In an ordinary rental apartment in an ordinary county town, someone sat cross-legged at a computer desk, a half-eaten cup of instant noodles still giving off a little steam beside her.
Her hands flew over the keyboard, typing out a line of text. The computer screen's light reflected in her eyes, and a mocking smile played on her lips.
She moved the cursor to send and clicked, posting the video. Then the girl picked up the instant noodles from the desk again and ate in big mouthfuls.
It was past eight in the evening, and stars filled the night sky, surrounding a full moon that shone with silver light.
Gu Zhiyue lay on his bed, holding his phone high in both hands as he scrolled. Xiao Jiu spoke up. [Host, that person posted the video.]
Gu Zhiyue quickly sat up. [Where? When did they post it?]
[Ten minutes ago. It already has several thousand views.]
Gu Zhiyue opened the app to search. [Why didn't you say so sooner? What's that person's account called?]
Gu Zhiyue searched for the account name Xiao Jiu gave him. The third result was the account. He tapped into it and saw that the latest video had been posted ten minutes earlier. It contained only two pictures and a line of text, whose content was almost exactly what Xiao Jiu had described.
Gu Zhiyue scrolled through the comments below. Things were still fairly normal for now. Fans were defending Gu Shen Ci, but there was nothing inappropriate about their wording. Apart from a few comments that were somewhat extreme, everything was still normal.
Gu Zhiyue looked at the two pictures. [Do we have to wait until they make a huge scene before doing anything? How long will that take? Can't we just nip it in the bud?]
Xiao Jiu said, [I can't solve this either. You'll have to handle it yourselves, host. Why don't you go discuss it with Gu Shen Ci?]
[That wouldn't be very good, would it? What if my second brother doesn't know yet? Wouldn't I just be upsetting him by going to him? Mom said he'd been busy for two or three months before finally finding time to come home.]
[Then I really have no solution.]
Gu Zhiyue sighed and tossed his phone aside. [What a headache. Maybe I should just wait until my second brother notices it himself.]
Downstairs, Zhao Wanling had a face mask on and leaned against the sofa's soft backrest, her fingers typing rapidly on the screen. [Shen Ci, have you seen that video? Have you thought of a way to handle it?]
Gu Shen Ci replied, [I saw it, Mom. Right now, all those comments are just fans arguing among themselves. I have no reason to get involved at this point.]
Gu Shuoyan immediately sent a message. [These comments just keep getting worse. Cursing a complete stranger to die for no reason-if it were me, I'd sue that person into bankruptcy!]
Zhao Wanling replied to Gu Shuoyan, [Don't get angry yet. Think of a way to resolve this first, then get angry.]
Gu Shuoyan replied to Zhao Wanling, [But even my second brother doesn't have a solution right now. What solution could I possibly have?]
Gu Shen Ci fell silent for a few seconds. [The easiest way to resolve it is to wait for now. Let them keep making trouble. I can't interfere in arguments between fans, but didn't our little brother say it would eventually spread to me? If it really does affect me, and things become too serious to control, my team and the Gu Family's legal department will have legitimate grounds to take action.]
[That sounds like a pretty good plan, but are we just going to sit around waiting without doing anything?]
[Of course we need to start collecting evidence. When this video was posted, the harmful remarks in the comments-once the video has had some more time to spread, those malicious remarks and pictures will all be evidence.]
Zhao Wanling said, [I trust you boys to handle it. When you need to contact the legal department, leave that to me.]
Gu Zhiyue had no idea that a plan was taking shape without his knowledge. After leaving his phone beside him for a while, he picked it up again. He unlocked it with his fingerprint, and the same video appeared.
There were even more likes and comments now, all discussions or arguments between internet users. The comments contained all kinds of remarks. Fans were doing their best to defend their idol, while haters were doing their best to smear him.
[What is this troll saying? That my second brother got into the entertainment industry by sleeping with people at his agency? They'll say absolutely anything to smear him. They don't even think.]
[Some people even say Gu Shen Ci's identity is fabricated. Sleeping his way in is already one of the most common lines haters use. There are even nastier things to come.]
[My second brother really can take a lot. If it were me, I'd have flipped the table and walked out ages ago. It's not as if I couldn't afford the contract termination penalty.]
Xiao Jiu said, [Gu Shen Ci entered the entertainment industry because he liked it. He's stayed in it for so long purely out of personal interest.]
Gu Zhiyue gave a thumbs-up. [Impressive perseverance.]
Overnight, the conflict sparked by the video began taking a frightening, uncontrollable turn. The poster's real name, phone number, and address appeared in the comments, and people below began discussing sending the poster funeral wreaths, dead rats, and the like.
The poster refused to back down, and her language grew even more extreme. Because of this comment, she had accumulated hundreds of private messages in her inbox, and her follower count had passed several thousand.
Irrational fans edited and circulated the poster's photos and private information among themselves, which made the poster even angrier. She joined forces with other haters, and the two sides became locked in a furious exchange of insults.
Gu Zhiyue sat at the dining table, eating a steamed bun with one hand while looking at his phone in the other. [It's only been one night, and the fighting has already gotten this bad. That's terrifying. Huh? Are these people sick? They attack anyone who isn't on their side. This isn't how you support an idol. All they do is cause trouble for their idol.]
Zhao Wanling peeled an egg and put it on Gu Zhiyue's plate. "Sweetheart, eat first. You can look at your phone later."
"Okay." Gu Zhiyue set his phone beside him. After finishing his bun, he picked up the egg and ate it.
Gu Shuoyan nudged Gu Shen Ci's arm, asking with his eyes how things were going. Gu Shen Ci made an "OK" gesture at him.
Gu Zhiyue communicated with Xiao Jiu as he ate. [Those fans are way too extreme. They even attack their own people. They're so crazy.]
Xiao Jiu said, [Host, I've already collected some harmful remarks mentioning Gu Shen Ci, as well as some malicious remarks targeting fans. If you need them, I can turn them into a document and send it to your phone right now.]
[Of course I need them. Since when did you have such an impressive feature?]
Xiao Jiu chuckled. [I upgraded at midnight last night.]
[Nice. Upgrade more often from now on.]
Gu Zhiyue opened his phone to read the document. [They're not just insulting my second brother. They're even insulting innocent fans. Those innocent fans are getting dragged into trouble for no reason. They just wanted to follow their idol in peace, only to run into something this upsetting.]
Xiao Jiu suggested, [Host, when the Gu Family takes legal action to protect its rights, it could also protect the rights of these innocent fans who were insulted. That way, whether it's for its own sake or out of love for the fans, anyone else who objects will have no grounds to make more trouble.]
Gu Shen Ci raised an eyebrow, and his eyes seemed to brighten for a moment.
Gu Zhiyue praised the idea. [Clever! That way, those trolls won't be able to use the fans against him. As for the irrational ones, let them do whatever they want. If they even attack their own side, why keep them around?]
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