Chapter 11

The five-million-yuan lottery was finally about to be drawn.

Xia Wansheng himself wasn’t too concerned, but Ji Yang, his manager, had called several times, anxious that he might miss the first-hand news.

“Remember to post a few updates on social media during the event. Try to cooperate with the publicity team to turn this into a successful advertisement.”

With five million already spent, it couldn’t just be a waste with no impact.

At the very least, they had to ride the momentum to boost his popularity. Even if he ended up falling out with Yu Congyan, Xia Wansheng could still save his career.

Xia Wansheng was puzzled: “I’ve already put in five million, and now I have to host it myself?”

He felt a bit like a workhorse at a company party—having paid for the weekend team-building, he shouldn’t have to perform in front of everyone too.

Ji Yang took it as Xia Wansheng’s reluctance to save face and patiently coaxed him: “Don’t think like that. If you seize this chance to show everyone your true ability, the resources after this will be yours to choose from.”

As he spoke, Ji Yang felt Xia Wansheng was being undervalued. Yu Congyan was a prestigious group CEO, yet he was so stingy he wouldn’t even provide proper resources? Probably, he just didn’t care.

“Got it. Then I’ll host the draw myself and do a live stream as well,” Xia Wansheng agreed.

When signing with the “Journey of Voices Season Three” production team, the guests were asked to do live broadcasts to promote the show.

Killing two birds with one stone.

“Promoting the show is good, but you know you’re currently being blacklisted online. The live broadcast atmosphere might not be very good,” Ji Yang worried.

Xia Wansheng had previously engaged in fiery arguments with trolls. Now that he had finally decided to make a comeback, if any negative news surfaced again, it would all be for nothing.

“It’s fine. I know my limits,” Xia Wansheng assured.

His years of high emotional intelligence and skillful deflection at work hadn’t been learned in vain.

Half an hour before the draw, the live stream officially began.

Xia Wansheng pointed the camera at a corner of his bedroom, rubbed his cheeks hard, and put on the standard forced business smile of a hardworking employee reciting birthday wishes at the boss’s demand.

“Long time no see. This live stream will count down to the lottery draw,” he said, dragging the countdown timer from the corner to the center of the screen. “Who will be the lucky winner?”

The live chat exploded instantly.

“It’s finally here, the exciting moment.”

“One in a million chance. If you win, your odds are probably as good as being struck by lightning.”

Though people said this, most still secretly hoped, “Could it be me?”

Soon the number of viewers soared past 100,000, everyone eagerly waiting for the draw.

Xia Wansheng was in good spirits watching the screen when a less-than-friendly comment slowly appeared: “What, no work now and just coming out to make money? Do you really think everyone is blind like your fans?”

He nearly forgot he was still blacklisted online.

More comments followed: “It’s probably fake. Who actually donates five million? It’s just to fool those brainless fans.”

“Besides, it was exposed before that Xia Wansheng doesn’t compose music himself. All those songs were written by ghostwriters. How does someone like that still have fans? It’s a mutual delusion.”

The barrage of comments grew harsher, with trolls eagerly waiting for Xia Wansheng to be slapped down.

Yet, Xia Wansheng appeared oblivious, calmly saying, “Fans can prepare acceptance speeches in advance. This lottery is a reward for true fans. Thanks for your continued support.”

His response was very official, completely unruffled.

It was as if he didn’t care about the flood of hateful comments or the furious trolls jumping up and down.

The trolls, enraged by his indifference, unleashed another storm: “This lottery is just a show-off stunt. Next, he’ll play the victim to whitewash himself, then quietly disappear.”

“Yeah, in the end, there’s probably a shady deal arranged so the money goes to insiders as a show.”

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“Definitely. Saying it’s a reward for fans is just rehearsed talk.”

“Celebrities will do anything for hype. I’m staying in this live room today. I want to see how he’s going to cover up the lies.”

Weibo was also in chaos, the entire internet waiting to see how this lottery would end.

The countdown ticked away.

More and more netizens tried to squeeze into the live room to catch the action, almost crashing the streaming site.

As the draw time neared, excitement surged, and message volume exploded exponentially, reaching a peak of public attention.

Amid the storm, Xia Wansheng remained unhurried, even taking a moment to pour himself a cup of warm lemon water.

Finally, the much-anticipated countdown ended, and the lottery results were announced.

“Let me check. The winner is @XiaGhostwriterDailyMess,” Xia Wansheng read emotionlessly, thinking the name was both elegant and fitting.

It seemed this time the winner was one of his trolls—unexpected yet unsurprising.

Netizens in the live room, originally there for the spectacle, were far more shocked than Xia Wansheng.

“Is this lottery really free of any shady dealings?”

“How can a troll win five million?! Why them and not me? I even liked Xia Wansheng’s Weibo before! I’m more deserving!”

“Don’t his own fans intervene? He said this money was a reward for true fans!”

The chat went even more wild than before. Clearly, the troll winning was more painful for the public than any gossip.

“Congratulations to this friend. Let’s check their profile. If they aren’t a real fan, this draw is invalid. Then we’ll redraw,” Xia Wansheng said as he opened the troll’s profile backstage.

Wow.

The profile was filled with nonstop hateful comments, attending every live stream, writing critical articles about every event, and sharing numerous brainwashing marketing posts.

They checked in every day just to troll him, persisting for over half a year with discipline rivaling that of a grad student.

“...”

Xia Wansheng was momentarily at a loss for words.

Other viewers exploded too.

“This is unfair! It was supposed to be a prize for fans, but it ended up benefiting a troll?”

“This troll is really dedicated, but five million clearly can’t go to them!”

Naturally, Xia Wansheng wouldn’t just let a troll benefit for no reason.

“Such a pity. Looks like this person isn’t a true fan. So this lottery result won’t count. Let’s draw again,” Xia Wansheng said, feigning regret.

Perfect! The five million wouldn’t go to that guy.

Viewers in the chat rejoiced, the room filled with a lively atmosphere.

“So dedicated, this troll checks in every day.”

“Hate really lasts longer than love. Now they can’t even delete their posts fast enough.”

“Feels so good. It’s always others’ losses and gains that bring the most joy.”

The numbers kept spinning, and viewers held their breath again, hoping to be the lucky winner this time.

He Xueyang had been remembering the lottery draw date for days. She barely had time to eat after returning from the cafeteria before rushing to open the live stream to catch the first-hand news.

She was an ordinary student, busy with classes from early morning till evening, and luckily her favorite singer wasn’t too famous. She only occasionally followed and boosted data.

But recently, things suddenly changed. Xia Wansheng must have offended some big shot. He was completely blacklisted in the industry; endorsements and concert appearances vanished without explanation.

He Xueyang initially suspected some inside story, but when the truth came out, the rumors were so nasty she couldn’t keep quiet. With her fiery temper, she jumped straight into the fray.

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After finally spotting Xia Wansheng becoming active again, He Xueyang thought the troubles were over and the tide was turning.

Who would have thought his comeback wasn’t with a new song, but announcing a lottery to reward fans?

And the prize was an astronomical five million yuan.

He Xueyang thought: …Bro, can we get a new manager? This tactic is way too extreme. What if someone really wins? Will the money actually be given?

To be blunt, what if the prize ends up in a troll’s hands?

The next headline would be ready: “So-and-so star in fan feud, caught in shady deal with trolls.”

But despite her doubts, He Xueyang worked hard to promote and publicize the event. After all, it was a chance to be seen, and if misused, it would be the last.

She had to cherish her favorite artist.

Earlier during the live stream, He Xueyang was nervous, already bracing herself for the inevitable online mockery.

After all, there was no way five million would actually be given. No matter how they tried to explain it, many would still criticize.

She wasn’t sure if she could handle the pressure.

Then the draw went smoothly, with Xia Wansheng calm throughout, as if he had no real concept of the money.

Until the winner’s name appeared, along with the prize amount: “Five million yuan exactly.”

It was really true...

He Xueyang felt dazed and suddenly remembered that Xia Wansheng never seemed to care much about this traffic surge.

Despite the explosion of fans and topics—a perfect time to get noticed—Xia Wansheng did nothing but prove fairness during the draw and made no proactive moves.

Did he even get any endorsements? Such a good opportunity!

But at least this time it wasn’t a lie, so she didn’t have to figure out how to pretend ignorance to cover it up.

Finally, she could proudly say, “My idol really did put five million on the line to reward fans!”

“But that name looks wrong,” He Xueyang frowned, seeing it was clearly a troll’s name.

Did a troll really win?!

This outcome was worse than a fake lottery. She covered her eyes, unwilling to face it.

Please don’t really give the prize.

Then she heard Xia Wansheng’s familiar voice in the live room, with a tone mixing regret, schadenfreude, and hope: “Then we’ll just have to draw again. Let’s hope the winner this time is a true fan.”

Thank goodness for the redraw, He Xueyang breathed a silent sigh of relief.

Who would it be this time?

She uncovered her eyes, feeling her heartbeat wildly out of control.

Countless IDs scrolled on the screen as the final second arrived.

“Congratulations to @OolongMilkCoffee, you’re the winner!”

Who? That username sounded familiar—exactly the one she had just changed to a few days ago.

Suddenly realizing, He Xueyang gasped:

“!!!”

Could it be that she had won?!

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