As the entire Qian family found themselves in a dire crisis, the previously recorded variety show was simultaneously broadcasted on television and online.
As mentioned before, ‘The Big Winner’ was deeply beloved by countless viewers. Even before the scheduled time, countless people had eagerly gathered in front of their televisions.
Especially the fans of the guests featured in this episode, who passionately promoted their idols by word of mouth.
Hence, even before the show aired, headlines related to the guests of ‘The Big Winner’ were hotly discussed and trended on Weibo.
Jing Li also sat in front of the computer in his bedroom, awaiting the broadcast. This was his first time participating in a variety show recording, so he was quite curious about how the show would look. To keep track of the audience’s reactions in real time, he also activated the comment barrage1弹幕 (dàn mù) – barrage (military) / “bullet screen”, function which allows viewers to post on-screen comments in videos, movies etc in real time.
As everyone craned their necks in eager anticipation, the familiar opening music of ‘The Big Winner’ finally started, accompanied by an energetic song and dance routine. The familiar hosts led the guests onto the stage from the back.
“Welcome everyone to ‘The Big Winner’, I’m the host Wei Jia…”
After a brief opening, the host followed the usual routine of introducing the dramas and actors from both sides. When introducing the currently most popular guests, the audience on television erupted into passionate cheers.
Simultaneously, countless barrage comments floated across Jing Li’s screen.
“Ahhhh, finally here!!!”
“I love Fu Yan!!!”
“Wen Ting! Wen Ting!”
“I love Lin-jie!!!”
“Young Master is so beautiful!”
“Jing Shao! We Koi2Jing Li fans call themselves Koi (锦鲤 – jǐn lǐ) will always support you!!!”
…
Everyone’s reactions were very enthusiastic. The dramas mentioned in the show were currently airing hot series, especially ‘Immortal Road’, which was widely loved by the masses. Upon seeing the familiar faces of the actors on stage, people couldn’t help but smile joyfully, staring intently at their idols on screen while frantically sending barrage calls for them.
Before long, the entire barrage area was filled with densely packed comments, barely leaving half of the guests’ faces visible.
Witnessing this scene, Jing Li was momentarily surprised, but then his expression softened, warmed by the supportive comments from his fans.
These kids really could always surprise him in different ways.
The promotional segment ended amidst the cheers of everyone, and the show proceeded to the game segment.
As promised, the production team did not maliciously edit the show following Qian Jianan’s words, so everything that happened during the segment was fully displayed to the audience.
So, when the first game segment showed the other guests playfully interacting with each other while Qian Jianan repeatedly charged at Jing Li at full speed, everyone was stunned by his outrageous actions.
Especially during the second instance, when he blatantly ignored the readily available gold coin and deliberately charged toward the opponent, it further ruined the fans’ and netizens’ perception of him.
Even though he failed to succeed throughout the process and faced the consequences of his actions, it still did not alleviate the resentment towards him.
Those who support idols are not fools; they are well aware of the despicable tactics some use to suppress newcomers and engage in scheming within the industry. However, this was the first time they witnessed someone openly displaying such behavior on stage without any attempt at concealment.
This feeling of disgust reached its peak when they saw Qian Jianan directly push Jing Li away later on.
“What is Qian Jianan trying to do?!”
“He came on this show just to cause trouble, didn’t he?”
“Charging at Jing Shao twice in a row, isn’t he clearly bullying him?!”
“It’s ridiculous that such a person can become a star!”
“I’ve heard that Qian Jianan has a bad temper and acts like a diva, but I didn’t expect him to be so blatant on the show!”
…
Everyone glared angrily at Qian Jianan on the television, wishing they could reach through and give him a good beating.
Of course, some of Qian Jianan’s fans felt indignant and rushed to defend their idol, claiming it was all for the sake of entertainment and that others shouldn’t take it too seriously.
But obviously, their words were not enough to explain Qian Jianan’s behavior, so the effect was not great, and many passers-by even started to criticize them.
For a moment, the barrage area was in utter chaos.
Yet when they saw that after switching teams, the ‘Immortal Road’ group immediately seized the coins in the first round, and Jing Li smilingly rebutted using Qian Jianan’s previous words, leaving him flustered and red-faced. Everyone burst out laughing.
“Hahahahaha serves him right!”
“Hahahahaha, is this a live version of stealing the chicken but losing the rice3偷鸡不成蚀把米 (tōu jī bù chéng shí bǎ mǐ) “steal a chicken but lose a handful of rice”. It is used to describe a situation where someone tries to gain an advantage but ends up worse off than before.?!”
“Qian Jianan: Sorry, my face hurts! Hahahahaha……”
“Maybe the other side should consider surrendering now? To avoid an embarrassing defeat later~! [Joke]”
“Maybe the other side should consider surrendering now? To avoid an embarrassing defeat later~! [Joke]”4This is not a mistake They did repeat the same thing, mocking QJN
…
The netizens and fans instantly forgot about their arguments and wholeheartedly joined in laughing and mockingly copying Qian Jianan’s classic lines.
Qian Jianan’s fans felt offended and immediately began lashing out with hostile comments against the malicious barrage, only to be instantly countered by numerous people mimicking their previous line, “It’s all for entertainment. Why take it so seriously?!”
As the two sides bickered, a barrage suddenly questioned: “Is it just me, or does Qian Jianan’s nose look a bit crooked???”
Since this barrage was in color, many people noticed it. With this pointed out, countless viewers rewound and took another look, then collectively exclaimed:
“I went back and watched it again, it’s true!!”
“And Yao Qian clearly shielded his front-facing shots several times, but he doesn’t seem too appreciative of that?”
“Wait, so the sudden need for a break after the first round of games, was that also because of this reason?”
“In the second game, Qian Jianan’s nose was obviously normal again, but he was touching his nose way too frequently later on!”
“How ironic, given how he previously boasted about his natural good looks, only to have his nose prosthetic get crooked after a fall!”
…
Everyone began discussing Qian Jianan’s nose issue. Of course, some of his fans came out to refute it, but they were a minority amidst the vast number of netizens and were quickly drowned out by the barrage flood.
Some even directly screenshotted and posted it on Weibo, instantly drawing a crowd of onlookers who then discovered the variety show, sparking another wave of heated discussion.
It wasn’t until the much-anticipated talent showcase segment at the end that the barrage on screen slightly subsided.
When Fu Yan displayed his excellent calligraphy skills, his fans excitedly cheered for their idol.
Some also noticed Qian Jianan’s actions in the corner.
Qian Jianan, who had previously deliberately targeted Jing Li, was now suddenly leaning close and whispering something to him. After Jing Li visibly shook his head in refusal, Qian Jianan shot him an unpleasant glare before turning to face the stage.
The next second, he abruptly called out to Jing Li after Fu Yan’s performance, rudely demanding that he also showcase his skills on stage.
Everyone present, including the host, was clearly taken aback by his sudden interruption, as this was clearly not part of the planned script.
Upon witnessing this, the netizens and fans could no longer contain their anger.
“This Qian Jianan really shows his presence everywhere! So disgusting!”
“Isn’t it too obvious that Qian Jianan wants to stir up trouble?”
“Interrupting during Fu Yan’s performance? Is he trying to pit the two fandoms against each other?!”
“No, no, we Fu Yan’s fans are very sensible. Let’s not be misled into infighting, thank you!”
“Absolutely not! Our Jing Shao is humble and doesn’t seek confrontation. Please don’t randomly call him out, thank you!”
…
Later, when they saw Jing Li flawlessly showcase his beautiful calligraphy, while Qian Jianan couldn’t even sing a simple song without going off-key, the netizens mercilessly ridiculed him.
“Is that it? Is that it?!”
“Don’t you need to practice before singing?! That’s all it takes for you to go off-key???”
“I feel like Qian Jianan is the biggest joke of this episode! No, the biggest joke of The Big Winner altogether!”
“Let me ask Qian Jianan, does your face hurt?!”
…
Everyone’s perception of Qian Jianan plummeted to rock bottom. Even his fans could no longer find excuses to defend him and remained silent.
While the online clamor raged on, Jing Li’s guqin performance that followed instantly silenced the screen.
Seeing Jing Li’s ethereal appearance in white robes, as if a reincarnated immortal, everyone held their breath and stared unblinkingly.
They were then captivated by his remarkable musical skills, the screen filled only with the clear, melodious notes.
Even after the piece ended, the screen remained silent, as if still enraptured by the spellbinding performance.
However, when the host’s voice rang out, the audience snapped back into a frenzy.
“Aaaahhhh!!! That piece was way too beautiful!”
“Now I finally understand that the ancient poets’ description of a melody being ‘unforgettable for three days5绕梁三日 (rào liáng sān rì) – reverberates around the rafters for three days (idiom); fig. sonorous and resounding (esp. of singing voice)‘ was not an exaggeration!!”
“Can anyone tell me the name of this piece? How have I never heard such a beautiful melody before?!”
“Jing Li looks so handsome playing the guqin!!”
“Skilled in both calligraphy and guqin, with a great personality too! I’m so blessed to be a fan of such an idol!!!”
“Jing Shao is the best! I love you!”
“Qian Jianan, come here and learn some real talents!”
“Some idiots are really useless except for their bad temper!”
“Look at Qian Jianan! His jealousy is so blatant on his face!”
…
The show was essentially over at this point. Jing Li briefly scanned the barrage filled with comments like “I don’t want it to end” and “I wish it lasted longer” before closing the video platform.
However, the netizens who finished watching didn’t disperse. Instead, they took to Weibo to share their thoughts on the show while simultaneously airing their disgust for Qian Jianan and praising Jing Li’s impressive performance.
#QianJiananSangOffKey#
#QianJianansNoseLooksCrooked SuspectedPlasticSurgery#
#QianJiananJealousOfJingLi#
#JingLiCalligraphy#
#JingLiGuqinMastery#
…
The netizens clearly knew how to craft attention-grabbing headlines, as each one was quite eye-catching, instantly attracting countless viewers to click in.
As more and more netizens became aware and joined in discussing these topics, the headlines containing Qian Jianan and Jing Li’s names quickly trended on hot searches, rapidly climbing up the ranks.
At home, Qian Jianan turned deathly pale upon seeing these hot searches, especially the one directly calling out his targeting of Jing Li.
In the past, upon seeing such defamatory posts about himself, he would have angrily demanded their removal and spared no effort in blocking the actor who rode on his fame.
However, now he couldn’t care less, feeling as restless as an ant on a hot pan. For the first time, he sincerely hoped those meddlesome netizens would keep berating him, venting all their rage solely toward him, as long as they didn’t bring up anything related to him and Jing Li.
The entire Qian family was currently stuck in a crisis, and for several consecutive days, he and his father had been working around the clock without rest to resolve this predicament, but they remained helpless.
If the Jing family caught wind of these posts on Weibo now, the Qian family might not make it past tomorrow.
With this in mind, he wasted no time in gritting his teeth, hastily logging into his Weibo account, and brazenly posting a clarification amidst the backlash.
Qian Jianan V: It was just for entertainment purposes, please don’t make malicious speculations. @JingLi and I are very good friends privately.
After posting, he immediately notified Xingyao’s PR department to mobilize internet navies to control the narrative, aiming to turn public opinion around as quickly as possible.
However, netizens were no fools to be easily deceived. Not only did they show no appreciation, but it also backfired even more severely.
In an instant, Qian Jianan’s Weibo was flooded with countless insulting comments that rapidly multiplied over time.
“Look, he’s panicking, he’s panicking! Seeing the situation turn against him, he’s rushing to clarify!”
“Have some shame! The Big Winner isn’t going to take the blame for you!”
“Friends??? Who would want a ‘friend’ like you?!”
“Who are you trying to fool? Do you think we’re all blind?!”
“So, your crooked nose and plastic surgery are real, then?”
…
Faced with the barrage of insults on Weibo, Qian Jianan had no mind to engage, wholly focused on monitoring Jing Li and Jing Group’s movements.
Yet after camping on Jing Li’s Weibo for hours without any response, his anxiety finally subsided slightly.
However, just as he thought Jing Li might not have seen the Weibo posts or paid attention to the online news, a notification popped up that Jing Li had updated his Weibo.
Upon seeing the content of his post, Qian Jianan’s face went through a kaleidoscope of colors, becoming quite a spectacle.
The author has something to say:
Gu Tingshen: History is indeed astonishingly similar!
Gu Tingshen: So after that scumbag goes offline, can I finally get to see my wife?
Jing Yu: Who?! How dare you covet my brother?!
Gu Tingshen: ……
Gu Tingshen then passed away tragically at the young age of 27.
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