138 The Traitor 22 (1/2)

Q: Sounds like you two go way back.

A: Indeed, and we plan to move into the future together.

Q: Wonderful. Thank you for accepting to do this interview with us, Mr. Lee Mu. Personally, I'm glad that you've found your happiness. As a final parting word, is there anything you wish to say to your fans?

A: Thank you for your continuous support and always remember to stay true to yourself.

...

Like most celebrity interviews on the media, there were more than a handful of half truths in the excerpt above. For one, the incident with Joann did not happen at all. It was all a method to help clear her name.

For another, they did consider keeping Zao Ming's identity a secret. After all, he did not sign up to be a public figure, exposing his name to the public might bring him unwanted harassment or complication.

However, since he was going to appear in the commercial himself, not revealing his identity seemed pointless and counter intuitive. When asked, Lee Mu said he was fine with it either way, he was going to respect his boyfriend's opinion. Zao Ming was fine with it, if anything he was glad that they did not need to hide their relationship from the world anymore.

It was thus that a picture of Zao Ming and Lee Mu kissing each other, extracted from the commercial video but in a higher definition was included in the article.

The article was released on the same day as the commercial, they acted as a compliment for each other. Understandably it created an uproar among the public.

The reception was double-sided. Some of Lee Mu's fans turned on their idol instantly, calling him many derogatory words on his website and online account. Some even created online forums and blogs just to direct hate on Lee Mu, listing down the products the celebrity endorsed, calling others to boycott them. Lee Mu expected this kind of reaction so it did not bother him that much.