147. The Innocent Need No Defense

The expository post presented well-reasoned evidence pointing out that Ji Fanxing had secretly rigged the vote count in order to win the wager against Zhao De.

It even released side-by-side data comparison charts of *Pipa Language* and *Free and Untethered* across various stages.

The gap in votes between the two songs was crystal clear. *Pipa Language* in particular had clearly started at a disadvantage, only for its votes to surge at an astonishing speed on a single day.

Because the previous day had been the preview session, the music exchange convention's website had temporarily shut down for maintenance the night before to better handle large-scale updates, reopening only at ten o'clock.

While waiting, netizens were left utterly dumbfounded by these revelations.

[What the hell! Ji Fanxing is vote-rigging?!]

[Is this fake? How could Master Ji ever do something like this?]

[It's not surprising that Ji Fanxing, a minor celebrity who debuted through a talent show, would resort to such tactics.]

[Everyone look at the vote curve chart in the picture. It rises so abruptly. If there's no foul play, I'll eat my hat.]

[I knew it! Ji Fanxing's decision to make her copyright open earlier was suspicious. So she was laying the groundwork right here.]

[Seeing the new system, I guessed someone would cheat, but I never expected the first cheat to be her...]

[Heh, I knew it. There is never anyone clean in the entertainment industry.]

[I actually thought *Pipa Language* sounded quite nice at first, but now I completely don't want to listen to it anymore. Disgusting!]

[An ordinary occasion would be one thing, but the final results of the "National Music Exchange Convention" dictate the developmental trajectory of Lung Kuo for the next year or even several years. For her to cheat here is simply appalling.]

[Ji Fanxing doesn't even deserve to appear at the exchange convention!]

Abuse, accusations, and skepticism surged like a tidal wave. Seeing this, some netizens could no longer sit idly by.

Several rational netizens stood up to speak for Ji Fanxing.

They believed in Ji Fanxing's character, and even more, they believed their own ears.

[Hold on, have any of you considered that *Pipa Language* is genuinely a great song?]

[Right, when I first listened to *Free and Untethered*, I thought it was pretty good too. But after listening to it for a long time, my ears started hurting.]

[Me too, but *Pipa Language* is different. I've listened to it many times and still find it wonderful, plus the more you listen, the more captivating it gets.]

[That's right. Not only does *Pipa Language* sound amazing, but it also relaxes the mind and soothes emotions. It's miles better than *Free and Untethered*!]

[I can testify! I was in a bad mood earlier, and it only got better after listening to *Pipa Language*.]

[Listening to *Pipa Language* when suffering from insomnia at night is so comforting. I've been listening to it every night before bed this week...]

[So, why should we dismiss a genuinely good song just because of an unfounded accusation?]

...

However, their voices were quickly drowned out in the sea of condemnation.

More people chose to believe that "seeing is believing."

[Heh, you hired trolls, how much did Ji Fanxing pay you? Whitewashing her here?]

[Exactly! No matter how good *Pipa Language* sounds, it cannot cover up the fact that Ji Fanxing rigged the votes!]

[Ji Fanxing is just a fraud! Her making the copyright open earlier was definitely just for hype!]

[If she didn't have a guilty conscience, why would she donate her musical scores to the National Music Association? This was probably her 'bribe for safe passage'.]

[Damn it, is anything in this world real anymore? It's all fake!]

[Ji Fanxing, get lost from the exchange convention!]

An increasing number of netizens began to believe in the reality of Ji Fanxing's vote-rigging.

They felt angry, disappointed, and heartbroken.

They could not accept that Ji Fanxing, the very person who had once brought them countless moments of touched emotion and hope, would actually do such a thing!

Time ticked away second by second. There was less than an hour left until the official website of the Music Exchange Convention opened up the voting results.

The war of words on the internet intensified fiercely.

Because of the online public opinion, the organizing committee of the "National Music Exchange Convention" urgently convened a meeting.

On the huge projection screen, negative discussions from the internet regarding Ji Fanxing's vote-rigging incident were displayed in real-time.

"Bang!"

Fang Zhijing slammed his hand heavily onto the table, the crisp sound exceptionally jarring in the silent conference room.

"This is sheer nonsense! Don't we know what kind of person Ji Fanxing is? There is absolutely no way she would ever do something like this!"

Fang Zhijing's voice trembled slightly with anger.

"Zhijing, calm down a bit first. Aren't we just discussing this?"

Zhou Fangran, the president of the Music Association, took a leisurely sip of his tea. "If someone really maliciously rigged the votes, we will definitely investigate it thoroughly and clear Ji Fanxing's name."

"However, if..." Zhou Fangran deliberately dragged out his ending syllable, his gaze sweeping over everyone present,

"I'm speaking hypothetically, if the investigation results prove that Ji Fanxing did indeed engage in rule-breaking behavior, then we will have no choice but to follow regulations and disqualify her from participating in the exchange convention."

What sounded like a fair statement harbored hidden thorns.

How could Fang Zhijing fail to hear the trap within?

"President Zhou, this proposal sounds fair, but in reality, it is extremely unfair to Ji Fanxing!" With the future of the young girl at stake, he refused to give an inch.

"If her votes were intentionally spiked by someone else, then as a victim, she gets punished instead?"

"Zhijing, you're being a bit extreme with those words." A committee member cast a knowing glance at President Zhou. Understanding his intent, the member adjusted his glasses and spoke slowly,

"We are only discussing all possibilities right now. We haven't said anyone is going to be punished."

"That's right, we also have to take responsibility for the fairness and impartiality of the convention." Another committee member chimed in without missing a beat.

Fang Zhijing took a deep breath, trying hard to suppress the raging fire in his heart.

On the surface, these people were upholding the fairness and impartiality of the convention, but in reality, they were targeting Ji Fanxing under the guise of procedure.

Why target her?

Naturally because the rise of traditional Chinese-style music and Ji Fanxing's sudden emergence had made them feel threatened.

The music circle was neither large nor small. Resources were limited; they barely had enough to divide among themselves, so how could they possibly tolerate a young girl climbing above them?

"Since that's the case, let's thoroughly investigate who is stirring up trouble." Fang Zhijing's gaze burned like a torch.

"This matter cannot be completely baseless. As long as we find the mastermind behind the scenes, everything will become clear."

"The mastermind behind the scenes? We aren't detectives, where are we supposed to look for evidence?" Zhou Fangran waved his hand dismissively.

"This is the crucial period of the music festival. The most important thing right now is to let it proceed smoothly. If we divert our energy to do this, wouldn't we be putting the cart before the horse?"

"Precisely, where would we find the time to investigate such matters?"

"Alright, alright. It's getting late, let's adjourn the meeting."

Led by Zhou Fangran, several committee members stood up one after another and left the conference room.

Watching their retreating backs, Fang Zhijing trembled with anger.

These people clearly had no intention of investigating!

They didn't care about the truth at all; they only wanted to quell this storm as quickly as possible and protect the reputation of the "National Music Exchange Convention."

Fang Zhijing took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

He couldn't lose heart. The young girl was still young; towering trees catch the wind, and her future was long. Facing something like this, she must be feeling very heartbroken.

He dialed Ji Fanxing's phone number, wanting to tell her not to lose courage.

"Master Fang, thank you. I believe that the innocent will clear themselves." Ji Fanxing's voice on the other end of the line was calm, without a trace of panic.

Hearing this response, Fang Zhijing was stunned for a moment. He hadn't expected her to be so composed.

Yet those four words—"the innocent will clear themselves"—made him anxious.

With matters having progressed to this point, it could not be resolved simply by relying on the phrase "the innocent will clear themselves"!

These people had clearly come prepared, and their purpose was to destroy a musical genius like Ji Fanxing!

"Fanxing, listen to me, this matter is not that simple..." Fang Zhijing wanted to persuade her further, but Ji Fanxing interrupted him.

"Master Fang, you don't need to worry, I know what I'm doing." Ji Fanxing's voice remained calm, yet it exuded an inexplicable confidence. "I will handle this matter well."

After hanging up the phone, Ji Fanxing looked at the bright sky outside the window, a meaningful smile curling at the corner of her lips.

She had noticed the fishy business with the voting long ago, so of course she wouldn't just leave it alone.

By last night, this problem had already been resolved.

Not only that, but she had also discovered some even more interesting things...