In the evening, at the film and television city, Huo Shu casually browsed the hot topics, chuckled, and said, “Is Xu Yin trying to turn this philanthropist image into a hot topic?”
His assistant asked, “Huo Ge, do you think it’s a publicity stunt?”
Huo Shu replied, “What else could it be?” He put his phone down and continued, “Can someone really go night running every time and stumble upon an incident? Even if the previous few times were coincidences, this time it’s definitely planned. Isn’t this scheme obvious?”
The assistant pondered and said, “Well, he’s quite daring…”
After all, this situation was different from previous charitable acts or catching thieves. Risking one’s life to save someone was gaining him praise from netizens. If it turned out to be a publicity stunt, it would be…
The assistant glanced at Huo Shu involuntarily.
Huo Shu happened to look up and raised his chin, saying, “Contact Xiao Yuan and make sure Yue Ge doesn’t find out.”
The assistant nodded quickly, aware of the nearly three months of shooting and the completion of some roles, including Nan Ye. He discreetly took out his phone and whispered, “I’ll make the call.”
Huo Shu nodded, and his assistant walked to a corner of the set.
Huo Shu’s manager, Yue Ge, didn’t want to offend Wen Yan, but he didn’t fully understand Wen Yan’s character. The man isn’t strong. Huo Shu was the top star in the company, and even if he did something to Xu Yin or Nan Ye, Wen Yan would turn a blind eye and not dare to harm him.
Originally, Huo Shu didn’t want to make things difficult for Wen Yan, but if Xu Yin and Nan Ye brought this trouble, he couldn’t be blamed.
As for Wen Congyan, Huo Shu had initially wondered if there was a connection between Wen Congyan and Xu Yin, but upon careful consideration, he found it highly unlikely.
People like Wen Congyan wouldn’t associate with minor celebrities. The incident on the internet was probably just a strange coincidence. As for Wen Yan, if he learned that Xu Yin was associating with Wen Congyan, he would definitely see Xu Yin as an enemy unless he had developed genuine feelings for Xu Yin.
But how could that be possible?
Huo Shu chuckled.
On that evening, the hot search continued to ferment.
Xu Yin reported his safety, reassuring his fans. Many people then checked out Ye Rongrong’s Weibo to learn more about the situation.
At 10 o’clock, Ye Rongrong posted a Weibo message: [I’ve already safely arrived home. I’m fine; after all, I didn’t jump into the water. The uncle who fell into the water is also fine, Xu Yin Ge is fine too, everyone is fine, hahaha, so no need to worry! I’m really sorry about the livestream incident. I was on my way to a barbecue restaurant and started the livestream out of boredom, thinking of chatting with the fans. I didn’t expect it to turn out this way. My mind went blank, and I forgot I was still livestreaming until Xu Yin Ge jumped into the water… I’m really sorry! I’ve already privately apologized to Xu Yin Ge!]
Fortunately, in this incident, most netizens remained rational.
[It’s okay, we understand that you must have been scared!]
[The YouTuber was really brave. If it weren’t for Xu Yin, you might have jumped in yourself…]
[Don’t mind the keyboard warriors!]
[I saw a video where Xu Yin seemed to take off his shirt before jumping into the water. He’s so brave!]
Ye Rongrong replied to a comment, [Yes, he’s really amazing, and he didn’t panic like me. He consoled me even after I cried when I got ashore. So gentle, from today on, I’m his die-hard fan!!!]
Upon seeing her reply, netizens joined in with “Ying Ying” comments, expressing their affection.
The trend on hot search remained positive and uplifting up to this point.
However, at 10:30, some strange comments suddenly flooded into the hot search.
[What’s the deal with Xu Yin’s friend? In the video, it seems like he didn’t even make a call after getting ashore. His friend appeared very quickly, almost as timely as an emergency service.]
[Is it another situation during a night run? Forgive my bluntness, am I the only one who finds it suspicious?]
[In Ye Rongrong’s video, after Xu Yin rushed over, he immediately took off his clothes and jumped into the water, without any hesitation. His reaction seems off; it’s too quick, like it’s staged…]
Ever since the “Daily Good Deed” trend, Xu Yin has gained many fans. Initially, his fans were worried and proud of what happened that night, repeatedly watching several on-site videos online. However, as they were about to go to sleep, some bizarre comments suddenly emerged.
[Staged? How could it be staged? Is the watercourse a set, and the people around are the extras, while the ambulance is a prop?]
[Our A-Yin decisively saved a person, and they want to criticize his reaction? These haters are blaming the brave for not reacting normally, /doge.]
[Ah, come on, fans don’t need to be so agitated. Is it not okay to raise reasonable doubts?]
[Fake is fake. Everyone says that nobody encounters incidents during every night run. If Xu Yin is really into mysticism, why not hand it over to the government?]
[Last time, so many bystanders testified, even Wen Congyan got involved, but the haters won’t listen. So why bother arguing with them? They’re all a bunch of deaf and blind, /doge.]
[Oh, but this time Wen Congyan is absent? Confusing question mark.]
[The last time, they encountered an incident on the same road. This time, they went live. Are there still people who believe this? /xswl.]
[Surely, no one actually believes this video, right? It can’t be, right?]
The initially positive trending topic suddenly turned chaotic, with haters posting frantically. They fixated on the man who appeared in the video and Xu Yin’s repeated encounters during nighttime runs, effectively setting the pace for this narrative.
Some bystanders, after reading their comments, went back to watch the video again and thought, Well, it does seem a bit strange here and there.
This incident was particularly unusual. The drunk man was at risk of drowning, and Xu Yin, on a late November night, removed his shirt and jumped into the water, also risking his life.
Because of this, some bystanders admired him, as they themselves couldn’t do it. The water was so cold, and there were cases where a rescuer, instead of saving, got dragged down and drowned. They hesitated; they wouldn’t dare to risk their own lives for such an act.
But then they read the haters’ comments, saw the haters swear that this whole thing was fake, staged.
And they were left bewildered.
Then they began to wonder… Yeah, how could someone easily do such a dangerous and difficult thing? And a big celebrity, in the cold weather of late November, risking his life to save someone by jumping into the river?
These people who make so much money…
Could they really be so kind-hearted?
Deep down, they had to admit, they couldn’t do something so benevolent themselves.
A change of thoughts happened in an instant.
Suddenly, their attitudes shifted:
[Yeah, the whole process does seem a bit bizarre, right? I mean, it just feels unrealistic. Am I being too realistic? /Laughing until I cry.]
[Have you ever seen a celebrity or a rich person act this way to save someone?]
[It must be staged.]
[Today’s celebrities are willing to go to great lengths for publicity, even if it means risking it all. /Laughing.]
[If they could bring out one percent of this acting in a TV show, they’d be stars by now, right?]
[I mean, is it really fake? Taking a swim on a cold winter day, that’s going too far if it’s fake, isn’t it?]
[They have to go big to fool the netizens and build their image. Isn’t it clear?]
[So, it’s all about image building? Damn, if it’s really for that, this guy is a genius.]
[I have to say, Xu Yin is amazing! He shocked me!]
The trend on Weibo started to shift significantly. At this moment, a marketing account posted a long article with images, analyzing all the videos of this incident like Sherlock Holmes, dissecting every detail and even micro-expressions.
…
The Article:
[In the video of Ye Rongrong, even though the camera shook a bit, it’s clear that Xu Yin rushed from about ten meters away. Maybe you could hear shouts from that distance, but it’s hard to determine so quickly that someone was drowning. However, when Xu Yin arrived, he immediately went under the water, which is an abnormal reaction.
And then, after going down, he took off his shirt directly. Ye Rongrong happened to call him, and he happened to turn around and appear in the frame. It’s safe to say that a male celebrity remembering to give fans some fan service at such a moment is quite professional, /facepalm.]
[The uncle in the water seemed to struggle for a while. A middle-aged drunk man enduring this cold river for so long, waiting until Xu Yin went to save him, is quite impressive. Well, I’m pretty sure I couldn’t do that, doge.]
[Now, looking at the end of the video, many people find the sudden appearance of the man in black strange, but if you look closely, there’s not just one man in black in the video; there’s another one. In the video, with Xu Yin coming ashore without making a call, one man in black arrived even before the emergency services, wrapped him in a cloth, and took him away. The other one stayed behind, probably for cleanup. So, even though it’s a night run and no call was made, how did these two individuals suddenly appear and arrange everything so systematically?]
The article ended by saying, [In the end, every artist wants to be famous, and that’s completely understandable. Nowadays, most artists create their public image, which is entirely normal. However, creating a public image should be done in moderation; excessive marketing isn’t suitable.]
With the release of this lengthy article, the entire trending topic exploded, and even some netizens who had stayed neutral were drawn into the discussion.
Indeed, despite this marketing account being what they usually despised, this analysis seemed quite accurate and reasonable. This incident was indeed quite strange. Could Xu Yin have actually hired a group of actors to stage this?
[Let me add something. The YouTuber Ye Rongrong usually starts her livestreams after arriving at the restaurant. Today, she opened it on her way there. She used to complain in her videos about not being famous yet. Think about it.]
[I rewatched the video, and that man in black doesn’t seem like a friend; he looks more like an artist’s bodyguard.]
[So, is it really fake? Damn, how long did that drunk guy stay in the water to act? He’s like a professional stuntman. Which production team is this? /Goodbye.]
[If this is really a publicity stunt, please let the government ban such unethical artists. Thanks. /smile.]
When the online atmosphere reached this level of change, those netizens who enjoy watching and criticizing others on Weibo also joined in, and what followed was a wild party.
The atmosphere was about to completely ferment and twist into a massive whirlpool. They didn’t care about other truths; they believed they had the truth, and once they had it, it was time for judgment. The person at the center of this whirlpool would be pinned to the pillar of shame!
[When I first saw this news, I thought it was fake. An artist, in late November, jumping into the water to save someone? I laughed so hard. And there are actually people who believe it!]
[So, Xu Yin won’t come out with a response?]
[Why isn’t this kind of artist being banned? I’m disgusted!]
[Many people who went into the water to save others ended up drowning. How come Xu Yin didn’t drown? /Laughing.]
[Quick, ban him. I don’t want to see him anymore. Can we do that?]
Instantly, the entire internet was filled with criticism, and voices demanding the ban of Xu Yin started emerging one after another!
Suddenly:
[Damn, I just got out of the shower and climbed into bed. I’m a bit confused seeing this trending topic. I was at the scene and took photos of Xu Yin and that bodyguard, so is it really a bodyguard? He looks incredibly handsome!]
The moment the netizens saw this reply, their hands trembled with excitement!
Handsome? If he’s handsome, then he must be a bodyguard! With a photo, they could compare it to Xu Yin’s various candid photos from before. If it matched, it would be undeniable proof. An 18th-tier artist going to such extremes for fame, undeniable proof!
Their faces turned red, and they eagerly clicked on the image, all ready to proceed with their criticism of Xu Yin.
And then, they all froze.
…
The image was quite blurry.
But it was clear enough to see the face.
In the picture, the man in black had sharp, cold, and handsome features.
He held Xu Yin protectively, and the coat tightly wrapped around Xu Yin was clearly taken from him.
But…
…B-bodyguard… What the heck?! Is this guy actually Wen Congyan?! Seriously?!
Is this face really Wen Congyan’s?!
Wen Congyan, why is it you again?!?!
The entire internet fell into a suffocating silence.
After the silence,
A netizen who had only been lurking without speaking finally said, [Hahaha, I couldn’t help but burst into laughter seeing you all passionately discussing this. Bodyguard? Where do you find such a handsome bodyguard? Hurry, tell me the company; even if it costs me everything, I need to hire one. /Eating popcorns.]
***
Wen Congyan took a brief break and, when he woke up, the young man beside him was still asleep.
The room was dimly lit by the faint moonlight that seeped through the curtains. With this soft moonlight, Wen Congyan gazed at the person beside him, moved closer, and gently kissed their forehead.
Suddenly, his phone vibrated with a soft “buzz.” Wen Congyan turned around, read the content, and furrowed his eyebrows slightly.
Carefully, he got out of bed, put on a robe, and softly left the room, closing the door behind him. He then opened Weibo and kept reading through the messages, his brow furrowing more and more.
As he scrolled through the comments, filled with hostility and negativity, his expression grew colder and more sinister.
Seeing a netizen saying they were eating popcorn and laughing, mentioning where they could find such a handsome bodyguard, Wen Congyan, with a stern face, clicked the like button.
Scrolling further, he noticed another netizen who is still trying to engage: [No, if the man in black is Wen Congyan, then who is the second man who stayed behind for the aftercare? That hasn’t been explained, right? If it’s unexplained, it’s still an issue!]
Just at that moment, another message came in on WeChat from his subordinate: [Mr. Wen, how should you respond to this?]
How to respond?
Wen Congyan expressionlessly typed rapidly.
While the netizens continued to discuss the shock of the photo, someone noticed that Wen Congyan had made a move.
Not only did he quietly like the comment, but he also responded to the netizen’s question about the second man at the scene.
In just a few succinct words, he silenced the entire online community.
[That’s my assistant.]
[Any more questions?]
Netizens: ?!!!
Fvck, this man… he responded by turning the question back on them!
On the Weibo platform, there had never been a moment with such an overwhelming sense of awkwardness as it was right now.
Wen Congyan’s appearance felt like a slap across the faces of the netizens, rendering them speechless.
They had speculated that Xu Yin, along with his bodyguard and assistant, had staged this event to build his image. However, the two mysterious men turned out to be Wen Congyan and his assistant. This was beyond their wildest expectations.
If Xu Yin were really acting, there was no way he’d involve Wen Congyan, let alone bring Wen Congyan’s assistant into the mix. No matter how they thought about it, it just didn’t make any sense.
Under Wen Congyan’s reply, Ye Rongrong, in a very awkward position, responded, [I really didn’t expect things to turn out like this. I was worried about causing trouble for Xu Yin and Mr. Wen. I was torn about whether to say anything. But Mr. Wen took it upon himself to respond… Mr. Wen’s assistant is very kind, and he stayed with the uncle all the way to the hospital to make sure he was okay.]
The netizens, who had been passionately discussing for so long, didn’t expect Wen Congyan to personally intervene and shut them down. This was a complete twist of fate, and they felt extremely embarrassed.
However, the reality is that there are many people online who, despite clearly being led by the narrative, are unwilling to admit that they’ve been misled when the truth comes out.
How could they be so easily influenced? No, no, no, they can’t be that foolish!
They choose to selectively ignore the truth, focus on the convenient bits, and then criticize Ye Rongrong illogically.
[Why are you even speaking up? The issue of getting paid to act hasn’t been explained yet!]
[How do you know that?]
[How can such a stupid online content creator eat so much? ]
They criticize with satisfaction, but Ye Rongrong didn’t respond. Surprisingly, someone else did at this moment.
And this person left the netizens shocked once again.
Ye Cheng reposted a netizen’s Weibo post that had insulted Ye Rongrong and replied, [I just finished dinner and saw this stupid trending topic. Does my little sister need to take money to act for marketing? Are you kidding me?]
Netizens were puzzled again.
Who is Ye Cheng?
He’s the son of Ye Jia, the third richest man in the country!
He’s handsome, wealthy, and talented, and has over twenty million fanatical fans online!
Wait a damn second, Ye Cheng says Ye Rongrong is his sister?!
Those who were familiar with Ye Jia indeed knew they had a younger daughter, but they hadn’t seen her picture or heard her name. And now, this young girl became the target of ridicule, as she was portrayed as a money-grabbing, immoral online content creator by the marketing account?
Damn! This was obviously a super-rich second-generation individual!
Not only were the netizens astonished, but Ye Rongrong’s fans were too!
With her brother’s support, Ye Rongrong finally found the courage.
In fact, she had genuinely been scared by the netizens’ reaction earlier and was a bit at a loss. She only lent a hand when Wen Congyan stepped in.
It was the moment she had her brother’s backing that she calmed down and officially explained her side of the story:
[It’s the first time I’ve encountered something like this, and I genuinely didn’t know how to explain it. I just felt bewildered, so I remained silent for a while. I don’t understand how an accidental, genuine act of kindness turned into a massive show. Some people, as marketing accounts, have truly undersold themselves. If they used their talents to write palace drama scripts, they might make more money than they do now.]
[Furthermore, is it wrong for me to spontaneously decide to start a livestream on the way today? I’ve previously said that I want to be famous, but does that mean anyone who wants to be famous has no integrity? It can’t be like that, right?]
In fact, her fans had been speaking up for her all along, but the netizens’ criticism was just too harsh, and they felt helpless.
[That’s right, Rongrong has said several times in her videos that she wants to be famous, but it’s all in a playful manner!]
[If they don’t provide the original video and just pick this sentence out, the marketing account is exposed. They’re done for tonight.]
[Please, have a bit of independent thinking, netizens! You usually complain about how disgusting marketing accounts are, but when a marketing account fans the flames, you get swayed. You deserve to be exploited by the marketing accounts!]
Ye Cheng was even more direct, saying, [What the hell? Just curse out these dumb marketing accounts. My sister, Ye Cheng, needs to earn money this way? It’s simply preposterous.]
Then he insulted his own sister, [So why don’t you just use the black card our parents gave you?]
Ye Rongrong humbly replied, [I have enough money, really, Gege.]
Netizens: […Damn, this is awkward.]
The situation had reached a point where the lengthy marketing article with over a thousand words was losing ground. Embarrassed, netizens turned back to re-examine it and realized that many points in the article were based on pure imagination. For instance, the claim that Xu Yin had prepared for the incident ahead of time because he rushed to the scene quickly, or that he removed his clothes before entering the water was seen as an act for fans, seemed to be unfounded and malicious assumptions.
Then there was the middle-aged man who had been described as a stuntman…
At exactly 11:00, a single Weibo post skyrocketed in popularity, shocking a wide audience.
It was a video, seemingly filmed in a bathroom. A middle-aged man, holding his phone, his face still showing some signs of alcohol consumption, spoke somewhat unclearly:
“… Today, I got drunk and wanted to pee by the river. That’s my mistake, I was uncivilized, and I apologize to the public. But when I got back home and saw it on Weibo… What’s with the things you people are saying? Acting? I almost drowned, and you think it’s acting?! You’re saying I held on too long… What do you mean, huh? Are you suggesting I should have drowned earlier, is that it, my dear netizen? Ah, this is the modern netizen’s view of the world, truly righteous! I almost lost my life, but you upheld online justice!”
The middle-aged man picked up another phone and shook it to emphasize the comment made by a netizen, suggesting that he was a stuntman for holding on too long.
“You marketing accounts are simply malicious, utterly heartless!” The man pointed at the screen, scolding harshly. “I made a mistake, but I was lucky that Xu Yin came to rescue me, and he put himself in danger by diving into the river. I’m truly very sorry! But for those who spread rumors and slander online, and the people behind that marketing account, I hope one day you accidentally fall into a river, and no one comes to your rescue. Don’t hold on, pretend to be a stuntman as much as you like, just sink and go down! Ugh!”
The man’s words were harsh, and some netizens were quick to respond angrily, criticizing him for urinating by the river while drunk, being uncivilized, and disgusting, questioning his right to post a video.
However, most netizens had become sober by now, realizing that urinating by the river was indeed uncivilized, and the video was also uncomfortable to watch, but there was no connection to Xu Yin acting or creating a persona. They felt embarrassed and self-conscious.
Just as the event’s heat reached its peak, the official Weibo account of the city’s public security also made a statement!
The appearance of this official account left netizens unprepared.
In fact, one crucial reason for the lack of police involvement in this incident from beginning to end was that when Ye Rongrong first thought about calling the police, it was too late, and Xu Yin was already rescuing the man. With the thought of not wasting police resources, she refrained from making the call.
By the time other onlookers arrived, even the ambulance had nearly reached the scene, so the police had not been involved throughout the process.
However, at this moment, the official Weibo account of Police C City reposted a video of the act of valor that occurred tonight on the watercourse section of Heye Road at 9 PM.
It stated that “Mr. Liu”, who was saved, hadn’t managed to get his rescuer’s contact details at the time. He had later called the police and requested to present a flag of appreciation to his savior. After confirming the details, the Police C City official Weibo indicated that they would assist in delivering this flag of appreciation. They also reminded people to drink alcohol in moderation and encouraged them to “neither believe in rumors, spread rumors, nor create rumors.”
While Police C City’s official Weibo sometimes posted late at night, the number of times was very limited. Today, considering the time of this post and the speed with which they followed up on this incident, what it meant was as clear as day.
The fans of Xu Yin and Ye Rongrong were ecstatic.
[Is the social media manager not resting at this late hour?]
[Because the matter has gotten too big…]
[The police are coming out to support us, this is fantastic! ( ߹꒳߹ )]
[So, are we going to see Xu Yin receive a flag of appreciation for his valor, haha!]
[Anyone still talking about Xu Yin acting or creating a persona???]
[They should arrest everyone spreading rumors!!!]
Many of the netizens who stubbornly refused to admit they had been misled by marketing accounts and those who had made foolish comments were shocked.
They could defiantly claim “It’s your fault if I won’t listen” when confronting Wen Congyan, Ye Cheng, Ye Rongrong, and the person who fell into the water. But would they dare to do the same with the police? Absolutely not.
Because they were dealing with the police! They immediately dared not say a word, those who had muted their microphones continued to do so, those who had deleted their Weibo posts tried to act as if nothing had happened!
However, the internet has a memory, and it’s not that easy to completely erase what you’ve done. People had already collected and shared the Weibo posts of those who had blindly insulted with the marketing account. Those who were exposed felt angry, yet they dared not make any further appearances, it was like they exploded.
Following this, the official Weibo account of Wenxing Entertainment released a statement, solemnly affirming that Xu Yin habitually goes jogging at night, and his act of valor in the current incident is a normal quality that anyone could possess. They also emphasized that there was no falsehood or any form of publicity stunt involved in this or any past events. The statement ended with Wenxing Entertainment stating they would pursue the relevant legal responsibilities in this incident, directly targeting the marketing account, exhibiting a strong attitude.
People who were just recently criticizing Xu Yin were now swallowing their words, hastily checking to ensure they had deleted their Weibo posts. Wenxing Entertainment’s strong statement caught those familiar with them in the fan community by surprise.
Shortly after this official statement came out, the marketing account quickly deleted its long article, expressing regret and apologizing, claiming they didn’t have a full understanding of the situation before making their analysis, which led to misleading the public. They apologized to everyone involved in this matter.
Netizens were baffled at first, but soon their anger surfaced. They criticized the marketing account.
[Dumb marketing accounts should be banned!]
[Stupid marketing account, /pff!]
[Why bother apologizing! Go to jail!]
Some netizens sarcastically noted, [Anyone with a bit of independent thinking wouldn’t be led around by marketing accounts. What’s the point of cursing the marketing account? There are so many people who, upon seeing signs of an argument, are like dogs who have just smelled the scent of a bone. You know it in your heart. Don’t act like you’re all victims.]
The netizens were taken aback but before they could mumble, saving face by rebutting, they noticed that Wen Congyan had shared an article on health and nutrition.
[What foods should you eat in early winter to nourish your brain?]
Those netizens were left speechless. “…”
Some calm onlookers among them burst into laughter. [Hahaha, this hidden message is on point! Even the serious Mr. Wen has learned some techniques from Onmyoji!]
[Some people indeed need to nourish their brains. The thing hanging around their necks isn’t just an accessory, hahaha!]
With that, the relentless netizens were silenced. They had no face to comment further and withdrew in embarrassment.
While the internet was buzzing, the real world had its own moments of tranquility and frustration.
In a hotel near the film and TV city, a mobile phone was smashed against the wall, landing on the floor with a resounding crash!
The assistant, who had just brought some late-night snacks to the room, jumped in surprise.
Huo Shu had a grim expression. He had been following the development of the trending topics the entire night, and he couldn’t believe how things had taken such an unexpected turn.
Wen Congyan!
It was Wen Congyan again!
What’s the connection between Xu Yin and Wen Congyan? Could they really be that close?
But that was impossible. Who was Wen Congyan? In the entertainment industry, numerous people couldn’t even get close to him no matter how hard they tried, and now, of all people, it was Xu Yin who had managed to get close to him?
Huo Shu clenched his teeth.
What kind of bullsh*t luck is this?!
He had thrown all his money down the drain with this event!
On the other hand, in a small apartment in C City, Xu Yin had fallen asleep but was awakened in the middle of the night.
His body felt sore, and certain areas seemed to retain the sensation of kisses.
Well… it seemed he couldn’t control himself and went all the way with Wen Congyan.
Xu Yin squinted his eyes and sighed, realizing his self-control might not be that great. He reached out to find the other side of the bed empty; the person who was supposed to sleep there was nowhere to be found.
The room was shrouded in darkness.
Xu Yin blinked, rubbed his eyes, and let out a yawn.
After staring blankly for a while, he sluggishly remembered something. He opened his chat with “018.”
Even though he had closed the chat window with “018” after he got back to his apartment to take a shower, and “018” had refrained from any interaction during that time, once Xu Yin had finished showering, “018” started talking to himself.
018: “Hey, don’t forget the push-ups; it’s best to collect those basic points!”
018: “Push-ups! Don’t just focus on the romance; you also have to do push-ups! Xu Yin, did you hear me?”
018: “Gosh, the atmosphere is getting a bit risky. What are you guys trying to do???”
Later…
018: “Ahh! You guys are so dirty-minded, you’re such a fag pervy couple, ahhh, I’m out of here, see you in debt!!!”
And then it ended there.
Xu Yin chuckled and nodded. It was a bit too much for 018. Despite being fifty years old, 018 could still act like a kid sometimes.
Xu Yin responded with a cheerful thought: “Little 18?”
Still no response.
Xu Yin smiled and closed the chat window, deciding to deal with it tomorrow.
He turned and reached for his phone on the bedside table. When he checked, he realized that Qin Yue had actually called him. He hesitated for a moment and then returned the call, and it was in a calling state.
Xu Yin rubbed his temples, his thoughts racing. Going with his instincts, he opened Weibo and found the hot topic that had dropped to the back of the trends. After clicking into it, he understood everything.
To put it simply, Xu Yin was shocked. He hadn’t anticipated that the situation would develop in this way. Saving someone from drowning could be twisted into a performance by a marketing account, and in the end, whether it was Wen Congyan or Ye Cheng, and even the official C city public security account, all of them had stepped in.
What was even more amazing was that in the time it took for him to have a good night’s sleep, it seemed like the matter had been resolved.
With a head full of question marks, he scrolled down curiously. The bedroom door was gently pushed open.
Wen Congyan saw the silhouette on the bed, startled for a moment, and then turned on the lights, coming over to sit beside Xu Yin and ruffle his hair. “Why are you awake?”
Wen Congyan was wearing a bathrobe, as there weren’t any spare clothes in Xu Yin’s place that would fit him. He was also a size bigger than Xu Yin, so the clothes were never quite right. He had no choice but to put on a bathrobe.
In fact, despite his appearance of being dressed properly, due to the issue of underwear, he was still in a state of undress.
When Xu Yin thought about this, he couldn’t help but find it amusing. He leaned on Wen Congyan’s shoulder and raised an eyebrow teasingly. “Because you’re not here?”
“…”
Wen Congyan chuckled and responded in a low voice, “I called Qin Yue.”
He shifted his gaze to the screen of Xu Yin’s phone.
Xu Yin was astonished. “You contacted Qin Yue?”
Upon further thought, he asked, “Have you made your moves?”
With just a quick scan of the screenshots and reposts from netizens, Xu Yin had already pieced together how intense the online dispute had been earlier. However, the hot topic had already fallen down the trending list, clearly suppressed.
As for that marketing account, it had suddenly issued an apology statement when the event was at its peak. It was certainly related to the police and the official statement from Wenxing Entertainment, but honestly, Xu Yin didn’t think it was written by Wen Yan.
This time, Wenxing Entertainment’s statement was more forceful than any of their previous ones.
Xu Yin looked at Wen Congyan.
Most likely, this man had intervened.
Xu Yin paused and said, “Did someone pay for what happened this time?”
It was normal for a celebrity to have fans and detractors, but for the matter to escalate to this extent, someone must have made moves behind the scenes. The curious thing was that Xu Yin didn’t know when he had reached a point where his competitors thought it was worth spending money to tarnish his image.
Wen Congyan’s voice was low and tender. “Don’t worry. We will find out.”
He didn’t say much more, but Xu Yin understood that this man had definitely taken further action.
Xu Yin gazed at Wen Congyan and suddenly smiled.
Wen Congyan was puzzled. “What’s wrong?”
Setting aside the person who had acted against him in secret for now, things that required refutation and clarification had already been handled by others while he was still asleep. The marketing account could be dealt with later, and the person who had acted against him could be investigated gradually. Therefore, Xu Yin had no reason to be angry.
In this moment, what he cared more about was…
For a long time, he had been used to being independent. When he encountered problems, he would solve them, and if he couldn’t, he would self-dissolve them. This was his way of survival.
Out of the blue, someone had lent him their support. How could he put it…
Some might look down on it, but Xu Yin always thought, what was wrong with having someone to rely on?
Of course, Xu Yin wasn’t the type of person to depend on someone for everything. It was just that not relying on someone and being unable to rely on them were two different things.
Xu Yin hugged Wen Congyan’s waist and murmured, “It’s really nice…”
Wen Congyan held Xu Yin’s waist and gently rubbed his head, lowering his eyes.
In the small apartment, there were only a pair of spare slippers in the shoe cabinet, and they appeared to be brand new. Xu Yin had never mentioned family before, even in a situation like this.
That night, the young man quietly fell asleep, and at this moment, he was peacefully resting in his arms, smiling as he said, “It’s really nice.”
Wen Congyan lowered his head and gently kissed the top of Xu Yin’s head, over and over.
Xu Yin closed his eyes for a moment, feeling the warmth, and then spoke, “Did the police contact you?”
“Yeah, they contacted Qin Yue.”
“When you called him, was he surprised?”
Wen Congyan smiled, “Yeah…”
Xu Yin also smiled.
Then, out of nowhere, he asked, “Was it intentional when you retweeted that health article?”
Wen Congyan hesitated, “…”
Xu Yin couldn’t hold back his laughter. “Was it intentional?”
Wen Da, turned his gaze away silently.
Xu Yin didn’t see it, but he felt it and burst into laughter.
In truth, he understood that whether it was Wen Congyan liking the taunting comment from that user, replying to the relentless trolls with questions, or ultimately retweeting that health article, these weren’t things this man would normally do. He was doing this out of anger, for him.
“Don’t be angry,” Xu Yin said softly. “There’s no need to get angry over something like this.”
He looked up, and Wen Congyan was also looking at him.
Xu Yin smiled and continued, “Tonight is a night worth remembering.”
In many ways, it certainly was.
Wen Congyan smiled again.
In times of celebration, the vile malice on the internet was like a speck of dust, completely powerless to affect Xu Yin in the slightest.
Xu Yin let go of Wen Congyan, and picked up his phone.
Wen Congyan asked, “Are you going to post on Weibo?”
Xu Yin nodded.
Wen Congyan suddenly said, “We haven’t followed each other on Weibo yet.”
Xu Yin raised an eyebrow. “I’ve been discreetly following you for a while. What about you?”
Wen Congyan smiled. “I’ve been discreetly following you too.”
The two of them exchanged glances.
…
With this series of developments, there were basically no more arguments among netizens in the current trending topics. The majority of them had either joined in just for fun or had been slightly stirred up by the marketing account before retreating in embarrassment.
The remaining group was mostly those who sincerely apologized for blindly following the crowd, and the netizens who remained calm throughout, along with Xu Yin’s fans. Right now, they were more curious about one thing: What was the deal with Mr. Wen’s appearance tonight?
Xu Yin’s unique situation attracted all sorts of strange theories about encountering incidents while night running, so could it be that Mr. Wen had some sorcery situation as well, guaranteeing he’d witness Xu Yin’s act of valor?
Various bizarre speculations emerged, and some even considered writing fanfiction about it.
Just then, someone noticed that these two individuals had finally followed each other on Weibo!
Shortly after that, Xu Yin retweeted the posts from Police C City’s official account and Wenxing Entertainment and made a post of his own.
His fans were beginning to worry about the young man’s health, wondering why he was still playing on his phone without getting proper rest, when they saw Xu Yin’s Weibo post:
Xu Yin (verified account): [Will you be there next time, Wen?]
And not long after, Wen replied:
Wen (verified account): [I will, Xu Yin.]
…
Netizens: [????]
Wait a minute, are these two openly flaunting they are dating?
And is there something odd about this official announcement format?
However, their perplexities were left unaddressed because the night was still young.
