Chapter 161

Reece’s choice not only surprised the guests but also left the live audience in shock. So even Een doesn’t believe in Joshua. Setting aside Reece’s questionable character, his judgment in music should still be solid. Honestly, if we just compare their new songs without considering fame, Quintus outshines in every other aspect. Josh does have huge popularity, but hasn’t he been riding on hype all this time? Vinging. I’m betting on him. Joshua is the best! Betting on him!

Soon, the audience started placing their bets during the live stream. Joshua had a massive fan base, but most of Phoebe’s fans sided with Quintus instead. In the end, Quintus actually gained more support. This infuriated Joshua’s fans. They started attacking Quintus, digging up his past. They accused him of disrespecting seniors, deliberately going against Joshua when they were in the same company, getting arrogant after gaining fame, arguing with his manager, and doing whatever it took to snatch resources. Quintus’s fans didn’t buy it and fought back. Phoebe’s fans also defended him, believing that she wouldn’t sign someone with a bad character. Soon, both sides were in a heated online war.

Meanwhile, Brian and his team had been watching the live stream, looking for an opportunity to clear Quintus’s name. Seeing the situation unfold, they immediately dropped a bombshell. “I work at Jenkins Entertainment. The one who suppressed Quintus the most was actually Joshua.” Because Quintus is the same type of singer as him, but with better talent and songwriting skills, Joshua used his connections to stomp him down. Joshua only became a top-tier singer thanks to marketing and hype. Don’t be fooled by his millions of followers on Twitter. At least half of them are bots. The reason Quintus had to sing songs that didn’t suit his style was because Joshua’s team deliberately arranged it to benefit Joshua. Quintus was never a diva. In fact, it was Joshua who acted like one. He even verbally abused his assistants. How did Joshua reach his current status? Mainly thanks to his influential father and two powerful brothers. Jenkins Entertainment pours all its top music resources into Joshua. With that kind of backing, even a pig could be made into a superstar. Joshua’s fans are hilarious, claiming Quintus schemed for resources when he was barely surviving in the company. What kind of tricks could he possibly pull while being sidelined? Meanwhile, Joshua just lies back and gets everything handed to him, thanks to his second brother, Leon, being a top-tier agent and his eldest brother running the company.

This quickly drew in the attention of gossip-hungry netizens. Joshua’s fans refused to believe it and demanded proof instead of baseless accusations. Brian, knowing he had solid evidence, was fully prepared. He uploaded a comparison of Quintus’s hit debut songs and the songs he was later forced to sing, showcasing the drastic change in style. He also used multiple accounts to gradually release evidence of how Joshua had suppressed Quintus at Jenkins Entertainment. They even leaked the resource allocation chart, which clearly showed that Quintus only received leftovers that Joshua had rejected.

Most notably, two well-known music programs initially wanted to invite Quintus, but his manager deliberately redirected those invitations to others. On top of that, they exposed footage of Joshua acting like a diva, berating his assistants, and failing to deliver despite being given premium resources. The internet exploded. Many people felt that Quintus had suffered unjustly. Just because his style was similar to Joshua, a privileged artist with strong backing, he had not only been suppressed but also trampled on. If Phoebe hadn’t signed Quintus, he would have been forced to sit on the sidelines at Jenkins Entertainment until his contract expired. His music career might have been completely ruined. As a result, Joshua’s reputation took a massive hit.

By this time, it was already late at night, and Jenkins Entertainment’s PR department had finished work for the day. By the time hashtags like “Joshua vs. Quintus. Who are you betting on?” and “Joshua suppressing Quintus” shot to the top of trending searches and public opinion shifted, their PR team couldn’t react in time. The PR manager urgently called Leon. “Leon, someone has leaked solid evidence of Joshua suppressing Quintus. We don’t know who’s behind it, but it hit too suddenly.” Hearing this, Leon immediately understood the underlying message. The enemy had been fully prepared. The revelations were too sudden, and they had no time to counteract them. Any damage control at this point would be too late. He said indifferently, “Then just leave it be. After all, everything they said is true. Just do your best to clean up his image afterward.” Leon already knew who was behind this. It was definitely Phoebe’s studio. Even though he wasn’t fond of Brian, he had to admit that the man and his team were quite capable. They must have gathered this evidence long before the variety show even started. The PR manager cautiously said, “This will have a significant impact on Joshua’s reputation.” Leon responded, “They have solid proof and know exactly when to strike. You lost again this time. From now on, don’t call me about these things. I’m not his agent; I can’t be bothered with this crap anymore.”

Looking at how things played out, it was obvious that Phoebe had planned everything. She chose that specific bar, setting up the competition between Quintus and Joshua. None of it was a coincidence. Right when they were about to face off, their fans started fighting over who to support. Then, the internet exploded with these bombshell revelations. They had all underestimated Phoebe. She was far sharper than they had thought. Leon had no interest in getting involved in whatever was going on between her and Joshua. He had only agreed to help Joshua get on the variety show because he wanted to see him get schooled by Phoebe. Now, both brothers were publicly humiliated together. Leon just hadn’t expected that idiot to fall for the trap so quickly. It was only the first day of the live broadcast. Thanks to the bar event, they had already lost control of the narrative. Leon didn’t even feel like enjoying the show anymore. When the manager heard what he said, Lar could only hang up helplessly. He then reported the situation to Ollie. Ollie had been too busy to watch the livestream today. He hadn’t expected Joshua to be this incompetent, getting completely played on the very first day. And worse, he had walked right into the trap, handing Phoebe and her team the perfect opportunity to flip the narrative and rehabilitate Quintus. Ollie was speechless. His reaction was the same as Leon’s. He told the PR team to handle it however they saw fit. If their little sister wanted to teach their younger brother a lesson, there was nothing they could do. They could only watch and wait until Joshua learned his lesson the hard way.

Honestly, it wasn’t a bad thing Joshua had been given so many of the company’s resources, yet now he was getting overshadowed by a sidelined singer. He was an embarrassment. Ollie also realized that the company’s resource allocation was a mess. It was time for some restructuring. Meanwhile, other entertainment companies and industry insiders watching the situation unfold saw Phoebe’s handiwork in it. They had to admit: both she and her studio’s operational team were incredibly skilled at seizing opportunities. On the other side, Joshua was completely unaware that he and Sienna had made multiple trending topics, getting dragged through the mud online. At this moment, he was still practicing his song. The thirty-minute practice session ended quickly. The host stepped onto the stage and asked, “Which one of you would like to go first?” Joshua glanced at Quintus, but this time, he didn’t offer for him to go first. He figured that performing first would leave a stronger impression on the audience. It would also put pressure on Quintus. So, he decided to take the stage first.