Chapter 35: This Is Our Victory!

"Yes, I won the lawsuit! The judge granted all of my claims! Following this, Zhang Jiao will issue an apology on public platforms and pin it to the top of her profile for three days!"

...

"I just wanted to see you up close."

"Let me see just how blind I was in the past."

...

"To put it mildly, this is your personal avarice and moral corruption. To put it on a grander scale, you have opened Pandora's box and caused societal fragmentation!"

...

"Then the media will write headlines like, 'Cheng Cheng has now become the world's most popular male star, the number one face among the 100 most handsome in the world. What is the current status of Zhang Jiao, who once slandered him?'"

...

At Xianghua Entertainment, the conference room screen was playing an interview with Cheng Cheng. News of his victory had already spread.

"Snap—"

A hand hit the pause button.

Ma Rong’s expression was ghastly: "Why did this mental patient win the lawsuit?"

"Didn't we already make the necessary arrangements?!"

With a loud "bang," a senior executive swept all the files off the table and stood up, teeth gritted: "Damn it, damn it, damn it! Why couldn't he just honestly have an affair? Why did he have to add more trouble for the company?!"

When Xianghua Entertainment terminated Cheng Cheng’s contract, they had done too much. Not only did they issue an apology statement admitting to their own poor management, but they also took an extra step to kick him while he was down, effectively putting the final nail in his coffin.

After all, in the eyes of netizens, if Xianghua Entertainment hadn't held evidence confirming Cheng Cheng actually had an affair, why would they have cut ties so abruptly?

But now, with the verdict out, it was proven that Cheng Cheng never had an affair. In an instant, Xianghua Entertainment became a total clown!

The good reputation they had built by cutting ties with Cheng Cheng collapsed overnight, and it also caused severe repercussions within the industry: If they couldn't even protect their own artists, and the moment trouble hit, their first instinct was to draw a line and abandon their headlining star, who would dare sign with such an entertainment company? Who would dare risk their career for it?

"What do we do now?" one executive asked.

Ma Rong’s eyes turned malicious. "The only course of action is to wait. Stay silent, let the heat die down, and then we will slowly finish him off later."

"Right!" someone agreed. "Cheng Cheng must disappear from the entertainment industry to eliminate the impact on our company."

"That’s simple. As long as we step up to lead a boycott against him, the rest of the industry will give us face. After all, who would offend us for the sake of a minor character like Cheng Cheng?"

"Exactly. So what if he won the lawsuit? He still dreams of becoming the world's most popular male star? Keep dreaming! He will soon realize that winning the lawsuit changes nothing! He will have no films to shoot, no shows to appear on, and no songs to sing!"

Someone reminded them: "Don't forget, there's still his new movie."

Another laughed: "Don't worry, of course I haven't forgotten. We'll strike a heavy blow when his movie promotion starts! If you want to destroy someone, you must first make them go mad. He is already mad, and his destruction is not far off!"

Fanghua Beauty, like the other twelve brands sued by Cheng Cheng, was equally furious and panicked upon hearing the news of his victory!

He actually won?!

He actually dared to win?!

How could he possibly win?!

The situation had turned against them!

Did this not mean they would also lose their upcoming cases against Cheng Cheng? After all, Fanghua Entertainment's termination of his contract was based on the premise of his "public downfall," which in turn was built on the "affair." Now that the affair was proven to be a smear, did their contract termination still hold any legitimacy?

"Damn it all!"

In the PR office of Fanghua Beauty, the curses were endless.

"A guy who doesn't know the rules! When a spokesperson gets into trouble, brands always terminate contracts immediately; it's always been done this way. But we just had to run into this madman Cheng Cheng, who actually dares to sue us!"

"Doesn't he know how many variety shows, TV dramas, and movies we invest in or sponsor? If he really wants to go head-to-head with us, does he even want to survive in the entertainment industry? Why couldn't he just let it slide? Why did he actually dare to sue?!"

"A bedbug that ruined a whole pot of soup!"

The executives at Fanghua Beauty gritted their teeth in hatred.

They hated that the "underdog" wouldn't just lie there and let them beat him to a pulp; they hated that he dared to talk back. They hated that in the perfect script where they were the righteous ones punishing a "scumbag," Cheng Cheng wouldn't play his role and cooperate obediently. They hated that they were the "fathers" of the entertainment industry, yet Cheng Cheng wouldn't bow down and offer up his knees.

Such a thorn in their side—he truly deserved to die!

...

Finally, a senior executive at Fanghua Beauty made the final decision: "From now on, Cheng Cheng is not allowed to join any variety show, TV drama, film, or event that we invest in! We are unilaterally blacklisting him!"

"Agreed!"

"Agreed!"

"Agreed!"

—

On Weibo, the hashtag #ChengChengWinsLawsuit surged to the top of the trending list.

#ChengChengGoesCrazyAtCourt, #ChengChengWinsLawsuit, #ChengChengSelfProclaimsWorldClassStar, #WhatIsPandorasBox, and #ChengChengRelentlesslyPursuesZhangJiao followed closely behind.

As the news and on-site videos arrived, his loyal fanbase—the "Little Blackies"—exploded!

"Justice may be delayed, but it will arrive eventually!"

"Finally, a total victory! Congratulations to Brother Frog!"

"Brother Frog’s words were so satisfying! This is exactly the scene I imagined in my dreams! A bitch like Zhang Jiao, who slanders and lacks a conscience, deserves to be punished! People like this should be nailed to the pillar of shame in history!!"

"Well said! So satisfying!"

"Deeply gratifying!"

"Remember what Brother Frog said!"

"Brother Frog is a real man!!!"

"I still love Zhang Jiao’s 'unruly' look!"

"Zhang Jiao’s face turned white in the video, hahahaha!"

"The first battle for our 'regular army' is finally won! The 'iCheng' fans defected, only our Little Blackies stood firmly by him, and facts have proven that we were right to believe in him! Brother Frog is a righteous, real man! This victory is a victory for all of us—our victory against extremist groups, our victory against the entertainment industry!!!"

"I’m trembling, brothers!!!"

"This is the power of 'boy help boy'! It’s so heartwarming!"

"The most satisfying episode ever, beating a dog in the water is so refreshing!!!"

"Did you hear that? Brother Frog said he wants to become the world's most popular male star. What should we do?"

"Let's go! He wants to reach the pinnacle of the world! We will accompany him to the top of the world!"

"I have never admired a male star so much! From this moment on, Brother Frog, you are my god!"

"I strongly suggest that the National People's Congress should legislate against these 'online smear essays.' People must bear legal responsibility for the consequences of false statements!!!"

"It has been proven countless times that those who post smear essays or videos first to manipulate public opinion are the ones in the wrong. By manipulating public opinion to hunt people down, anyone can become a victim!"

"He is the brave warrior of this era!"

"Frog Army! Form ranks! Call out!"

"Croak!"

"Croak!"

"Croak!"

The Little Blackies were filled with righteous indignation! They had lost too many times! They had been disappointed too many times! But this time, and this time only, Cheng Cheng led them to a win!

However, amidst the harmony, there was always discord. Some male netizens felt uncomfortable:

"Zhang Jiao is still a young girl; she deserves a chance to turn over a new leaf. Isn't Cheng Cheng being a bit too harsh by threatening her like this?"

"First of all, I'm not on Zhang Jiao's side, and I agree she did something wrong, but is it really okay for Cheng Cheng to publicly humiliate her? I think it's not very magnanimous, it makes Cheng Cheng look narrow-minded."

"Cheng Cheng's words are a bit too extreme. Zhang Jiao isn't as bad as he says. Everyone makes mistakes; why can't he give her a chance to start over?"

"Cheng Cheng is being a bit aggressive."

But such comments were quickly swarmed by the Little Blackies:

"Nice guys go to the back of the line!"

"Screw you! When Cheng Cheng was being slandered, why didn't you come out and tell Zhang Jiao to be magnanimous?"

"She's a woman, but she's not a human being either. Why are you out here washing her sins? If you don't have anything to say, no one will think you're mute!"

"If this were a few years ago, I might agree with you, but times have changed, buddy. Everything needs fairness! I support the counter-attack! Brother Frog did nothing wrong!"

The Little Blackies attacked everywhere. The comment sections of the numerous big V's, bloggers, and content creators who had initially slandered Cheng Cheng were blood-washed, especially the lawyers who had jumped in before the trial, who were dragged out by the Little Blackies to be whipped:

Huh? Didn't you say Cheng Cheng would definitely lose?

Open your dog eyes and look—did he lose?

Did he?!

You mongrels who feed on black traffic, if you have the guts, say something else!

The lawyer was scolded for over a dozen pages and simply became a turtle, not daring to show his face. At this time, who would dare touch the wrath of the Little Blackies? That would be like a long-lived star hanging himself—looking for death!

On this day, the Little Blackies launched a full-scale offensive that shook the heavens and the earth; their heroic figures could be seen in every comment section on Weibo.

Of course, the main event was still Zhang Jiao's page, where the number of comments on her latest post had reached 300,000.

The news of Cheng Cheng's victory had been fermenting for three or four hours, but Zhang Jiao's Weibo remained silent. All 300,000 comments were insults.

"Where is the apology?"

"Don't play dead. Where is that energy you had when you were slandering Cheng Cheng?"

"Everyone remember her name is Zhang Jiao!"

"Hello, can you reply to my private message?"

"Zhang Jiao: Losing the lawsuit ≠ I have to apologize."

"You truly brought this upon yourself. Look at how pathetic you are now. If you knew it would come to this, why did you do it in the first place?"

"Remember what Brother Frog said. I hope you reflect on your mistakes and stop causing harm to society!"

"Hope your parents recover soon."

"Get out here and face the music!"

Seeing the Little Blackies being so arrogant, Zhang Jiao's supporters were anxious.

One young girl angrily posted: "Winning the lawsuit doesn't mean it's the truth!!!"

When she posted this, she felt like she was standing on the side of justice, even adding three exclamation marks, but she was quickly torn to shreds by the Little Blackies:

"What an idiot!"

"So a smear essay is the truth? You're really something!"

"You're so impressive, 'winning doesn't mean it's the truth'? Then show some evidence! I'm not asking for pictures, audio, or video—even a single chat record proving an affair would do. After Cheng Cheng wins, you come here with this passive-aggressive, baseless nonsense."

The girl didn't back down and fired back: "The truth is only known to them, but winning doesn't mean it's the truth. It just means the lawyer was good. I'm not taking anyone's side."

This is called not taking anyone's side?

This blatant taking of sides is like planting her own feet into the ancestral grave of the Zhang family!

"Do you know more than the parties involved?"

"Is that thing on your face even a mouth? Did you grow it upside down?"

"How can Zhang Jiao's fans be this shameless?"

"The moment I knew she identified with Zhang Jiao, I stopped considering her human!"

The Little Blackies were so angry their lungs were about to explode.

Why, even after Cheng Cheng won the lawsuit, were there still people here turning black into white and quibbling? They wished they could travel through the internet cable to the other side, smash their heads in, and show them why flowers are so red!

Just then, before Zhang Jiao could post anything, the Little Blackies received a notification that Cheng Cheng's Weibo had updated.

Clicking in, Cheng Cheng didn't go crazy. He simply posted a poem:

*"Ode to Lime"*

*"Tempered and pounded in the deep mountains,
Remaining indifferent to the flames that burn.
Fearless of being crushed to dust and bone,
Only to leave purity in the world of men."*

PS:
Recommending a book, family! Urban romance genre, already over 700,000 words. If you're interested, please show some support!

*"Confession Failed, So I’ll Pursue Her Best Friend"*

First love, white moonlight, green tea campus belle? I was treated like a fish in my past life, watch me torment you to death in this one. First step: take down her best friend.