Chapter 55

Inside and outside the door, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

In this chaotic information age where truth and falsehood are mixed, people have long lost the ability to judge the authenticity of information, or perhaps they have become numb to it.

However, even a small storm on the internet can be enough to drastically change the real lives of those caught in it.

Starting yesterday, while Josh was still unconscious, her phone began receiving frequent calls from unknown numbers. Later, hundreds of vicious text messages filled with self-conscious curses flooded in.

Chen Zhiyu realized that Qiao Dacheng must be behind this.

Rumors about Josh and Joe's abuse of the elderly, Josh seizing property, and Josh's refusal to acknowledge his biological father have flooded the internet like a torrent.

Various online media outlets forwarded the information without even verifying its authenticity, and netizens quickly erupted in anger, launching a barrage of criticism against Josh.

In a short time, Josh's private information was leaked by malicious individuals, who then launched a frenzied online manhunt against him.

The misled online public, seeking to vent their anger, launched attacks against her under the guise of 'justice'. Even worse, some of these individuals didn't want to understand the truth of the matter; they simply wanted to use it to release their own pent-up resentment.

They didn't give Josh a chance to refute their claims before making arbitrary judgments.

Josh was easily branded as an unfilial daughter, and they pinned unfounded accusations on her, such as "failing to support the elderly," "abusing the elderly to death," and "forcing the elderly to sign a will."

Another group of people were filled with righteous indignation, but were led by the nose by Qiao Dacheng throughout the entire process.

The mere appearance of words like "failing to support the elderly" or "abusing the elderly" seems to trigger some kind of command, prompting netizens to launch a massive attack.

They blindly believe one side of the story, or perhaps they simply don't care.

“Josh, I’ve already called the police, and they’re trying to trace the source of the information.” Chen Zhiyu was worried about Josh’s health, so initially he wanted to keep it from her, but now that things had come to this, he had no choice but to tell her everything.

“Some people are just idle; they only listen to one side of the story. Qiao Dacheng spread rumors that you cruelly kicked your father, who works away from home all year round, out of the house.” Tang Ning glanced at Chen Zhiyu next to Qiao Xi. “They even dug up information about Sister Qiao Mai and…”

Chen Zhiyu didn't want Qiao Xi to know any more details. Qiao Dacheng's disgusting behavior wasn't worth Qiao Xi's effort and worry. He hugged Qiao Xi and gently comforted her, "It will pass soon. Qiao Dacheng knows he has no chance of winning. He did this just to disgust us. If we really get dragged into this mess, his scheme will succeed."

Don't take it to heart.

Josh shook her head. She didn't really care; these opinions couldn't affect her.

She was simply curious how Qiao Dacheng, an illiterate scoundrel who could barely read a few words, could come up with such a method to try and force her out.

Attempting to use public opinion to force Josh to give up the property is not a scheme that Qiao Dacheng could come up with.

“Actually, as long as we find more dirt on Qiao Dacheng and successfully counterattack, he won’t dare to act recklessly. It would be great if we could find some substantial evidence of his crimes,” Xiao Yao suddenly said.

Josh shook her head helplessly, "I don't remember." Josh was too young at the time, and she had no idea what Qiao Dacheng had done.

"After all these years," Aunt Li said. "If you hadn't brought this up today, I wouldn't have known that Josh had been smeared like this online."

Seeing that Josh wasn't affected by the public opinion, everyone was relieved. She had a clear conscience, so she went to work as usual the day after she recovered.

Before any evidence could be unearthed from this information war, online public opinion surged like a rising tide, intensifying rapidly.

Josh's peaceful life was completely disrupted.

To her even greater surprise, anonymous whistleblower calls came to the company. Even worse, they launched a so-called "battle for justice" on the company's official Weibo account.

They thought they had the moral high ground and were blaming everyone associated with Josh.

At first, Josh didn't care, but she didn't want to implicate those around her, so she took the initiative to approach the company's leaders.

"Taking leave?" The company leader raised his eyebrows in surprise when he saw Josh's leave slip. He propped his arms on the corner of the table, wanting to have a long talk with her. "Josh, you interned at our company when you were in college. Your college advisor also told me some things about your situation. If it's because of the recent anonymous tip-off call, there's no need for that."

The leader spoke these words with great earnestness.

Their company would never indiscriminately fire an employee just to avoid controversy. Josh has been with the company for several years, and everyone has witnessed her hard work and abilities.

“We have our own judgment.” He pointed to his eyes and nodded. “We have eyes and we can make independent judgments.”

The leader's unexpected words warmed her heart. Josh smiled and said, "That's why I applied for a few days off to handle some miscellaneous matters." Of course, she wouldn't abandon her career for those baseless accusations. The short vacation was just to get back to normal life as quickly as possible.

"I really like our company, so I should cherish it even more."

"Alright." The leader paused for a moment, then nodded in agreement. "Josh, then I wish you a speedy return to the team."

...

After taking leave from work, Josh didn't immediately tell Chen Zhiyu. She planned to go home and treat herself to a good meal first, and then figure out a way to retaliate.

There must be someone behind Qiao Dacheng, or rather, the fact that this malicious post gained such popularity must be due to someone fanning the flames.

She couldn't panic, and she couldn't blindly launch a counterattack before she knew how many waves of enemies there were.

What's happening now isn't enough to defeat her. Josh took the bus directly to the terminal, went to the market to buy groceries, and then prepared to go home.

It's four o'clock in the afternoon, still early.

Josh's phone is set to block unknown numbers, so it remains silent even when it's on.

The police are also working diligently to trace the source of the information. Josh is reassured; she believes that this war without gunfire will soon be over.

......

"These people are really radical. What does this have to do with them? Is it really necessary to go to such lengths?" Yao Chen's hands were covered in red paint, and the pungent smell made him frown.

After he finished speaking, he turned to look at Chen Zhiyu, whose condition was even worse than his own. Chen Zhiyu's clothes were practically unusable. "Hey, what do we do now?"

Chen Zhiyu frowned, but remained calm. There was still time. He replied, "First, help me clean up the doorway so that Qiao Xi doesn't see it. I'm afraid she'll worry."

He doesn't believe that any radical netizens could actually go that far.

Most netizens simply express their opinions freely from behind the internet, or use technology to launch phone and text message attacks. They wouldn't be so bold as to openly go to someone's doorstep and throw paint.

This is why Chen Zhiyu went to great lengths to catch that person.

Chen Zhiyu only felt relieved after seeing the police take the person who splashed the paint away. This person knew their work hours, knew there weren't many people outside the neighborhood at this time, and also knew that neither he nor Josh were home.

Fortunately.

Chen Zhiyu was worried about Qiao Xi, so he skipped a non-major class to go home. On the way, he happened to run into Yao Chen, who was also going home without class, and that's how they happened to see the person who threw paint.

The man recognized Chen Zhiyu and, in a panic, splashed paint on them and fled. Fortunately, the two of them worked together to catch him.

Fortunately, he returned ahead of schedule.

Fortunately, Josh didn't run into him.

Chen Zhiyu stood on the steps at the gate, paused, and suddenly turned his head uneasily, seeing Qiao Xi who had been standing there for who knows how long.

The pungent smell of scarlet paint filled the stairwell and lingered for a long time. The writing on the already dirty walls was crooked and illegible.

Josh squinted slightly, slowly stepped up the stairs, ignoring Chen Zhiyu's shocked gaze, and handed him the dishes in his hand.

Chen Zhiyu hesitated before taking the paint. Seeing that Qiao Xi was looking at the contents of the wall, he turned around and blocked her view. "I called the police. The person who threw the paint will reveal who was behind it."

It's obvious who did it; as long as they can name the person who ordered it, they'll have some evidence in their hands. As for what's written on the wall, she doesn't care at all. "The handwriting is awful," is all Josh says.

However, one should always be wary. Remembering Qiao Dacheng's last words, Qiao Xi dared not let her guard down. So when she heard Chen Zhiyu say, "I just made a call and found someone to install surveillance cameras at the entrance. I also notified the community security personnel," she immediately became alert.

She felt relieved for the time being.

She had considered moving out, but was afraid that if problems arose, it would affect her neighbors. So, after careful consideration, Josh decided to stay here. "I asked my supervisor for leave and will go back to work once this matter is resolved," she said calmly.

Chen Zhiyu couldn't help but speak up, "Then I..."

Before he could finish speaking, Josh interrupted him sternly: "You better pay attention in class, and if I see you skipping class again, just try it."

Just then, Yao came out of the bathroom, muttering, "This paint is really hard to clean."

Yao Chen was also invited by Josh to stay for dinner.

Yao Chen and Chen Zhiyu first cleaned the wall, then installed the surveillance camera.

Afterwards, Chen Zhiyu followed Qiao Xi into the kitchen, and they tacitly avoided mentioning the unpleasant matter again.

Before dinner, the three of them gathered in the living room, but they were at a loss as to how to fight back, unsure of where to begin their investigation.

They plan to proceed step by step.

The IP address that posted the information was not located in China, just as the police said, indicating that the perpetrator was an experienced criminal.

They first took screenshots and recorded the screen of the information source, a complicated task.

Just as they were feeling frustrated, they suddenly heard soft footsteps outside the door, sometimes faint, sometimes faint, but for a long time there was no knocking. Because of the paint-throwing incident that had just happened, the three people inside were still shaken. They exchanged glances, and the next moment, Chen Zhiyu took out his phone, opened the app, and checked the surveillance footage.

Three heads were huddled together.

Seeing the scene outside the door, Josh's expression was complicated. Without saying a word, she stood up, walked to the door, and opened it.

Inside and outside the door, everyone looked at each other in bewilderment.

It was Tang Ning and Feng Zhao, along with a few others.

Josh broke the silence first, crossing his arms and leaning against the door, tilting his head and giving them a knowing smile. "Are you all hungry? Let's have a meal together, but... I might not have enough groceries."