Chapter 48.2

The video captured the moment when He Xiezhou was beaten in the alley. It included everything that the two people said, along with He Xiezhou crying and pleading to hear the whole story. All of this was fully recorded in the video.

Memories flooded back once more, and compared to the shock and horror of facing this scene back then, now he only found it amusing.

Isn’t He Xiezhou just a coward who bullies the weak and fears the strong? He must have lost his mind back then to have a mental breakdown over someone like that!

After watching the video, Zhu You was momentarily shocked, taking a full minute to realize why Yan Mu was trying to reach him.

Yan Mu must have seen the video first. Everything in it involved Zhu You, and he had a good understanding of Zhu You’s mental state at that time. He was concerned that watching the video might trigger Zhu You again.

Zhihuo-ge’s boyfriend is really great! It would be perfect if his face wasn’t so sour!

Zhu You was thinking this in his heart, but he couldn’t say it out loud. His eyes sparkled with admiration for Jiang Zhihuo and Zhihuo-ge’s boyfriend. “Zhihuo-ge actually recorded it?”

Yan Mu didn’t pay much attention to what his words implied, whether it was disbelief or admiration. Of course, the video had to be recorded; otherwise, he wouldn’t be able to defend himself if someone turned the tables on him.

He said, “Tell me the segments that cannot be released.”

Zhu You handed the phone back to Yan Mu with both hands, took a deep breath to steady himself, and said, “You can release all of them!”

Yan Mu lowered his eyes. “Okay.”

Zhu You picked up his soybean milk again. “If you need my help, just let me know. Before, it was Zhihuo-ge who helped me, and this time I want to help him!”

Yan Mu glanced at him faintly. “There is indeed something.”

Zhu You: “What?”

Yan Mu: “Stop calling him Zhihuo-ge.”

After He Xiezhou responded, the people in the thread started tagging the original poster like crazy again.

137th comment: OP, He Xiezhou has responded!

138th comment: What else does the OP want to say?

138th comment: Has the OP finished breakfast! Come out!!

Anonymous user: Finished.

Anonymous user: [Video]

This time, the original poster didn’t put forth a bunch of arguments and points; instead, they simply dropped a video, only seventeen seconds long.

“Apologize to him.” It was Jiang Zhihuo’s voice.

“……”

“He Xiezhou, apologize to Zhu You!!” He couldn’t hold back the anger in his voice.

He Xiezhou was clearly frightened, trembling as he said, “S-sorry.”

“Why did you apologize? Give reasons.” It was Jiang Zhihuo’s voice again.

“I’m sorry. I… I shouldn’t have made fun of you, shouldn’t have told everyone you liked the same sex, shouldn’t have drawn on your desk, shouldn’t have thrown away your books, shouldn’t have encouraged others to ostracize you, shouldn’t have splashed water on you, and shouldn’t have locked you in the classroom.”

Jiang Zhihuo sneered coldly. “Heh? Is that all??”

The video cut off abruptly.

Everyone: “……”

Jiang Zhihuo’s last three words, ‘Is that all?’ indicated that there was a second half to the video and that He Xiezhou had done more than just these things.

But damn! This is blatantly school bullying!!

What could be worse than this?!

What else did he do to Zhu You?!

Someone brought up He Xiezhou’s previous reply again.

[I was the one who posted yesterday. I couldn’t stand seeing him emotionally manipulate his ex-boyfriend and force him to jump off a building. Did I do anything wrong? I got beaten up and didn’t say a word, yet you’re not going after the real offender. Instead, you’re questioning me, the victim?]

152nd comment: I won’t go into the situation regarding the emotionally manipulative ex-boyfriend, but it’s clear in the video that Jiang Zhihuo is helping Zhu You, while He Xiezhou is the one bullying. They started fighting because they found out about He Xiezhou’s bullying behavior!

153rd comment: Holy crap, what a plot twist! This video is definitive proof!

154th comment: No, haven’t you noticed? The video isn’t over yet; there’s more to come! What’s going on? Can the OP post it all at once? Don’t leave us hanging!

155th comment: So what does the recording that He Xiezhou released yesterday mean? It’s entirely possible that it was not the original story. Are we being played?

156th comment: What do you mean we’re being played? We already are! Unless He Xiezhou can provide some other evidence!

157th comment: OP, please update!

The people in the thread began frantically tagging the anonymous original poster once more, but the original poster seemed like they had their internet disconnected at home, only surfacing to share a video after breakfast and then vanishing again.

Jiang Zhihuo woke up and glanced at the clock; it was already past nine. With no morning reading and no fixed arrival time for the sports meet, he figured he could sleep in a bit as long as he made it to the sports field before the participants checked in. After lounging in bed a little longer, he finally got up, washed up, and headed to school.

Having stayed off the forums and internet for an entire night, Jiang Zhihuo had fully prepared himself to be the center of attention. However, upon entering the school, he found that it was as if nothing had changed.

“Huo-ge!” Zong Bei waved at him from the participants’ main camp. “Over here.”

Jiang Zhihuo furrowed his brow in confusion. “That’s odd; why is no one cursing at me today?”

“How can they even insult you? All the curses have been directed at He Xiezhou.” Zong Bei said as he opened the forum to show Jiang Zhihuo.

A new thread. The owner had only appeared twice, with a few images, a few sentences, and a video.

First, he listed the evidence of stirring trouble, forcing He Xiezhou to admit that the post from yesterday was indeed his.

Considering He Xiezhou’s personality, he would undoubtedly be stubborn and continue to spread slander.

As soon as he replied, the original poster immediately sent a seventeen-second video.

Everyone in the thread had completely forgotten about Jiang Zhihuo ‘pretending to be an alpha while actually being an omega’ and the kissing incident with a mysterious guy in the equipment room. Their entire focus was now on discussing He Xiezhou’s bullying in school and Huo-ge’s heroic rescue.

Even Zong Bei, upon seeing Jiang Zhihuo, didn’t inquire about him and Yan Mu. Instead, he pressed Jiang Zhihuo about what really happened between him and He Xiezhou back then.

“Nice shift in topic, not bad,” Jiang Zhihuo said, clicking his tongue. But Yan Mu only shared part of the video and kept the rest hidden. He was curious about what else it could be for.

“Huo, you beat up He Xiezhou back then because he was bullying Zhu You?” Zong Bei asked.

“Yes.” He hadn’t said anything before because he was worried that if the incident became public, Zhu You, as the person involved, would be psychologically affected. However, the video had already been released, and with Yan-ge‘s meticulousness, he must have asked for Zhu You’s opinion. Since Zhu You was okay with it, he didn’t see any reason why he couldn’t talk about it either.

Jiang Zhihuo was scrolling through posts while telling Zong Bei, “Back then, he tried to use me beating him as a reason to get me expelled. So I played the recording, the one from He Xiezhou’s thread; I recorded it myself. They suddenly went up to the rooftop, and one of them was ready to jump while the other kept saying, ‘Go ahead and jump. If you don’t, you’re a coward.’ I was chilling up there at that moment. I didn’t have time, so I simply hit the record button.”

“But the issue got resolved later. He Xiezhou and his dad, who supported his bullying, were expelled from the No. 9 Junior High School. The principal told me to give him the recording, so I did. I never thought it would end up in his hands and be used against me.”

Only after Jiang Zhihuo finished speaking did he look up. Wow, he didn’t even realize a whole crowd had gathered around him, with the relay team members crowding right next to him.

“Wuwuwu, I knew that Huo-ge is not the kind of person mentioned in the post, I was shocked when the recording came out.”

“Shocked? Shocked about what? I never believed it, not even once! They are way too aggressive! Every time I speak up for Huo-ge, someone jumps down my throat¹[T/N: In Chinese, it’s an idiomatic way to say someone reacted aggressively or harshly the moment you said something.], yelling at me and saying stuff about me, about my leg hair²[T/N: This kind of insult is actually low-key common in online Chinese roast culture (especially forums and comment sections), and it’s not really about leg hair specifically, but more about a random, exaggerated, petty insult a random, exaggerated, petty insult.]! I mean, seriously? Mine?”

“This is so disgusting. Why are there people like this? Seriously, damn. Luckily, there’s that video. Or else, it would be really hard to explain. By the way, why is there a video? Who’s that anonymous poster? Is it you, Huo-ge?”

Jiang Zhihuo: “No, I just saw the post too.”

On Jiang Zhihuo’s side, a video cleared his name, while He Xiezhou found himself in a tough spot. An overwhelming wave of accusations flooded in, questioning whether he had instigated the situation, whether he had thrown mud, and whether he had been involved in school bullying. He sat in the main camp with his head down, but the gazes of the people around him felt heavy, each one seeming to pierce right into his heart.

201st comment: No way, He Xiezhou is really this kind of person? Honestly, he seemed so decent. I totally didn’t see it coming.

202nd comment: Damn it, he’s after my best friend, you know! I knew from the start he wasn’t a good person. If she actually agrees, or even if she doesn’t, could he end up using force?

203rd comment: Damn, school bullying. This person is terrifying. I hope he meets a terrible end.

He Xiezhou’s flipped through the replies below with trembling hands, cold sweat dripping from his temple.

Video?

Why is there a video?

Jiang Zhihuo actually recorded a video?

Right, he even knows how to record audio, why wouldn’t he know how to record video?!

This was only the first part, and He Xiezhou’s mentality had already completely collapsed.

“He Xiezhou!” Wen Xin approached him with her phone. “What’s the meaning of this video? Are you involved in school bullying? Are you slandering someone?”

He Xiezhou defended himself. “No! I didn’t!”

“How could there not be? Do you have any other explanation? I really misjudged you! Stop bothering me!” Wen Xin said angrily and turned to leave.

The girl’s figure grew more and more distant, while the chatter and gossip reached his ears.

“It’s terrible, that girl is so pitiful to be chased by someone like him.”

“Spreading false accusations, and even school bullying? This is too scary.”

“Getting involved with him is pure bad luck.”

He Xiezhou felt completely cold inside.

“He forced me to say it. He kept beating me until I confessed. I didn’t do anything! This is a forced confession obtained under torture!”

Jiang Zhihuo read He Xiezhou’s reply aloud with intonation and cadence.

“Hahaha, he’s so funny! I can’t believe he said it like that! Yan-ge, why didn’t you show the whole video? Why did you split it into so many parts?”

Jiang Zhihuo lazed carelessly next to Yan Mu. Since the relay race was in the afternoon, they had nothing to do that morning and were hanging out in the cafeteria, ‘eating melon³[T/N: In Chinese, it means watching gossip.].’

Yan Mu broke the few-minute video into many segments. Every time He Xiezhou made a statement, he released a segment. Every time he retorted, he released another. He asked for evidence and he got it. The thing was, He Xiezhou was incredibly stubborn, refusing to admit his mistakes and denying that he was throwing accusations. The pile of accusations grew higher and higher, all condemning He Xiezhou.

“Post-truth.” Yan Mu said.

The term ‘post-truth,’ from communication studies, described a time when facts were often ignored as information spread, and people’s opinions were shaped more by emotions than logic.

At that time, the forum was mostly full of gossip, and no one really cared about the truth. So the day before, those few unclear audio clips He Xiezhou released, along with some alternative stories, caused a frenzy in minutes. They suddenly started throwing accusations, coming completely out of nowhere.

Jiang Zhihuo propped up his chin and listened carefully.

“It’s not about what can be seen in the forum, but what I want the forum to reflect,” Yan Mu explained seriously. “The outcome is certain, but the process can be conveyed in different ways.”

“Got it,” Jiang Zhihuo said. “So you’re playing mind games? You only release one part, and He Xizhou will surely try to defend himself. Then as soon as he speaks, you drop the next part. Either way, it’s the same result, but it stirs up the gossipers’ emotions and breaks down He Xizhou’s mental state.”

Gossip is gossip; the more people talk about it, the more it falls apart. What really mattered was how it was told.

Whether the whole video played all at once or in pieces, the result was the same because it helped explain the truth for Jiang Zhihuo.

But that was all the former had.

Since He Xiezhou used the internet to scheme against others, he inevitably reaped what he sowed.

“Mhm.” Yan Mu said, “The process is more important than the result.”

“Wow!” Jiang Zhihuo was very supportive. “Yan-ge is so A!”

Yan Mu uploaded another video. The top-left corner of the phone displayed an upward-pointing arrow, which changed to a checkmark after a few seconds, indicating a successful upload.

256th comment: Come, melon eaters! The poster has released another video!!

257th comment: Here it comes, here it comes! Can the claim of confessing under torture really be trusted?

258th comment: Evidence provided as requested!

259th comment: F*ck, electric shock? Seriously? Did He Xiezhou really do that?

260th comment: Cure homosexuality?? You really think being gay is a disease that needs treatment? Isn’t that illegal? This is way scarier than school bullying!

261st comment: What the hell, he is also drugging people?? Has he gone completely insane?!

262nd comment: Why on earth did I ever defend him? I actually believed his posts? And then he had the nerve to dig up dirt on Jiang, the school’s popular guy? Did he even look in the mirror? He used an electric shock baton? Getting expelled was far too light.

Yan Mu’s most recent video upload was still only seventeen seconds long.

“Is that all??”

“There’s more! There’s more!” He Xiezhou clutched his head, his voice trembling. “I shouldn’t have brought the electric shock baton, I shouldn’t have tried to ‘cure’ his homosexuality, I shouldn’t have given him those drugs, I was wrong, I was wrong, I’m sorry, I’m truly sorry, ahhhh!”

Zhu You and a group of friends sat on the sports field grass. With his cheerful, outgoing personality and cute looks, he had always been popular since high school.

Someone saw the latest video released on the forum, and everyone was shocked.

After a long silence, someone tentatively asked, “Zhuzhu, is it real?! Electric shock?!”

Zhu You rolled up his sleeves.

Today, he was wearing a khaki sweater with loose cuffs, and his forearms were covered in numerous scars of varying sizes.

“Because I like boys, and I was too young then and hadn’t experienced anything like that before. After discovering this, I felt really scared. Later, He Xiezhou found out about it, and he said he wanted to ‘cure’ me. That’s how he locked me in the classroom and brought an electric shock baton.”

“Ah!” The surrounding girls frowned, their hearts aching. “How could he do that?!”

Zhu You rolled up his sleeves and laughed, “I wasn’t in a good place back then. He tormented me so much I wanted to jump off a building, but Zhihuo-ge pulled me back. I took two years off school for therapy, not for anything else… Hey, don’t look at me like that. I can talk about it now. I’m completely fine.”

• 1
  [T/N: In Chinese, it’s an idiomatic way to say someone reacted aggressively or harshly the moment you said something.]
• 2
  [T/N: This kind of insult is actually low-key common in online Chinese roast culture (especially forums and comment sections), and it’s not really about leg hair specifically, but more about a random, exaggerated, petty insult a random, exaggerated, petty insult.]
• 3
  [T/N: In Chinese, it means watching gossip.]