As it turns out, the director's concerns were not unfounded.
Less than half an hour after the incident, a well-known Gua Zui on Weibo had already posted a video of Zhang Quan falling and losing consciousness.
Although it's a bit blurry, you can still make out that Jiang Nuo is actually in the video.
Gua Zui Bababa: Exciting! During the filming of an ancient political intrigue movie in Hengdian, the fourth male lead was actually slapped away on set!
According to on-site staff, the unfortunate male lead (number four) was acting opposite a recently popular celebrity known for his metaphysical beliefs when he was slapped so hard he was knocked unconscious and rushed to the hospital! Being an actor really is a dangerous profession these days...
Gua Zui has many fans, most of whom are gossipers who love to watch the drama unfold, and they never miss a single trending internet meme.
Moreover, the label of "mystical artist" couldn't be more obvious.
Hedgehog in the melon patch: Why don't you just tag Jiang Nuo directly...? That's terrifying.
A frog in a melon patch: The video made me shudder! What was Jiang Nuo doing? It's just acting, why did he have to go so far as to kill someone! Who is this actor? Does anyone know him? The fans must be going crazy!
Melon Seeds in the Melon Field: Brother Zui is so bold! He actually dared to accept a video that involved Jiang Nuo! Isn't he afraid of getting into trouble? He's a very mysterious person.
Nowadays, the name Jiang Nuo represents popularity, and it quickly spread far and wide. Various marketing accounts have edited out the ten-second video of Jiang Nuo "slapping" a fellow actor from the same drama and spread it on various media websites.
Soon, Zhang Quan's fans recognized him.
Sad Coconut: Is this actor... Zhang Quan?! Yes! There have been recent leaks saying he's joined the cast!
Mianmianbing: It must be Zhang Quan!! He was completely helpless in the video and got slapped away! How cruel of him!
The stars stole my sleepiness: Jiang Nuo the murderer, haven't you all forgotten this hashtag?
"The moon doesn't sleep, so I don't sleep": How many lives has he taken? He always tries to confuse the issue, saying everyone deserves to die? This time, you'll have nothing to say! What did Zhang Quan, a mere entertainer, do to offend him?
Seven Hidden Entertainment's PR team had been closely monitoring online public opinion. Given Jiang Nuo's popularity, it was expected that this video would go viral.
They have been actively contacting various marketing accounts to try to get the video taken down as soon as possible, but the problem is that Zhang Quan has too many so-called "true fans".
The PR team had a bad feeling and collected the most vocal fan accounts to investigate. They discovered that not only did the IP addresses come from the same place, but their personal homepages also contained nothing related to Zhang Quan.
Someone deliberately pushed things behind the scenes, and in such a short period of time.
"This news was told to Brother Cui and President Zhou, and the mastermind behind it probably... knew Zhang Quan would be injured, and these coordinated accounts were prepared in advance," the public relations manager said.
This time, surprisingly, there was no fighting among the Glutinous Rice Fans. The big fans called for a wait-and-see approach, waiting for the facts to emerge.
Although they all believe Jiang Nuo wouldn't intentionally hurt anyone, the video is undeniably irrefutable.
Some fans slowed down the entire video and watched it frame by frame, discovering that Jiang Nuo's palm was even some distance from Zhang Quan's shoulder.
However, the clarification made by Glutinous Rice Fans elicited a reaction from netizens and passersby: Please, Jiang Nuo can kill ghosts, so killing someone from a distance is a piece of cake, isn't it? This clarification only works on ordinary people!
Glutinous Rice Fans: "..."
That's undeniable.
Meanwhile, amidst the bombardment from netizens and fans, and the overwhelming barrage of insults and negative information, the official Weibo account of " The Brocade Rivers and Mountains " was not spared and had to come out to take responsibility.
The official Weibo account of the Brocade Rivers and Mountains " posted: Thank you for your concern. It was just normal acting. The reason for the coma is still unknown. The actor has been sent to the hospital for treatment. Please do not speculate excessively about the actors in the production. We will keep you informed of any progress.
At the hospital.
Jiang Nuo didn't want to get involved in this matter, but Cui Ming bombarded her with phone calls, saying that now all netizens thought he was the one who hurt Zhang Quan.
In addition, he also wanted to figure out what caused the fleeting deathly aura that lingered between Zhang Quan's brows before he fell into a coma.
When Jiang Nuo and Si Yan arrived at the hospital, the director and Zhang Quan's assistant were waiting there. They also received an explanation from the doctor regarding the reason for Zhang Quan's coma.
"After examination, it was found to be just a temporary nervous coma caused by overwork; there's nothing seriously wrong."
Even the doctor himself didn't quite believe what he was saying.
Zhang Quan, lying in the hospital bed, had a dark complexion and had lost a lot of weight since he was first admitted, with sunken cheeks.
But after undergoing numerous tests, all of them showed that there were no problems with his/her health.
Doctor: "We have assembled specialists to conduct further examinations."
Jiang Nuo looked at Zhang Quan's condition through the transparent glass of the ward, rubbed her left eye with her fingertips, and pondered in her heart.
Si Yan was observing Zhang Quan's assistant, a young man in his early twenties with a complicated expression under his baseball cap, clearly preoccupied with something.
"When Zhang Quan first collapsed, everyone rushed him to the hospital, yet you had the leisure to suspect Jiang Nuo."
Otherwise, the staff on site wouldn't have made the connection to Jiang Nuo so quickly.
The assistant jumped up from her chair, but didn't dare look up at Si Yan, staring intently at the floor.
"At the time, only Teacher Jiang Nuo was next to our Brother Zhang, and he also has... special abilities. It's hard not to be suspicious, isn't it?"
"Besides, didn't Teacher Jiang Nuo kill someone during his live stream? Am I wrong to suspect him?"
Jiang Nuo turned around with a smile, crossed her arms, and leaned against Si Yan, looking relaxed.
"You know me quite well."
"Since that's the case, if you don't tell the truth, something bad will happen to you when you leave here~"
When he finished speaking, he made a throat-slitting gesture.
The assistant, breathing heavily, slumped into a chair, clearly frightened by Jiang Nuo's words. Her eyes betrayed her blatant guilt; no one would believe she had nothing to hide.
What has Zhang Quan been in contact with these past few days?
Seeing that he was frightened, Jiang Nuo smiled even more and asked.
The director was frantic. Why did this have to happen to him? He nudged his assistant, "Hurry up and tell me!"
The staff members waiting outside also turned their gazes in that direction.
"I... I don't know! I really don't know! I'm not Brother Zhang's assistant..."
The young man finally broke down, clutching his head and his voice trembling.
"I'm just an intern at the company! The president told me to work with Brother Zhang for a while, and he also said... that if something happens to Brother Zhang during filming today, I should say what I said to Teacher Jiang Nuo."
He could understand that every company had its share of underhanded tactics, but he never expected it to be this serious!
"However... however, the day Brother Zhang got this role, he stayed in the president's office for a long time, and when he came out... his face looked terrible. At the time, there were rumors in the company that Brother Zhang was being kept by a sugar daddy, but..."
The assistant looked up at Jiang Nuo, almost pleadingly, "Only I know that the president wasn't in his office that day; only Brother Zhang was there."