Upon seeing this, the Voice of China production team quickly issued an emergency statement, explaining that the song initially provided by Zhang Yun's group was indeed titled "Fly North," an original song by Gu Chen, but the song was suddenly changed during Chen Chujie's group's performance.
At the time, the production team thought that Li Shaobai had withdrawn from the competition due to illness, which led to team leader Zhang Yun's last-minute decision to change the song.
Finally, the Voice of China production team stated that although Chen Chujie did not advance to the group stage by plagiarizing other people's works, they resolutely refused to cooperate with such low-quality artists who plagiarized and stole other people's entries. They announced the cancellation of Chen Chujie's semi-final qualification and appointed Lin Kexin, the contestant with the highest total score among the four eliminated contestants in the quarterfinals, to fill the vacancy in the semifinals.
The format of the finals has also changed from the original two-on-two competition to a performance-based ranking system where the champion, runner-up and third place are determined by scores.
Chen Chujie's three teammates who participated in the group stage were also inevitably implicated and criticized by netizens.
However, since the song was provided by Chen Chujie, they only need to declare that they were deceived by Chen Chujie and apologize to the original author to eliminate a lot of the impact. They can also play the victim by claiming that they were deceived and implicated with their fans.
The biggest surprise was Lin Kexin. She was eliminated in the top eight to top four, but unexpectedly she was able to make a comeback and return to the stage!
"Holy crap! I thought he was just plagiarizing, but I didn't expect this guy to be so shameless! He even stole my brother Yun's competition piece!"
"Is it really necessary? Is it really necessary? You're a second-tier singer, treating an ordinary person like this!"
"That Li Shaobai is no good either! Traitor, die!"
"No wonder my brother Yun and his two teammates didn't coordinate well; it turns out they had to fill in with a song they were going to sing later in the competition!"
"Listen to me, Chinese medicine is bitter, plagiarism must be even more bitter! Is Yun-ge's song really not meant to subtly criticize Chen Chu-jie? So elegant! So elegant!"
"Am I the only one who gets the joke about them plagiarizing and stealing other people's work and still making it to the revival round? Hahaha, so funny~"
"I also noticed that Chen's actions were all shady, involving spending money and breaking the law, and in the end, he still didn't advance! Isn't that infuriating?"
Zhang Yun: Fw, you can't even copy me as well! [Accompanied by a disdainful pose at the end of Zhang Yun's "Compendium of Materia Medica"]
"..."
The two judges who gave Zhang Yun a perfect score were criticized by Chen Chujie's fans after the show aired, who said they were biased towards Zhang Yun, unprofessional, and unworthy of being judges!
Now public opinion has reversed, and the internet is full of praise for the two teachers' discerning eye in preventing Chen Chujie, that scoundrel, from advancing.
Zhang Yun's popularity naturally experienced another explosive growth, with her fan base exceeding eight million, while Chen Chujie's peak was only four million.
Chen Chujie's Weibo account was flooded with comments, and his fans started leaving the fandom.
Even if he doesn't lose fans, his current reputation makes it impossible for him to survive in the entertainment industry.
Moreover, because of plagiarism and misappropriation of works, he not only has to compensate Gu Chen, the original author, but also the music platform.
When "Blow North" was released on major music platforms, copyright purchase contracts were signed. Now that Chen Chujie has been accused of plagiarism, he should naturally bear the losses of the music platforms.
Just like Gu Chen back then, all of his assets were used to offset compensation, including the house his mother left him.
The same thing is happening to Chen Chujie now.
The only difference between him and Gu Chen was that his hiring of Li Shaobai to steal Zhang Yun's entry did not cause Zhang Yun significant financial loss; the court only ordered him to apologize to Zhang Yun and pay a small fine and compensation.
Nobody cares about the fine; the biggest punishment is to ruin his reputation.
It's a bit of a shame that I couldn't get him in.
Just as Zhang Yun said, Chen Chujie was ruined with a mere flick of his finger.
Just when everyone thought the matter was settled, Zhang Yun spoke up again on Weibo—
Chen Chujie, do you still remember that star you knocked into the dust a year ago?
This is just interest.
...
The internet is in an uproar again!
"666, he named him by name, so Yun-ge is really not going to act anymore!"
"That star from a year ago? Was it Gu Chen?"
“I felt there was something wrong with the plagiarism case back then. Gu Chen is so talented, he wrote so many new songs for our Yun Ge, and every song he sang became a hit. How could he plagiarize other people’s works? Besides, the song ‘Mad Song’ is obviously more suitable for a male group to sing, not for a female group to sing!”
"Let me sort this out. So, back then, Gu Chen's original work was stolen by Chen Chujie, this guy who plagiarizes other people's work, and he had it published by some unknown female singer. Then, after Gu Chen became famous, he jumped out and accused him of plagiarism, ruining his reputation?"
"No wonder Gu Chen was exposed for assaulting a member of the group. Chen Chujie is a real scoundrel. If it were me, I would have grabbed a 40-meter-long sword!"
"Am I the only one who thinks Zhang Yun and Gu Chen are a good couple? Yun-ge's domineering protection of his wife is so sweet!"
"Upstairs, Yun-ge looks more like the bottom..."
"Get out of here, upstairs! Stand still, Yunchen! No arguments allowed!"
"Since ancient times, height has determined who is the top and who is the bottom. I choose Chen Yun!"
"..."
Zhang Yun didn't need to explain further; the online influencers who wanted to ride the wave had already deduced and filled in the details from back then, and published them as long-form articles with pictures.
Zhang Yun selected a post from among many versions that was exactly the same as the original story, and liked and shared it.
"Has Yun-ge gone mad? If he doesn't have evidence, he'll be sued for defamation for slandering Chen Chu-jie like this!"
"I think there's more to this story. Yun-ge isn't the kind of person who acts impulsively!"
"Same here, I feel that Yun-ge's participation in The Voice of China was intentional, just to help Gu Chen get rid of Chen Chu-jie and then clear his name!"
"The key is that the court has already ruled on the case from back then, and it's very difficult to clear that name..."
"I have a question: what exactly is Gu Chen's relationship with Brother Yun?"
...
Public opinion was finally pushed to its peak again when a police announcement was released.
"On the evening of September 28, police received a tip from a concerned citizen in Hanyang City and discovered a drug den, which they successfully raided, arresting four people involved in drug use at the scene. Currently, all four individuals have been placed under administrative detention by the police in accordance with the law..."
"During the interrogation of one of the drug suspects, Ms. Jiang, the police unexpectedly obtained clues about the Ling case, which are suspected to be related to the recent online infringement case. In order to prevent wrongful convictions, Ms. Jiang's confession is now being made public. According to Ms. Jiang's confession, she was instigated by Mr. Chen a year ago..."
"...The police have contacted the victim, Mr. Gu, to file a case, and have brought the suspect, Mr. Chen, back for investigation..."
Although the police have not yet released the final results of Chen's interrogation, the matter is basically clear at this point.
From the beginning when someone criticized Zhang Yun, saying he sang a song written by a plagiarist, to Zhang Yun revealing that Chen Chujie was the plagiarist, The Voice of China announcing the cancellation of Chen Chujie's participation, to Zhang Yun publicly declaring war on Chen Chujie, and finally the truth of the case being revealed and Gu Chen being cleared up, it only took ten days!
"Police stated that Chen confessed to stealing the artwork..."
Gu Chen has applied to the court for a retrial of a plagiarism case from one year ago.
Gu Chen wins plagiarism retrial
"Chen Chujie sentenced, Jiang Lulu issues apology."
...
The plagiarism incident that caused a huge uproar online has finally been brought to a close.
Chen Chujie was arrested for allegedly misappropriating others' works, maliciously framing them for infringement, causing huge economic and mental losses to the victims. He was fined, had all his property confiscated to compensate the victims, and was sentenced to five years in prison.
As an accomplice, Jiang Lulu was originally supposed to pay compensation and go to jail, but because she confessed and was treated leniently, Gu Chen was exonerated. Therefore, the plaintiff, Gu Chen, voluntarily gave up his right to have Jiang Lulu compensate him for his economic and emotional losses.
She only needs to pay a small fine and issue a public apology to the victim, Gu Chen.
In addition, Jiang Lulu was arrested by the police for drug use, and after the case is concluded, she will be sent to a drug rehabilitation center in Hanyang City for drug rehabilitation.
With everything settled, Gu Chen's song "Mad Song" from back then has reappeared on major music platforms.
Justice may be delayed, but it will never be denied!
Gu Chen, who had re-authenticated his Weibo account, posted this message, which was then reposted by Zhang Yun and quickly garnered over a million reposts and over ten million likes.
Gu Chen used to have quite a few fans. Although he lost many fans because of the plagiarism and assault incident, there is still a small group of people who believe that he did not plagiarize and continue to support him steadfastly.
It's a pity that Gu Chen later quit the internet and deleted all his social media accounts. His fans, like rootless duckweed, scattered with time.
Now, with his strong comeback and collaboration with Zhang Yun, he has gained hundreds of thousands of fans in just one day.
But Gu Chen no longer cared about any of that.
His gaze, his love, his body and soul were all given to the angel in his arms who belonged only to him, and he could not give any more to anyone else.
"elder brother……"
Zhang Yun's voice has become hoarse from shouting these past few days. "I have a competition next week... Ah!"
"Brother, please spare me..."
Tears slid down from the angel's reddened eyes and dripped onto the crumpled sheets.
Ah, how beautiful.
...
The final of The Voice of China is approaching, and Cheng Lujin is driving Zhang Yun to the competition venue.
Because the final is broadcast live, a rehearsal is necessary beforehand.
Of course, the rehearsal process will not require the contestants to perform the songs they prepared for the competition; it will only be a run-through of the program flow.
As soon as Zhang Yun got on the bus, he was met with a barrage of stares from Cheng Lujin.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" Zhang Yun asked with a smile.
In the past, Cheng Lujin would have thought his smile was like that of an angel, but now...
This is no angel! This is a cunning little fox disguised as an angel!
"How did you do that?" Cheng Lujin couldn't help but ask.
"It's very simple, I've signed with Huayu Entertainment."
Cheng Lujin: "!!!"
"Hey! Watch where you're going!" Zhang Yun exclaimed from behind.
The car screeched to a halt on the side of the road. Cheng Jin turned on her hazard lights and looked at him in disbelief: "What did you say? You signed with Huayu Entertainment? When?"
"Just when Chen Chujie was exposed for plagiarizing and stealing 'Flying North' and his reputation was ruined."
Entertainment companies contacted Zhang Yun from the beginning of the competition, but Zhang Yun ignored them.
Later, as Zhang Yun sang her way into the finals of "The Voice of China," the offers from various entertainment companies became increasingly higher, with some even offering the待遇 (treatment/benefits) of a top-tier artist.
The treatment of a top-tier artist is already the highest level Zhang Yun can obtain. As for anything higher, it usually applies to top artists who have long-term, positive partnerships with the company, and they may even own company shares.
There's no way around it, Gu Chen's songs are just too good. Every song Zhang Yun sings becomes a hit. Now, the top few spots on the new song charts are dominated by songs he sang during the competition. The only two songs that are mixed in, "Fly North" and "Mad Song," are Gu Chen's own works.
With Zhang Yun's looks and talent, his meteoric rise to fame was inevitable, and no entertainment company could afford to sit idly by.
Zhang Yun said calmly, "Do you need to be so surprised? Didn't we agree that I would sign with whoever offered me the best contract terms and promised to help me clear Gu Chen's name?"
"The CEO of Huayu Entertainment not only agreed to all my conditions, but also offered to help me kill Chen Chujie and avenge Gu Chen. His sincerity made it hard for me to refuse."
Chen Chujie's abilities were only average to begin with; he relied entirely on his looks to make money as an idol for a few years. However, since his reputation was ruined by the plagiarism incident, he has become a person of no value to Huayu Entertainment.
Why not use such a useless person to replace Zhang Yun, a rising star, to join Huayu Entertainment?
Moreover, Zhang Yun, Gu Chen, and Cheng Jin are bound together.
One is a former musical prodigy, a walking hit song generator. After clearing his name, he can become popular again with just a little packaging if he wants.
Another one is Cheng Lujin, who almost became a top agent.
Using the conditions of a mere A-list celebrity, they offered a buy-one-get-two-free deal; Huayu Entertainment is making a killing!
Cheng Jin was still a little conflicted: "But Huayu Entertainment forced Gu Chen into a corner back then..."
"Huayu Entertainment was also a victim of that incident. It's a fact that I signed a betting agreement with them but couldn't fulfill the contract, and I owe them 200 million yuan in breach of contract fees. There's no denying that."
"Moreover, the higher-ups at Huayu Entertainment know that I can't come up with the money right now, and that small loss doesn't really have any impact on such a big company as theirs, so they don't intend to make things difficult for me."
"Chen Chujie secretly colluded with a manager in charge at Huayu Entertainment, asking her to use Huayu's name to hire thugs to collect debts and force Brother to make films to pay off the money. This manager has now been fired by Huayu Entertainment."
Cheng Lujin turned his head away and restarted the car. "But how did you manage to convince Huayu Entertainment to give you the highest contract share?"
"With my talent, my ability to create buzz, and the support of a musical prodigy who has made a triumphant comeback after a clean-up, and a near-top-tier agent, it would be abnormal for a giant in the entertainment industry like China Entertainment not to see my investment value, right?"
"..."
Although what you said is true, I still feel like you're so deserving of a beating.
Where did your initial humility go?
What about your "some knowledge"?
Cheng Lujin mentally complained for a while before asking, "How many years was your contract with Huayu Entertainment?"
"Our agreement with Huayu is that I will stay with Huayu until Gu Chen pays off the debt he owes to Huayu."
"What? That's two hundred million! Even if you have a top-tier artist's contract and split the profits 50/50 with the company, you still wouldn't earn that much in several years!"
"I'll pay it back slowly, I'll be able to pay it all off eventually," Zhang Yun said, but he didn't really believe it.
A mere two hundred million...
Cheng Lujin simply didn't know what to say to him.
A moment later, he suddenly remembered another question: "Then wouldn't I have to go back to CEIBS with you?"
Zhang Yun nodded: "Of course, Huayu said they are willing to rehire you with the treatment of a top agent, and make you my exclusive agent, responsible only for me."
He teased, "Lu Zhun, you're top-notch. How does it feel to be back at your peak?"
Cheng Lujin: "Let me process this... By the way, does Gu Chen know about this?"
Zhang Yun remained silent.
"You haven't told him you've signed with CETV Entertainment yet, have you?!"
"Ahem, I've told you everything I needed to say, so..."
Zhang Yun took a deep breath and reached out from behind to pat him on the shoulder: "This arduous task of communication is entrusted to you, the gold medal... no, the half-step top agent."
"..."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com