HDIEUMDBTSB #### Chapter 45: Gentle to the Bone
### Volume One: The Road to Fame
#### Chapter 45: Gentle to the Bone
Even though "Xiaomang Tea Talk Invite" is the only talk show on Mango TV, hosted by the prestigious Huang Youru, its average viewership per episode is about 14 million. This is roughly one-tenth of the top-rated variety show, "Who's the Murderer," which averages around 150 million views per episode, an insurmountable gap.
It’s challenging for "Tea Talk" to even break into the top five, let alone reach the top. Mango TV boasts many outstanding variety shows: "Who's the Murderer" (Season 5), "Happy Camp," "Escape Room" (Season 2), "Back to Field" (Season 3), and "Detective Academy" (Season 4). These shows have a solid and loyal viewership, with the least popular still garnering over 30 million views per episode, making "Tea Talk" perpetually sixth.
However, the episode featuring Chu Zhi's interview successfully propelled "Tea Talk" into the top three variety shows on the app. The high viewership wasn’t due to competition but rather a surge of new users registering for the app, leaving the operations team astonished by the unexpected spike, equivalent to launching a viral new show.
Did the users have any choice? Most onlookers didn’t want to download some app they viewed as trash. "Xiaomang Tea Talk Invite" was an exclusive, self-produced interview series.
As soon as the clock struck nine, a barrage of comments flooded in: "Here to see if the sugar daddy rumor is fake," "Let me see how they whitewash this," "Juzi, we love you alone," "I like his music, but not him," "Apologize properly, maybe it's just a momentary lapse, we lack talented singers," "We're here for you, Jiuye."
The comments revealed that most viewers had their impressions of Chu Zhi significantly altered by his three-step actions.
During the interview, Huang Youru's aggressive questioning worried many of Chu Zhi's fans, who, anxious to protect their idol, caused some chaos in the comments. Some onlookers chose to hide the comments, while others watched for the drama.
As Chu Zhi methodically presented one piece of evidence after another—his class roster, three-month itinerary, and daily schedule—the preparation by his supporter, nicknamed "Big Cat's Disciple," was impressive. The evidence was thorough and preemptively countered possible nitpicks, such as whether Li Tingyu might have changed her name.
The comments flooded in: “Can anyone verify this?” “I don't know about the school records, but Chu Zhi's itinerary should be real.” “It’s real. He was a top star at the time, constantly followed by journalists. Photos serve as alibis.” “Is there a chance Chu Zhi really doesn't know Li Tingyu?”
While the itinerary was just supplementary evidence, the flight and train schedules, complete with official stamps, were decisive. Whether flights or trains, state-owned companies make it easy to verify any tampering. If internal personnel were involved in a cover-up, such power would prevent an online attack.
Most onlookers stopped commenting, leaving Chu Zhi's fans to flood the screen with sympathy for their idol and curses for Li Tingyu. The silence from onlookers stemmed from their expectation that Chu Zhi would use the show to whitewash himself or tearfully apologize, hoping for another chance in the entertainment industry. They had never considered that Chu Zhi might be completely innocent. Many thought Li Tingyu must be at fault too, but assumed Chu Zhi was mainly to blame.
No one expected Chu Zhi to be thoroughly framed, a classic case of being falsely accused. This wasn't whitewashing—whitewashing implies wrongdoing followed by efforts to change public perception. Chu Zhi was proving his innocence. Accepting such a truth that contradicts expectations is difficult for most people.
Next was clearing up the sugar daddy rumors. This time, there was surveillance footage. The show did a great job calling out the marketer’s ugly tactics live, exposing their deceit to the audience.
“Damn, that manager Zhao is disgusting. Thank goodness Huang is tough.” “Misleading edits. The hotel entrance video clearly shows Chu Zhi seeing the person off and then leaving immediately. Those scumbags only snapped a picture of the moment at the door.” “Don't be like the scum at Bailemen. Chu... Chu Zhi is truly tragic. He did nothing wrong and was still bashed online for two months.”
"Um... It's more than just two months; all endorsements and contracts have been terminated. I saw a video from a UP master that suggests he might have to pay a lot of money." A viewer named Heiye Aiwen commented.
["Even though he's been falsely accused, I finally understand why Chu Zhi sounded so desperate during the semi-finals. Who wouldn't feel desperate in his shoes? Finally finding an opportunity to sing, only to be hit by a wave of criticism. I understand that. But why, during those two desperate months, was he able to write songs like 'Into the Light' that inspire others? 'Wind Blowing Over Wheat Waves' also has gentle and beautiful lyrics, a gentle and beautiful melody. Can anyone tell me why? Going through all of this, not to mention the cynicism, one would definitely be immersed in sorrow."] Heiye Aiwen's question hit the nail on the head, leaving many viewers speechless.
"Why indeed?"
Upon reflection, even being wronged by one person in life isn't pleasant, especially in unexplainable circumstances. So imagine being wronged by ten, a hundred, or even thousands of people— it's unimaginable.
Soon, the audience, bystanders, and fans received their answer from Chu Zhi's responses to Huang Youru's questions.
"Maybe because I'm Chu Zhi. Perhaps I didn't give the audience enough trust, so this situation arose." His response to his current situation.
"I hope there's less misunderstanding in the world, especially I don't want what happened to me to happen to others, because that feeling is too desperate." His words to the camera.
In the barrage of comments, there were numerous crying emojis, exclamations of surprise, and expressions of admiration. A user named Xixi Youshuizhao, who seemed to encapsulate everyone's sentiments, wrote:
["I used to be Chu Zhi's fan—I know very well that Jiuge used to sing psychedelic electronic dance music. 'Into the Light' and 'Wind Blowing Over Wheat Waves' are completely different from his previous style. It's clear that he wrote these two songs during the time when he was being criticized online. He endured so much hardship but still wrote songs to give others strength. Just like what he said at the end of the tea talk: 'I really hope what happened to me doesn't happen to others,' because he knows how desperate it feels to be misunderstood, so he doesn't want others to experience that despair. Is there really someone so gentle to the bone in this world? Yes, there is. Jiuge's performance of 'Into the Light' in the semi-finals was proof of that. Even those who dislike him, amidst the black tide, still hope to receive some light. If someone is truly gentle to the bone, the first person that comes to mind is Jiuge. 'Jiuge, can't you care a little about yourself?']"
If the semi-finals of "I Am a Singer" was like a torpedo explosion, then the airing of the tea talk was akin to being bombarded repeatedly by 36,000 torpedoes.
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