Chapter Twenty-Two

Chapter Twenty-Two

Shen Wang, reading these comments online, felt indifferent.

He had weathered many storms and was unfazed by being cursed online. Not only was he unruffled, but he was also even enthusiastically reading and commenting on these posts one by one.

"This netizen is clearly an experienced keyboard warrior. His page is filled with either insults or cynical rants, a clear sign of an unhappy life."

"This person has such a cute profile picture, yet manages to curse for hundreds of words without a single dirty word. Impressive. Indeed, the cuter the profile picture, the harsher the insults."

"Someone actually defended me? They just mentioned that all leaks are anonymous now, and the truth is unclear, and they got scolded dozens of times. Poor kid."

While Shen Wang was completely unfazed by the situation, Li Pingping was infuriated, "Brother Shen! How can you let them slander you like this?"

Shen Wang looked up, his eyes innocent, "If they want to insult someone, I can't stop them. I can't exactly crawl through the internet to beat them up, right?"

"You!" Li Pingping, frustrated to the point of stomach ache, raised his voice, "Go and explain, you’re nothing like what those leaks claim!"

Shen Wang looked at him with pity, patting his head, "Oh, little brother, you’re still too young."

Not to mention the mystery of how his past was dug up and trending online, and who might be manipulating things from behind – even if he were to explain it himself, his words would seem weak and hardly anyone would believe him.

If he were to speak out now, it would only fuel the netizens' anger and lead to more attacks.

The best strategy, in fact, is to 'play dead,' hide away under a new identity, pretend nothing happened, and wait for the netizens to forget about this incident.

Watching the hateful comments and then looking at Shen Wang, who had suddenly adopted a Zen-like demeanor, Li Pingping took a few deep breaths and joined the fray, tapping furiously on the screen.

[Shen Wang is nothing like what's described in those leaks. You all just know how to anonymously leak information. Dare to reveal your own identities!]

Just as he was gearing up to continue his counter-attack, several new replies appeared under Li Pingping's comment.

[Are you the person involved? Asking others to reveal their identities is so domineering, just like what the rumors say about you.]

[Even if not directly involved, must be a friend or relative. But isn't Shen Wang an orphan? With his personality, it’s unbelievable that he even has friends.]

[Birds of a feather flock together. Shen Wang is of a certain type, so his friends must be similar.]

Unlike Shen Wang, Li Pingping didn't have the resilience to face such vitriol. Overwhelmed by anger, he blurted out a profanity with perfect pronunciation: "Damn!"

Besides Li Pingping, there were Wang Kai, Xu Cheng, Jian Yiqiu, and students from the neighboring dorm... Many spoke up for Shen Wang. But their voices in the vast online sea were like drops of water in the ocean, making no splash and quickly drowned out.

Furthermore, they were even mocked and attacked by excited netizens, branded as paid 'trolls' desperate for cash.

Shen Wang casually found a nearby internet café, booked a private booth, and checked the trending comments again. As expected, they were getting more intense.

Hiding and waiting for the storm to pass seemed like the best option, but Shen Wang wasn't someone to be easily manipulated.

Petty and vindictive, he planned to get back at not just the mastermind but also those insulting netizens.

Leisurely, Shen Wang booted up the computer and changed the username of his old account.

His information had been thoroughly exposed, even his long-unused Weibo account was dug up, its latest post flooded with abusive comments.

Someone noticed his changed nickname and typed angrily: [You’re still online in this situation? Just return the money, you vampire!]

After posting, they realized that Shen Wang had changed his nickname to... Your Dad Is Here?

[Is he mocking us?]

[This must be provocation, right? Right? Right?]

[I'm so angry! How dare he insult people? Today, I'm going to be the brave snowflake that confronts him.]

Just as the netizens were filled with righteous indignation, they were surprised to find that Shen Wang suddenly started a live stream.

[What is he doing?]

[Is he trying to ride the wave of popularity? We're giving him traffic by scolding him. Couldn’t become a star, so now he's debuting as an internet celebrity?]

[Such thick skin, truly shameless!]

The live stream initially showed a brief blackout. During this time, more and more people flooded in, filling the screen with a barrage of insults.

Soon, Shen Wang adjusted the camera, and his face appeared in the live stream. The relentless barrage of comments paused for a few seconds upon seeing his face.

Shen Wang, trying live streaming for the first time and looking at himself in the small window, clicked his tongue, "Indeed, good-looking people don’t translate well on camera. It doesn’t capture half of my beauty."

The netizens, who were initially stunned by his appearance: [......]

Seeing the long lines of ellipses float across the screen, Shen Wang raised an eyebrow, "Oh, you're here so soon."

For some reason, the indignant netizens who had come to criticize him felt an ominous premonition, suspecting that things might not go as they expected.

But soon, they got excited, rapidly sending messages in the live chat.

[You’re ungrateful to those who kindly supported you, extorting and blackmailing them, a true ingrate!]

[With your behavior, it's no wonder you ended up an orphan without parents.]

[Using edited videos to deceive our emotions, thinking you can debut just with your looks, do you think the entertainment industry is that easy?]

[Return the money to them!]

[Pay back the money!]

Shen Wang watched for a few seconds, appearing contemplative. Just when everyone thought he would cry and apologize or pretend to be pitiful, he suddenly laughed.

"That's it? Just this?" Shen Wang chuckled lightly.

Although they knew they shouldn't, this light chuckle still made many people's ears tingle, and they couldn’t help but lament for the umpteenth time – if only Shen Wang's character wasn’t so flawed.

"Just a few repetitive phrases over and over. You’re not tired of saying them, but I'm tired of hearing them," Shen Wang shook his head in disappointment, "Do you think you're righteous little police officers? You're just shut-ins who lie around at home, venting your presence online."

"Not only single but also poor and ugly, unloved in reality, lacking soulmates or close friends, not even close with family, praying there's no exam if you're a student, or no overtime if you're working."

"Led by the nose by selectively filtered information online, the only difference between you and the older generation forwarding rumors in their social circles is that they do it on social media, you do it on other platforms."

"Why not read a book when you have free time, rather than believing in indistinguishable rumors online? Otherwise, you’ll end up deleting your insults and pretending nothing happened after being proven wrong. How embarrassing."

This speech left everyone dumbfounded. They came with sleeves rolled up, ready to righteously condemn the morally corrupt Shen Wang, only to find him not only unapologetic but also scolding them without remorse.

Despite not using a single swear word, everyone felt as if they were hit in the knees by arrows, confused and infuriated.

[Who do you think you are to say these things?]

[Damn, you're the one who's morally bankrupt, and you have the nerve to lecture us?]

[What does our behavior have to do with you? At least we haven’t crossed the moral bottom line, but what about you? You’ve trampled the legal bottom line.]

"How would you know if I’ve crossed the legal bottom line? Are you a ghost following me or a fortune teller?" Shen Wang scoffed, "You curse at me, yet I'm not allowed to retaliate?"

"Is it only permissible for officials to start fires, or are you just too fragile inside, daring only to join the crowd in insulting others, yet crumbling when you're the one being insulted?"

"If you're going to insult others, be prepared to be insulted in return. With your mental fortitude, you're even worse than my younger brother."

Although no one knew who Shen Wang's younger brother was, his mocking tone and unbridled demeanor were enough to infuriate anyone into a spiritual outburst.

Li Pingping, who had been following Shen Wang's activities, was speechless upon discovering the live stream.

Wang Kai, lying on the neighboring bed and watching the live stream, laughed loudly, "Oh, Li, how low must your IQ be in Shen Ge's eyes to be used as a reference?"

Watching Shen Wang single-handedly take on numerous netizens, they sincerely remarked, "Shen Ge is just Shen Ge, beyond our comprehension."

While others were anxious and upset about him facing cyberbullying, Shen Ge had already started his counterattack, unleashing his own wave of online assault.

The netizens in the live stream, bombarded by Shen Wang's volley of comebacks, were hopping mad but helpless, raging impotently: [I type slowly, do you dare to have a live verbal spar with me?]

A live verbal spar? Shen Wang seemed contemplative. Seeing his reaction, the netizens, who were verbally thrashed, suddenly became energized.

[Pick me for the live connection, I'm exceptional at insulting!]

[I have a loud voice, let me verbally annihilate him.]

[The internet limits my performance, let's go face-to-face in a video confrontation.]

After several rounds of intense battles, everyone's blood was boiling, itching to roll up their sleeves and physically confront Shen Wang. Mere typing could no longer satisfy their urge, leading to a strong demand for a live connection.

With their eager guidance, Shen Wang quickly chose his first live opponent.

Soon, the screen showed a fierce-looking young man who started to curse as soon as he saw Shen Wang.

But Shen Wang was quicker: "Your wife is giving birth, and here you are arguing with me, a real scumbag."

"Nonsense, my wife's due in a month, it's still early for delivery!" the young man retorted without hesitation, "Don’t think you can divert the topic, I'm telling you, I won't fall for your tricks..."

As soon as the young man finished speaking, his phone rang, interrupting his remaining words. He glanced at the screen to see an unfamiliar number, hesitating between continuing the argument with Shen Wang or answering the call.

Shen Wang spoke calmly, "I suggest you answer the call."

"Just because you tell me to answer, I should? How would that look on me!" the young man retorted angrily, hanging up the call, "You this scum—"

Before he could finish, the phone rang again.

Torn between the urging messages on the live chat to keep insulting Shen Wang and his own unease, he finally, with gritted teeth, answered the call.

The voice on the other end was loud, amidst a noisy background: "Is this Liu Qiang? This is the Provincial Hospital. Your wife has been in a car accident and gone into early labor. Please come to the maternity ward as soon as possible..."

The young man almost thought it was a scam call, but upon hearing detailed information about his wife, he shuddered, abruptly left the computer, and dashed out.

Leaving the camera showing an empty room.

[??? What just happened?]

[Is this guy an actor hired by Shen Wang?? What the heck?]

Shen Wang calmly disconnected the live connection, smiling at the camera, "Who’s next?"

[Damn, I actually find this a bit creepy. Is this guy onto something mystical?]