How can you ascend to heaven when you are a star?

Chapter 420 Another Accident
"Honey, look! Song Haoran really posted the apology video online." Bai Lu, wearing a black silk slip dress, fluttered to Zhang Wen's side like a butterfly and held out her phone screen to him.

Zhang Wen glanced at the video on the screen, a slight, contemptuous smile playing on his lips.

In the video, Song Haoran is bent over with a sincere look of remorse on his face. With a soft-focus filter, it looks like a touching scene of a prodigal son returning home.

Zhang Wen was almost moved to tears by what he saw.

Actually, when I saw Song Haoran's apology statement last night, I guessed that the other party would definitely come to the set to apologize today and post the apology process online in order to gain the understanding and sympathy of fans and netizens.

It wasn't that he could tell fortunes; it was just that he understood human nature better. From Song Haoran's repeated statements, he saw the other party's strong will to survive and his unwillingness to suspend work.

Such a person certainly won't obediently accept the punishment of being suspended from work.

"The editing is pretty good. It's all Song Haoran's shots, it's almost like a one-man show for him. I only gave you three shots: his appearance, accepting the apology, and shaking hands. Hehe!" Bai Lu said with a smile.

Gao Yue picked up her phone and looked at Song Haoran's Weibo. The comment section had become a public bathhouse, full of people trying to whitewash Song Haoran. It was obvious that someone was deliberately stirring up trouble, and those fans who couldn't distinguish right from wrong once again stood up to cheer for Song Haoran and charge into battle.

From an agent's perspective, Song Haoran's actions this time were very risky. Although the apology video might salvage his reputation, the risk of doing so was too great. Once someone catches him red-handed again, he may never have another chance to make a comeback.

Despite the company's statement that Song Haoran's work has been suspended, it's clear they intend to handle the situation discreetly and protect him.

Unfortunately, Song Haoran doesn't seem to understand the company's good intentions.

Ugh!
Wouldn't it be better to disappear for a while? Why do you have to pop up and cause trouble for no reason?

"The whole internet is condemning you for stealing Song Haoran's food. Don't you plan to do anything about it? It seems like there are paid trolls trying to influence netizens," Gao Yue said.

“No rush.” Zhang Wen smiled faintly, his eyes deep and confident. “He just posted on Weibo not long ago, so his popularity isn’t high enough yet. Let him be smug for a while. Isn’t there a saying? The higher you stand, the harder you fall.”

Thinking you can turn public opinion around with a short, edited apology video? That's incredibly naive. Have you forgotten the lesson of denying bullying only to be proven wrong by the video evidence?

no Zuo no Die!
Since you want to die, then I'll grant your wish!

A certain restaurant.

Li Lehua was drinking and chatting with several friends, and the atmosphere was very lively.

"Yuehua Entertainment, what exactly happened with Song Haoran from your company? Did he bully any staff members? Why is he trending on social media again?"

what?
Upon hearing the name Song Haoran, Li Lehua's smile instantly froze on her face. She walked over to her friend and looked at the phone in his hand.

"Song Haoran sincerely apologized; it turns out there was another reason behind the bullying."

Li Lehua unconsciously read the title of the announcement aloud and then slowly continued reading.

It was thought that Song Haoran had found a witness to prove his innocence, but it turned out to be just an apology video.

However, while it appears to be an apology to the person involved, it is actually an attempt to defend oneself.

'This idiot!'

Li Lehua cursed inwardly.

She didn't think Song Haoran's move was particularly clever; on the contrary, she felt he was courting death.

Is Zhang Wen really that easy to deal with?

If so, the company wouldn't need to issue a statement.

Moreover, this video is clearly edited and is not a finished video.

The extra who posted the bullying video online has not been found, and she now has reason to suspect that there are significant differences between this video and the final video.

"I don't know either, it's being handled by the people below." Li Lehua forced a smile, but it was somewhat strained.

She now wishes she could imprison Song Haoran!

I made it very clear yesterday that after suspending work, I should stay home and play games, or travel abroad. I could wait for the storm to pass before making a comeback. But this idiot had to jump out and try to make his presence known. Does he think things aren't big enough already?

To avoid bringing up the matter again, she quickly picked up the bottle and refilled her friend's glass, changing the subject to something else.

At this moment, Song Haoran looked at the online public opinion that had been reversed and a smug smile appeared on his face.

Now everyone knows that it was Zhang who first snatched his lunchbox, so his act of flipping the table can no longer be defined as bullying.

They could even launch a counterattack against that guy surnamed Zhang, implying that his fans should engage in cyberbullying.

When the other party can't take it anymore, he can then stand up and call for an end to cyberbullying and a boycott of it. This will definitely earn him a wave of goodwill.

This brought the number of fans, which had dropped to nine million, back to over ten million.

"Brother Haoran, your apology video has climbed to sixth place on the trending topics list. The whole internet is now trying to clear your name," He Yue said excitedly.

Song Haoran went to the wine cabinet, took out a bottle of champagne, opened it, and poured wine for Zhou Kai while saying smugly, "It was never my fault. They should exonerate me and clear my name."

"Yes, yes, yes!" He Yue nodded repeatedly, thinking that she was finally not going to be laid off.

Just as she was about to continue using her alternate account to defend Haoran, her phone suddenly popped up a notification from an unknown entertainment account:

Exclusive! Full version of Song Haoran's apology scene leaked; victim allegedly threatened?

He Yue's heart skipped a beat, and she quickly clicked to see the footage of Zhang Wen shaking his hand and screaming in pain, and then falling down in fright.

Although it lasted less than a minute, the dialogue inside was clear and audible, especially the victim's voice.

"It hurts! Let go! Let go now!"

"Please let me go."

"What do you want to do!"

"what!"

In addition to these, there were also accusations against Haoran from the onlookers.

"No one can fake it as well as you. You keep posting your own photos online. You're such a good actor!"

"..."

As soon as the video was released, the comments section, which had initially been biased towards Haoran, immediately reversed course.

"Holy crap, this is completely different from the video Song Haoran posted!"

"So the handshake and bowing before were all an act?"

"Waited all day just to set up a sign? Don't try to cover this up, it's obviously edited and fabricated."

"I've been fooled again. Can Song Haoran be any more shameless? He keeps fooling the public. I suggest he be permanently banned."

"Song Haoran is unrepentant; he should be banned!"

"..."

He Yue dared not watch any longer and looked up in alarm, shouting, "Brother Haoran, something terrible has happened! Someone has posted the complete video of you shaking hands with Teacher Zhang online!"

"what?"

Song Haoran's smile froze instantly as he recalled how the man surnamed Zhang had yelled "It hurts!" during the handshake, causing the champagne glass to slip from his hand and fall to the ground.

"Snapped!"

Glasses shattered on the floor, and champagne spilled everywhere. However, Song Haoran had no time to pay attention to it. After regaining his senses, he snatched his assistant's phone and stared at the messages on the screen.

"What's going on? Who posted this?"

“An unknown entertainment account,” He Yue answered softly as she picked up the broken glass from the floor.

As Song Haoran watched the unedited video, his expression grew increasingly grim, especially when he saw the comments from netizens in the comment section. The pretty boy turned into a dark-faced man.

"Zhou Kai! Didn't you say no one took any pictures?" Song Haoran roared at the reporter beside him, his voice echoing throughout the villa.

Zhou Kai was startled. While watching the video, he said, "I really didn't see it."

"Then tell me, where did this video on the internet come from?" Song Haoran asked through gritted teeth, wishing he could strangle the other person right now.

After watching the video, Zhou Kai frowned and pointed at the recording, saying to Song Haoran, "Look, this video was taken when you shook hands with Zhang Wen. He hadn't fallen yet, and the crew members hadn't come over. You know that."

Song Haoran thought back carefully and realized that there were indeed only four people at the time: himself, Zhou Kai, He Yue, and the one surnamed Zhang. The others were at least ten meters away.

"Could someone be secretly taking pictures from a distance?" Song Haoran gripped his phone tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.

“No, that doesn’t seem right. All the crew members were behind Zhang Wen at the time, so the only thing they could film was his back. But the camera angle in the video is clearly from the side,” Zhou Kai analyzed from a professional perspective.

"The side?" Song Haoran blinked and asked in confusion, "Isn't the side a wall? We were in the middle of the exit of the film crew, with buildings on both sides."

As he said this, he suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.

There won’t be any ghosts, right?
Zhou Kai stared at the video, thought for a while, and said, "There's only one possibility now: there's a surveillance camera in that location, and it happened to capture the process of you apologizing to Zhang Wen."

"Surveillance?" Song Haoran was stunned for a moment, then plopped down on the sofa.

It's all over, it's all over. Not only am I being framed and bullied again by that Zhang guy, but everyone also knows that my apology was staged.

The attempt to whitewash the situation not only failed, but actually made things worse.

"Haoran, don't panic." Zhou Kai said while sending the message, "I've already asked the online army to control the comments. They'll say that it was a maliciously edited clip, that the victim accidentally fell, and that it has nothing to do with you."

"Control the comments? Who believes that anymore?" Song Haoran said irritably. "Find a way to delete the video right now, at all costs!"

He dared not explain any further.

Once this entertainment account posts another full video, his explanation is again labeled as deception.

This time, he was really scared.

Considering that the man surnamed Zhang appeared terrified and timid from the moment he showed up, it's likely that he knew from the beginning that there were surveillance cameras there, which is why he deliberately acted that way.

hateful!

We've been tricked again!

Zhou Kai sent messages and made phone calls. After a while, he said helplessly, "Haoran, I can't delete the video. Many people have forwarded it, and a friend of mine said that someone is deliberately using this to create hype."

"what?"

Song Haoran was startled.

Someone is trying to harm him!

"Since we can't delete it, let's push the topic of Lin Xiaoyang's infidelity back up!" Song Haoran said, trying to use this method to divert public attention.

“Haoran, a friend of mine on social media hinted that Lin Xiaoyang is the one buying traffic for you,” Zhou Kai said.

"..."

Song Haoran stood there, his mouth opening and closing, but he couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

Yesterday, in an attempt to divert netizens' attention, he directly exposed Lin Xiaoyang's infidelity. Now, to reduce the attention on his infidelity, Lin Xiaoyang has started buying him traffic...

Is this what they call an eye for an eye?
He held his head in his hands, buried his face in his knees, and felt terrified.

"Ring ring ring!"

Suddenly, music started playing in the villa. He Yue picked up her phone and glanced at the caller ID. Her face instantly turned deathly pale.

He swallowed hard before answering the phone, cautiously saying, "Hello, Manager Guo..."

"Look at the stupid things you've done. You'll be fired by the company soon."

Although the speakerphone wasn't on, Guo Yaoming's shouts were exceptionally clear in the quiet villa. Even through the microphone, one could feel Guo Yaoming's anger at that moment, like a volcanic eruption.

He Yue had just opened her mouth when the call was disconnected, without even a chance to explain.

That's true, what's there to explain now?

He Yue turned to look at Haoran, who was slumped on the sofa, and hesitated for a long time before finally saying anything.

However, Song Haoran had already heard it, grabbed the ashtray on the table and smashed it hard against the TV.

"boom!"

The screen shattered instantly.

"Haoran," Zhou Kai said softly, "Since things have come to this, let's try contacting the company. Maybe..."

"Get out!" Song Haoran roared, his eyes bloodshot. "All of you, get the hell out!"

Zhou Kai was startled. He had been planning to leave earlier, but upon hearing Song Haoran's words, he immediately made a hasty retreat.

He Yue knew that the company was going to terminate Haoran's contract, which meant that Haoran would no longer be an artist under the company.

She opened her mouth, wanting to say "take care," but in the end she didn't say it. She walked out the door with her head down and a dejected look on her face.

Soon, only Song Haoran remained in the villa, writhing in impotent rage.

A certain restaurant.

"Yuehua Entertainment, is Song Haoran from your company out of his mind? I just saw his apology video, how come he's messed up again?" someone asked curiously.

"puff!"

Li Lehua spat out the wine he had just drunk.

Upon hearing this, another person leaned over to look at the news push notification on their phone, reading aloud as they went: "Full version of Song Haoran's apology scene leaked; victim suspected of being bullied again! This Song Haoran is really something else, isn't he just going against the grain? Yuehua Entertainment, are all the artists in your company this reckless?"

Li Lehua laughed awkwardly and said, "This guy is an idiot. I've wanted to terminate his contract for a long time, but I couldn't find a reason. Now it's the perfect time to kick him out of the company."

She had anticipated that Song Haoran would make a mistake, but she didn't expect it to happen so quickly; the dinner wasn't even over yet.

Everyone here is in the industry. If Song Haoran makes a mistake at this time, won't that just provide everyone with fodder for jokes about her?

Damn it!

This time, we're going to make sure they get the hell out of here!

……

(End of this chapter)