Chapter 31

"I know. I'll get started right away. Don't worry, I have plenty of brain-dead fans. Steering public opinion will be a piece of cake..."

"No problem, sir. We can work out the green card. Just wait and see the results!"

After a few more words, he hung up and turned cheerfully to the short, brown-haired girl beside him. "Darling, we've landed a big job. If we do it well, we'll soon be able to emigrate and get green cards."

After her boyfriend explained what had happened, the short, brown-haired girl lit up as well. "What are we waiting for? Let's get started!"

A few minutes later.

A verified Weibo influencer with eight million followers published an article that immediately drew hundreds of thousands of reposts and likes, as well as enormous controversy.

The article was titled: "He's only twenty. What makes him worthy?"

Its contents went roughly as follows: "Jiang Ye's background is no longer a secret. His life up to now could be described as utterly ordinary, with nothing remarkable about it, and his family isn't rich either. So why did he suddenly shine so brightly on the very day the show began, solving one world-class mathematical conjecture after another, all by such a 'coincidence'?"

"I believe the authorities are most likely backing him, with one mathematics heavyweight after another in our country supporting him, all to contend with the Ten Conglomerates. Jiang Ye himself actually has no ability whatsoever. He's nothing but a puppet!"

As soon as the article appeared, it sparked discussion among netizens, and quite a few agreed with its argument.

A highly liked comment read: "I'm happy to see a compatriot excel, and I can accept seeing one make a fool of himself, but I absolutely cannot accept cheating to put on a show in front of the whole world. Worst of all, the show was so shoddy that people saw through it at a glance!"

"Solving conjectures and talking to the next intelligent civilization—I don't think anyone could do that. Reading the article really opened my eyes. It's far too 'fake'!"

"Those of you who kept singing the praises of his lofty mindset, get out here! I knew it. How could someone whose first twenty years were so ordinary possibly solve conjecture after conjecture? How could every single step be such a coincidence?"

Light-Colored Moon, a verified Weibo influencer with twenty million followers, immediately brightened when she saw this argument emerge.

"Sure enough, Dragon Country men are all no good. The way they conduct themselves and do things is utterly despicable. Well, now they've embarrassed themselves in front of the whole world. Sisters, remember, if you're going to find a man, find a foreigner. Whatever you do, don't find a Dragon Country man."

With Light-Colored Moon fanning the flames, the topic grew even hotter and shot straight to the top of the trending list.

At the same time, countless people reposted it on short-video platforms such as Douyin, Kuaishou, Toutiao, and Xigua.

Cherry Loli had seven million followers on Douyin and usually liked posting dance videos that captivated many otaku.

"Hmph, so it was the authorities behind him all along, supporting him by means we can't detect. That means he probably knows we're out here and knows he's taking part in a show!"

"He's so thick-skinned. He's not even as good as Amaiwa Yusuke from Neon Country. At least he's more genuine."

As soon as the video came out, countless people left comments in agreement.

"He really isn't as good as the other five contestants. At least they aren't putting on an act; they're genuine. Dragon Country men are just like that, always trying to be clever. Well, now they've tried to steal a chicken only to lose the rice used to lure it."

Sage of Six Paths, who had more than four million followers, posted his latest video:

"For the first twenty years of his life, he was ordinary through and through. He never won any awards or achieved any remarkable results. It was the same with his studies and his social life. Yet on the very first day of the show, he suddenly shone. Do you really believe that?"

A well-known Bilibili creator said: "People are puzzled by how ordinary Jiang Ye's previous life was. The only possibility is that he knew about his own talent and worried that the tallest tree in the forest would be the first to be broken by the wind..."

For a while, countless influencers and streamers with a keen nose for trends joined in, chasing the hot topic.

"He alone has made all of us unable to hold our heads up in front of our international friends."

"That's right. Several of my foreign classmates have made fun of me over this. I'm so speechless. Please, can he get out already and stop embarrassing us!?"

"I knew it. In my heart, oppa is definitely the best."

"We have to make him socially dead!"

"Make him get out of the show!"

A small number of people spoke up for Jiang Ye, but their voices were drowned out before long, and they were doxxed and subjected to a wave of condemnation.

Chapter 31: We Must Not Let Our National Hero Shed Tears, the State Strikes Back Hard (Kneeling to Beg for All Kinds of Support)

Condemning Jiang Ye seemed to have become a feast for these influencers, and they reveled in their constantly growing follower counts.

The online public opinion that had caused a sensation at home continued to ferment and grow more explosive, and naturally, it soon spread internationally as well.

And this new argument was immediately endorsed by 80 percent of netizens from various countries.

"Oh my God, I knew it. A monkey actually managed to solve Goldbach's Conjecture? Maybe someone of Chinese descent in our Sam Empire leaked it."

"Aishiba, Goldbach's Conjecture was solved by our Great Han People! Dragon Country agents stole it to support Jiang Ye. How despicable!"

"Baka, the Chinks' ingrained inferiority hasn't changed. They deliberately put on a show for us using such despicable, shoddy methods. It's unforgivable. A people like that don't deserve to take part in the show."

"I strongly demand that he get out of the show!"

"That's right, make him get out of the show!"

At that moment, 90 percent of viewers from various countries and 70 percent of domestic viewers were flooding the screen with comments, all telling Jiang Ye to get out of the show.

Inside a certain special department in Dragon Country.

Zhang Puze stared, utterly dumbfounded, at the sudden upheaval in online public opinion.

He had originally been dealing with something else, and only learned about it when his assistant hurriedly told him.

At that moment, even his assistant and a group of colleagues were looking at him questioningly. Their meaning was: Are the higher-ups really supporting him behind the scenes? Are we cheating?

"Ahem, I'll make a call and ask the higher-ups." Zhang Puze didn't know what to do either. After all, the argument that had caused such huge controversy was not without reason.

He found a place where no one was around, and the call soon connected.

After Zhang Puze had explained what was happening online:

"Old Leader, did you already know that the Ten Conglomerates were going to hold this show, and then have an agent planted among them deliberately select him? So..."

"Nonsense!" Before Zhang Puze could finish voicing his imagined theory, a thunderous shout from the other end of the phone interrupted him.

The person on the other end continued, "Think about the key point. What matters is that he was able to solve three world-class conjectures in succession."

"To be honest, Dragon Country's mathematics community is already far behind those abroad. If someone really had three world-class conjectures, who would willingly hand them over?"

"The honor, money, and status those three world-class conjectures would bring are things even the state couldn't compensate for. If it were you, would you hand them over to Jiang Ye?"

The old leader's words made Zhang Puze see the light, and his face immediately filled with self-reproach.

"Old Leader, I understand. I know what to do!"

"Mm. Some people worship foreigners and fawn over them, subjecting our national hero to such unjust online abuse. You must deal with it strictly and severely."

"We must not let our national hero shed tears. Do you hear me?"

"Yes. Rest assured, Old Leader!"

After hanging up, Zhang Puze's previously self-reproachful face was suddenly filled with murderous intent.