My understanding has been completely overturned!

The video was posted at night, and Ji Fanxing saw it the next morning.

After a night of fermenting, what had originally been an online smear campaign against Ji Fanxing by a group of influencers evolved into a heated debate within the music community about whether the fusion of traditional and pop music could be considered mainstream.

Ji Fanxing found Fang Zhijing’s lecture video, which had already been shared tens of thousands of times.

The uploader, called "Strawberry Cream," was, according to their profile, a student at the Dragon Country Conservatory of Music.

She clicked on the video. It showed a large tiered classroom, and from the angle of the camera, Fang Zhijing’s figure could be seen clearly on the podium.

Fang Zhijing, now over sixty, appeared of medium height and somewhat slender, wearing glasses and impeccably dressed. He looked meticulous and disciplined.

The speech had ended; it was now the Q&A session. In the video, a short-haired girl seated near the front stood up and posed her question to Fang Zhijing:

"Hello, Professor Fang. I am a student majoring in instrumental performance, with a focus on the pipa."

At this point, she seemed a bit embarrassed, pausing before continuing:

"Professor Fang, as you mentioned earlier, the development of traditional instruments in the Dragon Country is gradually declining... But today, I came across a topic online and wanted to ask your opinion about it. Specifically, about the feasibility of incorporating traditional elements into pop music."

Her question sparked a commotion in the room.

The video was filmed at the peak of the widespread criticism of Ji Fanxing as a "misleading teacher."

Voices of discussion could be heard around the videographer:

"That’s such a strange question. Traditional and pop are two different things—it’s bizarre to even think about combining them."

"This girl majors in pipa? That’s odd enough. I heard they couldn’t even fill a class with applicants last year."

...

"Ahem," Fang Zhijing cleared his throat, and the room fell silent. He looked at the girl, pondered for a moment, then replied:

"Your question is very astute. As music producers, the last thing we should do is confine music within predetermined boundaries. Adding traditional elements to pop music, or pop elements to traditional music—these are all worthwhile attempts."

His words were met with applause, and the video ended there.

Fang Zhijing did not say much, but he clearly stated his position, which was in direct opposition to the views constantly advocated by "Heartstrings and Intent."

The comment section beneath the video was ablaze.

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[Mr. Fang is absolutely right. Music knows no boundaries. I don’t know what kind of nonsense is brewing online today; it’s giving me a headache.]

[Those cover-singing influencers, pretending to be so serious about resisting it—it’s hilarious.]

["Landscape Painting" sounds great. My dad even uses it as his phone ringtone. It’s such a pity that those influencers have maligned it so much.]

[Seeing Mr. Fang’s response gives me hope for the entertainment industry; I can finally breathe easy.]

Ji Fanxing was not surprised by Fang Zhijing’s attitude.

For instance, his masterpiece "This Life, Under the Bright Moon" and his latest work "Winds and Moon Unavoidable" both retained his signature pop style in composition, yet the lyrics leaned toward classical themes.

As a perennial heavyweight on the music charts, he had already been seeking breakthroughs in his own pop music.

But the music creation environment in the Dragon Country was too closed off, so he hadn’t realized that, beyond lyrics, the accompaniment itself could also be innovated.

Ji Fanxing then visited the official website for Li Ming’s "Ghost Bride" and, upon seeing decent download numbers, let out a long sigh of relief.

She felt at ease.

She was naturally amused by the fierce online debate. As long as people were talking about the issue, awareness would spread, and eventually, someone would step up to solve it.

Although few in the current entertainment scene were willing to address problems, it was still a step forward.

The path to promoting Chinese traditional culture could never be accomplished by her alone.

Those who were desperately smearing her had never imagined that, while their resources were scattered all over, they had inadvertently helped her cause.

Thinking of this, Ji Fanxing sighed, deciding to send a generous gift to the instigator of this affair, as a token of thanks.

She pulled up the video she had saved of Huayun Theatre. The footage revealed the grand entrance of the theater, constructed with abundant wood and brickwork, featuring upturned eaves and carved beams and painted rafters.

Ji Fanxing zoomed in on the wall’s details; from the weathered bricks, she could tell the theater was quite old.

She spotted a patch in the corner, and judging by the restoration technique, the theater’s entrance was at least a century old.

From the video, the theater was clearly large. She could even see a massive building with a more modern style, which she boldly guessed had been constructed at the same time as the theater.

Good heavens, Ji Fanxing exclaimed internally. She hadn’t inspected closely yesterday, but now she realized this theater was no ordinary place.

A century-old blend of Eastern and Western architecture—if it were in China, it would surely be listed as a protected cultural site.

Every bucket of paint thrown in the video was a grievous assault on the building.

Last night, she discovered that this group of people were local bullies in Jincheng. Checking Jincheng’s map, she found that the Huayun Theatre stood in a prime location.

She instantly understood the sordid motives.

Their brazen behavior suggested they’d done this many times before.

Given that the video’s uploader deleted it shortly after posting, it was likely that locals could only seethe in silence, afraid to confront the gang.

Ji Fanxing sneered. Yesterday, she had followed the principle of not judging without knowing the full story, and refrained from making the video public.

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But now, since they were trampling all over her, she would not hold back.

Thanks to the sudden popularity of "Double Happiness" and the leaked Fang Zhijing lecture, the accusation that Ji Fanxing was "misleading students" had lost all credibility.

Many netizens were beginning to sense something suspicious, especially Ji Fanxing’s fans. Having survived the "lip-syncing" scandal and realized it had been a complete setup, they started looking at the mass influencer posts with conspiratorial eyes.

[Wait, is "Heartstrings and Intent" really trying to warn everyone, or are they deliberately smearing her? Something feels off.]

[He has a good reputation online, so maybe it’s just a misunderstanding?]

[Good reputation? Bro, you must be new here. Back when he led the charge against Cheng Xiao for scamming fans and forced her off the internet, I remember it vividly. Even when he was a minor influencer, Cheng Xiao treated him like a brother. No loyalty at all…]

[This whole thing smells like a conspiracy. Didn’t you notice? Aside from the initial supporters under "Heartstrings and Intent," most of the influencers posting videos questioning Ji Fanxing are from the same company.]

[Could it be that our goddess Ji is just being envied again? She hasn’t even debuted yet and is still on her own. If she hadn’t dropped "Double Happiness" to silence them, she would have been bullied off the internet…]

[I don’t think it’s just envy. Remember the hand-held video Ji Fanxing posted yesterday?]

Ji Fanxing saw this comment and knew the time had come. From being vilified by the entire internet yesterday, she was now about to post another video.

At this point, her every move was followed online, including by many prominent musicians.

In the video, Ji Fanxing appeared bare-faced as always:

"Hello, everyone. Yesterday I posted a video, and I didn’t expect it to cause such a stir. I’d like to clarify a few things about yesterday’s video."

She paused.

Anyone watching her was now wondering what she would say.

Would she clear her name and deny being a misleading teacher?

Or would she stand by her position and discuss the future of combining traditional and pop music?

At Huayun Theatre, Xu Guosheng was also guessing. He thought perhaps this young woman had been frightened by Liu Sandao, and would, like the other person yesterday, distance herself from the incident.

He could understand; after all, she was just a girl with a promising future, but this ordeal had truly dragged her down.

No matter what Ji Fanxing said next, he was grateful to this young woman who had promoted Dragon Country’s Peking Opera.

He couldn’t help but wipe away tears, glanced at the transfer contract in his hand, and prepared to sign it, hoping to bring an end to this matter.

But unexpectedly, Ji Fanxing in the video produced high-definition, enlarged photos of the damage done to Huayun Theatre, her expression grave:

"The ‘video’ I mentioned yesterday was of Huayun Theatre in Jincheng, a site of historical significance, being smashed."

"I want to apologize for not clarifying the situation yesterday..."

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