Chapter 98 - 71: The School Takes Action
He continued to scroll down. The second top-voted comment was, it seemed, from a Yannan University student.
[LMAO, does the person above not know our Lin Shen? He’s the man of the hour at Yannan University right now! Link here → [Video Link] "When you’re in a bar and hear a guy start singing Ordinary Road..."]
Intrigued, Chen Lin clicked on the link.
The video was a bit shaky, clearly filmed secretly on a phone, but the sound quality was decent.
The video showed him on his last night performing at Back Street Bar, sitting on a high stool with his guitar, singing "Ordinary Road."
He returned to the original video and scrolled through the replies.
[AHHHH! This guy’s singing is absolutely insane!]
[He’s on the same level as those professional singers and their so-called "legendary live performances"!]
[I need his contact info!]
[A singing god and an academic god. Chen Lin is truly a legend!]
Chen Lin chuckled as he read the replies, feeling his vanity pleasantly satisfied.
The rest of the comments were overwhelmingly in support of him and Shen Yan, while also denouncing Yang Han.
However, just as he was about to exit the video, a comment that seemed out of place suddenly caught his eye.
[Heh, am I the only one who thinks this was staged? Baiting someone, deliberately waiting for them to voice their doubts, and then this guy Chen Lin comes out to save the day. A wave of hype to get famous... isn’t the script a little too obvious?]
Chen Lin raised an eyebrow. ’Oh? My favorite kind of person: a contrarian.’
Full of curiosity, he clicked to see the replies to this comment.
Sure enough, the commenters below showed this self-proclaimed "enlightened one" no mercy.
[Is your brain full of conspiracy theories? Your IQ account is overdrawn; I suggest you go top it up.]
[Anyone with a brain wouldn’t say something like that. Even if there was a script, the question from the Academician was impromptu. If he couldn’t solve it, wouldn’t that have been even more humiliating? Who would take that risk?]
[LMAO, so by your logic, Academician Liang is a hired actor too? Do you have any idea what his appearance fee would be? You could sell yourself and it wouldn’t even cover a fraction of the cost!]
[Exactly. A script? Why not just say the entire modeling competition was organized just for the two of them?]
Chen Lin laughed as he read, about to like each of the comments, when an image posted in the replies amidst all the mockery caught his attention.
It was posted by a user named "Melon-Patch Lurker." The image was a screenshot from Weibo.
Chen Lin clicked to enlarge the image and took a closer look.
The screenshot was of a minor influencer with tens of thousands of followers and the username "Big Spitting Mushroom." She had reposted the very video Chen Lin was watching, accompanied by a text filled with righteous indignation:
[#ModelingCompetition# I really can’t stand to watch this anymore! Does an excellent female university student deserve to be publicly humiliated just for raising a reasonable question in the pursuit of academic rigor? That guy, Chen Lin, acts all aggressive and ungentlemanly just because he solved one problem! What’s even more ridiculous is that a bunch of people in the comments are cheering him on. What has happened to society? Sisters, let’s help our fellow student Yang Han. We can’t let her suffer this baseless cyberbullying alone!]
Pinned in the comments of this Weibo post, "Big Spitting Mushroom" had also thoughtfully attached a guide with talking points for controlling the narrative:
[Suggested angles: 1. This was a completely staged publicity stunt, deliberately setting a trap to use a woman as a stepping stone for fame! 2. Forcing her to apologize at the end was basically a preview of workplace bullying—totally classless! 3. We support fair competition, not this kind of grandstanding, one-man show!]
’Well, I’ll be damned. So that’s where the conspiracy theory comment came from!’
Chen Lin stared, dumbfounded.
’Damn. Now he really believed what Yunqing had said that afternoon.’
’Isn’t this a textbook case?’
Chen Lin didn’t know this minor influencer "Big Spitting Mushroom," but the "sisters" in her comment section clearly had never met Yang Han.
But they didn’t care about the truth at all. They just needed a pretext to vent their particular brand of outrage and ideology.
’Chen Lin was secretly glad that his habit of being cautious and low-key was ingrained to the bone.’
Whether it was Weibo, Tieba, or the major video streaming sites, all of his social media accounts used completely unrelated screen names. His profile pictures were just landscapes or anime screenshots, and he hadn’t revealed a single bit of personal information.
’Otherwise, with the tens of thousands of followers "Big Spitting Mushroom" commanded, he’d be hounded to death if they actually targeted him.’
Just then, another WeChat notification popped up at the top of his phone’s screen.
In the "406 Crouching Tigers, Hidden Dragons" group chat, messages started flooding the screen.
Wang Tao: [HOLY SHIT, HOLY SHIT! Brother Lin! I’m not worthy! You’re a damn beast!]
Li the Monkey: [Brother Lin! From now on, you’re my real brother! Solving a problem in front of the academician and shutting that girl down so she was speechless... Badass! Totally badass!]
Clearly, those two had also seen the video.
Amused, Chen Lin’s fingers danced across the screen.
Chen Lin: [I wanted to interact with you guys as an ordinary person, but in return, I was met with distance.]
The next second, he skillfully pulled a sticker from his collection.
Chen Lin: [[No more pretending. I’m laying my cards on the table.jpg]]
As soon as he sent the sticker, Chen Lin felt like one of those nouveau riche characters in a movie.
High on the familiar joy of bantering with his bros, he sent them each a 66-yuan red packet.
Chen Lin: [[WeChat Red Packet]]
The moment the red packet appeared, the group chat exploded.
Wang Tao: [Holy shit! What a generous boss!]
Li the Monkey: [666! Godfather, please accept this humble son’s worship!]
Just as the two of them were frantically spamming the chat, Fatty Zhao, the one who was always quickest to find things online, dropped a link.
Fatty Zhao: [Everyone shut up and look at this! The university made a move!]
Curious, Chen Lin clicked on it. The page redirected to Yannan University’s official website.
A freshly published official statement was displayed prominently on the homepage.
The title was concise and to the point: "A Solemn Statement on Upholding the Legal Rights of Our Students and Our Academic Reputation."
The statement’s content was composed, its wording precise. It began by briefly stating that during a national academic competition, students from other institutions had made "public accusations with no factual basis" against this university’s contestants. Then, the tone shifted, growing more forceful.
[...In response to such actions that severely damage the personal reputation of our students and the overall academic reputation of our university, we issue our strongest condemnation. The university reserves the right to take all necessary legal action to resolutely defend the legitimate rights and interests of our students. We firmly believe that the halls of academia should not be sullied by rumors, nor should the pursuit of truth be used as a pretext for malicious attacks...]
After reading it, Chen Lin nodded in satisfaction.
’Principal Chang Kai really moves fast.’
Chen Lin knew that, as was customary, Yannan University’s official accounts on all social media platforms would also publish the statement. It would serve as a warning shot to anyone thinking of stirring up trouble.
This statement both showed the school’s firm stance in backing its students and laid the groundwork for potential future legal action. It was, one could say, watertight.
Speak of the devil.
Chen Lin had just finished reading the statement when a WeChat message from Principal Chang Kai popped up.
Chang Kai: [Chen Lin, the incident at the modeling competition has stirred up some discussion online.]
Chang Kai: [I have already asked our university’s legal team to start monitoring the situation online. If you find yourself the target of large-scale defamation or personal attacks—what you young people call ’cyberbullying’—you must contact me at once. The school’s legal aid center is ready to provide you with the most professional support and assistance at a moment’s notice.]
Chen Lin’s heart warmed.
This principal might operate like a shrewd businessman, but when it came to his own people, he was second to none.
Chen Lin: [Okay, I understand. Thank you for your concern, Principal.]
Chang Kai: [Good. Be sure to protect your personal information. Also, since this matter has already gained some traction, the university may need to arrange a formal interview to address public interest. Would you be willing to be interviewed by the media?]
’An interview?’
Chen Lin looked at the question, his finger hovering over the screen as his mind started racing.
Accepting an interview now would certainly allow him to use the university’s platform to establish a positive public image.
’Hmm... but he felt that wasn’t quite enough.’