Volume One, Chapter 147: The Internet Has No Memory; Rumors Run Rampant

To resolve the recent situation, those entertainment companies were left flustered and had to spend a significant amount of money to smooth things over. It must be said that the power of capital is immense. The internet is forgetful; two months later, there was hardly anyone left discussing the matter.

Jiang Yu’s popularity had also declined considerably, as he had not appeared on the big screen for nearly two months. Marketing tabloids constantly speculated about what Jiang Yu was actually doing. Those companies that had suffered heavy losses also coordinated to release rumors that Jiang Yu had been "blacklisted," and they paid third-rate minor celebrities, female internet influencers, and socialites to step forward and smear his reputation.

At first, his fans didn't pay much mind, but with Jiang Yu missing for nearly two months, they started to get worried.

"Brother Yu, are you still alive? Can you say something?"
"Exactly, Brother Yu, you’re being dragged through the mud, can’t you come out and say a word?"
"What else is there to say? Isn't that how celebrities operate? It’s probably true, so he's resorted to the silent treatment."
...

Rumors were rampant online, yet Jiang Yu did not say a single word. At this moment, he was still with the Spring Festival Gala production team.

"Hey, Brother Chen, what’s up?"
"Oh, the filming wrapped? Congratulations, congratulations! I’m still busy here, so I probably won't be able to make it to the wrap party."
"Ah? Help with the promotion? I can do it after the Spring Festival, but before the festival, I'm afraid I can't."
"Oh, the review takes a while and I still need the approval number. It takes that long? That’s no problem, I’ll definitely be there."

After hanging up the phone, Jiang Yu stretched. During this period, he had been busy with various rehearsals for the Spring Festival Gala. Especially since the staff had told him they might contact him at any moment to coordinate the stage design, he had stayed in the hotel the entire time. Aside from chatting with Su Muyu, he had poured all his focus into the gala.

Having confirmed that his act would make it onto the Spring Festival Gala, Jiang Yu breathed a huge sigh of relief. He had already told his parents about it; his previous programs were either him getting into fights or on the way to get into fights, which really wasn't appropriate for his parents to watch. If they couldn't even see him on the Spring Festival Gala, it would be a major loss of face, so he took it extra seriously.

Fortunately, the dust had settled, and the stage design was finalized. The second rehearsal had passed, the third had passed... he had lost count of how many rehearsals there had been, and upon receiving the notification, Jiang Yu headed to the gala studio. This rehearsal was meant to compare the performance with the stage effects once more to refine the program. Compared to the beginning, the studio was much emptier; many had been eliminated. Only a few dozen acts were selected nationwide, yet even so, a large number had been cut.

Veteran superstar Chen Tianwang was not spared, having been eliminated in the earlier rounds, which showed the cutthroat nature of the Spring Festival Gala. The most daunting part was that it wasn't over yet. In these few remaining days before the gala, the performers would still have to undergo several more rounds of screening. Since not many people were left, performers of all types of acts were gathered together today.

Jiang Yu sat in his seat, quietly waiting for his name to be called. Sitting next to him was Yang Weiwei. The two chatted while they waited. Just then, a group of beautiful young girls walked over, looking very excited.

Jiang Yu smiled. "Is there something I can help you with?"

The girls didn't answer, just looked at Jiang Yu with excitement. At this moment, a middle-aged woman walked up to Jiang Yu with a gentle smile. "Hello, Teacher Jiang Yu, Teacher Yang. My name is Zhou Haiqin. These are all my students. They really like you. Could you help them with some autographs?"

"Oh, Jiang Yu, I didn't expect you to have so many pretty female fans!" Yang Weiwei teased. "Looks like I’ll have to tell Mu Mu to be careful!"

Jiang Yu rolled his eyes and then smiled. "Of course, I’d be happy to!" He looked at the girl standing at the front. "What is your name?"

There are several types of signatures, including standard ones and personalized ones where Jiang Yu would write "wishing [name] success at the Spring Festival Gala." Jiang Yu asked for her name so he could sign a personalized one. However, the girl didn't speak; instead, she looked at the teacher. The teacher made a series of signs to all the girls.

Jiang Yu was stunned. "Teacher Zhou, this is..."

Zhou Haiqin looked at Jiang Yu apologetically. "These girls have disabilities. Some cannot speak, and some cannot hear, but they all love to dance. Their biggest dream is to stand on the stage of the Spring Festival Gala."

Yang Weiwei, standing beside them, was also stunned. She hadn't expected these lovely girls to be "angels with broken wings."

"Oh, I see..." Jiang Yu stood up and smiled at the girls. "Shall we take a group photo together?"

Hearing Jiang Yu's words, Zhou Haiqin immediately beamed and excitedly signed to the girls. Seeing their teacher's signs, the girls became excited as well. After the photo was taken, Jiang Yu looked at Zhou Haiqin. "Tell me all their names in a bit. I’ll have more photos printed and sign them for each of them, how about that?"

"On behalf of the girls, I thank you, Teacher Jiang," Zhou Haiqin said with emotion.

"You're very welcome." Jiang Yu smiled. "By the way, you mentioned their dream is to stand on that stage. Has their program passed?"

Zhou Haiqin replied, "Not yet, it should be our turn soon!"

Just then, a staff member walked out. "Next act, the large dance rehearsal."

Zhou Haiqin turned around. "Teacher Jiang Yu, it’s our turn."

Jiang Yu nodded. "Please tell them something for me: they are wonderful, and they will definitely make it onto the Spring Festival Gala stage!"

"Thank you!" Zhou Haiqin immediately signed to all the girls. Watching their teacher, all the girls were incredibly happy, looking full of confidence.

"The girls say they will definitely make it to the Spring Festival Gala stage with Teacher Jiang!"

Jiang Yu smiled, clenched his fists, and gave them an encouraging gesture. They then entered the studio.

Yang Weiwei sighed. "I never imagined a group of deaf-mute girls could make it through so many rehearsals and stay until now. I don't even want to imagine how much sweat and effort they put in behind the scenes. If they were healthy, they would be so outstanding. Let’s pray for them."

Jiang Yu looked at the studio doors, thinking of the clean, pure dreams of those girls, and he couldn't help but feel anxious for them.

"They are already outstanding. I believe they will stay!" Jiang Yu whispered softly, then, like Yang Weiwei, he couldn't help but pray for them.

About ten minutes later, the group of girls walked out. Seeing their dejected expressions, one could guess what had happened. Yang Weiwei sighed, a look of regret appearing on her face. "They didn't pass."

Jiang Yu looked at the girls, stood up, and walked over quickly.

"Teacher Zhou." He wanted to offer some comfort, but the words failed him.

Zhou Haiqin forced a smile. "It seems we can only go this far."

"What will you do next?"

"Go back and keep practicing hard, and strive for next year's Spring Festival Gala."

The girl who had been standing at the front earlier signed something to Jiang Yu. Jiang Yu looked at Zhou Haiqin.

"She says, 'I'm sorry, Brother Jiang Yu, we couldn't make it to the Spring Festival Gala stage with you this time. We will go back and practice even harder, and strive to stand on the same stage as you next time!'"

Hearing this, Jiang Yu's heart sank. He wasn't exactly a saint, but he felt a desire to help these pure-hearted girls.

"Alright, let's exchange WeChat contacts. I'll wait for you next time, and we'll stand on this stage together!" Jiang Yu gave a gentle smile. In truth, he already had an idea for a program in mind, but time was too short; it wasn't possible this year. But that didn't mean they couldn't make it next year or the year after!

"Teacher Jiang Yu, it’s your turn."