Chapter 100: The Media’s Relentless Smear Campaign [Late Night]

Over more than a decade of evolution, the media has long since degenerated into a swarm of greenflies blindly following the stench. They thrive on shallow entertainment news—reporting on some young male star’s all-night escapades, a female celebrity’s wardrobe malfunction at a gala, or yet another scandalous rumor about a male star with zero substance.

Using tawdry gossip to grab attention is the media’s go-to tactic these days, all in pursuit of soaring click rates and page views.

Beyond that, there’s nothing noteworthy.

Now, Ren Qian has become a victim of this as well. Major media outlets and newspapers rushed to plaster his news on their front pages, tarnishing his image.

You say this breaches journalistic ethics?

What a joke. Can ethics bring in hundreds of millions of clicks?

Take the last “car accident scandal” involving Ren Qian as an example.

The Sohu website sniffed out the business opportunity first, promptly pinning their articles at the top of their homepage. As a result, their clicks skyrocketed, smashing the 100 million mark!

A hundred million clicks—that’s serious money.

If everyone quietly pockets illicit gains without conscience while you painstakingly uphold yours only to face bankruptcy and ridicule, what’s the point?

So, why not make the easy money? At worst, issue an apology later and pay a few hundred thousand or a million—it’s a small price to pay.

Consequently, within a short span, websites frantically reposted the story, making it widely known. Whether online or in the streets, people occasionally talked about it.

One netizen raged: “This time Ren Qian’s guilt is undeniable. There’s video evidence! A six-minute and thirty-four-second clip clearly shows how Ren Qian’s luxury car with a distinctive license plate ran over a migrant worker.

To Ren Qian’s brainwashed fans: watch the video carefully before attacking me. See just how disgraceful your so-called god is, then come try to whitewash him.

The ‘car accident scandal’ was just a stunt—too many onlookers, Ren Qian staged a rescue and got a wave of positive attention.

But now, out in the wilderness, his true nature is exposed. Even colluding with the police to cover up the incident was exposed by the media. What else does he have to say? Ha! The more dazzling he seems, the dirtier he really is!”

Another netizen spoke passionately: “This video captures the whole sequence, running over the migrant worker, undeniable proof!

I’m curious how Ren Qian and his idol-making team will spin this now. Not only did he run over a migrant worker with his car, but he brought friends to do it too. This was a premeditated, brutal act!

Humanity obliterated! These are migrant workers—people who have endured hardship for a year to earn their hard-won wages, supporting elderly parents and raising young children!

You may feel pleasure crushing them, but do you realize the suffering you cause? Medical bills alone could bankrupt them! How many families have been torn apart, plunged into desperation because of your reckless act? Ren Qian, you’re not even human—you’re less than animals!”

Another netizen scoffed: “It’s just Ren Qian’s team hyping things up again. They always claim he’s low-key, no scandals, rarely attends events, yet every time there’s hype, it’s all about him! Saying one thing and doing another—so hypocritical. I’d never support him!”

Someone else chimed in: “Exactly, what’s with this so-called low profile that’s really just constant hype?”

Even trend-following netizens discussed the migrant worker incident in everyday life.

A group of couples were at a hotel; after intimacy, the boy was scrolling through news on his phone when Weibo pushed a notification: “Ren Qian runs over migrant worker with luxury car—bloodshed at the scene!”

He clicked it and couldn’t help but feel furious—how could anyone be so heartless?

“What are you looking at?” his girlfriend asked, still half-undressed, shamelessly leaning in to see the screen.

He shifted the phone closer so she could view it comfortably.

“I told you not to follow that Ren Qian guy—looks effeminate, sings weird songs, and has terrible character. Last time it was a car accident scandal, now running over a migrant worker…”

Before he could finish, his girlfriend fired back like a machine gun.

“Shut up! Who allowed you to insult my Qian? The car accident scandal was fake news made up by unscrupulous media for clicks, and later it was proven Qian is a man of high moral standards. Who said it was hype? My Qian is popular—those media leech off him. If you’re so brave, go run over some migrant workers yourself and see if you make headlines! Sour grapes, that’s what you are. My Qian is not effeminate—he’s virile, full of hormones, unlike you, Mr. Quickshot Lightning…”

If Ren Qian were there, he’d probably beg her to stop talking—these wild explanations only make people hate him more.

“Unreasonable! Just stop nagging every day, it’s so annoying!”

The boy was at a loss, his face darkening with anger.

“Oh, so you’ve got wings now? Dare to disrespect me? Believe it or not, I’ll cheat on you!”

The man dared not say another word. Instead, he searched for the video of Ren Qian running over the migrant worker and showed it to his girlfriend.

“See for yourself, it’s undeniable!”

Meanwhile, Ren Qian’s fans were also unsettled—the video was too authentic in many parts, making it hard for ordinary viewers to spot any manipulation. Some fans couldn’t hold back their emotions.

“Qian God, I’m your true fan, but what’s going on with this video of Ren Qian running over a migrant worker? My father is a migrant worker. Watching this breaks my heart. I can’t imagine that my idol, who’s given me strength and encouragement countless times, could do such a thing…”

“In my view, this must be the media smearing Qian God again or exploiting him for clicks. The media is always like this. As fans, let’s not be fragile. Let’s wait patiently for Qian God’s explanation. Every time he comes out and says ‘Sorry for making all the fans wait, but I’ve never let you down,’ it’s so manly!”

“Strongly watching the brainwashed fans—this is undeniable proof, with migrant workers testifying. How much can Ren Qian possibly spin out of this? Scum like this should never be famous!”

“Damn, what’s wrong with brainwashed fans? Did they kill your whole family? Did they desecrate your ancestors’ graves? There are haters like you everywhere—go hang out where you belong and stop embarrassing yourself.”

Of course, there were also trolls pretending to be Ren Qian’s fans to stir trouble.

“Damn, you haters! My Qian God is handsome and talented. So what if he ran over a few lowly migrant workers? Those lowly people deserve to be crushed by Qian God. He’s being generous by even driving over them.”

This comment backfired spectacularly, drawing a flood of criticism. Even Ren Qian’s true fans distanced themselves and refused to acknowledge this fool as one of their own.

Ren Qian did not come forward to clarify, and the scandal continued to fester and escalate. Over time, its credibility only grew.

Many fans felt a foreboding sense of unease. This matter seemed far from simple. Even if Qian God was innocent, it appeared he couldn’t escape involvement.