Although the court had refused to open a case against Shen Qiong for indirectly driving Yuan Jiancheng insane due to insufficient grounds, the online backlash against Shen Qiong kept growing louder.
That day, someone had lost their temper and beaten Shen Qiong badly. They couldn't resist posting about it online, claiming that Shen Qiong had ties to the underworld.
"We caught Shen Qiong that day and beat the hell out of him. Out of nowhere, a bunch of tattooed thugs showed up and rescued him. I'd bet anything that Shen Qiong was in cahoots with them."
"Seriously? No wonder people who've offended Shen Qiong never seem to have a good end. So that's what people meant."
"I remember someone saying that two people once made a scene outside the shop and called Master Shen a fraud. They both got locked up."
"Then that settles it. Master Shen definitely has ties to the underworld. No wonder he acts so cocky—he's got powerful backing."
"I heard Master Shen's predictions are always accurate. If he says you'll have bad luck today, you're bound to run into trouble as soon as you leave the house. Now we finally have an explanation. Whenever he says you'll have bad luck, he just gets people to slash your car tires or let the air out. If that doesn't work, they can beat you up. You're foolish enough to think his predictions came true, when it was all just a 'scam.'"
"Holy crap, it's all a bunch of tricks!"
"Nice! That's a really solid analysis. Having someone powerful backing you makes everything easier. I think the person above just uncovered the truth."
The theory spread quickly, and the internet erupted. Even some of Shen Qiong's fans were swayed by it and began to wonder whether it was all true.
"Let me tell you, the theory above is entirely plausible. I looked through Master Shen's Weibo. Someone once said he was very accurate. He told a client they'd have terrible luck that day and should stay home. The person really did stay in, but then something fell from the apartment upstairs during renovations and nearly killed them."
"At first glance, it seems amazing. But think about it: if Master Shen really had underworld connections, he could have someone follow the person and hide upstairs in their building, then pretend to accidentally drop something, creating the illusion that Master Shen's prediction saved their life."
"That's incredible! Put that way, it does make sense."
"Well, now all those people who kept saying how amazing Master Shen is have egg on their faces! You idiots have rocks for brains. You got conned and didn't even realize it."
"Damn, looks like a lot of people got scammed. They're the kind of people who'd count the money for the guy who just sold them."
Then Shen Qiong's Weibo turned into a battlefield. Some fans had believed the rumors and actually thought Shen Qiong had planned all of it. They began attacking him, and their insults were even harsher than anyone else's.
"I must've been blind. I can't believe someone I supported all this time would trick people like this. Thank goodness there are so many sharp people online, or I'd have stayed fooled forever."
"I'm telling those of you who still support Master Shen to wake up already. I always said there was no way someone in this world could be that amazing. Turns out it was all fake."
"****, Shen Qiong, you're a disgrace. I trusted you so much, and it turns out it was all a scam, all a bunch of tricks."
"Everyone, calm down. Sure, a few isolated incidents could be explained as someone meddling behind the scenes, but most of them couldn't have been staged by anyone."
"Exactly. Master Shen has helped plenty of people discover hidden illnesses, which were confirmed after thorough hospital examinations. Are you saying their illnesses were all part of some scheme he set up in advance? Everyone, think clearly. Don't let malicious people use you and feed you lies."
Shen Qiong watched the people slandering him with indifference, as if he had nothing to do with it. Sitting on the sofa, he glanced at Yuan Jiancheng's information on his phone. Yuan Jiancheng's Health Value had risen to 58. If Shen Qiong's theory was right, Yuan Jiancheng would wake up tomorrow or the day after.
He called Ren Tianxue.
Ren Tianxue was sitting at her computer, staring at a screen full of comments cursing Shen Qiong. She was feeling incredibly frustrated.
When her phone rang, she saw it was Shen Qiong calling.
"Hello?"
"Did you say that before Yuan Jiancheng went mad, he deeply regretted not taking my advice?" Shen Qiong asked.
She paused. "Yes. He kept saying he was wrong, that he'd made a terrible mistake, and that he should've listened to you sooner. Then things wouldn't have ended up like this."
Shen Qiong's spirits lifted. There was a chance!
"Then do you think he'd be willing to come forward and help clear my name?" he asked tentatively.
"Of course! He was in terrible shape at the time, but he still spoke very highly of you and regretted not listening to you." Ren Tianxue recalled what had happened.
Shen Qiong said nothing. His mind raced as he figured out how to give the people slandering him a satisfying "slap in the face."
"What's wrong?" She noticed he had gone quiet and asked curiously.
Shen Qiong stood and walked over to the window. He gazed through the glass at the dark night sky and said, "More people have been cursing me today. Some are saying my predictions come true because I set everything up in advance."
That made Ren Tianxue furious. At first, she had been full of doubts about Shen Qiong, but his abilities had long since "won her over." As his assistant, she felt that when people insulted Master Shen, they were insulting her, too.
How could it be a scam? Were those people's brains eaten by pigs? She fumed, "Exactly! It's so infuriating!"
"Maybe it's time to strike back," Shen Qiong murmured.
Strike back? Ren Tianxue's eyes lit up. "How?"
"You found out which hospital Yuan Jiancheng is in, right? Go there and wait over the next couple of days. He'll be recovering soon," Shen Qiong said with a smile.
"Huh? Really? How do you know?" she asked in surprise.
Shen Qiong chuckled. "Is there anything I don't know?" He was getting smug.
Ren Tianxue pouted, thinking that if only this guy weren't so full of himself, they could still be friends.
"Just trust me. Once you confirm he's recovered, find a chance to approach him and show him the online comments attacking me. As for that article of more than ten thousand words, forget it. We'll pretend we don't know about it. His wife wrote it, after all."
Ren Tianxue was already looking forward to it. She laughed and said, "If he finds out you've been getting cursed out because of what happened to him, he'll probably faint again."
"Haha! We can't have that."
"Then should I have him leave a comment to clear your name?" she asked eagerly.
A comment? No—that wasn't enough!
The corners of Shen Qiong's mouth slowly lifted. "Have him record a short video. We'll post it on Weibo." He could already picture the awkward looks on the faces of all those people when they got proven wrong.
Ren Tianxue clapped in delight. "That's perfect! Let's do it!" she said excitedly. "Then they'll regret everything they said."
Regret? They'd be mortified.
After they finished planning, they hung up. Ren Tianxue sprang onto her bed, as excited as she'd been as a child when she scored a perfect hundred and went up in front of all her classmates to receive an award. She bounced around, overjoyed...
She couldn't wait to see the looks on those people's faces when they learned the truth. It would be priceless!!!
Before you continue