Chapter 28 Part 3

Zhu Lexing felt like she had truly seen it all today.

The Dean of Students still hoped to broker peace. He summoned the teachers from all the relevant classes, determined to settle the matter before anyone left the office.

Zhu Lexing ignored him entirely. Instead, she turned to Shi Song. “Post a public apology to Shi Ruofeng on Star Net.”

Shi Song’s face changed in an instant. “Do you think I’m an idiot?”

Posting an apology on Star Net would mean admitting to everything he had done today. What kind of school heartthrob dumped food on his sister’s head in front of a crowd?

Shi Song knew his actions had been impulsive, but he was accustomed to getting away with it. Besides, everyone on the third floor was a familiar face. He was confident no one would stand up for Shi Ruofeng—after all, she was nothing more than the Lin Family’s lapdog. Once the Lin Family cast her aside, she would be a stray no one cared about.

Who could have guessed that, in the short time he had been away from school, Shi Ruofeng had actually found real backers.

“You sure have wide-reaching connections,” Shi Song said coldly.

“Watch your mouth.” A female voice cut in abruptly. Shi Song turned in surprise to the girl who had been standing beside Shi Ruofeng. “If you want to blow this up, no one here will stop you.”

The dean hurried to interject. “This matter—”

Qiao Qiao let out an exaggerated sigh. “Li Nian! Am I dying? Quick, check my wound—”

Her performance was ridiculously over-the-top, but she waved her phone right in Shi Song’s face, the implication unmistakable:

Refuse to apologize, and this goes straight to Star Net.

When it came to comparing wealth and influence, the Shi Family had once been able to throw their weight around. But with Zhu Lexing in the mix—and Liu Su and Zhu Lin as her backers—that advantage evaporated.

Shi Song furrowed his brow, already reaching for his phone to call his agent for advice.

Zhu Lexing spoke first. “Two options,” she said. “Either Qiao Qiao lays out the full story, and your reputation is destroyed. Or you post a status update. You don’t have to explain the details, but you name Shi Ruofeng specifically in your apology.”

Shi Song stared at her and let out a cold laugh. “What, you mean if I just post ‘sorry’ and @ Shi Ruofeng, we can call it even?”

“Oh,” he added suddenly, “I get it now. You think I’m hot right now and want me to drum up some traffic for you?”

“Shi Ruofeng.” Shi Song nodded at her. “Is this your game? Pulling these stunts in the Shi Family, and now at school with your classmates? Your friends? Nothing but schemes. Clever move.”

“Your mess is all your own doing.”

Shi Ruofeng stood there silently the whole time, watching Shi Song with icy detachment. Only after she saw him post the update did she speak. “Trash.”

Shi Song caught every word, but before rage could take hold, his agent—who had been waiting outside the school—burst into the room. The man froze at the sight of the group, then grew visibly repulsed upon hearing their demands. When he learned Shi Song had actually complied, he laughed bitterly.

Without a second’s hesitation, he deleted the post. Turning to Zhu Lexing, he said, “We’ll handle compensation directly with Miss Shi Ruofeng. I—”

Zhu Lexing looked straight at Shi Ruofeng. “Shi Ruofeng? Do you want it?”

Shi Ruofeng replied calmly, “This is the last time, Shi Ling. I’m done with the Shi Family. Stop interfering in my life.”

Qiao Qiao added offhandedly, “Whether you’ll get another chance to interfere is anyone’s guess. Fate has a funny way of working—who knows if you might just drop dead on the spot next second.”

Her words were brutally direct. The agent’s face hardened. “Miss Qiao Qiao, you have a little fame online yourself—”

“What, going to expose me?” Qiao Qiao shrugged it off. “Go ahead and film. I know my big break is coming any day now. I’ve been waiting for this moment forever—”

Xu He tugged at her sleeve, and Qiao Qiao finally fell silent. Mockery lingered plainly on her face.

Stymied by her brazen attitude, the agent was at a loss for words. He opened his mouth to retort just as his phone began to ring.

The class bell sounded at the same moment. Zhu Lexing caught on immediately. “If compensation is on the table, figure out how much and how. We’re out.”

Li Nian was still piecing together what had happened, teetering on the edge of fury. Shi Ruofeng took her hand and led her toward the door.

Zhu Lexing and the others had already headed upstairs. Yan Mian hesitated for a moment before following Zhu Lexing.

Once they were alone, Li Nian whispered, “Is it really okay to leave it like this?”

Shi Ruofeng replied, “I’ll head back and take a shower later. Skipping afternoon classes.”

After a pause, she looked at Li Nian. “Will you come with me?”

That afternoon, posts on the Forum were updating at a much faster clip than they had that morning.

Zhu Lexing remained patient, waiting until nearly the end of the school day to check Star Net.

Several familiar names dominated the Hot Search.

She knew Liu Su’s people were pulling strings behind the scenes.

Shi Song was not the only one who could call in favors. Zhu Lexing had filled Liu Su in on the entire incident the moment they arrived at the Guidance Office.

Shi Song had just posted his update when screenshots from the water army arranged by Liu Su surfaced. Then came the standard procedure from the marketing accounts: digging into who Shi Ruofeng was, exposing the Shi Family’s affairs, and through various “netizen tips,” revealing that Shi Ruofeng was an Omega—though the differentiation process had been particularly strange.

By this point, the netizens’ curiosity was fully piqued. But then the Silver City Police’s official account released another bombshell—

Two suspects surnamed Lin had been detained.

It seemed murky at first glance, but ever since the initial rumors of the Lin Family’s downfall had spread online, numerous Omegas who had been harassed by Lin Song in the past had come forward voluntarily with their testimonies.

These Omegas had long been dismissed and ridiculed by certain people for lacking concrete proof. The moment Shi Song’s update went live, they reposted it in droves, tagging those who had previously hurled abuse at them. This sparked yet another massive online purge.

From there, the events of that evening were reconstructed step by step.

Topics like #Lin Song Siblings Arrested#, #Lin Corporation Stocks…#, and #Silver City No.1 High School Stage Play Accident Man-Made# shot straight to the top of the hot searches. These dark undercurrents, once swirling in private corners, were finally dragged into the open for everyone to dissect and devour.

Anger, suspicion, mockery—the real-time discussions ballooned by hundreds every minute. This became Star Net’s hottest topic of the year’s first half, hands down.

Zhu Lexing had assumed Yan Mian wouldn’t get pulled into the mess, but there had been witnesses to the incident that day after all. Add to that the stage play’s lingering buzz from Wen Leng, and suddenly Shi Ruofeng and Yan Mian were dominating the top two spots on the hot searches. Zhu Lexing let out a long sigh.

Some folks were destined for obscurity, others for the spotlight.

Shi Song fell squarely into the former camp. Yan Mian? Undeniably the latter.

With that in mind, she quietly lifted her gaze toward Yan Mian.

An hour earlier, Yan Mian had already noticed her phone starting to lag.

It wasn’t until the bell rang for the end of class that she began scrolling. What met her eyes were several Star Net notifications—

【#Yan Mian Stage Play#】

【#Yan Mian Zhu Lexing#】

【#Who is Yan Mian#】

And beneath those hot searches, something even more bewildering: 【999+ people have followed you—come take a look…】

【You’ve received 999+ messages from strangers.】

Yan Mian didn’t spend much time online and failed to grasp the situation right away. Only as she slowly navigated Star Net did she start piecing together the full story from the swirling public discourse.

The account was one she’d set up a while back, simply named Yan Mian. She rarely logged in, save for the occasional scenic photo.

With so few posts, that didn’t stop the gossip-hungry netizens from swarming the top comments.

– Saw the stage play video—little sis, you were amazing! Keep studying hard. Can’t wait to see more of you on screen after graduation.

– Keep going!

– Wishing you all the best from here on out. Following you forever [heart]

Even in this cozy comment section, fault-finders lurked: [Why not wonder why it was her who got hurt, and not some other Omega?]

The thread beneath exploded into a frenzy, with nine out of ten replies branding the original poster a lunatic. One account with a username full of numbers was especially relentless, hitting back with ten comments for every one the OP mustered.

Unsure how to navigate the chaos, Yan Mian felt lost. Her fingers kept scrolling on autopilot, but the flood of new comments quickly buried everything she’d just read.

In the end, Yan Mian logged out for the time being.

The private messages were an even greater onslaught—varied and voluminous. Most, at a glance, offered comfort.

This was the first time so many strangers had shown her such kindness. Bewilderment gave way to heartfelt joy.

Yan Mian blinked slowly. The classroom around her was a reminder: she was still at school.

Quietly, she glanced over at Zhu Lexing’s seat.

The dismissal bell had already rung, but the girl was still clutching her pen, scribbling away with a furrowed brow. She looked to be in a rotten mood. Yan Mian watched Zhu Lexing’s figure in silence for several seconds before averting her eyes.

The very person who had caused her pain had now, in another form, brought her happiness.

She tried to twist her lips into a sardonic smile.

But she couldn’t.

What was this? Yan Mian wondered.