Chapter 12: Explaining Only Makes It Worse
How was he supposed to explain this?
He had sung a song worthy of going down in history and somehow gotten entangled with the nation's beloved sweetheart. Now he was standing squarely in the eye of the storm.
He had to explain himself.
If he didn't, he might actually end up becoming a top celebrity.
What was so great about being a star when you had to live on edge every day? He'd much rather study hard and achieve true financial freedom.
After thinking it over, Pu Tong decided to post an explanation on Weibo.
"Son, your Aunt Chen wants your WeChat. Should I give it to her?" Ni Hui asked with a grin, holding up her phone. She had clearly ridden her son's wave of popularity for all it was worth.
"Which Aunt Chen?"
"The entertainment reporter Chen Ying—the one who's broken countless celebrity scandals. She's my coworker!"
"Holy crap! Absolutely not!"
Entertainment reporters could spin anything into a headline. If one of them set their sights on him, he'd never know peace again.
"Oh, alright then. I'll just tell her my son is acting like a diva and refuses to meet anyone."
"..."
Was she really his biological mother?
"By the way, Mom... don't you want to hear the full story first?"
"Oh? Go on."
Pu Tong decided to use his mother as a test subject.
If he couldn't convince his own mom, posting on Weibo would only make things worse.
"So here's what happened. You know me—I love studying. The reason I deliberately kept my distance from Yu Wanwan was because she distracted me from studying. I also didn't want to become famous by riding her popularity. I genuinely don't want to be a celebrity, and I don't even have that kind of talent. Oh, and that song wasn't written by me. Everything was just a coincidence."
"Mhm. Finished?"
"Yeah... do you believe me?"
"Of course."
Ni Hui nodded seriously.
"Of course not."
"..."
"That excuse is terrible. Listen to yourself."
"You stayed away from Yu Wanwan because you wanted to study? Are you out of your mind? That's Yu Wanwan we're talking about—a beautiful, wealthy girl! What normal guy would do something like that?"
Pu Tong silently thought:
I absolutely would.
"And then you say you don't want to be a celebrity. What, did you become one in your previous life and regret it?
...Actually, yes.
"You can write a song like that and still say you're untalented?"
"And if you didn't write it, where did it come from? Did you hear it in a dream?"
Well... technically I didn't write it.
But there was no way he could explain where it really came from.
What was he supposed to say?
"Actually, I'm a transmigrator."
If people believed him, he'd probably get hauled off for scientific research.
If they didn't, he'd probably end up in a psychiatric hospital.
There was simply no way to explain it.
Every one of his explanations revolved around one secret he absolutely could not reveal.
He couldn't explain the truth.
Which left him trapped in a paradox.
There was no way to explain how all these coincidences had come together.
Then what about making up another excuse?
He could claim he'd heard the song from some mysterious old man.
Or say he couldn't possibly like Yu Wanwan because he already loved someone else.
Or perhaps go all out and simply declare that he was gay.
...
None of those would work.
One lie required countless more lies to maintain it.
Sooner or later, they'd all be exposed.
Using lies to explain things would only drag him into even bigger trouble.
The only thing capable of explaining everything was the truth.
But the truth was something he could never tell.
Which meant...
His only option was to accept the situation.
Pu Tong felt like he was on the verge of a breakdown.
He was about to become famous.
And there was nothing he could do to stop it.
Buzz... Buzz... Buzz...
His phone suddenly rang, interrupting his spiral of despair.
Could it be Liu Neng again, calling just to stir up trouble?
He immediately dismissed the thought.
That lazy guy only ever used QQ voice calls.
The caller ID showed an unfamiliar number.
Pu Tong panicked.
No way...
Did the fans already dox me?
That was way too fast!
"H-Hello... who are you looking for?"
As nervous as he was, ignoring someone's call wasn't exactly polite.
"Pu Tong? This is Xu Lei. I'd like to discuss something with you."
Xu Lei.
The chief director of When You Are Young.
They'd met a few times before. It wasn't difficult for the director to get his contact information from his homeroom teacher, and contacting him now made perfect sense.
If anyone was responsible for giving him so much screen time and airing his singing clip...
It was this man.
So you've finally come knocking, huh?
"What is it?"
"You've seen what's happened yourself. Pu Tong, you're truly talented. Have you considered entering the entertainment industry? I can introduce you to—"
"No thanks, Director Xu. I appreciate the offer, but I have no interest in joining the entertainment industry."
As expected.
The mastermind behind the malicious editing had ulterior motives all along.
Now he wanted to recruit him into show business?
They still hadn't settled the matter of secretly filming him!
"You're serious?" Xu Lei sounded surprised.
"Of course. I'm going to study hard. Knowledge changes your destiny, you know?"
"..."
"A lot of talent agencies have contacted me. They're offering top-tier contracts. Why don't you think it over?"
"No need. I'll focus on my exams. Getting into a good university is far more meaningful than all that flashy nonsense."
Pu Tong scoffed.
Talent agencies?
Once your value disappeared, they'd discard you without hesitation.
Having spent his previous life as a low-tier entertainer, he knew that world all too well.
The farther away he stayed from it, the better.
"...You're unbelievable."
Xu Lei was speechless.
This kid's way of thinking was bizarre.
But... he couldn't exactly argue against someone who simply wanted to study hard.
Still...
Something about the whole situation felt strangely off.
"Director Xu, putting aside everything else... you secretly filmed me this time. You owe me an explanation. That clearly goes beyond the scope of the agreement signed by ordinary participants."
"Don't worry."
"We'll pay you."
"Huh?"
The song had brought tremendous attention to the show.
He certainly deserved payment.
But secretly filming him wasn't something he was willing to let slide.
He still didn't fully understand this world's legal system.
He'd have to study the relevant laws before deciding how to handle it.
"Even if you're not a celebrity, you still appeared on camera so much—you should be paid. Want to sign on for the whole season? I'll make you famous."
"No thanks. Just pay me for the first episode."
At this point, he might as well accept the money he had earned.
Taking losses wasn't his style.
But he definitely wasn't planning on making this kind of money again.
It was mentally exhausting.
"And regarding the copyright to your song..."
"All copyrights and platform revenue will belong entirely to you."
"However, as the producer of When You Are Young, the program will receive a two-year license and agency rights to use the song. Is that acceptable?"
"..."
Pu Tong quickly did the math.
It was actually a very fair contract.
"As long as you remember to transfer the money."
These songs were his greatest asset.
Once he used one, there was one less remaining.
He couldn't exactly sing them for free.
If he could earn something from them, all the better.
Besides...
He already had plans for that money.
Simply burying himself in studying without planning for the future wasn't enough.
He intended to build up some starting capital first.
"Alright. I'll send you both the program contract and the song agreement shortly.
Have your parents read them over. Once they're signed, send me your bank account information."
Xu Lei naturally assumed he was just an ordinary high school student, so he suggested having his parents review and sign the contracts.
Little did he know...
Pu Tong understood contracts extremely well.
His mom?
She was basically just his signature machine.
"Sounds good."
After getting burned by contracts in his previous life, he'd spent a great deal of time studying contract law.
Trying to fool him with legal loopholes?
Practically impossible.
Spend enough time by the river, and your shoes are bound to get wet.
In his previous life...
He hadn't just gotten his shoes wet.
He'd practically drowned beneath a black-hearted entertainment company.
No special reason.
Just experience.
After hanging up, Pu Tong felt much better.
Not entirely because of the money.
He had suddenly realized something important.
He hadn't signed with any talent agency.
He wasn't an entertainer.
He wasn't a celebrity.
He was just an ordinary person.
So what if an ordinary person suddenly became popular?
Without an agency promoting him...
Without public appearances to attract more fans...
Without new works to keep people interested...
Sure, lots of people were watching the spectacle now.
But after some time passed...
Everyone would forget who he was.
There was absolutely no reason to panic.
In fact...
He didn't need to respond at all.
Time would make everyone forget.
As for explaining or clearing things up...
He'd figured it out.
There was no point.
In the entertainment industry, the more people explained themselves, the bigger the controversy usually became.
Explaining only made people think you were covering something up.
The more you tried to clarify, the darker the rumors grew.
He could already imagine it.
If he posted a Weibo explanation now, the comments would probably all read:
"Stop pretending. So what if you have a crush on her? Nobody's laughing at you."
The more he denied it...
The more convinced everyone would become that he secretly loved Yu Wanwan and had written the song just for her.
So...
Pu Tong decided on one strategy.
Cold treatment.
As long as he didn't comment...
Didn't clarify...
Didn't explain...
Didn't admit anything...
No one could speak on his behalf.
As long as he never responded, the matter would never become an established fact.
Eventually, the hype would die down.
People would forget about him.
And he could peacefully return to being an ordinary student.
"That was close."
"I almost lost my chance to study in peace."
"Good thing I know how to lie flat."
If explaining only makes things worse...
Then he simply wouldn't explain.
(End of Chapter)
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