Liu Piaopiao's situation was easy to explain. By bringing out Li Xuanyi's apology video from back then, the netizens immediately understood what was going on. They even flocked to Liu Piaopiao's account to comfort her, saying she had been wronged.
However, Ling Hao's situation was a bit more troublesome.
Although Ling Hao was just an unknown rookie actor in short dramas, anything tagged with "murder" would be infinitely magnified.
Countless netizens flocked to Ling Hao's account, calling him the son of a murderer and telling him to get out of the entertainment industry.
The short drama was about to be released. Now that this had happened, although the show could still air normally, its view count would definitely be heavily impacted. It was practically doomed to flop.
Naturally, Ling Hao felt extremely guilty.
Shu Qingqing and Director Fang, however, were both very calm.
"We anticipated this when we accepted you coming back to play the male lead, didn't we? Ling Hao, this isn't your fault. I believe there are still many righteous netizens who understand this just like we do." Shu Qingqing patted his shoulder. "Don't worry, you're so handsome and have such great acting skills. There will definitely be an audience willing to watch."
Director Fang chimed in, "That's right, and you don't need to worry too much. There's so much news every day. In a few days, the netizens will forget all about this."
"Even if it flops, the worst-case scenario is that you owe me another drama. What I mean is, how about you act in my next drama for free?" Director Fang burst into laughter after saying this.
The atmosphere instantly lightened up considerably.
Being trusted so much, Ling Hao felt both touched and a bitter ache in his heart.
But he wasn't willing to just sit there and wait for his doom.
Returning home, he pondered for a long time before finally setting up his phone, pointing it at himself.
"Hello everyone, my name is Ling Hao. I am Ling Jiayun's son. Eight years ago, my father Ling Jiayun accidentally killed someone during a brawl. He has already been punished by the law. Half a month ago, he passed away in prison due to a sudden heart attack. As his son, I apologize to everyone for what he did."
Once this video was posted, it caused a massive uproar online.
The netizens were immediately split into two camps. One group believed that the murder was committed by Ling Hao's father and had nothing to do with him. The other group felt that he made this video to intentionally play the victim and wasn't worthy of sympathy.
Hashtags like #LingHaoMurderersSon# and #LingHaoApologizes# hung on the platform's trending list for two days.
On the third day, the short drama premiered. Unsurprisingly, the view count was extremely dismal.
Despite this, Shu Qingqing still took all the main crew members out for dinner that night.
Ling Hao had a good personality and character. He was also humble and eager to learn, so everyone in the crew liked him. Therefore, during dinner, seeing that he wasn't very happy, everyone tried to liven up the atmosphere by chatting about all sorts of random topics.
As they were talking, the actor playing the second male lead suddenly looked at Ling Hao. "Ling Hao, the son of the man your dad... was his name Kang Bin?"
Ling Hao froze for a moment before nodding. "What's wrong?"
The second male lead excitedly held up his phone. "He posted a video speaking up for you! This video is already trending. You all need to watch it right now."
Everyone quickly pulled out their phones and clicked on the video.
"Hello everyone, I am Kang Bin, the son of the victim Kang Chenghai. Eight years ago, my father was accidentally killed by Ling Jiayun. Because it was manslaughter, Ling Jiayun was sentenced to twenty years in prison, but I wished he could be shot directly. Since he was in prison and I couldn't do anything about it, I vented all my hatred on Ling Hao. I beat and cursed at him countless times, and once I almost broke his leg. Later, my mother stopped me in time, which prevented me from doing even worse things. I thought Ling Hao would retaliate, but he didn't. One afternoon half a year later, our house accidentally caught fire. Ling Hao rushed in and carried my mother out on his back, saving me from losing my last family member. However, his own calf suffered a huge burn. After Ling Hao went to college, he also sent money to my mother every year. Ling Jiayun is guilty of terrible crimes, but Ling Hao is actually a victim too. I'm not trying to be a saint; I just feel that he shouldn't have to bear such huge malice. That's why I posted this video."
After watching it, Ling Hao covered his face with his hands for a long time. He never expected Kang Bin to speak up for him.
"Sister Qingqing, it's my family who wronged Kang Bin and his mother."
Shu Qingqing patted his shoulder. "It's all in the past now."
That night, Ling Hao drank a lot of alcohol and finally revealed a long-lost smile.
Kang Bin's video made many netizens change their attitudes, and they were no longer as resistant to Ling Hao.
Slowly, the view count for their new drama began to rise.
Until that night, an account called Distant View posted an earthquake rescue video.
This was filmed during the border earthquake in 2024. Among the countless volunteers was Ling Hao.
In the video, Ling Hao was struggling to clear the rubble to save a child, completely ignoring the blood streaming down his arm.
After the child was successfully rescued, someone asked Ling Hao, "Is this your child?"
Ling Hao shook his head.
The person asked again, "Then why didn't you wait for the professional rescue team to come before saving him? Look at what happened to your arm."
Ling Hao lowered his head. "It's a life. I was afraid he couldn't wait."
As soon as this video was posted, the netizens' reactions were even stronger.
[Activist: Oh my god, I'm literally crying to death. I think Ling Hao is actually seeking self-redemption. His dad harmed a life, so he wants to make up for it with his own strength.]
[Sweet Honey: The timing of this video's release is too coincidental. Could it be faked just to clear Ling Hao's name?]
[Wood: Look at the timestamp of the video, it's from 2024. How could it be faked?]
[Eighth Day: I just saw this photo on the official website of the border province. If the official website posted it, it definitely isn't fake.]
[Xinxin: Actually, Ling Hao really is innocent. He didn't commit any crime, and he's been trying to make amends all along.]
[Sunshower: Let's all be a little more tolerant, netizens. The children of criminals are innocent; they deserve to have normal lives.]
[Looking Back: Anyway, I'm going to support Ling Hao's new drama.]
[Selim: Everyone go to Red Apple and search for Exclusive Pampering to support Ling Hao's new drama!]
[Purple: I've already watched it! It's really good!]
After two days of brewing, more and more netizens changed their attitudes toward Ling Hao. At the same time, the popularity of the new drama soared higher and higher.
Ling Hao finally felt relieved. At the same time, he had truly cast off the burden that had weighed on his heart for years.
On his way home that night, he went to the bakery his mother used to like and bought a small cake, planning to celebrate with her.
Carrying the cake out, he happened to see a familiar figure.
It was the person who had once threatened him.
Shu Qingqing had previously worried that the person messing with them this time was targeting her. She had told him that if he ever ran into this person again, it would be best to take a picture of him.
Ling Hao quickly took out his phone and snapped a few photos of the person.
