Chapter 137
In situations like this, fans are always the ones who get hurt the most.
The trust built through long-term admiration makes it difficult for them to believe this is real, yet the overwhelming messages online make it hard for them to convince themselves otherwise.
This is the first point of wavering.
Next, they have to face the task of finding comparisons among massive amounts of materials, searching for emotional ground for both him and themselves.
Shortly after the post was published, some fans claimed it was photoshopped and started a clarification thread.
Dissatisfied netizens began digging through the past statements and traces of their big fans, not even sparing the Weibo accounts of frontline fans with single-digit followers.
When the arguments begin, that's when fans start to suffer emotionally.
The company hasn't responded, there are no points to refute, and the idol isn't online. Those bullets seemingly aimed at the celebrity are actually targeting the fans.
Explicitly and implicitly, they're all mocking the fans' judgment, laughing at them, treating them like clowns.
The more the fans suffer, the happier those netizens become.
The five members of Timetrain sat in front of Jiang Juyou, surrounded by staff members. Jiang Juyou massaged her temples and lifted her eyelids to look at Gao Xiayu, "What did she say?"
After the post had been circulating online for a while, Chen Ya sent a message to Gao Xiayu, writing a long paragraph full of apologies.
After receiving the message, Gao Xiayu informed everyone but didn't read out the entire content, only mentioning the key points.
"She said she's truly very sorry, that she posted those words out of vanity... The photos are fake, she photoshopped them herself, and she's willing to cooperate with the clarification."
There was actually more content - Chen Ya said her Moments were only visible to a few people, she just wanted to satisfy her own fantasies, and never thought it would actually spread.
Gao Xiayu wasn't in the visible range, so he couldn't see those few Moments Chen Ya posted.
He felt he was partly at fault too - if he had discovered it earlier, this incident wouldn't have escalated to this point, causing his teammates to get scolded along with him and forcing staff to work overtime.
Hearing this, the staff members standing nearby all wore worried expressions.
"I can't—" nearly cursing out loud.
"Look how much extra work she's created for us."
"I just can't even."
Jiang Juyou glanced at the complaining men and frowned, "Instead of standing here talking, why don't you hurry out and call the PR department to wake them up."
"Yes, yes." Several assistants quickly pulled out their phones and walked out.
She instructed the public opinion team to monitor online trends and coordinate with the PR department in time, then ended the video call.
Only the five of them and a few staff members remained in the room. Jiang Juyou turned her attention to the other four, scolding, "Don't act like this doesn't concern you."
She scanned all five of them, "All of you take out your phones and search for Gao Xiayu's name, abbreviations, and symbols."
Though they didn't understand the purpose, they all complied.
The search results were predictable - marketing accounts reposting forum content for traffic, anti-fans coming to argue with defensive fans, onlookers coming for drama, and fans trying to clean up trending topics.
Any fan brave enough to speak up at this time had to be prepared to face mockery and ridicule from netizens and anti-fans.
Gao Xiayu felt terrible watching his fans explain word by word in netizens' comments.
"Do you see it?" she asked, "Do you see what Gao Xiayu's fans are posting?"
Almost an hour after the post went up, the company still hadn't responded. The helpless fans, enduring anxiety and the pressure of humiliation, were controlling the situation by explaining under various marketing accounts and cleaning up Gao Xiayu's trending topics.
"Do you deserve fans who trust you so unconditionally?" Jiang Juyou turned to ask Gao Xiayu, "Gao Xiayu, do you think you're worthy?"
"You think you've done nothing wrong, right?" Jiang Juyou figured Gao Xiayu must be confused right now, because everyone present saw him as the victim, and he probably thought the same.
"Why do you think the company repeatedly emphasizes maintaining distance from female artists and female classmates?"
"Worried about you dating?" Jiang Juyou scoffed after saying this, "You're overestimating your charm."
She sat up straight and looked at them, "It's to prevent your fans from facing groundless humiliation, and to protect those female artists and students."
If Gao Xiayu weren't a celebrity, Chen Ya's actions would just be considered a young girl's fantasy records of her crush, but because Gao Xiayu is a celebrity, her behavior became wrong.
Even the fans defending Gao Xiayu were portrayed as ignorant and stubborn in this incident.
True fans can't spare any thought for the female party at times like this - they fall into self-doubt, questioning their judgment, doubting past memories, doubting everything Gao Xiayu had said before.
Only onlookers would curiously attack the female party, supposedly standing up for the fans.
The ones criticizing the female party are them, the ones defending her are also them - they say everything there is to say, then let the fans take the blame, followed by another wave of righteous netizens coming to condemn the fans.
For defending Gao Xiayu, his fans were also called servants, washing machines, and boy-moms.
Looking at the content on Weibo, Gao Xiayu couldn't help but tear up.
"I'll say it one last time, think before you act, consider the consequences," Jiang Juyou said finally.
Pei Luming and the others seemed to both understand and not understand. After being let out, Pei Luming tilted his head, "Why do I feel like Manager Jiang was implying something?"
"Just keep quiet," Yao Shuo pushed him and warned, "You're the most dangerous one, remember to keep your distance from those friends of yours."
"How am I not keeping distance? I don't even hang out with them anymore!"
"Guys are dangerous too, forgot how your phone number got leaked?"
"..."
"You should learn from Ye Xing, whose Moments are completely empty."
"...That won't work, I'll die without people to chat with."
Only the staff and the four of them were let out; Gao Xiayu was still inside.
Jiang Juyou's lecture hadn't ended - there were too many people earlier, so she had saved face for Gao Xiayu.
"You should know your position, right? You're the team leader. If you can't even manage yourself, how can you manage others?"
"You know your team's situation well. Pei Luming is closest to you, Ye Xing and the other three often hang out together. If you get kicked out of the team for whatever reason, what about Pei Luming who depends on you?"
Gao Xiayu stood with his hands behind his back, head lowered, saying nothing.
She finally said what she hadn't earlier: "Control that savior complex of yours. You're so good at reading the room, I don't believe you didn't notice your classmate likes you."
"What are you trying to do by continuing to let this happen? Want to leave the team early while you haven't been debuted for long?"
Considering the young people's face and self-esteem, Jiang Juyou hadn't been so harsh in recent years. Speaking harshly to Gao Xiayu today was purely out of disappointment.
"I hope such misunderstandings won't happen again..." she stared at Gao Xiayu, frowning, "I wouldn't be this angry if it were anyone else, but it had to be you."
"Gao Xiayu, remember your position, manage yourself well, and manage your four brothers too."
Timetrain means something different to Random Entertainment - as the first group, they absolutely cannot have any problems.
Jiang Juyou pinched her brow, "Go now, the company will handle this."
"I'm sorry..."
After Jiang Juyou finished speaking, Gao Xiayu bowed deeply. He truly felt deeply sorry for causing trouble for so many people because of himself.
"Alright, go rest, don't hover in front of me."
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Everyone knows about the golden time for PR - the earlier the better. Three hours after the post appeared, Random Entertainment went online to respond to this matter, and breaking from their usual word-sparing image, posted a long text with images.
"@Random Entertainment: Regarding the rumors circulating online, our company makes the following response."
The attached image clearly detailed the cause and result of the incident, clarifying the points that fans were most concerned about.
[Gao Xiayu has never been in love, has never dated, and doesn't have anyone he likes.]
This key point is placed at the beginning, followed by the timeline of events.
"At 22:26, our company received a fan sentiment alert regarding the forum post [Gao Xiayu: Nine months since debut, nineteen months of dating (with evidence)]."
"Clarification Point 1: The photo together was maliciously edited. Here are the original two photos."
"Clarification Point 2: The chat content was taken out of context and doesn't match the actual facts."
The complete chat history was attached, including the mother's instructions, which made the entire conversation appear less ambiguous.
In other screenshots, they also included Gao Xiayu's conversations with other classmates, showing that he had agreed to help bring breakfast for others as well.
"Clarification Point 3: Gao Xiayu and the girl are childhood friends. The girl has someone she likes, and her relationship with Gao Xiayu is purely friendship."
Random Entertainment quickly clarified the situation after it escalated, addressing all online speculations comprehensively in their first statement.
Regardless of the clarification content, netizens were shocked by Random Entertainment's speed. Moreover, this itemized clarification was unprecedented.
Usually, clarifications just involve threatening with lawyer's letters, and this was the first time they'd seen an entertainment company actually explain things.
"Wow... there's actually a living company in the entertainment industry!"
"I knew it! How could Gao Xiayu be dating? His career ambition is overflowing."
"Even the original chat content wasn't suspicious at all..."
"It's funny how when you view them as a couple, the messages seem ambiguous, but when you see them as friends, everything looks normal... I can't believe myself."
"Yes, yes, yes! The entertainment industry should follow Random Entertainment's clarification template. Some things are so simple but companies hold back explanations, making it impossible to get the full story."
"Random Entertainment's artists must be so comfortable! I thought we'd have to wait until morning for a response, but they released it in the early hours!"
"Jealous of you Random geese, you're treated so well."
"...With the same situation, my idol's company would just say 'we can't confirm the artist's private life' [lights cigarette]. It's infuriating."
"Alright, those who were betting on Gao Xiayu's downfall, come apologize now."
"Those pretending to be fans while throwing shade at the female party, come kneel down."
Random Entertainment addressed every point fans were concerned about, putting all text and images in one post. Even if marketing accounts reposted it, nothing would be left out.
Random Entertainment, which built its success through marketing accounts, truly understands how to control online discourse.
This textbook-style clarification was spread across major platforms under Random Entertainment's guidance. Some people hadn't even seen the scandal before the clarification arrived.
The momentum was so great that marketing focused on Random Entertainment's textbook-style clarification, successfully deflecting attention from the crisis.
The impression left on casual observers that night was simply:
Someone said Gao Xiayu had a scandal, Random Entertainment clarified it with a textbook-level response, making other entertainment companies learn to speak up like Random Entertainment.
As for the content, few people read it carefully, so no one noticed Random Entertainment's wordplay.
Aliali: 67486ac8c4f3f33ac478693dThat's how the internet works - this incident was just a fleeting moment of entertainment.
Random Entertainment's clarification saved the suffering fans, letting them hold their heads high. It also saved Chen Ya, who had momentarily lost her judgment, by downplaying her mistake.
Gao Xiayu posted his handwritten apology letter in the Galaxy chat room two hours after the company's statement.
He apologized to fans who were innocently dragged into this and thanked those who trusted and defended him.
Seeing the comfort and encouragement from fans made him feel guilty again.
"Gao Xiayu: I'm really sorry. I should have given everyone a better fan experience, but this happened instead. I'm truly very sorry. I know many fans who spoke up for me were hurt. I'm really, really sorry."
"Gao Xiayu: I'm truly very sorry"
He kept apologizing and barely slept that night.
Today is also two chapters ~ seven thousand words!
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