Chapter 12

“Not online?” Xia Wansheng was about to read the winner’s name again when a message suddenly flashed across the screen.

“I’m online!!!”

He Xueyang’s hands trembled with excitement. She had nearly shouted out loud and almost woke her roommate, quickly covering her mouth to keep quiet.

“Ah, good that you’re online! Congratulations on winning the five million prize. Have you prepared your acceptance speech?” Xia Wansheng’s voice brimmed with a teasing smile.

This was real, cold hard cash—five million yuan.

He Xueyang felt her will slowly dissolve like snowflakes. It was as if she were gently lifted by soft clouds, floating up to the very summit of the sky.

“I won!!!” She couldn’t lower her voice and nearly startled her roommate who had just gotten out of bed.

Her roommates gathered around, asking excitedly, “What prize? You won the lottery?”

“Or maybe a coffee coupon?”

“Neither!” He Xueyang jumped up from her chair, clutching her laptop and immediately started pacing around to show everyone.

“The giveaway Xia Wansheng held on Weibo a few days ago—I won five million!”

“The ‘Duo Shao’?” “Is this for real? Don’t tell me you got scammed.”

Her roommates crowded around to watch the drama unfold. Six of them stood by He Xueyang’s desk as she eagerly recounted the rollercoaster of the giveaway.

“Originally, the system almost gave it to a troll, but then they redrew and it landed on me! Oh my god!” He Xueyang explained, still feeling like it was a dream.

The feeling of nearly missing out and then having the prize firmly land in her own hands was intoxicatingly sweet.

Next came the familiar process of checking the backend data. He Xueyang passed with flying colors, after all, she was intimately familiar with the original owner’s schedule and data, a stark contrast to the previous troll.

“So dedicated, looks like a real fan this time.”

“The data’s impressive. Can our fans learn something from this? Even a minor eighteen-tier celebrity has fans who know how to handle data this well.”

“I’m really jealous this time. This kind of star-chasing reward is huge—a full return on investment! Getting rich overnight really exists!”

Countless people envied the lucky winner, including He Xueyang herself.

She still couldn’t believe that such a huge sum had just effortlessly flowed into her pocket.

Overwhelmed, He Xueyang was on the verge of tears, swearing to protect her idol’s entire career no matter what happened in the future.

While she was celebrating, the original troll winner was desperately trying to grab Xia Wansheng’s attention by showering gifts.

The livestream fell silent for a few seconds.

“I’ve been your career supporter since your debut. Maybe my previous words were a bit harsh, but that was to push the world’s best Wansheng to improve. From now on, I’ll always support you from behind!”

“I’ve deleted all my past posts. Please, I didn’t mean it before. I was actually the first winner; can you give me back the prize?” The troll frantically professed loyalty, hoping to win back favor.

A wise man knows when to change sides.

His swift turnaround showed he had been regretting missing out from the moment the prize slipped away.

“The system originally said I won. Why won’t you give it to me?” The troll finally lost his temper and cursed when Xia Wansheng remained unmoved.

But no matter how bitter he felt now, it was too late.

“This viewer, the giveaway has ended. Please join us next time,” Xia Wansheng said firmly, confirming the winner.

The dust settled.

As the giveaway ended and Xia Wansheng prepared to sign off, he suddenly remembered his true purpose for the livestream—to promote his upcoming show.

“If you have time, please follow ‘The Journey of Voices, Season Three.’ I’m a guest this season,” Xia Wansheng said with a perfectly practiced smile.

Though he had never tried songwriting before, there was still half a month before filming started—time enough to learn on the fly.

If he failed, he could always claim “career slump, loss of confidence” and request a reasonable system shutdown. Either way, no loss.

Having completed his task, Xia Wansheng was unwilling to work another second and decisively logged off.

Ignoring the chaos in the chat room, he quickly retweeted the show’s Weibo post to divert all attention there.

Suddenly, Weibo was flooded with dissatisfaction and doubts, questioning why the production team invited a minor celebrity known only for stirring up hype, just because he occasionally gave fans some perks.

“This show is supposed to be about music, yet Xia Wansheng is still tangled in ghostwriting scandals. Didn’t the producers care about their reputation at all?”

The director’s team woke up to find themselves the target of online abuse.

The chief director trembled as he pointed at his phone, despairing, “Did we offend someone we shouldn’t?”

The buzz was almost as intense as a top star’s comeback.

The junior screenwriter shivered, thinking that while Yu Congyan wanted to use the show to entrap Xia Wansheng with negative press, real bullying seemed to have already begun.

Meanwhile, Xia Wansheng switched off his phone, oblivious to the outside world, focusing on how to quickly master songwriting. He found a few composition books left by the original owner and planned to study seriously.

With just half a month before filming, he doubted he could really learn enough.

He had to admit, these books were excellent sleep aids.

He didn’t even notice the butler knocking during dinner time; only when Yu Congyan came in unannounced did he find Xia Wansheng asleep amidst the bookshelves.

“Next time, don’t just sleep on the floor,” Yu Congyan frowned. “There’s a bed, you know…”

Looking toward the bed, he was surprised to see all the bedding missing, replaced by a chaotic pile of books and scribbled notes, leaving no space to lie down.

His first thought was: is this a deliberate ploy to share a room with me?

Xia Wansheng looked innocent. “The butler took the blankets to wash yesterday. I was just trying to organize these books.”

He had hoped to find some composition tips to improve his skills but ended up only improving his sleep quality.

It seemed that to learn quickly, he needed a mentor.

“I heard the giveaway result came out,” Yu Congyan suddenly said.

Before leaving work, the assistant had reported the aftermath: the first draw mistakenly awarded a troll, then Xia Wansheng redrew, and the prize finally went to a true fan.

They even interpreted Xia Wansheng’s brief dazed state while waiting for the results — from daydreaming to shock and forced smiles.

Yu Congyan listened thoughtfully, realizing Xia Wansheng cared deeply about his fans.

Previously, it seemed he was more concerned about whether his favorite secret lamb chops would be on the dinner table.

Still, putting this in his position was like gritting his teeth to land a top project only to have Yu Xuan steal the credit at first.

Even after quickly reclaiming it, the merit should have been his. The constant struggle drained his energy.

It was quite relatable.

Yu Congyan decided to offer some comfort.

“At least it increased your visibility. We can consider it paid advertising,” he said, unusually consoling Xia Wansheng.

After their time together, the usually cold and ruthless CEO finally grasped a truth: keeping Xia Wansheng in good spirits was crucial.

Otherwise, who knew what trouble he might cause.

“Oh, you mean the livestream? I’m fine,” Xia Wansheng thought. Everyone had their own ways of trash-talking celebrities behind their backs.

He even felt like joining the troll in scolding the original owner for not leaving behind any songwriting notes.

Even half a torn page would have saved him from piecing everything together bit by bit.

After dinner, Yu Congyan held his usual international conference in the study.

After finishing with foreign clients, he leaned back in his chair to rest. Suddenly, Xia Wansheng’s strained expression when insisting he was fine popped into his mind.

Closing his eyes briefly, Yu Congyan sent a message to his assistant asking how the giveaway aftermath was unfolding.

The assistant replied quickly, “President Yu, public opinion has completely shifted. Xia Wansheng’s reputation has soared. Several advertisers are already trying to reach out. Our new investment project has topped the trending charts. Your move was brilliant!”

The CEO’s concern over what seemed a minor project showed that even a small venture could be turned around dramatically under his leadership, all in just one day.

Spending five million yuan yielded an advertising effect worth at least fifty million—clever, truly clever.

There was nothing left but praise.

Yu Congyan, just wanting to check progress, was left speechless.

“So, you’re saying his commercial value greatly increased after the giveaway, and he’s received numerous offers?”

After receiving confirmation from his assistant, Yu Congyan pondered deeply.

What seemed like an ordinary fan appreciation event actually boosted traffic, warmed up his popularity, and even established a ‘fan-pampering’ image for outsiders—a triple win.

Who could be guiding Xia Wansheng behind the scenes?

“Wansheng, get a good rest these days. Make sure you sleep well, because the endorsements and appearances are about to fill up,” Ji Yang deliberately called him outside the office first thing in the morning, drawing curious glances from passersby.

See? Sometimes silence is golden, and when you break it, you strike like thunder.

That five million yuan was spent incredibly wisely.

Ji Yang admitted to himself that even with several more five million yuan payouts, he couldn’t have pulled off this move.

“Got it, Brother Yang,” Xia Wansheng answered, dark circles under his eyes.

He had stayed up all night trying to pick up songwriting again, only to find the tutorials repetitive and superficial, teaching only the surface without any real skills.

He was dizzy and overwhelmed, still unable to write anything reliable.

If he brought such a level of work to the show, it wouldn’t take much for anyone with ears to realize he couldn’t write songs at all.