Moreover, there were the traditional gender roles where men were the providers and protectors while women managed the household.
Generally, men protected women; it was rare for women to protect men.
If a woman lacked the ability to protect a man, no one would say much. But if a man couldn't protect a woman, he might be criticized.
This wasn't about valuing men over women or discriminating against women.
It was due to men having a physical advantage over women: they were taller, broader, and stronger.
They were also more capable of handling various external crises and accidents.
It was absurd to use this reasoning to morally condemn a weak woman for not shielding her boyfriend with her body.
This showed that Jiang Ling was heavily criticized online not because she was afraid of death or refused to help.
Upon closer examination, the fundamental reason was that Jiang Ling was simply detestable.
Jiang Ling had risen to fame too quickly and too easily.
Her rapid ascent had not only captured the attention of countless netizens but had also indirectly encroached on the resources of many established artists.
As the saying goes, ill-gotten gains are a source of disaster.
The original host, despite possessing so much, failed to cherish it. Instead, she acted arrogantly, threw tantrums, and returned to court disaster by starring in one bad film after another, poisoning the eyes of the audience.
Both netizens and industry insiders were dissatisfied with her.
This dissatisfaction, fueled by her continuous string of poor film choices, had been accumulating and finally reached a tipping point.
The news of Shen Mingjue being assassinated became the last straw that broke the camel's back.
Seizing this opportunity, coupled with the rampant hype and propaganda from unscrupulous media, ignited the netizens' fury.
This was the true reason for Jiang Ling being universally condemned.
The person who tied the knot must also untie it.
Since the backlash stemmed from the audience's dissatisfaction with the original host's lack of acting skills and her diva-like behavior, it was only logical that once Jiang Ling made a strong comeback with her brilliant acting, no one would continue to harp on her perceived failure to help Shen Mingjue to attack her.
Many people understood this clearly.
Excluding the reasons of fear of death and refusal to help, they genuinely couldn't fathom why the two had reached such a stalemate.
The more they couldn't understand, the more they wanted to know, and their curiosity grew.
Shen Mingjue said sternly, "Since you're living so carefreely, you must have cast aside your past. Then why have you repeatedly targeted Yan Yan?"
He hadn't forgotten that the roles of Tianshan Tonglao and Li Shengnan had both been snatched from An Qiuyan by this woman.
Onlookers: Oh, ex-girlfriend targeting current girlfriend. The classic catfight trope in wealthy family dramas never dies.
Jiang Ling smiled faintly, "Target her? What reason do I have to target her?"
"Because you're jealous."
"Jealous?" Jiang Ling chuckled. "I'm prettier than her, my fame is greater, my fans are more numerous, my figure is better, my chest is bigger, my legs are longer, my skin is fairer, and now I'm also richer, with better acting skills. What reason do I have to be jealous of her?"
Onlookers: That's a valid point. Jiang Ling surpasses An Qiuyan in every aspect. She wouldn't be so foolish as to be jealous of her.
An Qiuyan's expression turned as ugly as if she had stepped in dog excrement.
She knew that her current conditions were inferior to Jiang Ling's in every aspect. But for Jiang Ling to say it out loud in front of so many people was clearly intended to trample her face into the ground.