Without any surprise, the entertainment headlines of major media outlets the next day were dominated by the sulfuric acid attack incident. The beautiful host of Zhedong TV, the fan who went on a rampage, and the brave and skilled rescuer.
All of these captured everyone's attention!
Overnight, Lu Chen's blog followers surged to over 9 million.
At the same time, the Hangzhou Police Department promptly announced the results of the case investigation, basically confirming that this was a malicious attempted injury incident caused by personal reasons, and the law would severely punish the perpetrator.
Hangzhou's local "City Express" further revealed in its headline that the perpetrator was unemployed, had meticulously planned his actions the night before, and had even scouted the location in advance, making very thorough preparations.
The perpetrator's mentality had become twisted as he not only wanted to ruin Tian Tian but also wanted to create a big news story.
Tian Tian was one of the hosts of the event.
One can imagine the uproar it would cause if something happened to her in front of everyone!
In addition to the concentrated sulfuric acid purchased through special channels, the perpetrator also carried a controlled knife, but it was stopped in time by Lu Chen, preventing a tragedy.
While strongly condemning the perpetrator, "City Express" also praised Lu Chen's bravery, calling him "the pride of Zhedong men," not sparing any words of praise.
This made Lu Chen, who saw the newspaper while having breakfast in the morning, feel quite embarrassed! The trouble was that many media reporters had come to the hotel where Lu Chen was staying, all wanting to interview him.
They were temporarily blocked by the hotel security in the lobby.
Lu Xi laughed, "Can you say you've become famous with one kick?"
Lu Chen was speechless as he heard this.
At that moment, the door to the living room was gently knocked.
"Huh?"
Lu Xi was a bit surprised because she had already instructed the hotel not to be disturbed, especially by reporters.
Lu Xi went to open the door.
At the door stood a group of people, with Tian Tian prominently among them.
The well-known host of Zhedong TV looked haggard, her eyes swollen like walnuts, with dark circles resembling smoky makeup, but her natural beauty was still evident, giving her a pitiful appearance.
Accompanying her were men and women, elders and middle-aged people, and a female police officer in uniform.
The group seemed quite diverse.
Seeing Lu Xi at the door, Tian Tian was momentarily stunned and cautiously asked, "Is Mr. Lu Chen here?"
Lu Xi smiled, "Yes, please come in."
She understood Tian Tian's feelings; any girl in such a situation might not have handled it better.
It was likely that the host hadn't slept at all last night.
"Thank you." Tian Tian politely thanked her and, while entering the room, asked, "May I ask who you are?"
Lu Xi explained, "I am Lu Chen's agent, Lu Xi, and also his sister."
Tian Tian quickly said, "Hello, Sister Lu Xi."
Lu Xi smiled, "Hello, please don't stand on ceremony. Lu Chen—"
Lu Chen came out of the bedroom and was also surprised to see so many people in the living room.
Tian Tian stepped forward and bowed to him, "Mr. Lu Chen, I am here to thank you!"
The host also handed over a paper bag she was carrying, "This is the compensation for your clothes."
The Armani logo on the black bag was very conspicuous.
Lu Chen took it and said, "Just call me Lu Chen. Thank you for this, and you don't need to take yesterday's incident to heart. You are Sister Fei's friend, so you are also my friend. Friends don't need to be so polite with each other."
A faint smile appeared on Tian Tian's pale face as she spoke, "This is the least I can do."
She said, "Let me introduce you."
Accompanying Tian Tian to meet Lu Chen, besides her assistant, were also Director Chen from Zhedong TV, two persons in charge from the concert organizing committee, and a representative from the Hangzhou Police Department.
They came with Tian Tian in the morning, not only to express their gratitude to Lu Chen but also to hope that Lu Chen would not heavily publicize the incident, minimizing the negative impact.
Lu Chen, of course, readily agreed with this as he didn't need to use this incident for publicity.
It was completely unnecessary.
The exchange between both parties was very pleasant.
At the suggestion of Director Chen from Zhedong TV, Lu Chen, along with Tian Tian and the police representative, directly borrowed a meeting room in the hotel, inviting the reporters waiting downstairs to hold a small press conference to set the record straight.
At this somewhat informal press conference, a reporter asked Lu Chen, "Mr. Lu Chen, what was your motivation at the time to protect Host Tian despite the danger? What were you thinking at that moment?"
This question had a somewhat insidious undertone, as many people online believed that Lu Chen acted so selflessly out of a hero-saves-the-beauty mentality, even joking about the power of beauty.
There are crazy fans, and there are brave heroes!
Lu Chen answered calmly, "If you ask me what I was thinking at that moment, I really didn't think much. Otherwise, you probably wouldn't see me sitting here with Host Tian answering your questions."
A light laughter arose among the reporters.
Lu Chen was right; the incident happened too suddenly. Even a half-second of hesitation could have led to a different outcome!
Only instinctive reactions could be that swift.
To say Lu Chen was thinking of a hero rescuing the beauty was really a stretch, as he didn't have the time to consider anything.
Lu Chen added, "At that moment, whether it was Host Tian or anyone else, I would have intervened to stop the attacker!"
The reporter from "Morning News" was unwilling to back down and pressed, "What motivated you to do that?"
Lu Chen smiled lightly, "It should be a responsibility and not some deep sated politics. With great power comes great responsibility. Since I have the ability to stop evil acts, I should also bear the corresponding responsibility!"
The reporters' eyes lit up: "With great power comes great responsibility; that's a good phrase!"
Applause erupted in the meeting room, though it wasn't very enthusiastic, it was enough to show the reporters' attitude.
Another reporter stood up and said, "Mr. Lu Chen, I am a reporter from NetEase. Many netizens are very curious about how you managed to take off your suit and throw it away at that moment. Have you practiced martial arts?"
Lu Chen did not hide it and explained, "I often exercise and have practiced martial arts. The move of throwing off the clothes is called 'Bawang Xie Jia' (The Conqueror Removes His Armor)."
(Translator- (Bàwáng Xiè Jiǎ) translates literally to "The Conqueror Removes His Armor", and it is a phrase that originates from Chinese history and opera, specifically referring to the tragic end of Xiang Yu, a powerful warlord during the Chu-Han Contention period. The phrase is deeply poetic and symbolic, often associated with themes of glorious downfall, resignation, and overwhelming despair.)
"Bawang Xie Jia?" That name sounded very impressive and marketable! Many reporters quickly lowered their heads to type on their keyboards, rapidly inputting the interview content.
Today's news article was already taking shape.
After failing to dig up any insider information from Lu Chen, the reporters turned their attention to the other protagonist, Tian Tian.
Tian Tian's mental state wasn't very good, but she answered the reporters' various questions quite appropriately, displaying the qualities expected of a program host.
After all, she was half a colleague and also a victim, so the reporters didn't make things too difficult for her.
Next, representatives from Zhedong TV and the police also answered several questions.
After this impromptu press conference concluded, Lu Chen and Lu Xi prepared to leave the hotel.
Tian Tian initially wanted to invite the two for a meal to express her gratitude, but was politely declined by Lu Chen.
He and his sister had important matters to attend to.
They exchanged contact information with Tian Tian.
After finishing their schedule in Hangzhou, Lu Chen did not immediately return to the Capital City but took a high-speed train to NingWan.
Ning Wan is a prefecture-level city under Su Province, located just over 200 kilometers from Hangzhou.
Thus, the train ride took only 40 minutes to arrive smoothly.
Upon exiting the train station, Lu Chen and Lu Xi hailed a taxi to the First People's Hospital in Ning Wan.
They were going to visit a fan of Lu Chen's named Meng Meng.
For the thousands of Lu Chen's fans, the name "Meng Meng" might not be widely recognized, but her online name "Mengmeng" was a well-known ID within the fan community.
"Mengmeng" often wrote refreshing articles and song reviews on blogs and forums, and being a girl, she garnered a lot of attention from male otaku fans.
Lu Chen had read one of her song reviews before and found it quite interesting.
What Lu Chen did not expect was that this dreamy girl had been diagnosed with acute leukemia.
Last night, while Lu Xi was checking emails, she found a letter from Meng Meng.
In this letter, Meng Meng's classmate revealed her situation, stating that Meng Meng was in poor condition and needed a lot of money for treatment. Being from a single-parent family, her family's financial situation was completely insufficient to cover the expensive medical costs.
Meng Meng's classmates and school had raised some funds for her, but they were still far from the total amount needed for a bone marrow transplant. This classmate had no choice but to write to Lu Chen for help.
Meng Meng herself was unaware of this matter.
At the end of the letter, her classmate also provided Meng Meng's home address, contact number, and the hospital she was staying at for verification, to prove that she was not a scammer.
After seeing this email, Lu Xi immediately informed Lu Chen.
Thus, Lu Chen decided to change his itinerary and visit this seriously ill fan in Ning Wan.
He was willing to offer whatever help he could! Encountering such a situation was truly unexpected. Lu Chen knew that relying solely on his personal power could not help everyone in need, and once a precedent was set, there could be many troubles in the future.
For instance, some genuine or fake fans might come to him for help.
Most importantly, after paying off his family's debts and redeeming their house, he didn't have much money left.
But none of these were reasons for Lu Chen to avoid the issue; he couldn't just stand by and watch one of his fans, a young girl in her prime, wither away due to illness, just as he couldn't allow Tian Tian to be innocently harmed in front of him.
There would always be a way to figure things out.
As a man, he must have principles and responsibilities!
(End of Chapter)
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