Dating the Heartthrob Superstar-Chapter 46: Opposing Violence

Chapter 46: Against Violence

Because Zhou Linlin had previously shared her Weibo link during a livestream, as soon as she posted on Weibo, it immediately caught people’s attention.

Zhou Linlin even took a moment to check her follower count. Earlier, it was still in the single digits, but in just a few minutes, it had surged rapidly, almost breaking three digits.

Zhou Linlin had never experienced this level of attention. Watching her follower count continue to grow filled her with a sense of pride and vanity. She even considered sneaking into the villa where Lin Qin and Meng Chao were filming to host another livestream.

However, Zhou Linlin’s excitement didn’t last long. A large group of people suddenly flooded the comments section, not to praise or commend her for showing them Lin Qin and Meng Chao during the livestream, but instead hurling the most vicious insults at her.

They accused her of disturbing their idols and reveling in it, calling her a stalker who deserved to be hit by a car.

As a young girl, Zhou Linlin had never experienced such verbal abuse. With tearful eyes, she hurriedly deleted her post, but those people didn’t stop. They followed her to her previous comments to continue hurling insults, tagging her in threads to berate her.

Minutes later, Zhou Linlin’s phone rang. It was an unfamiliar number. She picked it up, and before she could say anything, she was cursed out.

Terrified, Zhou Linlin quickly ended the call. She was dazed and bewildered, slowly realizing that she had likely been doxxed.

It was only then that regret began to take hold. The vanity she had felt from public attention vanished completely, and Zhou Linlin hid under her blanket, crying softly.

There was a knock at the door. Zhou Linlin’s mother walked in.

Having already heard about the situation from others, her mother knew Zhou Linlin had made a mistake but didn’t understand the details and didn’t know how to comfort her.

She sat by Zhou Linlin’s bedside and handed her a sketchbook. "This was sent by the TV crew. It’s for you."

Zhou Linlin was a bit afraid to look, fearing it might be the production team holding her accountable. But when she saw the contents of the sketchbook, she breathed a sigh of relief—and at the same time, realized her mistake.

The sketchbook contained a simple drawing, illustrating her infringement behavior that day. If the production team wanted to press charges, Zhou Linlin would face a lawsuit.

But the sketch was more than just a warning. It conveyed forgiveness, along with a clear message: I forgive you, but don’t do this again.

Zhou Linlin understood and was deeply moved.

At that moment, a notification came from her special alerts on Weibo. Zhou Linlin picked up her phone—it was a post from Lin Qin.

Lin Qin v: "Language can be a warm and uplifting force; it should never become a form of violence. There are always better, more appropriate ways to address mistakes. [Image]"

Attached was the drawing he had made for Zhou Linlin.

When Zhou Linlin saw this post, tears immediately welled up in her eyes. A wave of guilt and gratitude clashed within her.

Just a few seconds later, another notification came—it was Meng Chao retweeting Lin Qin’s post.

Meng Chao v: "We’ve already educated her. Let it go, everyone." //Lin Qin v: "Language can be a warm and uplifting force..."

Zhou Linlin stared at the two posts for a long time. Finally, with trembling fingers, she typed out an article over 2,000 words long and posted it on her own Weibo.

The heartfelt post detailed her recognition of her mistake, offering a sincere apology to the production team, Lin Qin, and Meng Chao. She also donated all the rewards she had received from the livestream, as well as the phone credit gifted to her by a wealthy fan, to charity in Lin Qin and Meng Chao’s names. Screenshots of the donations were included in her post.

After completing everything, Zhou Linlin quietly left the fan group chat of "Minced Meat Stir-fried with Greens," though her heart still felt heavy.

Zhou Linlin’s apology and actions demonstrated her sincerity and regret, and the verbal attacks against her gradually subsided. The comments turned to phrases like "To know one’s mistakes and correct them is great."

Just as Lin Qin said, there are always better ways to address mistakes. Insults only yield fleeting satisfaction.

The way Lin Qin and Meng Chao responded to Zhou Linlin’s situation was widely praised online. Looking back at Zhou Linlin’s comment section, it was clear how filled with vile remarks it had been—a full-scale episode of cyberbullying. And Zhou Linlin was just a young girl. If she couldn’t bear it and did something unthinkable, who would take responsibility?

Though most of the people cursing Zhou Linlin were merely internet trolls, clout chasers, or idle bystanders, many of Lin Qin and Meng Chao’s fans had urged her to apologize without resorting to personal attacks. Still, if Zhou Linlin had reached her breaking point and something irreversible had happened, Lin Qin and Meng Chao would have faced the initial backlash, followed by their fans.

Lin Qin and Meng Chao’s response showcased their magnanimity and prevented the cyberbullying from escalating further.

And so, the matter was resolved. Witnessing this event only strengthened the fans’ loyalty to Lin Qin and Meng Chao.

However, rumors about Lin Qin and Meng Chao kissing continued to gain traction online.

At this point, the maturity of Lin Qin and Meng Chao’s fanbase became evident. While many had already become CP (couple) fans of the pair and regarded the ambiguous kiss scene as a major highlight, they collectively rejected the speculation. In the comment section, they insisted it was just a matter of perspective and that no kiss had actually occurred—it only looked that way.

The official Weibo account for *We Are Together* acted quickly, editing and releasing the corresponding video to clarify the situation. As the fans had said, it was indeed just an angle trick.

As for the trending topic suggesting Lin Qin and Meng Chao were a real-life couple, no explanation was provided.

Lin Qin couldn’t care less about any of this. Once he saw that the abusive comments in Zhou Linlin’s Weibo comment section had decreased, he put his phone away and stopped following the incident.

Lin Qin’s decision to speak up for Zhou Linlin wasn’t because he was inherently kind. It was because he had experienced verbal abuse before and understood the damage it could cause.

Rather than framing it as Lin Qin helping Zhou Linlin, it was more accurate to say he was opposing verbal violence and advocating for kindness.

Knowing Lin Qin’s motivations, Meng Chao was quick to retweet his post, amplifying the message.

Later, people online began to understand Lin Qin’s intentions. They retweeted his post with a focus not on Zhou Linlin but on opposing verbal violence.

Eventually, even certain official media outlets reposted Lin Qin’s words, pairing them with the anti-violence cartoon.