Oops! I Became a Fan of My Rival Idol! - Chapter 22

The entertainment industry is such a small world. Before evening, nearly all the contestants had heard about the online incident.

Li Huixin was the first to visit their dorm.

“Huihui, are you okay?” she asked with genuine concern.

Qiao Huihui shook her head and smiled. “I’m fine. Since I chose to enter the entertainment industry, I have to adapt to its cruelty.”

“But that doesn’t include underhanded tactics like this!” Li Huixin frowned. “This is just too low.”

Just as they were talking, Le Xingshan and Jian Luobai suddenly pushed the door open.

Both wore worried expressions—clearly, they had come for the same reason.

The small dorm was now packed to the brim, and Qiao Huihui felt warmth in her heart as she looked at the circle of people around her.

Truth be told, aside from the two idols, she had unknowingly gained many sincere friendships since joining this show.

Xia Niao suddenly spoke up. “Almost everyone has spoken up.”

The group immediately pulled out their phones and opened Weibo.

Qiao Huihui’s fingers scrolled across the screen. Seeing one familiar or unfamiliar contestant after another standing up for her and speaking out on her behalf only strengthened her resolve to stay.

This show had given her so much—she didn’t want to give any of it up.

She drafted a Weibo post, tagging and thanking each contestant one by one, then added a clarifying statement.

Qiao Huihui (1.8m tall) V: Thank you so much to all the sisters who spoke up for me. I hope my little canvases can also approach negative comments rationally. If you choose to stand under the spotlight, you must be prepared to face rumors and gossip—but not the schemes of those with ulterior motives. I hope you’ll reflect on your actions.

Blue Canvas: Stay strong, Huihui! We’ll always support you!

Pudding Cookie: I’m about to cry… Our girl is really going through it, getting framed like this right at the start.

Don’t Run, Xia Xiaoniao: I support her too! Anyone who gets along with our little bird can’t be a bad person.

Shining Bright: Saw our sister’s post—here to show my support!

…

With guidance and restraint from their idols, the fans no longer flailed around like headless flies. They responded rationally, refusing to be provoked by the trolls. When they encountered exaggerated praise for Qiao Huihui, they even apologized to bystanders, clarifying that it was a black-hearted account posing as a fan to spread nonsense.

Fans of other contestants who had been unfairly dragged into the mess also stopped attacking Qiao Huihui. Now, whenever they saw inflammatory comments, they first checked the poster’s profile to confirm if they were trolls, then reported them straight to Weibo jail.

After all, no one wanted to be someone else’s puppet.

Their own idols had already spoken up, confirming that someone was deliberately smearing Qiao Huihui. If anyone still tried to muddy the waters and drag them into it—did they really think these fans had no temper?

In no time, the online atmosphere became much cleaner, as if things had returned to their previous calm.

Of course, the haters still existed, but with no one to echo them, their tantrums couldn’t stir up much trouble.

This incident wasn’t exactly major, but it wasn’t minor either. After all, from start to finish, it was just trolls fabricating baseless accusations—Qiao Huihui herself had no actual scandals to attack.

The initial backlash happened because the haters had incited public outrage, and without guidance from their idols, other fans had mindlessly jumped on the bandwagon to bash Qiao Huihui.

The person at the center of the current incident has chosen to speak out, and others who were dragged into it have also voiced their support for her. The truth of the matter is now crystal clear.

The entertainment industry has seen its fair share of wolves in sheep’s clothing, and fans have weathered many storms—they’re all old foxes who can see through the act. Who are you trying to fool?

Once they realized they’d been used as pawns, their anger was inevitable. With no one left to spar against, the haters could only rage impotently like clowns.

The “Canvas” (Qiao Huihui’s fans) were initially caught off guard, but now that Qiao Huihui had stepped forward to confront the issue head-on, backed by so many supporters, they eagerly rolled up their sleeves, ready to give the haters a good thrashing.

They maintained a highly rational tone in their comments, striving to present themselves as a gentle and harmless fandom while tirelessly educating bystanders that those currently hyping up Qiao Huihui were actually haters with malicious intent. They earnestly pleaded with everyone not to give the haters any attention.

Seizing the opportunity, they also promoted how adorable their idol was. After all, fans often take after their idol—how could the fans of such an angelic figure possibly be so arrogant?

Though the incident seemed negative on the surface, it served as a wake-up call for the Canvas. The entertainment industry is rife with drama, and they couldn’t afford to let their guard down. This was a critical moment for their idol’s debut—they had to protect her at all costs!

Fortunately, this fan-hater battle propelled Qiao Huihui into the spotlight, and many bystanders who were merely following the drama ended up falling into the fandom’s embrace. The Canvas grew even stronger.

…

“President—” The PR department called. “The Qiao Huihui incident has settled down. Should we still intervene?”

A look of surprise flickered in Qiao Guangzong’s gentle eyes as he scanned the current online sentiment, his lips gradually curving into a smile.

“No need. Since she handled it herself, there’s no need for you to step in.”

As expected of his sister—she had won a brilliant victory.

Several days passed in the blink of an eye, and the break came to an end. It was time for practice again.

As before, the contestants gathered in the large practice room to hear Chu Junling announce the rules for the second round of the competition.

“Hello, everyone—long time no see~”

Chu Junling chuckled. “But we’re practically old friends now, so let’s skip the pleasantries. Hand in your phones, and I’ll begin announcing the rules.”

The contestants obediently placed their phones into the baskets.

Chu Junling glanced around and nodded in satisfaction.

“The second round will take place in half a month. Currently, there are 80 contestants remaining, who will once again form four teams to compete.”

“The top four will serve as team leaders and select their own teammates.”

“The leaders will draw lots to determine their performance songs.”

She finished reading the rules in one breath, and the contestants below erupted like a drop of water hitting hot oil.

Those in the lower ranks were especially anxious. After all, if they were the ones choosing teammates, they’d naturally pick those ranked in the teens or twenties, not those near the bottom.

They feared they might be the last ones picked.

But a competition is a competition—brutality is the law of the stage. Though many were discontent, they couldn’t outright resist and could only comply.

Qiao Huihui’s first reaction was also bewilderment. Her, a team leader?

She… really didn’t have much confidence in herself at all.

But Chu Junling had already begun announcing the selection process, so she had no choice but to brace herself and step up.

The selection rule was as follows: Le Xingshan would pick one person, Shen Nanqing would pick one, she would pick one, Xiao Ninglu would pick one… and so on in an endless cycle until everyone was chosen.

Le Xingshan called out first: “Jian Luobai.”

Then Jian Luobai silently walked over and stood beside her.

Shen Nanqing chose someone who had ranked ninth in the previous competition.

Naturally, Qiao Huihui was the first to pick Xia Niao.