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Over the past twenty years, China's entertainment industry has developed at an astonishing pace. The market had grown into a massive and lucrative "cake," and with it, the public influence of celebrities and artists had risen sharply.
Especially with the rise of the internet, the speed of information spread far surpassed the past. Blogs, forums, and online communities have become gathering points for all kinds of news, allowing ordinary people to instantly learn about every little thing that happens in the entertainment world.
Many stars and entertainment companies took advantage of the internet for promotion and hype, but at the same time, just as many used it as a weapon to attack and smear their rivals.
So for Lu Chen's incident in Jeju Island, South Korea, to cause such a huge stir in such a short time, there was no doubt someone was deliberately fanning the flames behind the scenes.
Today's entertainment circle was a chaotic mix of saints and scoundrels, with competition fiercer than ever. Actors, singers, and entertainers could skyrocket to fame overnight, or just as easily disappear without a trace.
Many celebrities lost themselves after becoming famous; scandals involving drug abuse, affairs, drunk driving, and fights had become commonplace, leaving a terrible impression on the public.
And the state authorities had already established a very specific form of punishment for stars who broke the law, an industry ban.
For an artist, an industry ban was almost a death sentence. Once banned, they couldn't act in movies or TV dramas, couldn't hold concerts, couldn't land endorsements or public appearances. Their career might not be entirely destroyed, but making a comeback afterward would be unimaginably difficult.
For rising young idols, even a six-month or one-year suspension could be devastating. The entertainment world was full of replacements waiting for their turn to take your place.
That was why online smear campaigns and rumor-driven hype were so common. A minor issue could, through repeated exaggeration and malicious rumor-mongering, evolve into something that triggered genuine public disgust.
Like in Lu Chen's case, just because he was taken away by Korean police, and before any facts were even known, the internet was already flooded with aggressive attacks. The intent behind it all was crystal clear.
Once the news broke that Lu Chen was in trouble, it couldn't be covered up anymore.
As the wave of public opinion grew, any attempts by interested parties to contain or spin the story would become exponentially harder, and costlier.
If things ended with an industry ban on Lu Chen, plenty of people would be laughing behind the scenes.
Lu Chen had only debuted for a year, yet his meteoric rise had stunned the industry. Although he had always emphasized profit-sharing and maintained decent connections, his success inevitably offended many.
No star could please everyone, especially someone like Lu Chen, who ran his own independent studio. Independence brought freedom, yes, but also enormous pressure.
If he were banned, the new drama he was filming would face cancellation. Even if they replaced the male lead midway, the negative publicity would be impossible to erase.
And for rival productions scheduled to air during the same summer season, well, they couldn't be happier.
They'd be more than willing to give the situation an extra push from the shadows.
So even when new updates came out, clarifying that the fight had been instigated by the Japanese men, there were still people relentlessly attacking Lu Chen online, desperate to drag him down.
One prominent blogger on Wave Blog, known as "Everything in Threes", posted three consecutive articles condemning Lu Chen's behavior and demanding that authorities ban him.
"The entertainment industry must take a stand! There needs to be tougher punishments for celebrities with misconduct!"
"Society needs positive energy. As public figures, celebrities should lead by example, not do the opposite!"
"Fans' blind tolerance and favoritism are the real reason why stars keep breaking the law!"
"Violence is violence, whether you hit a Chinese person, a Japanese, or a Korean, it's all the same and cannot be forgiven! And this incident happened abroad, what a national embarrassment!"
"I strongly suggest…"
In his blog posts, "Everything in Threes" acted like the very embodiment of justice and the law, slapping one moral label after another onto Lu Chen with righteous fury.
This blogger had over 8 million followers, was known for his social commentary, and fancied himself a "public critic." He often posted inspirational content and had gathered quite a devoted following online.
His posts received plenty of likes and support, getting shared by numerous verified accounts, creating a sizable wave of criticism.
However, many netizens, especially Lu Chen's fans, were outraged by his self-righteous tone. After the truth came out that Lu Chen had fought Japanese men, more and more people flooded "Everything in Threes'" comment section to fight back.
At the same time, countless netizens flocked to Lu Chen's own blog to show their support.
Interestingly, many of these people weren't even fans of Lu Chen before, but they were now.
Soon, the internet split into two major factions, the #SupportLuChen camp and the #BanLuChen camp, launching a heated online war across blogs, forums, and message boards, the arguments raging non-stop.
And while public opinion back home was exploding into chaos, Lu Chen was still in the Jeju Island police station, calmly answering questions from the Korean police.
Because the brawl had involved many people, and citizens of two different countries, the Korean authorities were handling the case with extreme caution.
SPG's lawyer had also arrived, accompanying Lu Chen through the questioning process.
Lu Chen felt no guilt and truthfully explained everything from start to finish.
Because the lawyer was present, the process took a long time.
Interestingly, when Lu Chen told the Korean officer that he had taken down six trained bodyguards on his own, the officer's expression was priceless, his eyes practically said:
"Yeah right, buddy. You expect me to believe that?"
The officer clearly didn't buy it and asked the same question several times in disbelief.
In reality, Lu Chen hadn't defeated six bodyguards because he was some kind of superhero in underwear, he'd simply relied on speed, timing, and technique, taking them down one by one through skill and precision.
If Lu Chen had to face those six opponents head-on all at once, the only thing he could do was run for his life! After the interrogation ended, things were far from over.
Under the mediation of the Korean police, both sides sat down at the station for a face-to-face negotiation.
The Japanese group even brought along their own translator, and a lawyer.
Although the brawl at the Jeju Island Seaview Terrace involved quite a few people, the consequences weren't serious. The most injured was Jiang Fang, her forehead had been cut open, but it was only a superficial wound.
As for the others, several of them had bruises and scrapes, nothing worse than minor injuries. Given that, the Korean police preferred to settle things peacefully and urged both sides to reach a mutual understanding.
After all, if the situation escalated, it would become a troublesome international incident for them.
However, the terms the Japanese proposed for "reconciliation" were simply unacceptable to Lu Chen's side.
The Japanese refused to admit they had struck first. Instead, they claimed that Lu Chen's group had provoked them intentionally, and Jiang Fang's injury was just an unfortunate "accident", she had supposedly collided with their protected client, which was why their bodyguards "had to stop her."
They demanded that Lu Chen's side apologize and take full responsibility for the incident!
Such shameless reversal of black and white infuriated Lu Chen.
"I absolutely refuse such disgraceful terms. I'll repeat myself, we were not at fault!"
He shot back without hesitation: "I demand you apologize and compensate the victims for all their losses!"
"Otherwise, we'll see you in court!"
At this point, Lu Chen wasn't afraid of a lawsuit. Even if it meant more trouble or financial loss, he was determined to seek justice, he couldn't just swallow this indignation!
The translator relayed Lu Chen's words.
As soon as the Japanese heard them, they erupted in angry chatter. One of them even jumped to his feet, shouting furiously at Lu Chen, his expression twisted as if Lu Chen had murdered his father.
The translator turned to Lu Chen: "He says he wants to duel you!"
Lu Chen recognized the man, one of the suited bodyguards he had already knocked down earlier. He gave a disdainful smile and replied, "Duel me? Can he even afford my appearance fee?"
These days, Lu Chen's performance fee for a single commercial show had already risen to between 500,000 and 700,000 yuan, and his endorsement deals reached as high as 5 million. As for a "duel appearance fee"? That would easily have to be ten times more!
The Japanese bodyguard, apparently some kind of small-time leader, took it seriously and asked, "How much do you want for your appearance fee?"
He even looked at Lu Chen with mocking contempt.
Before Lu Chen could respond, the SPG representative beside him answered coldly:
"If you want Mr. Lu Chen to duel with you, have your company prepare 100 million yen."
100 million yen!
The man's face turned beet red. He didn't believe a word of it and thought they were mocking him.
The SPG representative sneered. "Mr. Lu Chen is a famous Chinese artist. The TV drama he wrote and starred in not only set domestic viewership records in China but also achieved great success here in Korea. If you can't even produce 100 million yen, what gives you the right to challenge him?"
Chinese people don't like the Japanese, and Koreans don't either, so given the opportunity, the SPG rep didn't mind adding a few cutting remarks to make the Japanese look ridiculous.
100 million yen was roughly equivalent to 6.5 million RMB; honestly, not even that much for Lu Chen's "official appearance fee" in a duel.
The Japanese men were dumbfounded. They hadn't expected that Lu Chen was actually a celebrity. They wanted to retort, but couldn't find a single word to say; their arrogance was instantly deflated.
Just then, a Korean officer entered the meeting room carrying a laptop.
He leaned down and spoke quietly to the senior officer in charge of mediation, then opened the laptop to show him something.
The Korean officer watched the screen for four or five minutes, then pushed the laptop toward the Japanese lawyer and played a video clip.
When the video finished, the Japanese side went completely silent!
They had been thoroughly exposed.
(End of this chapter)