Chapter 25: A Gentleman Does Not Let the Sun Set on a Grudge

"What are you so proud of? Do you have no sense of reality regarding how the sales for 'Youth' were achieved? The number one spot on the purchase leaderboard was directly boosted by 20 million!"

"The number one spot on the 'Moon Shadow' leaderboard also had plenty of purchases!"

"That just goes to show that Yu Manli’s fan base is stronger. If you’re not convinced, go boost your own!"

The situation reversed in an instant!

Meanwhile, #ParkingInTheMapleWoods surged into the top five of the Weibo trending list.

"Holy crap, who is this 'ParkingInTheMapleWoods' big shot? Spending 20 million like it’s pocket change?"

"Big boss 'ParkingInTheMapleWoods', are there any spots left on your coattails?"

"The ID 'ParkingInTheMapleWoods' is so poetic. He must be a handsome young man."

"Actually... this is derived from a line of poetry, just missing two characters."

Soon, #MissingTwoCharacters also hit the Weibo trending list.

Some people who clearly missed out on their nine years of compulsory education were still asking which two characters were missing, making for a very lively atmosphere.

In an executive suite at the Four Seasons Hotel in Shanghai.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host. The side quest 'Battle of the Leaderboards' has been completed. Delivering task rewards...]

[Ding! Congratulations, Host, for receiving a fixed reward of 10 million Dragon Kingdom Dollars, and an additional bonus of 200 million Dragon Kingdom Dollars.]

After the system notification chimed, Jiang Jin pulled out his phone to check his bank balance: 450 million. He didn't even bother looking at the change.

In other words, counting the 20 million he had spent, this mission earned him a net profit of 180 million!

Absolutely thrilling!

He still needed to spend another 80 million; sometimes, spending money is its own kind of pressure.

Exiting the system interface, Jiang Jin took his phone and used the official Weibo account of Supernova Special Materials Co., Ltd. to retweet the provocative post from the marketing influencer.

"Just a passerby here. To be fair, 'Youth' is more to my taste."

"And that @Qin Sheng guy—I just looked him up, and it seems he doesn't have any notable musical works. Has the barrier to entry for music critics become this low?"

P.S.: Sales speak for everything.

What does it mean to be a gentleman who doesn't wait until tomorrow to settle a grudge? (Leans back tactically)

Thanks to going viral a few days ago, the official account already had over 2 million followers.

As soon as this post was published, it immediately drew a large crowd of netizens.

"I’m speechless. I thought there was an update on the T2000-grade carbon fiber, and this is what I get?"

"Wow, this social media manager is way too wild. Using the company’s official account to obsess over stars and step on others? Isn't he afraid of getting fired?"

"I have a premonition that this post is going to be swarmed by Xue Ting’s fans. You’d better start looking for your next job."

In that luxury villa in Shanghai.

"Honey~ It’s one thing to be overtaken by Yu Manli, but now this Supernova Special Materials official account is jumping out to mock me. It’s making me so angry!"

"I don't care, I want this social media manager to pay the price!"

Xue Ting wept, looking delicate and pitiable.

Being overtaken by Yu Manli at the last second was infuriating enough, but now some small fry had popped up to openly diss her. Did they really think Xue Ting was someone anyone could trample on?

Liu Sanhai comforted her, "Don't worry, even if you hadn't said anything, I would have made him pay!"

He had spent over 30 million in total to help Xue Ting take the top spot on the sales chart, only for the cooked duck to fly away?

Although Xue Ting had managed to gain some buzz, who remembers the runner-up?!

Fuming with rage, Liu Sanhai didn't dare to challenge Yu Manli directly, but dealing with the social media manager of a private company wasn't difficult!

Soon, Xue Ting’s fans and hired trolls began to gather under the post.

"Manager, what right do you have to diss Tingting? Apologize to her immediately!"

"What kind of third-rate company is this, hiring any stray cat or dog? Fire this manager immediately."

"To the boss of Supernova Special Materials, I warn you: if you don't fire this manager, I will have your company shut down!"

"Manager, take a look in the mirror and see what you are. What right do you have to judge Tingting’s music?"

"Fire the manager! Fire the manager! Fire the manager!"

Jiang Jin had only said 'Youth' was more to his taste; he hadn't even critiqued 'Moon Shadow'. And these people wanted him to apologize?

They even wanted the company to fire the boss? That is absolutely absurd!

"Before going to bed, I read a book on psychology and thought it was quite good, so I’m sharing it with everyone."

Below the text was a photo of the cover of *The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind* that Jiang Jin had found online.

The four large characters for "The Crowd" (or "Rabble/Mob") were very eye-catching.

"Pfft! Is the manager saying that Xue Ting’s fans are a 'rabble'? He’s absolutely savage!"

"Wow, this manager is going head-to-head with Xue Ting’s fans. Too wild! I love it!"

Soon, #TheWildestManagerInHistory hit the Weibo trending list, attracting countless netizens to come and watch!

The follower count skyrocketed!

Xue Ting: "Thank you all for your support. You have protected me in the past, and now it’s my turn to protect you."

Xue Ting Studio: "@Supernova Special Materials official account manager is abusing power to smear Ms. @Xue Ting and her fans. We hope he realizes his mistake and apologizes voluntarily, otherwise, we will serve a lawyer's letter to your company."

Xue Ting’s intervention was like a shot of adrenaline, hitting the fans instantly!

"Tingting is so gentle. We must protect the best Tingting!"

"Tingting was smeared and still didn't forget to protect us. For a Tingting like this, I’d be happy even if I died!"

"Tingting, don't be sad, we will get justice for you!"

Organized by their fan leaders, one group of fans continued to leave abusive comments under the Supernova Special Materials account.

Another group started trying to dig up the real-life information of the social media manager.

The final group began calling Supernova Special Materials incessantly.

A war without smoke had begun!

Jiang Jin, the one who ignited this war, went to sleep right after posting that last update. They were just a mob; he didn't care about them at all.

Early the next morning, Jiang Jin received a call from Liu Sisi.

"Boss, the HR department’s phones have been blown up by Xue Ting’s fans. They are all demanding that the company come forward to apologize and fire the social media manager."

There is always a group of people who congregate online, using their numbers to cyberbully and judge others at will.

They force people to apologize, and if they don't, they continue to insult and smear them.

Frustratingly, most of the time these people get their way, leaving many innocent victims depressed, socially destroyed, or even driven to suicide.

But this time, Jiang Jin was going to say no to this behavior!

"Sisi, tell Manager Ge to inform any companies coming to discuss partnerships that they must add a special clause to their contracts: 'During future operations, we will never hire Xue Ting as a spokesperson.'"

"For those who have already signed contracts, add this clause even if it means breaching the original agreement!"

Jiang Jin’s words were firm and powerful!

Across from him, Wu Qingya’s mouth hung slightly open.

It was the first time she had seen such a masculine side to Jiang Jin!

How cool was that!

After hanging up, Jiang Jin used the company’s official account to post one more update.

"@Xue Ting Studio, I only made an objective evaluation from the perspective of a passerby. Since when does telling the truth require an apology?"

"And you're sending a lawyer's letter? Who do you think you are? See if I'm afraid of you!"

P.S.: Our boss said that anyone who wants to cooperate with this company must add a clause to their contract: 'During future operations, we will never hire @Xue Ting as a spokesperson.'

You want me to apologize? Then I will blacklist you in return!

Even if I’m weak now and can’t blacklist you, I will blacklist you in the future!

This is my stance!

Once this post was published, it immediately caused an uproar on the internet!

"To defend his own manager, he chose to go head-to-head with Xue Ting to the end. Who couldn't love a boss like this!"

"Wait, the boss of your company is named Jiang Jin, right? Could he be the songwriter for 'Youth'?"