Short videos, novels, anime, and games endlessly divert attention—even the overwhelming choices in TV dramas leave audiences spoiled for choice.
A-Xue SAMA was one such spoiled viewer. Closing the novel website "Little Green Site," she muttered to herself, "Beautiful, strong, tragic—who could resist that combo?"
She was referring to a novel she'd just finished. She loved anime, novels, and dramas but never idolized real-life celebrities.
Her ID, "A-Xue SAMA," had a distinctly Japanese flair—SAMA (さま) translating to "lord" or "your excellency," while A-Xue referred to the latest anime's male lead, Jiulan Xue, one of the thirty progenitors of second-generation vampires, betrayed by his beloved and sealed away by humans.
Another beautiful, strong, tragic character. A-Xue SAMA had zero resistance to this archetype. The reason she didn't idolize real stars? Could any flesh-and-blood person compare to the beauty of 2D characters?
Impossible.
Moreover, strong and tragic was easy to achieve, but the core of beautiful, strong, tragic was beauty.
A-Xue was a somewhat well-known "太太" (content creator) in her circle, producing fanfiction and posting it to her social space. Currently, she was writing a story about Jiulan Xue and the second male lead.
Her space's comment section was flooded with:
"Madam, hungry, need food!"
"More please! Is there more?"
Opening WeChat, she checked her public account subscriptions. When she saw [Peeling the Onion plople], she paused. "The Angel Harmed by Humans"—hadn't she seen a similar title in her space before?
Peeling the Onion plople was the kind of account you'd reference for essays or school assignments. A-Xue had followed it back in her student days, back when its headlines were things like "The Disappearing Mountain City Porters" or "The Centenarian Poet." Nowadays, it leaned a bit clickbaity.
"Harmed by humans? Who got hurt this time?" A-Xue clicked in, only to find the subject was none other than top star Chu Zhi.
"What does a top star have to complain about?" She scrolled straight to the comments, skipping the article entirely.
If the news was unfair, others would do the cursing for her.
@Just Wanna Be a Salted Fish Forever:
"I used to think all celebrities nowadays were effeminate. Let me rephrase: 'All celebrities nowadays are effeminate—except Chu Zhi.' Going on MBC and singing Herbal Medicine is like barging into someone's house and slapping them. I've never bowed to anyone, but today, I bow to him."
@Jun Moxiao:
"Hey, 'Salt Fish,' I think you meant 'bear big' (typo for 'never bowed')? Can you rein in your input method? It's gaining sentience. But seriously, Chu Zhi's the real deal—when there's trouble, he steps up."
@Old Dreams Hard to Dust Off:
"'Hua Liu is the best.' Chu Zhi's earned the right to be called 'Brother Jiu'!"
@Sugar-Flavored Dumpling:
"Listened to Оперная. The description 'a voice kissed by an angel' is spot-on."
@Camel or Not, Baa Baa:
"Wuwu… A singer with stage fright? How absurdly tragic."
"Huh? Fan-controlled comments?" A-Xue grew suspicious. Why was it all praise? But Peeling the Onion plople wasn't big enough to warrant astroturfing. "What did they even write?"
She started reading. The article was masterfully crafted, layering in atmospheric and psychological embellishments.
It began with a deep dive into Chu Zhi's mindset before stepping onto the MBC stage. Peeling the Onion plople was affiliated with The Beijing News' in-depth reporting division, and while they hadn't interviewed Chu Zhi directly, they'd expanded on excerpts from Southern Weekly's exclusive.
The immersive writing had A-Xue's eyes welling up, especially at this passage:
[If Chu Zhi had lost every round and been unmasked, the backlash would've been brutal—'humiliated abroad,' his career in ruins.
Did he do it for love of the stage? Perhaps once, but after the darkness of Singer, a man who needed liquid courage to perform couldn't possibly be motivated by passion alone.]
"Then why?" The answer in A-Xue's heart was responsibility—a refusal to stand by as the Korean Wave ran rampant.
"What a good person… Framed, cyberbullied into depression and suicide, nearly lost to the world. And now, the thing most vital to a singer—performing—has become an ordeal."
"Wuwu… Alcohol ruins vocal cords! What if his voice gets damaged?!"
The article included a photo of Chu Zhi's unmasking on MBC's stage—the very epitome of beautiful, strong, tragic, his looks rivaling 2D characters.
In an instant—just ten minutes of reading—A-Xue, who'd never idolized anyone, was thoroughly converted. On a whim, she changed her Weibo handle to A-Jiu SAMA.
Thanks to the interview, Southern Weekly trended effortlessly, steamrolling over GZ Boy Group's announcement of a Chinese single.
Chu Zhi's MBC appearance—Оперная showcasing his talent, Herbal Medicine declaring his stance—earned him praise even from non-fans. With his already sterling reputation, the coverage left almost no room for criticism.
Almost. Because Weibo's user base was… complicated.
The hashtag #StageFright blew up, a conclusion from reporter Zhong Yu that gained widespread acceptance.
Psychology majors weighed in:
"Stage fright is a type of situational phobia, a mental disorder where sufferers actively avoid feared environments. I can't imagine the pressure Chu Zhi endured to perform voluntarily. During the Dream of Red Mansions livestream, he mentioned drinking—but at home, it was wine. On the show, it was hard liquor. The reason isn't hard to guess…
Situational phobia involves recognizing the fear as irrational yet being unable to control it, accompanied by dizziness, fainting, palpitations, trembling, sweating, etc. The mask hid it, but hard liquor hits faster."
What courage. Little Fruits were heartbroken. Unofficial estimates suggested at least four digits' worth of them cried their eyes out today.
Another hot take came from a counselor:
"If Brother Jiu only has stage fright, that's one thing—but I'm worried it's PTSD. Let's look at the diagnostic criteria: 'Exposure to actual or threatened death, serious injury, or threats to physical integrity, resulting in delayed, persistent mental distress.'
On the surface, Brother Jiu wasn't under mortal threat? Not necessarily. Rewatching Singer, a severely depressed suicide survivor facing a hostile audience—I'd argue that's no less traumatic.
After his performance, Chu Zhi nearly collapsed, drenched in sweat, pale as a ghost.
PTSD also involves long-term avoidance of trauma-related stimuli and substance abuse (alcohol). I'm deeply concerned and hope Chu Zhi gets a professional evaluation."