Chapter Forty-Five: Popularity with Strangers—Just Good Luck?

"Could you at least do your homework before trying to slander someone? This so-called anonymous account, do you even dare to specify when and where Lin Xing allegedly sexually harassed you five years ago? Do you know what Lin Xing was doing in May, five years ago? As a fan of thirteen years, let me tell you: five years ago, Lin Xing had just decided to volunteer at Dafeng Mountain..."

"This is hilarious. If this anonymous account had picked another time, maybe Lin Xing really couldn't have proven himself, but you chose May five years ago. I was also teaching at Dafeng Mountain at that time. Not only was Lin Xing with the students every day, he often bought groceries out of his own pocket to cook for them. Tell me, were you even at Dafeng Mountain then?"

"I'm really sick of this trend where a single accusatory essay can destroy someone's reputation. There's no evidence at all, and the worst part is, even afterwards there's no price to pay. Just look at veteran actor Zheng Nantian, who was accused of sexual harassment by his female colleague Dai Linghui without a shred of proof, and it ended his acting career. Years later, it finally came out that he was innocent—but what use is that now? Dai Linghui is an A-lister, and Zheng Nantian is stuck with supporting roles."

The first to speak up in Lin Xing's defense were his fans, but it was the bystanders who really turned the tide.

The reason was twofold: first, everyone knew Lin Xing had indeed been volunteering—his activities at Dafeng Mountain had been thoroughly investigated before. Second, people were just tired of these so-called "exposés."

So the bystanders went straight for the heart of the sexual harassment accusation.

Lin Xing didn't even need to make a public statement. Five years ago, the principal had invited him to volunteer at Dafeng Mountain. He arrived in April and stayed for three months.

Since then, Lin Xing had spent three months each year at Dafeng Mountain.

Bystanders dug up all these facts, and many were left asking: where on earth could Lin Xing have found time to harass you?

Not to mention those who jumped on the bandwagon, claiming he harassed them just by glancing their way. Even more telling: in the past five years, Lin Xing's fans rarely went to the airport to greet him; each time, there were only a handful of people.

It was only last month that his airport greetings suddenly grew in number.

Lin Xing then decisively dissolved his fan club.

This move further boosted his reputation with the general public, who had grown weary of the fan culture.

Add to that his acclaimed role as Du Fei, and even more bystanders were willing to defend him.

As for claims that Lin Xing acted like a diva?

That was even more laughable.

When Lin Xing went to the headquarters of Deya Electric Cars to shoot endorsement videos and photos, countless passersby took photos with him; some didn't even know who he was, just wanted to join in the fun.

But Lin Xing cooperated the whole time, never showing a hint of impatience.

Some bystanders posted these photos on their social media, simply thinking he seemed like a nice celebrity.

It was only after Lin Xing became famous with the role of Du Fei that many realized: the person in their photo was Lin Xing.

And this is the guy you call a diva?

Many Deya Electric Cars staff also said, “We’ve never seen a celebrity as approachable as Lin Xing.”

One cameraman claimed, “Saying Mr. Lin is arrogant is the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. I’ve worked with many celebrities, but someone as cooperative and considerate as Mr. Lin—I haven’t met another like him.”

Then, someone who claimed to be present during several scenes of "Only Waiting for You" said that Lin Xing had no airs at all, and was very kind to those working the roadshow.

Fan Fei, the assistant responsible for hosting Lin Xing during the shoot of "Only Waiting for You," also confirmed, “Mr. Lin has never acted like a diva. He’s truly dedicated and gentle.”

In just half an hour, bystanders were discussing Lin Xing all over Weibo. The fanbase didn’t even need to fight back or defend him.

As the saying goes, reputation is not built overnight.

Though Lin Xing had faded from the spotlight for a decade, he never truly left the entertainment industry. Everything he did was done with sincerity and excellence.

Not to mention that Lin Xing’s charity work was never about publicity.

Yet, the volunteering he did five years ago now served to prove his innocence.

Furthermore, Lin Xing’s usual behavior won him even more support.

Whether it was the goodwill he’d accumulated through past projects and activities, or the recent popularity of "Farming, Star Edition," "Only Waiting for You," and Deya Electric Cars, the bystanders had personally won the fight for Lin Xing.

Or perhaps “won” isn’t the right word—rather, Lin Xing had gained genuine public favor.

Especially with the contrasting leads of "Only Waiting for You," Lin Xing’s rapport with the public was at its peak.

Even Sister Dao hadn’t anticipated this.

“Well, this works out,” Sister Dao said after surveying the comments. “If we’d responded ourselves, some people wouldn’t have believed us, no matter how clear the evidence. Now the public has debunked the rumors for us, which saves us the effort.”

“Yes, we’ll leave the rest to the legal team,” Lin Xing nodded softly. “This time, we need to set an example.”

“We’ve almost gathered all the evidence we need. If they think they can destroy our reputation with such underhanded tricks, they’re sorely mistaken.” Sister Dao sneered. “If you want to play dirty, don’t cross the line. This time, they were out to ruin us. We won’t let them get away with it.”

Whether it was the anonymous account or the other paid trolls, their actions had crossed into criminal territory.

No matter how careful they were, something would come to light.

At the same time, not just the internet, but the entire industry was abuzz.

This was the power of public favor.

Who would have thought that someone once considered an illiterate could win over the public now?

Anything could happen in the entertainment world.

An idol with genuine public favor—wasn’t that rare?

It seemed to be fate.

Many believed that "Only Waiting for You" was meant to be Chu Chen’s stepping stone to greater fame, but he had become merely a supporting act to Lin Xing’s brilliance.

“Lin Xing is really lucky,” many in the industry quietly sighed.

“Nonsense!” Feng Gang, who was filming “Farming, Star Edition,” heard these remarks and couldn’t help but curse.

Without true ability, luck is useless.

No one understood Lin Xing’s talent better than Feng Gang now.

Even he had been surprised—Lin Xing was no longer the A-Xing of the past.

“I wonder if Lin Xing would be willing to take on a new challenge?” Feng Gang murmured, recalling his conversation with an old friend the previous night.

That friend was preparing a new drama, one that would gather some of the best actors in the business. His friend had no interest in idol actors.

So Feng Gang was considering asking Lin Xing.

...