Volume One, Chapter 76: Wu Kanan’s Awakening

That night, a new live stream quietly appeared on TikTok.

Its title read:
[Former Starlight Entertainment Artist Reveals the Truth Behind the Grudge Between Starlight Entertainment and Jiang Yu]

This was a newly created stream with barely any viewers at first. But the name “Jiang Yu” had become a trending topic across the platform. Thanks to precise algorithmic recommendation, a flood of people soon poured into the stream.

In fact, there were quite a few streams with Jiang Yu’s name in the title, but everyone knew they were just riding the wave of his popularity and offered nothing of substance. Most viewers would simply scroll past them.

But this stream added another term: Starlight Entertainment.

That piqued everyone’s curiosity—tonight’s gossip was simply too tantalizing to miss. The truth behind the grudge between Starlight Entertainment and Jiang Yu immediately drew their attention.

Clicking into the stream, viewers saw a young man. He looked vaguely familiar. Some inquisitive viewers quickly did some digging.

To their surprise, they found that this really was Wu Kenan, a former third-rate actor from Starlight Entertainment.

He claimed he was about to expose the feud between the two parties.

As soon as netizens entered, they stopped in their tracks! Whether the revelations were real or fake, just the title alone was enough to make them want to listen.

Soon, viewers began to promote the stream among themselves.

“Tonight’s gossip is just too juicy! I can’t believe there’s even more to uncover—so satisfying!”

“Is this streamer’s info legit or just hot air?”

“Isn’t it just another clickbaiter trying to cash in on Jiang Yu’s fame?”

“Probably not. This guy really was a minor celebrity. There’s info about him on Baidu.”

“So it could actually be real? I’d better go take a look!”

“Let’s go together. Truth or not, let’s check it out first.”

Meanwhile, Su Ling was already investigating Starlight Entertainment, while Jiang Yu and Su Muyu stayed home, waiting for updates.

Bored, Jiang Yu scrolled through his phone. Suddenly, a stream was recommended to him. He glanced at the title, curiosity piqued, and clicked in—his expression immediately darkened.

Su Muyu noticed the change in his demeanor and glanced at his phone. To her surprise, it was Wu Kenan hosting the stream!

“What is he up to?” Su Muyu’s expression also shifted.

Jiang Yu gritted his teeth. “That idiot, why is he getting involved in this? Come on, let’s go find him!”

...

As the news spread, more and more viewers flooded into the stream. What had been an empty room instantly swelled with a massive audience, quickly surpassing ten thousand and still climbing.

The chat exploded with comments.

Even Wu Kenan himself was startled by the sudden surge in viewers. But he knew well—they were all here because of Jiang Yu.

“You’re all Jiang Yu’s fans, aren’t you?” Wu Kenan smirked slightly. “Starlight Entertainment really shot themselves in the foot this time.”

He recalled how Starlight Entertainment had kicked him out like a stray dog. Now, seeing the company in such a crisis, he couldn’t help but feel a twisted delight—Starlight Entertainment’s downfall was well deserved.

The audience heard his words.

Shot themselves in the foot? Over what? Was he referring to the recent lyrics controversy?

Soon, the number of viewers hit another milestone. Audiences, eager for more ears to hear, pushed the stream onto the trending page. Even more people flocked in.

Of course, besides fans and curious bystanders, a few diehard stans of a certain someone barged in to hurl insults, calling Wu Kenan a liar. But their voices were soon drowned out by the flood of comments.

Finally, the viewer count approached two hundred thousand.

Wu Kenan smiled. “Let’s start from when Jiang Yu debuted, shall we?”

Jiang Yu had only been in the industry for about two months—a short span.

Hearing this, the audience grew excited. Could Jiang Yu have crossed paths with the giant that was Starlight Entertainment so early on?

“Jiang Yu entered the entertainment world with the song ‘Barefaced,’ then cemented his genius with ‘At the Crossroads of Phoenix Flowers.’ At the time, every major entertainment company wanted to sign him—including Starlight Entertainment!”

What? Starlight Entertainment once tried to sign Jiang Yu?

Was this true?

The audience felt as if they’d just uncovered a major secret.

“But Jiang Yu turned them down,” Wu Kenan continued with a smile. “You all remember when ‘Barefaced’ and ‘At the Crossroads of Phoenix Flowers’ both shot to the top of every music platform’s charts, right?”

The audience began to recall. It really had seemed unbelievable at the time—so much so that some accused Jiang Yu of faking his numbers.

Many influencers even openly called him out. The internet was in an uproar back then.

“In truth, that was all Starlight Entertainment’s doing,” Wu Kenan revealed. “After Jiang Yu rejected them, they were so enraged that they paid to manipulate public opinion online, trying to force Jiang Yu to submit!”

“If he refused, they intended to destroy him.”

“If not for help from his school and others, Jiang Yu might have been crushed back then.”

The audience was stunned by this revelation. So the grudge between Jiang Yu and Starlight Entertainment began right there.

“Later, when the truth came out, Starlight Entertainment—under pressure—pushed forward a scapegoat to take all the blame. They made all sorts of promises but never kept a single one,” Wu Kenan added with a self-mocking smile.

At that moment, he heard the door open. Turning his head, he saw Jiang Yu, with Su Muyu just behind.

“You’re here?” Wu Kenan looked at Jiang Yu, a little awkward.

Jiang Yu glared at him. “Are you out of your mind? Do you still want a comeback?”

The viewers in the stream were instantly electrified by Jiang Yu’s appearance.

The chat exploded with questions, but neither man paid it any attention.

In fact, Jiang Yu had kept Wu Kenan around precisely to gather dirt on Starlight Entertainment, just in case he ever needed it. But as Wu Kenan became his assistant, the thought gradually faded.

“Do you realize what the consequences of this are?” Jiang Yu demanded.

For Jiang Yu, this exposure was all upside—it would even give him a forgiving, magnanimous persona to his fans. But for Wu Kenan, admitting his part in Starlight’s suppression of Jiang Yu meant he’d lose all public sympathy. Even with resources Jiang Yu might give him, his career would be over.

“I know,” Wu Kenan replied calmly. “When I was at my lowest, you helped me. I want to do something for you in return.”

“But this will ruin your own career,” Jiang Yu tried to end the stream.

Wu Kenan stepped forward and pressed his hand, then smiled lightly, “Then I’ll just keep being your assistant.”

Jiang Yu was momentarily stunned.

Wu Kenan turned to the camera.

“To my shame, I was the scapegoat they pushed forward. Young and naive, I didn’t realize how dangerous people could be. I harbored ill intent and paid the price—kicked out by them in the end.”

“And the one who helped me was the very person they wanted me to harm. If not for Jiang Yu, I probably would have left this city long ago.”