Chapter 49: Apology Statement

Chapter 49: Apology Statement

A moment of silence fell over the filming location as the guests exchanged glances.

Liu Yan spoke up first, "Goushi...? Shouldn't all our Weibo names be our real names?"

The director nodded in agreement.

Which artist doesn’t use their real name for their Weibo account?

It was just the name Goushi that felt oddly familiar to him.

"Could it be some netizen?" Wen Xiangyue suggested.

After all, they were still live streaming, and perhaps some bored netizens had joined in on the fun.

"There's no possibility of that."

Ye Leyao sighed inwardly; he had just seen clearly—it was Song Zhehan’s secondary account’s avatar.

That image of the soybean person flipping the bird was unforgettable at first sight.

Zhou Zijian, Duan Hao, Liu Yan, and others agreed with Wen Xiangyue’s guess, nodding their heads.

Li Siyuan even laughed out loud. "Which idiot named themselves something so melodious?"

The other guests burst into laughter.

Even the audience watching the live stream found it hilarious:

"Hahahaha, I have to say, this name is quite unique indeed."

"It reminds me of Song Zhehan’s dog, which seems to have the same name?"

"Yeah, hh, Song Zhehan said this name has special depth, so he named his dog Goushi."

Everyone present and not present was laughing, except for Ye Leyao and Qin Yao, who couldn’t bring themselves to smile.

In fact, Ye Leyao’s habit of digging with his toes out of embarrassment resurfaced.

"Li Siyuan, you might want to hold your tongue!"

"Don’t you fear that Song Zhehan will dig a hole and bury you alive later?!"

Ye Leyao mourned for Li Siyuan in his heart.

Qin Yao and He Yan weren’t as tense as Ye Leyao.

Qin Yao merely felt a headache coming on.

Why did an unexpected incident occur right when the recording was about to end?

Fortunately, he had prepared for public relations early on, so he wasn’t particularly worried.

But what was Song Zhehan thinking?

Why did he choose this moment to retweet using his secondary account?

He Yan shared the same curiosity.

Throughout the episode, he discovered that Song Zhehan wasn’t someone particularly difficult to get along with. As long as you didn’t cross his line, he would maintain a smile and interact cordially.

However, maintaining a persona could become exhausting after a while.

Thus, even without Ye Leyao’s reminders, He Yan noticed the fleeting genuine emotions on Song Zhehan’s face.

Was it possible that Song Zhehan was truly tired of acting?

Was he deciding to be himself from now on?

Qin Yao and He Yan almost simultaneously looked up at Song Zhehan.

At this glance, both were taken aback.

The sun had already sunk below the horizon, and the lights at the filming site illuminated the scene.

Song Zhehan happened to be sitting opposite Ye Leyao. The night was slightly chilly on the grassland, so he had draped a coat over himself. To his left was a cup of steaming water. A gust of wind blew the steam onto his face, and as it dissipated, it revealed Song Zhehan’s slightly furrowed brows. He was looking down at his phone, his expression unusually serious.

Qin Yao found it unbelievable.

Judging by Song Zhehan’s expression, could it be that he really accidentally retweeted the post using his secondary account?

He Yan was equally surprised.

No way?

In the entertainment industry, every celebrity kept their secondary accounts tightly under wraps.

Including He Yan himself, he would meticulously check before posting on Weibo, ensuring he hadn’t switched accounts by mistake. Song Zhehan, being a smart and cautious person, how could he possibly make such a low-level error?

Ye Leyao finally regained his composure, making sure his expression wouldn’t give him away, before he quickly glanced at Song Zhehan. At this look, his eyelids twitched.

"Still laughing secretly! Song Zhehan! Alright, alright, confirmed. You’re not being careless by accident; you’re deliberately being careless!"

Qin Yao and He Yan heard Ye Leyao’s inner thoughts and looked up again.

Indeed, both saw a fleeting hint of a smile in Song Zhehan’s eyes.

Just as expected!

How could Song Zhehan make such a low-level mistake!

He did it on purpose!

So the solemn look on his face earlier—

Huoyan glanced at the camera in front of him.

Was it an act for the audience to see.

Qin Yao and Huoyan sighed simultaneously in their hearts.

Phew, they almost fell for Song Zhehan's trick!

And at this moment, a netizen in the live stream finally noticed something amiss:

"Hey, wait a minute, stop laughing! Look quickly at Ye Leyao's expression... Isn't Ye Leyao usually the one who laughs the hardest? Why isn't he laughing tonight?"

"Huh? Ye Leyao isn't laughing? Could it be that he doesn't find Li Siyuan's words funny?"

"I think... it's probably not that. Look, not only is he not laughing, but neither are Qin Yao and Huoyan..."

"Mm, mm, mm? All three of them aren't laughing. Could it be that this alternate account has something to do with these three?"

With those words, the barrage exploded:

"Don't say that! It's actually possible!"

"Look at how tense Ye Leyao looks. I've been watching the live stream for so long, and I've never seen this expression on his face before!"

"No way, I'm a bit curious. Has that Weibo post not been deleted yet? I'll go check the forwarding records."

"But I think something's off. If this alternate account really belongs to Ye Leyao and the other two, why did I find all three of them when I checked the forwarding records just now?"

Just then, a staff member finally came over with a tablet: "Director, look, this alternate account seems like a hater. The latest Weibo post is still complaining about..."

The director glanced at the list of forwards on the tablet without scrutinizing it closely: "It seems that this account must have joined in by accident. Let's exclude this netizen, which means the first place goes to Qin..."

"Hold on," Song Zhehan suddenly interjected, interrupting the director.

The director was taken aback. "Is there a problem?"

Ye Leyao turned his head and saw a hint of a smile at the corner of Song Zhehan's mouth, causing his heart to skip a beat.

"Are you serious, Goushi? You're really going to expose yourself as a werewolf?"

In the next moment, they heard Song Zhehan ask, "Director, you didn't specify that we had to use our main Weibo accounts to forward the post, right?"

At the same time, a comment in the barrage stood out:

"Goushi's Weibo account isn't Ye Leyao, Qin Yao, and Huoyan's alternate account!"

The barrage instantly filled with exclamation marks.

The guests present who were still unaware of the situation were somewhat confused.

What did Song Zhehan mean?

Li Siyuan subconsciously looked at Song Zhehan but found nothing unusual on his face. His gaze flickered and landed on Ye Leyao.

His pupils widened instantly.

Wait, no way?

The director was baffled by Song Zhehan's question, but after thinking about it, he still said, "Yes, we didn't have that rule..."

Then in the next instant, they heard Song Zhehan feign helplessness and say, "Well, there's nothing we can do then. It's my fault for accidentally switching accounts."

Netizens in the barrage: "Goushi is the name of Song Zhehan's dog. This alternate account also posted a photo identical to Song Zhehan's dog a month ago!"

Song Zhehan said, "Goushi is my alternate account."

Netizens in the barrage: "In other words, this alternate account belongs to Song Zhehan!"

As soon as the words were spoken,

Silence fell over the entire scene.

Ye Leyao immediately looked at Qin Yao.

Qin Yao closed his eyes.

Ye Leyao couldn't hold back his laughter.

"Some people may seem asleep, but they're actually sleeping very peacefully."

Qin Yao: "…"

Huoyan pressed his fist against his lips to prevent himself from bursting out laughing directly.

Li Siyuan's mind went blank for a moment. After several seconds, he finally spoke up, "Wait, you're saying…"

"Yes, I'm the idiot you mentioned," Song Zhehan glanced indifferently at Li Siyuan, not hiding the murderous intent in his eyes. Then, the corners of his mouth curled into a faint smile. "You even complimented my username earlier."

Ye Leyao:

"HAHAHAHAHA."

"Li Siyuan, I told you to shut up!"

Li Siyuan: "…"

He had indeed been throwing shade just now; you, Song Zhehan, couldn’t have missed it.

So are you now also throwing shade at me?

Li Siyuan took a deep breath and suddenly felt a surge of excitement as he asked, "Then did you post any tweets mocking people in our circle…?"

"Of course." Song Zhehan was unapologetic, flashing a faint smile when the other guests turned to look at him. "Rest assured, I’m all about fairness. Everyone’s included."

The other guests: "…"

Thanks a lot.

Ye Leyao was really losing it with laughter.

"Alright, alright, confirmed – Goushi is really going to be himself!"

Ignoring the reactions of the other guests, Song Zhehan looked straight at the director. "So can the director announce that I’m number one now?"

The director felt sweat breaking out on his forehead.

At this moment, he finally remembered where he’d heard the name Goushi before!

Qin Yao had mentioned it during their meeting earlier!

What had Qin Yao said then?

That this minor Twitter account was suspected to be Song Zhehan’s, and they were unsure when netizens would uncover it, so he and the producer should pay attention.

Qin Yao had even held a special meeting with the PR team, which seemed to be about emergency PR if the minor account was exposed?

Why hadn’t he thought of it sooner!!

What should he do now!!

For a split second, the director wanted to call for help, but he forced his emotions down, trying to maintain a serious expression. "We didn’t specify that guests couldn’t use minor accounts for retweets, so… I declare that the winner of this Twitter retweet contest is Song Zhehan."

As the words fell, Song Zhehan looked around, puzzled. "Aren’t you guys going to congratulate me?"

"How dare they!"

"Don’t you see everyone’s flipping through your minor account’s content right now?"

"Look at Brother Zhou! He’s breaking out in cold sweat!"

"Well, my brother and President Qin seem pretty calm."

Ye Leyao sighed and led the applause. "Very well, congratulations!"

With Ye Leyao taking the lead, the other guests put down their phones, no longer rushing to see how Song Zhehan had criticized them, and joined in the applause.

Although most of the guests still didn’t understand what Song Zhehan was up to, they keenly noticed that the smile on his face now was different from any smile they’d seen before – as if –

"It always seemed like Song Zhehan was faking his smile before, but now it looks genuinely heartfelt."

"Indeed, Song Zhehan has clearly had enough of pretending!"

Huoyan nodded in agreement.

When the applause ended, Song Zhehan smiled at the director. "I’ll send the list of people I want to invite later, but let’s eat hot pot first, okay?"

He said the last sentence softly. "After all, if I don’t eat now, I won’t have time when my agent calls later."

Sitting next to Song Zhehan, Ye Leyao heard him clearly and couldn’t help laughing again.

"Whose fault is that? You’re the one who directly exposed yourself in front of all these live viewers!"

"If only you’d been more subtle!"

Unexpectedly, Song Zhehan leaned over at that moment. "Ye Leyao, why are you laughing?"

Ye Leyao cleared his throat. "Nothing."

"You’re laughing because I’m going to get scolded later, aren’t you?" With his mask of pretense torn off, Song Zhehan was becoming increasingly blunt.

"You know very well!" Since Song Zhehan didn’t care about Ye Leyao’s feelings, Ye Leyao naturally wouldn’t care about his either.

Song Zhehan burst out laughing.

It was a hearty laugh.

Ye Leyao could tell that this laugh was also genuine, so he changed the subject. "Let’s eat hot pot! If we don’t start soon, the broth will boil dry."

Huoyan chimed in to smooth things over. "Hot pot, hot pot!"

Qin Yao added, "Time to cook some beef!"

Unexpectedly, Duan Haoyan suddenly spoke up. "Wait… Song Zhehan, so everything you told me when we worked together last time was a lie?"

Ye Leyao perked up his ears.

"Huh?"

Song Zhehan dropped a few slices of beef into the soup, raising an eyebrow slightly at the question. His tone was pleasant. "Mm!"

His smug demeanor seemed to say, Yes, yes, it was me who criticized you!

Duan Haoyan: "…"

Duan Haoyan was suddenly very hurt. "But you can't be so..."

Ye Leyao couldn't help but become curious.

"So what did Song Zhehan say about Duan Haoyan?"

As Ye Leyao was hesitating whether to check Song Zhehan's secondary account in front of him,

she heard Duan Haoyan say with a wronged tone, "Although I do admit that I'm love-struck, you can't be so harsh, can you? Also, if the zombie virus really breaks out, I'll definitely be eaten too! How could there be zombies that would avoid biting me because I'm love-struck? You tell me—"

Ye Leyao: "Hahahaha..."

Ye Leyao couldn't hold back her laughter and burst out laughing while covering her face.

Qin Yao also found it hard to suppress his amusement, turning his head slightly.

Li Siyuan laughed even more exaggeratedly. "I have to say, his criticism is pretty accurate..."

The other guests all had smiles on their faces, except for He Yan, who felt a bit offended, feeling that he had been subtly criticized!

However, after Duan Haoyan's reminder, Zhou Zijian suddenly realized something. "Does that mean I'm also—"

Song Zhehan raised an eyebrow. "Brother Zhou, why don't you just check my Weibo yourself?"

Zhou Zijian couldn't resist.

Li Siyuan was also itching to take action.

Liu Yan had already picked up her phone.

Ye Leyao thought for a second. Would it seem fake if she didn't take out her phone at this moment?

Just as she took out her phone and was about to open Song Zhehan's secondary account, she suddenly heard Song Zhehan's faint voice beside her. "You don't need to, though."

Ye Leyao's heart skipped a beat.

"Not... not possible, right? When did Song Zhehan know that I knew about his secondary account?!"

Ye Leyao almost lost her composure.

Then she heard Song Zhehan say, "I've criticized everyone else, including your brother He Yan, but I haven't criticized you."

After saying that, Song Zhehan winked at Ye Leyao.

Ye Leyao: "..."

"Even though I know Song Zhehan is telling the truth, how am I supposed to respond?!"

"I don't believe it." Ye Leyao took a deep breath.

Song Zhehan laughed directly. "Really, I'm a very honest person!"

"That's true," Ye Leyao nodded. "You personally exposed your secondary account, who can match you?"

Song Zhehan shook his head with a smile, not explaining further.

Seeing that the beef in the pot was done, they started scooping it out.

Meanwhile, the other guests all maintained the same posture, holding chopsticks in one hand and scrolling through Weibo on their phones with the other.

Only Song Zhehan ate particularly happily, occasionally answering a few questions from everyone while eating.

Li Siyuan stood up abruptly. "How am I a hotheaded man?!"

Song Zhehan didn't even lift an eyelid. "If this isn't being hotheaded, then what is?"

Li Siyuan was rarely left speechless by a retort, standing there dumbfounded for several seconds before frowning and sitting back down.

Liu Yan said softly, "I'm not that much of a princess, am I?"

Song Zhehan: "Well, you just think sleeping in a tent during camping isn't safe, you're a clean freak, you won't eat wild vegetables, you think the bowls at the herder's house are dirty, you can't carry heavy objects when walking and insist on getting help, do I need to give more examples?"

Liu Yan was embarrassed and quickly waved her hands. "No, no need!"

Zhou Zijian raised his hand. "Me..."

Zhou Zijian took a deep breath. "I didn't expect it, Little Song, you're actually quite nice."

Song Zhehan laughed at these words. "Brother Zhou, are you thanking me for reminding you to lock the door?"

Ye Leyao let out her second burst of laughter tonight.

Zhou Zijian's expression was complex.

Then she heard Song Zhehan continue, "Just tell me if I'm being kind or not."

"How could it not be kind! It's kind!"

Ye Leyao laughed so hard she was doubled over.

The atmosphere on the filming site relaxed completely at this moment.

Although most of the guests present had been criticized, Song Zhehan's angle of criticism was indeed difficult to refute.

After two episodes, the guests had gained some understanding of Song Zhehan, knowing that although he was indeed "occasionally" sarcastic, or rather, he was just plain sarcastic, he wasn't a two-faced person.

In the entertainment industry, where people often smiled to your face and tripped you behind your back, everyone actually enjoyed interacting with straightforward people like him.

For a moment, the atmosphere on the filming site became even more harmonious.

The guests would flip through amusing Weibo posts and share them with each other.

But the only place where harmony reigned was on the filming set.

At this moment, in the live stream, on Weibo, and across various platforms, the melon-eating netizens, Song Zhehan's fans, and supporters of other celebrities were almost at each other's throats.

When Song Zhehan exposed his secondary account, both the casual observers and his fans were somewhat stunned.

It wasn't that, when other celebrities found out their secondary accounts had retweeted the wrong post, their first reaction wouldn't be to quietly delete it and pretend nothing happened?

Why did you, Song Zhehan, have to jump out right now?

If you, Song Zhehan, hadn't taken the initiative to speak up, the netizens in the chat wouldn't have noticed you!

Was it possible that you, Song Zhehan, did it on purpose?

Of course, there were artists in the entertainment industry who had exposed their secondary accounts before.

However, these secondary accounts were managed by professionals, deliberately released to enhance their public image and attract fans.

Now, let's take a look at your secondary account, Song Zhehan.

Good grief.

The first post was cursing Lu Bo as a river sprite.

The second post mocked Lu Bo for being in heat.

Then, he played around with memes in the comments section, mentioning warming hands and being eighteen years old~.

Upon seeing this, Song Zhehan's fans felt their eyes go dark.

Wait, why does Song Zhehan's secondary Weibo account have this kind of tone?

Where did their gentle, kind, and warm-hearted Song Zhehan go?

Why does Song Zhehan know all these memes and dares to say anything in private!

The fans felt they desperately needed a quick-acting heart pill.

As for the melon-eating netizens watching, they laughed heartily.

"I said it! I've long noticed that Song Zhehan isn't as easy-going as he appears on the surface!"

"I'm really conflicted. I can't believe these are words coming from Song Zhehan, but somehow, I feel like he's not wrong at all!"

"Yes, yes. Although he's sharp-tongued and has a foul mouth, he only targets those who deserve it!"

"I'm going to laugh myself silly. Song Zhehan... hahaha, he, hahahaha. Did you see the roast in the first episode? Help, his mouth is lethal!"

"Hahaha, I saw it, I saw it! He really doesn't hold back, does he?"

"Aaaaaaah, how can you be so passive-aggressive, Song Zhehan? Can I borrow your mouth for a bit?"

Of course, these were the reactions of the netizens who were merely enjoying the spectacle.

Others who came upon hearing the news were fans of artists who had previously collaborated with Song Zhehan.

After a precise search, when they saw Song Zhehan's mocking Weibo post, their anger flared up.

"What? Are you alright, Song Zhehan? Who did you say has a head shaped like a winter melon?"

"Help, didn't Song Zhehan think about getting his secondary account exposed when he posted that tweet? He's not much to look at himself, how dare he attack someone else's height?"

"Aaaaah, he actually called my precious one's breath stinky? Who's mouth is stinkier than yours?"

As more netizens joined in the fray, some couldn't resist responding:

"Is it possible that what Song Zhehan said isn't wrong? Your head does indeed resemble a winter melon."

"Song Zhehan may not be good-looking, but he's tall! At 188 centimeters, criticizing someone's height isn't a problem, is it?"

"Foul breath... hmm, I remember at this time he was shooting intimate scenes with someone. Could it be that the co-star... well, literally had bad breath?"

Before Song Zhehan's fans could even react to defend him, countless amused netizens stepped forward.

After seeing the brilliant responses from the netizens, Song Zhehan's fans felt mixed emotions but gave their approval.

Meanwhile, fans of other celebrities were thoroughly triggered—

"So, it's justified to criticize a collaborator behind their back? I'm truly impressed by you fans."

"I just don't get it. Do contemporary netizens have a problem with their values? Don't tell me you think what Song Zhehan did was right?"

"Song Zhehan is simply a disgrace to humanity! He should be blacklisted immediately!"

The melon-eating netizens suddenly found themselves laughing even harder:

"Why don't you check our profiles and see if we're really Song Zhehan's fans?"

"Oh no, you caught us. Turns out, I don't follow any stars!"

"Well, I don't think what Song Zhehan did was right, but I do find him quite genuine. After all, I also complain about my clients behind their backs!"

"That's right. With all the stress nowadays, can't I just vent a little?"

"And Song Zhehan's criticism wasn't distorted either. He based it on facts. Fans, don't rush to conclusions. Even Song Zhehan's fans aren't panicking yet!"

Song Zehan's fans: "..."

No, it's not that they aren't anxious; it's just that they genuinely have no idea what to do now!

On one hand, they truly adored the persona Song Zhehan had crafted, believing that no one in the entire entertainment industry could be as warm as he was.

But now you're telling them that everything about Song Zhehan was an act, all part of his persona. How could fans not feel let down?

On the other hand, while disappointed, they couldn't help but sift through Song Zhehan's secondary Weibo account, and this time, they found themselves laughing. How did they miss how sharp-tongued and amusing Song Zhehan could be before?

For a moment, fans were both angry and amused.

Right at this critical juncture, Song Zhehan's phone rang in the live stream.

Ye Leyao glanced at his phone screen and saw the words "Agent Miss" in large letters.

"Good luck! I'll mourn for you!"

The other guests also turned their gazes over.

Song Zhehan calmly put down his chopsticks, smiling, "Perfect timing, I'm full anyway. Carry on, I'm off to get scolded."

With those words, Song Zhehan took his phone and walked out of camera range.

From a distance, they couldn't hear Song Zhehan's voice.

So, Huo Yan and Qin Yao focused their attention on Ye Leyao.

Ye Leyao! You must know something!

Qin Yao remembered clearly that Ye Leyao only mentioned that Song Zhehan would face a downfall, but didn't say what would happen after.

So, isn't Ye Leyao going to recall anything now?!

And indeed, Ye Leyao was recalling.

He even took out his phone and quietly opened his notes, scanning quickly for the aftermath of Song Zhehan's downfall.

But after flipping through, he couldn't find any crucial information.

Ye Leyao couldn't help but mutter:

"Could it be that the downfall didn't really affect Song Zhehan much?"

"After all, if it had a significant impact, I wouldn't have forgotten it."

With that thought, Ye Leyao simply exited the notes app and opened Weibo, ready to check the public sentiment on Weibo.

Before he could click on the trending hashtag "#SongZhehanPersonaDownfall," he saw another hashtag suddenly appear on the trending list—

"#SongZhehanApologyStatement"

"Huh? Song Zhehan apologized? No way? Is this the Song Zhehan I know?"

Ye Leyao hurriedly clicked on the hashtag.

Huo Yan and Qin Yao also instantly reached for their phones.

Before they could open Weibo, they heard Ye Leyao's loud laughter—

"I knew it! Goushi would never apologize! Goushi never apologizes!"

Qin Yao and Huo Yan looked down, and on their phones was the apology statement Song Zhehan had just posted:

It wasn't even from Song Zhehan's main account, but from his secondary account named Goushi. The apology statement was concise yet infuriatingly straightforward for the haters:

"Goushi: Apology Statement: Sorry, I admit my words were indeed lacking in consideration. I offer my sincere apologies to all the collaborators I offended in the past. Since everyone thinks it's immoral for me to criticize people behind their backs, I'll strive to criticize them to their faces from now on ^v^."

Huo Yan: "?"

Wait, what?

Qin Yao: "…"

What a way to criticize people to their faces!

Truly worthy of Goushi, who dares to take responsibility for his actions!