Chapter 11 Counterattack and Questioning by the Campfire
calm......
calm......
Just a few minutes later, Xu Nianyi took a few deep breaths and forced herself to calm down.
She first watched the accusation video posted by Su Xiaoxiao again. In the background, she was sitting on a comfortable sofa with a large decorative painting on the wall, which showed that Su Xiaoxiao and Wang Yue were safe and that the new accommodations were obviously good.
The guilt that Xu Nianyi felt for not taking good care of them after bringing them to Hemu as the organizer vanished instantly.
Now that the guilt is gone, all that remains is the anger at being slandered and the determination to clarify the facts.
She couldn't let this mudslinging be poured on her, nor could she let the account "Yinian Jianghu," which carried her dreams, be destroyed by fabricated charges.
If what the two people said is true, she will feel guilty and may choose to get a refund, delete her account, and disappear from the online world.
But she was innocent and fearless, and incredibly strong!
She calmly opened her phone's notes app and began typing furiously.
First, she needs to clarify her thoughts and list out the content of her explanation in a clear and logical manner to ensure that the logic is rigorous and the evidence is sufficient when recording the video.
She even gave herself a cool and aloof mature woman look, aiming to create a stark contrast with the pitiful and sympathetic little rabbit image of the other party.
It's also to make myself look more energetic, calmer, and less bothered by those harsh words.
An hour later, Xu Nian set up a phone stand and adjusted the lighting and angle.
She pressed the record button and looked firmly into the camera.
"Hello everyone, I am Yi Nian Jiang Hu." Her voice was calm and composed, full of candor.
"First of all, I need to sincerely apologize for the unpleasant travel experience that Xiaoxiaosu and her friends had. This was my first time traveling with others in a shared car, and I admit that there were shortcomings in the itinerary planning and communication, which I am reflecting on."
After her opening remarks, her tone suddenly shifted, becoming clear and forceful:
"However, I deny all the other charges she made against me in the video! I will now provide my explanation and evidence for each of these charges."
She began to refute each point calmly and methodically:
1. Regarding the misleading claims about carpooling and being a tour leader: I never called myself a tour leader; I was just an ordinary tourist on a self-driving tour. I shared a video of the snow scenery in Hemu on the train, and you voluntarily expressed your interest and joined my trip. Furthermore, considering that you are students and that I was going the same way, I did not charge you any carpooling fees; instead, I gave you a free ride.
She showed screenshots of her chat transactions with Su Xiaoxiao, which clearly showed that the only transactions between the two were for room fees in Burqin and Hemu, and meal fees in Hemu, with no other transactions.
2. Regarding the male partner driving while fatigued: My friend did drive from Urumqi to Altay late at night, but he arrived at the train station parking lot at 3 a.m. and rested in the car for more than 5 hours until we arrived at the station. Five hours of sleep was enough for him.
She posted a screenshot of her payment record from the Altay Railway Station parking lot, which showed her entry and exit times.
3. Regarding the near-fall off a cliff due to dangerous driving: The sudden braking was to avoid a wild white fox that suddenly darted into the road. It was a last resort to avoid an accident and not intentional dangerous driving. My friend apologized immediately afterward. Moreover, according to the subsequent recording from the dashcam, your reaction in the car was only excitement and surprise at seeing the fox, and you did not show any fear.
She played an edited clip from the dashcam, which clearly showed the white fox suddenly darting out before the brakes were applied, and the sounds of Su Xiaoxiao and Wang Yue excitedly shouting "The fox is so cute!" after the brakes were applied.
"Besides, I was sitting in the car myself. Does the logic hold up that I or my friends intentionally wanted someone to die?"
4. Regarding giving rides to homeless people: In remote areas with vast land and sparse population, and where public transportation is inconvenient, helping those who need a ride is a common practice for many drivers, especially in Xinjiang. We were simply providing assistance to the best of our ability.
5. Regarding not replying to messages: This matter was already explained in Burqin that night. I was editing a video on another phone at the time, and I usually keep my phone on silent, so I missed your message. Furthermore, I want to reiterate that I did not charge any service fees, and theoretically I am not obligated to provide on-call service.
6. "Regarding the claim of profiting from the difference in accommodation fees. This is the most serious slander! The accommodations in Burqin and Hemu were all booked through a legitimate travel platform, and here are screenshots of the orders. Last night, I questioned the landlady who wrongly accused me of profiting from the difference, and she admitted that she mistook you for customers brought by the tour leader, which is why she said those things. It's a misunderstanding. Although she was unwilling to cooperate with me in recording a video, my orders speak for themselves."
She was afraid that if she posted the picture directly, netizens would say it was photoshopped, so she simultaneously showed herself from the phone's home screen, to opening the booking app, to clicking on "My Orders," which showed the booking and price for two nights.
7. Regarding the 168 yuan difference in accommodation fees, the landlady refunded 400 yuan to you yesterday. When I returned, she realized it was a misunderstanding and refunded the remaining 168 yuan to me. You have blocked me and refuse to communicate, so I have transferred the money to you via WeChat Moments. Please check.
She showed the transaction record of the boss refunding her money, and the transfer of 168 yuan from her own virtual gift to Su Xiaoxiao.
8. "I am deeply saddened by your accusation that I am making money off you college students. Precisely because I consider you are students, I have tried my best to save you money. I did not charge you for your travel expenses; I used my own points to book rooms for you; the lunch for four people cost nearly 600 yuan, but I only charged you two a total of 100 yuan. I have done everything I could, and I do not understand why I have been accused of this in return."
At the end of the video, Xu Nianyi looks at the camera with clear and firm eyes:
"That's how it happened. I have a clear conscience. The internet is free, and everyone has the right to judge. Thank you to all the friends who are willing to look at this matter rationally."
After organizing the video and carefully checking all the evidence, she clicked publish.
After doing all this, she let out a long sigh of relief.
She has done all she could; the rest is up to time and the judgment of netizens.
She did her best.
Only then did she pick up her usual cell phone.
The screen displayed several missed calls and unread messages from Tan Chen.
Xu Nianyi's heart skipped a beat, and she thought guiltily: Oh no, he's going to nag me about my bad habit of liking to be silent again.
She quickly called back.
The call was answered almost instantly, and Tan Chen's voice, unusually anxious, came through the phone. "Xu Nianyi! I saw what happened online! Don't panic, don't be afraid, stay in your room and don't move, I'm coming right away!"
No sooner had he finished speaking than there was a knock on the door.
Xu Nianyi glanced at the clothes she had changed into for the video shoot, and then looked around the room, which had an open view of everything and contained nothing that shouldn't be there. She then got up and opened the door.
Tan Chen looked at Xu Nianyi, who was all dressed up and wearing makeup she'd never seen before, and asked with a hint of surprise, "Are you going out? Did you see Su Xiaoxiao's video?"
That shouldn't be the case. He saw it this morning; Xu Nianyi couldn't possibly have missed it. Her comment section was filled with so many malicious messages; there must have been a push notification.
He was all dressed up, ready to go out and have fun. He thought he'd open the door to find a little crybaby.
Hearing this, Xu Nian felt a warmth in her heart; he was also concerned about her.
"See? I've taken care of everything. Don't stand, come in and sit down."
"Resolved?" Tan Chen's tone was filled with disbelief.
“Yes,” Xu Nianyi said calmly, “I just released an explanation video, laying out the cause and effect and the evidence. Smart people will naturally make their own judgments. As for those fools who refuse to believe the facts and are deceived by Su Xiaoxiao’s appearance, I don’t expect to change all of their minds.”
She paused, then said in an almost magnanimous tone, "The worst outcome is simply quitting the internet and ceasing to be a blogger, or starting over with a new account and not showing my face, haha."
Tan Chen breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, then chuckled with a hint of helplessness, "You're quite optimistic. Okay, it's good that you're alright. You didn't eat last night, so since you're all ready, let's go out and get something to eat."
Half an hour later, the two sat down at a charming wooden cabin restaurant in the village.
The warm sunlight streamed through the glass window, dispelling the gloom in Xu Nianyi's heart caused by seeing the negative comments.
She cut the steak on her plate, still feeling guilty. "I'm really sorry, recording the video took up so much time, and now you can't go skiing."
The original plan was to go skiing at the Jikpulin Ski Resort today and also to look for Su Xiaoxiao and the other person.
Tan Chen picked up his water glass and took a sip, seemingly unconcerned. "We can go skiing any day. The weather's nice this afternoon, how about we go horseback riding in the birch forest? Then we can find a place to have some hot pot. I heard there's a bonfire party in the village tonight, we could check it out."
He casually arranged the itinerary, probably because he genuinely didn't care about not being able to go skiing.
He was a little worried that Xu Nianyi was putting on a brave face but was actually still upset about the online storm, so the itinerary consisted of activities that she had mentioned were interesting and fulfilling.
After the meal, they first checked out of the "Snow Town Inn" room and moved to the guesthouse that Xu Nian had been longing for.
There's a reason it's expensive; the moment you open the door, it's a stark contrast to the makeshift accommodations at the Snow Town Inn.
The cozy arrangement was like a painkiller, instantly numbing the pain in her heart caused by making the wrong friends and meeting the wrong people.
In the afternoon, they went to the birch forest. Riding gentle Mongolian horses, they strolled along the forest paths carved out of the snow, the horses' hooves making rhythmic sounds as they trod through the snow.
Although my butt was incredibly sore from the two-hour ride, the frustration I felt from the online trial I had experienced since early morning was completely washed away by this vast and magnificent snowscape.
In the evening, they found a well-rated restaurant and enjoyed a warm and comforting lamb hot pot.
The soup simmered and the aroma filled the air. Tan Chen was unusually talkative today, and he even chatted with Xu Nianyi about some interesting things that happened in his bar. The atmosphere was harmonious.
The bonfire party that night was held on a wide-open snowfield in the center of the village.
A huge bonfire had been set up, and many tourists and locals had gathered around it, creating a lively atmosphere.
One segment of the party involved bidding for the right to light the bonfire.
Everyone bid, and in the end, a man who looked to be from a wealthy family spent a whopping 20,000 yuan to win the right to start the fire in order to confess his love to his girlfriend who was traveling with him.
Amid cheers and blessings from the crowd, the bonfire was lit, and the roaring flames soared into the sky, illuminating everyone's faces.
Everyone formed a large circle, each person putting their arm around the shoulder of the person in front of them, and played a game of "train pulling a circle" to the accompaniment of familiar, lively music.
Xu Nian drank several bottles of Wusu beer and milk wine cocktail. The online bullying, the fight back, Tan Chen's company, the warmth of the campfire, and the drunken haze that she experienced during the day were all intertwined.
Looking at Tan Chen, whose outline was becoming increasingly blurred in the firelight beside her, the question that had been weighing on her mind for so long, fueled by the alcohol and this inexplicable courage, finally spilled out:
"Tan Chen," her voice was somewhat soft amidst the noise, but her gaze was fixed directly into his eyes, "You came out this time... really just to ski?"
The surrounding music, dancing, and laughter seemed to vanish instantly, and the whole world seemed to consist only of the two of them and this unresolved question.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
