If there’s one thing we learned from Simon Yam’s horrific stabbing incident, it’s that getting rushed on stage is no laughing matter. Fortunately for Chinese actress Dilraba Dilmurat (also known as Dilireba), the man who ambushed her at a recent event had much more, um, loving intentions in mind.

On Sunday (Jun 7), Dilireba participated in a live broadcast to help promote agricultural products from farmers in poverty-stricken areas in China’s Hunan province. According to reports, the show was a huge success, bringing in over 100 million viewers across different channels and selling 102mil yuan (about S$20mil) worth of goods.

However, an amusing — in hindsight, at least — hiccup took place in the middle of the show when an audience member suddenly popped out of nowhere behind everyone on stage, tapped Dilireba on the shoulder, and got down on one knee to propose to her with a ring and an expression that can only be described as a cross between hope and utter infatuation.

Fortunately, host Wang Han handled the situation expertly. “Oh? If you like it, you can make an order!” he chirped, referring to the oranges that Dilireba was in the midst of promoting. He then grabbed the man by the wrist and calmly asked staff members to show their new “friend” how to get off the stage.

The other male guests also did their part by standing protectively between Dilireba and the fan and made sure he was out of the way before returning to their original positions. Although the 28-year-old actress appeared understandably shaken at first, she quickly regained her composure and quipped, “I can feel that everyone is very enthusiastic and eager to place an order! You should be able to do so in a while.”

The moment quickly went viral as netizens criticised the poor security measures and expressed their horror at how dangerous things could have been for Dilireba (again, we are reminded of what happened to Simon). On the other hand, they praised Wang Han and the male guests for how they reacted, and Dilireba herself was lauded for responding with wit and grace.

Later that day, Dilireba’s company issued a statement on Weibo to confirm that the man has been sent to the public security bureau (which is essentially like a police station) as this was apparently not the first time he has caused trouble. In addition, they have requested for the studio to enhance their security measures and urged the public to refrain from engaging in meaningless speculation.

Photos: Dilraba Dilmurat/Weibo, Dilraba Dilmurat Work Studio/Weibo, Sina Variety/Weibo, YouTube