After Becoming a Merman, I Became a Heartthrob 5

Chapter 5: Chi Xiasheng’s Counterattack

Hearing Chi Xiasheng’s words, the girl with long, straight black hair, Rongrong, let out a cold scoff.

“Not your fault? Everyone has been waiting here for you for so long, and you have the audacity to act so righteous about being late!”

Su Chimian’s stiff expression quickly vanished. He shot a worried glance at Chi Xiasheng and said in a soft, persuasive tone, “Brother, why don’t we just let it go? We’re live right now. Making a scene won’t be good for anyone’s reputation.”

Chi Xiasheng let out a sarcastic chuckle, thinking to himself, It’s only bad for my reputation, isn’t it?

In contrast, Su Chimian was playing the part of the understanding mediator, apologizing on Chi Xiasheng’s behalf. Anyone who didn’t know better would think he was an incredibly considerate younger brother.

If Chi Xiasheng hadn’t known they were switched at birth, he might have given Su Chimian some face. After all, when he had first returned to the Su family, he had genuinely treated him with the affection of a real brother.

But now, Chi Xiasheng just gave Su Chimian a detached glance and refused flatly. “Why should I let it go? Am I supposed to accept a baseless accusation just because it’s been pinned on me?”

Su Chimian was slightly taken aback by his words. Chi Xiasheng had never treated him so poorly. He frowned, trying to figure out what was going on.

Qiao Ning, on the other hand, took a deep breath and forced a smile. “Alright, fine, it was my fault. Chi Xiasheng, let’s not waste everyone’s time. We still have a lot of tasks ahead of us.”

Rongrong, who had a fiery temper, scowled. “Qiao Ning, why are you apologizing? The one who should be apologizing is Chi Xiasheng! He’s caused all this trouble and still won’t admit it. He’s not a real man!”

The viewers in the livestream flooded the comments with praise for Rongrong, saying she was speaking their minds and had brought their voices to the show.

Chi Xiasheng ignored Rongrong and turned his gaze to Qiao Ning.

“Are you sure you didn’t give me the wrong time?”

His calm, cold questioning was more infuriating than any hysterical shouting match. Qiao Ning felt as if Chi Xiasheng didn’t respect him at all. After being questioned repeatedly, he could no longer contain his anger. “I’m sure! It’s just a time. I notified so many people, do you really think I would single you out to give the wrong time?!”

The moment the words left his mouth, both Su Chimian and Qiao Ning’s expressions froze. Su Chimian shot a nervous glance at Chi Xiasheng, a sudden sense of panic rising in his heart. Qiao Ning also realized he shouldn’t have let his emotions get the better of him and escalate the situation… After all, he had deliberately given Chi Xiasheng the wrong time last night.

But then he remembered that filming hadn’t started last night, and there were no surveillance cameras in the hotel rooms. Qiao Ning breathed a sigh of relief.

“Chi Xiasheng, I’m not petty enough to target you on purpose. If I said the wrong time, I’ll bow my head and admit my mistake right now!”

Qiao Ning was certain Chi Xiasheng had no proof. He snorted and puffed out his chest, putting on a show of being brave and responsible. Rongrong immediately chimed in with her support, even giving him a round of applause.

Chi Xiasheng’s beautiful eyes swept over him. He lowered his gaze and a faint smile touched his lips.

“Then go ahead and apologize. Remember to be sincere when you bow your head.”

At his words, the scene fell silent. Many people’s eyes widened as they stared at Chi Xiasheng in stunned confusion.

Seeing Chi Xiasheng’s calm and composed demeanor, Rongrong sensed something was wrong. She frowned. “Chi Xiasheng, what do you mean?”

Qiao Ning was also flustered by Chi Xiasheng’s confidence. Could the hotel have surveillance? he thought frantically. But even if it did, the production team wouldn’t waste time looking into it for him!

Just as Qiao Ning was racking his brain, wondering if Chi Xiasheng was bluffing, Chi Xiasheng took out his phone and played a call recording.

He had accidentally started the recording last night and had been too busy to bother with it later. He never expected it would come in so handy.

The set was plunged into a dead silence.

Everyone there, along with the entire livestream audience, heard Qiao Ning’s words from the recording loud and clear. In the recording, Chi Xiasheng had even confirmed the time with him, but Qiao Ning had firmly insisted it was 8:30.

Everyone listened to the recording in stunned silence. Just moments ago, they had all been condemning Chi Xiasheng. Now, the reversal was so fast their faces stung from the metaphorical slap.

Rongrong, the girl whose temper was as straight as her hair, cursed inwardly and shot a hostile glare at Qiao Ning. Having been in the entertainment industry for a while, she understood the scheming and backstabbing all too well. It only took her a moment to figure out what kind of game Qiao Ning was playing. And to think he had acted so righteous before—it was disgusting!

When the recording finished and started to play again automatically, Qiao Ning couldn’t take it anymore. His face flushed red as he shouted hoarsely, “That’s enough!”

Chi Xiasheng did as he wished, stopping the recording and putting his phone away. He crossed his arms and looked at him expectantly.

Qiao Ning felt the eyes of everyone on set burning into him, and he clenched his fists. He never, ever imagined that Chi Xiasheng would actually have a recording! Who even records their phone calls? It was the first time Qiao Ning had ever encountered someone with such a habit.

“You were the last one I notified last night. It was late, I probably remembered the time wrong,” Qiao Ning explained, gritting his teeth.

Although the audience enjoyed the drama of the reversal, Qiao Ning still had many fans among them. They quickly tried to save face for him.

[Ningning just made a mistake. He was the last one he called, after all. He didn’t get it wrong for anyone else.]

Chi Xiasheng let out a soft scoff. “But you just said you had already notified the two female guests before me. That means Su Chimian should have been after me. I wasn’t the last one; I was in the middle. You got the times right for the people before and after me, but you just happened to get it wrong only for me?”

His words made the other female guest, Qiu Li, who had been quiet the whole time, brush back a stray strand of hair and give Qiao Ning a sarcastic smile.

One lie requires another to cover it up. Qiao Ning had only come up with a hasty excuse, never expecting it would contradict what he had just said.

By now, Qiao Ning’s face had turned pale, and his lips trembled as he tried to come up with another defense. But Chi Xiasheng had no interest in hearing his excuses. He grabbed his suitcase and gestured to the production team. “I’m ready. Everyone’s here now, can we go? Let’s not waste any more of everyone’s time because I was late.”

[Hahaha, oh my god, Chi Xiasheng’s sarcasm is epic! You guys complained about him being late and wasting time, and now he’s throwing it right back at you. Qiao Ning is so embarrassed his face is beet red!]
[Tsk tsk, I can’t believe I’m watching a palace intrigue drama on a slow-life reality show! Qiao Ning’s scheme was terrible, he’s too amateur! He wouldn’t survive the first episode in a real drama!]
[Ningning just made a mistake, let’s not be too harsh on him!]

But netizens have long memories. When they saw Qiao Ning’s fans jumping in to defend him, they remembered how those same fans had been demanding Chi Xiasheng bow his head and apologize just moments before.

In the end, Qiao Ning mumbled another flimsy excuse and apologized. The others could only offer a hollow laugh and graciously “forgive” him. But while they maintained a peaceful facade, the other guests were smart enough to see the ugly truth of the situation. Rongrong, who had been defending Qiao Ning so vehemently, now kept her distance from him, holding the other girl’s hand.

After this whole ordeal, Qiao Ning, who had just started to gain some “CP” buzz with Su Chimian, saw his popularity plummet. Netizens even started calling him a “scheming man.” After all, framing someone was a major turn-off, and fans found it impossible to ship him with anyone after that.

After gathering their things, everyone got on the bus to head to the village.

On the bus, Su Chimian tried to liven up the atmosphere for the livestream. Seeing a comment from a viewer, he smiled at Chi Xiasheng and said, “Brother, why do you record your phone calls? That seems like a really rare habit.”

Chi Xiasheng just gave him a cold look. “It’s normal that you don’t know me.”

Su Chimian’s public persona was that of a doting younger brother who was incredibly close to Chi Xiasheng, always mentioning him in everything he did. For Chi Xiasheng to now say he didn’t know him was practically a public declaration that their supposed “brotherhood” was a sham.

Su Chimian’s cute act froze, and a suspicion began to form in his mind.

Could it be? Does Chi Xiasheng know about them being switched at birth?

The viewers noticed the icy atmosphere between the two and let out a collective “Ooh.” So, it seemed the brothers didn’t get along after all!

Su Chimian and Chi Xiasheng had debuted at the same time, in the same drama, so it was impossible for people not to compare them. Unlike Chi Xiasheng, who was plagued by negative news about his poor acting and diva behavior, Su Chimian, with the backing of the Su family, had always maintained the image of a pure and kind little angel. Though they hadn’t been in the industry for long, they were on two completely different paths. Tabloid accounts often dragged them both out for a full comparison, from acting skills to personality. In every category, Chi Xiasheng was torn to shreds by Su Chimian’s fans.

Su Chimian, however, always advised his fans not to cause trouble. During live interviews, he would put on a grand show of defending Chi Xiasheng. “Although my brother’s temper is a little cold, we have a very good relationship. Please don’t make wild guesses!”

Now, sitting together in the cramped space of the bus, the awkward, stiff atmosphere between them was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Su Chimian’s carefully constructed image of a warm-hearted younger brother seemed to be cracking.

“Maybe what just happened affected my brother. He’s always had a bit of a strong personality…” Su Chimian’s control over his expression was excellent. He quickly offered an explanation to the fans, trying his best to maintain the facade of their relationship.

“Don’t call me ‘brother’.”

Hearing Su Chimian’s cloying term of endearment, Chi Xiasheng’s tightly clenched fist tightened even more. He shot a chilling glare at him.

Su Chimian was cut off, and his heart skipped a beat.

It seems, he thought, Chi Xiasheng really does know that the Su family hid the truth about me being the fake young master.

This was going to be tricky now, Su Chimian thought.