The Book of All Things: Born for Joy

The media cameras flashed continuously throughout the venue, broadcasting live to all networks and television stations across the country. The sound of journalists typing on their computers rose and fell incessantly. Everyone was curious about what exactly this "cleaner operation" had accomplished.

Yi Ziqiang didn't keep anyone in suspense. He paused slightly and continued reading the prepared text: "To date, the Propaganda Department of the Great Zhou Kingdom, in conjunction with government agencies across the country, has received approximately 24 pieces of information in the past six months, including letters from the public, real-name reports, anonymous evidence collection, and emails."

24 pieces?!

The media at the scene gasped in shock, and the public watching online was also in an uproar.

Yi Ziqiang continued, "The Propaganda Department of the Great Zhou Kingdom conducted extensive investigations globally, collaborating with key units, mainstream media, newspapers, magazines, and publishing houses in various provinces, municipalities, autonomous regions, and special administrative regions to build a national information network. This network summarizes and aggregates the information collected daily, and through the concerted efforts of the Great Zhou Kingdom's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, the Great Zhou Kingdom's Academy of Literature, public security organs across the Great Zhou Kingdom, and the Great Zhou Kingdom's Supreme Court, preliminary inspections and verifications were conducted on relevant departments and entertainment companies in various regions. Related individuals involved in the cases were prosecuted, detained, and tried, resulting in the joint investigation of 1862 cases."

1862 cases! Li Zichun gasped upon hearing this. It must have taken the entire nation's resources to investigate simultaneously to achieve this. The entertainment industry is truly about to undergo a major upheaval. Are all these people out of a job? With so many cases, it seems the higher-ups started planning this a long time ago; otherwise, they wouldn't have waited until now to take action.

"Among them, 125 people fabricated facts to disrupt public order; 43 people were suspected of embezzlement and bribery; 52 people coerced artists into engaging in prostitution under the guise of providing drinking companionship; 12 people infringed on the copyright of new artists' works and assaulted, threatened, or intimidated them; 83 people endangered social morality and caused adverse effects; 143 people evaded taxes on a large scale; 9 people colluded with unscrupulous individuals in organized crime and committed violence; 938 people engaged in illegal and criminal activities such as rape, group sex, and prostitution, or even fled to evade punishment; 173 people were suspected of shady dealings and damaging the image and reputation of artists; and 63 people had engaged in the dissemination of harmful cultural practices..."

......

Everyone present was so shocked by these figures that they dared not speak loudly; the total number of people must have exceeded a thousand...

Li Zichun felt that it was difficult to make a living in the Chinese entertainment industry, with frequent shady dealings and a maximum of 100 people. But when he saw the data, he felt a chill run down his spine and gasped. The higher-ups were trying to cut off the source of the problem, even if they couldn't completely whitewash the industry, they would still try to remove a bunch of dregs that were blocking the way!

For a moment, he felt somewhat relieved. Fortunately, he had gone to Kowloon Port, where their influence was relatively small. With Lin Ruhai's help, they wouldn't dare to harm him.

Seeing that he was a little nervous, Zhao Qianfan carefully took his cold hand. When he did not pull away, she whispered, "Don't be afraid, it's all over now, I'm here for you."

Li Zichun nodded gently, letting the man hold his hand. The warmth from the back of his hand warmed his heart. It wasn't that he didn't want to pull away, but rather that he was completely numb...

Although the entertainment industry in my previous life was also chaotic, they arrested people one by one, with at most a dozen or so major incidents a year. Unlike this alternate world, where hundreds or thousands of people are arrested at once, probably more than the entire population of a village combined.

"These celebrities have low moral character and have engaged in illegal and disorderly conduct, which has had a negative impact on society, damaged their image and the industry's development. Many of their actions have even infringed upon social fairness and national fiscal interests. They are hereby publicly criticized."

On the big screen, a bunch of faces and names were blurred out. The faces of death row inmates and other serious criminals were directly revealed, and there were even a few wanted fugitives!

Yi Ziqiang coughed twice to quell the discussion at the scene, and continued while the list of personnel was scrolling by: "The detailed list and evidence will be published on the official website of the State Council. We welcome supervision and inquiry from all parties."

Given the large number of people involved in this case, it has inevitably caused damage to the nation's cultural and entertainment undertakings. Nevertheless, we will continue to actively participate in the comprehensive governance of the cultural and entertainment field, carrying out a great deal of effective work in areas such as political guidance, industry education, positive publicity, public opinion guidance, and organizational development. We will play a positive role in promoting professional ethics and integrity, and purifying the cultural and artistic environment. We will ensure that moral and legal education for cultural and artistic workers is more practical, that the positive voices of the cultural and artistic community are amplified, that the cultural and artistic environment is continuously purified, that professional ethics and integrity are strengthened, that the great rejuvenation of the nation is comprehensively promoted, that cultural confidence and self-reliance are enhanced, and that a new brilliance for national culture is forged.

In accordance with the spirit of the Central Conference on Literature and Art of the Great Zhou Kingdom, and to meet the needs of the continuous and rapid development of the internationalization and globalization of literary and artistic works in the Great Zhou Kingdom, and to provide a solid organizational guarantee and talent support for the national cultural and entertainment system, we aim to, based on the overall social environment, the physical and mental health of the public, and the quality of cultural and entertainment works, and with the approval of relevant units, warmly welcome comrades who are dedicated to the cultural and entertainment cause to join us, based on the principles of openness, equality, competition, and merit-based selection, so as to enhance the country's cultural confidence and soft power.

We hope that entertainment companies, studios, and friends from all walks of life across the country will continue to supervise each other and work together to create a confident, healthy, and vibrant cultural and entertainment environment...

After each segment of Yi Ziqiang's speech, there would be small, hushed discussions in the audience. The news was so shocking that many people were still in shock.

"...We hope that all levels of organizations will engage in closer, richer, and more regular cooperation with us in the field of 'Internet+', joining hands to achieve interconnection, mutual benefit, and shared development, and jointly create and promote a new pattern of integrated online and offline literary and art federation work..."

Wow, online entertainment media is about to take off!

"Currently, a wave of 'youthification' is taking place globally in the political, economic, cultural, social, and ecological spheres. This is reflected in the evolution of the entire cultural and entertainment industry chain and the 'era of fans, audiences, and user groups' in online literature and art..."

This is to rejuvenate the team, segment the target audience, and control popular entertainment trends.

Li Zichun calmed himself down and secretly analyzed the situation from between the lines. Looking at the scrolling list of avatars and names, he couldn't help but swallow hard.

Good heavens! He thought to himself, good heavens! Because the names of many of the singing champions in the competition appeared on the scrolling list, Liu Wancun had already been standing around them before their pictures and names appeared. Many of those who resisted were captured on the spot and given a pair of silver bracelets. They were then taken away from the scene under a barrage of flashing lights.

Li Zichun was completely stunned. He swallowed hard and didn't react for a moment. Zhao Qianfan pulled him into her arms, away from the spectacular and dramatic arrest scene, to prevent the crazy and angry celebrities from accidentally hurting him.

The entire arrest operation was extremely swift and decisive. The individuals only managed to shout "No!" and "Innocent!" a few times before surrendering. This was because they had been under control throughout the singing competition. The water they drank and the fruits and snacks they ate were laced with trace amounts of sleeping pills and sedatives. These would trigger an immediate attack if their emotions spiraled out of control and their blood pressure spiked, making it impossible to defend against.

Yi Ziqiang continued speaking calmly, as if the commotion and arrests around him had nothing to do with him. It seemed that he was fully aware of what these people had done and that the evidence had been collected long before the press conference, otherwise he wouldn't have been so calm.

Li Zichun was held in Zhao Qianfan's arms and watched coldly. It has to be said that he was frightened.

After the arrests at the venue, the noisy scene became much quieter, and many media personnel were even taken away for investigation.

Zhao Qianfan sensed the tension in the person in his arms and gently patted his back to reassure him. Even in his past life, Li Zichun, a powerful figure, had never witnessed anything like this. Hundreds of police officers suddenly stormed in and took away a fifth of the people in the venue in an instant—it was incredibly exciting!

Many people shouted out hilarious lines such as "My dad is so-and-so," "Do you know who I am before you dare to touch me?" and "My boss has connections." All their actions were recorded live by hundreds of cameras on site. The situation was quelled before any chaos even occurred, because the people they mentioned were already on the list of people in the back. The only possibilities for those people who didn't show up here were either that they had run away and were wanted, or that they had already moved in and were working as sewing machines. Of course, they might have also just gotten themselves killed.

Zhao Qianfan wanted to leave with Li Zichun, but Liu Wancun shook his head, so the two of them had no choice but to continue sitting where they were. Many people in the scene found themselves surrounded by empty spaces, proving that birds of a feather flock together.

Even after the entire press conference ended, Li Zichun was still in a daze. Zhao Qianfan gently patted his shoulder to help him slowly come back to his senses.

As a high-ranking official in the underworld, he was already used to such arrests and escorts. Aren't all the evil spirits in hell transformed from these people? Even if they were to be reborn into the human world after their punishments, if they didn't receive proper education and discipline, they would still end up on the same old path of going back to hell to be punished. He had seen this over and over again for thousands of years and was tired of it.

The press conference lasted nearly an hour, and the entire live broadcast became widely known, causing a sensation not only across the country but also internationally, sparking widespread discussion among people all over the world.

Entertainment is a primary way for people to regulate their lives and a legitimate need. Without it, life would become dull and monotonous, increasing the pressure of study and work, and raising the likelihood of depression. While the state's large-scale crackdown on entertainment-related crimes is understandable, it could easily lead to the industry's decline and eventual collapse.

Li Zichun finally came to his senses after being comforted by Zhao Qianfan and Qi Tong. The earthquake in the entertainment industry affected people from all walks of life, from politics and business to the nine major art fields.

Li Zichun hadn't done anything yet, and the eight major entertainment companies were completely gone from that day forward... He even doubted his own eyes, and only dared to believe it after repeatedly confirming with Zhao Qianfan. Company presidents and chairmen like Sun Tianxing, Fan Liwen, and Xing Yiling were all in jail?!

The government's action was swift, accurate, and ruthless, a decisive and merciless strike.

After the press conference, Zhao Qianfan, Li Zichun, and the remaining eight candidates for the National Singer title returned to the songwriting area. Director Zhang Xiaochuan took a deep breath and said, "The theme of the next round of the competition has been announced. It will be based on this 'Clean-up the Entertainment Industry' campaign. You will need to create a song."

Li Zichun: ? ? ? ? ?

Everyone present looked puzzled. Li Zichun felt that the authorities were going to give all the literary and art workers in the country a profound lesson, a major move that could be recorded in the history of the country's legal system!

Li Zichun's mind was completely blank. He took a deep breath, shook his head, and all he wanted to do now was to leave. He'd had his fill of gossip in the Chinese entertainment industry and never wanted to eat it again. If it weren't for the system's mission, he would have already switched careers.

Li Zichun took several deep breaths, reminding himself to calm down, and after a series of actions, he finally calmed down.

What kind of song should I sing about such a shocking event? Ugh, so annoying. Li Zichun pondered in the songwriting area, stood up and paced back and forth, quickly sorting out the whole incident in his mind, considering the consequences and impact of the official actions, and then hurried into the recording studio.

Zhao Qianfan quickly followed him inside, and after roughly understanding how the song was sung, the two left quickly.

Just as Li Zichun was about to slip away to his residence to relax, Yi Ziqiang had been waiting at the door for a long time. After a conversation, he made a request that Li Zichun could refuse: "Write an official propaganda song for this incident, within three days."

Li Zichun wanted to refuse immediately and go back to lie down and recover, but when he thought of how calmly he controlled life and death during his speech, he nodded and didn't dare to mention the remuneration at all.

Li Zichun coughed and calmly said, "I can write it, I can write it right now. My teacher, Senluo, has a pre-stored song that's quite suitable, but it needs to be sung by a girl, and none of my people fit the bill."

Yi Ziqiang said with a smile, "Even Li Yuehe won't do?"

Li Zichun let out a long breath, thinking that this guy must know something, but he wasn't sure. He calmly said, "Junior sister has temporarily retired from the entertainment industry, so she shouldn't be interested in this."

Yi Ziqiang didn't refute, but calmly smiled and said, "In that case, I'll find someone myself. I'd appreciate it if you could do me the trouble of writing the lyrics and music for my teacher."

Accompanied by Yi Ziqiang, Li Zichun returned to the recording studio and finished recording the song in ten minutes. He had already written the lyrics and was just waiting for someone to sing it. Naturally, he dared not say that he was the one credited for the song; he wrote "Senluo" instead.

Yi Ziqiang was very satisfied with the piece, and after speaking, he asked Ma Qian and the others to escort him back properly.

Li Zichun had just returned home when the official song was already sent out, suggesting that someone had been arranged to wait for it.

Everyone who listened to it felt both exhilarated and timely, with a touch of scathing satire. Ha, with this song's writing and singing, you've probably plundered all the bamboo shoots on the mountain!

What song did Yi Ziqiang listen to and immediately approve of?

References: National Federation of Literary and Art Circles "Internet + Literature and Art" Working Conference; Fourth National Congress of Chinese Literary and Art Workers