Chapter 87: Irretrievable? Then Let Us Do Our Best!

Bai Ling paid no mind to these matters that day. But when the next morning dawned, she noticed that Miaomiao and Xiangzi were still troubled, their brows knit with worry. Only then did she realize that the storm of online opinion had once again begun to surge.

Such obvious signs spoke volumes. Someone was targeting her—who it was, she didn’t even need to guess. The opponent’s status was clearly leagues above hers.

Now, what Bai Ling needed to consider was how to resolve this mess. Of course, she trusted Sister Ge was already working tirelessly on her behalf, so she sought Miaomiao out for a detailed update.

The news, however, was far worse than Bai Ling had imagined.

The recent fervor had risen to a terrifying degree. Chunqiu Company had been doing its utmost in public relations, yet the overwhelming tide of commentary could not be suppressed at all.

This was decidedly abnormal.

After all, public opinion and trending topics can hardly compare to high-tech solutions; as long as you have enough money, quelling a scandal should be effortless.

Yet now, it seemed her adversary was playing the same game—with even greater resources than Chunqiu.

Chunqiu Company couldn’t possibly devote exorbitant PR funds for a single wave of controversy. So in the end, they essentially let matters take their course.

“They’re just going to let it be?” Bai Ling’s brows furrowed.

Miaomiao didn’t dare answer.

Although Bai Ling was an artist under the company, what they had already done was truly commendable.

Bai Ling shook her head, refraining from blaming the company. But if they couldn’t stem the tide, she would have to step up herself.

Once more, she browsed the internet and discovered that many bystanders had already been led astray.

Simply speaking out online would be useless to quell the incident.

This was a lethal blow—an attempt to force Bai Ling out of the industry altogether.

“Let my work speak for itself?”

“Should I rush the release of ‘The Crown Princess’?”

“No, that won’t work. This isn’t a situation that can be solved by letting my work speak; the ones smearing me are bots, not real people. There’s no way to win bots over with my creations.”

“Similarly, writing songs would be pointless.”

But thinking further, although the mass audience might collapse, there were still some fans who supported her unconditionally.

If she couldn’t even let her works speak for her, she feared those few loyal fans would drift away as well.

With no other choice, Bai Ling reached out to Sister Ge for advice.

At that moment, Sister Ge was already at her wit’s end, sparing no effort and pouring her heart into helping Bai Ling. But her abilities were limited; she couldn’t suppress the incident.

So when Bai Ling called, Sister Ge’s tone carried a hint of apology—though more than that, pity and sympathy.

Much like Teacher Wen Huaiyu, who was now speaking up for Bai Ling online, Sister Ge felt for her deeply. She knew all too well that none of this was Bai Ling’s fault, but someone’s scheme and trap.

But discussing that now was meaningless.

“Sister Ge, I’m thinking of releasing my work earlier. Do you think that would help? At least, it might retain some of my current fans.”

After a moment’s thought, Sister Ge replied, “That’s a good idea. But as for the general public, there’s virtually no chance of turning things around.”

“Still, although the opponent’s methods are harsh, they’re just spending more money. If we’re talking about special connections or means, it’s not that exaggerated. So I don’t think there will be any obstacles to releasing your work.”

Hearing this, Bai Ling felt much relieved.

She’d worried that her project might be blocked, which would render everything moot.

‘The Crown Princess’ carried a greater mission, far more important than herself—it could not fail.

Having made up her mind, Bai Ling sympathized with Ouyang, hoping he could find a way and hurry up with the release.

Ouyang felt pressure for the first time.

When Bai Ling’s troubles began, he’d messaged her for updates, but she hadn’t replied.

Not just him—Zhuge Ming, Teacher Wen Huaiyu, and Leng Yan—none of them had received a response.

Yet all had spoken up for Bai Ling online in one way or another.

Later, Bai Ling would reach out to each of them.

On the phone, Ouyang said, “Bai Ling, I’ll do my best to get the final cut out as soon as possible. As for the release, I was originally planning to send it to major TV platforms to see if we could premiere it on a local station.”

“But since we need it online quickly, we’ll stick to the original plan and release it on web platforms.”

Bai Ling nodded. “That’s fine—even a web release is enough.”

After Ouyang’s reply, Bai Ling felt even more at ease.

She then began responding to messages from Wen Huaiyu, Leng Yan, and others on WeChat.

Once everything was settled, Bai Ling logged onto social media and posted an update:

“‘The Crown Princess: Rise to Power’ is coming soon! Stay tuned!”

With the current level of discussion and attention, Bai Ling’s post was flooded with replies almost instantly.

Yet the first wave was clearly all bots.

Then came thousands of abusive comments.

Frankly, reaching this degree of falsehood was astonishing—no official account or top influencer could generate so many comments in such a short time.

Only after some time did Bai Ling’s fans appear, working hard to defend her.

For Bai Ling’s fans, the sudden controversy felt baffling.

A quick look at the facts showed Bai Ling had done nothing wrong.

If only those outsiders spent three more minutes to understand, used their energy for discernment rather than insults, this mass manipulation wouldn’t have occurred.

But in such a heated climate, even rational people lost patience and fell into a vicious cycle of hating Bai Ling.

So, the fans’ efforts were essentially in vain.

How could an arm twist against a thigh?

Most of Bai Ling’s fans soon gave up on educating others and stopped trying to persuade.

They ignored the bots and manipulated bystanders, choosing instead to express their anticipation for Bai Ling’s new work.

“It’s obvious she’s being set up. I trust Bai Ling, and I’m supporting her new project!”

“When exactly is ‘The Crown Princess’ going live?”

“I can’t wait! And trolls, don’t comment under my post; I’ll fire back at every one of you!”

“Sis, don’t pay attention to those people. This storm will pass.”

“As long as we support Bai Ling, that’s enough!”

Bai Ling had time, so among the flood of comments, she saw these messages. If she could, she’d reply to each one.

Though things seemed alright, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was becoming a peculiar star—villified across the entire web, yet with a stubborn band of loyal fans.