the original creator for clout.”
“But in the latest video, the other side said if Xu Feng agrees to a PK, they’ll reveal their face live. I’m pretty curious about who this person is, male or female?”
“Judging from what Ding Henrun has shown, they probably have a pretty decent appearance. Looking forward to it!”
“Xu Feng, just take the challenge. You’re a top-level pro; this should be easy!”
“Isn’t Xu Feng’s appearance high enough already? I’d say with looks like his, he needs to watch out for both bad women and good men!”
Xu Feng reviewed the comments and felt quite satisfied with how things were playing out. The more attention and anticipation there was now, the better the effect of the PK later.
After checking the comments on his main account, Xu Feng switched over to his alternate account, “Ding Henrun,” to see if there were any differences between the two comment sections.
After all, Xu Feng’s main account was not being actively managed, while the “Ding Henrun” account had the show’s production team fueling the fire behind the scenes.
As expected, the comments on that side were more uniform, with almost everyone claiming that Ding Henrun’s playing sounded better than Xu Feng’s and urging a quick live PK.
To an uninformed bystander, it might genuinely seem like Ding Henrun’s performance was superior to Xu Feng’s.
“The PK date is only a few days away… It’s time to start prepping the videos.”
Hosting a seamless live stream with two accounts, one-on-one, was no simple task…
Thankfully, Ding Henrun wasn’t very interactive with the audience, which made the simultaneous live stream easier to pull off.
However, before recording, he needed to draw a new song from his repertoire. After all, Xu Feng had promised his client that he would perform an original piece during the PK.
“Perfect, time to test the real odds of this song library lottery.”
[Prize Pool (Random Song Library): Minimum investment of 100 points, maximum investment of 100,000 points. Accumulate 100,000 points to achieve a 100% winning rate. Current points balance: 150,200]
Xu Feng had no interest in playing the lottery game, so he opted to draw automatically until he hit a win.
A second later, the system chimed in.
[Draw successful! This draw cost 100,000 points, and you received the song “The Wind Rises.” Current points balance: 50,200]
“Hit the jackpot right at the maximum, huh?!” Xu Feng looked at the interface, a bit stunned. “Luckily, the drawn song… isn’t too bad. It’s catchy enough to handle a PK.”
Looks like these points don’t stretch very far after all.
Just then, a WeChat message popped up.
The profile picture belonged to a familiar beauty.
Lin Shenghuan, “Lately, your controversy has been blowing up. Are you sure you won’t crash and burn? I’m telling you, if things really go south, just play dead and don’t fall into their trap. Remember, playing bass is just one of your many strengths. It’s inherently unfair for others to challenge you based on their life-long expertise.”
Has this PK matter reached the ears of this superstar already?
But why does Lin Shenghuan think he might lose to Ding Henrun?
Did she hear some insider news?
Curious, Xu Feng casually replied, “Has it gotten so big that it reached you, Sister Huan? Why do you think I’m going to crash and burn?”