Bai Jingyuan paused in his sobs, perhaps due to his emotions, or perhaps because he knew he couldn't hide the truth any longer, he honestly recounted the extortionate phone call he received from his father earlier that day.
Gu Qingqiu listened calmly. "It's alright, these things are easy to handle. Don't worry, next time your father calls you, just do as I say."
Seeing Gu Qingqiu so calm, Bai Jingyuan's unease gradually disappeared, and he murmured, "Sister, you are so kind."
"Can you sleep peacefully now?" Gu Qingqiu asked with a smile.
Bai Jingyuan nodded, nuzzled against Gu Qingqiu affectionately, and closed his eyes contentedly.
If all the misfortunes of the past were for the sake of meeting Gu Qingqiu now, then he would be willing to accept it.
Over the next three days, Bai Jingyuan's father called twice more, his tone becoming increasingly anxious and his emotions increasingly angry. Bai Jingyuan remained unmoved, clearly refusing to transfer money each time, and then the call was disconnected.
On the morning of the fourth day, the hashtag #BaiJingyuanUnfilialSon# became a trending topic.
Gu Qingqiu clicked on the entry, and saw a man with half of his hair gray, a face full of wrinkles, and a beer belly, crying in front of the camera, lamenting that his son had abandoned him and had never returned home or sent a penny to his family since he became famous.
After saying that, he even took out his household registration booklet to show the reporter, proving that Bai Jingyuan was indeed his son.
The comments section below the entry was a mixed bag. Some people didn't recognize Bai Jingyuan—"Who is this? Why don't you report on all the missing children across the country, but only on this kind of family dispute?", "Um...it must have been something really outrageous for the father to finally come out and cry...waiting for a response from both sides.", "Something seems off to me. His father says his son ran away from home at eighteen one minute, and then he says his son abandoned him the next. Isn't that contradictory?"
There were Bai Jingyuan's haters and fans from other teams—"Bai Jingyuan looks decent enough, but I didn't expect him to be so ruthless! Disgusting!", "I suggest Bai Jingyuan learn to be a decent human being first. This kind of person with bad deeds should have his championship revoked!", "His father's crying made my heart ache. Bai Jingyuan, get out here and give us an explanation!"
Of course, some of Bai Jingyuan's fans also stood by him, saying things like, "Can these unscrupulous marketing accounts please stop spreading rumors?", "Buying trending topics first thing in the morning, you can't catch a wolf without risking your cub, right?", and "I'm waiting for Bai Jingyuan to come out and explain! I believe him!"
Bai Jingyuan was unaware of all this. Gu Qingqiu confiscated his phone early in the morning and told him to train well at the e-sports base, leaving the rest to her. She also specifically instructed her teammates to keep an eye on Bai Jingyuan.
Bai Jingyuan was afraid that he might accidentally say something wrong and cause trouble for the public relations team, so he honestly agreed.
King's official Weibo account responded less than ten minutes after the topic trended on Weibo: "After communicating with Mr. Bai Jingyuan, we have confirmed that the video content under the hashtag #BaiJingyuanUnfilialSon# is false information. We will release specific evidence later. Please be rational and refrain from making hurtful remarks. Thank you."
This response reassured Bai Jingyuan's fans and also prompted many casual observers to follow King's official Weibo account to wait for further developments.
Gu Qingqiu had actually prepared the materials she needed to respond to a day in advance, but she needed to see which move the other party would make first before responding accordingly.
The PR team quickly prepared the evidence for their response on time.
First, there were two audio recordings of Bai Jingyuan communicating with his father. In the recordings, Bai Jingyuan's father was arrogant and used vulgar language, which was completely different from his tearful and aggrieved appearance in the video. Many netizens immediately began to doubt the authenticity of the trending search terms.
"My God, this father is terrifying... Isn't he trying to ruin his son's future?"
"Would a biological father really be so shameless as to ask his son for five million?"
"Bai Jingyuan is so calm in the video. He seems much more mature than his age."
Of course, some people still have doubts—"This recording only proves that Bai Jingyuan's father asked him for money, but it doesn't prove that Bai Jingyuan didn't abandon his father, right?"
Five minutes later, King's official Weibo account posted several more pictures, which turned out to be Bai Jingyuan's bank card transaction information from a year ago.
The post included the following note: This is Bai Jingyuan's bank card transaction record. His father once used 10,000 yuan to sever the bond between father and son. Why is he now putting on this act?
Many people clicked on the picture with skepticism, and then their feelings became complicated.
"I'm sorry, I apologize for what I said about Bai Jingyuan earlier. His life before he became famous was so miserable..."
“Bai Jingyuan’s daily deduction records are only a few yuan at a time, and the recipients are either chain steamed bun shops or accounts that look like personal accounts, or internet cafes. You can tell at a glance that he must be having a hard time.”
"Can Bai Jingyuan's father even be considered a human being? If Bai Jingyuan hadn't won the championship, he probably wouldn't even know where Bai Jingyuan died of starvation."
At this point, the trending topic took a dramatic turn, and everyone began to feel sorry for Bai Jingyuan.
Bai Jingyuan was unaware of all this and obediently trained at the e-sports base. His teammates, on the other hand, couldn't resist taking a break and checking Weibo several times to follow the developments. When they saw the tide turn, they all breathed a sigh of relief.
Bai Jingyuan's father seemed to realize that his clumsy lie had been exposed, and began to throw a tantrum, saying that he would take Bai Jingyuan to court. His reason was that no matter how he had treated Bai Jingyuan before, he was still Bai Jingyuan's biological father, and Bai Jingyuan should fulfill his obligation to support him.
This move angered many netizens who were watching, but unfortunately it did comply with the law.
Gu Qingqiu was also very angry, but she was prepared for this and immediately instructed her public relations team to release the next steps.
King's official Weibo account: We've prepared a video, please come and watch.
Netizens rushed to the scene, and for the first time, they found the gossip to be so smooth and enjoyable, though they were also a little unaccustomed to it.
The video was an interview. The first person to appear on camera was a middle-aged woman with short hair who looked quite capable. She pushed up her glasses and introduced herself to the camera as Bai Jingyuan's former high school homeroom teacher.
She said that Bai Jingyuan had been well-behaved and had excellent grades in school, but he did not go to university in the end, which she found regrettable. After learning more, she found out that his father was unwilling to pay for his university education and forced him to drop out of school.
Many netizens were already indignant after reading this, and the following interviews only fueled their anger.
An elderly woman with half-gray hair introduced herself as Bai Jingyuan's former landlady.
“Oh dear, that child is so pitiful. He came with only a schoolbag and hardly any luggage. He looks so thin and weak. He lives here all alone. I thought he was an orphan. He has been living here for so long, and not a single person has come to visit him.”
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