Chapter 50: The Newly-minted Spokesperson

From the start of the hotpot feast, few guests had put down their phones. When they saw Ye Leyao and the others grinning at their screens, they sensed something was up and quickly clicked onto Goushi's Weibo account.

Upon seeing Song Zhehan's apology statement, Li Siyuan laughed first. "Is this what Song Zhehan calls an apology?"

Fans in the comment section echoed the same question.

Fan: "Is this your idea of an apology?"

Goushi replied instantly: "Did I say 'I'm sorry'?"

Fan: "What kind of apology is this? It's not sincere at all."

Goushi: "Then let me apologize again, sincerely this time. Sorry (sincere version). Can you feel my sincerity now?"

The fans were once again infuriated.

Was Song Zhehan playing with them?

Meanwhile, the onlookers found it hilarious. They tagged friends in the comments, urging them to be even harsher. They wanted to learn from Song Zhehan's art of comebacks, completely disregarding the feelings of other fans.

Ye Leyao couldn't stop smiling.

Duan Haoyan, however, watched nervously. "Little Song... didn't he just get off the phone with his agent?"

Was Song Zhehan really going to defy his agent and go rogue?

Zhou Zijian was worried too, but not about Song Zhehan getting scolded by his agent. He feared that Song Zhehan would attract more haters, which could harm his career since he had only recently debuted.

After a moment of hesitation, Zhou Zijian suggested, "Should we try to persuade him? There's no need to keep arguing with netizens. It's exhausting."

Ye Leyao nodded in agreement. "It is tiring, having to type responses. Why don't we have Song Zhehan read and reply to comments here instead? We're live streaming anyway."

The set fell silent again as everyone looked at Ye Leyao.

In the live stream chat, the audience erupted:

"Hold on, Ye Leyao! Did you hear what you just said?"

"HAHAHAHAHA, oh my god, Ye Leyao, you're truly a master of chaos! You actually thought of reading comments out loud!"

"I wouldn't mind seeing Song Zhehan read comments either!"

"Wait, do you want to see Song Zhehan read comments or watch him clash with fans?"

"Cough, cough, cough. Let's save some face. My friend wants to see Song Zhehan clash with people!"

The chat was filled with laughter, but the atmosphere on set remained tense.

Ye Leyao blinked, her eyes flashing with alarm.

"Did I accidentally say what I was thinking?"

Hu Yan covered his face, feeling a headache coming on.

While Ye Leyao's suggestion was good, and Hu Yan did enjoy the chaos, these thoughts were better left unsaid! How could she blurt them out like that?

How could he help Ye Leyao save face now?

Hu Yan was genuinely troubled.

Qin Yao was equally speechless.

But after a brief moment of contemplation, he took over the conversation to prevent further awkwardness. "Leyao's idea isn't bad. This way, Song Zhehan can address the netizens' concerns more quickly. But we should ask for his opinion first."

Qin Yao was confident that Song Zhehan wouldn't refuse.

Like Ye Leyao, Song Zhehan enjoyed watching drama unfold, whether it involved himself or others. They both took it seriously.

Ye Leyao looked at Qin Yao with gratitude.

"President Qin! Thank you so much! You're truly a good person!"

Then she added,

"But if President Qin asks Song Zhehan to come back and read comments, he won't refuse."

"However, aren't you worried about your show? Song Zhehan's... attack power..."

Qin Yao closed his eyes.

Worrying wouldn't change anything.

Since things had already happened, it was best to let nature take its course.

And truthfully, Qin Yao felt that the current situation wasn't bad. Their program hadn't spent a dime on trending topics or promotions, yet their live stream consistently ranked first in popularity.

Other shows might not even dare to dream of such success.

The only thing they needed to prepare for was public relations.

Now that the director knew Song Zhehan's side account was Goushi, they would surely make preparations. There was no need for excessive worry.

Qin Yao had come to a realization, but the other guests present couldn't fathom it.

No matter how little they knew about Song Zhehan before, they understood him now after today.

You want Song Zhehan to return for a live broadcast to reply to netizens? Why don't you just admit that you want to see Song Zhehan face off with the netizens!

Isn't it obvious that Ye Leyao wants to watch the drama unfold?

Yet, not only did Qin Yao not reject Ye Leyao's suggestion, he even said that it was a good idea!

What were you thinking, President Qin?

The netizens in the live stream couldn't help themselves:

"Qin Yao... what am I supposed to say? You're spoiling him!"

"Don't deny it. From the first episode when Brother Yao said that Ye Leyao is his friend's younger brother, Brother Yao has been taking care of Ye Leyao! But Ye Leyao's real older brother, Huo Yan, is sitting right here! Does Ye Leyao need you to back him up?"

"Hahaha, I don't think Qin Yao is backing Ye Leyao up. Is it possible that Qin Yao just wants to eat some melon?"

"Hehehe, I agree! After all, Song Zhehan's words are interesting and amusing!"

With Qin Yao's approval, Li Siyuan, who loved watching the drama, immediately stood up and volunteered, "Then I'll go get Song Zhehan!"

He walked towards Song Zhehan under everyone's gaze.

Liu Yan watched as Li Siyuan left the camera frame and hesitantly asked, "Will Song Zhehan come?"

Ye Leyao nodded, this time cautiously keeping silent.

"He definitely will. After all, in just a short while, Gou Shi replied to several netizens."

"It's tiring to type. How could Gou Shi miss the chance to directly interact with netizens?"

Sure enough, within two minutes, everyone saw Song Zhehan walking over with Li Siyuan.

Song Zhehan still had a faint smile on his face. He sat down next to Ye Leyao without any hesitation and bluntly said, "So you wanted to hear me read comments?"

Ye Leyao: "..."

"Yes," Ye Leyao answered, gritting his teeth. Since he had already spoken his mind, there was no point in denying it now!

Song Zhehan chuckled. "Alright, it's a good opportunity for everyone to judge if I'm right or wrong."

Ye Leyao took the lead. "Sure, no problem!"

Qin Yao turned to look at Huo Yan.

Huo Yan avoided his gaze, covering his face.

Forget it.

Things had already developed to this point. Could he stop Ye Leyao from seeking justice?

Let Ye Leyao handle it. After all, even if the sky fell, their family would have his back.

The netizens watching the live stream couldn't hold back their laughter.

"Good, good, Ye Leyao. I didn't misjudge you; you're truly a man of fun!"

"Is there any doubt? You can always trust our Melon King!"

"Hurry up, hurry up, I want to see him read the comments!"

"Indeed, your variety show 'Travel Together' always delivers. A bombshell on the day of filming and another juicy scandal on the last day! It starts and ends well, never deceiving us!"

Song Zhehan's phone notifications hadn't stopped. Even when Li Siyuan came to find him, he was still interacting with fans in the comment section.

Seeing Ye Leyao nod, Song Zhehan took out his phone and found the previous interface. "Alright, I'll continue replying here. This netizen said, 'I've always felt that Song Zhehan isn't a good person. Look, he's crashing and burning.'"

In response, Song Zhehan raised an eyebrow, still smiling. "I just checked this fan's profile, and honestly, compared to your idol, I feel ashamed. After all, your idol smokes and drinks privately, and every party he attends, he's always surrounded by models. In comparison, I'm actually quite decent."

Ye Leyao quickly leaned forward to take a look. "Who's his idol?"

Song Zhehan generously handed his phone to Ye Leyao.

Ye Leyao glanced at it and immediately covered his mouth.

"So it's him. Didn't he just get caught dating multiple beauties at a club recently?"

"But this incident has been out for a while now, and he still has fans?"

While Ye Leyao could directly peek at Song Zhehan's phone, the netizens and viewers weren't so fortunate.

But that didn't deter the melon-eating netizens. Those with resources pulled out their second device, while others split their screens, one side showing the live stream and the other displaying Gou Shi's Weibo page.

Gou Shi's Weibo was openly displayed, with all the comments clearly visible.

It didn't take long for the netizens to find the comment Song Zhehan mentioned. They quickly clicked into the netizen's profile, and upon seeing it, the netizens laughed:

"Wait, hasn't your older brother been thoroughly exposed? I remember that because of this incident, he lost several endorsements. He's probably been softly blacklisted in the industry, right?"

"Sis, listen to me. An artist like this really isn't worth it."

"Yes, just as Gou Shi said, your idol is indeed worse than Gou Shi!"

The melon-eating netizens spoke calmly, addressing the issue with facts in the comments and warmly offering sincere advice from the heart.

However, unexpectedly, within a few minutes, they saw the netizen delete their own comment.

The online spectators were instantly amused:

"Hey, why are the comments being deleted?!"

"But my advice was sincere! Sister, listen to our advice and switch to another celebrity to support!"

"Right, right!"

Song Zhehan continued reading the comments, with the amused onlookers following suit, darting between both sides.

Those who attacked Song Zhehan's character received his matter-of-fact response: "That's just how I am, my quality is unpredictable, but I rise to meet challenges."

For those who cursed at Song Zhehan and launched personal attacks, he retaliated on the spot. He reported, blacklisted, and deleted the offending fan's comment in one swift move, then added a final jab: "Tough luck, you're now muted and can't curse me anymore. Bet you're feeling pretty frustrated, huh?"

These fans nearly fainted from anger.

Meanwhile, the online spectators couldn't stop laughing.

Initially, Guo Shi's comment section was filled with fans of other celebrities jumping in anger. But gradually, these voices disappeared without a trace.

It wasn't that the fans of other celebrities didn't want to attack Song Zhehan anymore; it was simply that Song Zhehan's mental fortitude was truly remarkable!

Despite being attacked by so many people simultaneously, he not only held his ground but even managed to counterattack and break the defenses of several fans who had left insulting comments!

These fans no longer had the audacity they started with, and some couldn't resist leaving messages:

"I suddenly feel like Song Zhehan has a point. After all, flies don't lay eggs in uncracked shells."

Upon seeing this comment, Song Zhehan laughed directly: "Exactly, have I ever cursed Ye Leyao? He's a straightforward and honest person."

Ye Leyao: "…"

"There's no need to use me as an example!"

Qin Yao and Huo Yan, standing nearby, thought to themselves: Now you know how it feels to be dragged into an example!

As more and more fans from other camps broke down, Guo Shi's comment section was gradually taken over by the online spectators.

One comment read: "Guo Shi, let me ask you a question. Do you think I'm prettier or is my friend prettier?"

The comment even kindly attached two photos.

Song Zhehan sharply commented: "Both are ugly, next."

The netizen was thrilled: "Wow, you really are Master Guo Shi! After your comment, I feel so much better. Thank you, Master Guo Shi!"

Other netizens:

"Hahahaha."

"Dude, don't let him curse you into satisfaction!"

"Help, I really can't take any more of this!"

The tone of the comment section was rapidly spiraling out of control, and the guests noticed this as well.

Zhou Zijian exclaimed in surprise: "So there's no one cursing you anymore?"

Song Zhehan glanced at him: "You seem disappointed?"

Zhou Zijian hurriedly shook his head: "No, that's not what I meant."

Li Siyuan also scrolled through the comments, feeling quite moved: "I never expected that reading comments could actually reverse public opinion for you. Should I try—"

Ye Leyao cut in without thinking:

"Don't bother, you won't learn."

"Song Zhehan's sharp tongue is one in a hundred!"

Song Zhehan was equally merciless: "You, with your temper tantrums, should forget it. I'm worried you'll smash your screen if you have nowhere to vent."

Ye Leyao chuckled.

"Accurate and to the point!"

Li Siyuan retracted his gaze from Ye Leyao and frowned: "I'm not that petty, am I?"

Song Zhehan glanced at him and said: "See, you're already angry."

Li Siyuan: "…"

Damn, so infuriating.

By ten o'clock in the evening, an hour had passed since Song Zhehan posted his apology tweet, and the tone of the comment section had completely reversed.

The top comment was from the netizen whom Song Zhehan had "cursed" earlier, now flooded with replies from other online spectators:

"I never thought you were such a freak!"

"So that's it, very grateful. I finally understand why I like Song Zhehan!"

"What? You guys are going too far!"

Many more top comments expressed their awe:

"Please give me a mouth identical to Song Zhehan's!"

"Song Zhehan, my new favorite sharp-tongued celebrity."

"For the next time I curse someone, I'll come and flip through Official Goushi's Weibo."

Meanwhile, fans of Song Zhehan who had just snapped back to reality left comments:

"Goushi, fly high with confidence; if anything happens, you bear it yourself!"

Netizens couldn't help but burst into laughter at this sight:

"So your fandom has already accepted Song Zhehan's new persona so quickly?"

A fan of Song Zhehan replied: "Didn't you see us calling him Goushi? In front of outsiders, I'll say I'm a fan of Song Zhehan, but among insiders, I'm a fan of Goushi."

Everyone laughed even harder.

So your fandom has separated Song Zhehan from Goushi?

But Song Zhehan might not necessarily let your fandom have its way!

In response, the fans of Song Zhehan said: "It doesn't matter. Our mentality is as strong as Teacher Goushi's. We follow our idol's lead, and when something happens, Goushi will carry the burden for us!"

The onlookers laughed even more heartily.

By the end of the recording that night, Song Zhehan had even gained over 200,000 new fans, and his number of followers continued to rise steadily.

The other guests were relieved and pleased at this development.

After all, Song Zhehan was indeed a pretty decent person, and no one wanted to miss seeing him in the next episode.

Ye Leyao felt particularly gratified about this.

"If our show really lost Song Zhehan, we'd probably lose half the fun."

After the recording ended, the guests could leave on their own.

Of course, if they didn't want to leave in the evening, they could rest in the tents for another night and set out the following morning.

Ye Leyao wasn't in a hurry to go home, and his schedule was particularly relaxed. Huo Yan was also in a resting phase recently, so the two brothers decided to sleep in the tent for another night.

Just after taking a shower and returning to the tent entrance, Ye Leyao ran into Song Zhehan.

"Weren't you going to leave?" Ye Leyao asked in surprise.

Song Zhehan nodded: "Yes, but I was waiting for you to return to thank you."

Ye Leyao widened his eyes: "Huh?"

"Thank me? Why?"

"Was it for suggesting that we read the comments?"

Seeing Ye Leyao's confused expression, Song Zhehan wasn't surprised. He smiled easily before saying, "In short, thank you very much. I'll be off now, see you next episode."

With that, Song Zhehan turned around and walked directly to the car parked nearby.

Ye Leyao was even more puzzled, but there was no one to clarify things for him at the moment. After some thought, he could only attribute the reason why Song Zhehan thanked him to the fact that he came up with the idea.

After all, if it weren't for Ye Leyao's suggestion to read the comments, it would likely take some time for public opinion to turn around online.

After figuring this out, Ye Leyao didn't think about it any further.

Many of the guests still had other schedules to attend to, and in the end, only Zhou Zijian, Wen Xiangyue, Ye Leyao, and Huo Yan remained in the campsite.

Today's itinerary arranged by the production team wasn't tight. After the other guests left one after another, the four of them went for a stroll nearby and chatted until late before resting.

The next morning, Ye Leyao was dragged out of his sleeping bag by Huo Yan.

Zhou Zijian heard the commotion and couldn't resist coming over to take a look. Upon seeing the scene, he chuckled: "Why didn't we see Leyao having such trouble getting up before?"

Ye Leyao was still groggy from sleep and answered: "Before, we had to record the show... Isn't it not recording day today?"

"It's not recording day, but we have to go home!" Huo Yan raised his voice.

Ye Leyao tried to wake himself up: "I know, I know, Brother Two, lower your voice, it's too noisy—"

"How else would you get up if I didn't speak loudly?" Huo Yan was speechless. "I should really film this and send it to your fans."

Ye Leyao was too tired to banter with Huo Yan and got dressed drowsily, finished washing up, and followed Huo Yan into the car.

They were half a day's drive away from the airport, and Ye Leyao slept all the way.

He didn't fully wake up until right before boarding the plane.

Before disembarking from the plane, Ye Leyao suddenly remembered something and asked Huo Yan: "Brother Two, are you going home later!"

Huo Yan shook his head: "Nope."

Huo Yan usually had many shooting assignments and spent most of his time living in his own house outside. He would only go back to live for a period of time during holidays or vacations.

Speaking of which, Huo Yan said, "You should buy a place outside too? You'll definitely have fewer jobs when you first debut, but they'll increase later on. How about buying a place in the same neighborhood where I live?"

Ye Leyao blinked: "Is Brother Two going to buy it for me?"

Huo Yan: "…I can sponsor fifty percent, and you can ask Eldest Brother for the rest!"

He bought the house he lived in outside with his own acting fees.

Men of the Huo family had to learn to be independent, and Ye Leyao was no exception!

Ye Leyao grinned: "Thanks, Brother Two! You're the best, Brother Two!"

"But I'm not in a rush to move out just yet, especially since the matter with Little Qingmei and Dad Huo hasn't been resolved. If I moved out early, what if it just so happened that Dad Huo brought Little Qingmei back?"

"Ah! Speaking of Little Qingmei, it reminded me! The thing I forgot about at the Yang family's last time—wasn't it Little Qingmei? Why didn't I bump into her at the banquet?"

Huo Yan had closed his eyes again but snapped them open upon hearing Ye Leyao's words.

Indeed, Ye Leyao had mentioned this before they left, but at the banquet, neither of them seemed to have seen the legendary Lady Little Qingmei.

Could it be—

"I'll check the time..."

Ye Leyao pulled up her notes, her eyes widening instantly: "It's recent! I need to hurry back; Little Qingmei might already be at our house!"

Hearing this, Huo Yan suddenly opened his eyes: "Forget it, I'll go back with you."

Ye Leyao: "Huh?"

"Why did you change your mind?"

Huo Yan closed his eyes again.

Whether he returned home or not wasn't important; what mattered was going home for the drama!

And he was genuinely curious as well. What kind of Little Qingmei could stir up such a rift between his parents?

He didn't believe it.

Unless he saw it with his own eyes.

Huo Yan felt secretly pleased.

After getting off the plane, Huo Yan followed Ye Leyao into the car heading home.

An hour later, the car stopped in the underground garage of the Huo Family Villa.

Ye Leyao got out of the car, scanning her surroundings in surprise: "Hey, is Big Brother actually home at this hour?"

Huo Yan: "Huh?"

"It's Big Brother's car." Ye Leyao pointed to a Bentley ahead.

Huo Yan said, "Maybe he came back to deliver documents to Dad. Come on, let's head upstairs."

Ye Leyao nodded, not thinking much of it, and followed Huo Yan into the elevator.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, they heard an unfamiliar female voice: "Is it Little Yan and Little Yao back?"

Ye Leyao's eyes showed a hint of shock.

"This isn't Mom Huo's voice, right?"

Huo Yan nodded.

Indeed not. How could Mom Huo speak so gently?

So—

Ye Leyao stepped out of the elevator, her gaze landing on an unfamiliar woman in the living room, her pupils instantly quaking:

"Lil—Lit—Little Qingmei!"

Dad Huo, who was about to get up to introduce her, froze.

Who did you say was Little Qingmei?

Both Huo Jing and Mom Huo looked at the woman beside them.

Huo Jing: Is it her?

Mom Huo: "…"

Wasn't she Dad Huo's cousin who emigrated abroad?

Oh, right, Little Qingmei also returned to the country because of her misfortune.

So technically, she really is Little Qingmei?

Mom Huo raised her eyebrows at Dad Huo.

Dad Huo was breaking out in cold sweat.

Don't misunderstand!

He hadn't been in contact with his cousin for decades!

Wronged!