Chapter 31 Part 2
She loved humanity, fooled everyone, and so she brought back Ke Yao, and the nightmare began. She recalled every little detail with Ke Yao, how the initial beauty turned into hideousness later on. She remembered her experiences at Aunt Bei’s house, the gruesome scene of Ke Yu’s death, and every threatening word Ke Yao had uttered to her. Lastly, she remembered the image in the video, the carefree and joyful appearance of Sheng Shi Xiao.
She looked at this face that she once loved, yet her heart was filled with an irreconcilable hatred.
All her corruption, her destruction, her eternal damnation, all because of this face!
Her hand touched something hard and heavy—a glass ashtray. She lifted it and brought it crashing down on that divine, supremely beautiful face that she loved with all her heart but hated to the core.
Bang, bang, bang, bang, bang…
The perfect artwork was instantly destroyed, splattering blood, flesh, and shattered bones in all directions. They landed on the perpetrator’s body, face, and soul, leaving behind irrefutable evidence of guilt that could never be erased.
A sinister and deranged laughter escaped her trembling chest. Blunt objects pounded on flesh and crushed bone, while in the background, a poignant and mournful old love song intertwined, composing a symphony of hell.
The passage of time and the shift of space lost all meaning. Zhang Yang transformed into a puddle of mud, dragged away by an unknown force. She laughed incessantly, cried ceaselessly, until the crisp air replaced the pungent smell of blood, circulating in her lungs. In her blood-red field of vision, blurry figures and piercing voices penetrated multiple barriers and reached her ears.
Dazzling lights illuminated the night sky, as bright as day. She saw police cars, ambulances, countless police officers, and numerous people. She saw a stretcher hurriedly passing by, and someone shouting that there was still a pulse, preparing for a kidney transplant. The person lying on it appeared to be in their forties, of average build, and seemed familiar.
Many pairs of legs swayed back and forth in front of her, anxiously asking the person next to her, “Has she gone mad?”
“She’s gone mad. It’s terrifying. I vomited as soon as I entered. It’s so disgusting.”
“Has her identity been confirmed?”
“Her face is completely smashed. How can we confirm anything now?”
In Zhang Yang’s line of sight, a sudden flash of red appeared, a vibrant and beautiful red. It was so familiar, so familiar. She had seen it not long ago. She struggled to focus her eyes, carefully discerning.
It was… a red T-shirt, the same red T-shirt Sheng Shi was wearing tonight.
Sheng Shi was being escorted by two police officers towards a police car. He seemed slightly intoxicated, but his demeanor was calm, without any signs of panic.
As he passed by Zhang Yang, Sheng Shi halted his footsteps and looked down at her from a superior position.
Zhang Yang also looked up at him. This face, this face that had haunted her dreams and thoughts, now resembled a bloodthirsty demon, grotesque and horrifying. The flesh was mangled, eyeballs, skin, teeth, everything was falling off.
Suddenly, Sheng Shi smiled at her, a faint and elegant smile, the standard smile of the superstar Sheng Shi. Then he opened his mouth and silently mouthed four words— “Sheng Shi Fei Yang” (Sheng Shi soars).
Ke Yao’s safety phrase.
A piercing and mournful scream tore through the air–
(End of the story)
It’s done! It’s so satisfying to complete a short story with just 13,000 words!
This story is my annual writing exercise, intended to address my long-standing confusion about fan culture. The inspiration comes from various gossip and scandals I come across, with modifications and no direct correlation. Please do not associate it with any specific individuals or fandoms.
As someone who has never been fervently devoted to any idol, be it real or virtual, I find it difficult to understand and empathize with the love fans have for their idols. Most of the time, as an outsider, I witness the negative behaviors within fandoms, which has led to my confusion.
Outsiders cannot comprehend the fandom’s mindset, logic, cause and effect, and rules. They also fail to understand how people within fandoms begin to view the world and its people through the lens of fandom logic, becoming narrow-minded, conspiracy-driven, and aggressive.
When one person looks at another or a situation, the approach should be multidimensional and diverse. However, when they belong to a certain group, they become emotionally driven creatures, losing objectivity and independence. The importance shifts from right or wrong to one’s own stance. This formidable power of manipulation and unwavering obedience is chilling.
In Le Bon’s “The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind,” each of his arguments seems to decode fan culture and is applicable to any group culture and collective behavior throughout history. This book was written over a hundred years ago, demonstrating the universality of human behavior. I will quote two passages from the book:
“Once an individual becomes part of a group, he is no longer responsible for his actions. At this point, everyone reveals their unrestrained side. The pursuit and belief of the group never revolve around truth and rationality; instead, they are characterized by blind obedience, cruelty, paranoia, and fanaticism, only driven by simple and extreme emotions.”
“Within a group, there is no such thing as a rational individual. The collective can eliminate personal independent consciousness and independent thinking abilities. In fact, long before their independent consciousness is lost, their thoughts and emotions have already been assimilated by the group.”
I have also read some sociological analyses suggesting that fans’ love for idols is a form of self-projection. Idols are idealized, symbolized, and reduced to flat characters. After investing in them, fans actually protect themselves when they defend their idols. Of course, the reality is more complex and diverse, and the internet, as a new medium, has given rise to many new phenomena. I don’t have the ability to analyze them all, so I can only write a story and hope to stimulate further discussion.
If you have had the fortune of reading this story to the end, please take some time to ponder: Who killed the idol?
