At the thought of several foals galloping and neighing wildly behind him, Zheng Qing instantly sobered up quite a bit.
"What should I do?"
He immediately became deferential.
A satisfied smile appeared on Linda Barnes's face. She did not answer at once. Instead, she took a piece of guava cake Xin handed her, bit off a small piece, and slowly savored it with pursed lips for quite some time.
Only then did she drawl, "Public opinion is actually very easy to manipulate, and public perception is much the same. Before people come to their senses, or before their emotions take hold, you need to make them even more confused."
"Confused?" Zheng Qing chewed over the word, along with the Honey Puff in his mouth, and found both endlessly flavorful.
"Everyone chases eye-catching topics, like flies drawn to stench or moths to flame. It's instinct."
The Blonde Witch took a sip of soda water, cleared her throat, and explained patiently. "...Take the rumors about you, Betasy, Vivian, and the others. They're fresh, and easy to understand, so they've easily won a large following in the rumor mill. Banner told me about your countermeasures—arguing against the rumors in the papers, selectively presenting the facts, spreading word that those witches have other suitable romantic prospects, turning a blind eye and a deaf ear while waiting for the gossip to fade, and so on. Forgive me for being blunt, but those plans may be enough to deal with the talk inside the school. There are only so many students there, after all, and you can easily identify the noise and eliminate it one piece at a time. But against rumors outside the school, they won't be nearly enough."
"What if I refute those rumors one by one?" Zheng Qing still clung to a trace