Chapter 14: The Brave Little Blackie
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As Cheng Cheng’s brief essay was released, the Chinese internet erupted once again!
If the previous uproar was like a stone causing ripples, this time it was a nuclear explosion of cleansing!
Inside and outside the circle, whether haters or casual onlookers, whether former fans of icheng or mere bystanders, after reading this short essay, only one word echoed in their minds: madness!
Absolutely insane!
Calling fans’ support an IQ tax and a lesson? Madness!
Saying idol worship is nothing but wishful thinking leading to total loss? Madness!
Pledging to donate one hundred million yuan to charity over the next decade? Madness!
Publicly revealing Ms. Zhang’s detailed personal information? Madness!
Claiming Cheng Cheng is truly dead? Madness!
The excessively long lawsuit list? Madness!
“How dare you question Zhang Jiao’s mental state! How dare you call her crazy! Who could be crazier than you! Are you sure this isn’t a declaration of war against everyone? Can you handle the fury of so many people?” — These were the voices in countless hearts!
It was understandable why such doubts arose. Cheng Cheng’s statements in the essay were truly shocking, offending not only his fans but the entire idol industry ecosystem and the brands involved.
It must be noted that among Cheng Cheng’s lawsuit list were two international luxury brands and four top domestic brands! The other seven were also significant, well-known domestic brands. Together, these thirteen brands held a market value exceeding one hundred billion yuan! They were the giants of the Tianxia entertainment circle, the very patrons for which countless stars competed fiercely for endorsements, and the most influential financial backers in the Tianxia entertainment world.
Most astonishingly, Cheng Cheng also sued his former agency, Xianghua Entertainment.
In short, Cheng Cheng’s actions had alienated the entire production chain of the entertainment industry—upstream, midstream, and downstream.
Upstream: financial backers and capital.
Midstream: agencies and industry insiders.
Downstream: fans, netizens, influencers, and bloggers.
—
Online, the haters were the first to report.
In recent days, the haters had been quite formidable. Since Cheng Cheng reconciled with them, they actively helped clarify rumors—such as “Cheng Cheng being maintained by a wealthy woman,” “Cheng Cheng selling favors and having an affair with Xianghua Entertainment executives,” or “Cheng Cheng’s past extreme statements.”
They even traced the origins of these rumors, finding that they either came from marketing accounts citing each other or from a single misleading comment in a thread, only to discover the original account had long been deleted.
Although these efforts were minor—akin to the difference between a cesspool and a cesspool with fewer turds—they were not insignificant.
However, regarding the core accusations revealed by Zhang Jiao in her essay, Cheng Cheng and Xianghua Entertainment had yet to respond, leaving the haters helpless.
Now, with Cheng Cheng’s response, they were the first to rejoice!
After quickly reading through the entire text, they were ecstatic:
See, Cheng Cheng didn’t lie to us—he really didn’t cheat! The haters don’t deceive Frog Bro, and Frog Bro doesn’t deceive the haters!
Moreover, since Cheng Cheng provided detailed evidence, even including recorded phone calls between him and Zhang Jiao, the truth became crystal clear. Any discerning person could see Zhang Jiao was slandering him.
“Blocking and deleting for two months equals a cold war; a two-month cold war doesn’t mean a breakup; no breakup means you can’t find someone else. Wow, so you can go twenty years without contact, and the other party still can’t move on?”
“Blocking everyone and disappearing—how do you expect to find someone? Pray to the gods? Or blame Cheng Cheng for not sending you dreams?”
“Ha, isn’t it just that the woman was unwanted for two whole months and now wants to rekindle things? She didn’t expect Cheng Cheng to find happiness and instantly lost it emotionally, trying to ruin both their lives. That’s pure malice.”
“Steer clear of this woman!”
“Support the exposure of the truth!”
“A new meme is born: blocking and deleting for two months is a cold war, not a breakup.”
“I’ve seen explosions, but never anything like this—turns out Cheng Cheng is the victim!”
“I knew there’d be a twist. The most intimate ex-girlfriend could only come up with trivial dirt on Frog Bro, much of which was fabricated, proving that Frog Bro’s character isn’t that bad.”
“Never thought such a big star like Frog Bro could also be a simp. My mind is at ease now.”
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“A welcome and delightful reversal has arrived!”
“If Frog Bro had any sense, he wouldn’t have dated someone like her. Luckily, he woke up quickly. Otherwise, he’d be ruined for life. But now it’s almost as if he is—he’s terminated by the agency, sued by brands, and probably won’t appear publicly again. Frog Bro has it tough; it’s impressive he hasn’t collapsed yet.”
“The most satisfying episode ever! Sue that woman and all those shameless influencers and bloggers! Throw them in jail—I’ve had enough of their ugly faces!”
“If the entertainment industry is a pile of dung, then those influencers and bloggers are flies buzzing around it.”
“Remember her name—Zhang Jiao! Let’s make her famous!”
“Frog Bro is a real man!”
“Frog Bro, lead us to victory once more!”
“Will you win, Frog Bro?”
“Every step forward against the wind is hard, but the hardest moment is when you choose to turn around.”
“After dusk comes darkness, yet we remain the most devout believers!”
The haters quickly mobilized, gathering in the comment sections of bloggers who had previously attacked Cheng Cheng. They thought this would be an easy win, given Cheng Cheng’s clear and detailed facts. But they were soon dumbfounded by the online public opinion.
Surprisingly, aside from the haters’ support for Cheng Cheng, most people sided with Zhang Jiao!
Comments in Cheng Cheng’s section included:
“What right do you have to reveal a private citizen’s identity?”
“Inciting others to cyberbully this young woman—what a terrible person!”
“A cunning and malicious scumbag!”
“The worst part about Cheng Cheng is that he exposed all their chat logs and kept mentioning her name and school—so low!”
The haters were stunned!
What? You have no right to reveal a private citizen’s personal information?
What? Inciting cyberbullying against a young woman?
What? The worst part is exposing all chat logs?
Isn’t Cheng Cheng’s evidence enough? Didn’t it prove he didn’t cheat? Why are you still calling him scum? And isn’t it even more ridiculous to say he has no right to release private information and incite cyberbullying?
Clearly, it was Zhang Jiao who first incited public opinion to attack Cheng Cheng! She was the one who revealed his private information first!
You all worked so hard to destroy Cheng Cheng, and now that he fights back slightly, you can’t stand it?
Also, what’s with calling it disgusting to expose chat logs? Isn’t he just proving his innocence?
If he doesn’t prove it, you accuse him of tacit admission; if he does, you say it’s disgusting? Is there any logic left in this world?
The haters were furious.
It turned out that even though the haters loved memes and often spoke nonsense, their values were still pretty sound. Soon, they began arguing with Cheng Cheng’s supporters in the comment sections.
“Are you sure Zhang Jiao wasn’t the one who incited the cyberbullying first? Zhang Jiao went public on the first day of the lunar month, Cheng Cheng on the fifteenth. What’s wrong with that?”
Those defending Zhang Jiao quickly retorted, “Don’t you see the difference in their statuses? Their life stages and social experiences are obviously unequal!”
The haters were speechless. Really? That’s the logic now?
One hater, barely restraining his anger, tried to debate, “First, there’s no inequality here. On the internet, what matters is who has the louder voice. Right now, Zhang Jiao’s side is louder and has more supporters. Where’s the inequality?”
Zhang Jiao’s supporters: “Celebrities exposing private citizens is wrong!”
Haters: “So what if she’s a private citizen? Do private citizens have a free pass? I believe in equality—celebrities and private citizens should have equal rights and social status. Just because a private citizen seems weaker doesn’t mean they get more rights! That would make celebrities the oppressed group! Should celebrities just die then?”
Other comments included:
“I think how long a cold war counts as a breakup depends on the people involved—can’t generalize.”
“His tone is so self-righteous about dating—so weird. How can he be so sure of himself?”
“Cheng Cheng is bad, but this girl’s mental state really seems like she needs help. It must be so hard for her to have this exposed now.”
“He got a new girlfriend in less than two months? How rushed! No wonder he posted about giving up on his craft—no girlfriend, no one interested in him?”
“On one hand, he slanders the woman and even uses academic recommendations to threaten her; on the other, he claims to be a pure-hearted guy who was forced into relationships twice. Man, you’re unbeatable.”
“...I just bought his album at a high price recently and now I regret it. Exposing a girl’s personal information is so tasteless; the fan filter is totally broken.”
Even some prominent influencers publicly posted on Weibo:
“Cheng Cheng admits he dated two girlfriends? Then it’s consensus that he’s fallen from grace.
Okay, with that confirmed, let’s move on. A public figure involved in a dispute with a private citizen should take legal routes, not publicly expose the private citizen’s personal info and incite cyberbullying.
He revealed her name, university, department, and class. What is he trying to do?! This is unbelievable for an actor. I suggest the private citizen consider suing!”
Her fans rallied below:
“He just wants to ruin this girl, doesn’t want her to live well. Now there’s a little essay, playing on the public’s aversion to essays. Because of this, we must practice writing little essays. I suggest everyone learn it!”
“His life is ruined, so he wants to drag someone down with him!”
“Reading his response made me laugh—he’s just an ignorant big boy, and it’s all that woman’s fault. Go insult her, wah wah wah!”
“Dragging someone down with him before dying, still stuck in school for another year of junior year. That year will be so hard on the girl (the better the school, the less likely she can drop out...).”
The haters were stunned. The reversal they expected never came. They seriously doubted whether the world was normal. Did so many people have sound values? The facts were clear—Zhang Jiao was at fault—so why were people still attacking Cheng Cheng?
However, the haters were somewhat comforted that on Tieba, X Station, and Zhihu, the attitude was quite different, mostly supporting Cheng Cheng. At least their faction was united, which was reassuring.
Soon, the haters formed three principles:
1. Focus on one point: Cheng Cheng did not cheat; the woman is lying. Ignore everything else and don’t let the enemy lead you astray.
2. Popularize the meme “blocking and deleting for two months is a cold war, not a breakup.” The more viral, the better, because memes spread naturally.
3. Speak out more so officials see our volume. Don’t limit yourselves to Zhihu, Tieba, and B Station—go to Weibo as well. Avoid mutual insults, and argue logically. Logical debate isn’t about convincing the other side but about helping more people understand!
Cheng Cheng’s one-hour apology window seemed to lack impact. Only a few bloggers and private individuals apologized; the brands, Xianghua Entertainment, and Zhang Jiao remained silent.
Southern Yu, a rented room.
The glow from the computer screen lit up a swollen, crazed face. Her eyes gleamed with malice as she typed furiously:
“Low-class guy is triggered! If you have the guts, sue me! Ha ha, I’m a law student—what do I have to fear? Waiting online for your court summons~”
Southern Dian, an office building.
“Zhang, Cheng Cheng says he’s suing us. What do we do?”
“Clown, keep posting insults. We haven’t milked this traffic enough yet! First, I don’t think he dares sue so many people. If he really does, ha ha, I’ll thank him for the honor!”
Imperial Capital, Xianghua Entertainment.
“A lunatic. He’s already a wreck. Ignore him.”
Imperial Capital, Fanghua Beauty Department, Tianxia Division.
“Like a mantis trying to stop a chariot—foolish beyond belief. He’s lost the company and fans. Even if he’s right, so what? What can he change? Public opinion, the masses, social media, capital—they’re all on our side. What can he win?”
“He looks arrogant, but he’s just a grasshopper after autumn—won’t jump much longer—”
“Wait for him to die!”
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