ASPWL Ch65: The Guardian of Gossip

Quick as a flash.

The camera operator immediately reached out to cover the lens, and viewers in the live stream noticed the screen going black and the camera shaking.

A few seconds later, the hand moved away, and the screen lit up again.

But now, Yu Bai, Qian Yue, and Xia Yang were no longer visible in the live stream. All that could be seen under the dappled shadows of the trees were Qin Yao standing beside Ye Leyao, who waved at the camera with a smile.

Viewers:

—”???”

—”!!!”

—”What a vicious camera switch! (gritting teeth)”

—”No way! Why can’t I see? I’m a VIP member, what can’t I see?”

—”Ahhhh, Ye Leyao, I don’t want to see you right now! Can the camera operator please turn the camera back? I want to see Xia Yang beating up Yu Bai!”

—”Ye Leyao, ahhh—I’m telling you, don’t be so mean! You’re so close to the action, enjoying the drama right in front of you. Can’t you share some of it with us?”

—”Don’t be so stingy, ahhhhh!”

Also getting anxious was Huo Yan, who was still in his room.

He had thought that with the live stream going on and being close enough to hear Ye Leyao’s thoughts, he wouldn’t need to go down and join the excitement.

Who would have thought the live stream would cut off?

He would be so disappointed if he missed seeing Yu Bai get beaten up!

Without any hesitation, Huo Yan almost bounced off the bed and ran downstairs. Upon reaching the first floor, he found the other four guests who weren’t on-site.

Seeing Huo Yan, Zhou Zijian was the first to ask, “Hey, you finally came down. Did you see the others? We’ve been waiting here for so long, and there’s no one around…”

Huo Yan was in such a hurry to catch the action that he didn’t even hear Zhou Zijian finish his sentence. He just left a quick “They’re fighting!” and dashed towards the garden.

Zhou Zijian and Wen Xiangyue looked at each other in confusion.

“Who’s fighting?”

Liu Yan immediately stood up: “Who’s fighting?”

Wen Xiangyue reacted: “Let’s go and check it out too!”

Naturally, Zhou Zijian and Liu Yan had no objections.

They didn’t want to miss out on the drama either!

Who would have thought that someone would actually start a fight during the recording? This was even more exciting than the previous episodes!

Zhang Qiran looked at the three people running after Huo Yan with a blank face.

He didn’t want to get involved in such things, but seeing the others all leave, staying behind alone seemed boring, so he got up and followed them to the garden.

In the garden, although the viewers in the live stream couldn’t see real-time footage, they could still clearly hear the sounds on-site.

Obviously, Xia Yang was infuriated by what Yu Bai had just said, and his punches didn’t stop as he kept swinging them at Yu Bai’s face.

At first, they could hear Yu Bai’s voice trying to defend himself:

“Wait… Xia Yang, I wasn’t lying to you. I really like you… ah… no, don’t hit my face!”

“Xia Yang, I know you’re upset, and I know you’re angry, but can you promise me, once you’re done hitting me, you’ll forgive… ah, owww, it hurts, it really hurts! Please go easy on me!”

Gradually, it turned into:

“I’m sorry, Xia Yang; I know I was wrong. You can hit me to vent your anger—ouch—it really hurts…”

Finally, all that could be heard was Yu Bai’s somewhat desperate voice:

“Enough! Xia Yang, you’ve been hitting me for so long… owww—”

Ye Leyao couldn’t hold it in and was laughing so hard his shoulders were shaking.

[Hahahahahahaha—]

The viewers in the live stream were getting frustrated listening to the sounds and seeing Ye Leyao’s smiling face:

—”Ahhhhhh—just from the sound, it seems like he’s getting beaten up pretty badly?”

—”Damn it, I really want to see it. Ye Leyao, please, let me see it just once, okay?”

—”I can’t stand it anymore. Everything’s been exposed, and Yu Bai still has the audacity to say he really likes Xia Yang. Does Xia Yang need his love?”

—”Ugh, all scumbags in the world are like this. Even when the truth is out, they can still make a heartfelt confession.”

—”Just feel sorry for Xia Yang and Qian Yue…”

—”Fortunately, now that everything’s out in the open, our pretty sister and brother can get out in time!”

The bullet comments were buzzing with excitement, but the scene was even more lively.

The commotion was quite loud, and many staff members had received the news and were walking over.

Within seconds, several hurried footsteps could be heard.

Ye Leyao looked up and saw Huo Yan and the three people following him, Zhou Zijian, who seemed quite relieved.

[Looks like Second Brother and the others finally got back online. Good, good, the excitement isn’t over yet.]

Huo Yan was rather helpless when he heard this.

When did he just get back online?

He clearly knew from the start! He just didn’t go downstairs earlier.

Now he’s rushing over because the live stream didn’t have any footage!

Zhou Zijian and the others finally saw the situation ahead and were shocked to see Yu Bai lying on the ground with a bruised and swollen face.

What happened?

Who beat up Yu Bai?

Zhou Zijian, brimming with curiosity, quickly looked at Song Zhehan, using his eyes to ask what exactly was going on.

Looking into Xia Yang and Qian Yue’s eyes, it seemed like they had been crying?

Why did they receive the news so late?

Why didn’t anyone inform them earlier?

Song Zhehan slightly smirked and walked over to briefly and quietly explain the situation to them.

Although some parts were his guess, judging by the current situation, it was probably not far off.

The staff and Huo Yan’s group arrived quickly, and since Ye Leyao had just spoken, Xia Yang had already sensed someone coming, so he didn’t hit Yu Bai for too long before stopping.

Yu Bai was now lying on the ground, groaning in pain. Under the light, it was clear to see he had two black eyes and a busted lip.

It was evident that Xia Yang was really infuriated and didn’t hold back when beating Yu Bai.

Seeing more and more people gathering, Xia Yang turned slightly, lowering his head so his expression couldn’t be seen. But just from his back, one could feel his loneliness and sadness.

Qian Yue stood opposite them, looking at Yu Bai on the ground first, then raising her head to look at Xia Yang in front of her.

Then she slightly curved her lips, seeming to smile.

The staff who rushed over looked at Qin Yao.

Now that things have escalated to this point, should they go over and check on Yu Bai?

Qin Yao nodded slightly.

The staff member said to the accompanying doctor, “Could you please go over and check?”

The doctor nodded and walked towards Yu Bai.

At this moment, Ye Leyao’s inner voice said:

[Now that the fight is over, shouldn’t we resume filming?]

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, Ye Leyao turned around and made a gesture to his filming cameraman.

Qin Yao couldn’t help but chuckle, his lips curling slightly.

After two episodes of filming together, the cameraman and Ye Leyao had developed some rapport. Seeing this, he quickly moved the camera.

The viewers in the live stream then noticed the screen change again.

This time, they could even hear the sound of the cameraman running. After several seconds, the screen finally stabilized, and everyone focused their eyes, with smiles instantly returning to their faces:

—”Ahhhh, Ye Leyao, I announce that from now on, you are my best friend in the entertainment industry!”

—”Ahhhh, thank you, my Melon King! Knowing you care about us makes me feel reassured!”

—”So, does this mean Ye Leyao was really afraid the live stream would be cut off, and we wouldn’t even be able to hear the sound?”

—”Definitely! Look, as soon as the fight ended, our footage came back!”

—”Really, so considerate!”

The viewers were so touched that they immediately kneeled in apology on the bullet screen.

—”Sorry, Ye Leyao, we wrongly blamed you just now!”

Some viewers even directly confessed their love: “Ye Leyao, I love you!”

—”Wait, wait, save the apologies and confessions for later. Look quickly, this angle is even clearer, and the cameraman changed position!”

Other gossip-loving viewers also noticed:

—”It really is!”

—”This view is better, and you can see more clearly!”

—”Oh my god, I can’t stand it. The cameraman isn’t even hiding anymore; he’s just blatantly filming!”

—”Not only is Ye Leyao’s cameraman filming openly, but I also checked the other guests’ live streams, and they’re filming too! Now it’s multi-camera, multi-angle, no dead ends filming!”

—”Alright, alright, you guys from ‘Let’s Go Eat Melons Together’ really live up to your name! From the guests to the staff, you all are my Guardian of Gossip!”

The viewers laughed even more joyfully, and after laughing, they couldn’t wait to focus on the three “main characters.”

The cameraman obviously understood what the viewers wanted to see. Not only did he find a spot with an excellent view, but he also specifically gave Yu Bai, who was lying on the ground, a close-up.

At this moment, the doctor was checking Yu Bai’s wounds. After a while, the doctor said, “They’re just some superficial injuries. I’ll take you to get them bandaged.”

The streetlights were fairly bright, and the viewers could clearly see the bruises on Yu Bai’s face. Upon hearing the doctor’s words, they couldn’t help but laugh:

—”It looks pretty scary, but it turns out they’re all just surface wounds. Xia Yang, you really went easy on him!”

—”Yeah, I feel like Xia Yang was just so enraged just now that he ended up hitting him.”

—”Right, that line Yu Bai said earlier, no one could accept that, no matter who it was, right?”

—”‘I really like both of you’—that line is truly explosive!” 

—”Honestly, I still think Yu Bai got off easy!”

As everyone’s eyes focused on Xia Yang, he clenched his bruised hand upon hearing the doctor’s words. After a few seconds, he coldly said to Yu Bai, “Have your lawyer contact me directly. I’ll compensate you.”

Xia Yang had indeed been impulsive just now, but he had no regrets. If Ye Leyao and the staff hadn’t arrived one after another, Xia Yang would have hit even harder.

After speaking, Xia Yang turned around to leave.

But just then, Qian Yue suddenly spoke up, “Do you need a lawyer?”

Yu Bai had not spoken since the beginning, not because he didn’t want to, but because he was genuinely in too much pain to speak at this moment.

He hadn’t even noticed when the staff and the doctor arrived. It wasn’t until the doctor asked if he needed first aid and then hearing Qian Yue’s question that he realized.

Yu Bai forced his swollen eyes open and painfully said, “Xia… Xia Yang… I won’t sue you, and I won’t contact a lawyer. I… I just want to ask, have you calmed down now?”

After saying that, Yu Bai glanced at Qian Yue on the other side.

Yu Bai knew Qian Yue’s situation too well. He understood there was no chance of reconciliation with her, so he had to stabilize Xia Yang. He still needed Xia Yang to help him make connections…

Enduring the pain, Yu Bai slowly sat up. “If you’re still angry, you can hit me again… I… I just have one request…”

Ye Leyao was incredulous.

[At this point, how does Yu Bai have the nerve to think that he can ask Xia Yang for a favor without being refused?]

Xia Yang paused and, without turning back, asked coldly, “What do you want to say?”

Instead of directly stating his request, Yu Bai asked, “Will… will you promise me first…”

Xia Yang sneered, turned his head, and looked at Yu Bai mockingly, “Do you think you have the right to negotiate with me right now? Are you trying to say that if I calm down, you’ll stay with me and hope I won’t spread the news about this?”

Yu Bai stammered for a long time, “No… I know you’ll definitely break up with me. I’m not that shameless. I just hope you won’t make this public. After all, we were in love once…”

Hearing this, Ye Leyao couldn’t hold back any longer and burst out laughing.

The laughter was loud and unrestrained, reaching Yu Bai’s ears clearly.

Before Ye Leyao even finished laughing, Song Zhehan’s voice followed closely behind. It was gentle and carried a hint of a smile, but in the sweltering summer evening, it sent a shiver down everyone’s spine: “Too late.”

Yu Bai’s pupils contracted.

Xia Yang was planning to leave the garden from another path, not only with his back to Yu Bai but also to Ye Leyao and the others.

Yu Bai had been stunned from the beating and hadn’t heard Ye Leyao’s voice earlier, nor did he notice that the other guests had already arrived. Plus, with the doctor blocking Ye Leyao and the others, Yu Bai hadn’t realized there were others nearby.

Upon hearing the laughter and Song Zhehan’s words, Yu Bai felt like the blood in his entire body froze.

He turned around in disbelief, only to be met with the gaze of all the guests—along with not one, not two, but ten black camera lenses.

Yu Bai’s mouth gaped open, his mind completely blank.

Song Zhehan continued with his next words: “It’s probably already been broadcasted live in full. Even if Xia Yang agrees to help you keep it hidden, it can’t be hidden anymore.”

Yu Bai’s breath hitched, and his fingers trembled. “You… you, you, you… when did you all…”

Ye Leyao finished laughing and walked out from behind the flowerbed, sincerely saying, “I’ve been here since the beginning… but I really didn’t come here on purpose to eavesdrop. I was going to find the director, and I just happened to run into you. Really… I wasn’t eavesdropping!”

[It really was a coincidence!]

[I honestly didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but since I accidentally overheard, I might as well listen to the end.]

[As for how the others got here, I really don’t know.]

Huo Yan chuckled softly, his head lowered.

Qin Yao raised his hand slightly to cover his mouth.

Meanwhile, the bullet-screen viewers directly vouched for Ye Leyao:

[Yes, yes! I can vouch!]

[Ye Leyao really was just going to find the director at first, but who could’ve predicted such a coincidence?!]

[Hahaha, has Yu Bai been scared silly?]

[He hasn’t responded for several seconds now.]

[Oh no, oh no, what are you going to do next, scumbag?]

Everyone’s eyes were on Yu Bai.

But after half a minute, Yu Bai seemed completely stunned and had no reaction at all.

Seeing this, Qian Yue looked away in utter disappointment.

Yu Bai broke down emotionally just like that?

He really had no resilience at all, so what exactly did she see in him back then?

Or was it just that she had been purely deceived by Yu Bai?

Aside from his face, this man had no merits.

Having come to her senses, Qian Yue didn’t feel too bad either.

Better to see the truth sooner rather than later.

Looking at Xia Yang ahead, who was about to leave, Qian Yue continued to ask, “Do you want me to give you my second brother’s contact information?”

Xia Yang was puzzled and looked at Qian Yue in confusion, “Your second brother?”

Qian Yue mentioned a name.

Xia Yang was quite surprised.

He didn’t know much about Qian Yue, so he naturally didn’t know about her family background.

He hadn’t expected that this renowned lawyer in the legal world would actually be Qian Yue’s second brother.

Honestly, Xia Yang actually never intended to sue Yu Bai.

Although Yu Bai did betray him, Yu Bai was only two-timing; it wasn’t anything criminal. Even if this got exposed, at most Yu Bai would be criticized by netizens and lose a few roles and endorsements.

But once the storm blew over and people gradually forgot, Yu Bai could still make a comeback.

He might even play the victim upon his return, gaining sympathy and fans.

Xia Yang had initially thought about issuing a statement to publicize the matter; it could at least make Yu Bai lose a few endorsements and roles.

However, after what had just happened, Xia Yang was no longer confident that Yu Bai wouldn’t sue him.

Xia Yang definitely needed a lawyer, and he had no reason to refuse.

“Thank you.” Xia Yang gave Qian Yue the first genuine smile since they had met.

Qian Yue also smiled back at him.

Their smiles were unbearably dazzling in Yu Bai’s eyes.

They’re fine now, but what about him?

Ten cameras, all of them the ones used for live broadcasts.

Ye Leyao even said he had been there from the beginning.

Which means… everything had been recorded.

Whether it was him apologizing while holding Xia Yang’s hand, or him being pinned down and beaten by Xia Yang, or admitting that he had been involved with both of them at the same time…

Yu Bai felt like the sky was falling.

How did it come to this?

He had been hiding it so well before. Neither Qian Yue nor Xia Yang had discovered the other’s existence.

Why did things suddenly turn out like this?

Oh, right.

Because they joined the same show…

So why did he insist on joining this show in the first place?

No, wait—

There was nothing wrong with him joining this show on his own!

The problem is Xia Yang and Qian Yue—why did they coincidentally join the show too?

Yu Bai thought he had figured something out. He suddenly stood up and shouted at Qian Yue and Xia Yang, “It was you—did you both know all along?”

Qian Yue turned around and looked at Yu Bai as if he were crazy: “Know what? If I had known about this earlier, do you think you’d still be standing here talking to me?”

Yu Bai then looked at Xia Yang: “Then it’s you—”

Xia Yang let out an exasperated laugh, his eyes still red as he glared angrily at Yu Bai: “Yu Bai, have some shame.”

Ye Leyao, who was the only one who knew the truth, couldn’t help but glance at Qin Yao beside him.

[President Qin, aren’t you going to say something?]

Qin Yao: “…”

He was indeed about to say something.

In front of everyone, Qin Yao walked toward the three and gave a signal to the staff.

A staff member and the on-site doctor quickly stepped forward and grabbed Yu Bai’s arm: “Calm down. The urgent matter now is to bandage your wounds.”

“Calm down?!” Yu Bai was furious. “How can I be calm? They teamed up to deceive me. I… I want to sue them!”

[What shameless words! You’re the one who deceived others’ feelings in the first place!]

Ye Leyao looked utterly disdainful.

Qin Yao finally spoke: “I’m the one who invited them.”

As soon as these words fell, Yu Bai turned to Qin Yao in disbelief: “President Qin, why would you…”

Halfway through his words, Yu Bai stopped.

Qin Yao looked at him calmly.

After a full minute, Yu Bai seemed to figure something out and suddenly laughed loudly, “So that’s how it is… In that case, it does make sense!”

Yu Bai’s expression twisted. If the staff and the doctor hadn’t been holding him back, he would have charged at Qin Yao already: “Why?! Qin Yao! Tell me why?! Weren’t you the one who wanted to sign me back then? You signed me and said you’d promote me. Why did you give up on me in the end?! If you hadn’t given up on me, I wouldn’t have lost the roles, and I wouldn’t have had to join this stupid variety show—”

Ye Leyao was extremely irritated.

[So you think just because your past wrongdoings weren’t discovered, it means there’s no problem with you?]

Qin Yao didn’t want to listen to Yu Bai any longer. He coldly said, “I agreed to promote you on the condition that you weren’t someone else’s person and on the condition that your character, values, and morals were spotless. But not only did you cheat with two people, you also had multiple ambiguous relationships, and kept entangled with many exes. Do you think I’d still dare to use you?”

After saying this, silence fell over the scene.

Xia Yang was incredulous: “Multiple ambiguous relationships as well?”

Qian Yue couldn’t hold back any longer. She stepped forward and slapped Yu Bai on his already swollen face: “Yu Bai, you bastard! When you were pursuing me, you said you’d cut all ties with your exes, you—”

“Qian Yue, calm down.” Qin Yao stopped her just in time.

Though Qian Yue tried to stay calm, she had genuinely liked this person in front of her. So, she was still very hurt, with her eyes red-rimmed.

Wen Xiangyue, unable to bear it any longer, quickly came up and pulled Qian Yue away.

Yu Bai was stunned for a moment, then suddenly sneered, “Qian Yue, why would I give up an entire forest for just you?”

“You—”

Qin Yao raised his voice, interrupting them: “Yu Bai, do you remember Zhang Tao?”

The moment before, Yu Bai was ready to coldly mock Qian Yue, but upon hearing this name, it felt like a bolt of lightning struck his head.

For a long while, his brain buzzed. Yu Bai’s pupils contracted as he stared at Qin Yao in utter terror: “You… how do you…”

Huo Yan was puzzled: “Zhang Tao?”

Ye Leyao remembered.

[Isn’t that the boy who was bullied by Yu Bai in school and jumped off a building?]

[After that incident, although Zhang Tao’s life was saved, his right leg had to be amputated…]

[I didn’t expect President Qin to have investigated even this!]

Huo Yan remembered. When he first saw Yu Bai on set, Ye Leyao had indeed mentioned this incident.

But the two of them knew, while the others didn’t!

Song Zhehan was the first to look at Ye Leyao. Seeing that he had no intention of explaining, he walked over to him and asked, “What’s going on?”

The bullet screen viewers were also completely confused:

—”Who is Zhang Tao? Is he an artist?”

—”Why does Yu Bai look so terrified?”

—”Where’s my assistant? Quickly, look this up for me!”

—”Could it be that Ye Leyao also knows?”

—”No way, would our Melon King be this well-informed?”

—”Then why else do you think we call him the Melon King?”

Unfortunately, Ye Leyao didn’t explain this time. He just said to Song Zhehan, “It should be exposed soon.”

[After all, Yu Bai was personally invited by President Qin. President Qin must have arranged for the follow-up, so I’d better not spoil it.]

Song Zhehan gave Ye Leyao a disapproving look.

Then Qin Yao spoke up, “I’ve already had a lawyer contact his family. They will soon choose to sue you for school bullying.”

As soon as he finished speaking, Yu Bai was completely dumbfounded: “You… no, President Qin… Aren’t I an artist under your company? Why would you…”

Qin Yao looked at Yu Bai, his deep eyes void of any warmth, his voice deliberately low, audible only to the two of them: “If it weren’t for Gu Song’s strong recommendation, I wouldn’t have signed you in the first place.”

After saying that, Qin Yao no longer looked at Yu Bai and told the doctor, “Take him for a check-up. He doesn’t need to participate in the rest of the recording.”

The doctor and staff nodded, holding Yu Bai up and leading him away.

Yu Bai could no longer hold back and broke down, shouting, “Why! Why! Xia Yang, Qian Yue! Help me, I beg you, only you…”

“President Qin! I was wrong; can you give me another chance…”

His cries gradually faded away until they could no longer be heard.

Only then did Ye Leyao leisurely withdraw his gaze.

[Mmm, that was quite the spectacle!]

At some point, Song Zhehan had walked up to Zhang Qiran.

When Zhou Zijian had questioned Song Zhehan earlier, Zhang Qiran had been nearby, so naturally, he had heard the whole sequence of events.

Now, seeing Yu Bai being taken away like that, he still felt somewhat unreal.

At that moment, he heard Song Zhehan’s faint voice beside him: “Zhang Qiran, do you think that when it’s your turn to mess up, you’ll also be taken away by the staff like this?”

Zhang Qiran’s face instantly turned deathly pale.

Ye Leyao couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

[Teacher Gou Shi! Why are you intentionally scaring people like that!]