Day 8

Fu Xunyan has not appeared in front of everyone, and Jiang Han can't contact him, so he can't help but feel worried about him.

Several trainees were gossiping, thinking that he had made a mistake and shouldn't have made friends with a bad guy like Fu Xunyan.

But Jiang Han believed in himself and believed in every detail of their past six months. Fu Xunyan was not that kind of person, absolutely not.

Fu Xunyan came back only when the re-rating recording began.

Everyone couldn't help but look at him secretly, but he was too calm, so calm that it was frightening. He was like a pool of stagnant water, swallowing up their emotions and reflecting their ridiculous expressions of eating melons.

So these people, driven by some kind of guilty conscience, looked away one after another.

"He didn't cry. Does that mean the production team still protected him?" Zhang Chi muttered secretly.

"Is it possible that his heart is as cold as iron and he can't cry?" R.TAI was no longer as easy to talk to as he was in class, and his admiration for Fu Xunyan turned into contempt.

Zhang Chi nodded and added, "Apart from anything else, I really respect this mentality."

Not many people in Group B are familiar with Fu Xunyan, so most of them are waiting and watching. But it is different for Group A. When the incident broke out this morning, Da Pei, Yin Xingheng and Min Hai were all very anxious. Unfortunately, they couldn't find Fu Xunyan anywhere. They heard that he was called away by the program crew.

Even Ye Lai seemed a little absent-minded.

"If I had known this would happen..." Dal-bae stopped mid-sentence. If he had known this would happen, what would he have done?

To be honest, they don’t know what kind of person Fu Xunyan is, right?

Da Pei's sudden silence made several people around him look at him, and the hesitation in his eyes also became some reservations in his heart.

Yes, they have only had short contact with Fu Xunyan.

In this world, even family members cannot guarantee each other's integrity, let alone these friends who have only known each other for a few days. It's not that they want to avoid Fu Xunyan because they are afraid of getting into trouble, but...

Based on the most rational considerations, without knowing the truth, it is really difficult to evaluate them.

But now everything is happening before their eyes, and they have to make a choice - believe it or not.

Coincidentally, although life in dormitory 204 is harmonious, the practice times of several people are different. Fu Xunyan almost never goes back to the dormitory to sleep. It is said that his "corpse" can be found randomly in the practice room.

Da Pei's affection for Fu Xunyan came entirely from the interaction between Fu Xunyan's aura and his own first instinct. Da Pei rubbed his knuckles, where there was a bulge, like a dislocated bone.

After a long time, he suddenly spoke in a hoarse voice, "I—I choose to believe him. Remember what he said on his first stage? If his company hadn't specifically asked him to, I don't believe he would be the kind of person who could say such words."

Yin Xingheng breathed a sigh of relief.

Ye Lai's eyes were heavy.

Back to Group B.

The re-evaluation began, but no one came forward and the atmosphere was awkward.

What could be done? After all, someone in the class had something like that happen—okay, that was an excuse, the truth was, there were a lot of students in Class B who were not good at their subjects, and none of them had the confidence to dance a single song.

Jiang Han could have done it, but he was taking care of Fu Xunyan and had no intention of performing first.

"Since no one else is coming, I'll go first."

In the complete silence, a man stood up, silently turned on his camera, and straightened his clothes before standing in front of the board. The deep blue background made his beautiful colors even clearer, like bright stars in the night sky, filled with compassion and no regrets.

Even though he took the lead, no one dared to thank him, or even make a sound.

Deathly dumb and drowning silence.

But fortunately, the music started at this time.

What a joyful dance music, blazing youth, soaring dreams, pure flowers blooming in the gardens of young people. Even if there is mud, even if there are storms, even the "fight" in the eyes of the lyricist is just a clarion call to attack against minor setbacks.

For a prince raised in a castle, the greatest danger is nothing more than the blunt spears and swords he plays with. Wind, rain and scorching sun will only ever fall on the heads of those half-naked people on the streets.

Fu Xunyan still felt empty inside, as if something was leaking air.

But no one noticed anything unusual about him; on the contrary, they really respected him now.

How could there be such a strong man? Now the whole network is full of his black material, and he has been the number one trending search for several hours. People all over the country are cursing and condemning him, but he doesn't know. He has obviously been interviewed by the program team, and look at him now -

His movements were powerful and bold, every detail impeccable, as if measured with a ruler. His expression was bright, his usually rather languid face now hinting at a faint smile, perfectly capturing the main point without disrupting the character.

What's even more terrifying is that when he was singing and dancing, no one sitting on the ground felt that he was being tested. He just started singing and dancing as naturally as if he was having a great time.

When the song ended, the trainees in Class B clapped in confusion, only realizing it two seconds later and stopping immediately. This sudden clapping and silence undoubtedly created an awkward atmosphere, but the young man remained unfazed and returned to his seat.

Jiang Han's performance was normal and the others also completed the re-evaluation smoothly.

When the door to Class B opened, Fu Xunyan was surprised to see Yin Xingheng, Da Pei, Min Hai, and Shen Chi. After hearing Fu Xunyan's request to clarify the matter on the live broadcast, those who knew him immediately confirmed their judgment - he must be clean and would never be as shameful as the revelations.

"Let's go, it's not easy to talk here."

They hugged him, wrapped him in it and rushed to the dormitory. On the way, they passed by the place where the station sisters gathered without stopping.

Fu Xunyan was a little confused, perhaps because he was fainted by the smell of sweat from their exercise. He did not resist and was protected and taken back like a chick.

It's so funny, several big hens are sharing one chick.

When I returned to the dormitory, Bai Wenji was already there. He just said very calmly, "You're back."

Everything was as usual, but Fu Xunyan suddenly relaxed. The empty space in his heart was still empty, but it was not leaking.

Jiang Han moved a few chairs over, and everyone sat around Fu Xunyan and looked at him.

Before he could even start talking, Da Pei seemed to sense something and opened the dormitory door. Ye Lai's hand was still awkwardly stuck on knocking, but he had clearly been planning for a while.

"Although I don't know what connection you have with our Master, but..."

Ye Lai turned around and was about to leave, but Da Pei pulled him back with his arm.

"Since you are here, you must trust our Master. Come in and ask if he is willing to let you stay here."

Ye Lai leaned against the wall awkwardly under the gazes of the others. "Go ahead and talk. Don't look at me. It's none of my business."

Fu Xunyan didn't drive him away, which meant he was allowed to stay. Ye Lai didn't know why he felt a little happy.

Under the gaze of seven pairs of eyes, Fu Xunyan said: "It's nothing, that thing is indeed fake."

Silence.

Jiang Han couldn't help but ask first, "And then what?"

Fu Xunyan was puzzled and raised his eyelids: "What else?"

Jiang Han was about to ask more, but Bai Wenji slapped him on the head. The slightly nearsighted Jiang Han pushed his glasses up and said, "Then we won't ask. It's enough to know that you didn't do those things."

"Ah, so you want to know what's going on behind the scenes?"

"No, no."

"How could that be? You don't have to tell us. We don't want to hear it."

"I just want to make sure you're a good person..."

…

Everyone was talking at once, their expressions clearly showing a guilty conscience. Fu Xunyan smiled, "The story behind this is indeed very long. Please forgive me, I don't have any thoughts on sharing at this moment, so - if there is a chance in the future."

"But maybe you should be able to find out from somewhere else before hearing it from me."

"So you've already asked the company to handle it, right?" Da Pei grasped the key point sharply.

"Yes, this matter is very serious. The agent will handle it."

"Is he reliable?"

Jiang Han pursed his lips, clearly not trusting Li Pengcheng. But Fu Xunyan, who came from seven years later, knew Li Pengcheng had the ability. He was just a profit-seeking businessman, and since this matter was beneficial to him, he would definitely do his best.

"Don't worry, it's no problem."

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Only at this moment did the cold sweat stop and everyone slumped and leaned against the ground in a disarray.

Ye Lai had been folding his arms and not participating in the discussion, but now he frowned and spoke, "But your story is very unusual, isn't it? Someone must have bought the trending search list, otherwise it wouldn't have risen so quickly."

"And having your classmates film this doesn't seem like a spur-of-the-moment decision. Do you have any thoughts about the people behind this?"

Fu Xunyan's eyes darkened. "It's probably a trainee from the show, or his company, but it's hard to say who it is."

Ye Lai didn't want to get involved in this matter, as it had nothing to do with him. But... sometimes people can't control their thoughts and actions, Ye Lai admitted. He scratched his head in annoyance, "Everyone, please keep an eye on you for a while. There will always be traces of this kind of thing."

"Thank you." Although he didn't understand why Ye Lai, with whom he had never met before, helped him, Fu Xunyan knew that he shouldn't refuse kindness.

**

The show is full of twists and turns, but it is very exciting outside.

The girl on the subway poked her friend's arm. "Hey, did you catch today's gossip? Are all these trainees this messed up these days? They've been expelled from school for bullying, and yet they still dare to participate in talent shows."

My friend leaned over to check the phone. The video first showed a young man's face. The high-definition camera captured his features clearly, the texture of his skin visible, but he looked so well that it felt comforting.

"Damn, so handsome!"

"Don't let your perspective be determined by your appearance."

"Of course, of course. It's just... He's really handsome, those long legs, those proportions, that slightly muscular body, it's absolutely amazing."

But a few seconds later, the content of the video made the girl, who was just obsessed with the beauty, become indignant.

The video shows a short man with his face blurred out, holding up his ID card and graduation certificate, both of which were partially blurred, to prove his identity.

"I'm a high school classmate of 'New Century Idol' contestant Fu Xunyan. I want to report him for his bad character. He bullied his classmates in high school, skipped classes, got into trouble, and was expelled from school. I believe such a person should not appear on the big screen to deceive the audience, so I took the initiative to report him."

Then he spent three minutes outlining everything Fu Xunyan had done, including but not limited to sending him to the hospital - the audience also clearly saw those medical records, which did not look fake.

"Oh my God, this is too bad. What's the difference between him and a gangster?" The friend sighed, covering his mouth. The love he had just felt for Fu Xunyan turned into disgust.

"Yeah, yeah. And if you didn't finish high school, wouldn't you only have a junior high school diploma? Oh my god, you have such low quality and poor character. You should just get off the show right away."

"Yeah, I feel so sorry for the guy he bullied. He looks like a country boy. I wonder how much psychological trauma he must have suffered."

The situation escalated, and what was worse was that fans of other groups also began to jointly boycott Fu Xunyan. Even before the re-evaluation recording began, a group of fans gathered outside the door to protest and demand that Fu Xunyan be kicked out of the competition, but the program team had not made any statement.

So chaotic voices began to spread rumors again. They speculated that Fu Xunyan had a good family background and the company had given him money, so the program team wanted to deal with it coldly to keep him.

**

"Fu Xunyan! Fu Xunyan, the program team is looking for you."

In the evening, someone found the dormitory and wanted to take Fu Xunyan away. The other three people in the room stood up at the same time and looked at the election together, which made people feel very stressed.

"It's not a bad thing. He will be asked to do a live broadcast to clarify the matter. You don't have to be so nervous." The election officer was not very old and confessed after being scared.

"We'll go with you." Bai Wenji took off his coat on the bed and began to change his shoes. Although Chen Chi said nothing, he firmly pulled at the corner of Fu Xunyan's clothes, making it clear that he wanted to go together.

Da Pei looked at one and then another, suddenly smiled, and put his arms around his three roommates.

"In that case, let's all go together."

The executive team leader nervously wiped a cold sweat from his forehead as he looked at the boy sitting alone in the center. The tight deadlines meant they couldn't come up with better outfits, so they chose a simple shirt—the kind they'd be using for the music video shoot a few days later.

Although he was dressed simply, Fu Xunyan rolled up his sleeves and the white shirt outlined his good figure. He was truly elegant and graceful, and had nothing to do with the gangsters exposed on the Internet.

But in the Internet age, people will not give Fu Xunyan special treatment just because of his good looks. Instead, his black fans will attack him strongly.

The head of the executive team took a look at the live broadcast room. Only 10 minutes after the news was released, 120,000 people had entered the live broadcast room, which was more popular than their show.

The head of the executive team, who already knew the inside story, sighed that if Fu Xunyan handled it well this time, not only would he be able to turn the tide, he would probably also become the Purple Star of the program team.

When he glanced around and saw Fu Xunyan's roommates, he smiled slightly in his heart - apart from anything else, the friendship between these young people was stronger than he had imagined, as they were able to support Fu Xunyan in such a critical moment.

As soon as six o'clock arrives, the live broadcast room opens on time.

Liu Yu held the phone in her hand, watching the screen nervously as darkness appeared for a moment, and then endless light appeared.

It was the face of a young man.

Unlike what she had imagined, there was no nervousness from being criticized, no fear from facing the camera alone for the first time, and even less panic from being accused of bullying. The comments below were sliding rapidly, full of insults against Fu Xunyan. In less than two minutes, several people had been banned from the platform for violating management regulations, which showed how cruel the words were.

But Fu Xunyan seemed not to see it.

The young man's eyes turned light brown under the spotlight, and his sharp jawline, set off by his slightly curly hair, looked even more like a knife, ready to cut through the darkness.

"The current Internet era is developing so rapidly."

The young man sitting there spoke, but no one expected him to start with that. A small commotion erupted in the production crew. To make the speech more genuine, they didn't provide Fu Xunyan with a script, simply letting him speak his mind.

But no matter what, it's not so rational to start talking about the Internet...

"And what I've learned from this internet outrage is that humans never learn from their mistakes."

"Oh my god." Liu Yu almost dropped her phone. She thought Fu Xunyan would at least speak sincerely and feel a little lonely because of being wronged, but she didn't expect...

The young man's eyes were so sharp. He stared at the camera. Everyone watching the live broadcast could feel the chill, as if their souls were being questioned after being seen through by him.

"I never knew a con man could gain so much sympathy. I also never knew that in this day and age, throwing mud at someone is as simple as showing off your ID card."

At this point, Fu Xunyan actually smiled contemptuously, his thin lips slightly raised, pulling his tight skin, and his eyebrows slightly raised, making his eyes more relaxed. His whole face, as harmonious as a spring breeze, made people feel that there was a hidden storm.

"Internet judges, if you like solving cases so much, I can provide another one." Fu Xunyan changed his posture, crossed his hands and leaned forward.

"Lin Guangfeng, I really didn't expect you to do such a thing. Let me guess, you went gambling again, right? You ran out of money, and someone offered you some money, so you immediately greedily took the deal and made up a story to slander me?"

"Then how dare you? Have you forgotten the lives you carry? Yes, the law says you're minors so they give you a chance, but who gave that old man a chance? An old man you killed with a few small firecrackers on a winter night, wouldn't you feel fear in your dreams at midnight?"

Fu Xunyan could hardly suppress his anger. He thought he could do it.

But his nails dug into his flesh, and his soul was driving his body to twitch. He could only grit his teeth and force himself to relax.

The anger in his eyes became even stronger.

Liu Yu was so frightened that she didn't even care about the cat passing by and spilling the water. Many viewers in front of the screen were also frightened to the point of dementia like her, and even forgot to post comments.

"I will never admit to something I didn't do. The revelations made by my dear classmate Lin Guangfeng are complete nonsense. I don't want to discuss much here, but first of all, everything he said is false. It's even better to say the exact opposite."

"Second." Speaking of this, Fu Xunyan seemed to calm down again. The warrior who was just full of enthusiasm seemed to see the devastation. Although his expression did not change much, people could really feel it through the camera.

"I was indeed expelled from high school because I thought sending me to juvenile detention wasn't enough, so when Lin Guangfeng and his friends came to apologize, I beat them up and sent them to the hospital. Unfortunately, the school, or rather, Lin Guangfeng's aunt's school, thought I was violating discipline and expelled me."

"I won't admit to hitting anyone, but I trust everyone." Fu Xunyan sneered again, "You should be able to understand it. After all, I was young at the time and was just impulsive. They killed someone because of their so-called momentary playfulness, but I just broke their bones because of my anger at losing my family. I paid for their medical expenses afterwards, didn't I? I compensated them with the money I earned from working at the construction site every day for two months, didn't I?"

Shit! Although Fu Xunyan didn't explain it clearly, everyone understood the general meaning. Liu Yu burst into tears instantly.

Because of sympathy, because Fu Xunyan is now enduring everything and telling the story, because his stubborn and proud head may have never been lowered, just like when he was in trouble, even though so many situations are intentionally or unintentionally hostile to him, the young man's spine is still straight.

"I have already filed a lawsuit. It cannot be charged with murder, only defamation." Fu Xunyan finally lowered his brows, and something fell quickly. When he looked up again, there was no fear in his slightly red eyes, and even the sadness was suppressed.

"Also, to all the netizens who care about my studies—I'm about to get my high school diploma. After leaving the village, I worked for a year and saved enough for tuition, so I found a way to retake the high school entrance exam. I'm also grateful to Principal Bai for his trust and help in giving me this opportunity. A month ago, at the age of 20, I decided to take the college entrance exam. Although it's two years late, but..."

The young man in front of the camera smiled, but this time there was no sarcasm or sharpness, just a simple smile, full of hope for the future.

"My efforts have given me new hope, and I take solace in that."

The last two words of "feel this idiot" were automatically muted by Fu Xunyan, but everyone understood it.

“I feel like in this stupid world, there’s still something to look forward to.”

After saying this, he stood up, bowed calmly, then turned around and left without any reluctance.

At the edge of the live broadcast room, everyone saw three pairs of hands embrace him, holding him tightly in their arms. The sobbing of one of them was particularly noticeable.

But apart from him, although the live broadcast room was silent, the audience still heard some of the staff crying.

On the Internet, the top ten hot searches all switched within a second, and each one was related to this clarification.