Chapter Ninety-Two: A False Rumor Online, Part Two

Whether they are sanctimonious do-gooders drunk on their own righteousness or keyboard warriors with hidden agendas, they never bother to seek the truth. In their eyes there is only filth; roses and rubbish are all the same.

Seeing the photos and articles from the media, they hardly hesitated before rushing to repost them and smear him with malicious comments.

A certain influential microblog commentator wrote: "As a singer who enjoys a degree of public recognition, to be grinning shamelessly at the scene of a car crash—have you ever considered the feelings of the victims? Morally bankrupt, utterly devoid of shame! I think you should go back and be re-educated by your parents. You uncivilized thing!" This post was reposted 425 times and drew 24,532 comments.

Another public intellectual wrote: "Today’s celebrities keep pushing the moral bottom line of this circle lower and lower. First there was Cheng Biao, who was arrested and imprisoned for gathering people to take drugs; then Li Weiying beat a seventy-year-old man in the street; and now Ren Qian is laughing maniacally at the scene of a car crash. It is simply disgraceful. How can people like this still deserve to remain in the public eye?

"Those who work hard through talent are drowned out in a sea of vulgarity, while those who make a spectacle of themselves with nothing but a pretty face are somehow allowed to flourish?

"This is the sorrow of the entertainment industry! I call for Ren Qian to be driven out of show business!" This post was reposted 1,246 times and drew 36,487 comments.

The official microblog of the Xiangjiang Evening News stated: "Compassion is the beginning of benevolence; a sense of shame is the beginning of righteousness. From the incident involving the main figure in the car-crash scandal, Ren Qian, it is clear that he lacks even the most basic compassion and shame. I think he should go back to school and start over!" This post was reposted 945 times and drew 45,237 comments.

The television program Huguang Online also issued a post on the matter: "If Ren Qian were an ordinary person, he would not be facing such overwhelming condemnation. But as a public figure, he should set an example at all times and remember to spread positive energy, rather than, as the rumors on the internet would have it, laughing without restraint at the scene of a crash. That is a sign of disrespect toward the unfortunate, and of contempt for life." This post was reposted 1,456 times and drew 56,789 comments.

Because Ren Qian's fame soared after I Am a Singer, the incident of his smiling at the crash scene spread from the internet to print media.

Every newspaper and media outlet feared that if they were one second late, they would fall behind their rivals, so one after another they hurried to churn out and publish articles, never once considering that there might be another possibility.

As the media fanned the flames, the truth was finally buried beneath the rumor that falsehood can make the impossible seem true.

By seven in the evening, when Ren Qian returned home, the version circulating online still claimed that he had no basic morality and had been smiling and taking pictures at the scene of the crash.

Some even spread the rumor that Ren Qian had trampled over the victim's body to pose for a keepsake photo.

The situation grew more and more serious. Even Ren Qian's most steadfast fans began to doubt him. After all, six hours had passed, and yet Ren Qian, the very subject of the crash scandal, still had not come forward to explain himself even once.

One worried fan after another started frantically tagging Ren Qian.

"The dreamer who wrote 'The Vast Sky' would never stand by and watch someone be in a car accident without doing anything;

"the gifted man who could compose more than a dozen classic pieces of background music for Dream of the Red Chamber would never be so vulgar and petty;

"the thoughtful man who, inspired by a love affair, wrote 'Stairway to Heaven' and shared his truest view of love would certainly never be as vile as the rumors make him out to be!

"Divine Ren, I know that with your character you would never do something so insane. Twenty million fans are waiting patiently for your answer. You won't let us down!" This post was reposted 1,456,782 times and drew more than 999,999 comments.

"Song quality reveals character. I just want to ask: when has Divine Ren ever not used his strength to slap those people's faces hard? Silence does not mean guilt; it means he cannot be bothered to waste words on pointless arguments. I will wait for the truth. When it comes out, anyone who slandered Ren Qian, whether a big-name commentator or a public intellectual, even the official microblogs of the media outlets themselves, our twenty million fans will blow them to pieces! Under Divine Ren's banner, who do you think can come and go as they please?" Likes: 424,566.

Anyone could tell this was the grand marshal of the twenty million Divine Ren fan army, a valiant general who could ride forth with sword in hand. The moment he spoke, the comments below erupted in agreement.

"Divine Ren charges, and not a blade of grass survives!"

"Divine Ren charges, and not a blade of grass survives!"

...

There were those who supported Ren Qian, and naturally there were also those who took the opposing side. Because their words were so vicious, they stood out all the more.

"May the brainless fans' entire families explode, may they karaoke in hospital rooms, surf in coffins, roast corpses at funerals, rock out at send-offs, drift in hearses, dance on graves, mix ashes into rice, hold concerts at ancestral tombs, film on temple grounds, raise pigs on body parts, water flowers with brain matter, party in mourning halls, and celebrate funerals..."

Likes: 74,345.

"You're all such mindless fans. Your idol can do no wrong, no matter what he does! I truly pity your parents. They worked so hard and sacrificed so much to raise you, yet you worship a so-called idol whose moral character is utterly disgusting. It's heartbreaking."

Likes: 12,398.

"I cannot for the life of me see where Ren Qian's upbringing is supposed to be. Please tell me. I also don't understand why this pack of brain-dead fans would like a useless nobody like Ren Qian. Is being handsome really all that matters these days? Don't forget: a golden exterior can still hide rotten stuffing inside!"

Likes: 23,489.

At eight in the evening, the nightly news program went on air, and its official microblog directly tagged Ren Qian.

"Regarding the car-crash scandal that has caused such an uproar in a very short time, our program team feels deeply indignant.

"Who, exactly, is morally bankrupt?

"Ren Qian played an active role throughout the entire incident. Not only did he take the lead in rescuing the victims, he also organized the other drivers nearby to help. It was because of Ren Qian's assistance that tragedy was prevented from unfolding! Why should something that ought to be widely praised by society be twisted beyond recognition?

"What has become of our society?

"Why are the public willing to be used as weapons through sheer stupidity instead of seeking the answer? Big-name microblog commentators, public intellectuals, print media—is this all the higher their standards go?

"Do you deserve to be called big-name commentators? Do you deserve the title of public intellectuals? Have you done justice to the most basic standard of journalists and media workers: no deceit, no fabrication?

"I will not say more. The detailed sequence of events and original photos are posted below. Please understand the truth before you speak!"

After the evening program came out to set the record straight, Ren Qian received the notification. He sighed, patted the little nurse's head, and comforted her in a soft voice.

"Don't worry. I already have evidence here. Just wait, and the rumors will collapse on their own. Anyway, we haven't really looked at the abuse online. Let's just pretend it never happened."

Girls tended to be more emotional, and Ren Qian understood that.

"I'll post the clarification on microblog now, then call Hong Tao and the official microblog of Jiangnan Satellite TV and have them help repost it. Then everything will be fine. If you still don't feel satisfied, pick out a few big-name commentators or public intellectuals, and I'll blow up their microblogs for you!"

At this, the little nurse sniffed slyly, then broke into a laugh through her tears.

"That's perfect. I love it. Not a single one of them can be spared! Bomb them hard! Blow them up until they have trauma! Let the mere mention of Ren Qian make their legs go weak!"

Ren Qian: "..."

So this little vixen wasn't upset at all. She had been playing tricks on him all along, with the real goal of provoking him into revenge.

Indeed, one should never provoke a woman...