I'm Really a Superstar

That night.

On TV, the news was reporting about the SARFT's decree #43 and the initial list of celebrities who had been banned. It would have been okay if this was just a normal terrestrial channel, but it had to be Central TV's News Simulcast, which was being aired on many terrestrial channels throughout the country at the same time. It was needless to say how large the viewership and outreach it had. All over the country, the evening edition newspapers and local news channels were also giving a lot of coverage to this matter. As such, the commoners, who had not paid attention to this piece of news in the day, had now found out by the evening!

It was an earthquake!

An earthquake in the entertainment industry!

On the internet, on Weibo, a few celebrities had posted their statements regarding this issue. Overtly or covertly, they all criticized the banned artistes and hailed the new policy as a good move. Some critics and bloggers also posted their views about it, mainly claiming the move to be a good one and how this would be beneficial to the future development and health of the entertainment business. No one criticized it. Even the implicated artistes and their management agencies, along with companies that worked with them, did not issue any statements. It was as though they had discussed it earlier to stay quiet on the issue!

"Director Sun's new movie is going to suffer a huge loss!"

"It's even more than that! There won't be anything left to lose!"

"The supporting male lead has been banned. I heard that the producers and director have already started editing and deleting some of the footage, but if they were to delete the affected portions, there wouldn’t be much left to watch. The storyline would definitely be incomplete."

"Then why don't they protest?"

"The decree has already been announced, so what use is protesting!"

"The people up there are heartless. It wouldn't matter who protests this time, it's useless."

"Old Uncle Wang can forget about going back to singing again. It's such a pity, I kinda liked his songs."

"He can only blame himself for having abused drugs in his earlier years. There's always a price to pay. The policies aren't too bad overall, but how did Zhang Ye end up in there as well!"

In this list of 29 names, the people mentioned were not too famous overall. Most of them were public figures with 7-8 of them considered to be E-listers, a few D-listers, while Zhang Ye had newly entered the C-list. On the name list, Zhang Ye was ranked 3rd overall. Only Li Qiang and another singer were considered to be more well known than him. Those 2 were also C-listers, but were ahead of Zhang Ye by a lot more. Especially that Li Qiang, who was anticipated to break into the B-list with this new movie, but now, that chance was ruined. This was why Zhang Ye being one of the top stars in the list had attracted so much attention!

On Tieba.

Zhang Ye's numerous fans could no longer stay quiet. They were all very angry!

"Give us back Teacher Zhang Ye!"

"For what reason are you using to ban him!?"

"How can beating someone be considered a serious misdemeanor? That's not fair!"

"They're just settling old scores! Do they really think we're stupid? It's really as Teacher Zhang Ye said! Debasement is the password of the base! Nobility the epitaph of the noble! Reading 'The Answer' again after so long, it really touches your heart!"

"It's too humbling! Are we really never going to see Teacher Zhang again in the future?"

"This result is something I cannot accept. I believe that is the same for all of Teacher Zhang Ye's fans too!"

"Ban your sister! There are so many celebrities who have beaten others or scolded people, and yet they didn't get on the list. Yet you all had to ban Teacher Zhang Ye who had stood up for the commoners?"

"Ah Ah Ah!"

"I'm so mad!"

At this time, someone posted a screenshot of a post that Lee Anson had posted on a platform similar to Weibo in Korea. With a translation of the original Korean text, it said without pointing out a name — 'I've always believed that the evil will get their just deserts.'

With that, Zhang Ye's fans became even angrier!

"Holy f**k!"

"Who's the evil one?"

"He's explicitly accusing Zhang Ye!"

"That grandson is too much! Didn't the Panda Burning Incense incident teach him a lesson?"

Lee Anson's words had poked a sore spot in everyone. The incident that time had started because of him. It was him who had pushed down a fan first and Zhang Ye had only stood up for her, to ask for an apology. Yet, the end result was Lee Anson being not affected and Zhang Ye being banned? What sort of logic was this! At least if they banned Lee Anson as well, everyone wouldn't be feeling as frustrated as they were, but that did not happen. There were no foreign names on the list at all. Even if Lee Anson was not a Chinese national, the SARFT still had the power to ban them in China. Yet it was still only Zhang Ye's name on the list!

Suddenly, another Korean celebrity, who had a run in with Zhang Ye before a long time ago on Zhang Ye's talk show appeared. That person was Lee Parkwoo. He used his verified Weibo account to post a message, specifically singling out the person -- “@ZhangYe I knew such a day would come. A person like you is just a clown. The policies passed this time were really timely. You better reflect upon yourself!"

That tone was one of gloating and patronizing attitude!

Seeing how these two Korean celebrities appeared to make fun of them with such rudeness, Zhang Ye's fans were now furious!

But before any of them could retort, other people began to follow up with even more gloating!

Lee Anson and Lee Parkwoo's braindead fans were the first to appear. Whether it was Lee Anson or Lee Parkwoo, both of them had suffered greatly at the hands of Zhang Ye. They had almost lost all their face back then, so naturally their fans would hate Zhang Ye to the bone. After going through so much incidents and sticking with their idols, there was no need to question the loyalty of these braindead fans. They were definitely all hardcore!

"Heehee, I'm so happy!"

"Zhang Ye is finally done for!"

"Still dare to hit our Anson-oppa? Now look who's the stupid one!"

"I doubt that Zhang fella would dare to show off anymore in the future! Are you very good at fighting? Aren't you good at scolding? Come on then. Fight us, scold us. Why are you so quiet all of a sudden?"

"Haha, what else can he make noise about? He's already too afraid to step forward!"

"There will not be a Zhang Ye anymore in the future of entertainment business!"

"It's time to celebrate!"

"That's the outcome you'll end up with for offending our Parkwoo-oppa!"

Then, another person came out on Weibo. It was Deputy Station Head Jia, who had been dismissed by Beijing Radio Station. He posted a long message saying, "There are many cases in the entertainment circles where one can become famous overnight, but it is not that simple. There are rules and regulations in all of this. A person who defies the rules will never be able to enjoy success in the entertainment industry for long, nor would they ever be able to rise to the rank of A-list. Zhang Ye is now eating the bitter fruits of his actions. You should be happy. To reach this point is already a miracle. You were already too lucky!"

Soon after, the Beijing Writer's Association's Vice President, Meng Dongguo also spoke out, "The messed up entertainment industry should have already been cleaned out a long time ago. Those messed up people should have been banned long ago!" Without a doubt, he was definitely referring to Zhang Ye!

Three!

Five!

Ten!

Zhang Ye had offended countless people in the entertainment, literary, and educational circles! Now that he was in trouble, trouble that he could never recover from, all of these 'enemies' and people who disliked him had all appeared!

They stabbed at him!

Laughed in derision!

Everything poured out at once!

It immediately turned lively on the internet. There were more and more people joining the army that derided Zhang Ye. In the past, some people, as well as his peers, feared Zhang Ye, since he had such a vicious mouth. He also seldom dealt out his cards in a routine fashion. He was quite an asshole, so they had to be careful when they targeted him, but now, with decree #43 out, his enemies had no more concerns. All of them started pointing their spear heads at him!

Professor Ma Hengyuan: "A short-lived negative example of the entertainment circle!"

A WebTV host, whose program suffered due to Zhang Ye's talk show: "Unorthodox means can never go far!"

Numerous war of words began!

"F**k, why are so many people dismissing Teacher Zhang Ye?"

"Who said Zhang Ye is finished!? I refuse to believe!"

"Upstairs, you sure are dumb. It's already set in stone. What fantasies are you harboring?"

"I just receive a bit of news. Zhang Ye's programs and works have all been taken off the shelves and deleted. And after his novels were taken off the shelves, Beijing Education Publishing Firm requested compensation, and even wanted to sue Zhang Ye in court for 3.5 million. In the end, Zhang Ye just paid up without a single word!"

"3.5 million? F**k!"

"Do these publishing firms have any humanity left in them? How much did 'Ghost Blows Out the Light' earn for them!? Yet they still want to suck that last bit of blood from Teacher Zhang Ye? I can't believe it! It's something humans are capable of, right? Are they really trying to force Zhang Ye to his death?"

"Is that true?"

"100% true. I think news of it has been revealed on the news. North Chinese Youth and Children Publishing House also wanted Zhang Ye to pay a sum of money. As for the online television station, Zhang Ye resigned from it. Everyone hits a person who is down! That is the coldness of humanity, and indeed it is disheartening to see that. Especially that Beijing Education Publishing Firm. 3.5 million. How much has Teacher Zhang Ye earned since he debuted? He was made penniless when he paid for his fan's illness, and probably his source of income was from that tiny bit of wages. He even had to borrow money from his colleagues, and at most earned some pretty good income from his advertisement endorsements, but this time, it's all gone with him paying for damages. An estimate would be that Zhang Ye has no money left!"

"The other celebrities on the name list are still alright. They are veterans and have earned quite a bit in their early years. You can consider them as earning enough, but Zhang Ye has only debuted for around six months? He even paid for that fan, Yang Lian's, treatment and never took part in commercial performances. For this ban, Zhang Ye is the one who suffered the most! He is the greatest victim!"

"Indeed!"

"I really feel like I can't bear to watch this any further!"

"I'm wondering what's wrong with Teacher Zhang Ye? What did Teacher Zhang Ye do wrong? Why do they hate him to the bone? Why are so many people kicking him while he is down?"

"Hai, it's because there's no way for Zhang Ye to make a recovery."

"This bunch of people really are ugly!"

But now, Zhang Ye had received a fatal blow. The SARFT had sentenced him to death. His hardcore fans also felt seriously affected by this. Without any forceful stance, those who supported Zhang Ye, saying indignant words were quickly drowned out by his enemies or enemies' fans. In the end, in the Weibo discussions regarding Zhang Ye, all the comments below it were all cursing Zhang Ye!

"Serves him right!"

"He should have been banned a long time ago!"

"This person is too wicked. He has offended so many people, so it's his just desserts!"

"Look, he doesn't even dare show his face now, right? I'm waiting to see how Zhang Ye does his emergency PR. Who knows, if he does it well, he might be released from the ban list in a few years time!"

In this mess of denouncing or condemning Zhang Ye, a girl's voice suddenly appeared on Weibo. The person's registered name was "Xiaoli799". She did not post a text message, but rather an audio clip. It was her own recording that she uploaded.

Many people clicked to open it without much thought and were then stunned.

That was because the girl's voice was sobbing!

Xiaoli799 said while crying, "All of you...stop scolding Teacher Zhang Ye. Why...Why are you doing this!? What has Teacher Zhang done wrong!? What are you basing these things on to say such bad things about him!? Previously, my boyfriend wanted to go overseas and we would not meet for many years. I once thought of committing suicide and gave a call to Beijing Radio Station. Back then, Teacher Zhang Ye was still a new broadcasting host. He gave me two poems, one was 'Flying bird and fish' and the other was 'A Generation'. It was because of these two poems that I did not take my life. It was because of Teacher Zhang Ye's enlightening and reprimanding of me that woke me up. That is why I am alive. Teacher Zhang is my life saver. He is also the benefactors of many others, such as a fan just like me, Yang Lian, as well as those on the plane in Shanghai! Also, that girl who was pushed after the Spring Festival Gala, many people have received Teacher Zhang Ye's kindness! What about you? What did you do? What have you ever done? What are you basing your words on to blame Teacher Zhang!? You have no qualifications to reprimand Teacher Zhang!"

The voices turned more furious. Before you knew it, the girl's voice behind the audio slowly stopped sobbing!

The moment this audio file was released, many people turned their attention towards it.

Xiaoli799's second audio clip was posted. It was meant for Zhang Ye. "Teacher Zhang, I believe you will not be defeated by this bit of difficulty! Do you still remember? Back then, you promised my boyfriend and I, that once my boyfriend returns from his studies, you will be our wedding host! You must tide this through! Let those people who doubted you see! Zhang Ye cannot be defeated!'

This audio clip did not cause any major impact. The people who wanted to curse were still cursing.

However, at home, Zhang Ye felt greatly moved upon hearing this audio clip. He naturally remembered Xiaoli. She was the girl he had encountered during his first live broadcast with a colleague that wanted to commit suicide, causing quite a major live broadcasting incident. Back then, the radio station's leaders and colleagues received quite a shock. Despite Zhang Ye feeling the same, he managed to recite two poems with his wit, successfully settling the issue.

Scenes of the past began to come to mind.

As he thought about it, a glint of remembrance surfaced in Zhang Ye's eyes. Quietly in his heart, he said, "thank you".