Her eyes shone with an unprecedented determination—the courage to break free of her cocoon and the resolve to be reborn from the ashes.
Ning Yuan and Yan Yangyang exchanged a surprised glance. They had originally thought that Chu Hongyu would choose to suspend her studies to temporarily escape the public scrutiny.
Unexpectedly, she recovered so quickly and even wanted to fight back.
Chu Hongyu gave a self-deprecating chuckle, her tone tinged with bitterness and self-mockery, but devoid of any weakness—
"It's enough to be stupid once. Compared to Young Master Ning, who gave up his academic dreams to pursue business, only to be betrayed by his childhood fiancée and couldn't even hold onto his CEO position... he didn't give up, so how can I not pull myself together?"
She had witnessed firsthand that even a prodigy like Ning Bingyu could be so pathetic and in such pain.
Chu Hongyu thought to herself with a self-deprecating smile.
When people are feeling down, comparing how miserable they are can be an effective way to salvage their mood.
Ning Yuan: "...Ah, he has this function too?"
What happened? Sister Hongyu quit her job as a junior assistant after only half a month. How could she know so much about her cheap brother's messy affairs?
Even as her younger sister, she didn't know that the girl had given up her academic dreams?
Ning Yuan said decisively, "Sister Hongyu, I'll help you!"
Regardless, it's a good thing that people can pull themselves together and still feel hatred!
Grandma Xia brought over three bowls of wontons, placed them on the table, and said with a smile, "Yes, it's no big deal, look at us two old folks..."
As she spoke, she gestured towards Rong Zhaonan, who was sitting not far away talking to Chen Chen—
"And then there's Nan, what storms and hardships hasn't he weathered? It's good enough that he's alive. What does reputation matter? It's just a minor setback! If scum can't break us, we'll always find a way to deal with them!"
Chu Hongyu smiled through her tears: "Yes!"
After the group finished their late-night snack, Chu Hongyu used the public phone at the entrance to call her parents and explain what had happened.
Chu Hongyu couldn't help but tear up again after hearing what her parents said on the other end of the phone. She took a few deep breaths to suppress her tears and hung up.
Ning Yuan asked Yan Yangyang to escort her inside to rest, and then called Ning Bingyu.
Ning Bingyu's relaxed and cheerful voice came from the other end of the phone: "Why are you calling at this hour?"
He had just finished taking a bath and was in a very good mood.
Ning Yuan didn't beat around the bush and said directly, "You have to help with Chu Hongyu's matter."
There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, followed by Ning Bingyu's cold voice: "Why should I? I owe you a favor, not her!"
"Of course, you can use this favor on her as you please." He paused, then added, his tone somewhat nonchalant.
Hearing this, Ning Yuan couldn't help but roll her eyes inwardly. This older brother really knew how to scheme.
She snorted, a hint of threat in her voice: "Just because you caused her trouble, if you don't listen to me, I'll send Lu Jingui over to you tomorrow!"
There was a sudden silence on the other end of the phone.
A few seconds later, Ning Bingyu's voice, tinged with gritted teeth, came through: "...You're threatening your own brother for the sake of a roommate?"
Ning Yuan said coolly, "Yes."
Ning Bingyu took a deep breath; he knew he was going to be driven crazy by this char siu girl sooner or later: "Speak first!"
Ning Yuan muttered a few words to herself, and Ning Bingyu, after listening, said without revealing his emotions, "Alright, I understand."
Ning Yuan hung up the phone, and soon after, Rong Zhaonan and Chen Chen came out. Ning Yuan discussed the matter with them for a while and finalized the details.
The next morning, Ning Yuan went to see Director Chu. She knew that although Director Chu was rigid, he was still clear-headed when it came to matters of principle.
Moreover, Director Chu experienced that particular era and has a deeper understanding of the harmfulness of such things.
When I met Director Chu, he was indeed having a headache over what happened yesterday.
Ning Yuan didn't beat around the bush; she went straight to the point and explained the seriousness of the matter and the potential negative impact and consequences.
She knew that some things didn't need to be said too explicitly; Director Chu would naturally understand.
"Yes, I will discuss it with your college leaders..." Director Chu listened attentively, his brows furrowed, and his expression grew increasingly serious.
He naturally understood what Ning Yuan meant.
This matter has blown up too much. The school was planning to meet with Chu Hongyu to ask about the specifics.
But Ning Yuan is also right—
If such a matter is not handled properly, it will not only affect the school's reputation, but also cause irreparable harm to the students.
In the afternoon, new announcements were posted all over the Fudan University campus, with bright red titles that were particularly eye-catching—
Students are strictly prohibited from using any means to slander, frame, or attack other students due to personal grudges. Anyone caught doing so will be severely punished.
The announcement did not explicitly state which issue it was addressing, but it was clear to everyone that it was a statement made in support of the Chu Hongyu incident.
The school specifically emphasized "personal grudges," which undoubtedly suggests that the matter is not as simple as the rumors suggest, and may very well be the work of someone.
Public opinion began to shift subtly, and many students began to reflect on whether they had believed the rumors too easily and wronged Chu Hongyu.
After the school notice was posted, Jin Bianjiang also took action.
He posted a large-character poster next to the notice in his capacity as the leader of the law research group for law students.
The lengthy article, from a legal perspective, strongly criticized this behavior of slandering classmates and retaliating without solid evidence, and called on everyone to resist this unhealthy trend.
The moment Jin Bianjiang's big-character poster was put up, the effect was immediate, and everyone became more cautious in their speech.
Several girls even secretly came to Yan Yangyang to ask who Chu Hongyu had offended.
The unfavorable winds for Chu Hongyu instantly reversed by 50%.
Meanwhile, Chu Hongyu continued to attend classes as usual, accompanied by Yan Yangyang.
Faced with verbal attacks and probing from others, she did not hesitate to confront and fight back directly, rather than trying to prove herself. She was sharp-tongued and refused to admit anything, which in turn changed the minds of many people.
Walking down the street, people would occasionally point and whisper about her, but no one dared to talk about her to her face anymore.
Two days later, in the evening, the afterglow of the setting sun filled the dormitory, and the air was filled with the aroma of food.
Yan Yangyang returned to Grandma Xia and Grandpa Tang's teachers' dormitory and reported the results of their battle to everyone!
She tossed her schoolbag onto the table, eagerly sat down, picked up her rice bowl, and began to shovel into her mouth, excitedly saying as she ate—
"Now the focus of everyone's discussion has become—guess who this spoiled brat offended!"
Ning Yuan had just returned from the construction site of the Tenth Department Store, her face still showing signs of fatigue. She walked to the sink, turned on the tap, and washed her face with cold water. Water droplets slid down her cheeks, carrying away the dust and weariness.
She sat down while wiping her hands: "Some people want to dominate public opinion, so let's fight a war of public opinion with them, blur the focus, and throw out bigger gimmicks to attract attention."
This tactic, decades later in the era of self-media, has long been a common and overused method for celebrities or special events to trend on social media.
But the 1980s were still very fresh.
"Next, we'll arrest the people who put up the big-character posters!" Chu Hongyu looked at Ning Yuan, a cold glint in her eyes.
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