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On the morning of September 16, 2019, at 10 o’clock, Han Gaozhi publicly accepted an interview, stating that he had severed the father-son relationship with his eldest son, Han Qu, who had been missing for several days, and voluntarily accepted all investigations from various parties.
He bowed deeply in front of the camera, expressing that he knew nothing about the events involving his eldest son but would fully cooperate with the police and do his utmost to atone for his son’s crimes.
Once the news broke, the outcry and condemnation intensified, with people convinced that he was shielding his son’s escape. They were one step away from gathering to stomp this scumbag father to death.
Both online and offline, chaos ensued.
Some gathered forces to call for Han Yang to be expelled from DIVINE, others held memorials across the country to light candles for Chi Ji, and some tried to uncover more clues to hand over to the police.
There were also pessimists who no longer wanted to follow the progress of this case and even deactivated their Weibo accounts because of it.
@PepeDoesNotSpeak: Even if he isn’t a foreigner, how many years can he be sentenced to after being caught? I’m telling you, he ran abroad long ago to lay low. He killed someone and can still live comfortably abroad. Justice? When has justice ever prevailed?
@ACloudlet: So sad, how can such a terrifying case be left unresolved with no way for the five brothers and SPF to do anything about it?
@BlackSunnyDay: Disappointed in SPF, disappointed in everyone alive in Corona. I don’t want to see him in jail, I don’t want to see him struggling in prison, and I certainly don’t want to see him enjoying life abroad, completely out of sight. Such a person deserves a thousand cuts!! Han Qu, pay for my brother’s life!!!
In the midst of the turmoil, Corona’s official Weibo, inactive for a year and a half, came online.
@Corona: All five parties involved are fully cooperating with the police investigation, and the progress of the case is gradually becoming clear. Please trust the police, trust justice, and also trust everyone who dearly loves Chi Ji. [Image]
The photo was of an old phone case, with a group photo of six people laughing together and the clear signatures of all six.
Fans of the group instantly burst into tears.
I miss you all so much.
I feel so much pain for each one of you.
You are so wonderful, why do you have to go through all this!!
When they reposted and replied to this Weibo post, they all remembered the happy years of following the group.
Back then, there was no large-scale review manipulation, no celebrity power rankings, no endless data-driven fan activities, and no overly inflated idol industry chains.
Those six years felt like the brightest and most glorious years of youth.
On September 17, Huo Ren’s concert surprisingly went ahead as scheduled.
Many people thought that with such explosive news coming out, his personal concert would surely be canceled or postponed.
A close friend’s death turned out to be murder, and this still can’t stop you from singing and dancing?
Some people started harshly criticizing online even before the live broadcast began.
“I told you he only knows how to suck money! When has he ever cared about Xiao Chi?”
“Of the five members of Corona, only Huo Ren is still in the entertainment industry! So many things have happened in the past few days, and he still dares to show up, singing and creating scandals? Huo Ren, you have no heart!!!”
“He’s selling tickets by stepping on his teammates. After all, he needs to make money with no support, it’s laughable. Even if FALSE collapses, he wouldn’t become a top star.”
The number of people scolding him was countless, yet more people watched the live broadcast than ever before.
In the face of such explosive news, Huo Ren was the only person involved to make a public appearance recently.
Others like Xie Lianyun and Mei Shengyao hadn’t logged into Weibo again, nor had they been caught on camera even for a moment.
The public’s curiosity could no longer be contained. They shared the Nightfire live broadcast link with friends, wanting to see if this person, who had lost a dear friend, would show even a second of guilt or sorrow when he appeared.
To everyone’s surprise, the live broadcast started twenty minutes before the concert began.
The 4K high-definition camera was focused on four enormous screens, none of which displayed any commercial advertisements.
Instead, they showed a wanted poster with red text on white paper, with several lines of explanatory text above, and high-definition, full-color front and side photos below.
Han Qu’s photos were seen by millions, with the reward amount highlighted not only by the police’s line but also by the astronomical figure added by all members of Corona.
“Huh?? So this is what Han Qu looks like? Did I see this guy at the dock a few days ago?”
“This reward is too much?? If someone catches that bastard, their ancestors could buy houses in Tokyo’s inner circle for eighteen generations!!”
“My eyes are going blurry. How many zeros are there… Did Long Ge throw in his own wedding money too?”
“Maybe Xie Lianyun’s royalties from his earthy hits over the years?”
“Amazing!! My Chinese teacher must have taught me wrong because I can’t think of anything to say—Huo Ren is amazing!!!”
This had surpassed most people’s understanding of celebrities.
He actually dared to take things this far?
Showing a police wanted poster and criminal photos at a concert?? Holy crap???
Is Huo Ren really a celebrity? Has he become fearless?
In recent years, fan culture has become increasingly distorted, and celebrities have lived increasingly distorted lives.
They cannot speak out on public issues, cannot have strong likes or dislikes.
They cannot have the love and desires that come with a real personality, and cannot offend any fans.
Conscience, boundaries, voice.
Too many things have already been sacrificed to endless fame and fortune.
——They have willingly become silent commodities.
But now, Bo Jue dared to publicly wear a wedding ring, Xie Lianyun could openly ask for help, and Mei Shengyao still dared to lead fans to see all the deeds of the criminal.
And this Huo Ren, who used to appear the most tame and harmless, came back completely transformed!
The sharpness and edge that had been so carefully hidden before were fully unleashed today, making everyone remember deeply in shock that this extremely proud and flamboyant person was also Huo Ren!
Before the concert even started, the homepage of Nightfire Live went down, with multiple lines undergoing emergency maintenance.
[An idol daring to go this far… Displaying a wanted poster at a concert is crazy, isn’t it??]
[Those who said he was just out for money are slapped in the face, aren’t they?? Stop spraying nonsense and open your eyes!! Idiots!!]
[How could Huo Ge not care about Chi Chi’s matter? He said long ago that he learned to sing from Chi Chi. He always took care of Chi Chi on variety shows and stages. Yet, there are still anti-fans misinterpreting this pain. Are they sick?]
[Fortunately, OSC scores concerts based on overall performance… I hope this doesn’t affect Gege’s award TUT]
[Actually, it’s not really out of line. When he came back, he said he would no longer be an idol, just himself.]
[This guy is so fierce, I’m a fan now!! Can any sisters tell me his story or send me some photos to use as wallpapers…]
No one in the entertainment media expected this to go so public, and they were all scrambling to write news articles with their keyboards smoking.
The top four trending topics seemed locked, with the rest continuously rolling, but the top four tags remained steady, letting countless people witness tonight.
#Huo Ren displays wanted poster at concert#
#Where is Han Qu#
#Sky-high bounty#
#Chi Ji#
The special VIP seats opened for entry two hours ago. Mei Heng pushed a wheelchair through a special passage, now bending over to cover it with a blanket.
The view here was good, not captured by cameras, and no one could approach.
“Wigs and masks can be removed, you can put them back on after the performance,” Mei Heng said gently. “Afterwards, Yaoyao will push you back.”
Chi Ji nodded, rubbed his leg, and whispered, “Actually… I’m recovering quite fast.”
“It’s more convenient in a wheelchair,” Su Rong helped him with a soft pillow, reminiscing, “We really want to see you dance. Keep it up.”
Chi Ji smiled and nodded, “Of course~”
Tens of thousands of people gradually entered and settled in, shocked to see the wanted poster on the screen, reflexively taking out their phones to capture it.
The lights dimmed gradually, and the four screens changed images, revealing a figure in the center.
“Hello, I am Huo Ren.”
The holographic figure appeared almost indistinguishable from reality at this moment.
The phantom bowed deeply, eyes bright and calm.
“All proceeds from this concert, along with all advertising revenue from online views, will be donated to the Sunny Sky Charity Foundation, to help all depression patients transparently and openly.”
“Regardless of age, gender, identity, or orientation, we, the six of Corona, will do our best to light up this world.”
“Thank you all for your continued attention to the case, and for your warm care of Corona over the years.”
“We will do our utmost to bring you the most perfect performance tonight.”
The phantom bowed deeply again and looked aside while rising.
A handsome young man, like a white wolf, sat on a high swing, smiling under the long wind and bright moon.
There was no tear mole at the corner of his eye, only a golden hexagonal crown.