Chapter 357, Update 357
357:
Ye Qingxi was stunned for a moment, not expecting it to be Huo Zinan.
After all these years, are he and Huo Zinan still friends?
Ye Qingxi didn't actually know how to answer this question.
When they were six years old, after recording a variety show, they created a group chat together. Back then, they would often talk in the group, complaining to each other or exchanging ideas.
But slowly, as they grew up and had almost no more opportunities to get together, the group chat gradually fell silent.
To this day, Ye Qingxi's only contacts are He Lei, who would proactively send him messages during holidays, and Tao Tao, who would occasionally pop up and exclaim "[Amazing!]" after seeing news about him.
Yang Shu is quiet and introverted by nature and is not a very sociable person. In the early years when Ye Qingxi was still active in the public eye, she would often cheer him on and encourage him.
Later, when Ye Qingxi returned to school, she seemed to not know what to say and gradually stopped talking.
As for Zhang Ning, he is a typical "real-life person" whose real-life life is full of new things. He is so busy that he naturally lets his childhood friends, with whom he only spent a few months in the past, slowly sink to the bottom of his WeChat contacts.
And Huo Zinan...
Ye Qingxi looked up at Chen Xiang, "What's wrong with him?"
Chen Xiang: ...
Chen Xiang was a little unsure how to put it, "Anyway, it's not very good, you can see for yourself."
As he spoke, he handed his phone to Ye Qingxi.
Ye Qingxi took it and saw that Huo Zinan's name was all over the trending topics.
“This actually started last night,” Chen Xiang told him.
It's obvious that Ye Qingxi didn't check the trending topics last night either.
He clicked on the top trending topic, and as soon as he did, the videos on the hot search page started playing automatically.
Huo Zinan, who was completely different from the one he had seen on TV, appeared before Ye Qingxi.
He clearly had a conflict with the paparazzi who were taking pictures of him.
"What are you filming for?" Huo Zinan's face showed undisguised dissatisfaction and anger. "Who gave you permission to film?"
Give me the camera.
"I've already deleted it," the paparazzi said.
"Who would believe that? Give me the camera."
"This is my camera."
"I told you to give me the camera, give it to me!" Huo Zinan said, and tried to grab it.
The other person quickly covered the camera with their arms, saying, "What are you doing? You can say whatever you want, but don't hit me!"
"Celebrities are meant to be photographed, and I've already deleted your posts."
"Don't you dare steal it!"
But Huo Zinan had already tried to snatch it. In the struggle, it was unclear who made the first move, but it was clearly seen that Huo Zinan kicked the other person, sending them staggering back several steps. Then, the other person seemed to lose their balance, stumbled, and fell to the ground.
"What are you doing? You're a public figure, how can you do this!"
"Why can't I?!" Huo Zinan was clearly furious. "You deserve a beating! People like you should get beaten up!"
"You're all crazy!" Huo Zinan stared at him, his hands trembling slightly. "You're all crazy, you're all crazy!"
Ye Qingxi watched quietly, momentarily lost in thought.
He opened the comments section, and sure enough, it was full of people criticizing Huo Zinan.
What is he doing? Why is he like this?
Why did you hit someone?! And even called them a lunatic!
[Aren't celebrities supposed to be photographed? Now that no one's taking pictures, you're upset!]
[And no matter what, public figures shouldn't hit people! That would have such a bad influence!]
[I'd read rumors before that Huo Zinan had a bad temper, and it turns out it's true!]
Honestly, she was so cute when she was little, how did she turn out like this?!
[I knew he was annoying when he was little, and sure enough, he's still just as annoying now that he's grown up!]
Seeing him scrolling through the comments section with a dark and unreadable expression, Chen Xiang whispered, "I don't know what's going on, but netizens are reacting very strongly to this. This paparazzi team is also very good at portraying themselves as pitiful working people, saying that they just wanted to take some footage from afar and didn't intend to do anything, but ended up being beaten and scolded by Huo Zinan."
Ye Qingxi left the comments section and said calmly, "That's normal."
"Because Huo Zinan is someone we've watched grow up, because he was very cute when he was little, and he was very popular back then. Everyone liked him a lot, so people unconsciously have higher expectations for him."
“If he does something that doesn’t meet everyone’s expectations, if he does something that isn’t perfect, then those who watched him grow up will find it unacceptable, as if their own child has gone astray, that he isn’t what they thought he was. So they will be disappointed, and after being disappointed, they will blame him, blaming him for not acting as they expected, blaming him for not being the way they thought he was, feeling that he has let them down and hurt them.”
Even if he didn't actually do anything wrong.
As Chen Xiang listened, he watched the mocking smile that appeared on the corner of his mouth as he spoke. His tone was strange; it wasn't a statement, nor was it expressing sympathy or regret for the other person. Instead, it was a faint, almost imperceptible mockery.
But Ye Qingxi has never been one to mock others.
He is always very gentle and mild-mannered, and no matter what happens, he will try his best to ensure that everyone achieves a satisfactory result.
He was never arrogant or looked down on anyone, so how could he have shown such a tone and expression?
Chen Xiang didn't understand.
The school bell rang at that moment.
Ye Qingxi returned the phone to him, and Chen Xiang took the phone and returned to his seat.
"What's wrong with you?" Pei Liang asked after Chen Xiang left.
"It's nothing," Ye Qingxi said.
"Then why did you talk like that?" Pei Liang looked at him. "The tone you used just now wasn't your usual tone."
Ye Qingxi: ...
Ye Qingxi replied, "I just remembered some things."
"What?" Pei Liang asked in confusion.
"There are some not-so-good things you don't know."
Pei Liang was shocked. "There are things I don't know about you?"
Ye Qingxi was amused by his tone, and her mood improved unconsciously. She tilted her head and said, "There are many more."
"for example?"
"For example... the teacher has been silently watching the two of us for a while now."
Pei Liang: ? ? ?
Pei Liang looked up and, sure enough, Teacher Fang was smiling and watching the two of them.
Pei Liang: ...
Pei Liang immediately stopped talking, took out his math book, and started listening to the lesson.
Ye Qingxi then began to attend the class seriously.
When school was over, Ye Qingxi sat in the car that was picking him up to go home, scrolling through her phone.
Huo Zinan's situation indeed snowballed, growing larger and larger.
Someone revealed that Huo Zinan has a very bad temper and is very domineering, not at all like the cute child he was when he was little.
[On the day of filming, everyone was eating boxed lunches, but his mother specially prepared a nutritious meal for him. Instead of thanking her, he overturned the lunchbox.]
Some people also revealed that Huo Zinan was arrogant and disrespectful to the staff on set.
[I used to really like him. I even watched that variety show he did when he was a kid. But then we ran into each other on set. I was going to get some props, and he was standing right in front of them. I asked him to pass them to me, but he acted like he didn't hear me. I told him to move aside so I could get them myself, but he still pretended not to hear me and just stood there. It was infuriating!]
Then, scandals about cutting in line, disobeying instructions on set, and acting like a diva all trended on social media one after another.
Before participating in "Look the Daddy", Huo Zinan was a child star who had filmed commercials and acted in one or two TV series. Later, he participated in "Look the Daddy". They were very lucky to become very popular in that season under the guidance of Ye Qingxi and Mu Shaowu. Of course, Ye Qingxi gained the most fans, but Huo Zinan also gained many mothers with his cute appearance. After that, he went very smoothly on the road of child star.
Ye Qingxi can see him in TV dramas from time to time.
He didn't grow up to be bad-looking; he's still as handsome as he was when he was a child.
Unfortunately, he was too young and didn't have the acting skills of Ye Qingxi, so even though he was almost fourteen, the TV series he acted in were far less popular than "Look the Daddy" which he participated in back then.
Therefore, most of his fans are mothers who were attracted to him back then.
These "mommy fans" have long since started their own families over the past eight years and are more focused on their own lives, lacking the time and energy to support him in his high-intensity, continuous battles.
Although they stated that Huo Zinan was not like that, and that he was actually not even fourteen years old, he was indeed still a child.
But ultimately, their voice was too weak to withstand the overwhelming condemnation.
When Ye Qingxi finished her homework that evening and looked at the Weibo post again, Huo Zinan had already posted an apology statement.
The statement said that Huo Zinan should not have impulsively kicked or cursed at the person, and hoped that the other party would forgive him.
However, the other party stated: "I don't know if this is Huo Zinan's true feeling. If he really thinks he's wrong, then he should apologize via video."
By this time, netizens had already returned from catching up on the drama from all directions, and they were all saying, "He apologized for hitting someone, but what about apologizing for the others?"
As a public figure, to have done so many terrible things clearly shows a lack of education. Perhaps he should retire from the entertainment industry and go back to his studies!
Learn how to be a good person first, then you can act!
[Exactly, her acting wasn't that great, and her character was absolutely terrible!]
Go home, Huo Zinan, go home.
Stop acting! I'll avoid every drama of yours from now on!
If you don't study, the next time I see you won't be on the legal news channel!
[I support Huo Zinan getting out of the entertainment industry.]
Ye Qingxi watched quietly, her expression so calm it seemed unreal.
He was looking around when he heard a knock on the door, and Mu Shaowu walked in.
He had clearly just gotten home and hadn't even had time to change his clothes.
"Want some barbecue? I just packed some up for you."
Ye Qingxi didn't actually have much of an appetite, but when Mu Shaowu asked, he nodded anyway.
"What's wrong?" Mu Shaoyan asked, noticing that he seemed different from usual. "What are you looking at?"
"Huo Zinan is trending on social media."
"Huo Zinan?" Mu Shaowu asked, puzzled. "What happened to him?"
Obviously, he didn't even look at today's trending topics.
"He was scolded," Ye Qingxi said.
Mu Shaowu: ? ? ?
"Why?"
Ye Qingxi then briefly explained the whole story to him.
Mu Shaowu listened with a sense of helplessness.
That's how the entertainment industry is; netizens' love and hate can change in an instant.
When you're in love, nothing you do matters.
When you're filled with hatred, everything you do is wrong.
Huo Zinan certainly has his faults, but he is still young, and there is no need to treat him so harshly.
"Talk to him and tell him not to go online for the next few days. Once things have calmed down, everything will be fine," Mu Shaowu comforted Ye Qingxi. "It's not a big deal. It just seems serious now. In a few days, when other people or things happen, netizens' attention will be diverted, and then no one will remember what happened today."
Ye Qingxi nodded.
He didn't say much to Mu Shaowu. There were many things he wouldn't tell Mu Shaowu, and he didn't want Mu Shaowu to know them.
Mu Shaowu assumed he was concerned about a childhood friend, so he didn't think much of it.
After all, that's just how Ye Qingxi is; she always worries about others.
"If you're worried, wait a few days and I'll have Zeng Chong check if the company has any suitable scripts, then I'll send them to him."
"No need," Ye Qingxi said. "I'll talk to him in a bit."
"Hmm." Mu Shaowu patted his hair. "Don't worry, it won't have any impact. That's how celebrities are. Some people will like them and some people will dislike them. When there are many people who like them, those who don't dare to speak up. But once those who dislike them gather together and stand up, those who like them will be drowned out because their voices are too soft."
Ye Qingxi understood that this was the spiral of silence.
He smiled, finished eating the barbecue with Mu Shaowu, took a shower, and lay down on the bed.
Instead of going to sleep, he picked up his phone and opened Huo Zinan's WeChat.
Their last interaction was four years ago. At that time, Ye Qingxi sent a group message of "Happy New Year" to everyone on WeChat except those he had specifically marked, and Huo Zinan replied with "Happy New Year" as well.
After that, they never spoke again.
Ye Qingxi stared at her phone, remained silent for a long time, and finally typed out, word by word.
Those paparazzi are really annoying; it's their fault, not yours.
He said: "Ignore him, and don't take what netizens say too seriously. Get a good night's sleep, then watch something that makes you happy. Don't blame yourself, and don't let others make you unhappy."
However, his message was never sent.
A red circle with an exclamation mark appeared in front of the green dialog box.
The message displayed below reads: "[The message has been sent, but the recipient has refused to accept it.]".
Ye Qingxi was stunned for a moment.
Did Huo Zinan block him?
When did this happen?
Why?
Because they hardly kept in touch after that?
At this moment, Ye Qingxi was somewhat unsure of her own feelings.
Or rather, he barely knew how he felt all day.
He looked at the unsent messages on his phone.
It's as if he can't travel back in time to tell his fourteen-year-old self: those paparazzi are really annoying, it's his fault, not yours.
Ignore him and don't take what netizens say too seriously. Get a good night's sleep, then watch something that makes you happy. Don't blame yourself, and don't let others make you unhappy.
Ye Qingxi leaned against the headboard, her thoughts churning like turbulent seawater, carrying grains of silt and sand.
He remembered himself when he was fourteen.
Those memories that he had almost forgotten flowed into his current fourteen-year-old self through Huo Zinan's video.
Like old cotton that has been turned over, dull, damp, and out of place.
Yet it truly existed in his past life.
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