Chapter 13: Throwing Dirty Water
Yin Chengjue’s eyes darkened as he immediately clicked on the GIF posted by this blogger, only to find a clip of someone dancing to the debut theme song of Hey Brother, Let’s Debut!
[泼脏水 (pō zāng shuǐ): lit. to throw dirty water; fig. to smear someone's reputation, to frame someone.]
The person in the GIF was extremely blurry, dressed in casual white clothes. Their figure bore some resemblance to Rong Yu’s, but their face was so indistinct even their own mother wouldn’t recognize them.
Yet, despite this, under the blogger’s deliberate hints and leading remarks, many began speculating that this person must be Rong Yu—the fastest learner in dance—since it would explain how he could master the "peacock dance" so quickly.
People generally distrust perfection. Even the most flawless jade must be scrutinized under a magnifying glass for flaws. So, rather than accepting "learning at a glance," they preferred to believe in "prior practice."
It was as though only by finding a person’s flaws and stains could they acknowledge them as a complete human being.
Compared to the "genius theory," they were more inclined to worship the "hard work theory," because the phrase "as long as you work hard, you will succeed" could also be interpreted as "the reason I haven’t succeeded yet is because I’ve been too lazy to put in effort, but once I do, I’ll definitely surpass my current state."
So when this kind of "leaked question" behavior surfaced, the keyboard warriors became especially agitated.
—Look! This person didn’t learn it at a glance! He practiced beforehand! The show leaked the answers to him!
Yin Chengjue opened the comments and was met with a flood of sarcastic remarks.
Moshang Tiansang: Tch! Just strong connections! Always suspected there was foul play in Hey Brother, Let’s Debut!
663 Wuwo: Compared to this, Ming Qian is so much more genuine—if he can’t do it, he admits it and practices earnestly. That kind of perseverance is worth more than anything! Shouldn’t this be what an idol is like?
Qianqian Weiguang: I see an unyielding spirit in Brother Ming, but in that Rong b*tch, I see fake capital-backed manipulation.
Riyue Tonghui: Boycott unethical artists! Boycott Rong Yu for violating competition rules!
Amid the barrage of slander, the voices of Rong Yu’s fans defending him appeared feeble and powerless.
Xiaoyu Xiaoyu: The GIF is so blurry—how can you all be so sure it’s Yu Yu? Did you see it with your own eyes?
Yu’er Chong Ah: Forget whether it’s Yu Yu or not, who even knows when this was filmed? Does smearing others feel good?
Soon, the blogger reposted a skeptical comment from a Rong Yu fan, stating that the video was being uploaded and that once it was out, these fans would have nothing left to say.
Yin Chengjue remembered that in his past life, there had also been accusations that Rong Yu had practiced the theme dance in advance. And because Rong Yu had no PR team to defend him, the blame was firmly pinned on him.
At the time, Rong Yu was participating in the show under a no-phone, no-internet policy, making it impossible for him to refute the claims immediately. By the time the show ended and he could finally explain, the internet had already spent two full months tearing him apart.
The fact that Rong Yu managed to secure second place amid such overwhelming criticism was impressive in itself.
The blogger’s video was quickly uploaded to Weibo and just as quickly pushed to the top of the trending list by onlookers.
The video was recorded with a camera and had a clear timestamp—it was indeed filmed before the recording of Hey Brother, Let’s Debut! began. However, due to the distance, the dancer’s face remained blurry, though one could vaguely make out that he had a good figure.
After the scandal broke, the official account of Hey Brother, Let’s Debut! immediately issued a statement denying any leaks and asking netizens not to speculate wildly, urging respect for the contestants’ efforts.
But the official response was ambiguous—it neither cleared Rong Yu’s name nor identified the person in the video. The explanation only made things worse.
Yin Chengjue knew full well that the show’s producers were capitalizing on the controversy for publicity. After all, drama meant traffic, and the contestants’ reputations meant nothing to them. The more debates, the more exposure—and free exposure was always profitable.
But Yin Chengjue knew the truth: the person in the video wasn’t Rong Yu at all. It was the male dance instructor who taught the trainees. It was perfectly normal for an instructor to know and practice the routine in advance. The only oddity was why someone had recorded it and was now falsely claiming it was Rong Yu practicing beforehand.
The trainees had their phones confiscated and no internet access—but did the instructors also have no internet? Yet, something so simple to clarify was dragged out for two whole months. Only after Rong Yu debuted in second place and regained internet access did he explain that the person in the video wasn’t him. His fans then went into overdrive, scrutinizing the footage until they spotted the man’s ring and tattoo—just as they were about to identify the instructor, the man finally stepped forward to claim responsibility.
Yin Chengjue was exasperated by their baseless confidence: The face isn’t even visible—how are these people so convinced they’re right?
Originally, he hadn’t planned to intervene. But remembering how, in his past life, Rong Yu had endured this unfounded smear for two months—how someone with both looks and talent had been ranked below someone like Ming Qian, who couldn’t carry a tune to save his life—Yin Chengjue felt inexplicably furious.
No. I won’t let them get away with this.
So Yin Chengjue took a screenshot of the man’s tattoo and ring from the video and tagged the fan leader of the instructor, You Huachuan.
Back from Hell: @Youyou Huaxiang Sorry to bother you, but is this Instructor You Huachuan?
Coincidentally, one of Rong Yu’s biggest fans happened to be grinding their teeth while scrolling through the blogger’s sarcastic comments when they stumbled upon Yin Chengjue’s post. They immediately cross-referenced You Huachuan’s profile, paying special attention to his tattoo, and got excited. They quickly rallied their fellow fans into action.
One group tagged You Huachuan’s fans for confirmation, another dug up photos and videos of You Huachuan, and a third started lavishing praise on the "amazing figure" of the person in the video.
When onlookers saw Rong Yu’s fans not "kneeling in apology" but instead complimenting the person in the video, they erupted in outrage, calling the fans brainwashed and declaring that an artist who broke competition rules should be banned.
Ming Qian’s fans also jumped in to make their presence known, loudly praising how "refreshingly genuine" he was—even if his singing and dancing weren’t great yet, he was at least honest, diligent, and hardworking—unlike Rong Yu!
Hmm…
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