Chapter 55: Reversal

“Take down the trending searches first, then stop the rumors from spreading.”

“Minimize the impact and reverse public opinion by two o’clock this afternoon at the latest.”

“Understood, President Cen. I’ll handle it right now.”

In the villa’s living room, Aunt Su frowned, her expression grave. The further she scrolled, the more vicious the malicious comments became.

Furious, she blacklisted every marketing account that had slandered Lin Qinghe.

“These people are completely out of line, spreading rumors with nothing but their mouths. I wonder how much they were paid.”

Cen Han raised his eyes slightly, phone in hand, showing a dialing screen. His cold gaze and tightened thin lips made it clear his mood was far from pleasant.

Three calls went unanswered. He switched to another number, and Xi Nian’s voice came through the speaker.

“Hello, Brother Cen Han.”

“Mm. Xi Nian, is Lin Qinghe with you? I can’t reach him.”

Xi Nian paused, as if rummaging for something. “No, Brother Qinghe is about to start filming. His phone is in my bag; it’s probably on silent, so he didn’t hear it.”

“Found it. There really are three missed calls.” Xi Nian said. “Brother Cen Han, you must be asking how Brother Qinghe is doing.”

Without waiting for an answer, she continued, “I feel like Qinghe is a bit down, but he isn’t showing it much.”

The public’s questions about Celine’s casting were understandable. But the Qingqian Liunian CP topic and everything that followed felt like a black pot falling from the sky. Anyone would be affected.

Jiang Nian was a Best Actor, and he and Xi Yan were a real couple. To outsiders, their brotherly bond was deep.

Whether CP fans or casual fans, they were used to seeing the two names together. When a third name suddenly appeared, it was only natural they’d feel he was being squeezed out.

The interaction during the livestream had been genuine—the evidence was solid, then embellished. It all seemed to fit. Even if the conclusion was wrong, the process seemed right, so in the end, the conclusion hardly mattered anymore.

Cen Han’s eyes darkened at the words “a bit down.” “I’ve already told Zhang Hua and Chen Dong to handle this as quickly as possible. You… keep an eye on him. I’ll contact you later.”

Xi Nian replied, “Okay, no problem. Go ahead, Brother Cen Han.”

After ending the call, Cen Han remained still for two seconds, lost in thought.

It was Aunt Su who brought him back.

“Isn’t there an important inspection tour? The driver’s waiting for you. Let Chen Dong and the others worry about Qinghe’s matter.”

Cen Han straightened up. “Mm. I’m leaving.”

Watching his back, Aunt Su sighed. “How did it get so serious?”

Not long after the trending searches were taken down, Zhang Hua contacted Chen Dong, and they discussed a solution.

Chen Dong advocated a firm stance. First, a lawyer’s letter warning against any abusive and defamatory comments. Those hired trolls using foul language would be banned directly.

The goal was to make an example of a few to deter the rest, so they wouldn’t think Lin Qinghe’s team was easy to bully. It would also serve as a deterrent for future trouble.

Second, have Jiang Nian post a clarification on his Weibo. The suspicion that Lin Qinghe was buying CP hot searches would collapse on its own.

Third, regarding the sugar daddy rumors, pay to hire accounts to shift the narrative and stop the rumors from spreading.

Zhang Hua agreed. At this point, explanations were useless. People only wanted to see what they wanted to see, so taking direct action was the best approach.

The ones jumping up and down were likely professional haters or rivals who saw Lin Qinghe as a stumbling block. Onlookers just eating popcorn had no stake in a life-or-death battle. At most, they’d argue for a bit and then move on.

Zhang Hua adjusted his glasses, his calmness verging on detachment. “People always have to pay the price for their words and actions.”

Mr. Cen hadn’t met Teacher Lin easily. Everyone had a protective instinct, even more so for a future partner.

Chen Dong was silent for a moment.

“I have a question. It wasn’t convenient before, but now I have to ask.”

Zhang Hua signaled with his eyes. “Go ahead, President Chen.”

“What’s the relationship between Qinghe and Mr. Cen?”

He had thought they were relatives, but Lin Qinghe was an orphan, so that couldn’t be it. If they weren’t relatives, why did Cen Han care so much?

Zhang Hua thought for a moment, tapped his chin, and gave the textbook answer. “A courtship.”

Chen Dong was astounded.

Close to noon, Lin Qinghe’s studio issued a lawyer’s letter warning on Weibo. Simultaneously, several controversial marketing accounts and user accounts were banned.

“Recently, serious false rumors and abusive comments related to Teacher Lin Qinghe have emerged, attacking his personal reputation and causing significant harm to many. Legal action will be taken if necessary. We hope everyone can discuss respectfully without harming others. Thank you.”

Fans rallied in support below.

【I Carry the Banner for He He: Support the studio in defending its rights. Oppose baseless rumors.】

【WorkThreeHoursADay: Support the studio in defending its rights. Oppose baseless rumors and abusive comments.】

【Tangerine Peel: Resolutely defend rights. Oppose malicious rumors.】

…

The post had been up for only a dozen seconds before the front-line onlookers began forwarding and commenting.

【Mirror Is You: Surprising, how swift.】

【Lucky Baby: Teacher Lin’s studio released a statement. What do you all think?】

【No Dot No Dot: What do I think? With a roll of my eyes, of course. Statements like this are basically useless. A guilty person protests his innocence. Fans, don’t be so crazy.】

【I Am Invincible: No way, no way, no one still believes this crap, right? Stop whitewashing, Lin Qinghe. When you and your sugar daddy were playing your little games on the livestream, why weren’t you more careful? If you get scolded, just take it.】

【ccccc: I’m so scared. What kind of action are you going to take?】

【ccccc: So what if I scolded you? Go call the police. Go f yourself.】

On the other side of the screen, ccccc was having a grand time spewing abuse when suddenly the screen flashed, and the account was reported and banned.

???

He tried to log in again but found he couldn’t no matter what. So he switched to another account.

Back in the comment section, the tide was beginning to turn.

【Blender: I saw two accounts that were cursing pretty badly get banned with my own eyes. Are they starting to take measures?】

【Sudoku: I searched a few of the popcorn bloggers I just browsed, and they’re gone too. Can’t be a coincidence. Damn, they’re for real?!】

【Yu: I haven’t finished my popcorn yet!! No! So I just know Lin Qinghe bought CP hot searches. What happened after that?】

【Pink Lady: Help, I don’t even know what happened. What’s up with Lin Qinghe?】

【Blender: Basically, his image has collapsed. His identity is totally different from his real life.】

【Lord of the Land: He’s being kept by a middle-aged pervert. Trading certain favors for resources, including the role he just got.】

【Oar: Anyway, for the role of Celine in Dream of the Blue Moon Night, I just knew it was absolutely impossible for him to get it on his own. This guy is so calculating.】

【Oar: So the pipa livestream before was all staged, just to make his entry into the production crew seem more reasonable?】

【Old Biden: What’s all this for? Trying to shut everyone up? I’ve seen it all now. The more you cover up, the more you’re hiding.】

【Rabbit Ears: The few marketing accounts I used to follow that talked about Lin Qinghe are gone too. I basically can’t find any related content anymore.】

【Qiqiao Festival: Scrubbing things away in such a hurry really makes people think. They probably spent a fortune to take down the trending searches.】

【Thousand-Mile Head Delivery: I was skeptical before, but now I’m completely convinced.】

【Jiang Nian Is Your Father: Some of these are clearly part of a manipulation campaign. It’s like copy and paste.】

【Fei Zhi: Luckily I saved screenshots. Honestly, the evidence is pretty solid. Hard not to suspect a sugar daddy is protecting him.】

【Croak: I just read that blogger’s analysis. The only conclusion is that either Lin Qinghe’s identity is fake, or he got to the top through unspoken rules.】

【Hard to Satisfy Both: Definitely unspoken rules. Like the blogger said, all those years of training required a lot of money. Maybe Lin Qinghe hooked up with a sugar daddy long ago. With his face, it’d be easy.】

【Lord of the Land: Was that necessary? So petty. You deserve to be scolded, you #$$%, &$%&】

That account was also shown as banned.

By solving the problem at the root, the environment became much cleaner. The professional haters were going crazy inside—without hitting their targets, they wouldn’t get paid. But they were helpless. They wanted to fight back but couldn’t, left only with impotent rage.

But this storm of public opinion was far from over.

Lin Qinghe no longer paid attention to the online bloodbath. However, Zhu Huiyu learned what had happened on Weibo. Without a second word, she opened a burner account, ready for a passionate battle with those netizens.

Lin Qinghe told her not to get so worked up. She waved a dismissive hand and said angrily, “Don’t stop me. I haven’t come out in ages. Today, they’ll see what a real troll is.”

She couldn’t be held back. The small knot of frustration in Lin Qinghe’s heart scattered under her fussing. He laughed helplessly. “You trading insults with them—isn’t that exactly what they want?”

“You have a point.” Zhu Huiyu’s typing motion stopped, making Lin Qinghe think she had listened. But the next second, she declared, “But I’m pissed off right now, so they don’t get to be happy either!”

Some people were just too foul-mouthed. Saying this, she rolled up her sleeves, ready to wash their mouths out.

【Little Troll: Other people’s brains are staple goods; your brain is a decoration, and an ugly, cheap one at that.】

【Little Troll: Yeah, yeah, so what? No one is backing you because you don’t want it? Oh, it’s because you’re not only ugly but also have no IQ.】

【Little Troll: I know you’re eaten up with envy and hatred, only able to achieve a cerebral climax with that tiny gloop of a brain. Alzheimer’s syndrome has your name on it.】

【Little Troll: I see your face is just like a QR code. If you don’t scan it, you can’t tell what kind of piece of trash it is. Why don’t you go play somewhere else, you f***ing idiot.】

【Little Troll: Of course I’m worked up when a dog bites me. When you go home to your ancestral village this year, kowtow to your ancestors a few more times. Don’t disgrace your family line and end up shortening your own life.】

…

【Little Troll: It’s fine, you’re butthurt, and Lin Qinghe has people who like and love him. Everyone has a bright future. Suck it, suck it, suck it.】

【Little Troll: Sending you off to the little black room. You’re welcome.】

Zhu Huiyu cursed to her heart’s content, feeling completely refreshed. She turned to look at Lin Qinghe and found him slowly sipping a warm glass of water, silently giving her a thumbs up.

Her typing speed gave no sign of even needing to think, and the comebacks never repeated. The username “Little Troll” truly lived up to its legend.

“You flatter me, you flatter me. Hahaha.” Zhu Huiyu laughed a few times. Seeing he was still completely calm, she leaned in for a closer study and said, “You’re so serene. It’s not a normal reaction for a person.”

Lin Qinghe leaned back, the corners of his lips curving in mock surrender. “You’ve already torn into them. Don’t tear into me too.”

“I’m not tearing into you, I just think it’s strange.” Zhu Huiyu denied it. “You don’t even get angry with this kind of disaster falling out of the sky?”

“I’m no saint; why wouldn’t I be angry?” Lin Qinghe shook his head, then added, “But in this industry, things like this happen all too often. Them targeting me just means I’ve become a threat to them.”

He smiled lightly. “Instead of getting angry, maybe reaching a higher position is the best solution.”

“That’s true.” Zhu Huiyu nodded in agreement. “Swearing at people feels good for a moment, but making them envy you while being totally helpless is the real long-term satisfaction.”

“Not entirely.” Lin Qinghe said with mock seriousness. “Letting them know how formidable you are is also pretty good.”

Zhu Huiyu burst out laughing again, then looked back down at her screen.

She exclaimed in surprise, “Public opinion is reversing!”