Reborn, I Became a Male God - Chapter 59

Yang Rou’s dad would turn on the TV every evening at 7:00 sharp to watch the Evening News, and today was no exception. But Yang Rou didn’t care much about these national affairs—she was curled up with her phone scrolling through Weibo. Although the hype was dying down on a few media outlets like Capital Weekend that had twisted the truth about the Hualian Plaza incident, the entertainment industry’s trolls and haters hadn’t let up on attacking Jing Ling. They were still jumping around, seizing any chance to slander him. There was nothing to be done—after all, The Island was performing incredibly well. Even if both the box office and reputation were being carried by Director Gu alone, the main actors were also beneficiaries. Some useless people couldn’t secure roles themselves and could only seethe with jealousy and attack others in secret.

The Weibo post Jing Ling made last night had already received over a hundred thousand comments. Most of the comments were a chaotic mix of fans and haters fighting, with a small portion from bystanders sharing their views.

Yang Rou’s fingers flew across her phone screen as she quickly rebutted several of the most brainless hateful comments. Then she refreshed and continued battling. A while later, she suddenly heard the words “Jing Ling” coming from the TV. Her first reaction was that she must’ve misheard, but she still instinctively looked up at the screen. A video was playing—it looked familiar. Then she saw the news caption and immediately realized: it was Hualian Plaza! She had given up her precious holiday to stay home scrolling through Weibo all because of this. Of course it looked familiar!

“This young man’s got some real skills!” her dad suddenly commented.

Yang Rou didn’t say anything, her eyes glued to the screen with unprecedented focus. The surveillance footage was a bit blurry and the face wasn’t clear, but that figure and silhouette—there was no mistaking it. It was definitely her idol! Most importantly, it was confirmed by the national broadcaster itself that the person in the video was indeed her idol!

“Hahahahahahahaha!” Yang Rou suddenly burst out laughing, but abruptly stopped after two seconds. The joy on her face didn’t have time to fade before it was replaced with concern. The mixed expression looked a little odd. 

“Wuwuwu, my idol got hurt!”

Her dad, startled by her sudden outburst, jumped a little. Two seconds later, after composing himself, he reached out and smacked her lightly on the head. “What the hell are you freaking out about?! I’m telling you, it’s fine to be a fan, but look at the people you like—what the hell are they? Nothing but a pretty face, all of them. Terrible acting, bad temper, diva behavior—if they’re not involved in one scandal, it’s another! Look at this young man—he didn’t even hesitate, just rushed in to save those kids. If he’d paused for even a second or two, those two might not have made it! This is exactly the kind of youth our society needs!”

Yang Rou gave him an extremely speechless look. Her dad glared back, “What are you looking at?! Am I wrong?! What are they teaching you in college politics class?!”

“Sorry, Dad,” she replied. “That young man you’re praising? He is my idol. See? Even you think he’s great. But what’s the point of just saying it? How about doing something real—his movie’s in theaters now. Let’s go watch it together tomorrow, how about it?”

Just as she finished speaking, her mom came out of the kitchen and plopped down on the sofa. “Your daughter’s suggestion sounds good. We’ve all got time anyway.” Then she turned to Yang Rou and said, “Book the tickets. And reserve a restaurant while you’re at it. We’ll eat out tomorrow.”

“Roger that!” Yang Rou made a peace sign and opened the app to place the order.

Her dad, who had just dug himself a hole: “……”

On the Nanzhou Forum, a massive thread sprang up quickly.

Topic: Evening News – Popular Young Actor Jing Ling Saves Two Children with Heroic Bravery! National Broadcast Confirms! Haters Can Kneel and Log Off Now! No Arguments Accepted!

No.0 Yunzhong Shenhai: Here’s today’s Evening News video. Skip to 15:26. National broadcaster personally confirms it—no trickery. This proves our boy has the most right to speak about the Hualian Plaza incident. If anyone keeps spreading rumors that he’s just trying to ride the hype, watch your back. Also, those who bashed him before—how about an apology?

One last plug: Gu Mengmeng’s new film The Island is now showing. Our boy Meng Er plays the third male lead. Tickets are ¥199 on Black Cat Movies—you won’t regret it! Don’t miss out! (P.S. I’m going for my third and fourth rewatch tomorrow. Yesterday was to celebrate Meng Er’s birthday, today to wish him a speedy recovery!)

(“Meng Er” (萌二) is a fan nickname, meaning “Cute Second” or “Adorable Number Two,” indicating he’s the second most beloved figure to the fans—possibly due to his account name)

No.1 dire: My minor celeb has done something amazing!

No.2 Old City: Just for saving those kids—I’m buying a ticket and apologizing.

No.3 Desert Wind North: Don’t like him, but still buying a ticket and apologizing +1

No.4 Gui Xiangxiang: …I can’t believe I’m slower than the haters on a praise thread for my Meng Er. Worst fan ever. Self-punishing with two tickets!

—

No.98 xious: As a neutral bystander, are you guys promoting the wrong thing? Sure, he’s in the movie, but it’s Gu Mengmeng’s film. The whole thing is carried by him. Your guy just plays the third villain. Might as well go watch The Song of Eternal Joy—he’s the actual lead in that one!

No.99: Troll’s Side Account: Are you dumb? Hating someone online costs nothing. An apology is just a few keystrokes—who knows if they’ll even really buy a ticket?

No.100 A-Huang-Is-Not-A-Dog: Can’t deny it—he’s really lucky. Debuted as a lead, skyrocketed to fame, and immediately got cast by a big-name director. Given current trends, the movie’s bound to do well both in box office and reputation. Now he’s been featured on national TV, officially recognized as a rising star and model youth. He’s definitely on track to blow up! But it’s a shame he got hurt. Judging by the footage, both hands are likely fractured—possibly even shattered. Who knows what shape he’ll be in after recovery? A real pity.

—

No.238 Summer Solstice: @100, update your facts. He turned 18 yesterday. Still sucks though—crippled on his birthday. Being nationally endorsed means jack!

No.239 The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter: Wow, did you just crawl out of a cesspit? Watch your mouth. Be careful—you might need help one day and no one will lift a finger.

No.240 One Foot of Gauze: After all these posts, no one’s questioning the surveillance footage? Even though the national broadcast said he’s underage, the footage is so blurry you can’t even see his face.

No.241 Flower of Eighteen: You think the national broadcaster is like those trashy media outlets that report without knowing the facts? And why would they fabricate for some random kid? Use your brain—assuming you have one!

Yesterday was May Day, and also Jing Ling’s birthday—a particularly significant one, his eighteenth. But he hadn’t paid it much mind. Yunshu and Shen Ze remembered it for him, but so what? All their original plans got thrown off by an accident. The two were too busy worrying about his injuries to think about a birthday. It wasn’t until Jing Qiu called that night to wish him a happy birthday that the three of them even remembered it.

Workaholic Shen Ze took the initiative to go to a cake shop just outside the hospital and brought back a birthday cake. They made do with a small celebration in the hospital and snapped a photo for Weibo. To keep fans from noticing anything odd, Shen Ze was careful to choose a suitable background.

Who knew that today’s Evening News would blow the whole thing wide open?

Fortunately, Xu Shaohuai had pulled some strings and transferred Jing Ling into a VIP room yesterday. Reporters couldn’t easily get in, so he wasn’t constantly disturbed. Jing Ling had been puzzled about that at the time, but now, in hindsight, he wondered if Xu had already known how things would unfold.

Coming out of his shock at being featured on the national news, Jing Ling frowned. Xu Shaohuai had clearly promised not to expose anything—so what was this all about? He asked Yunshu to bring him his phone, found the number, and dialed. It only rang twice before it was picked up.

“Officer Xu, it’s me, Jing Ling,” he introduced himself first.

“I know. What is it?” came the reply.

Jing Ling briefly mentioned the surveillance footage. Xu replied calmly, “I’ve never gone back on my word. You said you didn’t want your little girlfriend dragged into this, so we only aired eight seconds—just the part where you rushed in to save the kids. She never appeared on screen. I’ve also handled the original footage from the mall and related surveillance—her identity won’t be exposed. But if she keeps visiting your hospital room and gets photographed by reporters, that’s not on me.”

Jing Ling was silent for a moment. “Officer Xu, forgive me for asking, but… aren’t you being a little too good to me? Why?”

Getting featured on Evening News wasn’t something that just happened. And the way they aired the story clearly took his wishes into account. In a country this vast, there were plenty of people performing heroic deeds every day—some even lost their lives. Why promote him specifically?

There was a brief pause on the other end before Xu finally answered. “Jing Ling, I know you—not as a celebrity, but as the sole heir of the Li family. I know what happened in the Heduo District. You did well. You didn’t disgrace the Li name. You’re smart. You should realize that once you’ve been exposed to these secrets, you can’t go back to being an ordinary person. That last time was just your first mission. This kind of thing will keep happening. And I think your celebrity status is a great cover. Everything I’ve done—it’s not purely to help you. I have my own reasons.”

“So, Jing Ling, just like the Jiang family, I’m not a good person.” With that, he hung up.

Jing Ling wasn’t angry at all. Instead, he smiled. Sure, everyone had their own agenda. But the Jiang family were hypocrites, while Xu Shaohuai was a true scoundrel. And between the two, he preferred the latter.