Almost all netizens waiting for gossip were watching this matter closely.
“See you at eight o’clock.”
Look at how calm that sounds. As if completely unafraid of the waves of online criticism.
Gu Yanqiu’s fans, who had been suppressed by casual observers and Li Ziyue’s fans, suddenly perked up.
“I knew Duoduo would have a solution.”
“Qiūqiū doesn’t want us to worry, but the criticism outside has been too harsh.”
“Qiūqiū has already terminated his contract with the company. Now he has nothing. Fortunately, his fan photographer is here to conduct anti-black campaigns for him. Otherwise, it would be truly difficult.”
Some even approached Moon, the group admin, wanting to know exactly what Chen Duo planned to announce at eight o’clock.
Moon said: “We’ll know when eight o’clock comes.” She wouldn’t say another word.
Because the online controversy was so intense, new members joined the group every day. Not all of them were necessarily fans—there might be gossip enthusiasts and rival fans among them.
There was nothing she could do to help in this situation, but she absolutely couldn’t cause additional trouble.
Although group admin Moon appeared calm on the surface, her heart was actually racing with anxiety.
She couldn’t let others notice, so she coordinated with other group moderators to prohibit discussions about Li Ziyue.
This was to prevent people with ulterior motives from taking advantage of this sensitive moment and leaking screenshots from the fan group.
They had to remain extremely vigilant.
Gu Yanqiu’s fans were all standing ready as if prepared for battle.
Meanwhile, Li Ziyue’s fans stubbornly insisted: “This is just a last attempt to save face. What’s the point of struggling for a few more hours? Just release the withdrawal announcement already.” After saying this, she expected to receive strong support, but surprisingly, very few people reposted it.
There was no other way—the opposing side’s top fans had all mobilized. Clearly, they had already positioned themselves for a fight. Sending minor supporters from their side now would be pointless.
But even Li Ziyue’s top fans appeared much more cautious at this moment. They didn’t know what evidence the other side possessed.
This fear of the unknown was the most tormenting.
They had already lost once when competing in financial resources. If they went out now and got mocked again, they might as well leave the fandom for good.
It wasn’t just them.
Even Li Ziyue herself seemed restless at this moment.
He was extremely agitated, having already paced around his office three times, making his manager’s heart feel like it was boiling over.
“Stop pacing, it’s annoying.”
“Tell me, what exactly do they know? How can they be so confident?” Li Ziyue couldn’t conceal the fear in his heart.
The manager said: “We always knew Gu Yanqiu wasn’t as simple as he seemed. He wasn’t even famous yet, but he already had a rich woman and a fan photographer supporting him. If he becomes popular, where would that leave us?”
This was a conversation they often had. Previously, it didn’t seem significant, but at this moment, it gave them an inexplicable sense of dread.
Working in the same company, they could best perceive Gu Yanqiu’s potential.
Back then, they had almost completely suppressed Gu Yanqiu with overwhelming force.
Yet they never expected that a single photo could make it to trending searches. Even casually singing a song during a live broadcast could attract fans.
This ability to attract followers made Li Ziyue jealous. Gu Yanqiu was like a weed—even if you laid bricks over him, he would still find a way to sprout through the cracks.
But what frightened him most right now was: What exactly did the other side have on them?
The more they thought about it, the more scared they became. In the end, they decided to seek out Gu Yanqiu’s former manager to mediate.
The two of them, usually arrogant and haughty, now had to swallow their pride and knock on the door: “Brother, could you help us get in touch with Xiao Gu? There must be some misunderstanding here. Our Ziyue isn’t that kind of person. Recently, he’s been suffering from depression and had some delusions. We admit we were wrong in this matter and want to apologize to Xiao Gu.”
Li Ziyue’s manager stood by, bowing and scraping.
Gu Yanqiu’s manager had been called in for several rounds of talks with company leadership that day, all urging him to mediate.
Seeing them in this state, Gu Yanqiu’s manager said, “So now you’re scared? What were you doing earlier?”
Li Ziyue’s manager stiffened. Every time he encountered Gu Yanqiu’s manager before, he had looked down on him. Now, forced to yield, he felt utterly humiliated!
Soon, Li Ziyue’s manager forced out a hypocritical smile: “It’s just that he was immature—it’s all a misunderstanding.”
Gu Yanqiu’s male manager replied, “I can only make one call. Whether it works or not isn’t up to me.”
Li Ziyue and his manager exchanged a glance, inwardly delighted: “We’re already very grateful for that.”
The male manager then dialed Gu Yanqiu. He didn’t want to make the call, but he had family responsibilities and financial pressure—after all, his income came from the company, and he had to show some compliance.
Briefly and clearly, the male manager explained that Li Ziyue and his manager wanted to apologize and seek a private settlement.
The call was on speakerphone, and Li Ziyue nervously swallowed.
Then they heard Gu Yanqiu’s voice from the other end: “He doesn’t realize he was wrong—he’s just scared. Don’t call me again with matters like this in the future.” With that, the call ended.
Gu Yanqiu’s manager said insincerely, “What can we do now? Maybe you should go ask Manager Zhao for a solution. You’re the ones who pushed him too far. Even a rabbit will bite when cornered. You’ve done plenty over the years.”
After all, as a signed idol, no matter what, he wouldn’t be completely inactive.
But under their coordinated efforts, Gu Yanqiu had nothing.
Now that he had finally become popular, they tried to pin such a serious accusation on him.
They had acted so ruthlessly—how could they have the nerve to come begging for reconciliation now?
Li Ziyue turned and left, his manager following helplessly.
Back in the office, their anxiety only grew.
Li Ziyue’s public image was still quite good, and the company had even secured him a regular spot on a script-based variety show on iQiyi, which would greatly benefit his career.
But the “8 p.m. reveal” promised by Gu Yanqiu’s fan photographer hung over them like the sword of Damocles, keeping his heart constantly on edge.
Under immense pressure, the two finally decided to strike first.
So, a little after 5 p.m., he followed Gu Yanqiu’s example and posted a video.
In the video, Li Ziyue looked pale and panicked. This time, it wasn’t acting skills—he was genuinely terrified by Gu Yanqiu’s fan photographer. Facing the camera, he said, “I’m sorry. Gu Yanqiu did not bully me. I was mentally unstable due to work pressure. I apologize to everyone. I’m truly sorry.” His eyes reddened as he spoke.
Though intended as a clarification, the video came off as filled with helpless grievance.
As soon as his words were out, netizens didn’t fully believe him. Instead, they followed his lead and expanded their speculation.
“Look at this—forcing the victim to apologize!”
“Oh my god, just how far has Gu Yanqiu pushed him?”
“Seeing the fear in his eyes really breaks my heart.”
“Aren’t you being threatened?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
After sending this out and seeing everyone’s reaction, Li Ziyue felt satisfied. If Gu Yanqiu didn’t have any explosive material, he could hype up that he was being coerced; if that fan photographer actually had something on him, he had already apologized.
As for all those insulting Gu Yanqiu – those were just netizens’ spontaneous actions.