Chapter 144: I Dislike Moral Coercion

The video provided a complete record of how Li Kang had step-by-step set a trap for Su Chen during the awards ceremony.

First, he had unilaterally added a segment to interview the composers, and every word during the interview was designed to steer the conversation toward Su Chen.

Second, during the Q&A session with Su Chen, every question was deliberately intended to provoke conflict between Su Chen and Tang Guo.

Finally, when announcing Tang Guo as the winner of the Best Composer award, he intentionally read Su Chen’s name to embarrass him.

It was only with this context that the video clip circulating online—showing Su Chen angrily confronting the Golden Melody Awards host—made sense. This was the full, unedited version of the video!

Once Su Chen posted this on Weibo, the entire internet was in an uproar! Especially the netizens who had been following the development of the incident, they truly experienced what it meant to have a complete reversal of opinion.

"Holy crap, does this mean Su Chen was framed?"

"The video is out now; isn't it obvious? I just never expected things to turn around like this!"

"No way, how could Su Chen be the victim? He looks so much like a villain!"

"What are you talking about? No one is born looking like a villain; that’s just a label you’ve put on him in your own mind!"

Many were initially in disbelief. After all, most of them had been drawn in by the original smear video, aiming to tear Su Chen down. Instead, they had failed to bring him down and had inadvertently turned him into the figure of justice. By comparison, they looked like clowns.

However, as they calmed down, they realized they had truly wronged him. Piecing the whole event together, they found that Li Kang and his associates were capable of lying through their teeth and bullying someone to such an extent—it was truly despicable!

Consequently, a massive crowd began to attack the Weibo accounts of Li Kang and his cohorts.

"Trash! I’d heard the entertainment industry was dark, but I didn't think it was this dark. It’s absolutely blinding!"

"You edited the video, cutting off the beginning and the end, just to turn black into white. Doesn't your conscience hurt?"

"Haha, to think there are still people out there supporting a lowlife like Li Kang. Birds of a feather, indeed!"

"I never understood the idiom 'calling a deer a horse' before, but now I finally do. I guess I have you pieces of trash to thank for that!"

In a short time, the comment sections of Li Kang, Gong Ziming, and the others were completely overrun. Soon after, they followed Su Chen’s example and set their Weibo accounts to allow comments only from followers. But this time, it was clear that the public wasn't buying it so easily.

"Everyone, follow them just to go into the comments and teach them a lesson! But remember to unfollow them immediately after you’re done scolding them!"

"We can't let these bastards get any advantage!"

"I've lived this long and this is the first time I've seen such shameless people!"

Just like that, the follower counts for Li Kang and his group fluctuated wildly as the hate comments continued to pour in. Two days later, unable to handle the pressure, they disabled all comments on their posts. Immediately, their follower counts plummeted. Li Kang’s original following of over a million quickly dropped below 500,000. The others saw similar results. Unless something unexpected happened, those numbers would never recover, as the full video was out there and the matter could not be whitewashed.

"Hahaha, brothers, we have achieved our first victory!"

"Those backstabbers have closed their comment sections, and their follower counts have hit rock bottom."

"I just checked, they still have hundreds of thousands of followers. Who are these people?"

"Heh, probably people with twisted values, or maybe they’re just bought bot accounts?"

"Very likely. Someone just called them 'backstabbers,' and I think that’s so fitting! Let’s call them the 'Backstabbing Cult' to warn others to stay away from such people in the future!"

What started as a joke by a netizen spread rapidly. Some enthusiastic users even dubbed Li Kang the "Leader of the Backstabbing Cult," and eventually, the term became synonymous with the dirty dealings of the entertainment industry.

"I went to listen to the songs by the 'Backstabbing Cult' members. My review: it's trash!"

"I listened too. I really don't know who listened to this garbage before; it sounds absolutely awful!"

"By comparison, the two songs Su Chen wrote are truly excellent! Even though Jiang Yan’s popularity provided some boost, I’ll say this: these two songs are so good that even a dog could sing them into a hit!"

"Hey, don't you dare insult my goddess!"

"Looking at it this way, Su Chen’s character is quite impressive. Even under these circumstances, he didn't resort to any extreme behavior!"

"Who's to say? If I were framed like that, I’d have cursed their ancestors for eighteen generations!"

"I was one of those who criticized Su Chen so harshly before. I’ve definitely been slapped in the face!"

To express their apologies, those who had been the most vicious in the comment sections flocked to Su Chen’s page to apologize. Amusingly, many found their own previous comments and replied to them, admitting they had been proven wrong.

"If this turns out to have a reversal, I’ll lick every inch of Nancheng Avenue!"

"Brothers, I’m off to lick Nancheng Avenue. Make sure you don't make the road too gross!"

"Don't worry, I’ll spit on it at most, I won't make it too hard for you!"

As the banter continued, one comment caught everyone's attention: "I actually never listened to Su Chen’s songs from start to finish, yet I scolded him so much. An apology is too hollow; I feel like I owe him a song download."

This comment immediately gained massive support. After all, most people in the event were just onlookers; those truly willing to spend money on music were in the minority. As the likes increased, the comment was pushed to the top. Gradually, "Owe Su Chen a song download" became a meme, trending on the hot search list in a short time.

"Teacher Su Chen, when is the new song coming out? We are all waiting to hear your music!"

"Please don't make me wait too long; I don't like owing people! Hurry up and release a song!"

"I’ve already reserved five download spots. If you release a song, I will definitely support it. I keep my word!"

Under the influence of the Weibo hot searches, Su Chen’s comment section was flooded with requests for new music. His follower count also surged, growing from 2.1 million to over 2.5 million. For a behind-the-scenes professional, this level of following, aside from a few industry titans, was practically unprecedented.

"January 15th, new single release. The singer remains a secret for now."

"I don't like moral grandstanding. Listen if you want to."

That evening, Su Chen updated his Weibo, instantly sparking another wave of excitement across the internet.