Chapter 43: Chance to Clear My Name

Chapter 43: A Chance for Redemption

When Chu Yan returned to the common room, the other guests had already arrived. Since it was lunchtime, the production team instructed everyone to eat before announcing the results.

As soon as Chu Yan sat down, Zhou Yun slung an arm around his shoulders and settled beside him.

"Xiao Yan Yan, how many did you find?"

Zhou Yun wiggled his brows suggestively, clearly up to no good. Chu Yan was speechless but still flashed a peace sign.

Two—he’d scavenged a flattened plastic water bottle on the way back to the common room.

The viewers in Chu Yan’s livestream were dying of laughter. First a beat-up broom, now a plastic bottle.

Chu Yan was practically scavenging for trash. Some even dug up his old trending hashtag about begging at the Fu family and revived it—absolutely ridiculous.

Zhou Yun’s eyes immediately lit up. "Sweet! Since you won’t make it to five anyway, why not just give them to me?"

"In your dreams, Zhou Yun!"

Before Chu Yan could respond, Fu Zeyu hooked an arm around his other shoulder and sat down, effectively pinning Chu Yan between them.

[Hahaha, looks like the two rich boys really like our Yan Yan!]

"Give them to me, Xiao Yan. Strictly speaking, I’m your uncle."

"Pfft, what kind of uncle are you? Fourth Brother Fu, have you no shame? Your family’s jerk already called off the engagement with Xiao Yan Yan. How dare you still stick around?"

Zhou Yun’s temper flared the moment Fu Hongan was mentioned. Anyone unaware might think he was the one who got dumped by the Fu bastard. Strangely enough, despite looking down on Chu Yan just yesterday, he was now fiercely protective of him.

Chu Yan’s new fans mused that this must be the charm of their Yan Yan.

"So what if the engagement’s off?" Fu Zeyu yanked Chu Yan toward him, glaring at Zhou Yun. "Even after the breakup, Xiao Yan is still half a Fu family member. Everyone knows how much Xiao Yan adores our Hongan. Fifteen years—do you even understand what that means? You scumbag wouldn’t get it."

"Who are you calling scumbag?" Zhou Yun pulled Chu Yan back. "And what makes you, Fourth Brother Fu, any better? Shameless! Your Fu Hongan is the real scumbag here. Xiao Yan has already wised up—don't you dare touch him!"

"Playboy, back the hell off!"

"Scumbag, get the hell out!"

"..."

Chu Yan kept a straight face as the two young masters tugged him back and forth like a ragdoll, bickering endlessly like a pair of buzzing gnats.

What did he do to deserve these two?

"Having you two is truly my blessing."

[HAHAHA, I’m dying! Look at Chu Yan’s done-with-life expression—so cute and hilarious.]

[No doubt these two are head over heels for Yan Yan. They’re already fighting over him. Hahaha, they look like two roosters in a cockfight, pecking at each other. This is gold.]

Chu Yan was beyond annoyed, his temples pounding.

Finally, when the two were at each other’s throats and slammed the table in fury, Chu Yan pulled a tactical lean-back, slipped out from between them, and moved to the empty seat beside Lu Zhaoyang.

Thanks to Chu Yan’s culinary showcase the night before, Lu Zhaoyang actually gave him a nod and even smiled.

Honestly, despite Lu Zhaoyang’s homewrecking scandal, Chu Yan’s first impression of him was decent. After two days together, he didn’t find him particularly unpleasant either. Chu Yan trusted his instincts, so he was open to the man’s goodwill.

Meanwhile, the two young masters were still fighting over his useless two points. Chu Yan sidled up and murmured to Lu Zhaoyang,

"Lu-laoshi, how many did you find?"

Chu Yan’s sudden closeness caught Lu Zhaoyang off guard.

Ever since his affair scandal broke, everyone around him had given him the cold shoulder. Even former friends had turned against him or at least cut ties. Chu Yan’s approach was unexpected—and unsettling.

But he could tell there was no malice in Chu Yan’s eyes. Over the past two days, Chu Yan had surprisingly won people over. Even the arrogant young masters had done a complete 180 in their attitude toward him, proving he wasn’t the useless, annoying person the internet made him out to be.

After a brief hesitation, Lu Zhaoyang let his guard down slightly.

"Four."

Chu Yan blinked in surprise. "That’s impressive. I only found two after searching forever."

He lowered his voice and leaned even closer.

"Lu-laoshi, since my two points are useless anyway, want me to give you one? That’ll make five for you."

They were practically huddled in conversation. Lu Zhaoyang felt a bit stiff with the proximity but not repulsed. There was something about Chu Yan that made him want to break free from his self-imposed isolation.

"Really?"

"Of course."

Chu Yan patted the back of his hand. But then, a scorching gaze from the crowd made him stiffen. He glanced up and met the dark, intense eyes beneath a cap’s brim. Instinctively, he straightened and put some distance between himself and Lu Zhaoyang.

What an ultimate jealous type.

Silently, Chu Yan fished out a crumpled, flattened water bottle with the show’s label from his jacket pocket—ready to be sold as-is—and shoved it into Lu Zhaoyang’s hand.

Lu Zhaoyang: "..."

He seriously suspected Teacher Chu gave it to him because he found it too humiliating to keep.

"Thank you, Teacher Chu."

Chu Yan chuckled.

"Don’t mention it."

Meanwhile, the two young masters only realized Chu Yan had escaped in the heat of arguing. But they weren’t giving up yet and soon tracked him down.

With a sigh, Chu Yan pulled out the beat-up broom from behind him.

"I only have one left."

"Give it to me!"

"Xiao Yan Yan, give it to me!"

"Rock-paper-scissors-shoot. Winner takes all."

Oddly enough, despite their lifelong rivalry and habit of butting heads—something no one else could interfere with—they actually listened when Chu Yan spoke.

Zhou Yun won.

The shit-eating grin on his face was blinding, as if he’d just won a jackpot. Fu Zeyu, on the other hand, looked like he'd lost a fortune.

After lunch, the director announced the results of the points tally.

First, those who didn’t qualify for redemption: Chu Yan, with 0 points.

Of course, the production team knew he had secretly slipped a bottle to Lu Zhaoyang, and the broken broom was given to Fu Zeyu—this was an open secret.

Whether through gifting or snatching, the guests played dirty if they had to, and the show didn’t interfere.

Thus, Chu Yan ended up with 0 points, earning the dubious honor of last place for the day.

Next was Zhou Yun, with 1 point.

Chu Yan was floored.

In other words, Zhou Yun hadn’t found a single item himself—he was originally the one in last place. But this brazen jerk had swiped one right from Chu Yan.

Like, what’s the damn difference between 0 and 1? Neither is enough to reach 5. So where'd that smug look come from, as if he’d won the whole world?

[Hahaha, Chu Yan is once again completely over Second Young Master. That dead-inside look.jpg]

Unbeknownst to Chu Yan, the "look of despair" meme featuring him had quietly surged to the top of trending searches, blowing up for no reason.

Only two people didn't make the cut for redemption—just these two losers.

Embarrassed, Chu Yan covered his face.

Zhou Yun, on the other hand, was grinning like an idiot, especially satisfied that Chu Yan was sinking with him.

Seeing Zhou Yun’s expression, Chu Yan wanted to vanish on the spot.

Next, the director announced those who had qualified for redemption.

First was Xu Meng, who had exactly 5 points and confirmed she would redeem one answer opportunity.

Then came Lu Zhaoyang, also with 5 points, who likewise confirmed his redemption. He gave Chu Yan a grateful glance.

Surprisingly, Fu Zeyu had found five items on his own—six, counting the one from Chu Yan. It was total BS.

Even more absurd was that, despite knowing five points already qualified for redemption (meaning even if he snatched both of Chu Yan’s, he still couldn’t get a second redemption), he still went at Zhou Yun like rabid dogs over it.

Two complete psychos—equally pointless, equally insane.

The biggest surprise was Li Wenzhang, who had somehow racked up eight items, earning 8 points—the highest score of the day.

It wasn’t until after filming that Chu Yan learned online that Li Wenzhang was a seasoned actor. While he might not have a massive fanbase, he was a hit with the boomers, especially since he’d starred in many war dramas. This made his face incredibly popular in the village.

That was why, during the scavenger hunt, many villagers had lowkey hooked him up.

As for Fu Zeyu? Pure dumb luck—a blind squirrel finding a nut.

The final result: Both Xu Meng and Lu Zhaoyang could redeem one answer opportunity. Li Wenzhang, ever the stand-up guy, offered to give his three extra points to the two in last place. But whether given to Chu Yan or Zhou Yun, those three points didn't mean squat.

Fu Zeyu was willing to give his extra point to Chu Yan—but he'd rather die than give it to Zhou Yun.

So it was pointless. Aside from the two in last place, the other four guests each earned one answer opportunity.

The hot seat round began, with ladies first—Xu Meng went up.

Though she had already let her guard down a bit the night before, Xu Meng couldn’t help but tense up now. She was nervous.

Everyone present knew just how cruel online trolls could be, and this question was the most top-voted by haters. No doubt, it would be vicious.

Sure enough, Xu Meng’s question was:

"Teacher Xu, are you a bully?"

After her smoking scandal, the most widespread and damaging rumor about Xu Meng was that she had bullied others.

Things like a messy personal life or a fake persona were just moral failings at worst. But if she had bullied classmates, it wouldn’t just prove her cruelty—that's straight-up illegal.

Too many people had suffered severe consequences from such experiences, making this topic super triggering and prone to public outrage.

Though they’d expected sharp questions, the guests were visibly shook—especially Xu Meng, whose eyes were blazing with pent-up rage and hurt.

She was hooked up to a lie detector, as required by the show.

The program gave guests a chance to clear their names, but it wasn’t a get-out-of-jail-free card—even with the lie detector, guests could still lie, leaving it up to viewers to judge.

Xu Meng took a deep breath. She’d denied this countless times, debunked the rumors online, even sent lawyer's letters to the influencers who spread them. She’d sued several gossip accounts and won—yet it changed nothing. The rumors only grew wilder, with so-called "victims" popping up to accuse her.

For the past two years, Xu Meng had given up trying to explain. But her silence only made people assume she was guilty.

No matter what, her answer remained the same.

"No."

The machine didn't peep.

Xu Meng’s fans in the livestream had been on the edge of their seats—only now did they dare to cheer and defend her.

She’s telling the truth! She’s not a bully!

Yet the trolls refused to believe it. They insisted Xu Meng was lying, that the show was helping her cover her ass, that the lie detector was fake.

Xu Meng couldn’t see the heated debates in the livestream. She just faced the camera, eyes glistening, taking a moment to steady herself.

"I’m not. I attended XX Middle School for both junior and senior high. My grades weren’t great, but I never bullied anyone. As for the rumors about abortions, miscarriages, tattoos, or being a delinquent—they’re all total fabrications. My classmates and teachers can back me up."

Xu Meng spoke earnestly, and the lie detector remained still.

After two days of livestreaming, viewers realized Xu Meng wasn’t as terrible as the internet made her out to be—though she was far from her "perfect angel" persona.

Older fans knew Xu Meng had always been a lively and blunt person, often speaking without thinking. Her company, fearing she’d slip up, had told her to talk less, gradually molding her into the "ice queen" image.

Regardless, clarifying in front of millions of viewers—and following up with solid evidence—should help salvage her reputation somewhat.

When Xu Meng stepped down, she looked wrecked. Chu Yan silently handed her a bottle of water.

Rumors were terrifying. Some rando's lie could spread like a damn virus, while disproving it felt impossible. The damage to the accused was immeasurable.

Livestream viewers who’d been quietly observing Chu Yan got lowkey hooked again—though he didn’t know it. Soon, it was the second guest’s turn.

Li Wenzhang.

As the lie detector was attached, Chu Yan studied his eyes—but the dude was chill as ice, his expression didn't even blink. His question, however, was sharp.

"Teacher Li, did you really abuse your wife?"

The other guests did a collective gasp.

But then again, who the hell would admit to such a thing?

As expected, Li Wenzhang snapped in anger.

"Of course not."

The polygraph stayed silent.

So, was he telling the truth?

To be honest, Chu Yan was a bit skeptical. Had he been biased against this former A-list actor?

Li Wenzhang's face was twisted in anger and grief.

"My wife and I met in school."

"Back then, we were admitted to drama school together—I studied acting, and she studied broadcast journalism. We met during a cultural performance."

According to Li Wenzhang, he and his wife started dating during their student years. Once they were official, they stayed together, working hard side by side after graduation. He pursued acting, while she became a TV host.

In those years, they were both very busy, but their bond remained strong.

Early in his career, Li Wenzhang struggled. He spent years stuck in bit parts, his acting skills never fully recognized. His wife, on the other hand, thrived—her looks and rock-solid skills quickly made her a well-known host at a TV station.

Even during his lowest points, his wife never gave up on him. Instead, she constantly encouraged him to keep chasing his dream.

Back then, it was his wife who was the breadwinner. Recalling those difficult years, Li Wenzhang couldn’t hold back his tears.

It was his wife’s encouragement and support that kept him going until he finally caught his big break. His talent got his dues, and his years of hard work paid off—he began to shine, and his career flourished.

What moved him even more was that after his career improved, his wife resolutely walked away from her own career to support him from behind the scenes. She became his personal manager, and every script that made him famous had her fingerprints all over it.

It’s no exaggeration to say that every one of his acclaimed works had her contribution.

Choking up, Li Wenzhang sobbed his heart out. A middle-aged man, crying uncontrollably in front of millions of live viewers.

If this wasn’t love, what was?

His deep affection moved countless people, especially his older fans, who were heartbroken for him.

Li Wenzhang explained that the breakdown of their marriage wasn’t due to domestic violence or infidelity, as rumors claimed.

"How could I ever hurt someone I love so much? Even if she got the tiniest scratch, I’d be heartbroken. Ask any of our friends."

"I truly don’t know who I’ve offended to be dragged through the mud like this. They can attack me all they want, but why drag my wife into it?"

So, if he loved her so much, why did they divorce?

Everyone had the same question, including the guests on the show.

With a sigh, Li Wenzhang gave his answer.

They had been together for too long, riding out every storm. His wife said the spark was gone—she no longer wanted to stand behind him. She wanted freedom.

Though he still loved her deeply, it was precisely because of that love that he chose to set her free.

Fans were moved to tears. They already admired Li Wenzhang for his acting and integrity, but hearing his story with his wife only deepened their respect. Many praised him as a true artist, a class act.

Yet no one knew that, at that moment, one viewer in the live stream was staring at the screen with eyes burning with rage.

She wore a paper-thin hospital smock, her hair disheveled, her entire body gaunt and unhinged. Her thin wrists and ankles were tied to the hospital bed, fresh and faded scars covering her arms—as if from countless acts of self-harm.

Her gaze fixed on the man crying on the TV screen, her eyes filled with homicidal rage.