Lin Qinghe focused on applying medicine to You Rong, unaware that he had been looking down at her.
After finishing, Lin Qinghe recalled You Rong's unbelievable calmness when he received the obituary photo and bloody funeral clothes on set.
During those two years of online attacks, he must have endured such things countless times, perhaps every day, or even multiple times a day. Perhaps worse things had happened...
Lin Qinghe felt a tightness in her chest, a heavy, unspeakable guilt.
Yet, it was the original host's actions, not hers.
Seeing Lin Qinghe frozen, You Rong asked slightly confused, "What? Do you... have something you want to say to me?"
Lin Qinghe looked up into You Rong's deep eyes. Without much thought, she nodded, her body's instinct taking over. "Although I've told you many times, I still want to say it to you sincerely: I'm sorry... It's my fault that you were attacked and injured. I'm truly sorry..."
You Rong looked directly into Lin Qinghe's eyes, clearly seeing the genuine remorse and guilt in them. As if guided by an unseen force, he reached out and gently ruffled Lin Qinghe's hair. "There's no need to apologize. This was done by your fans, not by you, and you didn't instruct your fans to do it. It has nothing to do with you; you don't need to feel sorry about it."
The large hand above her head was warm and comforting. Lin Qinghe's heart tightened. "But I should have guided them better. Ultimately, I bear responsibility..."
"Didn't you clarify things with him face-to-face today? Did he listen?"
Lin Qinghe fell silent. For obsessive and self-centered fans, an idol's guidance was truly minimal.
You Rong continued, "Every fan is an independent person. They have their own thoughts. Their agency in any action is their own, not something you gave them. Therefore... you don't need to feel guilty. You did nothing wrong in this matter."
Lin Qinghe looked at You Rong, her lips parting slightly. She wanted to say something but found herself at a loss for words.
He was the one most harmed by this incident, so why was he comforting her, who could be considered the "culprit"?
As their eyes met, a different atmosphere arose in the quiet room. You Rong was the first to recover, his expression somewhat unnatural as he withdrew his hand from Lin Qinghe's head. He cleared his throat and said, "Alright, you've applied the medicine. It's getting late, you should go back and rest."
Lin Qinghe, her thoughts having drifted, replied somewhat blankly, "Ah? Oh... okay, then I'll go back and rest. You get some rest too. Goodnight."
"Mm, goodnight."
You Rong closed the door and looked down at his hand, clenching it slightly. His brow furrowed.
Seeing Lin Qinghe's guilt-ridden expression earlier, he remembered the moment she had firmly declared his safety was most important. He had felt compelled to comfort her...
Lin Qinghe returned to her room and collapsed onto the soft Simmons mattress, frowning. She muttered to herself, "That's strange. I didn't intend to say all that, but it just came out. And it was a rare opportunity, late at night, with a man and a woman alone, a perfect scene to increase the progress bar, and I didn't even think to do it!"
As soon as she finished speaking, a system notification chimed in her mind: "Progress bar increased by 5%, total progress bar is 22%."
Lin Qinghe tapped to check the progress bar and found it had indeed increased. However, her mood felt strangely off.
She buried her face in the pillow, pondering for a long time, unable to figure out what was going on.
The sudden increase in the progress bar was an unexpected bonus. She should be happy, but she felt more confused by her own "passive slack."
The next day.
The news of Lin Qinghe's fan attacking someone was announced by the police. Fortunately, they had communicated beforehand and did not mention that the attacked person was You Rong, referring to him as a crew member instead.
Lin Qinghe logged onto Weibo and directly reposted the police announcement, adding words of encouragement for fans to focus on their own lives.
Instantly, opinions on the internet were divided. One side felt Lin Qinghe was excellent, acting as an idol should by guiding fans correctly. The other side found Lin Qinghe disgusting and hypocritical, arguing that she wouldn't have gained popularity without her fans' adoration, yet now she was kicking them away and lecturing them from a moral high ground.
Lin Qinghe scrolled through Weibo with a calm demeanor. Yuan Xiao'ai next to her, however, couldn't contain her frustration. "Sister Qinghe, some people are just too much! This has nothing to do with you, but they're blaming you! They're slandering and attacking you, which makes me so angry. And what's worse, some fans are actually believing them and unfollowing you..."
Lin Qinghe narrowed her eyes slightly and said calmly, "Contact Brother Yang. Find out if our rivals are hiring internet trolls."
Just as she finished speaking, Yuan Xiao'ai's phone chimed. After checking it, she looked at Lin Qinghe with admiration. "Sister Qinghe, you're amazing! You guessed it. Brother Yang said that Xu Ying, another rising actress in her twenties who is also a contemporary of yours, her team is behind the trolls attacking you! Her team is also planning to release a bunch of announcements to slander you and boost their own profile!"
"Xu Ying?" Lin Qinghe thought for a moment, finding no particular impression. She casually asked, "Is there any film she's interested in recently?"
"Oh! Right!" Yuan Xiao'ai eagerly replied, "That Xu Ying seems to want to be known as a strong actress. She's been trying to get into Director Zhang's new film and has reportedly already auditioned."
"Okay, I understand."
Yuan Xiao'ai watched Lin Qinghe typing on her phone. "Sister Qinghe, what are you doing? Sending a message to Director Zhang?"
Lin Qinghe smiled slightly. "Yes." She then held up her phone to show Yuan Xiao'ai the WeChat message she had sent to Zhang Shanghua.
Yuan Xiao'ai saw that Zhang Shanghua had already replied instantly. Lin Qinghe had simply sent a message: "Dad, Xu Ying's team is hiring trolls to smear me."
Zhang Shanghua's instant reply read: "Just wait, Daddy will get justice for you. Replace her with the female lead of my movie! And I'll publicly criticize her!"
Yuan Xiao'ai felt a surge of satisfaction and gave Lin Qinghe a thumbs-up. "Sister Qinghe, you're mighty and domineering! Xu Ying is secretly laughing right now, thinking she's successfully undermined you. She'll be crying later!"
Zhang Shanghua held a significant position in the entertainment industry. Those he criticized would have a difficult path ahead in their acting careers.
Lin Qinghe was unfazed. She disliked trouble, but if trouble came looking for her, she wouldn't let it go easily!
After effortlessly defeating a rival using her father's influence, Lin Qinghe got her makeup done and headed out for filming. As soon as she reached the set, she met You Rong's gaze. Just as she raised her hand to greet him with a smile, he quickly averted his eyes.
Huh? What's wrong with You Rong today?
Lin Qinghe looked closer and suddenly noticed that after avoiding her gaze, You Rong's ears had turned red!