Li Rou belatedly realized the position she was in and pursed her lips with a miserable expression.
Judging by her expression, she wasn't all that scared. She probably had a decent standing at her company.
Yu Xiuyuan teased her. "Relax, silly. I won't let you get the short end of the stick. Your big brother here has plenty of tricks up his sleeve. Just sit back and let me carry you."
Then he suddenly remembered something and turned serious. "For the record, I only like men, so don't fall for me. And be more careful from now on. Don't go charging into battle for someone you've only just met."
With that, he switched both their microphones back on. The director was already on his way.
The live microphone forced all the things Li Rou wanted to say back down her throat. She could only grumble inwardly:
You're the silly one. I wasn't trying to help you. I just got dazzled by your looks for a moment. Besides, with a face like yours, who would dare fall for you? Even walking down the street together, you'd completely outshine them.
Yu Xiuyuan lay back down, covered his eyes with the ribbon again, and began looking forward to what would happen next.
His two songs were trending, so he was sure plenty of people would join the buzz and dig up evidence.
People had tried to clear his name back then, too. But everyone was condemning him, and he hadn't defended himself either. Even when someone posted evidence, it never got the chance to reach a wider audience.
Things were different now.
He wondered whether this counted as a surprise for Wen Lin. He looked forward to his response.
Just as Yu Xiuyuan had expected, the live chat was buzzing.
"What are those two whispering about? Why did the sound cut out?"
"Why wouldn't Wen Lin let Yu Dog explain? He was falsely accused and just accepted it?"
"Wen Lin is the textbook backstabbing friend."
"Yu Dog really is trying to whitewash himself. He even said he'd quit showbiz. It's all part of his rehabilitation campaign!"
"You believe him just because he said so? Yu Dog can never wash away his history of school bullying!"
"Any of Yu Dog's classmates here? Who has a video? Post it if you do. Here's your chance to gain followers."
"I have a feeling Yu Dog is telling the truth. Let's find the evidence together, for those two songs!"
"If Yu Dog is telling the truth, Wen Lin is kind of scary."
"You believe him just because he said so? He's probably spouting nonsense again!"
"Drop dead, Yu Dog! Our Wen Lin helped you out of kindness, and you stab him in the back!"
"To the person above, if everything Yu Dog said is true, your fave isn't innocent. After all, the original school bullying allegations against Yu Dog came from him."
"Holy crap! Seriously? No proof, no truth. Got any evidence?"
"Just search for it. Look up #Wen Lin's slip of the tongue accidentally exposes Yu Dog's school bullying#. It's all there."
"Wow, what a world-class sneaky bastard Wen Lin is."
Soon, three hashtags shot up the trending list.
#The truth about Yu Dog's school bullying#
#Wen Lin's slip of the tongue exposes Yu Dog's school bullying#
#Wen Lin the backstabbing friend, his persona crumbles#
Clicking on the first brought up unmistakable video evidence of Yu Xiuyuan being bullied years ago.
The video had actually been posted online several years earlier. But by then, people had already decided Yu Xiuyuan was a school bully. Allegations were flying everywhere, and no one believed him. The video never reached most people.
The second showed Wen Lin "accidentally" letting slip that Yu Xiuyuan had bullied people at school. When reporters pressed him, he deliberately grew evasive rather than explaining clearly, saying only that unpleasant things shouldn't be brought up again.
That amounted to confirming that Yu Xiuyuan had been a school bully.
It was only after that that Yu Xiuyuan had been branded one.
Later, reporters asked him on various occasions why he was friends with a school bully. He always said he would help the other man break his bad habits, winning himself quite a few fans in the process.
The third trending topic was easy enough to understand. Everyone was disgusted by Wen Lin's underhanded behavior.
After catching up on the drama through the trending topics, everyone returned to the livestream and posted in a steady stream:
"Yu Dog really had it rough."
"Yu Dog is so stupid. Does he still think Wen Lin was looking out for him?"
"Wen Lin is so underhanded, climbing the ladder by stepping on Yu Dog. Yesterday, Yu Dog even said Wen Lin picked those ugly clothes for him. I didn't believe him then."
"Having a backstabbing friend like that is terrifying."
"First he steered everyone into cyberbullying Yu Dog over school bullying, then he talked Yu Dog out of clearing his name. Impressive!"
"Does Yu Dog have no brain? Wen Lin practically announced in public that he bullied people at school, and he still listened to him?"
"Wen Lin was the only person who saved him and showed him warmth. A few soothing words probably made him believe anything. After all, no one suspects their own lifeline."
"Yu Dog really had it rough. The lifeline he thought he had was actually the person who hurt him most!"
"Shouldn't we change what we call him? Calling him Yu Dog still feels wrong."
"He's still got plenty of dirt on him. Why change it? Yu Dog rolls right off the tongue."
"I'm betting Yu Dog is actually a good person! After all, I still want to hear him sing. Pull yourself together, Yu Dog, and clear up every last allegation!"
While everyone in the live chat passionately sounded off, the two people on-site were still basking in the sun on their rocking chairs. Yu Xiuyuan was almost asleep.
Suddenly, Yu Xiuyuan's phone rang, startling him so badly that his ribbon shook loose.
Once he answered, his voice immediately warmed. "Yes, yes, this is the place. Just come straight in."
After hanging up, he called into his microphone, "Xiao Liu, Xiao Liu, there's a white SUV with the plate number 38D66. Let them through. I booked an at-home foot treatment."
"What? Who did he call? Foot what?" The director sounded incredulous.
"You, obviously. Xiao Liu, your hearing's not great. I booked an at-home foot treatment. How can sunbathing alone be enough for a wellness day at home? Don't forget to pay later. The production team is covering our date expenses, right?" Yu Xiuyuan answered as though it were perfectly natural, puzzled by the director's shock.
"You're calling me Xiao Liu? Yes, the production team covers the dates, but you booked a foot treatment for your date?" The shock in the director's voice practically weighed three pounds.
"It's a legitimate foot treatment! You can livestream the whole thing! What are you so shocked about?" Yu Xiuyuan said scornfully.
Then he put on a smile. "Don't be mad, Director Liu. I thought you all seemed a little down, so I was joking around." While Yu Xiuyuan was bickering with the director, the foot spa's vehicle had already arrived.
After confirming who had made the booking, the staff briskly brought over foot-soaking tubs, herbal sachets, and the rest of their equipment.
Noticing there were two sets, Li Rou quietly asked him, "I get one too?"
"Of course. Good things are meant to be shared."
Li Rou's eyes lit up. She didn't know about anyone else, but she thought this was absolutely fantastic!
The best part was that she couldn't even refuse!
Who wouldn't want to be forced into a foot treatment while working?
I can't let Yu Xiuyuan's kindness go to waste! Hahahaha...
Charging into battle for Yu Xiuyuan earlier hardly mattered now.
He was a good guy. Definitely worth befriending!
The director was still fuming. He glared at Yu Xiuyuan, who was comfortably reclining on his lounge chair with his feet soaking. There were even rose petals in the water!
Apparently, a massage would follow, and the production team had to pay for it. He huffed with fury, practically ready to steam from the top of his head.
No matter how pitiful someone was, they couldn't live this leisurely on his show!
Oh, forget it. Being pitiful didn't earn that privilege, but being beautiful did.
The bastard really was beautiful.
Before you continue