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In media coverage, there needs to be enough of a “buzz” to leave a lasting impression on the audience.
For example, headlines like “Zhou Qingyu Slaps Ye Luoyi” or “Zhou Qingyu Interferes with the White Moonlight CP” are sensational enough to easily grab viewers’ attention.
On the other hand, many clarifying news articles don’t have enough of a hook, and therefore, they don’t attract many viewers. Additionally, clarification articles often seem like damage control, leading to doubts about their authenticity.
So even though Xingyao Entertainment had already cleared up the misunderstanding early on, explaining that the slap was part of the script, many netizens didn’t buy it. They saw it as an attempt to cover up, just something for Zhou Qingyu’s fans to hear.
But when industry insiders shared the full context and laid out the details in the live broadcast, the effect was much different.
Kang Boye chuckled, “So it’s just a misunderstanding, right? It’s good to clear things up!”
He was trying to provide an out, offering a way for everyone to back down gracefully.
Ye Luoyi added, “It’s all the paparazzi making up rumors. That’s why everything got blown out of proportion. In reality, both Teacher Zhou and I are just focused on making the best work possible!”
Qin Li also spoke in Ye Luoyi’s defense, “Nowadays, the paparazzi make up stories about everything. I think Ye Luoyi and Qingyu’s relationship should be fine, or they wouldn’t have agreed to be on the same variety show.”
At this point, Ye Luoyi just wanted to move on quickly.
Zhou Qingyu was a bit dazed. Just a moment ago, everyone had pressured her to apologize, and now, after Yan Xi casually said a few words, the situation had turned around. She didn’t even know what had happened.
But as long as she didn’t have to apologize, Zhou Qingyu was relieved—she certainly didn’t want to apologize to Ye Luoyi.
She felt a bit happier inside and helped Yan Xi up.
However, Yan Xi didn’t seem to want to stop. She looked at Zhou Qingyu with sincere tone, “Qingyu, with the whole thing that happened yesterday, don’t you think maybe you misunderstood the script? I’m an outsider and don’t really understand the entertainment industry, but since we’re going to be on a variety show together, we can’t let Teacher Ye be at a disadvantage!”
Ye Luoyi, for some reason, suddenly had a bad feeling, “No, no, Qingyu acted just fine, it’s the fans who misunderstood!”
In order to get closer to Zhou Qingyu, Ye Luoyi even addressed her more familiarly, dropping the formal “Teacher Zhou” and calling her more casually.
“Hmm, is that really the case?” Yan Xi tilted her head, looking at Zhou Qingyu innocently. “But if the fans misunderstood, then why didn’t Teacher Ye come out to clarify yesterday? Her fans were causing a scene for the whole afternoon. She wouldn’t have wanted you to get scolded on her behalf, would she?”
Then, Yan Xi “realized” she had misspoken and quickly covered her mouth. She intentionally spoke in a quieter voice, yet it was loud enough for everyone to hear, “Teacher Ye doesn’t seem like a bad person… sigh, the entertainment industry is too complicated, I just don’t get it!”
But what was there to not understand? Everyone present had figured it out.
Especially Jiang Tao and his wife, Kang Boye, and the production team staff, all of them were now looking at Ye Luoyi with complex expressions.
Although Yan Xi was an outsider, she had a clearer grasp of the situation than anyone else—though she might not even realize it herself.
Ye Luoyi could have clarified things for Zhou Qingyu. As one of the people involved, all she needed to do was post a message on Weibo to let her fans know that the slap was part of the script and that the director had requested the real slap. That alone would have cleared up the misunderstanding from yesterday. It wasn’t a difficult thing to do.
But Ye Luoyi hadn’t done anything at all, and in the end, she still wanted Zhou Qingyu to apologize to her!
It was the first time Jiang Tao and the others had witnessed a situation like this, where the victim had to apologize to the perpetrator.
The viewers in the live stream were also amused—
【I have to admit, Yan Xi’s whole vibe screams innocent college student, but she always manages to hit the nail on the head!】
【College students everywhere! Yyds!】
【Zhou Qingyu really got the short end of the stick, didn’t do anything wrong but was forced to apologize by everyone! If it weren’t for Yan Xi, she’d probably have another black mark against her!】
【Ye Luoyi has been indulging her fans in cursing Zhou Qingyu without clarifying, shouldn’t she apologize too?】
【Ye Luoyi should apologize to Zhou Qingyu!】
Ye Luoyi had always been more sensitive and adaptable than Zhou Qingyu.
After Yan Xi said those words and Jiang Tao and the others gave her complicated looks, Ye Luoyi understood that most of the viewers had already figured things out through Yan Xi’s few words.
In the past, due to Zhou Qingyu’s negative reputation, whenever something happened, both the public and the fans would assume it was her fault. But this time, Yan Xi had spoken directly in front of her, leaving Ye Luoyi with no room to maneuver.
Ye Luoyi was extremely displeased, her back teeth almost grinding to pieces, her nails deeply embedded in her palms.
But she showed no sign of it on her face, walking gracefully up to Zhou Qingyu. “Qingyu, I’m sorry. When my fans caused a scene yesterday to defend me, I should have come out to clarify. I was injured after being slapped and went straight to the hospital. The doctor said my injuries were serious, and I had to stay for observation. I only just found out about this… Qingyu, you won’t be mad at me, will you?”
Her words were flawless.
Although she apologized, she carefully distanced herself from the situation.
She was the one who was injured and couldn’t clarify in time, and it was her fans who caused trouble—how could it be her fault?
Zhou Qingyu was still about to speak up when Yan Xi held her back.
Ye Luoyi’s apology was clearly a performance, aimed at her fans and the public. It wasn’t sincere, and Zhou Qingyu couldn’t expect her to truly apologize. However, Ye Luoyi had already set her attitude, and at least from the camera’s perspective, she appeared genuine and polite. If Zhou Qingyu insisted on pressing the issue, netizens would turn against her once again.
Moreover, Yan Xi only needed Ye Luoyi to apologize.
Most netizens who watched the news were just seeking entertainment, rarely paying attention to the full context. The process didn’t matter; the result was what they cared about.
This was also why Pei Yubai had asked Zhou Qingyu to apologize. If Zhou Qingyu did apologize, it would imply that she was at fault for the slap.
But now, with Yan Xi prompting Ye Luoyi to apologize, when the incident was looked back upon in the future, everyone would see that the one who truly made the mistake was Ye Luoyi.
The slap would no longer be a stain on Zhou Qingyu’s reputation.
【Ding! The plot of Zhou Qingyu apologizing has been altered, Zhou Qingyu’s Fortune Value has increased by 5 points, current Fortune Value: 9 points.】
The system suddenly popped up, reporting the latest Fortune Value data to Yan Xi.
Yan Xi had already anticipated that the apology scenario was part of the novel’s plot, so it wasn’t surprising that the system was giving her an update. What made her happy, though, was that this time, altering the plot had earned her 5 luck points!
Previously, the highest reward had only been 1 luck point!
Indeed, relying on altering the novel’s plot to gain luck was the key!
With the slap incident over, the guests returned to their harmonious atmosphere and continued recording the variety show.
Ye Luoyi and Su Lingling were in charge of booking the flight tickets this time. They were collecting everyone’s IDs. When they received Zhou Qingyu and Yan Xi’s IDs, Su Lingling shot them a cold glare.
So what if the slap was part of the script? In Su Lingling’s eyes, the real issue was that Zhou Qingyu shamelessly interfered in the relationship between Ye Luoyi and Pei Yubai. Even if it was part of the script, it didn’t prove that Zhou Qingyu wasn’t taking advantage of the situation to get back at Ye Luoyi!
Ye Luoyi was simply too kind! That was why she had been bullied by Zhou Qingyu!
After Ye Luoyi and Su Lingling gathered the IDs, they went to the service desk for check-in and baggage drop-off.
While selecting their seats, the staff reminded them, “Sorry, you’ve only booked seven tickets for this flight, so you can’t select eight seats!”