Male Sing and His Pet Owner: Chapter 25

After Bai Li finished comforting Zhan Hang, she sent a few more messages on WeChat to Zhao Kaile.

Bai Li: These next few days try not to let Zhan Hang look at online news. Focus on filming. I will investigate this matter clearly. The company will send two bodyguards over tomorrow. Also, pack your things tonight. We’re changing hotels tomorrow.

Zhao Kaile: Understood, Sister Li.

Back at the hotel the two of them washed up separately. Zhao Kaile finished quickly, hastily blow-dried his hair, then went over to wait for Zhan Hang to throw out his clothes so he could take them all to be washed. Along the way he browsed Weibo and some forums to see what people were saying online.

#ZhanHangBehavingIntimatelyWithCoStarSuspectedCheating# with attached image
#ZhangWenqianAppearsAtQingYiKeFilmingSetWearingCasualClothes# with attached nine-grid collage
#ZhanHangZhangWenqianSuspectedRelationshipBreakdown#
#ZhanHangYaoMinerIntimateOffScreenBehaviorSisterYoungerBrotherRomanceExposed#
#ZhanHangYaoMinerUndergroundRomanceExposed#
#YaoMiner##MarriedWomanCheatingWithinMarriageThirdPartyInterferesInHangQianRelationship# with attached image
#ZhanHangCheatingAttackedByCPFansWithEggsAtScene#
#ZhanHangPeltedWithEggsFleesWithHeadInHands# with attached on-site video
#ZhanHangLacksPrivateMoralityCheatsWithMarriedWomanAttackedBySomeoneSeekingRevenge# with attached on-site video

Zhao Kaile was astounded reading these. The trending topic titles were simply one more outrageous than the next. The posts and images were largely the same. At first glance they were all clearly bought and paid for verified marketing accounts. The images falsely accusing Zhan Hang of cheating were taken right on set, capturing exactly the moment when Zhan Hang helped Yao Min’er up.

Once these trending topics exploded, the comments section was simply a circus of demons dancing. There were Zhang Wenqian fans cursing Zhan Hang as a garbage scumbag. There were Hang Qian CP fans cursing Yao Min’er for being shameless. There were slightly more rational passersby saying Zhan Hang’s recent drama was simply collaborating with Yao Min’er. Then immediately there were Zhan Hang antis painting the above passersby as paid shills and water armies.

Zhao Kaile scrolled through them one by one, getting so furious he could barely contain himself. He couldn’t resist logging into his own Weibo account and jumping into the fray.

MoonChasingDog: Helping someone up counts as being intimate? Why are people so easily misled by images! Zhan Hang and Yao Min’er are completely innocent. They’re just a working relationship! Everyone don’t be misled by marketing accounts and water armies!

However, in the comments section the various fans and antis were fighting so fiercely the sky was dark and the earth was black. His single comment with zero firepower quickly sank without a trace.

Zhan Hang came out wrapped in a bath towel. After half a month of wind and sun exposure, his physique had become even more robust. He sat on the bed blow-drying his hair with a numb expression. Zhao Kaile hurriedly put away his phone and went over to help him blow-dry.

Zhan Hang frowned and said: “Hot.”

However the hair dryer was buzzing, and Zhao Kaile didn’t hear clearly. He asked with difficulty: “What??”

Zhan Hang turned off the hair dryer, had him lower his head, and repeated loudly right next to his ear. Zhao Kaile was nearly deafened, and with a terrified expression turned the hair dryer temperature down one notch. The noise also decreased quite a bit.

“Did Bai Li say anything to you?” Zhan Hang asked.

Zhao Kaile hesitated for a moment, then honestly said: “Sister Li just said……. let you go online less. Um.”

Zhan Hang looked utterly baffled: “I’m the victim, and there are still people cursing me??”

Zhao Kaile: “Uh…….”

Zhan Hang realized things weren’t as simple as he thought, and immediately pulled out his phone. Zhao Kaile wanted to stop him, but was glared back by one look from him.

Seconds later, Zhan Hang’s fury reignited, almost about to burst through the top of his skull.

Zhao Kaile hurriedly hugged him around the waist, shouting: “Hang-ge! Calm down! Don’t act impulsively!”

Zhan Hang cursed angrily: “F***!”

Zhao Kaile babbled incoherently: “It’s fine Hang-ge, many people can testify……. Director Zhang……. no, Zhang Wenqian can testify! This matter isn’t as serious as you think!”

Zhan Hang pushed him away, lowered his head, wiped his face with both hands, and tried hard to take deep breaths.

Zhao Kaile squatted beside him saying: “Also Sister Min’er, and all the staff present at the scene.”

Zhan Hang was silent for a while, then said coldly: “I know. Did I need you to tell me?”

Zhao Kaile: “…….”

Are you schizophrenic!

Having gotten through the most disgusting hurdle, Zhan Hang recovered. He really didn’t want to go online, and with a bang threw his phone onto the bedside. But right then another call came in, and Zhao Kaile had to scurry over to pick it up and hand it back to him.

Zhang Wenqian’s voice on the other end sounded surprised: “What happened Hang-ge? I just finished my physique class, and heard from our Amy that our trending topics exploded. They also said after I left you got pelted with eggs. Are you okay?”

Zhan Hang said: “Nothing serious. Someone in the production team wants to screw me over.”

Zhang Wenqian patted her face mask on, extremely gossipy: “Who? Who has such guts??”

“You know her too.” Zhan Hang said: “Li Siyi.”

Zhang Wenqian: “……..”

She couldn’t believe it: “She dares to do this? You’re sure it’s her?”

Zhan Hang said: “Not certain, but besides her I can’t think of anyone else.”

“She really spent a fortune to blacken you.” Zhang Wenqian swiped around on an iPad, clicking her tongue: “The heat is going down a bit now. Looks like Sister Li has started working her magic.”

Zhan Hang exhaled: “Slap a cheating scumbag label on me, then me getting pelted with eggs becomes karmic retribution. The people who pelted me become heroes serving the people. Truly vicious.”

“It’s fine.” Zhang Wenqian said: “Sister Min’er got inexplicably dragged into this, so she definitely won’t let Li Siyi off easily either. Her husband isn’t someone easy to provoke. Look, even Director Zhang is helping you refute the rumors…….. praising you as a good actor. Tsk tsk tsk, look at our Hang-ge’s connections.”

Zhan Hang laughed helplessly: “No need to specially comfort me.”

Zhang Wenqian asked again: “What about Kaile? I saw in the video he got hit too. Is he okay?”

Zhan Hang then put it on speaker, expressionless: “Zhao Kaile, your goddess is looking for you.”

Zhao Kaile let out an internal chicken scream, and came over shyly: “I’m here!!!”

“Sounds like he’s fine.” Zhang Wenqian giggled on the other end: “With him around you probably don’t feel as terrible.”

Zhan Hang turned off speaker again: “Not bad. No time to think that much anyway. Still have to film, don’t we.”

Zhao Kaile stood nearby with a resentful expression, thinking in his heart how petty, letting me listen a bit longer wouldn’t kill anyone!

The two chatted a while longer then hung up. Immediately another call came in. It was Yao Min’er.

She sounded extremely speechless on the other end: “Jie just got the baby to sleep and got notified that I’m cheating within my marriage. Your brother-in-law is still nearby laughing. So angry……. I just joined this production. I really don’t remember offending anyone, so I came to you to sort out my thoughts.”

Zhan Hang said embarrassedly: “Someone deliberately targeted me and dragged you into it. Sorry, shijie.”

Yao Min’er let out a sigh: “I knew it! Who did you offend??”

Zhan Hang wasn’t as forthcoming with her, only saying they were still investigating.

“Just helping me up that one time in the afternoon got caught on camera. Clearly someone was staring at you dead-on in the production team all day.” Yao Min’er analyzed: “Unfortunately our production team has too much personnel turnover. It really won’t be easy to investigate.”

“Yeah.” Zhan Hang held his forehead: “I didn’t expect this kind of thing could be used as black material.”

Yao Min’er said: “Isn’t our circle just like this? Some people simply can’t stand seeing you do well. Don’t worry. Your brother-in-law is investigating too. Don’t think about these things for now.”

Zhan Hang said gratefully: “Thank you shijie, thank you brother-in-law.”

“Silly child, what are you being polite for? We’re now grasshoppers on the same rope.” Yao Min’er said jokingly. Then the sound of a child crying came from her end, and she hurriedly hung up to go comfort the baby again.

By night the battle between fans and antis had already reached white-hot intensity. Around eleven o’clock, the refutation trending topics advanced triumphantly all the way. Production team members came out one after another, jokingly teasing Zhan Hang and Yao Min’er, then clarifying that the two were simply pure on-screen partners.

The next day past ten o’clock, a production assistant released the complete on-site video. The production assistant young lady was also quite shocked. She had originally just casually filmed a bit of her daily vlog as a memento before changing careers. She didn’t expect it to directly become evidence clarifying the clean relationship between Zhan Hang and Yao Min’er. And in the video Zhang Wenqian was sitting right there openly, chatting and laughing with Yao Min’er.

After the forceful refutation, the water armies Bai Li hired came forth one after another to build momentum for Zhan Hang’s new drama. The battle that had originally intended to blacken Zhan Hang until his reputation was ruined and he fell from grace was completely turned around in one move, directly becoming pre-release topic hype for his new drama. Every topic was followed by #QingYiKe#, having completed a perfect public relations counterattack during prime time.

Zhao Kaile had been staring at Weibo all last night, only sleeping past three. Right now he was leaning against the wall snoring. Zhan Hang didn’t wake him when he returned, drank some water and rested on his own, then went back on set. By the time Zhao Kaile opened his eyes again, it was already meal time.

He bounced up with a whoosh, wiped his drool, realized the situation was urgent, and hurriedly lowered his head to message the hotel.

Zhan Hang however had an “I knew it all along” expression, leisurely came off set, and for the first time ever said: “Go get boxed meals.”

Zhao Kaile thought he had misheard. Zhan Hang said impatiently: “Deaf??”

Moments later Zhao Kaile came carrying boxed meals. Zhan Hang opened his portion, picked and chose a bit, and transferred some into Zhao Kaile’s lunch box. Zhao Kaile was overwhelmed by favor, and said with a grateful expression: “Thank you Hang-ge.”

Zhan Hang gave a disdainful grunt and ate on his own.

“The antis seem to have all gone quiet.” Zhao Kaile said: “Sister Li is truly amazing……. but if that young lady hadn’t filmed that video, what would have happened?”

“Nothing much would have happened.” Zhan Hang said: “In Bai Li’s style, first hire water armies to clarify, then throw out an even more explosive news to grab attention, and finally send people to watch Li Siyi 24 hours a day, screwing her over completely. Today I was hanging on the trending topics in whatever posture, tomorrow her posture would be ten times more ugly than mine.”

Zhao Kaile felt a chill down his spine, unconsciously swallowing a mouthful of saliva.

Zhan Hang said casually: “What’s wrong, you want to help step on Li Siyi too?”

Zhao Kaile shook his head in terror.

That evening Bai Li personally came with the bodyguards. She also brought a paper contract.

Zhao Kaile sat in the car flipping through the contract in confusion. Zhan Hang hugged his arms impatiently saying: “What are you still flipping for? Afraid I’ll harm you?”

“Congratulations, Kaile.” Bai Li turned back with a smile: “You’re officially hired.”