The Wanghaitai Lookout was one of the must-see spots for tourists visiting Jeju Island, so the area was packed with visitors.
As a result, the scene of Lu Chen being escorted by the Korean police to the station to give a statement was not only witnessed by many tourists but also captured on camera; among them, several were Chinese tourists.
One of those tourists uploaded the photos to her own Wave Blog shortly after.
This tourist, whose blog ID was "AnnieLove", recognized Lu Chen. When she took the photo, she happened to be in the parking lot below Wanghaitai and managed to snap a picture of Lu Chen getting into a police car.
"AnnieLove" wasn't one of Lu Chen's fans, so she didn't feel any sense of loyalty to protect his privacy. On the contrary, she was thrilled at having stumbled upon what looked like breaking news. Unable to contain her excitement, she quickly posted the photos on her phone.
Although she had no idea what had actually happened, that didn't stop her from giving her post a sensational headline, "Pictures Don't Lie: Lu Chen Taken Away by Korean Police at Jeju Island's Wanghaitai!"
"AnnieLove" didn't have many followers, just a few hundred, but Lu Chen was a trending celebrity on the Wave Blog platform. With him recently filming a new drama, Full House, there were plenty of netizens actively searching for updates about him.
Her post was soon discovered and quickly shared.
If this had been twenty or thirty years ago, before the internet era, an ordinary person could never have known so swiftly that a celebrity had been taken away by the police. And even if television, radio, or newspapers did report it, it wouldn't have been immediate.
But in today's online world, information spreads with terrifying speed and ease. Unless official censorship intervened, even the faintest ripple from thousands of miles away could reach the web within minutes.
One share became ten, ten became a hundred, and within just half an hour, "AnnieLove's" post had been reposted thousands of times. It spread across the blogosphere like wildfire.
At first, many people didn't believe it.
"How could Lu Chen possibly be taken away by the Korean police?"
"That must be a mistake… or a misunderstanding, right?"
Others scoffed, "Publicity stunt. Definitely a publicity stunt!"
Lu Chen was filming in Korea, after all. It was easy to assume this was a staged scene to generate hype, a tactic all too familiar in the entertainment industry. Anyone with half a brain wouldn't fall for it.
Even Lu Chen's own fans were divided. They doubted the report at first, then began to believe it might indeed be part of a planned marketing ploy.
But things escalated quickly. Soon, another insider post appeared online, and this time, it confirmed the rumor: Lu Chen really had been taken away by Korean police, not for filming, but for getting into a fight!
And this wasn't just some random user like "AnnieLove." The post came from a well-known verified micro-blogger with over one million followers, and it included several photos.
The photos weren't crystal clear, but they clearly showed Lu Chen in the middle of a scuffle, definitely not a drama scene. The authenticity was hard to deny.
Public outrage exploded!
Lu Chen, arrested in Korea for fighting? What an embarrassment, and on foreign soil no less!
The domestic entertainment industry had already been plagued by scandals, drug use, prostitution, affairs, drunk driving, and the public's opinion of celebrities was at an all-time low.
Yet Lu Chen had always stood apart as a rising star with a spotless image. Since his debut, he'd been seen as a source of "positive energy" in the entertainment world, praised by fans and even recognized by state media.
No one could have imagined that he'd end up in a scandal like this, abroad, of all places!
Online entertainment outlets scrambled to repost the story, each one adding its own sensational headline:
"Suspected Brawl Incident: Rising Star Lu Chen Detained by Korean Police!"
"Lu Chen Taken Away by Police in Korea, Why Are Celebrity Scandals Endless?"
"Breaking: Lu Chen Involved in Street Fight on Jeju Island, Detained by Police!"
"What's Going On with Lu Chen?"
And so on...
Soon, a swarm of so-called industry insiders jumped into the discussion, some feigned shock, others voiced condemnation, and a few expressed "regret," while adding their own speculative embellishments.
Even the notorious gossip outlet Entertainment Panorama, which had been thoroughly humiliated by Lu Chen in the past, came crawling back, dripping with sarcasm and schadenfreude as it joined the frenzy.
The entertainment industry was a vast circle, and as the saying goes, "When the forest is big enough, you'll find all kinds of birds."
People fawning over those in power or stepping on those who fall was nothing unusual. In fact, it was completely normal.
The real issue was that Lu Chen's popularity had been skyrocketing lately, and in the process, he had inevitably made a lot of enemies, even without realizing it.
As long as Lu Chen stayed out of trouble, those people had nothing to say.
But the moment something happened, they all jumped out at once, eager to criticize and tear him down.
Soon, the blogosphere turned into a chaotic battlefield. Countless netizens who didn't know the full story filled the comment sections with scorn and outrage, saying that not only had Lu Chen disgraced himself, but he had also embarrassed the entire country.
Some even started chanting:
"Lu Chen, get out of the entertainment industry!"
Such voices quickly stirred up turmoil among his fans.
Some fans expressed disappointment, feeling let down by the star they admired.
But the majority refused to believe the so-called "truth," choosing instead to wait for further clarification.
A smaller, more loyal group of fans jumped to defend him without hesitation, firmly believing that Lu Chen must have had a good reason for whatever happened.
Thousands of fans flocked to Lu Chen's personal blog, the Lu Chen Workshop's page, and even Chen Fei'er's blog, begging for an explanation.
Meanwhile, several media outlets directly called both studios, hoping to confirm the details.
But neither Lu Chen's team nor Chen Fei'er's studio had a clear understanding of what had actually happened yet, and both were far too busy to deal with the flood of media inquiries.
As a result, no official statement could be released immediately.
This only fueled online speculation, and soon, wild rumors started spreading like wildfire.
Some of these even involved Chen Fei'er, claiming that Lu Chen had fought because of her, "a man's fury for a woman's honor."
Within a very short time, the phrase "Lu Chen Arrested in Korea" shot up to the top of the Wave Blog's trending search list, dominating the homepage and magnifying the scandal's impact.
In short, while Lu Chen was still at the Jeju Island police station giving his statement, public opinion back home had already reached a boiling point.
Some people even went so far as to call the Chinese consulate in Korea to inquire about the situation!
But Lu Chen's luck turned unexpectedly, there had been more than a few Chinese tourists at Wanghaitai that day, and several had witnessed the entire incident. Soon, one of them posted on their blog claiming that Lu Chen had been fighting Japanese men, and that the Japanese were the ones who had started it.
The post even included a short video clip filmed on-site.
In the video, the men in suits who had been knocked down by Lu Chen could clearly be heard shouting, in Japanese!
Lu Chen was fighting Japanese men!
As soon as this new information surfaced, public sentiment underwent a dramatic shift.
The tide of opinion turned almost instantly, like a massive whirlwind that swept away everything in its path.
Countless netizens, not just Lu Chen's fans, began to cheer passionately online:
"Well done!"
"Serves them right!"
"Good job, Lu Chen!"
Even though the full truth had yet to come out, they didn't care. They were going to support Lu Chen unconditionally.
(End of Chapter)
You can read ahead up to 60 chapters on my patreon https://www.patreon.com/darkshadow6395