Peninsula: My e-sports dream shattered, I chose to become an actor.

November 22, AsiaWorld-Expo, Hong Kong.

Li Mingye stood tall at the entrance of the red carpet, dressed in a well-tailored dark custom-made suit.

The MAMA Awards, also known as the Mnet Asian Music Awards, or MAMA for short, are hosted by CJ E&M. Held annually in November and December, it is one of South Korea's most prestigious music award ceremonies.

According to the original plan, he would not be attending today's MAMA, since he is currently filming and doesn't have many awards to win.

But he had some urgent business to attend to, so he asked the crew for leave, got the phone number of the person in charge of this year's MAMA from his second brother, and temporarily added a seat for himself.

The person in charge was very enthusiastic and even offered to give him a title like "Asia's Most Popular Person Award" on short notice, but he declined.

Because of his relatively short tenure, Li Mingye was scheduled to appear earlier in the lineup.

The moment he stepped onto the red carpet under the guidance of staff, the flashes of cameras, which were originally just routine, suddenly became intense, followed by a chorus of exclamations.

"Li Mingye? What's he doing here? He wasn't on the list!"

Wow! He looks even better in person than on TV!

"Oh my god, Li Mingye is here, does that mean the rest of the 'The Heirs' crew will be here too?"

The fans watching were clearly caught off guard, but then burst into amazing cheers.

Logically speaking, without prior notice and without fans being able to arrive in advance to hold up light boards, it would be difficult to have such a high level of cheering at the red carpet event.

However, the popularity of "The Heirs" in Asia is undeniable, and Lee Min-yeop, as the second male lead whose popularity rivals that of the main characters, enjoys a level of fame in Hong Kong, a major hub of the Korean Wave, that is in no way inferior to that of idols who have been in the industry for many years.

Li Mingye maintained a polite smile, waved to the audience on both sides, and then walked to the media interview area to stand.

The reporters ahead were fairly normal, asking standard questions like "How was your first time at MAMA?" and "What are your thoughts on the record-breaking ratings of 'The Heirs'?" Lee Myung-yeop calmly answered them using the formula.

Until a reporter suddenly posed a pointed question:

"Actor Lee Myung-yeop, what are your thoughts on the recent dispute between Jae-ho and Choi Sulli?"

The air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Li Mingye is not the first celebrity to be asked this question.

In the past two days, any celebrity who has even the slightest connection with f(x) or Jaeho has been surrounded by reporters.

However, everyone knows that when it comes to sensitive topics involving seniors and juniors, most artists will choose to dodge the question or simply ignore it, and will never give a direct answer.

Given that Lee Myung-yeop has a good relationship with Krystal Jung in the public eye, and was previously photographed chatting amicably with Sulli, reporters naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity to capitalize on the situation.

However, the reporter who asked the question didn't expect him to say anything earth-shattering; it was just a formality.

To everyone's surprise, Li Mingye did not show any sign of difficulty. After listening, he simply lowered his eyes slightly and pondered for a moment, then raised his head and looked calmly at the camera:

"I don't think Choi Sulli is that kind of person."

Upon hearing this, the previously somewhat listless group of reporters instantly became incredibly energetic, each one practically shoving their microphones into his mouth.

"Do you mean you support Choi Sulli?"

"Do you know something secret? Can you tell me?"

"Aren't you afraid of offending your seniors by saying that?"

Li Mingye remained calm and composed, his voice steady and powerful:

"I just think that people are making judgments too quickly without solid evidence."

He paused, a meaningful calmness flashing in his eyes:

"Let the bullets fly a little longer."

After saying this, he didn't give the reporters a chance to ask further questions. He turned to face the fans who were watching and greeted them in fluent Cantonese and Mandarin. Then, amidst countless shocked gazes, he turned and entered the venue.

The reporters behind him quickly lowered their heads, their fingers flying across their laptops and phones as they organized his remarks.

Someone actually dared to speak up for Sulli at this critical juncture! And it wasn't some minor idol trying to grab attention; it was a rising star actress with a bright future. This is huge news!

A reporter who had just finished organizing his notes couldn't help but sigh and said to his colleague beside him:

"Actually, I also think that without any solid evidence, the online comments are indeed a bit excessive. This Li Mingye... he really dares to speak his mind."

His tone even carried a hint of admiration.

The reporter next to him, with a sly, knowing look on his face, leaned closer and whispered:

"Ha, he has nothing to do with this on the surface, yet he's actively getting involved... I bet he's having an affair with Choi Sulli."

"Aigoo, now that you mention it, you do have a point... This hero-saves-the-damsel-in-distress trope, tsk tsk."

……

Once inside, the entire awards ceremony didn't really offer much for Li Mingye to focus on. He wasn't particularly interested in following celebrities, but he paid more attention to the performances of Girls' Generation and Trouble Maker.

The former is because of Yoona, his mentor on his acting journey, while the latter is because their performances are indeed bold and sexy, attracting attention.

However, because the director would frequently cut the camera to him, he had no choice but to sit upright the entire time, behaving like a model audience member who was attentively watching the performance.

His words on the red carpet seemed to have begun to have an impact, as the director kept switching between him and Sulli during the Dynamic Duo performance.

MAMA's intention to ride the wave of popularity and create buzz is blatantly obvious.

After finally enduring the awards ceremony, Li Mingye took out his phone to check the online public opinion.

With a celebrity of some influence speaking up for him, the online sentiment finally began to shift slightly.

Those rational bystanders who were afraid to speak out for fear of being attacked have finally dared to step forward.

Meanwhile, fans of f(x) and Choi Sulli grasped at a straw and began frantically sharing Lee Myung-yeop's interview video, trying to clear their idols' names.

Although it is difficult to completely reverse the smear campaign against Choi Sulli, the internet is still full of malicious comments that wantonly insult Choi Sulli, and many people have even turned their anger towards Lee Myung-yeop, calling him a "meddlesome person" and a "whitewasher".

However, his fans, who are rising stars, are not to be trifled with. Coupled with his excellent public image, those who mindlessly criticize him are quickly countered by rational fans and the general public.

Compared to those who are fixated on the truth of the matter, a considerable number of onlookers have begun to wildly speculate about the relationship between Li Mingye and Cui Xueli.

[What's going on? Sulli's teammates didn't say anything, but Lee Myung-yeop was the first to speak up for her!]

What's their relationship? I've never heard of them knowing each other.

[It seems there were some leaked photos before that Sulli visited the set of "The Heirs." Could that be when they met?]

When the whole world is attacking you, someone stands up for you... This is straight out of an idol drama! I'm totally shipping them!

[As a die-hard f(x) fan, I sincerely thank actor Lee Min-yeop for his statement. You are a true man!]

I won't comment on the truth of the matter, but this man's fearless attitude is damn cool.

Among these statements, it's clear that SM Entertainment's PR team is taking the opportunity to stir up trouble and create momentum.

While it may be difficult to completely reverse public opinion, it can at least temporarily quiet down the baseless insults and rumors, giving Choi Sulli some breathing room.

Li Mingye put his phone back in his pocket, straightened his suit collar, and walked into the MAMA After Party venue.

Next is the point.