145: Chapter 145 Theme Song: Wings of Rebirth

In the dim backstage corridor of the "Chinas Good Voice" rehearsal, Lin Wanyi had just finished a trial run of an original song when she heard two staff members whispering in a corner. Their voices were low, but every word stung: "Did you see the trending search? Zhang Fan is being called a 'national scum man' now. Isn't Lin Wanyi afraid of being implicated by collaborating with him?"

"Maybe she's trying to use the scandal to hype herself up. Being an orphan, she must be desperate for fame..."

Lin Wanyi's hand gripping the guitar strap tightened, her knuckles turning white.

She didn't care about others saying she "wanted fame," but she detested their malicious speculation about Zhang Fan.

In her previous life, she had seen Zhang Fan's ending in the news: after his company went bankrupt, he donated his remaining funds to an orphanage, only to fall ill from overwork and die alone in a rented apartment.

How could such a person be a "scum man who plays with emotions"?

"Wanyi, it's time to touch up your makeup." Her temporary assistant ran over, holding her phone with a worried expression. "Marketing accounts are posting news about your collaboration with Zhang Fan again. Many comments below say you have 'poor judgment.' Also, an entertainment company under Polaris Capital contacted me, saying they're willing to give you double the resources if you terminate your collaboration with Singularity."

Lin Wanyi took the phone. On the screen was a partnership proposal from "Xingyao Entertainment" under Polaris Capital. The conditions were indeed tempting.

They offered not only a top-tier production team but also the opportunity to appear on A-list variety shows.

But without even looking, she had her assistant block their contact information. "Tell them I will not terminate my collaboration with Singularity, and I certainly won't sign with their company."

The assistant hesitated. "Wanyi, won't you reconsider? Xingyao Entertainment is a big company with much better resources than Singularity, and besides, Zhang Fan's reputation right now..."

"No matter how good the resources are, I can't lose my conscience." Lin Wanyi interrupted her, her tone firm. "Zhang Fan isn't what they say he is; I trust my own judgment. Help me contact President Zhang and tell him I want to release a joint statement to clarify the scandal and officially announce our collaboration."

At Singularity Technology, Zhang Fan was checking the backend data of the marketing accounts with Wang Chengsi.

Wang Chengsi pointed to the IP addresses on the screen. "President Zhang, these marketing accounts leading the smear campaign are all controlled by the same overseas IP. It highly overlaps with the Polaris Capital IP that Yunqi Technology came into contact with when poaching people before. Additionally, we found that Xingyao Entertainment has recently been contacting sponsors of "Chinas Good Voice," trying to pull our collaborative advertisements."

"Polaris Capital is really pressing us at every step." Zhang Fan frowned, his fingers tapping lightly on the desk. "They don't just want to ruin my reputation; they want to cut off Lin Wanyi's exposure channels and force her to terminate the collaboration."

Just then, his phone rang. It was Lin Wanyi.

Zhang Fan answered, and he heard her clear and firm voice: "President Zhang, I want to release a joint statement with Singularity to clarify your scandal and officially announce the theme song collaboration. I also want to include my own background in the statement—I also started from the bottom and worked my way up on my own. I know how difficult it is for people who focus on their work, and I won't be defeated by rumors."

Zhang Fan was stunned, a warmth welling up in his heart. He had been worried that Lin Wanyi would be shaken by public opinion, but he hadn't expected her to stand up for him voluntarily.

"Thank you, Miss Lin." His voice carried a hint of gratitude. "But this will affect your competition. You don't have to..."

"I'm not afraid." Lin Wanyi interrupted him, her tone carrying the unique clarity of a reincarnated person. "I believe the players and the audience are clear-headed. They will see the truth."

After hanging up, Zhang Fan immediately had Zhou Yurou coordinate with the PR department to draft the joint statement.

Watching the smile on Zhang Fan's face, Zhou Yurou teased, "I didn't expect Lin Wanyi to have such courage. It seems we didn't choose the wrong partner."

"She's not just a partner; she might be the key to countering Polaris Capital." Zhang Fan said with a smile. "Her understanding of the Lu family and her memories of her previous life are advantages we don't have."

At 3:00 PM, Lin Wanyi's social media account was the first to publish a long statement.

There were no pleasantries at the beginning. She directly posted surveillance footage of her and Zhang Fan discussing the theme song in the Singularity conference room (blurred to protect other employees' privacy). In the video, both were focused on work throughout, with no ambiguous behavior.

In the statement, she also publicly revealed her background for the first time: "I grew up in an orphanage and started working at 14 to save money for music lessons. I know that every achievement must be earned with one's own hands. From the founding of Singularity to now, President Zhang has focused on game development and technological innovation. The overseas success of "star path: reboot" and the original concept of "star dream workshop" are proof that he and his team are doing things with sincerity. Internet rumors stop at the wise. I believe time will give the answer, and I look forward to working with Singularity to use music and games to convey more power."

Finally, she attached a demo clip of the "star path: reboot" theme song, "wings of rebirth," with the caption: "This is a song I wrote for the game, and also a song for everyone who is underestimated but persists to the end."

Less than an hour after the statement was released, it had over 100,000 reposts. The sentiment in the comment section had completely reversed:

"So it was all rumors! Surveillance footage doesn't lie; they were clearly talking about work!"

"Lin Wanyi is so bold! Coming from an orphanage and relying on herself is much better than those celebrities who rely on hype!"

""wings of rebirth" sounds so good! Looking forward to the official version and "star path: reboot"!"

After seeing the statement, Song Zhiwei immediately had her PR team repost it in support, and commented:

"Respect the facts, support original work, and look forward to the results of the collaboration between Singularity and Lin Wanyi."

Liu Ruyan also posted an update on the tech forum, attaching code records of her participation in the Star Core Engine development and photos of her staying up late working overtime. She captioned it: "Focus on technology, nothing else. Every line of code in the Star Core Engine can withstand scrutiny."

Although Xia Qinyi didn't use social media, she had Lele record a short video. In the video, Lele held up a dinosaur keychain from "star dream workshop" and said in a milky voice: "Uncle Zhang Fan is a good person, I like playing games with him!"

Xia Qinyi sent the video to Zhang Fan with the message: "A small gesture, I hope it helps."

Meanwhile, in the office of Yunqi Technology, Lu Qingan looked at Lin Wanyi's statement and threw his phone on the table in anger: "How can she trust Zhang Fan so much? That kid is a liar!"

Lu Qingping, however, was silent. Looking at Lin Wanyi's background in the statement, he remembered the grievances she suffered in the Lu family in his previous life, and his heart was filled with guilt.

"Qingan, perhaps we really were wrong." He said softly. "Wanyi isn't a child anymore; she has her own judgment. Zhang Fan being able to make her trust him so much might mean he really is, as the statement says, a person who focuses on his work."

"Big Brother! Why are you helping an outsider too?" Lu Qingan couldn't believe it.

"I'm not helping an outsider; I want to respect Wanyi's choice." Lu Qingping picked up his phone and dialed Lu Qingyan's number. "Qingyan, how is the investigation into Polaris Capital going? If they really are causing trouble behind the scenes, we can't sit idly by—not just for Wanyi, but for Yunqi as well."

On the other end of the line, Lu Qingyan's tone was grave: "I found out that Polaris Capital wants to sign Lin Wanyi through Xingyao Entertainment to gain access to Singularity's Star Core Engine technology. They are also secretly contacting several shareholders of Yunqi, trying to dilute our shares. It seems we must join forces with Singularity to counter Polaris."

Lu Qingping took a deep breath and made a decision: "Make arrangements, I want to meet with Zhang Fan to discuss collaboration."

At Singularity Technology, Zhang Fan looked at the skyrocketing reservation numbers for "star path: reboot" and the new users of "star dream workshop," his heart filled with emotion.

Lin Wanyi's support not only resolved the public opinion crisis but also brought unexpected heat to their collaboration.

He picked up his phone and sent a message to Lin Wanyi: "Thank you for your trust. "wings of rebirth" is very good; I look forward to us creating more possibilities together."

Lin Wanyi's reply came quickly, accompanied by a smiley face emoji: "It is I who should thank you, President Zhang, for giving me a chance to persist in being myself. I will arrive on time for tomorrow's theme song communication meeting."