Memories 4

Jiang Chuan Gu never went to school. He entered society at a very young age, and no one understood better than him how to read people and the interests involved.

Behind each of the six individuals lies a different interest group within the company.

Idols are not so much charismatic individuals as commodities displayed in a transparent glass window. Before they are sold, the most crucial step is for the business to package them in a certain way and place them in a certain position based on the fans' preferences.

Products like Jiangchuan Valley, which are not favored by businesses, have no chance of being displayed in transparent shop windows.

At this moment, Lin Chaoying seemed to understand why the members of the ATW-7 team got along so awkwardly.

Teenage boys, 365 days a year, except for a few days of vacation, what kind of environment are they in, and what kind of consciousness are they most likely to be influenced by?

Mr. Liu, who values ​​the development of the group, emphasized the color blocks of friendship when coloring the children.

Mr. Guan, who values ​​personal development more, wants to erase this color and elevate the children high with their future prospects and development.

A distorted competitive environment, unhealthy contradictions and conflicts, brainwashing from above...

The pressure on each person keeps piling up.

Aren't friends important?

It seems like the future is more important...

Unresolved emotions pile up in everyone's heart, growing and entwining like vines in the veins, eventually hurting the other person through words and actions.

Lin Chaoying believed that their open malice was directed not only at Jiang Chuan Gu, but also at each other.

However, Jiangchuan Valley had no trump cards to frighten them, nor any benefits for them to exploit. No one cared about Jiangchuan Valley's feelings, and they even became more aggressive.

For Jiangchuan Valley, absorbing malice is easier than accepting goodwill.

The only thing he couldn't accept was being abandoned. He only had two friends at the moment, but one left and the other abandoned him. This undoubtedly made his already conflicted and infuriating personality even worse.

Lin Chaoying: "Jiangchuan Valley, make a wish."

"Huh?" Jiang Chuan Gu laughed at the sudden change of topic, thinking she was comforting him.

Unexpectedly, Lin Chaoying said firmly, "I wish I could become famous all over the country and the world!" She crossed her arms and said confidently, "Do you remember what I told you? I saw you standing on the podium. Instead of wasting time being sentimental, we should stand up and figure things out ourselves!"

"Think of a way?" Jiang Chuan Gu's gaze followed her.

Seeing his bewildered expression, Lin Chaoying instructed, "Open your Weibo, open the super topic, how many people are there?"

Jiang Chuan Gu obediently clicked on it and said, "Eight thousand and fifty-six."

"Really!" Lin Chaoying said, feigning surprise. "Do you think eight thousand people is a small number? You know, eight thousand people could fill a stadium in reality!"

Jiang Chuan Gu nodded blankly, "That makes sense."

Lin Chaoying said earnestly, "Jiang Chuangu, instead of feeling upset about your friends' changes and getting caught up in your boss's manipulation, you should think about how to repay these eight thousand people who saw you and liked you from the bottom of their hearts."

She counted on her fingers and said, "You need to know what fans give up? Money, love, and time. These three things are practically everything in life..." She said indignantly, "The company's underlying logic is: if you're popular, you get exposure; if you're not popular, you don't get exposure. It sounds like a vicious cycle, but it's okay. We've learned to reshuffle the deck ourselves. Our primary task is to give your current fans the greatest feedback possible."

Jiangchuan Valley: "The biggest feedback?"

Lin Chaoying pondered, "Personal charm, you need to unleash your full potential." She snapped her fingers, "Got it! You'll post a singing video 1-2 times a week! One song that best expresses your feelings, one of the most popular ones recently, after all, your voice is really good, and your eyes are very expressive..."

Jiang Chuan Gu watched her excitedly making plans, feeling somewhat dazed. "My mind is a bit of a mess."

"Chaos?!" Lin Chaoying's voice cracked with anger. "Big brother! Get to work! Nobody's going to take care of you, but I will! Your goal this year is to gain a million followers! I'll be watching you practice singing, dancing, and songwriting! Show off what you know, and learn what you don't! You need to get rid of this stale air about you first! Once your skills improve, those useless people will become your fan base, and the new fans you attract will flock to someone like you who has both looks and talent!"

"Lin Chaoying?" Jiang Chuangu asked curiously, "Didn't you lose your memory? How do you know so much?"

Lin Chaoying was exceptionally confident, "I feel like I was in your line of work when I was alive, at the very least a top agent. Maybe I was even your fan, attracted by your face, and then I saw how颓废 (颓废 is a difficult word to translate directly, but it implies a state of being listless, decadent, or dispirited) you are, wasting such a good face, and I was so angry that I died!"

Jiangchuan Valley pouted, "So you seem to be a humiliating pursuer..."

"Don't argue with me!" Lin Chaoying scolded, "I'm warning you, starting tonight, you have to read every single fan comment on your Weibo posts, good or bad. Feel it for yourself. Fans really will waste everything on their idols. Don't always be thinking about who doesn't want you and wearing a sour face. The ones who are worse off than you are the fans who only see you a few times, but still fight back against the haters and love you unconditionally! Have some sympathy for them!"

“Every time you scold me, I feel a sense of clarity in my mind,” Jiang Chuan Gu sighed, beginning to doubt himself.

"Come on! Pinky promise!" Lin Chaoying waved her hand, boosting morale. "Only the protagonist has a lot of misfortunes. Relax, let's level up and fight monsters together!"

Jiang Chuan Gu stretched out his hand, making a virtual gesture in the air, "Okay."

Lin Chaoying then said, "Don't worry about your teammates. If they dare to cause trouble again, I'll stand up for you."

She pointed to the cake again, "Instead of praying to heaven and earth, why not make a promise? Face those who love you with sincerity and absolute passion. Love them the way you want to be loved." Lin Chaoying patted her chest and said, "I assure you, these fans who love you love you far more than you love yourself."

A life of endless repetition and despair is like a stagnant pool of water. Jiangchuan Valley always believed that withering and decay were the norm in life, and that only by constantly accepting this could one live numbly.

Suddenly, a spirited soul burst into his life, bringing with it scalding warmth that melted and illuminated the coldness, tore away the pain that clung to him, and dragged him along, forcing him to find a new direction.

When Jiangchuan Valley trembled and took that step with trepidation, he finally felt the power of love.

At 18, he posted his first video of singing in the basement, which received over 1,000 comments. He spent the whole night scrolling through them, each one filled with deep emotion, reflecting his heart.

That day, a strange change quietly occurred; his courageous first step in selling became the starting point for rewriting the trajectory of his life.

The fan community is no longer as silent as it once was, and is gradually becoming more active.

Jiang Chuan Gu finally understood that this expansion of the boundaries of love was what Lin Chao Ying wanted him to experience.

This summer, the dazzling sunlight dried the damp soil in his heart, and Jiangchuan Valley dug out the rotten roots of the past, planting a seed about "love".

He began to actively learn various musical instruments, how to compose and write music, and posted videos of himself practicing dancing and singing every week. He would also post on Weibo about interesting flowers, birds, fish, and insects he saw on the street.

In just three months, his fan base grew by 200,000, including some who switched from his teammates to him, and others who were attracted by his fans' promotion on other platforms.

Meanwhile, ATW-7's group variety show has been recorded, edited, and is being released.

New fans discovered that Jiangchuan Gu was not in the recording, which sparked the first large-scale outcry in the industry. The company had to issue a statement explaining that Jiangchuan Gu was missing the recording due to illness.

Ironically, Lin Chaoying disagreed with going along with the company's wishes and kept urging Jiang Chuan Gu to post on Weibo, subtly expressing her dissatisfaction.

Based on the recording time and the status of Jiangchuan Valley's singing video, as well as a large number of archaeologists, many fans concluded that ATW-7 was involved in covert bullying.

For a time, the fans from different sides were locked in a fierce battle.

Seeing that things were escalating, Mr. Guan had no choice but to restart the program and record an extra episode to quell public opinion.

The planning team had a very good understanding of ATW-7's internal situation. When arranging the script, they cleverly incorporated their visit to the practice room in the past, using warm memories as an introduction to connect the group's current life in the villa, interspersed with scenes of mutual help and support, and finally ending with a scene of the seven of them practicing dance passionately in the rain.

In this way, they attempted to wash away the powder.

Lin Chaoying called Guan Zong a conflicted businessman. They valued individual development more than group development because solo stans were more loyal than group fans, but he couldn't express it and even had to create the impression that everyone had a very good relationship.

To put it simply, you need both die-hard loyal fans and a good atmosphere to attract casual viewers.

During this period, the company will collaborate with major fan groups to guide marketing and create exclusive "beautiful, strong, tragic, and heartbreaking" storylines for a few princes.

Despite the torrential rain, the seven people laughed and danced their first dance as trainees in the rain.

Lin Chaoying observed quietly. The director and President Guan behind the monitor showed satisfied expressions. She looked at Jiang Chuan Gu and noticed that the number of times the camera was focused on him had finally increased.

These boys, with an average age of 18, seemed to have returned to when they were 14, practicing day and night without any conflict of interest.

Passion, excitement, joy...

Over five years, the person who stayed with you the longest was also the one who hurt you the most.

The moment the heavy rain stopped, the radiant smile froze on his face, stuck in the last movement of the dance. The headlight snapped off, and the world returned to darkness.

The seven people slowly lowered their movements, none daring to look up at each other. The remaining water droplets fell to the ground, splashing with a crisp "plop," a sound that seemed to simultaneously reopen the wounds in each person's heart...

Jiang Chuan Gu looked up at Lin Chao Ying under the tree, who had a fighting expression on her face.

She seemed to be a natural fan of Jiangchuan Valley; in that one glance, all the past memories flooded her mind.

Lin Chaoying coldly looked at those people, her heart filled with resentment: Only incompetent people would get stuck in the quagmire of the past and try to drag everyone down with them. She would only lead Jiangchuan Valley out into a new world.

Another year has passed, cherry blossoms fill the window, and warm spring has quietly arrived. Jiangchuan Valley's 19th birthday has been celebrated with applause and colorful ribbons.

He received his first original award.

—End of flashback—