Chapter 690: Old Matters Revisited, Insiders Spill the Beans

The explosive success of "Farming Life," combined with the leaks from the Farming Boy Group, unexpectedly dredged up a long-buried incident.

Originally, this matter circulated only within a small circle of fans.

Later, it spread increasingly wide; as more people learned of it, it sparked a massive wave of discussion.

Ultimately, this frenzy was ignited by the solo stans of June Summer.

#FarmingBoyGroupRevealsMaliciousEditingInShiningGlory#, this tag suddenly skyrocketed to the trending search list one day.

Curious netizens clicked in to watch the drama, only to find that beneath this tag, it was entirely June Summer fans venting their rage.

[A third-rate boy group without even a name to their claim, and they're still trying to latch onto us like this?]

[If the production team of "Shining Glory" acted unethically, what does that have to do with our June Summer? We're taking our group and leaving, no association!]

[Let me ask you: was June Summer the one who eliminated you? Did they personally order the production team to eliminate you?]

[The production team's inaction has nothing to do with June Summer! This attempt to smear us is unjust!]

Netizens clicked in with great enthusiasm, only to leave completely bewildered.

Wasn't this tag supposed to be discussing the show "Shining Glory"? What did June Summer have to do with it?

The fans of June Summer were being far too reactive.

Netizens thought that although June Summer had ultimately emerged victorious in "Shining Glory," becoming a limited-time group with seemingly decent popularity,

this group could not represent "Shining Glory" as a whole.

On the contrary, the production team of "Shining Glory" later personally assembled the four individuals ranked 7th through 10th into a group called "Sunshine Boy Group."

This name actually carried more of the show's original flavor.

"Sunshine Boy Group" appeared much more like a project personally promoted by the production team; June Summer never accepted any schedules related to "Shining Glory," with Tianding Entertainment handling all operations exclusively.

Although the solo stans of June Summer were formidable, many gossip-following netizens were also tracking this incident.

As the number of concerned netizens grew and the topic hit the trending searches, some clear-headed netizens finally stepped forward to state—

[The solo stans of June Summer are overreacting; back then, the production team eliminated the Farming Boy Group specifically to propel the team June Summer to the top.]

[Now that you mention it, I recall something; wasn't the Farming Boy Group paired against June Summer during the first public performance stage? They lost the PK and were eliminated as a result.]

[Haha, what do you mean they lost? Anyone who watched that first public performance stage knows which team possessed superior strength.]

[This happened last year; I didn't expect it to be dug up again this year. Although "Shining Glory" flopped last year, its influence remains strong.]

[As long as you watch the on-site videos, you will discover that June Summer, whether in dance or vocals, could not compare to the Farming Boy Group.]

Moreover, the Farming Boy Group was the only team on stage performing with full open mics and live vocals; it was merely that the public relations for "Shining Glory" at the time were executed too well, preventing the news from spreading.

Thinking back now, damn, how could it not be good? After all, Tianding Entertainment's PR department followed the entire process, forbidding any negative news about June Summer from appearing online.

Back then, I was wondering when the on-site videos would leak, never expecting them to be suppressed so thoroughly that it took nearly a year for this to be brought up.]

As more and more netizens who knew the truth joined the fray, the gossip-following netizens finally understood the situation and began asking en masse where the on-site videos were.

Because the heat fermented so quickly, and since nearly a year had passed, Tianding Entertainment's efforts to suppress anti-fan content for June Summer were not as intense as they had been the previous year.

Therefore, very soon, a netizen leaked the video they had recorded at the time.

This netizen was originally a fan of June Summer.

Due to this group's various eye-watering operations, she had turned from a fan into an anti-fan this year.

She specifically left a comment stating: [I love watching talent selection shows; my family is wealthy, and I enjoy pouring money into these shows. "Shining Glory" personally invited me to watch from the inner arena.]

[Here is the high-definition version of the stage performance you all want!]

[At the time, I sincerely supported June Summer, but now, having removed the filter and rewatching the stage, I realize the Farming Boy Group's strength far exceeded that of June Summer.]

[If I remember correctly, many people onsite cast their votes for the Farming Boy Group, yet when the voting results were announced, it was June Summer who advanced first.]

[Therefore, many people onsite were shouting "fraud" at the time; the outcry was quite loud, but it was suppressed by the production team, and none of this was edited into the final broadcast!]

The gossip-following netizens opened the video one after another; June Summer's performance appeared first, followed immediately by the Farming Boy Group's performance.

Because they performed one right after the other, the contrast in perception was glaringly obvious.

[It hurts the eyes; there is truly no denying this—the Farming Boy Group's strength is much greater!]

[Since their debut, June Summer has been given nothing but top-tier resources, yet their popularity has remained stagnant, stuck as a second-tier team unable to rise further.]

[I originally thought they simply had bad luck, but now I realize it was because their innate ability was lacking!]

[The editing for "Shining Glory" was still too conservative; if this segment had been included, how could the third episode have gone completely undiscussed?]

At this moment, many "insiders" began to surface.

A netizen claiming to be a staff member of the production team received numerous likes.

[I worked at "Shining Glory" for a period last year and left halfway through the recording, but speaking from my conscience, the production team deserves no blame.]

[Lin Yafu already exhausted every possible method to save "Shining Glory"; do you think she didn't want to edit it that way? It was Tianding Entertainment that forbade it!]

[Tianding Entertainment held the majority investment in this variety show, with the sole purpose of promoting June Summer. Lin Yafu proposed using a "suppress first, lift later" approach to galvanize the fans and purify the fandom, and even arranged a "comeback against the odds" script.]

[But Tianding Entertainment was too conservative; they would not accept it.]

[Tianding Entertainment simply wanted June Summer to follow a "king's script" from start to finish, winning all the way! Yet they never stopped to consider: does June Summer possess the strength for that?]

[That is why the editing in the later stages of the show became so boring; because June Summer provided no material for them to edit, they could only force the promotion!]

Besides this insider's leak, there were even more explosive revelations from internal personnel.

An individual suspected to be an employee of Lin Yafu's team came forward to spill the beans.

[The production team truly deserves no blame; we are already the finest team in the country for producing talent selection shows. When we noticed the viewership for episodes three and four was poor, we were constantly seeking ways to remedy the situation and boost heat.]

[We also knew the Farming Boy Group possessed greater strength, and Team Leader Lin hoped to have more formidable contestants to raise the show's appeal.]

[Therefore, immediately after the first public performance stage concluded, before the second public performance stage had even aired, Team Leader Lin intended to launch a resurrection match, allowing previously eliminated teams to return via online popularity voting.]

[A script had already been arranged for the Farming Boy Group, titled the "Avenger Team: Breaking the Cocoon to Become a Butterfly, Returning in Stunning Fashion," but guess what?]

[Chenxi Entertainment refused to go along with it!]

Perhaps the company felt that continuing to send trainees to the show would only tarnish them further.

So even though Team Leader Lin personally called the CEO of Chenxi Entertainment, guaranteeing they could reach the final round of the program, the CEO still refused!

Some netizens, connecting this gossip, recalled rumors they had heard last summer while earnestly following "Shining Glory."

[No wonder; back then, while lurking in various groups, I indeed heard that "Shining Glory" was going to launch a resurrection match. At the time, I thought it was too early, but in the end, it never happened.]

[It was originally going to happen. Lin Yafu needed to guarantee the variety show's viewership and couldn't undermine her own reputation. Many meetings were held, and even Tianding Entertainment was persuaded.]

But because Chenxi Entertainment refused to cooperate and didn't want to continue sending their artists into the fray, the elimination match died a quiet death; even in the later episodes, it was never launched.]

So-called insiders leaked far too much information, sparking even greater heat online, causing the production team, Lin Yafu's production crew, and Tianding Entertainment to take turns trending on the hot search list.

Netizens angrily cursed Tianding Entertainment.

They believed it was Tianding Entertainment's stubbornness that ruined a talent show variety program that clearly had the potential to succeed!

When "Shining Glory" first premiered, they were all full of anticipation, thinking they would witness the glory of talent shows once again, but what was the result?

Little did they know, the staff at Tianding Entertainment were also deeply wronged.

Because the company had been cursed repeatedly over the past few days, some insiders could no longer bear the abuse and couldn't help but use burner accounts to speak out:

[Do you think we actually wanted to promote those good-for-nothings?]

[If President He hadn't been so enraged by March Sky's defection and desperate to build a new team capable of suppressing March Sky, Tianding Entertainment wouldn't have become so passive.]

[It was the CEO's inaction that caused Tianding Entertainment's performance to decline last year, though last year was still considered decent.]

Because March Sky's management contract was still with Tianding Entertainment for the first half of last year, many brand collaborations continued; it was only the second half that saw terrible results. The financial report for the year before last was still passable.]

But this year is different. June Summer, on whom the company gambled many excellent resources last year, failed to become a top-tier boy band with a single hit. Instead, they peaked upon debut and have been falling ever since...]

Brands feel June Summer has no potential; they would rather re-engage March Sky for collaborations than give June Summer, who came knocking for free, a single chance.]

The company has other excellent boy band teams under its wing, but starting from the second half of last year, they have had no work, and this year they originally had none either.]

[Perhaps President He realized things couldn't continue like this and recently restored a few engagements for them, but it's already too late; the performance metrics have collapsed to an unreadable level!]

After typing out this impassioned statement on a burner account, a certain member of the Shenqi boy band switched tabs to continue consuming gossip elsewhere.

Where were any so-called knowledgeable insiders?

There were only frustrated individuals in the workplace.

It was no wonder they felt resentful.

They had been half-buried by the company since the second half of last year!

If not for the good luck of appearing on the Spring Festival Gala last year, the company might never have given them any engagements again.

The fact that they managed to secure some engagements this year was solely because their appearance on the Spring Festival Gala gave them a sliver of commercial value, prompting the company to arrange a few jobs for them.

A little pity party for themselves.

Hmph.

June Summer's popularity wasn't as good as theirs, their fans weren't as die-hard, and their skills weren't as strong.

So why could June Summer have their schedules packed from morning till night?

Just like that.

And yet, June Summer still complained that the engagements arranged by the company were of too low quality, not premium enough, and that the organizers didn't respect them, and so on.

Truly, some drown in abundance while others die of drought!

Only yesterday did they participate in an engagement; likely, there would be no work for the next week. With the members idle in the villa, bored enough to pick at their feet, one of them decided to play the role of a knowledgeable insider.

He didn't think his complaints would achieve anything; essentially, it was just to vent his emotions.

But unexpectedly, his rant garnered likes from many netizens, quickly becoming a top-rated comment.

Clicking into any hot search topic related to Tianding Entertainment, one would see his leak from a so-called insider.

This time, netizens did not stand against him; instead, they largely agreed with his statements.

[Tianding is doomed!]

[Brother, hang in there. The employees working at Tianding are all highly capable; maybe you'll receive a headhunting offer by the second half of the year.]

[Tianding's official Weibo has practically become June Summer's official account. With nothing else to do all day, they just post June Summer's schedule constantly. Every single post is about trash engagements; who cares to follow that?]

[The other boy bands under Tianding Entertainment are still excellent. My favorite, Shenqi boy band, has also been buried. I truly hope some capital will come and poach them!]

Seeing so many people validate him, the member grinned broadly.

For a moment, he even wanted to show these comments to their team leader.

But thinking of the team leader's personality, he held back.

The team leader sought stability in everything and told them to endure in every matter.

Yet he could understand the team leader; the leader was the most clear-headed among them.

He knew that confronting the company head-on was irrational and would only cause the company to cut off their few remaining engagements.

If he showed this to the team leader, the leader would definitely order him to delete it immediately.

Just as the member was preparing to phrase his next post and continue exposing the scandals between Tianding Entertainment and June Summer, suddenly, the team leader sent a message telling them to gather in the living room immediately.

The member went downstairs; everyone had already assembled.

The team leader spoke with excitement and agitation: "I just received notice! The company wants us to attend the Rumengling brand event tomorrow!"

Upon hearing this, the members were also excited, yet filled with insecurity.

"Team Leader, you didn't mishear, did you? The company usually assigns luxury brand events to June Summer."

"Yeah, let's not wait until we're about to depart tomorrow only to get a last-minute notice telling us not to go."

"Team Leader, should we confirm with the manager again?"

The team leader took a deep breath, forcing back a smile, and said: "I've already confirmed with the manager over a dozen times; he's getting annoyed by my questions."

There's no mistake; the company has indeed assigned tomorrow's Rumengling brand event to us.

The reason is simple: because June Summer has recently been affected by online public opinion turmoil and has too many scandals, many brands have refused to let June Summer participate in events; even the variety show where they were regulars has barred them from filming.]

He paused, then spoke with grave solemnity: "We must seize this opportunity well. As long as our fans do not forget us, the company will remember us."

He understood clearly that Tianding Entertainment played the game of idol economics.

To play this game required people to spend money; if there were no fans left, what would there be to spend money on?

As long as the fans kept remembering them, they would have a chance.

The team leader said, "We cannot let our basic skills slip. Let's use this opportunity to practice a new dance; perhaps we will have a chance to perform it soon."

This time, the team members responded to him with great enthusiasm.

"Alright!!!"

?? Have a pleasant weekend. Votes are requested. The lucky draw event is still ongoing.