LABMY CH141

Lately, netizens had been having an especially entertaining time surfing the internet.

First, Wan Yuda, after leaving the reality show, discovered that his public image had completely collapsed beyond salvation. In his frustration, he lashed out, turning on his former allies.

He exposed that Liu Qianli’s accusation of Pei Yao se-xually harassing her was also false. Pei Yao had always been careful about maintaining distance from female actors, to the point that even when his company arranged certain situations, it was nearly impossible to catch him visiting a female actor’s residence or a hotel at night—any so-called “definitive evidence” was nonexistent.

That was why Liu Qianli had joined forces with Wan Yuda in the first place. Together, they falsely accused Pei Yao. Wan Yuda provided the “evidence,” while Liu Qianli’s claims—though lacking photos and only backed by a few chat screenshots—were enough to make people believe them.

Because at that time, the public was willing to believe whatever they were led to believe: that Pei Yao was a shameless predator who preyed on both men and women, exploited industry newcomers, and engaged in sleazy behind-the-scenes deals.

Liu Qianli posted several statements, repeatedly asserting two points: first, that Pei Yao had se-xually harassed her; second, that Wan Yuda was dragging her down to clear his own name, falsely accusing her, and that fans and the public should not believe him.

But soon, Wan Yuda dropped irrefutable evidence on Big Eye.

It was a secretly recorded video showing Liu Qianli discussing, in detail, with her manager how to fabricate a more convincing accusation against Pei Yao and how to handle PR afterward.

Though only her side profile was visible, it was undeniably Liu Qianli in the video.

Immediately after posting the clip, Wan Yuda followed up with a message:

“We’re all trash, so why should you get to walk away clean?”

The internet exploded.

Netizens flooded the comment sections of both their Weibo accounts, gleefully watching them tear each other apart. Many also went to Pei Yao’s page to apologize.

Just when it seemed like the drama had peaked, someone decided to dig deeper into Wan Yuda’s background. Initially, they just wanted to investigate the gym owner Wan Yuda had flirted with on the show.

What they found left everyone stunned.

The gym owner’s chain of fitness centers had mostly gone under. His income was nowhere near as high as he had claimed. He had gone on the show not for love but to lure a wealthy boyfriend into investing in him.

Given the disgusting things Wan Yuda had already done, netizens nearly died laughing when they discovered this twist.

• “I knew something was off when that gym owner looked so bitter after Pei Yao won the car! Turns out, the signs were there all along.”
• “All the actually rich contestants didn’t care about the 380,000-yuan car. Only he kept acting sour about it.”
• “Now I kinda hope Wan Yuda and this guy end up together—garbage meets garbage, a perfect match.”
• “Liu Qianli is no saint either. Falsely accusing Pei Yao of se-xual harassment nearly ended his career.”
• “Not nearly. Those two did ruin him. At that time, Pei Yao was completely blacklisted, lost all his gigs, had to pay massive contract penalties—it drained his savings. If not for this evidence coming to light, he would’ve been permanently done for.”
• “Liu Qianli and Wan Yuda should just disappear and stop harming people.”

While netizens were still in the midst of their passionate gossip and moral crusade, the official Weibo account of “Chase Love! Brother” dropped a bombshell post.

[The grand prize for the show’s ‘Straight Man Champion’: one sedan worth 380,000 yuan, has been returned by the winning contestant, Pei Yao.

It has now been converted into twelve commemorative gold pendants—one for each of the six contestants, with six more to be given away to lucky audience members through a comment draw.]

At first, this announcement was buried under the scandal of Wan Yuda and Liu Qianli’s exposed lies.

But then, viewers—satisfied with their drama feast—started noticing it.

One person shared it. Then ten. Then a hundred.

And suddenly, Weibo exploded.

#PeiYaoReturnsStraightManPrize# skyrocketed up the trending list, eventually hitting number one.

• “WHAT THE HELL!! He returned the prize?? Is this what I think it means?!”
• “WHAT?! Pei Yao gave back a 380,000-yuan car?!”
• “If he rejected the reward… does that mean he shouldn’t have received it in the first place?”
• “HE’S NOT STRAIGHT??!! SOMEONE TELL ME THIS MEANS WHAT I THINK IT MEANS!”
• “Wait. Pei Yao and Jian Yuanbai… could they actually be together?”
• “Did he get turned??? Pei Yao, come out and tell me right now—I can’t handle my heart breaking again for the sixth time!”
• “OH MY GOD I’M ASCENDING. PURE LOTUS IS REAL!!!”
• “Where is Jian Yuanbai?? Why hasn’t he debuted yet?? That face is a national treasure—don’t waste it!”

The hype over Pei Yao returning the car even overshadowed the drama between Wan Yuda and Liu Qianli.

This time, it was a carnival for CP fans and Pei Yao’s loyal followers.

After all the suffering Pei Yao had endured—being framed and blacklisted—his remaining fans were highly supportive of his personal life. Many had watched the show and shipped him with Jian Yuanbai to death.

Together, these two factions fueled the hashtag #PeiYaoReturnsStraightManPrize# to dominate the trending list, triggering an avalanche of discussion.

But as the center of this frenzy, Pei Yao wasn’t exactly thrilled.

At that moment, he was sitting on a small chair beside the filming set, frowning at his phone as he scrolled through the endless comments.

Behind him, a tall and strikingly handsome man stood like a proper, dutiful bodyguard.

Who would’ve guessed that not long ago, this same “bodyguard” had pinned down his employer—the film emperor himself—in a cramped dressing room and thoroughly “bullied” him?

Jian Yuanbai noticed Pei Yao’s furrowed brows and asked, “What’s wrong? Not happy?”

Pei Yao turned to him, pouting. “I thought returning the car amid Wan Yuda’s scandal would keep it from drawing much attention.”

He had hoped that the drama between Wan Yuda and Liu Qianli would overshadow his quiet act of returning the car. But things had backfired.

Jian Yuanbai asked, “You didn’t want people to know you gave it back?”

Pei Yao wanted to glare at him but held back. “Who wants the entire internet speculating that they might have been bent?”

Jian Yuanbai crouched down, leaning in close. “Not might have been.”

He added softly, “You can’t be straight.”

Seeing him draw near, Pei Yao instinctively leaned back, his eyes darting around in panic. “What are you doing? This is a filming set—there are people everywhere.”

Jian Yuanbai calmly handed him a water bottle. “Just asking if you want a drink. What did you think I was going to do?”

Pei Yao’s face instantly flushed. He took the bottle and took a sip, his gaze flustered and evasive. “N-nothing.”

It wasn’t like he could admit that he had been traumatized by Jian Yuanbai’s kisses, and now, every time the man leaned in, he automatically assumed another one was coming.

That would be way too self-absorbed!

Jian Yuanbai glanced at the Weibo page Pei Yao was scrolling through and suddenly asked, “Are you planning to take Wan Yuda and Liu Qianli to court?”

“Their false accusations are serious enough to warrant a three-year sentence.”

Pei Yao hesitated. “If I sue, it might affect the show.”

“Although the production team also contacted me and said I could sue without worrying about the show being taken down, it’s still the result of the director and crew’s hard work for so long.”

“Wan Yuda and Liu Qianli have already issued apology statements. Their careers in the entertainment industry are over, and they don’t affect me much anymore.”

“I heard the director spent a long time preparing Chase Love! Brother. If it gets taken down…”

Jian Yuanbai squeezed his hand before letting go. “Don’t worry about that. There will be a second season. Their slander is severe enough to constitute a crime. Since it’s a crime, they should face the consequences.”

“If the production team has already assured you there’s nothing to worry about, then sue them.”

Assistant Li had already negotiated with the director. The second season would be funded by Jian Yuanbai.

The first season had done well. Even if it was taken down later, it wouldn’t be a financial loss—just not a gain.

Jian Yuanbai’s eyes were cold, but that chill wasn’t directed at Pei Yao. “They can apologize in prison.”

Just as they were talking, an unwelcome guest approached.

“Pei Yao.”

Pei Yao looked up and saw a face he found irritating. He said flatly, “Zhao Jie, what do you want?”

Zhao Jie smiled. “Can’t I come see you without a reason?”

“After all, I’m also part of Youth Aspirations. We’ll be working together in the future.”

Pei Yao didn’t want to bother with him, but since they were in the same production, he had to keep up appearances. Just as he was about to respond perfunctorily, Zhao Jie stepped closer, looking down at him, and said, “I didn’t expect you to make a comeback.”

He was standing while Pei Yao was sitting. His expression was full of contempt. Just as he was about to continue speaking—

Jian Yuanbai, who had been sitting behind Pei Yao, suddenly stood up and hoisted Pei Yao onto his shoulders.

Pei Yao was indeed smaller compared to Jian Yuanbai, but he wasn’t light enough to be lifted onto someone’s shoulders so easily. Yet Jian Yuanbai’s arms, with their smooth, powerful muscle lines—not overly exaggerated but strong—steadily held him up.

The atmosphere instantly turned odd. But one thing had clearly changed—now, it was Pei Yao looking down on Zhao Jie from above.

Pei Yao was completely flustered by Jian Yuanbai’s sudden action. He was also embarrassed by the attention from others around them. Lowering his voice, he hissed through gritted teeth, “What are you doing?!”

Jian Yuanbai lowered his voice as well. “He was looking down on you. Just because he’s standing up, he thinks he’s superior?”

“Don’t worry, wife. Now, you’re taller than him. You’re looking down on him from above.”

Pei Yao was utterly dumbfounded. He was both embarrassed and unable to keep up with Jian Yuanbai’s bizarre logic. “Put me down.”

But Jian Yuanbai turned to Zhao Jie and asked, “What else do you have to say?”

He had a feeling that whatever Zhao Jie was about to say next would definitely be some kind of belittling remark toward Pei Yao.

Zhao Jie, having been interrupted, now found himself staring up at Pei Yao instead. The words at the tip of his tongue became awkward to say, but holding them in felt even worse. He sneered at Pei Yao and said,

“You managed to turn things around once. Can you do it twice? Three times?”

“Since you’ve already been condemned by the entire internet, you should accept it. Thinking you can make a comeback just shows how naive you are. Even if you manage to clean your reputation now, the road ahead is long. Don’t dream about being a big star.”

He had to tilt his head up to say this. Even as he was throwing out harsh words, it was frustrating to be the one looking up. After speaking, he let out a cold snort and turned to leave.

At that moment, a notification sounded in Jian Yuanbai’s mind.

“Please have the Long Aotian character deliver the designated line with full emotion and fluency.”

“Line: ‘Since I’ve risen once, I won’t fall again. I will become the brightest star in this world, ascend to the divine throne, and you—are destined to be nothing more than a clown beneath my brilliance.'”

Originally, Jian Yuanbai had planned to ask the director to kick Zhao Jie out of the show. But now, he changed his mind. He still needed to find the director, but the request had to change.

Time was tight. He had to get it done today.

Pei Yao, still struggling to get down, felt a shiver down his back. He assumed it was just from the embarrassment earlier, completely unaware of the calculating look in Jian Yuanbai’s eyes.

Jian Yuanbai said, “I’ll go ask which role Zhao Jie is playing.”

When he invested in this project, he had only insisted that Pei Yao be cast as the second male lead. He hadn’t paid attention to who else was in the cast.

With that, he quickly walked away.

Pei Yao called after him but got no response.

Watching Jian Yuanbai leave with determined strides, Pei Yao was speechless. He had already read the script and knew which actors were involved. There was no need to ask anyone.

He knew what role Zhao Jie was playing, but to Pei Yao, their past conflicts weren’t serious enough for him to turn down a hard-earned role just to avoid him.

However, Jian Yuanbai wasn’t actually looking for someone to ask—he went to a secluded spot and called Assistant Li.

Assistant Li quickly contacted the director. After a brief discussion, the result was a rather distressed director.

Once Jian Yuanbai finished making arrangements, he returned to the set and saw Pei Yao talking to someone he was quite familiar with—Chu Caiyang.

Jian Yuanbai’s gaze darkened slightly.

He clearly remembered how last time, on Chase Love! Brother, Chu Caiyang had made Pei Yao say those cringeworthy, over-the-top lines, leaving him mortified.

A single person saying arrogant, dramatic lines would be embarrassing.

But a whole group?

That could erase the embarrassment.

And conveniently, Youth Aspirations was a large-scale drama about young heroes growing up.

So those over-the-top lines could easily be woven into the script.

In the distance, the two were chatting when Pei Yao suddenly yawned. Immediately after, Chu Caiyang sneezed.

Chu Caiyang rubbed his nose. “What’s going on?”

“Why does my back suddenly feel so cold?”