Chapter 74 Facing Malice
"What? Feeling guilty?" The man's tone was undisguisedly malicious. Several fans who hadn't gone far heard the commotion and quickly turned back to stop him.
However, given the significant difference in body size, one of the girls lost her balance and fell backward when the man forcefully shoved her during the argument.
If it weren't for a female fan who caught him in time, he probably would have fallen to the ground.
Chaos reigned in front of the fence. Some of the people taking photos for hire retreated far away to avoid the situation, while others, enjoying the spectacle, recorded videos and took pictures.
Meng Fanxi was furious. She rushed forward, her arm reaching through the gap in the railing to grab the man's wrist. "Apologize."
The man, who was holding a phone and live-streaming, was suddenly interrupted by this action. His anger flared instantly, and he forcefully shook his arm to break free from the restraints imposed by Meng Fanxi.
Unexpectedly, Meng Fanxi, who looked like a student, was very strong. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't shake her off. When he met Meng Fanxi's cold gaze, he felt a little guilty. The man hung the other DSLR camera around his neck, freed one hand, and forcefully pried Meng Fanxi's hand off, intending to make a run for it.
He still smiled defiantly, "You're getting angry because you're embarrassed. Just you wait. Is this the kind of quality trainees have these days? I'm going to expose you online!"
Meng Fanxi ignored him and said each word with great force: "Apologize."
Those fans were almost all fans of Meng Fanxi. Seeing that their idol had stood up for them, and that the back of his hand had been scratched red by the man's long fingernails, they were deeply moved and rushed over to pry the man's hand off.
Xu You, Gu Huailang, and Ren Yuchen rushed over to help. Meng Fanxi, worried that everyone would get hurt, quickly stopped them and told Gu Huailang to go find Ying Zhuo. He would stay here to hold the man back so he could not escape.
In his early acting career, he was teased by the director for being too thin and unable to fill out his clothes. So he worked out diligently, combining basic martial arts training with his training. He didn't train to become a muscular man, but only to increase his body's thickness and on-screen appearance, and the results were quite good.
This habit has carried over to the present day; he does some simple scientific exercises every day, and his teammates sometimes follow along to avoid becoming too weak.
He is therefore stronger than the average person, so he should be able to hold on for a while longer.
Gu Huailang ran fast, and Ying Zhuo hadn't gone far either, so a few minutes later Ying Zhuo arrived at the scene with the security guards, and the security guards responsible for patrolling the perimeter also went there.
Seeing the commotion, the man immediately changed his tune and apologized to the fans he had hurt.
After hearing the whole story, Ying Zhuo felt that he couldn't let it go so easily, since the person's remarks also involved slandering the mentors of the program.
Meng Fanxi and his group waved goodbye to their fans and watched as Ying Zhuo and the security guards took the man to the nearby police station to report the incident.
Zhang Yang and Lin Ruohe had just finished breakfast and arrived late. They were surprised to run into them on the road and wondered why they were still on the road after walking for so long.
Gu Huailang explained it to them in detail.
Xu You walked alone at the front, looking lost and dejected, ignoring Ren Yuchen.
Meng Fanxi quickened her pace to catch up with him, exchanged a glance with Ren Yuchen, and reassured him with her eyes.
He familiarly put his arm around Xu You's shoulder: "Were you scared?"
In the past, Xu You would definitely have embraced him back, but now, he seemed a bit listless, not saying a word, and his whole body seemed to be radiating bubbles of sadness.
Meng Fanxi sighed inwardly. At this time, Xu You was not yet the entertainment industry veteran who had experienced so many ups and downs. This was the first time he had faced the malice from the outside world, and he was bound to be greatly impacted.
Moreover, this matter is related to Xu You's uncle, whom he has always admired.
Meng Fanxi knew a bit about the relationship between Xu Cangyan and Yun Mengtao. They had filmed a youth idol drama when they were in their early twenties, which is a cherished memory for many people today.
That drama was very popular back then, and there are still many fans who ship the two leads as a couple.
No outsiders know whether they were ever really together.
Many years later, when time had healed all wounds, the two of them responded to the matter in interviews or variety shows.
Xu Cangyan and Yun Mengtao met before that idol drama. As popular idols at the time, they shared common topics and similar temperaments. They became friends after participating in the same variety show.
They had great chemistry while filming the idol drama and were rumored to be dating, but they just laughed it off. However, the rumors intensified after the drama aired, and even after they denied them, no one believed them.
Both of them were hard-working individuals who loved the stage and their careers, so they tacitly began to keep their distance and gradually drifted apart.
So after the initial stage performance, Meng Fanxi noticed that Yun Mengtao looked at Xu You with a somewhat dazed expression, probably because she was thinking about that hastily ended friendship from her youth, and her feelings were complicated.
This scene may have sparked discussion after it aired, and was then exploited by those with ulterior motives.
Meng Fanxi didn't know how to define that relationship, but it absolutely shouldn't be slandered by that man in such a flippant tone.
He kept a close eye on Xu You's expression, quietly staying by his side and giving him space to think.
Xu You remained silent the whole way. Before entering the practice room, he asked Meng Fanxi, "Do you think my uncle has ever been verbally abused to his face by a complete stranger?"
He suddenly realized that he didn't know his uncle Xu Cangyan at all; he seemed to have only seen him in his glamorous and virtuous private life.
Do you have to go through all of this to become famous?
He couldn't imagine that one day, after he gained some popularity, his family would be maliciously stopped and falsely accused of things about him.
"There must be." Meng Fanxi recalled some unpleasant memories. In his previous life, even a minor supporting character like him would be criticized by fans for always attending the same events as Month, and he was even scolded to his face for "not being famous but liking to piggyback on others' fame."
Month was also called "low-class," "flop," and "riding on VIER's coattails" by VIER fans. In severe cases, some members' families were even "greeted" to their faces.
“Becoming a public figure inevitably means dealing with the ensuing public opinion, attention, and questioning,” Meng Fanxi comforted. “Generally, such things are still relatively rare. The important thing is to adjust your mindset.”
He spoke from the bottom of his heart, based on his own experiences, and hoped that Xu You would take it to heart.
Zhang Yang and Lin Ruo later comforted Xu You with their own experiences, and also provided some simple psychological support to the three people involved at the scene.
Sitting in the middle of the team, watching everyone sitting together, caring for each other and worrying about one another, Meng Fanxi felt an endless surge of power welling up from the bottom of his heart.
The diss from Month fans in my past life, which I initially only dared to process alone, making me lose my appetite and feeling as if I was constantly being haunted by negative comments while filming, have become something I still feel a little stinging inside even as I grow up to be in my thirties and outwardly remain calm.
Now, as I try to recall each memory, I find that I've forgotten them all.
Even if you try hard to recall some of the sentences, they vanish like the wind blowing past your ear.
He now has a team, teammates, and armor.
Seeing that Xu You was forcing a smile so as not to worry them, the five of them secretly discussed going to find Ying Zhuo and using all sorts of pleading techniques to try to contact the outside world and have Xu Cangyan comfort Xu You.
Unexpectedly, just as Ying Zhuo agreed, he received a notification from Cen Qi that Xu Cangyan had taken the initiative to call and wanted to speak with Xu You.
The video of the morning's controversy has spread from forums to various social media platforms, generating considerable buzz.
After talking with Xu Cangyan, the gloom in Xu You's eyes finally disappeared completely. He returned and shared with everyone in a relaxed tone that Xu Cangyan had apologized to him and also apologized to Yun Mengtao.
The two talked things out, issued a joint statement with the production team, and resolved the matter promptly.
Rather than how Xu Cangyan would comfort Xu You, he wanted to share something else with Meng Fanxi: "Fanxi, your actions this morning seem to have sparked a lot of discussion; everyone is praising you!"
Meng Fanxi paused, feeling that he had only done what he should have done. Suddenly remembering his expression at the time, he asked in a panic, "Did I look very fierce back then? Like that? Or that?"
On the spot, he exaggeratedly performed a self-impersonation show, changing into various fierce and menacing expressions, deliberately trying to amuse Xu You.
Xu You was indeed amused, "Then you're doomed, you're going to lose fans, hahaha."
"Oh no, Xu You, you have to compensate me for my fans!"
...
The incident began when fans at the scene posted on a forum describing the entire process, which quickly spread to loyal fans of the show who wait for the episode every week, as well as casual observers.
Many people in the post were asking, "Really? Meng Fanxi isn't that strong, is he? That's an exaggeration."
The fan posted a video of her earlier conversations and interactions with Meng Fanxi and the others to prove that she was indeed at the scene. However, she didn't have time to keep any evidence when the incident happened, so she was very anxious when she saw many people questioning her in the post.
The spot where I was pushed seemed to be throbbing again.
She contacted a paparazzi who had filmed the incident, but the paparazzi hesitated to post the video first because the person in question was a local bigwig in the paparazzi scene, fearing trouble.
More and more people are questioning the post, but many others feel that the poster is sincere and are willing to believe it. Will's fans and the fans of the Eternal Six Stars group are all reposting the post to their respective groups.
Many hands make light work. At this point, someone discovered the live stream room of the person who took the photos on behalf of the party mentioned in the post, found the live stream replay, and although it was from one party's perspective, all the audio could be heard clearly.
Meng Fanxi's fans were both angry and excited upon hearing the voice, and thoughtfully added subtitles to the video to facilitate wider dissemination.
After the video was posted to the original thread, it quickly went viral, and more and more people learned about it. At the time, the other paparazzi at the scene couldn't resist the temptation of the traffic. They thought that since the original video had come from his own live stream, they posted the video in their hands in various ways.
Clear videos from various angles at the scene sprang up one after another like mushrooms after rain.
Marketing accounts sprang into action upon hearing the news.
Dispute erupts at the filming location of "Team Up"
#MengFanxi's photography service
#Meng Fanxi stepped forward
#Xu Cangyan Yun Mengtao
#Xu You was protected behind Meng Fanxi
#EternalSixStars
Many related hashtags trended on social media, and fans didn't engage in meaningless online chatter; instead, they joined bystanders who weren't following the show in condemning one of the individuals involved for using a proxy photographer.
The top comments also included many that praised Meng Fanxi and expressed sympathy for Xu You.
"Xu You hasn't even debuted yet, and he's being asked these questions face-to-face. The production team should have done their duty to protect him."
"The way Meng Fanxi pulled Xu You behind him was so cool. When he saw a fan almost fall, he immediately went up to apologize without any fear. He is so mature and steady, which is completely out of character for his age. He has won me over."
"Meng Fanxi remained calm throughout, and even remembered to ask his teammates to call the production crew. The production crew should remember to have a doctor examine his hand."
"The interactions within this group are so heartwarming."
...
Countless passersby flocked to Starlight Video and clicked on the program, and Meng Fanxi and his team's votes continued to increase.
However, Meng Fanxi was only surprised when he heard Xu You say it, and he didn't think about it again. What was important for him now was to do the thing in front of him well.
The second episode of the show was released on the same night the spin-off variety show was filmed.
However, they had no time to worry about that, because they needed to start preparing for the song selection for the second public performance.
This time, the song selection rules were not announced in advance.
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