Immediately, Zhong Yixiao and Liu Ran posted statements.
Zhong Yixiao: “It was my invitation for the two teachers to come to the hotel to pass the time. Everything started because of me. Moreover, this matter will be thoroughly investigated.”
Liu Ran: “Teacher Pei is an excellent person. Please don’t be swayed by public opinion. We will find those who defamed and leaked private information and give everyone an explanation.”
Since these were personal posts, they were simple and brief. Shortly afterward, their PR team also posted statements defending their rights. Pei Lang didn’t say much; his fans were mostly anti-fans, and posting would only invite insults. The most important thing now was to clarify the gambling issue.
He couldn’t access the hotel surveillance footage, but Yan Han could.
He called for Yan Han’s help, addressing him as “husband” in a sweet, casual tone. Yan Han, who was already planning to help him, was elated and immediately arranged for Pei Lang to go to the surveillance room. He had already made the necessary arrangements.
As expected, Pei Lang led the two main actors to the surveillance room, where the manager was respectful and helped with the investigation. He assured them that no one had approached him for that video, nor had anyone hacked into the system to steal files.
After the two lead actors posted their statements, the matter was thrust into the spotlight. The trending topics were all related to this incident, and the fans of the lead actors immediately accused Pei Lang of corrupting their idols.
Perhaps due to the pressure from Pei Lang’s influential backers, or perhaps because they truly believed Pei Lang, the two lead actors defended him and praised him as excellent. Whether he was truly excellent was evident to the entire internet—how could such a problematic person be considered excellent?
The platforms became filled with curses and sarcasm. Even the book fans, who usually didn’t engage much, jumped into the conversation. They had already been unhappy with Pei Lang playing Wen Yan, and with this new controversy, it was even more tragic for the character of Wen Yan.
Wen Yan’s entire life would be portrayed by this person, which was truly lamentable.
Ignoring the online public opinion, they quickly found the original video.
Yes, they were playing cards and there were bets involved. However, the stakes weren’t money but food that Zhong Yixiao had prepared, such as the snacks Pei Lang loved to eat.
Of course, Zhong Yixiao had also considered Liu Ran, providing plenty of snacks she liked but couldn’t eat much due to her desire to maintain her figure.
The purpose was just to pass the time. Playing cards alone lacked fun, so the three of them decided to split the snacks and see who could win the most. After agreeing on the rules, they opened the snacks and ate while playing. Pei Lang had incredible luck and skill, quickly winning all their snacks. He was as happy as a child, his smile mischievous and innocent, as if winning a bag of his favorite snacks had given him the whole world.
Their interaction felt completely natural, unlike the personas they showed in front of the cameras. This was the real them. Liu Ran, usually portrayed as a graceful goddess, laughed loudly, her head thrown back in genuine amusement. Pei Lang watched the video with a sense of unease.
“You all have no image! Are you really going to post this video?” he asked. The video was meant to clarify the situation, but both of them had public personas to maintain. If the video were released, their carefully crafted images would collapse.
Not exactly collapse, but it would definitely be different from what the public was used to. It wouldn’t be a problem, though; it was just a bit more relaxed and even cute. Still, they needed to discuss with the company before posting. Once they received approval, Pei Lang could release it.
Both of them were a bit conflicted and instinctively went outside to make calls. They quickly negotiated with the company’s team and secured permission to post the video.
Soon after, Pei Lang posted the video with an explanation. The surveillance footage was clear and complete, while the previous video had clearly been edited, only showing them playing cards and some misleading remarks. Good friends were having fun at home; this wasn’t gambling. Furthermore, the stakes were just snacks, so it wasn’t even relevant.
Despite Pei Lang’s questionable character, Zhong Yixiao and Liu Ran had massive fanbases. None of their fans wanted their idols to be in trouble. With solid evidence to clarify the situation, fans were thrilled. The collective power of the fans helped shift public opinion. They even praised how cute the idols looked while playing cards.
Especially Zhong Yixiao, whose snacks were taken one by one. His brows furrowed when he couldn’t get good cards. Fans had never seen him so flustered. With his handsome face, it was hilarious. Fans wanted to see more of their idols’ real personalities, but the company, in order to maintain his warm and graceful image, hadn’t even allowed offline vlogs or live-streams.
This matter was resolved.
Pei Lang discovered something. The audio from the surveillance footage sounded distant, while the audio from the slanderous video was much closer, almost as if they were speaking right in front of the camera. Combining this with what the surveillance room manager said, Pei Lang had a suspicion.
Why was there no video? Why did the audio sound so close? It was because someone had been recording near them, rather than the sound being extracted from the surveillance video.
It made sense. With so many artists staying at this hotel, if the videos leaked so easily, no one would dare to stay there.
So, who was it?
It couldn’t be Lu Lu. Both lead actors were on the same team as him, so there was no reason for him to do it. The only ones they could suspect were their assistants.
Pei Lang shared his thoughts with Zhong Yixiao and Liu Ran, and both fell silent. Without evidence, they couldn’t draw conclusions. It was all just a guess. It was also possible that someone had deliberately planted a recorder on the assistant.
“If it’s my people who caused this, I’ll give you an explanation,” Zhong Yixiao said. His assistant had been with him for many years. He trusted them, but he didn’t rule out the possibility of them being used or bribed.
Liu Ran repeatedly watched the video and noticed that her assistant appeared somewhat nervous. Her assistant had been through many big scenes, so it didn’t make sense for them to be nervous at such a time. But it was just a suspicion, and Liu Ran didn’t voice it. “I’ll leave first if there’s nothing else, Teacher Pei, Teacher Zhong.”
Liu Ran excused herself, followed by Zhong Yixiao.
“Brother Lang, Sister You is investigating. We should have results soon.” Lu Lu, while continuing to take Pei Lang’s snacks, comforted him with concern. “There are too many people targeting you. It’s not easy to change their prejudices, but we’ll take it slow. As long as it’s not the truth, Sister You and we will do everything we can to help you.”
“Got it, got it.” Pei Lang understood. He knew very well that this drama was his best chance for a comeback. As one netizen had mentioned earlier, this drama had a strong cast and production team. Even if Pei Lang was a piece of scrap metal, he could still be carried to success. As long as he worked hard, didn’t fall too far behind, and avoided causing trouble.
No one dared to openly target the production of Director Jin’s drama but with Pei Lang in the team—a toxic presence in the entertainment industry who attracted attention with every move—the crew could not expect things to go smoothly until the airing. Because of Pei Lang’s presence, those with ulterior motives could use him to undermine the crew or ruin their reputation.
This drama had truly been full of misfortunes, but fortunately, the entire crew remained united without infighting. Despite the continuous flow of black rumors, Director Jin didn’t say much. He continued to focus on directing the drama as usual, without any impact.
“Brother Lang, you rest well. I’ll leave now.” Lu Lu had already taken most of Pei Lang’s snacks but left a little for him to satisfy his cravings. “Sister You should have news soon. If you have any clues, you can pass them to Sister You so the progress will be faster.”
Pei Lang’s gaze was glued to the snacks. He sighed. “Lu Lu, can you stop listening to Sister You so much? At least leave me more to eat. You see, I don’t even gain weight. There’s no need to be so strict with my diet.”
“Brother Lang, don’t even try. You eat a lot and don’t gain weight, but you can’t eat these unhealthy snacks. If you want to eat, go for something healthy,” Lu Lu said, ignoring Pei Lang’s complaints, and left.
With the investigation in progress, Pei Lang didn’t need to worry. He took out his script and started reading. After a while, Yan Han called. “We’ve traced the source of the recording.”
“Who is it?” Yan Han worked quickly. Within an hour, he had figured it out.
“Ye Momo.”
“?” The name was unfamiliar. Pei Lang quickly searched for relevant information in his mind, eventually narrowing it down. “Liu Ran’s assistant? She did it?”
“Yes, but not entirely. Guess again.” Yan Han enjoyed teasing. But before Pei Lang could guess, there was a knock on the door, interrupting their conversation.
“Wait a second, I’ll go check.” Pei Lang placed his phone on the table and went to open the door. Liu Ran and Ye Momo were standing there. Liu Ran had a cold expression, while Ye Momo looked terrified, her eyes filled with tears. She kept her head down, not daring to look at Pei Lang.
Ye Momo was Liu Ran’s assistant, so it was easy for Liu Ran to spot something unusual about her. It was only a suspicion, but after a few words at home, the truth came out. Ye Momo ended up crying and admitting it.
She confessed that she couldn’t stand seeing everyone praise Pei Lang. Though this person’s character was poor, just because he could act now didn’t mean he was a good person.
It was all just an act, and the whole crew bought into it, changing their opinions of him.
But Ye Momo didn’t believe it. To find evidence against Pei Lang, she had bought recording equipment in advance and kept it on her. She had waited for the right opportunity, recorded the conversation, and handed it to someone else to post online. Her goal was to show the world what kind of person Pei Lang really was.
They hadn’t really done anything, but Ye Momo deliberately edited the audio to mislead everyone.
She felt satisfied hearing so many people scold Pei Lang, but she didn’t expect things to be resolved so quickly, or for the investigation to lead back to her. After Liu Ran heard everything, she angrily slapped her, scolding her for being foolish. Then, she dragged her along to apologize to Pei Lang.
Standing before Pei Lang, Ye Momo didn’t dare say anything; she was completely intimidated. Liu Ran pushed her back and coldly ordered, “Confess.”
Ye Momo trembled with fear, her head dropping even lower. Tears fell onto the carpet, quickly soaking a small patch.
Pei Lang smiled, understanding in his heart. “If you were used by someone and you tell me who the mastermind behind it is, I will overlook this. If this was all your own doing, then everything will follow the legal process.”
It turned out, he already knew without her having to confess.
Liu Ran froze for a moment, guilt written on her face as she looked at Pei Lang.
Ye Momo felt as if her limbs were filled with lead, so heavy that she could barely move. Her throat tightened, unable to make a sound. Pei Lang already knew. She raised her head in shock, meeting Pei Lang’s smiling gaze, her eyes flashing with struggle. In the end, she opened her mouth but couldn’t speak.
Since he already knew, what else was there for her to say?
“You should understand, even if you don’t tell me, I can still find out who it is. I’m just giving you a chance to avoid legal responsibility.”
Pei Lang’s tone was always gentle, but there was strength in it. He hadn’t lost his temper yet. Ye Momo’s nose grew sour, and she broke into tears. “I’m sorry, really sorry.”
![Sorry, I Licked the Wrong Person [BL]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/不好意思，舔错人了.jpeg "Sorry, I Licked the Wrong Person [BL]")