Everything connected like puzzle pieces falling into place. For the Little Fruits, the emotional whiplash was brutal—one moment marveling at their idol's celestial tattoos, the next discovering he faced homelessness as his assets were auctioned. Even bystanders winced at the cruelty, let alone devoted fans.
The Little Fruits transformed into berserk warriors, embodying the game character Dian Wei's battle cries: "The beast within awakens!", "Your blood alone won't settle this debt!", "Unleash the madness!" They didn't just bombard Kangfei Entertainment's official Weibo—they crashed the company's entire website.
"Crashing" meant the feedback section drowned in messages:
"Apologize! You owe Orange an apology!"
"You're murderers!"
"Without you, Ninth Brother wouldn't have depression!"
Objectively speaking, had Kangfei's executives not betrayed company interests by abandoning early crisis management, the original Chu Zhi might've avoided such devastation.
The vitriol once aimed at Chu Zhi now boomeranged onto Kangfei with equal ferocity—especially from influencers and self-media:
"Top 4 Artist-Exploiting Agencies: Kangfei Ranks First"
"PR Disaster: Kangfei's Case Study in How NOT to Handle Scandals"
"Sign Anything But Kangfei: A Survival Guide for Trainees"
"Chu Zhi's 3 Deadly Sins of Trusting His Agency (Scan QR for ¥9 Crisis Management Course)"
These clickbait articles mirrored the baseless attacks Chu Zhi once endured—opportunistic bandwagoning without research.
Today should've belonged to Diamonds, the hit K-drama premiering across piracy platforms like LoveMeiTV and YYeTs. Yet "Sincere Acting Emperor Chu" stole the spotlight with his nighttime gut-punch revelations, dominating headlines.
After his nightly routine, Chu Zhi checked KuGou's charts. Against the Light and The Wind Blows the Wheat still clung to the Top 10 despite their age, but he noted fewer Mandarin songs in the upper ranks.
"Did this parallel world avoid the 'Hallyu Ban'? Is K-pop's idol factory about to reconquer Asia?" He frowned. The current trending songs were overwhelmingly Korean—a cultural invasion he disliked.
Then came Mango TV's announcement:
[After delightful collaborations on I Am a Singer, Little Mango Tea Party, and Dream of the Red Chamber, Mango TV withdraws all claims against @EatingABigOrange_ChuZhi. The rumors never harmed Back to Nature S3's reputation. Welcome back to the Mushroom House anytime!]
#MangoDropsLawsuit #WelcomeChuZhi #LittleFruitsDonate
Masterclass in plausible deniability. Mango never missed a promotional beat. (P.S. Their mascot "Big Yellow" was… visually unfortunate.)
The donation hashtag revealed the fandom's mobilization. After Xu Zhen's exposé went viral, Orange Garden launched internal fundraising.
When fans said "Our hearts ache for gege," they meant it. Organized by core fans across 20+ QQ groups and 40+ WeChat groups, they raised over ¥7 million in under two hours. The 500-member VIP groups and 2k-capacity QQ groups—all unofficial but led by moderators like Wei Tongzi—totaled 70,000 participants.
¥100 per person average? Unlikely. But the sheer fundraising power proved Chu Zhi's star hadn't dimmed—it burned brighter. For context: even rigged idol survival shows with corporate-backed "donation armies" rarely breached ¥20 million. When INTO1's C位 Liu Yu's fans raised ¥3.8 million in a day, it made headlines. Orange Garden's guerrilla efforts, without official backing, achieving this?
Proof that nothing fuels fandom like tragedy.
Ahem—more diplomatically: fan loyalty reaches new heights.
"This should ease Ninth Brother's burden." Wei Tongzi multitasked across fan groups, sleepless yet energized. She'd personally donated ¥20,000.
"Many Little Fruits haven't logged in yet." Her resolve hardened. After all her idol had endured, she whispered: "May your path ahead bloom with flowers and cheers."
By tomorrow, donations could hit ¥10 million—and that excluded mom fans who avoided group chats. Wei Tongzi considered switching to Weibo groups despite their clunky management.
Meanwhile, two more brands announced settlements:
Bottega Veneta:
[We unilaterally drop all claims against @EatingABigOrange_ChuZhi. Stay strong!]
#BVStandsWithChuZhi
Fans erupted:
"Note to self: buy BV for life."
"Italian luxury? Never heard of it—until today."
"You help Ninth Brother, you earn my wallet."
Among the "Six Kings of Traffic," Chu Zhi's resurgence began encroaching on others' domains:
Li Xingwei's musical credibility? Chu Zhi's singer-songwriter pivot challenged that.
Wu Tang's Weibo dominance? Their fandoms clashed after the music room incident.
Su Yiwu's "raised-by-fans" appeal? Recent events siphoned his mom-fan base.
2:30 AM
A vibrating phone under his pillow jolted Chu Zhi awake. The caller ID—"Xiao Bai"—made him groan. Does he forget time zones exist?
He silenced it with a button press, then relented and answered.
Su Shangbai: "Apologies for the hour. To summarize: Your fans are crowdfunding en masse. While well-intentioned, such donations could harm your career. Please intervene. If funds are needed, I offer interest-free loans."
Crowdfunding? The knife he'd twisted earlier was yielding unexpected returns. Chu Zhi sprang awake. "I'll handle it," he said before hanging up.
A quick search showed #LittleFruitsDonate had already amassed ¥8 million in five minutes.
"Holy—fan power is terrifying." He frantically researched legality. Thankfully, voluntary gifts without expected returns didn't qualify as illegal fundraising.
Mango TV and BV's withdrawals were anticipated—most of the 30+ lawsuits would likely dissolve. In this industry, with Chu Zhi's vindication and soaring popularity, who'd want blood money? Meanwhile, he'd countersue Gaegreen and Li Yuting for ¥67 million—enough to bankrupt them. An eye for an eye, a punch repaid with tenfold force.
"At this rate, fans could raise ¥20 million in days."
His mind flashed to a certain idol who'd monetized selfies—¥60 for six months of "exclusive" access, earning ¥4.8 million overnight from 80,000 paywalls. Even bank robbers work harder.
Shaking off the thought, Chu Zhi took immediate action:
@EatingABigOrange_ChuZhi:
*[#LittleFruitsDonate Your support moves me deeply, but please—no donations. Your companionship and love for my work are gifts enough. I won't even let you pay for albums—how could I accept your hard-earned money? The debts are mine to bear. Our music room memories will endure.
If you still wish to help, leave comments here. Let me see you. Together, we rise.]*
A follow-up comment: [The ¥8 million must be refunded in full. Thank you.]