The Villain Slaps The Protagonist’s Halo - Chapter 50 (Patreon)

Chapter 50: I'll Tell You Who's the Boss

The emergence of the song "Frontline Eradication" was initially for DDD's defense, but on the night of the decisive battle, it deified the name Nie Fei.

It brought Nie Fei not just popularity but a massive fan base both domestically and internationally. Some went crazy over this song, others were enchanted by him, and there were those instantly mesmerized by his dazzling eyes. Everywhere you turned, it was Nie Fei, Nie Fei, Nie Fei.

He was present in the online world, in people's discussions, in the hearts of fans, but absent from the public eye. With the end of the decisive battle, he seemed to evaporate.

Then came Nie Kaiyi's sudden inexplicable appearance. It immediately revived memories among the fans. They remembered that Nie Fei's contract was still held by CBC, and for the past four years, CBC had been suppressing Nie Fei, channeling all resources toward Xie Yihang. It was because Xie Yihang was the beloved of Wan Kai's heir apparent that CBC aimed to curry favor, paving the way for him using the popularity of Nie Fei, who had created an era!

The fans were furious. Countless radical fans flooded Shi Yan and Xie Yihang's social platforms with insults, calling them disgusting parasites, vampires. Flowers were even sent to the set where Xie Yihang worked, a joint effort to boycott all movies featuring him, severely affecting the production crew and Xie Yihang's daily work. The director, enraged, immediately breached the contract and removed Xie Yihang from the cast list.

Not only was filming disrupted, but Xie Yihang's endorsements were swiftly revoked. Scheduled movies hastily edited out all his scenes and removed his presence from the posters.

Even Shi Yan, the heir apparent, wasn't exempt. Although his actions weren't as extreme as Xie Yihang's, his movies were still released, and the signed contracts were still in effect. Being Wan Kai's heir meant that breaking these contracts unilaterally wasn't an option, but he also couldn't secure new work.

Shi Yan, too, was fuming. Their once thriving careers were facing unprecedented devastation, worse than the chilly reception they received when they debuted. Back then, although DDD struggled, it wasn't bombarded with such criticism.

Xie Yihang found himself at a loss facing such overwhelming malice. He couldn't comprehend why Nie Fei's success had to lead to this level of abuse toward him. Nie Fei being suppressed by the company wasn't his doing, so why should he bear the brunt of these unbearable insults? He hadn't done anything to Nie Fei. Wasn't the main reason all this happening because of Shi Yan? He had done nothing to Nie Fei, so why was he facing this avalanche of abuse?

After receiving an anonymous threatening letter, Xie Yihang shut down his computer, his eyes reddened. He had no idea what to do, completely overwhelmed. Now, even the top brass at CBC were preoccupied. Nie Fei's popularity and status were skyrocketing beyond the company's control. In fact, a few wealthy fans had even taken CBC's CEO to court to terminate Nie Fei's contract.

The company was under immense attack from both public opinion and fans, too preoccupied to focus on him. Xie Yihang sat at home for hours, realizing that only Shi Yan could resolve this situation. As the younger brother of Wan Kai's chairman, if he intervened and controlled the public opinion, it'd be a walk in the park.

Xie Yihang believed that Nie Fei's fame would come and go quickly. If they could suppress the current fervor for a month or two, the fickle public would gradually forget about him. The more he thought, the more it seemed like a shortcut. He immediately set out to find Shi Yan.

The developments left the top brass at CBC dumbfounded.

They had spent four years nurturing Nie Fei, a money-making machine, for Wan Kai's heir, reaping no benefits from Wan Kai. Now, with Nie Fei's sudden rise to fame, the value he brought exceeded their wildest expectations, far surpassing what DDD could offer. But now, the rift between Nie Fei and Shi Yan was undeniable. The company was in a fix. They didn't know whether to support Nie Fei or not, fearing they might enrage Shi Yan and offend Wan Kai Group, jeopardizing CBC's existence.

It was simply... It was like lifting a stone only to drop it on their own feet! Losing the wife and the soldiers!

Furious, the CBC board directly revoked the CEO's position. If they wanted to support DDD, they could've just spent some money on buying a song, but no, they had to sign Nie Fei into DDD, causing the company to miss out on billions and putting CBC in the crosshairs. What kind of idiot would do such a thing!

Now, with two years left on the contract, should they continue supporting Nie Fei or not? Is it still useful to tie him to DDD? Spending nearly five years channeling resources into Xie Yihang and Shi Yan, their combined value couldn't match half of what Nie Fei created in one night. Most importantly, while they pampered the heir, Wan Kai's chairman didn't provide any resources, leaving CBC in a pitiable state!

By the time the contract expires, Nie Fei certainly wouldn't renew with CBC. They had suffocated their cash cow, reaping no benefits. The board members at CBC wished they could shoot the CEO who had killed the golden goose.

Just as Xie Yihang and the CBC top brass were in distress, Nie Fei, who had vanished after the decisive battle, finally posted on Weibo.

He didn't say much, just retweeted the official announcement of DDD's sixth-year concert at the Hong Kong Coliseum at the end of the month.

The homepage was filled with the anguished cries of new fans. Tickets had long been sold out! Especially for the overseas fans who came out of curiosity only to realize that their idol, Nie Shen, rarely made public appearances. There was nowhere to meet him, and although there was a concert scheduled at the end of the month, the presale channels were closed, and the official tickets were already gone. The Red Hall could only accommodate a hundred thousand people. Even if the fans' demand was sky-high, there was no possibility of adding another round of tickets. The new fans were utterly disheartened.

Nie Kaiyi, the president of the Non-Wei Association, stepped in at this moment to take care of the members. He was the most generous among the wealthy fans. That evening, he directly posted hundreds of VIP area tickets, adding a note: [Comment lottery, free tickets for our Nie Shen's concert. PS: Only comments from Non-Wei members count. Non-Wei will check. If I find out someone who's not a Non-Wei trying to grab tickets, get ready to receive a court summons, smile. Don't think I'm joking.]

This Weibo post immediately surged to the top of the hot searches, astonishing netizens. No one knew how Nie Kaiyi managed to secure so many tickets without a ticketing channel available. Just the conservative estimate from the photos suggested there were at least a million tickets. It seemed like Nie, the top actor, was seriously considering abandoning his acting career to become a full-time star chaser!

Nie Kaiyi was indeed a qualified fan, actively supporting his idol without ever leveraging his status as a top actor or a scion of a prestigious family to make demands. He simply played along with Non-Wei, never once disturbing Nie Jia.

Nie Jia's mental state hadn't recovered. After the decisive battle, he stayed holed up at home, lying in bed on rainy days and curling up on the balcony to soak in the sun on clear days. He was leisurely like a lazy cat kept at home by his owner, Shi Si.

After reposting the official microblog's concert promotion, he scrolled through Weibo before heading to the balcony to bask in the sunlight. Shi Si made him a cup of yogurt dessert, walked over, sat beside him, and pulled Nie Jia into an embrace, messing up his dog-like hair before whispering softly, "There's still a month until the concert, and the finals are over. How about going on a trip? What about skiing in Switzerland?"

Nie Jia fed him a strawberry from the cup before slowly starting to eat himself. "Do you believe that as soon as I step out of the country, negative news about me fills the domestic headlines?"

"I've never really known what you want to do." Shi Si leaned against him, gently speaking while unconsciously caressing his fingertips. Eventually, unable to resist, he held Nie Jia's fingertips and kissed them. "You don't want me to intervene between you and CBC's dispute, nor do you want me to control Shi Yan. I'm worried about you. Shi Yan might do something he can't control."

Nie Jia fell silent for a moment, looking up at him before gently curling his lips. "You know your little brother well. Someone feeling inferior can indeed do some crazy things. But you don't have to worry about me. I know what I'm doing, and things will be over soon."

Shi Si leaned down and kissed his lips, saying, "Of course, as long as you're happy."

He didn't ask any further. Shi Si had only one wish. Since the decisive battle, Nie Jia had been emotionally lethargic, often absent-minded even when with Shi Si. He had his own world, a world without light, and besides Shi Si, no one knew how to pull his beloved out of that dark and desolate place.

"No matter what happens, you can never leave me," Shi Si whispered softly.

Nie Jia hesitated, then put down the dessert in his hand and hugged Shi Si's waist, resting his head on his shoulder, murmuring, "I love you, I can't bear to be away from you for even a second."

Listening to his spiritless voice, Shi Si helplessly held him tighter.

While the two were whispering and cuddling, Nie Jia's phone rang. It was Shi Yan calling.

"What's the matter?" Nie Jia frowned unhappily.

"Where are you now? Can you spare some time to come back to the company? I want to discuss something with you," Shi Yan hesitated as he spoke.

"No time," Nie Jia replied curtly.

Shi Yan suppressed his anger and after a while, took a deep breath before saying, "Nie Fei, the issue with your endorsements, I did it. It has nothing to do with Xie Yihang. Now, you know the situation outside. Xie Yihang is completely innocent. Can you speak up for him? As long as you say a word for him, I can decide for you to terminate the contract with CBC. With your current popularity and status, leaving CBC will give you better opportunities."

It was indeed a tempting conditional offer, but Nie Jia wasn't interested. He coldly retorted, "What are you saying? When I was completely blackened by the toxic fans across the internet, I didn't see you stepping up to speak for me."

Shi Yan patiently said, "Do you have to ruin him? You know Xie Yihang hasn't done anything to you! Why do you insist on targeting him?!"

"He indeed hasn't done anything to me." Nie Jia reclined lazily, leaning back into Shi Si's embrace, lazily saying, "Similarly, I haven't done anything to him either. I won in the semifinals, then won the finals. I haven't done anything to Xie Yihang. If he's facing consequences today, it's the result of his own inaction. What's that got to do with me? You're such a big shot, but you can't figure out such a simple thing. Instead of bothering me, why don't you go see a psychiatrist?"

After saying this, Nie Jia slammed his phone out, and it abruptly turned off with a crack.

Shi Yan's eyebrows shot up like scissors. He stiffly hung up the phone, gritting his teeth and ominously muttered, "Nie Fei, don't regret this!"

Beside him, Xie Yihang's eyes were teary. "Did Nie Fei agree?"

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