【Hahaha! You want to keep your innocence in the human world, huh?!】
【The Fake Public Opinion War: Turning the Tide, Data Tracking, Comeback from the Brink.】
【The Real Public Opinion War: You dared to sling mud, so have the guts to open the door!】
【This melon’s getting more fun the more I eat! Saved!】
【22 years old is exactly the age when you can’t hide your temper anymore.】
【Keep eating melon, keep eating melon! I knew if I camped long enough, there’d be a twist!】
After his anger subsided, Song Xuan seemed a bit calmer. He pulled his manager behind him and looked at Yu Xi, finding it somewhat amusing. “Fine, innocence. How do you plan to prove your innocence?”
“Holding up a camera and confessing your past in front of it? Does that prove you didn’t do it?”
“How do you prove that the Song Xuan in that judgment document is me? Judgment documents only disclose partial personal info. Song Xuan—a pretty common name, right?”
“We’re both in the entertainment industry. Honestly, you can probably guess my annual salary. Why would I jeopardize my future by crossing borders to gamble, or opening a cas—”
Yu Xi expressionlessly turned on the recorder and placed it in front of the megaphone.
Song Xuan’s voice was amplified several times and suddenly blared out.
“What no-criminal-record proof? How the hell am I supposed to get that?! If it weren’t for you, would I have gotten busted just for gambling? It was all to clean up your mess, and now this shitty show demands a no-criminal-record proof? Live stream!!!!!”
Song Xuan was shocked, his eyes suddenly widening.
That was his phone call with his wife in the changing room—how did Yu Xi record it?!
“I’m done for! You just cry and cry, all you know how to do is cry. What good does crying do? Does it solve problems?!”
“Your brother’s at the police station, right? Have him help… No way? No way? Nothing can be done?! You’re blaming me now? You set up the gambling den, you found the Omega, I got a record because I got dragged into your mess. If not for you, would this shit have happened? And now you tell me there’s no way?”
Song Xuan and his manager were dumbfounded.
Yu Xi calmly and coldly said, “Sorry, I have a recording.”
Song Xuan: “Where did you get that?! You eavesdropped on my phone call?!”
Yu Xi remained expressionless, itching with annoyance as he recalled being forced to squeeze behind the door with Yi Chen. “Hope next time you go crazy on the phone, you check if anyone’s around.”
Manager: “You… he…”
Yu Xi didn’t bother letting him finish. “Wondering how I knew you two were the ones slinging mud? Simple. I haven’t badmouthed anyone lately—well, except Yi Chen, and Yi Chen wouldn’t stoop to something so tasteless. So the only one needing heat to divert attention right now is Song Xuan, who can’t produce a no-criminal-record proof.”
Song Xuan: “You… how… can you… prove… your… innocence?”
In his rage, his language ability was briefly suppressed by extreme emotion. Song Xuan could only spit out one or two words at a time, struggling to form a sentence.
Yu Xi sighed.
In truth, he hadn’t wanted to air this out. The incident involved not just him, but an innocent civilian girl.
Yu Xi took a deep breath, about to speak, when Yi Chen strode forward in one step, blocking Song Xuan and his manager completely from the camera.
“The incident happened on May 15th. Our Teacher Yu Xi was at the crew’s wrap party, but he left midway because he had poster shoots afterward. He was alone.”
Yu Xi: “?”
Comments: 【?】
“On the road, he encountered a couple arguing—no, they couldn’t be called a couple anymore. They’d already broken up, but the guy was still harassing the girl post-breakup.”
Yu Xi remembered that night’s scene vividly.
“Without me, you can’t accomplish anything.”
“You can’t survive alone.”
“I’m doing this for your own good… You should listen to me!”
“What ideals? What struggling? What’s the point? Can it feed you? You’re supposed to have kids! Your life’s value is bearing my children!”
“Come back with me, and I’ll forgive your mistakes.”
“Be good, and as long as you obey, I won’t hit you anymore.”
—The man repeated these words to the suffering girl over and over.
The girl wore short sleeves, her exposed forearms covered in bruises. Facing the man’s words, she shook her head nonstop, not knowing how to retort.
Each degrading remark from the man had carved deep gashes in her heart.
Perhaps in her mind, there were countless moments where she felt worthless, inseparable from that man, accustomed to their life together day and night.
But her intuition told her:
No, she couldn’t go back, couldn’t trust him again.
She covered her ears, crying out, “I’m not going back! I want to leave, let go, let me go…”
Her voice wasn’t loud, nearly swallowed by the dim alley, but the man suddenly flew into uncontrollable rage.
He raised his hand, just like every day before, aiming to slap the girl hard across the face.
He anticipated her begging for mercy—pain makes people obedient, he thought.
But at the instant his palm was about to touch her face, a scorching hand gripped his wrist.
“Holy shit, are you even a man??”
It was a young guy whose face and voice seemed familiar. The streetlights were dim; the man didn’t immediately recognize him. He only saw the guy shielding his girlfriend behind him…
No reason needed, no words required—the man’s fury peaked in that moment.
His fist swung toward Yu Xi—
“The video was obviously edited,” Yi Chen said. “Our Teacher Yu Xi merely protected an innocent civilian girl who was being deliberately harmed.”
At the same time, a V Blog post rose to public prominence amid countless comments.
Almost There: [Hello everyone, I’m the girl from the video today.]
[Before posting this V Blog, Teacher Yu Xi messaged me privately. He told me not to speak out; he’d handle the public opinion and ensure online comments wouldn’t affect my life.]
[He’s considered me, so I need to consider him too.]
[He helped me.]
[That day, he got me out of that alley. He accompanied me for the injury exam, told me not to make one man my whole world, not to pin my life on one man.]
[Before loving someone else, love yourself first.]
[That toxic relationship hurt me deeply. I was afraid to go out or interact with people for a long time. I knew I was sick—not physically, but mentally—but I had no money for a therapist.]
[Teacher Yu Xi transferred me money, arranged the hospital and doctor. I wanted to work and repay him, but he said to pay him back bit by bit once I recovered.]
[To you, he might be a screen idol, someone to chase scandals and flaws for. But to me, he’s a lifelong benefactor.]
[Grow toward the sun, and you’ll know how dark the swamp is.]
Under the post, the blogger attached the injury report, police acceptance form, transfer records, and medical records.
No more words were needed; the evidence spoke for itself.
【Holy shit!!!!】
【What kind of historical revisionism is Song Xuan pulling?! Yu Xi was clearly helping someone, and he twisted it into Yu Xi being a homewrecker beating up the ex?!? Beat him! Why didn’t he beat him harder!!!】
【Pissing me off!!! Haven’t been this mad in ages!!!】
【Fucking hell, Song Xuan, have you no shame?!】
【I don’t even know if I should rage at the scumbag ex or at Song Xuan for twisting facts and slinging rumors! Fuck it, blow it all up!!!】
【So mad so mad so mad, trust shattered, Song Xuan you deserve to collapse!】
【Sister hugs! Get better soon!】
Yi Chen finished speaking.
The netizens exploded.
Song Xuan and his manager were stunned.
Yu Xi was also dazed.
He eyed Yi Chen suspiciously. “Wait, how did you know?”
He’d never told anyone about this—not even Guan Zifan. How did Yi Chen know every detail?
“Later,” Yi Chen said.
Yu Xi turned the camera, and that handsome yet stern face appeared in the live stream.
“Brothers and sisters, there’s a saying: Don’t comment without knowing the full story.”
“So, who dug up the civilian’s info? Who cyberbullied and cursed her?”
“Any of my fans doing that? Fix it! Fix it!! You must fix it!!”
“Apologize where needed, delete comments where needed—move, move, move!!”
With that, Yu Xi set down the camera and breathed a sigh of relief.
Song Xuan’s mudslinging incident was finally over for now.
But just as Yu Xi wanted to return to the car and continue the preview period tasks, another minor mishap occurred.
The gland, quiet for a few hours, stung again, followed by a scorching burn that spread rapidly to his soles. His legs buckled, and he lost balance, crashing face-first toward the car door with a “Fuck!”
Yi Chen caught him and helped Yu Xi to the back seat. Confirming no injuries from the fall, he asked, “Tripping on flat ground? What’s wrong with you?”
Yu Xi took several deep breaths; the gland pain eased somewhat. Propping himself up, he barely managed, “I caught a disease where not seeing your phone makes me dizzy.”
“Here.” Yi Chen stopped hiding and unlocked his phone, handing it over openly.
Seeing the empty messages interface, Yu Xi: “…”
Yu Xi: “Where are my messages? I sent you a whole basket!”
Yi Chen: “Never sent any.”
Yu Xi: “…”
Whatever.
The gland hurt too much; Yu Xi was too lazy to argue with Yi Chen now.
Even if Yi Chen had messaged him, what would it mean?
What was he even hoping for?
Better to head to the hospital sooner than stare at Yi Chen’s phone.
The car fell quiet again.
Xiao Chen refused to sit between them anymore, preferring to drive rather than the back seat. Thus, the one squeezed in the middle became the original driver staff member.
Staff member: “…”
Fortunately, Yu Xi and Yi Chen said nothing the whole way.
“So.” Yu Xi suddenly turned to Yi Chen as if remembering something. “How do you know my business so well?”
Staff member: “…”
“Paparazzi sold me the tip too,” Yi Chen answered truthfully.
“…” Yu Xi. “The info he sold was totally unrelated to the facts, right?”
The edited video Song Xuan got came from the paparazzi tip.
Yi Chen gazed out the window, tone light and casual, as if it were natural. “To use one piece of info, I’d at least verify if it’s true, no?”
Xiao Liu in the front seat: “?”
Huh?
He turned, looking at his boss with puzzled eyes.
What?
Was the boss that calm when he got the message?
He remembered that day: upon seeing the video, their usually composed boss bristled like a fluffed cat. “Yu Xi dating? Bullshit! How could he date someone else!!!!”
Then, he ditched work like mad, investigated everywhere until confirming the truth, finally slumping on the sofa in relief.
In the back, Yi Chen caught Xiao Liu’s glance and shot him a sharp look that made his scalp tingle; Xiao Liu had to turn away.
“Don’t overthink it.” Yi Chen shrugged, utterly nonchalant. “Just a routine info check.”
Said Yi Chen, who had forsaken sleep and gone berserk verifying the truth after getting the tip.
