Chapter 23: The Clarification Video

Back in her room, Shi Yun had barely tossed her bag aside when her phone began to ring incessantly. She glanced at the caller ID: it was Jiang Zhiyu.

"Yunyun, I’m not coming back tonight," Jiang Zhiyu’s voice came through as soon as she answered.

"Hm?" Shi Yun frowned slightly, confused. "Isn't Lu Xingzhi taking you home? Why the sudden change?"

As she spoke, she strolled over to the window, her fingers idly toying with the curtain tie-back.

On the other end, Jiang Zhiyu seemed to hesitate before whispering, "I... I have something to take care of with him. Don’t worry, I’ll be back tomorrow."

Before Shi Yun could press further, the line went dead with a series of beeps. Looking at the darkened screen, a faint, knowing smile played on Shi Yun’s lips. "Those two," she muttered softly, "definitely have something going on."

Outside, the night deepened, spreading like a sheet of ink. Shi Yun turned away, dragging her lazy steps back to her bedroom to change into a simple nightgown before curling up on the living room sofa. She swiped her slender fingers across her screen to review the interview draft sent by Li Yue. The production team was coming to the Mo Ru Tang studio tomorrow, and she needed to familiarize herself with the material.

Just as she was reading, a notification popped up: a Weibo push. Shi Yun lifted her eyes and tapped it open. The hashtag #InternetCelebrityJiangZhiyuCursesDuringLivestream# had rocketed to the top of the trending list.

She opened the video. It was a clip of Jiang Zhiyu arguing with trolls during her stream, and the comment section below was filled with vitriol:

"With a mouth that poisonous, no wonder she hangs out with a fraud like Shi Yun. Everyone, unfollow!"

"You can't find these two on Baidu, but you can on Sogou."

"Why is everyone cursing Shi Yun and Jiang Zhiyu? I hope someone steps up and hits her!"

"Just a trash influencer, acting as arrogant and wild as Zhang Fei in a dress."

"Her words are so foul, is her mouth full of dung?"

...

Right next to it was the hashtag #RuanTianResponds#. Ruan Tian had posted a new update: "Thank you all for your concern and support. I will take good care of myself. Love you all!"

The comments below were a stark contrast to Jiang Zhiyu’s:

"Sweetie, you must take care of yourself. We are all so worried about you."

"Don't worry, baby. Heaven will deal with those bitches; we will help you punish them."

"If Shi Yun hadn't stolen Sweetie's life, she wouldn't have had to suffer so much these past years."

"Sweetie, don't be afraid! We are all your strong support!"

...

Seeing this, a mocking smile tugged at the corners of Shi Yun's mouth. Ruan Tian’s tactic was truly brilliant—neither denying nor confirming anything. Even if the truth came out later, no one would blame her.

Shi Yun leaned against the soft cushion, continuing to scroll. The malicious comments directed at her didn't stir any emotion. As a private individual who didn't work in the entertainment industry, their insults felt trivial and painless.

However, thinking of Jiang Zhiyu, Shi Yun felt her chest tighten, making it hard to breathe. Zhiyu was different; she was an influencer who relied on the internet to make a living. A small matter could easily be blown out of proportion. Feeling guilty that she had dragged her friend into this mess, Shi Yun thought for a moment before walking over to Jiang Zhiyu’s streaming equipment and turning it on.

She crouched down, quickly adjusting the lighting and angle to ensure the image was crisp. She then straightened up and sat down, back stiff, eyes fixed steadily on the lens. She began in a calm voice: "Hello everyone, I am Shi Yun. I assume you have all heard about the events of late."

At this point, her brows furrowed slightly, a flash of helplessness in her eyes. "After the dispute over my and Ruan Tian’s backgrounds was exposed, public opinion spiraled out of control. Someone maliciously edited a video of me splashing red wine at Ruan Tian, but that is not the truth. I have never done such a monstrous thing."

She clasped her hands, her grip tightening involuntarily. "But everyone believed it, cursing and attacking me. Some even splashed red paint on my studio and mailed dead mice to me. I endured all of this in silence. But I never expected my best friend, Jiang Zhiyu, to be implicated."

Mentioning Jiang Zhiyu, Shi Yun bit her lip. "Zhiyu is a very straightforward person who cannot hide her feelings. During her stream, she faced malicious attacks from trolls and lost her temper, snapping back. You have no idea how vile those trolls were. If it were any of you, I doubt you could have remained calm."

The corners of her eyes turned red, misting over with tears, and her voice trembled slightly. "I know it isn't easy for everyone to change their minds immediately, but I beg you, please don't hurt her before knowing the truth. Zhiyu’s passion and sincerity for her streaming shouldn't be buried. When the truth comes to light, you will see who we really are."

After finishing the recording, Shi Yun rested for a moment before sitting up to watch it twice. Satisfied, she uploaded it to every social media platform. She looked out into the night, hoping the video would shield Jiang Zhiyu from some of the storm.

Drained of energy, Shi Yun headed to her bedroom, buried her head in her soft pillow, and fell into a deep sleep.

She didn't know how much time had passed when a barrage of notification pings, loud as firecrackers, jolted her awake. Dazed, she reached out to fumble for her phone on the nightstand. When she finally grabbed it and opened her eyes, the number of unread messages was skyrocketing, nearly crashing the device.

She instantly sobered up and clicked on Weibo. Her comment section had exploded, with voices clashing:

Some leaned in her favor:

"I watched it several times, just looking at her face... can someone summarize the content?"

"Seeing this face, I’ve decided to give her the benefit of the doubt."

"I'm sorry, I’ve turned from a hater into a fan. This must, definitely, absolutely be a misunderstanding!"

"She's so beautiful even without makeup, imagine how stunning she is in person! Am I the only one focusing on this?"

"She speaks so openly and has such an incredible temperament. I’ve defected; I think she’s right."

"No way, with a face like that, I don't believe she’s a bad person."

Of course, there were plenty of skeptics and insults:

"What brand of trash bag are you? How are you so good at putting on an act?"

"Don't you know about the 'femme fatale'? The prettier a woman is, the more wicked she is!"

"Don't think you can explain everything away with one hypocritical video."

"Bah! No evidence, just empty words—what kind of clarification is that?"

"I despise people like you who think looks are everything. How shallow!"

Jiang Zhiyu’s fans were also standing strong:

"The beautiful lady is right! Trolls, stay away from our Jiangjiang!"

"Our Jiangjiang has always been straightforward and dotes on her fans. She’d risk it all for her friends; she can’t be a bad person!"

"Did Jiangjiang curse? She wasn't cursing a human, that's for sure!"

"Our Jiangjiang does countless charities every year. Why should such a kind person be cursed?"

Others commented on the trolls' extreme behavior:

"Splashing red paint and sending dead mice to someone's studio—you are the truly wicked ones!"

"This is insane. Regardless of the truth, is splashing paint and mailing dead mice ever right?"

"Honestly, the punishment doesn't fit the crime. Some people's fans are taking this way too far..."