The audio was quickly edited, and Yu Qiu condensed all the important parts into a fifteen-second clip, which he posted on Weibo.
A new wave of discussions erupted on Weibo.
“Oh my, is the audio edited? How disgusting! Trying to piece together the truth?”
“He painstakingly extracted each word. Well done, Yu~”
“Shuiqing’s voice is so pleasant to listen to, I’m in love!”
“Did Shuiqing admit it? Did he say ‘yes’? Yu Qiu is so scheming, trying to lure him into confessing the truth? Who knows if he was coerced?”
“Is this really Shuiqing? Do you have evidence?”
Soon, someone provided evidence that Shuiqing had previously participated in an online radio drama meetup as a host, and their voices were exactly the same.
Yu Qiu searched through the comments, but Shen Huai’s water army was too powerful, and public opinion shifted quickly. It was hard to predict who would ultimately win or lose.
Then he came across this comment:
“I think… the evidence is too obvious. Shuiqing must have taken Yu Qiu’s USB drive. Yu Qiu didn’t have the script and had to start over. So, in a way, Shuiqing got a free outline!”
Of course, this comment was soon overwhelmed by Shuiqing’s fans.
Within a minute of posting the Weibo, there were already a thousand comments. Yu Qiu didn’t need to think to know that most of them were probably hate comments from people who hadn’t even listened to the audio.
He decided to mention Shen Huai again in the comments, “Speak up.”
Though some people were blind and followed blindly, there would eventually be those who would make a fair judgment.
Some marketing accounts also started to deviate from their previous stance.
A marketing account with five million followers openly sided with Yu Qiu.
“I listened to the audio, and it was indeed edited, but Shuiqing’s words remained unchanged. Each segment of the conversation is authentic, and he admitted to stealing the USB drive. This is concrete evidence, so Shuiqing’s fans shouldn’t struggle anymore. Hurry up and ask your idol to come forward and face the consequences, @Shuiqing.”
Attached to the post was an image expressing frustration, labeled “Blablabla.jpg.”
More and more marketing accounts began to side with Yu Qiu, and his fans started to counterattack. Many long-time fans even shed tears.
“I finally waited for the truth. When Yu Qiu exposed the plagiarism, I almost cried to death. I’ve read so many books, but only Yu Qiu’s works need multiple re-reads. When I went to a book signing, Yu Qiu was so gentle and wished me success in my studies. I never stopped being a fan because I believe in him. He’s such a gentle person, he wouldn’t do something so dirty.”
Meanwhile, at the same time, Xuan Yun also posted on Weibo.
“No matter what others say, I believe in the Yu Qiu I’ve seen, not the one others talk about. He can feel sad, happy, laugh till he can’t breathe, and cry with choked sobs. I’m waiting with all of you for the truth.”
Yu Qiu laughed and said, “Your agent must be furious with you for posting this.”
“I told him,” Xuan Yun replied, “If I didn’t post it, those photos they dug up would go to waste. By the way, have you saved those photos? I find them quite appealing.”
“I have,” Yu Qiu said, “I’ll print them out and stick them on the journalists’ doorsteps. I’ll give them a live smooch so they won’t have to sneak around taking photos all the time.”
In addition to the audio, Yu Qiu also posted his outline draft.
One comment read, “@Shuiqing, how come the bugs in your book are the same as the ones in Yu Qiu’s original draft?”
Within a few hours, Weibo was in an uproar.
Three hours later, Shen Huai finally responded with just three words: “I am sorry.”
The hot search on Weibo instantly changed to “Shuiqing admits to plagiarism [Boiling]” and “Shuiqing apologizes [Boiling].”
Suddenly, Yu Qiu felt a tap on his shoulder and looked up to see Xuan Yun’s smiling face through the front camera of his phone. “Qiu ge, look here.”
Before he could react, his cheek was gently kissed.
“Snap—”
That picture was captured in that moment.
Behind them was a piano draped with red velvet, and tiny specks of dust sparkled faintly in the sunlight. In the eyes of the world, they kissed each other, with their lover in front and a clear path behind.
Yu Qiu had never looked forward to the future so much before – full of anticipation and happiness, like a child running in a meadow, touching butterflies with his fingertips.
Later, “Non-Light” also had a preface.
Yu Qiu typed on the keyboard.
“I have encountered countless nights without stars, sinking in mud, surrounded by roaring beasts, and thorns piercing my throat, leaving me speechless.
Darkness had surrounded me for too long, to the extent that even my eyes were stained black. Until that day, he wore flip-flops, without shoulder armor, without sharp blades, without colorful auspicious clouds—plain and adorable. He reached out his hand to me and asked, ‘Is the moonlight bright tonight?’
I replied, I couldn’t see it.
And he said, “People say you’re dirty, but all I see is you covered in moonlight.”
“Qiu ge, it’s time for lunch! Let’s go out and have KFC! I want a KFC family bucket!” Xuan Yun shouted loudly outside.
“Okay,” Yu Qiu closed his laptop and stood up, “I’m coming.”
-END-
