Chapter 75: The Truth Revealed

No one among the watching netizens had ever expected Shao Yao’s words to one day become so… poisonous.

If you asked why, the answer might be found in the old adage: those who are close to vermilion are red, those who are close to ink are black, and those who are close to Lu Xu are poisonous.

[The main issue is that Yan Qichen picked the wrong occasion, didn’t he? No matter how dissatisfied he was with Shao Yao, there was no need to bring it up during a brand livestream. Couldn’t he have chosen another venue? Poor D-brand.]

[+1. Also, Yan Qichen really seems spoiled. As far as I remember, this kind of thing has happened more than once.]

[But Yan Qichen wasn’t wrong, was he? During the filming of Song of Southern Country, didn’t Shao Yao give him a hard time?]

[To be honest, with Yan Qichen’s personality, I doubt there are many people in the entertainment industry who could actually bully him.]

Since Yan Qichen had willingly dug up the old drama from Song of Southern Country, it naturally drew the netizens’ attention.

During the drama’s broadcast, several of the main crew members indeed sided with Yan Qichen. Whether it was Yan Qichen’s fans or netizens who vaguely remembered the gossip, most recalled that Shao Yao had “directed” Yan Qichen’s acting during filming.

Yan Qichen himself had mentioned on various occasions that he had been bullied by an industry senior only a few years older than him.

However, Song of Southern Country had ended a long time ago.

Yan Qichen neither brought it up earlier nor waited longer but chose to mention it just as Voice of the Dead was about to air. No one in the industry was foolish enough not to see his intentions.

Lu Xu understood, Xu Yan and Zhao Jincheng understood, and so did Grape Film.

As for the person at the center of the drama, Shao Yao, he was joyfully bragging to his manager and Lu Xu:

[I did it!]

[I finally did it!]

Lu Xu: “…”

It was just a Weibo post.

He couldn’t understand why the other man was so ecstatic.

In his eyes, Shao Yao’s “achievement” was merely scratching the surface of the art of verbal sparring.

Of course, Lu Xu refrained from saying that out loud. He didn’t want to hurt Shao Yao’s fragile sense of accomplishment.

In fact, Grape Film responded remarkably quickly to Yan Qichen’s “accusation.”

Almost the night after Yan Qichen tearfully complained during the livestream, a well-known marketing account published two lengthy posts expressing doubts about Yan Qichen.

First, it was pointed out that Yan Qichen treated brand live-streaming events as his “personal show,” which clearly violated the terms of his contract with the brand.

Second, although Yan Qichen repeatedly claimed that he had been oppressed by Shao Yao to the point of sleepless nights, the reality painted a different picture. Since the completion of Song of Southern Country, Yan Qichen had mentioned this experience five times in various public settings. The consequences of his remarks were as follows:

— [Shao Yao’s Weibo was flooded with attacks from Yan Qichen’s fans. Even by this summer, fans continued to visit Shao Yao’s profile daily to leave abusive comments, including vulgar insults.

[Following Yan Qichen’s accusations last night, searching for Shao Yao’s name as a keyword yielded almost exclusively derogatory comments in real time.

[Moreover, Yan Qichen’s fans organized mass attacks on video platforms, drama forums where Shao Yao’s name appeared, and the comment section of Shao Yao’s agency, Mingniao Entertainment.

[In March of last year, due to fan harassment, Shao Yao was forced to relocate. Mingniao Entertainment issued a statement addressing the extreme behavior of the fans and even filed a complaint with Yan Qichen’s agency, Huashen. However, Huashen turned a blind eye.

[So, I have to ask: Was Yan Qichen’s sleeplessness the kind that occurs on a luxury mattress in a high-end neighborhood, or the kind where one is forced to relocate overnight and sleep in the passenger seat of an old van after being discovered by fans?

[Who, in the end, is truly sleepless?

[Here are screenshots of evaluations from collaborators who have worked with both Shao Yao and Yan Qichen since their debuts.]

This “well-known” marketing account earned its fame through its unparalleled ability to summarize gossip. In fact, the success and popularity of “V-School” owed much to the momentum created by this account’s efforts to fan the flames.

It was widely known that marketing accounts of this scale typically came with hefty price tags, but Grape Film was famous for its deep pockets.

During this release period, Voice of the Dead had no competition—not even hypothetical rivals—so Grape Film was still pondering which angle to take for its marketing strategy.

Then, as the saying goes, “a pillow fell right into their lap as they were dozing off.” Yan Qichen had essentially stumbled straight into Grape Film’s line of fire.

Lu Xu’s agency, Feiyang Entertainment, was known for being the type that endured until it absolutely couldn’t anymore—typically not one to provoke conflict unless dealing with a troublemaking company like Lin Ge Entertainment. Shao Yao’s agency, Mingniao Entertainment, on the other hand, could only be described as weak, having little ability to fight back against a major player like Huashen Entertainment.

However, Grape Film was infamous for being the aggressor. To promote its dramas, it would go to any lengths.

The finished product from the marketing account left Grape Film extremely satisfied—it practically screamed, “Shao Yao is the real victim here,” right onto the screen.

The choice of images was equally masterful:

For the screenshots of fans hurling insults at Shao Yao, the account selected the harshest and most vile examples—words so explicit that any platform would have censored them with a string of ****—yet they were displayed clearly for Shao Yao to read.

The photo of Shao Yao moving out in the middle of the night was blurry but still impactful enough to show his fragile, lost expression. In the image, Shao Yao was gazing out the window, his eyes carrying an indescribable sadness, like a vulnerable, forlorn puppy.

The soft lighting of the night lent a tender quality to Shao Yao’s rugged features, making him appear unexpectedly gentle.

Juxtaposed with this was Yan Qichen, shown during the same period giving an interview at his luxurious mansion. In the footage, Yan Qichen laughed freely and confidently, framed by an extravagant sofa and plush cushions in the background—forming a sharp contrast to Shao Yao’s loneliness.

As onlookers were deeply moved by this set of images, Lu Xu suddenly posted a Weibo update:

[As expected, Shao Yao really needs D-brand night cream more.]

Netizens: “…”

Is now really the time to mention night cream?

Although, to be fair, compared to Yan Qichen, Shao Yao probably does need it more.

What followed was another set of images, this time comparing the evaluations from the Song of Southern Country production team and other co-actors on Shao Yao and Yan Qichen.

The feedback on Shao Yao mostly focused on his diligence, seriousness, and ability to memorize lines quickly.

In contrast, the evaluations of Yan Qichen proved that the world was, indeed, a massive “V-School universe”—

Shao Yao was truly an outlier. While in the Song of Southern Country crew, he would directly point out Yan Qichen’s issues, whereas other co-actors gave comments such as:

[With his acting talent, those lines are redundant—they simply can’t match his imaginative performance.]

[My 40+ years of acting experience have gained many new perspectives. These are things I’d never encountered in my past performances—definitely worth learning.]

[A unique acting style…]

[It sharpened my adaptability…]

Netizens: “…”

Honestly, if V-School hadn’t become so widespread and relatable these days, they wouldn’t have caught the hidden sarcasm in these actors’ comments.

All they could say was: actors really live up to their craft.

[…So how does Yan Qichen even have the audacity to criticize Shao Yao?]

[By the way, didn’t the industry expose a certain digital boy a while back? I’m starting to suspect it was Yan Qichen.]

[Now that you mention it, it does line up—his debut timing matches.]

[Someone from the Song of Southern Country crew anonymously posted about this. They said Shao Yao was so serious on set that he offended Yan Qichen, who never memorized his lines. And yes, that’s never. But Yan Qichen was more popular, so the crew ended up stabbing Shao Yao in the back.]

[Ah, this…]

[LOL, even the scriptwriter of Phoenix Rain has come out to throw shade, saying she nearly had a breakdown in the production because the ‘Drama King’ complained there were too many lines and insisted she rewrite pages overnight so he could use them the next day.]

[!!! And in the end, the ‘Drama King’ didn’t even use them!!! If Yan Qichen could put the same effort he shows in his livestream performances into acting, he’d probably already have won Best Actor by now.]

[This is what they mean by kicking someone when they’re down!]

The anonymous submissions weren’t orchestrated by Grape Film—Yan Qichen had offended plenty of people across various production teams. Shao Yao wasn’t an unknown actor in the industry, yet he’d still been ostracized by Yan Qichen and the lead actress Lin Ling. As for scriptwriters and crew members without any influence, they fared even worse.

This wasn’t an unusual occurrence in the entertainment industry.

What happened to Jin Mu in Rising Sun was similar to what the Phoenix Rain scriptwriter experienced. The difference was that Jin Mu had Mu Qian speaking up for him, while the Phoenix Rain scriptwriter had no one to rely on.

Seizing the rare opportunity to see Yan Qichen face backlash, the Phoenix Rain scriptwriter voiced her grievances.

Gradually, the public’s attention shifted to Song of Southern Country itself.

When the show aired, Yan Qichen’s popularity was sky-high. Although some questioned why Shao Yao wasn’t included in promotional events, at the time, it seemed reasonable—after all, Shao Yao was framed as the villain oppressing Yan Qichen.

Now, however, viewers were starting to piece things together.

It was one thing to exclude Shao Yao from promotional activities, but Song of Southern Country was fundamentally a drama with two male leads and one female lead. Why, then, did all the spotlight seem to fall on Yan Qichen?

It was as if the narrative had silently decided that Yan Qichen and Lin Ling were the official couple.

By the latter half of the series, Shao Yao’s presence had grown increasingly minimal. Yet, even with his reduced screen time, it was clear to anyone paying attention—purely in terms of acting skills, Shao Yao far outshone Yan Qichen.

Even when Shao Yao didn’t share a single frame with the female lead, Lin Ling, his feelings were palpable. Whether sipping tea or drinking wine, the mere mention of her would cause his gaze to overflow with unspoken longing.

In contrast, Yan Qichen—despite having far more scenes with Lin Ling—failed to convey any genuine emotion. Whether due to issues with his emotional expression or glaring gaps in his acting skills, his supposed love at first sight for the female lead felt entirely unconvincing on screen.

[Suddenly, I get why Shao Yao and Lu Xu are friends—they’re both endlessly tragic.]

[…Uh, I wouldn’t mind Shao Yao giving Yan Qichen some acting lessons.]

As the controversy escalated, Lin Ling, the female lead, was inevitably dragged into the fray. While netizens believed she wasn’t as egregious as Yan Qichen, they were certain she had participated in excluding and isolating Shao Yao.

In the face of mounting pressure, Lin Ling’s agency was forced to issue a statement claiming that no such bullying occurred during the filming of Song of Southern Country.

[Why don’t you start by having a public spat with Yan Qichen first?]

[Yan Qichen says it happened, you say it didn’t—who are we supposed to believe?]

[LOL, now you’re saying it didn’t? Why don’t you hop into the D-brand livestream and smash Yan Qichen’s head yourself?]

While Lin Ling was releasing her statement, a netizen coincidentally spotted Shao Yao riding a bicycle on the street.

When asked about his thoughts on the ongoing drama, Shao Yao simply replied:

“Whatever happened on the Song of Southern Country set is no longer important. For me, what matters now is Voice of the Dead.”

What grace!

Compared to the evasive justifications and blame-shifting from Yan Qichen and Lin Ling, Shao Yao came across as nothing short of an angel on two wheels.

Since Shao Yao clearly valued Voice of the Dead more, netizens naturally redirected their attention to the upcoming drama.

Lu Xu: “…”

He could only marvel at Grape Film’s unparalleled marketing prowess.

In the past, when My Baby Prince clashed schedules with The Watchers or Son of Heaven went head-to-head with Rising Sun, Lu Xu never realized just how formidable Grape Film could be.

While Lu Xu himself wasn’t particularly fond of this style of marketing, he had to admit that Grape Film’s efforts this time had cleared Shao Yao’s name.

Shao Yao was undeniably happy now—he was enjoying his work on Voice of the Dead and had seemingly shaken off the shadows left by Song of Southern Country.

But why should Yan Qichen be allowed to falsely accuse him with impunity?

The fear and despair Shao Yao endured back then were all too real.

Yan Qichen was the one at fault; he was the one who deserved the ridicule and condemnation. So why did Shao Yao have to bear the burden alone?

If no one learned the truth, even if Voice of the Dead aired and became a hit, Shao Yao would still carry the stigma of having oppressed Yan Qichen. That black mark would follow him forever, tarnishing his reputation, even if he became wildly successful one day.

For Shao Yao, this was deeply unfair.

It needed to be set right.

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