Chapter Forty-Five: Vilified Across the Entire Internet

Jiang Yun’s exit from the police station was caught on camera by a tabloid editor.

The next day, a sensational headline appeared: Shock! Second-rate celebrity gets a massage and is taken to the police station late at night! The article included a photo.

This news shot straight to the trending topics, and Jiang Yun was instantly vilified across the internet.

The tabloid reporter had absolutely no scruples, embellishing the story with wild exaggerations and fabricating events out of thin air. The online onlookers, eager for gossip, didn’t care about the truth—so long as there was drama to consume!

Good deeds rarely leave home, but bad news travels far and wide.

“Hey, isn’t that Jiang Yun? Why is he being arrested?”

“Oh my god, I never knew Jiang Yun had such a fetish!”

“I’m out, I’m out!”

“From fan to anti in an instant!”

Faced with this situation, some of Jiang Yun’s fans wavered and turned against him, leaving only a handful still loyal.

Meanwhile, Jiang Yun was fast asleep in his hotel room.

Early the next morning, He Ling slowly woke up, feeling a headache from the previous night’s excessive drinking.

She frowned, massaged her temples, and checked her phone—good heavens, over a dozen missed calls, all from the station director.

He Ling picked up her phone and called back.

“Hello? Director! What’s going on?”

“What?”

“That’s impossible—I guarantee it with my character! Absolutely impossible!”

“Alright, alright, I’ll ask what happened right now!”

He Ling hung up and went to Jiang Yun’s room.

Knock knock knock!

Jiang Yun rubbed his temples, coming to his senses. He got out of bed, walked to the door, and opened it.

“Teacher He, what’s wrong? It’s so early!”

“Jiang Yun, how can you sleep at a time like this? Something serious has happened!”

Jiang Yun, seeing He Ling so agitated, frowned and stepped aside to let her in.

He Ling poured herself a glass of water and drank it down.

She set the cup aside. “What exactly did you do yesterday?”

“I didn’t do anything!” Jiang Yun was utterly confused.

“The director called to terminate your contract, and wants you to pay damages for breach!”

“This…” Jiang Yun was at a loss.

“You’d better check your Weibo right now!”

Jiang Yun took out his phone and opened Weibo.

He was taken aback—the private messages were so numerous his phone lagged. After a while, it finally responded.

He spotted a trending topic: Shock! Second-rate celebrity gets a massage and is taken to the police station late at night!

Jiang Yun frowned and clicked into the trend.

The content was completely off-base, fabricated nonsense. But the person in the photo was undeniably him.

“Teacher He, here’s what happened…”

“My wallet was lost, and last night the person who found it came to return my ID card. Her three companions were threatening her…”

Jiang Yun briefly explained the events of the previous night. Yet, as he spoke, he found his explanation muddled and unclear.

“Jiang Yun, I trust you!” He Ling patted his shoulder. “I’ll post on Weibo right now to support you!”

He Ling took out her phone and posted a Weibo update.

He Ling V: "Everyone, don’t believe the rumors. Jiang Yun was with me yesterday—we were drinking together. Afterward, we went to the hotel. I don’t know what happened after that, but I trust Jiang Yun’s character. @JiangYunV."

The post immediately exploded! He Ling’s hundred million followers flooded the comments.

“Support Teacher He, support Jiang Yun.”

“We trust Teacher He’s character.”

“If Teacher He says so, let’s drop it. Stop dwelling on this!”

“Don’t believe the rumors!”

“……”

After He Ling posted, Huang Kang quickly followed with his own Weibo.

Huang Kang V: "Everyone, don’t believe the rumors. After we finished recording yesterday, everyone went their separate ways. Just as I boarded my flight, Jiang Yun called, saying his wallet was lost. I told him to call He Ling. I’m certain the story spun by that unscrupulous editor is pure fabrication. We must put a stop to these tactics for attention. Keep your eyes open and think for yourselves! @JiangYunV."

“Support Teacher Huang, support Jiang Yun!”

“That’s right, Teacher Huang and Teacher He wouldn’t lie!”

“We believe them! Stop the rumors, support Jiang Yun!”

“……”

Soon, Li Mengya, Zhou Lun, Deng Xin, Chen Chi, Yang Ying, Yue Yun, Ouyang Na, Guan Tong, and Wang Lan all posted in support.

Li Mengya V: "I trust Jiang Yun’s character. Don’t believe the slander of dishonest tabloids. @JiangYunV."

Yue Yun V: "Support Jiang Yun!!! @JiangYunV."

Jiang Yun’s friends, with their massive fan bases—He Ling alone with one hundred million—instantly suppressed the trending topic’s momentum.

But after a night of fermenting, the matter was not so easily put to rest.

The gossip-hungry audience refused to let go.

A prominent Weibo influencer commented: "Though Jiang Yun has received support from several big names, flies do not land on eggs without cracks. I believe the truth is not so simple."

This comment reignited the fire.

He Ling, Li Mengya, and their fans swarmed the influencer’s feed.

“You’re stirring things up—this was almost over and now you bring it up again!”

“Stop chasing clout!”

Jiang Yun’s Weibo, which originally had thirty million followers, lost ten million overnight. Among those left, some were bots.

Only a handful remained loyal.

Just as the controversy was dying down, a wave of trolls suddenly appeared from nowhere.

An unexpected force.

The trolls and anti-fans joined forces, swarming Jiang Yun’s Weibo and dragging He Ling, Huang Kang, and the others down with them.

“You’re all just covering for each other! I don’t believe the truth is so simple!”

“That’s right, flies don’t land on eggs without cracks! It can’t be that simple!”

“Are you blind? Teacher He already explained what happened—can’t you see?”

“If you’re innocent, why explain? Why post to support?”

“Exactly, you should do nothing and let it blow over!”

“Damn! Keyboard warriors! It’s you brainless fans jumping on the bandwagon and smearing the truth—so we have to explain.”

“Let the river of keyboards rain from the sky! Death to the anti-fans!”

“Jiang Yun’s talent is undeniable—I believe capital can’t bury true talent! Those waiting for Jiang Yun to be banned can give up.”

The sudden influx of trolls completely disrupted the rhythm.

He Ling’s supporters responded in force.

Jiang Yun’s Weibo became a battlefield of insults.

“Keyboard warriors, let me go three hundred rounds with them!”

“Let the river of keyboards rain from the sky!”

“I’ll blast you with soda from 1982!”

“You lackeys of Jiang Yun, look closely—there’s proof in the pictures!”