Chapter 131: Slap in the Face
Lu Xu deliberately tried to scare the other person, mainly because of how arrogant they were. After becoming a celebrity, had the word “sorry” become a taboo—something they could never bring themselves to say?
But such arrogant celebrities weren’t rare. Occasionally, when Lu Xu attended events, he would run into stars who had two completely different faces—one for the public and one behind the scenes.
Back in the year when the original owner had just left Verse, such experiences weren’t uncommon. However, after The Path of Bones aired, no matter which event he attended, every celebrity he encountered put on a kind and pleasant demeanor.
Of course, Qi Di was an exception.
To some extent, both he and Qi Di were considered rather odd stars in the entertainment industry. He was the type to roast others without hesitation, while Qi Di drew strict lines based on his perceived social hierarchy.
…
For Lu Xu, the commotion at the airport was nothing more than a minor episode. Domestic media didn’t take the matter seriously, only briefly mentioning that Lu Xu had attended this year’s Fashion Week.
However, when the news reached K-Country, the local media instantly dramatized it.
According to K-Country media, Cha Young-hwan, a member of the boy band Mid, suffered “humiliation from a first-line male star from China” only because the bodyguard “brushed” Lu Xu lightly.
[The other party arrogantly told Cha Young-hwan, ‘Your annual income is less than one-tenth of mine.’]
[He even flaunted his expensive jewelry from C-brand, the epitome of chaebol-level arrogance.]
[Our treasure of beauty, Cha Young-hwan from Mid, was treated so poorly by an ‘ugly man.’ This is undoubtedly the darkest night in Kpop history.]
The term “ugly man” was quickly corrected, as the K-Country media soon released Lu Xu’s photos.
Given that Deception had been screened in K-Country before, many netizens there had a strong impression of Lu Xu. When it came to looks, not only was Lu Xu completely unrelated to the term “ugly,” but… even if they favored Cha Young-hwan deep down, these netizens had to admit that when the two appeared in the same frame, the one who looked less appealing was clearly Cha Young-hwan.
Despite this, Lu Xu was still subjected to a wave of furious criticism from K-Country netizens.
Since Lu Xu did not have any overseas social media accounts, K-Country netizens flocked to the accounts of C-brand and G-brand, demanding that the brands terminate their partnerships with Lu Xu and revoke his spokesperson status.
The root cause of this controversy was, of course, well known to K-Country media, but in this situation, they chose to cover it up for Cha Young-hwan—after all, Lu Xu’s actions did happen.
[Is this how you act after getting a brand endorsement? The classiness of C-brand is completely gone now.]
[…Chinese celebrities are always like this. Even in his own country, Lu Xu’s reputation is not good.]
After K-Country media blew up the story, domestic media naturally caught wind of it as well. However, unlike K-Country’s one-sided support for Cha Young-hwan, some domestic media took a critical stance on Lu Xu, condemning his blatant flaunting of wealth as “shameful.”
[These celebrities earn a bit more money and completely forget who they are, disgracing us abroad.]
[Lu Xu has always marketed himself as a straightforward, sharp-tongued persona, which his fans eat up domestically. But abroad, people don’t buy into that act.]
[How embarrassing. And this is supposed to be a top-tier star? He gets b*llied by Qi Di at home and then goes abroad to b*lly others. Tsk tsk tsk.]
[Hilarious. Lu Xu’s fans always think he’s such a kind and innocent person. Let me tell you, if someone were truly that innocent, how could they make it to the top tier? Do you really think being a top-tier star is that easy?]
[Qing Yang, Gu Sinian, Meng Qin, Chen Ye, Zhang Che, and Qi Di have something to say about that.]
After reading the reports, Lu Xu stroked his chin and remarked, “Seems like I haven’t offended enough people yet. I can’t even fill up a soccer team.”
However—beneath this comment, a few more names were added, including You Zichen, Chen Changyin, Wei Fangfei, and Qiao Mengyao.
Lu Xu chuckled. “Still not enough for 11 people. Should I volunteer to be the goalkeeper?”
On the other end of the phone, listening to Lu Xu muttering, Xu Wen was speechless: “…”
When Xu Wen first saw the reports, he thought the situation might be serious. But hearing how relaxed Lu Xu sounded now, the manager also felt a bit more at ease.
Despite the heated drama stirred up by K-Country media, it didn’t impact Lu Xu’s standing with C-brand at all.
Feiyang Entertainment issued a statement, supported by testimonies from other artists who had accompanied Lu Xu, stating that Lu Xu had been bumped into by Cha Young-hwan’s bodyguard. Moreover, neither Cha Young-hwan nor his bodyguard showed any sign of apology to Lu Xu.
Feiyang Entertainment all but outright accused Cha Young-hwan of playing the victim.
[Eyewitnesses confirmed that this incident really happened!]
[There were tons of Cha Young-hwan fans at the airport blocking the regular pathway. My sister and I were passing by and got curious when we noticed someone who looked like a celebrity, so we stopped to take a closer look. We recorded the whole thing—Cha Young-hwan’s fans were blocking the way, his bodyguard bumped into Lu Xu, and then Cha Young-hwan walked off without even pausing. Lu Xu was the one who stopped him.]
[After Lu Xu stopped him, the first reaction of Cha Young-hwan’s bodyguard was to hit him. That’s when Lu Xu started flaunting his jewelry. The bodyguard dared to hit fans but didn’t dare touch the jewelry because he couldn’t afford to pay for it. And, of course, the celebrity himself didn’t want to risk offending C-brand.]
[+1, +1.]
[K-Country media has been reporting this all day, and K-Country netizens are all furious. But even with so many fans there to welcome Cha Young-hwan at the airport, not a single person has stepped up to testify for him.]
Netizens even noticed that while K-Country media sensationalized this incident, Cha Young-hwan and Mid’s agency remained unusually quiet.
Considering the typical style of K-Country entertainment agencies, where even minor incidents warrant an official statement, this silence was highly unusual.
…
At that time, it was the middle of Fashion Week. Brands were busy promoting new collections and expanding their influence, while celebrities from various countries attended shows and left their mark on the events.
C-brand, naturally, didn’t release an official statement regarding the airport incident. However, the CEO of C-brand posted a photo with Lu Xu, commenting that the unexpected airport incident was due to not checking the weather in advance—a situation that “should never have happened.”
As for the calls from K-Country netizens demanding the brand drop Lu Xu as their spokesperson, C-brand completely ignored them.
Some sharp-eyed netizens even noticed a peculiar detail—
[Before this year’s Fashion Week, Mid members had been attending various shows and activities for different brands. Cha Young-hwan was originally scheduled to attend C-brand’s show, but he didn’t appear at all.]
[Not just him—another Mid member, Kim Joo-won, was supposed to walk the runway for Coz, a men’s line under C-brand’s parent company. That event was canceled too.]
[I noticed it too. Any Mid activity related to C-brand seems to have been quietly canceled. I remember Mid had been working hard to secure a title from C-brand, right? C-brand is notoriously stingy with their titles—even after pushing multiple events and years of evaluation, they might not grant ambassador status.]
[So…]
[Everything is self-explanatory.]
[At the very least, C-brand is siding with Lu Xu.]
…
As a spokesperson, Lu Xu’s appearances at C-brand events were infrequent, and he rarely participated in overseas activities. But the moment he appeared at C-brand’s show, the majority of fashion media cameras were trained on him.
Lu Xu had a quintessential Chinese appearance—not the sharp, deep features typical of runway models. However, beauty is universal, and in any context, Lu Xu’s looks stood out.
The theme of C-brand’s show this year was “The Golden Era,” with celebrities opting for classical and elegant styles. Lu Xu’s hairstyle was tailored to a gentlemanly look, paired with perfectly fitted attire and dazzling jewelry. Seated in the front row, he effortlessly drew attention.
He didn’t deliberately strike a pose; he simply watched the show calmly. Yet that alone was enough to pique curiosity.
There was a mysterious air about him, perfectly in tune with C-brand’s refined atmosphere.
After attending the event, Lu Xu was stopped by the media, and one journalist directly asked, “Do you feel that you were rude to Cha Young-hwan?”
Lu Xu was initially stunned. After a brief moment of confusion, he looked genuinely puzzled and had no choice but to turn to the reporter for clarification: “Excuse me, who is Cha Young-hwan?”
He genuinely didn’t know who Cha Young-hwan was.
“At the airport, you humiliated Cha Young-hwan. Don’t you remember this incident?”
The journalist, already looking hostile, grew visibly more frustrated when realizing Lu Xu had no idea who Cha Young-hwan was. Grinding his teeth, the reporter explained the incident in detail.
A look of realization dawned on Lu Xu’s face. He explained, “I didn’t intend to be rude to Mr. Cha Young-hwan. It’s just that I was bumped into, and I felt I deserved an apology.”
“His bodyguard tried to use a fist to strike my elbow, but—” Lu Xu extended his hand, pointing to the jewelry adorned with diamonds and sapphires that perfectly complemented his shirt. “Here lies a masterpiece crafted with the heart and soul of C-brand’s artisans. I couldn’t bear to see it damaged.”
“In addition, perhaps there’s a difference in expression between K-Country’s language and China. I was genuinely concerned that the bodyguard might break it. With his income, he might not be able to compensate for it in a timely manner. Clearly, my remarks were misunderstood by him.”
Blocked by the reporter, Lu Xu’s expression showed a hint of awkwardness. However, when he displayed the jewelry on his wrist, with his face and the intricate piece appearing in the same frame, his slightly embarrassed demeanor somehow accentuated the jewelry’s elegance.
[So fitting!]
[Puppy is scared the bodyguard can’t afford it. Puppy is good. Bodyguard wants to hit puppy. Bodyguard is bad.]
[If I were the CEO of C-brand, I’d be so moved by Lu Xu’s dedication to protecting the product. @C-brand, hurry up and put out a press release. Are you being slow on purpose?]
C-brand wasted no time taking action.
Headlines like “The Spokesperson Who Protects Jewelry Even When Attacked” and “The Most Dedicated Spokesperson in C-brand’s History” flooded the media. Article after article painted a vivid picture.
C-brand even delved into history, recounting the story of a diamond crown gifted by a prince to his second wife, illustrating how jewelry symbolizes eternal love. They emphasized that “every gemstone deserves special care.” The articles highlighted the brand’s commitment to handmade traditions and how they carefully select ambassadors who align with their values—someone like Lu Xu, described as “a person who treasures and appreciates jewelry” because “jewelry represents the person.”
Lu Xu, seeing these articles himself, was floored. He marveled at C-brand’s ability to hype things up and thought to himself, They really know how to sell a story.
All in all, with C-brand stepping in, K-Country media’s narrative was no longer tenable.
The previously enraged K-Country netizens shifted their anger to Cha Young-hwan’s bodyguard instead:
[Could you even afford it, you punk? If I accidentally damaged jewelry worth billions of won without being warned, I’d lose my mind questioning why they wore something so expensive. But this person was kind enough to warn you.]
[Then hit him! Go ahead, let your anger loose and pay the 4 billion won in compensation!]
[Not apologizing after bumping into someone and even trying to escalate to violence—if the person weren’t a celebrity, what would have happened? That person avoided trouble only because he was a star, wearing branded jewelry, and a successful actor with an impressive box office record. If it were an ordinary person, what would their fate have been?]
[If I had that much money and was treated like that, I’d brag in an even harsher tone. (Laughs)]
[Because of you, other members of Mid have been dragged into this mess. Do you think that’s fair to the brothers who trained hard, debuted with great difficulty, and finally earned some positive recognition through one hit song?]
Cha Young-hwan’s reputation took a nosedive.
After all, the same video accessible to Chinese netizens was also available to K-netizens.
The footage clearly showed the cold indifference with which Cha Young-hwan and his bodyguard passed by.
The moment when the bodyguard tried to resort to violence was unmistakable.
Previously, K-media had painted Lu Xu as someone filled with “chaebol-like arrogance and tyranny.”
[Is there a chaebol this polite?]
[If this were really a chaebol, and Cha Young-hwan treated him like that, his head would already be at the bottom of the Han River, and his foolish heart would be transplanted into someone else’s body. That wouldn’t be a future event—it would’ve happened that same night, understand?]
Of course, the K-netizens weren’t defending Lu Xu. They were simply furious that Cha Young-hwan was dragging everything and everyone down with him.
[Stop doing that kind of thing in public! It’s embarrassing!]
**TN
Chaebol – the super-rich, diamond-spoon like the Samsung family
Lmao fans turned so suddenly.