Chapter 26 Part 1

That news quickly attracted a great deal of attention.

Although the video was old, Lin Qingye hadn't entered the entertainment industry at the time and wasn't active in the public eye, so the discussion died down after a while. But it was different now.

Not only was Lin Qingye already famous and receiving attention, but more importantly, he had entered the great whirlwind of the entertainment industry, where the relationships and interests were intricate and complex. Other companies would inevitably be watching, trying every possible way to suppress his rise and prevent him from becoming the next top-tier star.

And since "Here for the Song" started airing, Lin Qingye's popularity had far surpassed the other celebrities, and his fans were overly zealous, creating tense relationships with other fandoms.

Various forces entered the fray, pushing the topic to a peak, and at the same time, firmly stuck the label of school violence onto Lin Qingye.

When this video first came out, the fans were still trying to whitewash it. Now the victim has come out to speak. Lin Qingye's fans, does the slap in the face hurt?

Oh, how come all the celebrities who suddenly blow up recently have their dark pasts dug up.

Come on, all you fans shouting for Lin Qingye to be fierce with you, look at how your 'brother' hits people. The brain-dead fans will definitely be saying, 'Brother, hit me.'

School violence must die!!

@HerefortheSongOfficial @HerefortheSongOfficial, is the production team going to do anything? Can this kind of person continue to appear on screen? Are there no standards anymore? Making money is too easy, isn't it??

Someone mentioned this video back when the show first announced its contestants. Do you think the production team didn't know about his school violence? A show that condones school violence should flop!!!

...

The first half of the video showed Lin Qingye hitting someone, and the second half was an interview with the victim. The evidence was conclusive, and even the fans didn't know how to explain it.

Thus, the comments were filled with condemnation and accusations.

The few young fans who unconditionally stood by Lin Qingye were branded as brain-dead fans, while the rational ones who said to wait for the truth were treated the same.

In an instant, Lin Qingye, who had been praised to the heavens, was brought down overnight by the storm of public opinion.

As Xu Zhinan read those comments, she gradually woke up.

She sat up in bed, and scrolling further down, the comments became even more unbearable to read.

Xu Zhinan frowned slightly and clicked on the video.

In the first minute, only Lin Qingye's side profile could be seen, but the face of the boy he was pinning to the ground and beating was not visible. His face was only seen in the victim interview in the second half.

Xu Zhinan's gaze paused.

This boy looked a little familiar.

In the three-minute interview video, the boy recounted the process of being subjected to school violence—

"Lin Qingye is from No. 7 Middle School. In our area, No. 7 Middle School isn't a good school. I went to No. 1 Middle School for high school. Back then, you could sometimes see people from No. 7 Middle School collecting protection money at the school gate. Most of the students at our school were well-behaved and followed the rules, so we didn't dare to resist them much. We'd usually just give them the money."

"Then one time, I didn't have any money on me, and I ran into the people from No. 7 Middle School again. I took one look and wanted to take a detour. I wasn't even an adult then. Seeing people like them, I just felt terrified. But when he saw I was about to leave, he didn't say a word and just rushed up to hit me. That was Lin Qingye."

"A few days ago, I happened to see a girl next to me on the subway watching that show. The moment I saw Lin Qingye, I broke out in a cold sweat, remembering those past nightmares."

"I was in the hospital for a long time back then. After I recovered, I quickly left Yan City and transferred to another school. It took two years to finally get over the psychological trauma."

He spoke as if he were truly trapped in the shadow of school violence.

If an ordinary person watched it, they would definitely feel sympathy for him—a top student from No. 1 Middle School, diligent and excellent, having his youth ruined by such a group of people.

But Xu Zhinan couldn't.

She recognized the so-called "victim" in the video.

He was indeed from No. 1 Middle School, and a classmate from her grade.

If she remembered correctly, this boy's name was Su Zheng. Before he transferred, his grades at No. 1 Middle School weren't good either; he was at the bottom of the class. Xu Zhinan didn't know much about him, but she often heard the teachers in the office mention him, and they would always look exasperated. She heard from her friends at the time that he seemed to have been specially admitted to No. 1 Middle School as a sports student.

"Ah Nan." Mother Xu knocked lightly on the door and pushed it open. "Feeling better? Still have a fever?"

Xu Zhinan locked her phone screen. "I think it's gone. My head doesn't hurt anymore."

Seeing that she was awake, Mother Xu came over and touched her forehead with the back of her hand, sighing in relief. "You should still go to the hospital later. Don't wait for the fever to come back at night. Don't go to the shop today, just rest at home."

"Okay, I'll go to the hospital first in a bit. If the fever is gone, I still need to go to the shop. Business has been busy these days."

"You still have to take care of your health. How can business be more important than your health?"

"I mentioned it to you before, Mom. I participated in a tattoo design competition, and my ranking in the polls is quite high right now. A lot of people have made appointments with me."

Mother Xu's expression lit up. "The results are out?"

"Not yet, it's still the preliminary voting stage. I'm in second place now."

First place was still Lu Xihe, with an overwhelming lead. Xu Zhinan figured it was impossible to surpass him, but she was already very satisfied.

She paused, then suddenly asked, "Mom, do you remember Su Zheng?"

Mother Xu was taken aback. "Su Zheng?"

"Yeah."

As she recalled, her brow furrowed. "That classmate of yours from high school? What about him? Did you run into him again? What did he say to you?"

It was rare for Mother Xu to ask a series of questions so anxiously.

"No, I just suddenly remembered him." Xu Zhinan threw off the covers and got out of bed. "Alright, I'm going to the hospital right after I wash up. Don't worry, Mom."

The uproar caused by Lin Qingye's matter soon reached Wang Qi.

Wang Qi was not only the producer of "Here for the Song," but also the head of Chuanqi Entertainment Company. Upon hearing the news, he drove directly to Lin Qingye's apartment.

The doorbell rang.

Lin Qingye was bare-chested, his pants hanging loosely on his hips. He fastened his belt as he walked, then pulled the door open. "You're here."

"How can you not be anxious!" Wang Qi pointed at him, exasperated.

Lin Qingye took a pair of slippers from the shoe cabinet and tossed them at his feet. "Come in."

"..."

In the past, when similar things happened, it was always the artist who was spinning in circles with anxiety, while the rest of the team had to stay calm and handle the aftermath and crisis PR. With him, it was the complete opposite.

"Have you seen that video online?" Wang Qi asked.

"Saw it."

"Do you know that person?"

"I do. I was the one who hit him," Lin Qingye said.

"..."

Wang Qi didn't believe Su Zheng's story at all. Given Lin Qingye's family background, he wouldn't be short on money, so how could he possibly engage in the act of "collecting protection money" as that person claimed?

Wang Qi sighed, feeling weary. "Cooperate with me a little."

Lin Qingye chuckled and grabbed a short-sleeved shirt from the sofa to put on.

Only then did Wang Qi notice the tattoo on his back. He had heard Zhou Ji mention it before, Ah Nan—the name of his little girlfriend.

But it was only a fleeting glimpse before he put on the shirt, covering the tattoo.