"Is someone stirring up trouble?"
The live stream video showed a peaceful scene, but the viewers were on the verge of fighting, and some laid-back people who didn't want to get involved couldn't help but leave.
They watched helplessly as the number of viewers in the live stream, which originally had tens of thousands of online viewers, dwindled to only half of its original size.
Those familiar with the entertainment industry know this kind of operation all too well, but most viewers don't have that deep affection for He Zhaoming, nor are they prepared to fight for him or battle against online trolls.
They'd rather watch a different streamer's livestream, just to have a change of pace.
"It wasn't as interesting as He Zhaoming's talk; it was dry and boring." Viewers who went to other contestants' live streams sighed in frustration.
The difference is only apparent with comparison. This contestant rarely interacts with the live streamers, and when he does say a few words, they don't concern the audience. It feels like they're talking past each other.
"Huh? But the player can't see what's happening in the live stream. How can you expect him to interact with the viewers in the live stream? That's too much to ask!" A long-time fan who had been watching the live stream couldn't help but feel sorry for the player.
"But He Zhaoming can do it. He knows what we want to ask and what we want to know," a member of the audience said matter-of-factly.
"Then go back and see He Zhaoming!" a long-time viewer in the live stream couldn't help but retort. "Are you feeling wronged staying here?"
The viewer, momentarily speechless, thought he would get angry, but instead thought: "What he said makes a lot of sense." The comment section can be turned off with a single click; a streamer being so bored is truly unbearable.
"Thank you for reminding me. I'm going back now; I'm going to fall asleep if I stay any longer."
The viewers who came in packed their bags and left, leaving a group of long-time viewers in the live stream looking at each other in bewilderment: "Are these people... crazy?"
A weak voice broke out in the quiet live stream room: "Is He Zhaoming's live stream interesting? I'll go check it out and scout out the enemy's situation."
That viewer never returned.
"What happened to the plan to gather intelligence?!"
The number of viewers in the live stream room, which was only half of what it used to be, slowly recovered. By noon, the number of viewers had returned to two-thirds of the peak number during the case-solving period.
"What's going on? Isn't your studio the best in the industry?" The client who paid the money was furious. He'd paid, but the results weren't even half of what was promised. Who should he complain to? The studio that took the job, of course!
However, the person who took the order claimed that he was also wronged. They were so successful in stirring up trouble that no one thought about whether the defendant had an obligation to find evidence—the burden of proof lies with the person making the claim.
However, this 'He Zhaoming' is simply toxic!
"I did bring it, I set the tone perfectly, but his audience has all blocked the comments section, what can I do?" The head of the online trolls almost cried.
"Then keep taking him!" the sugar daddy sneered. He refused to believe that he couldn't kill such a nobody with no background.
Ren Yifei, who was on the island, was unaware of what was happening on the mainland; he was having lunch.
Shark fin, sea cucumber, and shredded chicken soup. The soup base is simmered in chicken oil until it turns golden yellow. The small shark fins have a crisp texture, and the plump sea cucumber melts in your mouth. It's fresh, fragrant, and rich!
As he ate, he described the deliciousness of the food to the audience, causing tears to stream down their faces.
"Hiss—" The online troll who had personally participated wiped the drool from the corner of his mouth, and when he looked at the instant noodles that had been prepared in front of him, he suddenly felt the inequality of the world: others were eating sea cucumbers and shark fins, while he was eating seafood instant noodles without any seafood.
"Boss, boss!" The door opened, and a henchman poked his head out.
"Calling back the soul? What's the matter?"
"Great news! That actress has spoken out. This time, she'll definitely be able to crush He Zhaoming to the ground of shame."
This is a long story, but to put it simply, someone tried to muddy the waters and reclassify the nature of the original event.
The initial sexual assault case had already branded He Zhaoming as a scumbag. However, He Zhaoming refused to give up and chose to report the incident to the police, hoping to clear his name. As a result, the judicial system intervened, and the sexual assault case became a fabricated incident circulating online.
However, He Zhaoming's reckless act of ignoring the unspoken rules of the entertainment industry and choosing to call the police offended everyone in the industry. Even though he did nothing wrong, he was still kicked out.Entertainment CenterEntertainment Center
This matter should have ended there, but He Zhaoming still wanted to cause trouble, so he took a different approach and participated in this nationally popular variety show, which is showing signs of becoming a huge hit. Those who framed him before couldn't sit still anymore.
Now the other party finally found an opportunity. He wanted to take advantage of 'He Zhaoming's' absence to completely destroy this matter.
As for the truth of the matter... in this age of entertainment, who really cares?
After learning the cause and details of the incident, the head of the online trolls shook his head: "These people are profiting from human suffering."
He himself is a manipulator of public opinion, so naturally he knows what these people are up to. Cases of female celebrities being assaulted are not uncommon in the entertainment industry. The real victims are unable to speak out, while these people exploit and consume the public's sympathy.
Take the issue of whether or not to help an elderly person who has fallen as an example. When malicious people exploit the public's empathy, no one dares to help when the real victims speak out.
"Then let's..." the younger brother hesitated.
"Of course we'll follow," the online troll leader said matter-of-factly. "What's the value of morality? Can conscience pay off a mortgage? Everyone's profiting from human suffering, what's a few more of us?"
The 'victim' spoke out, and online trolls stirred up trouble. In the time it takes to eat a meal, the number of viewers in Ren Yifei's live stream dropped to half again. He himself, however, was unaware of this and was still munching on chicken drumsticks and chicken wings.
How come these grilled chicken wings are so delicious?
The contestants at the long table were chatting about today's case.
"I think the deceased's boyfriend definitely had a problem, but we just can't find any evidence." One contestant, with his mouth full of grease, still couldn't help but feel heartbroken. "That girl was stupid. Why didn't she think of buying insurance? If she hadn't bought insurance, none of this would have happened."
"I don't think so. The deceased's boyfriend looked quite decent," another contestant chimed in.
These contestants, they don't utter a single truth, even saying things like "the deceased's boyfriend was good-looking." But it's lunchtime, so it's normal for everyone to stir things up and spout nonsense.
"Hey, hey, you can't attack someone based on their appearance. How someone looks has no direct connection to how they are as a person." One of the contestants, who was very beautiful, spoke up. She looked like the kind of 'beautiful bad woman' who also liked to wear heavy makeup.
"I can tell you really enjoy observing people, not just their looks?"
The beautiful contestant shook her head: "My mentor studies micro-expressions, and I study that too."
"I know!" one contestant raised their hand. "But real micro-expressions only last for a very short time, less than a second. Can you spot them?"
"Of course, I've been trained." The beautiful contestant looked around and saw Ren Yifei, who was gnawing on a chicken wing. "Like He Zhaoming."
Ren Yifei, with a chicken wing in his mouth, looked up, bewildered.
"I wasn't talking about you." The contestant shook his head. "I was talking about that one, the one who was blowing his nose and playing the victim online... who was it again?"
Poor thing, this popular, innocent-looking actress doesn't even have a name in her eyes.
"Back then, my advisor asked us to find videos for practice, so I found that video of someone blowing their nose. I watched it over and over again more than 30 times until I felt like throwing up. I remember every minute and second clearly, just to capture micro-expressions so I could write my thesis."
Ren Yifei, who was gnawing on a chicken wing, stopped.
The viewers who were watching the video of eating duck necks stopped.
Even the online trolls who were spraying water stopped: for some reason, there was a rather unpleasant feeling about it.
"Hey sis, we've got nothing else to do right now, why don't you analyze it?" An older contestant egged them on. He was from the south, and his tone was particularly affectionate when he said "sis." The contestant who was studying micro-expressions hesitated.
"Tell us, we're really curious. Is it as exaggerated as it's portrayed on TV?" a group of people shouted, all just bored.
The contestant who studies micro-expressions thought, "I'm just killing time anyway, maybe this analysis can boost my popularity?"
"Okay, let's take that video of him blowing his nose as an example again."
Viewers covering their faces before the live stream were disgusted. They couldn't stand the thought of her 'blowing her nose,' could they? She's a female celebrity, after all; how could she... say it so lightly?
I have to speak louder, otherwise I'll be letting down the other side's fans.
Traffic! Star power! Her status is undeniable. Let's get started with the headline: "Former innocent traffic star's dark history exposed, she actually did this kind of thing!"
Although the viewers watching the live stream felt they were about to witness a disaster, the atmosphere at the dinner table remained unusually harmonious. They were unaware of the situation outside and were just chatting casually, as usual, except that this time the topic was rather unusual.
Ren Yifei, the person involved, didn't seem to care much and was secretly eating high-calorie fried squid rings.
"Around the 17th second of the beginning, when she said, 'I didn't expect him to be this kind of person,'" she tried to recall and imitate the expression, "she made a gesture like this, pressing her hand to her eyebrows, avoiding eye contact, with obvious 'shame'."
Viewers watching the live stream had already opened the 'snot-blowing' video on their computers or other media and skipped to the seventeen-second mark. They were stunned: Oh, exactly the same.
"Also, let me think, it's around three minutes and fifty-two seconds, when she was saying that she had encountered something terrible. It was this expression."
The contestant made a fearful expression and pointed to her forehead: "See? Her eyes are fixed, her lips are slightly parted in fear, but her forehead and brow area are calm. This isn't real fear; either she had Botox injections, or this is a lie."
The contestant said she watched the video dozens of times until she felt like throwing up, and it's true. She remembered every minute and second, every micro-expression, with perfect clarity. After seven or eight micro-expressions in a row, everyone was impressed, saying she was now a qualified lie detector.
"Did the paper pass?" Ren Yifei, a bystander, asked curiously.
"Passed."
"Why don't you release a video to clarify?" This contestant asked Ren Yifei.
Ren Yifei held up his fingers and counted them off one by one: "No money, no people, no evidence. Besides, they don't want to know whether I did it or not, they just want to see me make a fool of myself. And..."
He stopped, hesitating.
"What else?" the contestants asked curiously.
"There are many girls in this world who are hurt but cannot speak out, but very few who are wronged like me. If things blow up and become a social event or a meme, the next time a victimized girl musters up the courage to stand up, people will suspect that she is putting on a show and exploiting public sympathy."
"I don't want things to escalate, so this is fine as it is. Anyway, I've already retired from the entertainment industry, so it won't have much of an impact," he said.