The world is too messy
The world is too chaotic... People often believe what famous people say, but they don't know...
......
As the car pulled away from the venue, fans outside the window were still waving and holding up light sticks. But the bustle was now tinged with a timid worry. Someone yelled at the car window, "Xixi, don't listen to them." I rested my forehead against the window, watching the light sticks gradually shrink...
"Don't take it personally. Fans were simply misled. Sister Ling just sent a message. The team is already compiling evidence and will be issuing a statement tonight."
I didn't say anything, opened Weibo on my phone, and as soon as I clicked on it, the hot search terms popped up.
#Wenxi plagiarized# #Unspoken original proof# #Wenxi get out of the entertainment industry#
These three terms were at the top of the hot searches. When I clicked on the topic, the screen was full of comments cursing me. Some took screenshots of the release time of Lin Jinze's song "Unspoken", and some dug out a fan video of me singing "Not In Time" five years ago, saying "It sounds like plagiarism. It turns out that even the best actor needs to steal other people's works."
Some people even posted a statement to stop being my fans, and attached photos of them supporting me in the past, saying "I've been a fan of you for three years, but I didn't expect you to be this kind of person. I won't support you anymore."
I scrolled down and saw that the number of fans had dropped from 23 million in the morning to only 22.95 million, and was still dropping at a rate of dozens per minute.
"Stop looking." Zhao Yin reached out and turned off my phone. "The internet is full of trolls and trend followers these days. Looking at it will only make you angry." He parked the car on the side of the road, turned around and looked at me, gently rubbing my head with his fingers. "I know you're feeling bad, but the most important thing right now is to find evidence, not to get angry with these people."
I looked up at him. His eyes were serious, but without the usual coldness. They were full of worry.
"Brother Yin," I said, my voice trembling. "Do you think people will really think I plagiarized? Lin Jinze has millions more fans than I do. People are more likely to believe what they say."
He didn't say anything, but simply reached out and pulled me into his arms. I leaned on his shoulder. "No," he whispered softly but firmly into my ear. "When you wrote 'Not In Time,' did you tell anyone about it? Or did you leave behind any drafts or recordings?"
I was stunned for a moment, and suddenly a picture flashed through my mind. Five years ago, I had just joined the debut club, training until midnight every day, and writing songs in the corner of the practice room.
Once when I was writing the chorus of "Not In Time", my vocal teacher at the time saw me and helped me change a few notes.
Also, the notebook I used at the time was filled with lyrics and melodies, but I didn't know where I put it because I moved.
"Let me think..." I sat up straight, trying to recall. "At the time, a vocal teacher knew I wrote this song, and there was a notebook with a draft in it. But that teacher later resigned, and I don't know where I put the notebook."
"It's okay," Zhao Yin took out his phone and called Sister Ling. "Sister Ling, ask the team to check the vocal teacher of Wenxi's debut club five years ago. His name was..." He turned to look at me. "What was that teacher's name?"
"Chen Man, Teacher Chen." I said quickly.
Zhao Yin repeated, "Yes, Teacher Chen Man, and please help Xiaoxi find the notebook he used five years ago. It might be in his old dormitory or at home."
He hung up the phone and looked at me. “The team will find it as soon as possible. Don’t worry.”
The car started again and drove towards my home.
On the way, Zhao Yin's cell phone rang several times. They were all calls from people in the studio. He just said a few simple words each time, and his tone was calm as if he was dealing with other people's affairs.
After hanging up the last phone call, he told me, "My mom just sent me a message asking if the autograph session went well. I didn't tell her about it because I was afraid she would worry."
I nodded, feeling a little guilty. Zhao Yin's mother likes me so much. If she knew that I was being accused of plagiarism, she would definitely be anxious.
"Don't tell Auntie," I said. "Wait until this is resolved before you tell her. Otherwise, she won't be able to sleep."
He nodded and parked the car downstairs. "I'll take you upstairs." He unbuckled his seatbelt and got out of the car with me.
After entering the house, I threw my bag on the sofa and ran to my room. Zhao Yin followed me, watching me rummage through the drawers. "What are you looking for?" He came over and helped me pick up the book that had fallen on the floor.
"I'm looking for that notebook," I said, opening the bottom drawer of my wardrobe, which was filled with old clothes and other odds and ends. "I remember putting it in a blue box when we moved. How come I can't find it?"
He squatted down and searched with me. "Don't worry, take your time."
He picked up a blue box that was a little dusty. "Is this it?"
My eyes lit up and I quickly took it. I opened the box and found a black notebook inside. The cover was a little worn and still had the stickers I had put on it.
I opened the notebook. The handwriting inside was very childish, but the lyrics and melody of "Not In Time" were written neatly, with traces of revisions. The date on the last page was March 15th, five years ago.
"Found it!" I held up the notebook excitedly, tears almost falling.
Zhao Yin leaned over to take a look. "This date is two months earlier than when Lin Jinze released 'Unspoken.'" He pulled out his phone, took a few photos, and sent them to Sister Ling. "This is the evidence. No matter what Lin Jinze says, it can't compare to this."
"And Teacher Chen," I said, "If we can find her, we'll be even more confident."
Zhao Yin nodded and was about to speak when my cell phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number. I hesitated for a moment, but finally answered it.
A woman's voice came from inside, a little strange and a little familiar: "Excuse me, is this Wenxi? I'm Chen Man."
I was stunned for a moment and quickly said, "Teacher Chen? Why are you calling me?"
"I saw your story online," Teacher Chen said anxiously. "I know you wrote 'Not Enough' and I even helped you change your voice back then. I've already contacted your agent and told him I can vouch for you."
My heart warmed, and tears finally fell. "Thank you, Teacher Chen," I said, my voice choking. "Thank you for remembering."
"Silly child," Teacher Chen smiled. "I still remember the light in your eyes when you wrote this song. How could I forget it? Don't worry, I'll help you clarify things at tomorrow's press conference."
After hanging up the phone, I looked at Zhao Yin, smiled, and wiped away my tears. "Brother Yin, Teacher Chen is willing to testify for me, and with this notebook, we have evidence."
He walked over and reached out to wipe the tears from my face. His fingertips were a little cold. "I told you it would be okay," he said, his lips curled up. "Can you rest assured now?"
I nodded and leaned into his arms. "Yeah, I'm relieved."
In the evening, Sister Ling sent a message saying that the team had compiled the evidence, including photos of the notebook, Teacher Chen’s testimony, and the surveillance video of the practice room at that time (although it was a bit blurry, you could see me writing songs), and it would be announced at the press conference tomorrow.
He also said that Zhao Yin Studio would help forward the message to increase its credibility.
Zhao Yin stayed at my house and had dinner with me. He also helped me clean up the room before he was ready to leave.
Before leaving, he put my phone on silent mode and said, "Don't check Weibo tonight. Get some sleep so you can be energetic for the press conference tomorrow."
He kissed me gently on the forehead and said, "Call me if you need anything. I'm always here."
I nodded and walked him to the door.
Watching his car disappear into the night.
Back in the room, I put the notebook next to my pillow, looked at the handwriting on it, and thought of myself five years ago.
At that time, I was just an inconspicuous trainee, thinking every day about how to debut and how to be closer to Zhao Yin. Now, not only have I debuted, but I am also with him. This little difficulty is nothing.
The next morning, I woke up very early. Zhao Yin came to pick me up with breakfast in his hand.
"Eat something," he handed me the soy milk, "the press conference will take a long time, don't starve."
The car drove to the venue of the press conference. On the way, Sister Ling sent me a message saying that Teacher Chen had arrived and Lin Jinze had also arrived and was waiting backstage.
When we arrived at the venue, it was already packed with reporters. Sister Ling came up to me and handed me a document. "Here's the evidence. Just follow this when you speak." She patted my shoulder and said, "Don't be nervous. We're here for you."
I nodded and followed her backstage.
As soon as I entered, I saw Lin Jinze standing in the corner, wearing a black suit and looking very proud.
He saw me and walked over, a mocking smile on his face. "Wenxi, I didn't expect you to actually come here. What's the matter? Did you find any evidence? Or do you want to tell everyone that you were wrongly accused?"
I ignored him and walked straight ahead.
He reached out to stop me: "What? You don't dare to talk to me? Wenxi, I advise you to admit it as soon as possible, otherwise you will be embarrassed when the evidence is presented later."
Zhao Yin pulled me behind him and looked at Lin Jinze with eyes as cold as ice: "Lin Jinze, be careful with your words. When the press conference starts, who knows who will be embarrassed."
Lin Jinze was stunned for a moment, probably because he had never seen Zhao Yin so cold. He snorted and turned away.
The press conference began with the host introducing the people present.
Lin Jinze was the first to speak. He held the microphone with a look of grievance on his face: "Hello everyone, I am Lin Jinze. Unspoken is my hard work from five years ago. I didn't expect that Teacher Wen Xi would plagiarize my work. I know Teacher Wen Xi is very popular now, but you can't bully people like this." As he spoke, he squeezed out a few tears, which attracted a lot of reporters to take pictures.
When it was my turn to speak, I took a deep breath and picked up the microphone: "First of all, I did not plagiarize Mr. Lin Jinze's "Unspoken". On the contrary, "Not in Time" is my own work five years ago, completed two months earlier than Mr. Lin Jinze's "Unspoken".
I paused, then pulled out the notebook and showed it to everyone: "This is the draft of 'Not Enough' that I wrote. The last page is dated March 15th, five years ago. Mr. Lin Jinze's 'Unspoken' was published on May 20th, five years ago."
I took out my phone again and played a recording. "This is the testimony of my vocal teacher back then, Ms. Chen Man. She can prove that I was already composing 'Not In Time' five years ago, and she even helped me revise the melody."
Teacher Chen also stood up and said into the microphone, "I'm Chen Man. Five years ago, I was the vocal teacher at Wenxi's debut club. I witnessed Wenxi composing "Not Enough" and even helped him change a few notes. Wenxi is a very talented child. It's impossible for him to plagiarize someone else's work."
The reporters in the audience were in an uproar, raising their cameras to take pictures. Lin Jinze's face turned grim. He stood up and shouted, "Nonsense! This notebook is fake! Teacher Chen was bribed by you! I posted it earlier, so I'm the original author!"
"Mr. Lin Jinze," Zhao Yin suddenly spoke, pulling out a document and handing it to the host. "This is the surveillance footage we found from the debut club's practice room five years ago. It's a bit blurry, but it shows Wenxi writing songs in the practice room before March 15th. Furthermore, we've discovered that you entered Wenxi's practice room several times five years ago, so it's very likely that was when you saw his drafts."
Lin Jinze's face turned pale in an instant. He opened his mouth but couldn't speak.
The reporters in the audience began to question him, some asked if he really plagiarized, and some asked why he slandered Wen Xi.
Sister Ling took the opportunity to stand up and said into the microphone, "Dear journalists, the evidence is now clear. Wen Xi did not plagiarize. On the contrary, it was Mr. Lin Jinze who plagiarized Wen Xi's work and then slandered Wen Xi. We have contacted a lawyer and will hold Mr. Lin Jinze accountable."
After the press conference, Lin Jinze was surrounded by reporters. He pushed the crowd away in embarrassment and ran out.
I looked at his back and felt no sense of revenge, only relief.
Zhao Yin walked over to me and held my hand: "It's okay." His palm was warm, which made me feel at ease.
When I walked out of the venue, the outside was packed with fans. When they saw me, they cheered and held up signs that read "Xixi, we believe in you."
A sign that reads "Xiyouyin will always support you."
I smiled at them and felt warm inside.
"Look," Zhao Yin looked at me with a smile in his eyes, "everyone believes in you."
I nodded and leaned on his shoulder. This would be better.
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