Everyone in the venue, except for Ji Rufeng, was cheering for Su Yang.
This vote was real-name registered, with each person allowed only one vote per ID card.
There was no possibility of one person voting multiple times.
Therefore, it was a genuine 13.97 million people who had voted for Su Yang.
Such a landslide victory, in the history of Longguo's entertainment industry, was perhaps unprecedented in any voting event.
No one had ever received so many votes.
The audience in the venue went wild, and the live broadcast's bullet comment system crashed. The screen only showed Su Yang's triumphant smile.
"Su Yang! Su Yang! Su Yang!"
"Su Yang is truly amazing. I hope Su Yang can contribute to promoting traditional culture for our Longguo!"
"I heard the program is broadcast live all day, so we can see Su Yang every day from now on."
"Upstairs, the program recording is only for three months. We won't be able to see Su Yang after three months."
"But Su Yang's businesses are so vast, what will happen to them after participating in the program?"
"Don't they have professional agents? Besides, Su Yang's fiancée is Boss Yang, and Boss Yang hasn't been idle in the business world all these years."
"Regardless of what happens after three months, we can at least see such a handsome face every day for the next three months. Just thinking about it makes me happy."
...
Unnoticed, after announcing the vote count, Ji Rufeng gave Su Yang a deep look and then left the stage.
By this time, no one was paying attention to Ji Rufeng anymore. He went backstage to find his agent but couldn't find him after searching for a long time.
What he didn't know was that his agent had already left.
Ji Rufeng's mistake on stage, coupled with all his negative publicity being confirmed, meant Ji Rufeng was finished.
In less than an hour, a top-tier celebrity had become a universally condemned rat. Anyone would find this unbearable.
Ji Rufeng's agent received a call from the company, and they were already preparing to abandon Ji Rufeng.
Ji Rufeng, unable to find his agent, called him. It took several attempts before the call was answered.
"Hello?"
"Brother Li, where did you go? I couldn't find you backstage."
"I'm back at the company. Take a taxi back to the company. The boss wants to talk to you about terminating your contract."
"Terminate the contract?" Ji Rufeng had considered this possibility, but he never imagined things would become so serious.
He was originally an idol from the trainee system, so his contract contained some unfair clauses.
Originally, the company had planned to revise Ji Rufeng's contract after he returned from this program. However, he didn't even get to participate, and a top star had fallen. Now, he was facing the predicament of contract termination.
"The company can't stop your negative publicity anymore. Your entire career is ruined. You are now a rat that everyone wants to catch. How can the company keep you like this?"
"Brother Li, but I didn't do anything wrong, did I?"
Ji Rufeng's agent chuckled on the phone and said, "You didn't do anything wrong? The contract clearly states that if you violate the company's instructions, the company can terminate the contract with you unconditionally, and you will have to pay a 20% termination fee.
Today, on stage, you weren't supposed to speak, but you said those words. You changed what you were supposed to say. This is a serious breach of contract.
Don't say anything else. Come back early and terminate the contract early. We can all be free sooner."
After two or three years of cooperation, in the face of a single mistake, past camaraderie was worth nothing.
After his agent finished speaking, without waiting for Ji Rufeng's reply, he directly hung up the phone.
Ji Rufeng wanted to retort something to his agent, but he couldn't.
Looking at the phone in his hand, Ji Rufeng's existing anger intensified.
He angrily threw his phone to the ground.
The phone, which had cost over ten thousand yuan, instantly shattered on the ground.
This scene was captured by reporters waiting for interviews backstage, and soon another piece of negative news about Ji Rufeng appeared on the trending searches.
Regarding the unfair contract terms, Ji Rufeng was aware of them, but he never expected the company to be so heartless.
In less than a year, he had brought so much profit to the company, yet they showed no past affection and were so ruthless towards him.
With those unfair terms, Ji Rufeng already received a small share of the profits. Now, he had to pay 20% of what he had earned as a breach of contract fee to Ji Wa Wa Ji. It was as if he had been working for Ji Wa Wa Ji company for free.
Ji Rufeng couldn't accept it.
But now, he had nothing.
He had truly fallen, returning to his original state of having nothing, and even worse than before.
Before Ji Rufeng became famous, because he was obscure, no one paid attention to him. He had less money, but he wasn't constantly scrutinized.
Now, the internet was flooded with negative news about Ji Rufeng. Even if he wanted to whitewash his image, he didn't know how.
Unless he underwent plastic surgery, changed his appearance, and returned anew...
But that was impossible.
Disheartened, Ji Rufeng no longer cared about anything. The intense sense of loss made him collapse on the ground.
There were many people backstage, but no one paid attention to Ji Rufeng. They were all at the front, interviewing the rising star, Su Yang.
On stage, when Su Yang was announced as the winner, confetti rained down from somewhere.
Under the stage lights, with the confetti, the atmosphere was perfectly set.
Su Yang already had a great aura, and now, one stunning photo after another was being taken.
"Congratulations, congratulations! Young man, when you go to the United States, you must bring honor to our Longguo!" Wang Zheng, knowing he had little hope, came over to congratulate Su Yang after the results were announced.
Su Yang shook hands with Wang Zheng and said, "Teacher Wang, I will do my utmost to bring glory to our Longguo."
"Congratulations, Su Yang!"
After announcing the results, Liang Li came over to Su Yang and, standing beside him, threw herself into his arms.
As she hugged Su Yang, Liang Li's heart beat rapidly.
She had used all her confidence from her years in the industry to embrace Su Yang like this.
Su Yang had a pleasant scent of pine, a bit cool, but incredibly pleasant.
Su Yang was not at all shy. He looked at Liang Li and generously returned her embrace, saying, "Thank you, Teacher Liang Li."
"You can just call me Liang Li. I will escort you to the United States and handle the procedures there. We might have some journey together."
As she said this, Liang Li's hand caressed Su Yang's waist.
Su Yang emerged from Liang Li's embrace and smiled at her, saying, "I'm looking forward to the journey with Teacher Liang Li."
Su Yang knew what Liang Li meant, but... there were so many cameras here, and Su Yang didn't dare to say too much for now. He didn't need to say much; he needed Liang Li to make the next move.
The live broadcast continued for another three to five minutes and then ended.
The top trending topic online shifted from Su Yang's election to when Su Yang's live broadcast would begin.
Everyone was eager to see Su Yang's handsome face again.
After the live broadcast ended, the director arranged for reporters backstage to conduct interviews. Su Yang's time was precious, so he allocated ten minutes for interviews, after which he had to directly liaise with the Cultural Bureau regarding various procedures and contracts for going to the United States.
"Hello, Boss Su. What prompted you to participate in this selection?"
Su Yang liked such straightforward questions. He said with a faint smile, "I already answered this during the live broadcast. Like Teacher Wang Zheng, I want to go abroad and contribute to promoting Longguo's traditional culture."
"Boss Su, after being elected as a guest, you will need to go to the United States for three months of filming. We all know you have numerous businesses in the United States. How will you balance filming and work during these three months? Since the filming is a 24-hour live broadcast."
"I believe any businessman can balance this well."