The Villain Slaps The Protagonist’s Halo - Chapter 49 (Patreon)

Chapter 49: I'll Tell You Who's the Boss

"What are you still thinking about Nie Fei for? It's been ages since the semi-finals, and Nie Fei's popularity keeps skyrocketing. It's not just about his rising fame; have you even thought about where the three of you stand now? Nie Fei's brilliance doesn't benefit any of you!" Xiang Xianmin wore a disappointed look, as if iron couldn't be forged into steel. "Especially you, Xie Yihang and Shi Yanshen. Xie Yihang, who used to be at the top, has become a target in less than a month. From an angel, he turned into a backstabber. Shi Yanshen, due to his status as a prince, hasn't faced much backlash publicly, but his liking for Xie Yihang being exposed, especially since his fans are mostly female, has wrecked his market."

"Only Chen Tian is left, but what use is Chen Tian alone? Nie Fei shines brighter each day, and standing next to him, anyone else is invisible."

"If this continues, DDD will be finished."

Chen Tian looked extremely embarrassed, as if he couldn't believe what he just heard, "For so many years, the company restricted Nie Fei. He doesn't even have a solo album yet. DDD gained its status as the top group by exploiting Nie Fei. What good do you get by sabotaging him behind his back? Acting this shamelessly, don't you feel any remorse?"

"At least I wouldn't stoop as low as you," Chen Tian glared angrily.

Shi Yanshen was about to explode but was firmly held back by Xie Yihang.

Xie Yihang stood up to intervene between the two about-to-clash individuals, with a hint of reproach in his expression as he said to Chen Tian, "Shi Yanshen and Xiang Ge are also considering DDD as a whole. Nie Fei acted selfishly in these last two matches. Did he consult us about the rock theme in the semi-finals? He gave himself the most parts in the song... Moreover, there was an incident just now; Nie Fei nearly choked Shi Yanshen to death."

Shi Yanshen seemed to have narrowly escaped a close call with death earlier. His voice now had an unusual hoarseness, indicating how close he might have come.

"So, you also know about it?" Chen Tian looked at Xie Yihang.

Xie Yihang pursed his lips and whispered, "I didn't know..."

"Lies." Chen Tian scoffed coldly. "Do you not know why Nie Fei got the most parts in the song? He writes his own songs, he chooses the genre he wants. If you're dissatisfied, why don't you write your own? Disgusting."

He glanced disdainfully at everyone present, kicked a nearby chair, and left angrily.

Xiang Xianmin was no longer focused on dealing with the rebellious Chen Tian. He hurriedly escorted Shi Yanshen to the hospital. The sixth anniversary concert of DDD was coming at the end of next month, and they couldn't afford any trouble at this critical time.

However, Shi Yanshen showed no gratitude. He shrugged off Xiang Xianmin's hand, grabbed his coat, and left. Xie Yihang hurriedly followed suit.

Just after the finals ended, while the outside world cheered for Nie Fei's name, inside DDD, a major fight had erupted.

Shi Si was still in the control room, his eyes icy as he watched the scene unfold. Indifferently, he said, "No need to re-record any behind-the-scenes footage or interviews. Just use this segment."

The chief director sighed. Despite this scene being detrimental to the Prince, Shi Dong clearly intended otherwise. Trimming this scene meant, no matter how high the external acclaim, Nie Fei was doomed. The chief director couldn't help feeling sorry for this star who hadn't yet had the chance to shine brightly. To offend not just anyone but the Prince of Wankai...

After giving his instructions, Shi Si left the theater. His secretary followed and informed him, "Mr. Nie is already waiting for you in the car."

"Retrieve the complete recording of that segment just now. Also, have someone find the in-ear monitor Nie Fei discarded earlier," Shi Si ordered, striding ahead with a faint trace of displeasure in his expression.

The secretary nodded and hurried back to the control room.

When Shi Si opened the car door, Nie Jia seemed to have been waiting for a while, already leaning against the door, fast asleep. Seeing him so defenseless, Shi Si's emotions softened instantly. He gently supported Nie Jia's head to make him more comfortable, and Nie Jia, exhausted, subconsciously sensed someone beside him, found a comfortable position, and sank into deeper slumber.

That night, while Nie Jia slept soundly, the outside world was in uproar throughout the night.

As soon as the live broadcast ended and the clock struck midnight, the official high-definition video was uploaded. The views skyrocketed visibly, rapidly crossing ten thousand within minutes, then millions, tens of millions, all within a day.

The barrage of comments was a sea of blue, continuously flooding the screen. The backend team worked tirelessly to clear them, preventing video lag, but they were inundated again shortly after every cleanup.

Clips of DDD's performance spread like wildfire online within a day, dominating the entire network. Countless unsuspecting viewers, after being bombarded with these clips, flocked to see what the fuss was about, contributing wildly to the views and comments.

In just two days, the final showdown of Battle of the Stars had garnered more views than the total of the previous ten episodes. Apart from Nie Fei, the primary reason was that the audio for this song hadn't been released. Even the new version of the theme song, which had gone viral across the web, and other contestants' songs had their official versions available. However, the most anticipated songs had yet to be released. Fans and netizens could only resort to watching the current best-quality program videos.

As the program video played, when DDD took the stage after Galaxy's performance, the song details appeared in the lower-left corner.

"'Erasing Traces Ahead'

Lyrics & Music: Nie Fei

Arrangement: Nie Fei

Performed by: DDD."

At this moment, the barrage of comments surged, completely covering the screen.

"Nie God has gone all out! Evacuate non-combatants from the nuclear explosion scene ahead! Diehard fans are advised to wear headphones; your soul will ascend in fireworks!"

"My goodness! After losing his in-ear monitor, Nie God hit such high notes that the speakers resonated!"

"Nie Fei alone is an army!"

"Enjoy! My Nie's exhilarating death rush!"

"I can only use my mouth for eating... umm..."

"Wearing headphones opens the door to a new world. Mom asked me why I was watching videos on my knees."

"The reactions of the judges and the audience could make a hilarious video."

"Galaxy's loss isn't unjust; they're a heavenly group, but Nie Fei has ascended to godhood. There's no comparison."

"This song has ignited the long-hidden edge within me! Damn, it's so awesome!"

Without official music sources, this song spread globally like a virus. Nie Fei's talent finally broke through the team's aura and appeared before everyone. People familiar with Nie Fei in China were immensely surprised that this death rock song was his own composition, lyrics, and independent arrangement. What exactly couldn't he do?!

"Erasing Traces Ahead" caused a global rock frenzy, awakening the sluggish rock market in China. Countless tried to imitate it, but none could master the sustained high notes throughout the song. Even some high-pitched singers in the industry struggled to finish the first half without losing their breath. This quickly prompted other singers to challenge themselves.

However, both domestically and internationally, no one could replicate Nie Fei's performance. Even some overseas singers with racial advantages flawlessly sang the entire song, yet they couldn't capture Nie Fei's war god-like presence, his ease, or his furious madness!

On the night of the showdown, Nie Fei's name became legendary. No one questioned his god-like status; he was a true icon in the music industry, leagues apart from everyone else.

Since the showdown, Nie Fei had stayed out of sight, and CBC Company hadn't released any news about him or any plans for a high-definition release.

Yet, this didn't dampen the public's enthusiasm for Nie Fei; instead, it grew by the day. Even if CBC wanted to keep him hidden, fans eagerly awaited his contract expiration!

At this point, there was no more criticism toward the other three members of Non-Wei, no more tearing apart X, wherever Nie Fei was, all eyes could only see Nie Fei.

Even if some radical fans tried to include insults toward Xie Yihang and Shi Yanshen in their remarks, others quickly dismissed it as riding Nie Fei's popularity wave, seemingly forgetting that Nie Fei was still a member of DDD.

With CBC not releasing an album and the delayed release of the new songs "War Song" and "Erasing Traces Ahead," along with no news about Nie Fei, the enthusiasm of fans worldwide couldn't find an outlet. At this time, Nie Kaiyi's cryptic Weibo post quickly caught the attention of Non-Wei fans.

Actor Nie Kaiyi wrote: "Lucky me, found my Ni Shen's in-ear monitor he threw away on stage, and I discovered a rather disgusting secret. *vomiting noises*"

The post came with a picture of a black and red customized in-ear monitor, the same one Nie Fei wore during the showdown.

Nie Kaiyi's words confused many; it seemed she found Nie Fei disgusting, yet she addressed him with reverence as "Ni Shen." It was puzzling. The comment section exploded with fans discussing if there was an ulterior motive behind Nie Shen's cool move of removing his in-ear monitor during the showdown.

But despite Nie Kaiyi usually venting everything at once, she fell silent this time. She only pinned the post, leaving netizens scratching their heads in discomfort.

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