The incident became noteworthy news at once.
Nie Zehai was one of the most popular young celebs at the moment, one who just had a massive spurt in his number of followers recently.
If that was just a simple dating scandal, people wouldn’t dwell on it for long.
However, sexual assault was a wicked crime that no one could get away with, nor be forgiven for due to its malevolent nature!
Nevertheless, some were secretly pleased, as Nie Zehai’s sudden upswing in popularity had inevitably hindered the profit of many parties.
Therefore, him getting into trouble was a huge blessing as far as they were concerned.
Nie Zehai had taken over many resources, including commercials, variety shows, movies and endorsements… If he collapsed, these resources would be re-distributed to others, wouldn’t they?
Having thought of that, some could no longer hold back their excitement. Stealthily, they began fabricating stories that would damage his reputation.
Some despised Nie Zehai, while others were on his side.
One of them was Nie Zehai’s close friend of many years, Zhou Chunheng. The two of them joined the entertainment industry at around the same time, but Zhou Chunheng had always been active in films. By now, he had won several awards and was fairly popular.
He posted in his Weibo feed right away.
“My homie would never commit such acts! It is too wicked of @Gu Qiang to defame a kindhearted person in such a despicable way!”
Just as expected, the comments below his post consisted of two extremes.
Some were fans who supported them, praising their strong bond of brotherhood.
The rest were furious netizens, ranting and raving about how they had mistaken him for a great person and how he was colluding with scumbags like Nie Zehai!
Apart from Zhou Chunheng, a female celebrity named Yin Jiaojiao also supported Nie Zehai.
Yin Jiaojiao had been in the industry for many years. Her acting was great, but she had never really become a sensation, nor made it to the list.
She was a few years older than Nie Zehai, nearing her thirties now. The two had collaborated before.
Yin Jiaojiao was a bold, forthright woman, and had no tolerance for evildoings.
This time, she stood up for Nie Zehai too.
“Hai is a kind soul who never loses his integrity. I believe he’s innocent!”
As expected, the comments below were of two extremes as well.
“How can you lose your integrity over benefits? That’s outrageous of you, to take the rapist’s side instead of defending women, despite being a woman yourself!”
Some of her old fans even tried to admonish her, “Jiaojiao, let’s not get involved in matters like this, ok?”
The nature of the problem was too severe, unlike usual bickering and sabotaging. Who would want to get their hands dirty?
However, regardless of what people said, neither Yin Jiaojiao nor Zhou Chunheng took down their posts. They chose to support Nie Zehai with their resolute attitude.
Apart from the two of them, Xia Xibei also posted in her feed.
“I believe in Brother Hai’s innocence! He is the real victim! Besides, I’d like to remind someone- don’t presume that your deeds have gone unnoticed. Own up to your mistake now, don’t embarrass yourself later!”
Xia Xibei had opened an account earlier, which had not only been verified but was followed by many.
She didn’t usually update her Weibo feed and barely posted any selfies, apart from occasionally sharing what she was up to.
This time, her unexpected post sparked a commotion.
“Holy jeez! When did you even become close with Nie Zehai?”
“My goodness, am I reading it right? Beibei, do you actually know Brother Hai?”
Very soon, people hurried over to her post and launched their attack.
“So this is how shameless you can be just to curry favor with someone, huh?”
“Whoa, looks like you won’t miss any opportunity to get famous, huh? B*tch!”
“Those who hang out with rapists can’t be decent people either. I guess you’ve slept with him. Is that why you believe in him?”
The comments just got more and more lewd and nasty.
Very soon, some random marketing ID released a photo of Xia Xibei and Nie Zehai.
That marked the beginning of yet another major uproar on the internet.