Chapter 59 Online Dating 26
The forum's attacks on Yuan Ying were like a carnival, and as the heat grew higher and higher, the other protagonist of the incident, the "victim" in the players' hearts, finally came forward. There was no anger of being deceived, no disappointment, and certainly no earth-shattering, broken friendship as they had imagined. Lai Si's emotions were surprisingly calm, but his anger was directed at someone else.
Lai Si: From beginning to end, Luo Ying has never deceived me, nor has she ever tried to obtain anything from me by faking her gender. Everything was a voluntary gift from me, and there was no deception involved. As an adult with sound judgment, I have full control over my assets, and who I give them to is none of anyone else's business. I don't know who you are, but please immediately delete your post and stop spreading rumors about Luo Ying. Please also stop using this as an opportunity to attack him.
Lai Si's account was hacked?
That shouldn't be the case. If someone else had been scammed, someone with a bad temper might have immediately challenged them to a solo match offline. How could Lai Si be so dignified?
Is it possible that Luo Ying really wasn't lying?
Okay, honey, whatever you say goes. My wife is the most important person in the world!
Baby, what kind of spell have you been cast on? Why are you defending him like this? Baby has been deceived by that scumbag, Mommy's heart aches so much [crying]
Male mother, get out of my world!
After Lai Si stepped forward, the people in the sky who had been silent all showed up, and the attack and insults were reversed in an instant. Then, even the people from Lu Tian came down to speak well of Yuan Ying, it was unclear whether it was because they had mistakenly killed him before, or because Feng Ting Bu Zhi still couldn't get rid of his longing for Lai Si.
The second half of the long thread either consists of seemingly rational statements analyzing the poster's identity, or it reveals a subtle breakdown in the defenses of the big shots who are protecting Yuan Ying.
Uh, some tech gurus say the photo is photoshopped, so can anyone tell us what the British dog actually looks like?
: Even after being insulted like this, the British dog doesn't dare to post a selfie. I doubt its looks.
Dude, there's a post on the previous page from a classmate of a British dog (a derogatory term for someone who is a racist), go check it out.
Too lazy to translate, what did it say?
It probably means that she looks alright, but has a rather gloomy aura, making it hard for people to feel good about her.
What kind of description is this? Is a British dog a ghost?
The problem is that apart from the appearance being made up by the poster, the rest, such as gender and school, seem to be true. It's obvious to everyone that the British dog has been trying to gain attention, so what kind of whitewashing is this?
Is it possible that the British don't care about your forum's reputation, only about Nice's reaction, and that Nice doesn't actually care at all?
How could someone as cunning and charlatan as Lai Siwenliang tolerate such a swindler and gold digger?
Actually, it's probably to save face for the big shot. They're afraid that too much public opinion will lead to the British dog being cyberbullied, so they might quietly break up in a few days.
[Crying][Breaking down] I want to cry just thinking about my beautiful, rich wife being harassed by a college graduate with blond hair!
I'll say it again, we don't have a college diploma!
Yuan Ying browsed through the comments again, each one reflecting in his dark eyes. Neither malicious speculation nor rare rational defense could stir any emotion in him, as if it were someone else, not him, whose information was being posted online for others to comment on and ridicule.
The screen flickered, his pupils dilated slightly, and the inexplicable tension in his heart relaxed. When he saw the second half of the speech that broke his defenses, he finally acted like a human being with emotions—the corners of his lips lifted, and a faint smile carried a hint of the smugness of a victor after a successful hunt.
Suddenly, the scrolling mouse stopped.
There's someone acting strange in the building.
Scrolling through all of this person's posts, the more I looked, the more familiar this person seemed with Lu Xuejin.
"It's okay, I'll feed my wife cherries, and the British dog will stay far away."
"Actually, Lai Si is a decent person. Even if he parted ways with Ying Gou, he wouldn't speak ill of others. My wife is a good girl; she just denies everything."
His remarks inadvertently revealed his familiarity with Lu Xuejin's tastes and personality.
Even her ID, "Sucking on Tomatoes," features the dishes that Lu Xuejin loves to eat.
Yuan Ying's nerves were stirred by this seemingly insignificant connection. His beastly intuition roared, and he immediately clicked into the homepage of "Sucking Tomatoes" and checked everything from his followers, favorites, to every post and every reply.
Suckling Tomatoes doesn't post frequently on the forum. Aside from this collective attack on Falling Blossoms, his last post was almost a year ago. He asked the poster for map coordinates and filter parameters in a photography studio. After some time, he replied: "I took photos with my baby, and he liked them very much. Great review."
Yuan Ying still remembers browsing Lu Xuejin's Moments at first. The endless circle of friends, similar to WeChat, allowed setting exposure times and restricted access groups. Many scandals involving two-timing or multiple romantic partners often begin with suddenly restricted access. Lu Xuejin's Moments had no access restrictions; even strangers could access it. He also liked to upload photos, and from his very first post, his journey in the game was clearly visible.
When asked about the reply, Lu Xuejin did indeed upload some photos with others during this period, including two or three of the maps mentioned in the post.
This thread wasn't very popular, with only 26 replies. Even if Lu Xuejin might have discovered the filming location from another platform, the timing was too coincidental.
Yuan Ying continued comparing, and almost every post at a relevant time could be found in Lu Xuejin's WeChat Moments. Coincidentally, the other person in those group photos was strikingly similar.
—Slower in the past.
Yuan Ying narrowed her eyes slightly, her profile appearing even more aloof under the screen light.
Did you only learn about his preferences because you were his former apprentice?
So Lu Xuejin and him will also keep their voices connected and chat from time to time, just like they are now?
Yuan Ying continued reviewing Congqianman's posts, moving back to before he became an apprentice—Yuan Ying remembered the timeline summarized by onlookers: Congqianman registered his account last May, and before even leaving the starting village, he was picked up by Lai Si and taken to the guild, remaining there until December when he went mad and broke up with the group, quitting the game. Logically, before May, this account shouldn't have posted anything on the game forums.
It's strange that not only does the old Slow appear, but it also frequently appears in posts on the other server.
Yuan Ying had a clue as to where he was going, so he clicked on the fan page of "Slowly in the Past" and dug it up inch by inch, eventually finding solid evidence.
Among the fans of "From the Past, Slow" (从前慢), three are clearly notorious toxic players from the other server, based on their past comments. One of them tagged "From the Past, Slow" in a post from several years ago, in a mecha game, saying: "I worship, I worship Shadow Master (影佬)."
Yuan Ying knew the resumes of Lu Xuejin's former apprentices like the back of her hand, and immediately thought of Qingmeijiu—the leader of the Assassin Gang in the neighboring server, a notorious toxic player, who brought a group of followers from other games with him when Endless Return first launched. This person used the character "Shadow" in all his game IDs, and his behavior was extremely eccentric. Some toxic players and skilled players called him Shadow Boss, while others contemptuously called him Shadow Ghost.
The answer is obvious—"Once Upon a Time" and "Plum Wine" are the same person.
No wonder a group of unknown people have been lying in wait to kill him recently.
Yuan Ying instantly understood the reasoning behind Changqianman's change of approach—Qingmeijiu was too assertive, extreme, and intense, like a raging fire. His displays of affection towards Lu Xuejin were more like an attack than genuine liking, ultimately leading to an uncontrollable situation. This failure prompted Qingmeijiu to adopt a different style—hence, Changqianman became sunny, cheerful, talkative, and harmless.
It's just that one person can never pretend to be someone with a completely different personality, or perhaps he realized that even if he used such methods, he still couldn't shake Lu Xuejin's heart, which led to his earlier slow and later crazy behavior.
Yuan Ying had no interest in experiencing more of his inner thoughts. Having obtained such leverage, he immediately found the chat box of "Congqianman"—they had previously had several conversations behind Lu Xuejin's back. "Congqianman" was particularly shameless in front of him, as if he was born without knowing what morality was. His words were straightforward and naked, almost saying that he would steal Lu Xuejin away one day.
Yuan Ying didn't take him to heart, nor did she intend to let this trivial matter interfere with his time with Lu Xuejin.
But now that we have leverage over them, even if they weren't much of a threat before—like a fly that's always buzzing around—it's better to swat them dead.
[Private Chat] Fallen Petals: Shadow Ghost.
[Private Chat] Luoying: You really went to great lengths. Does your baby know what you've done?
[Private Chat] From the Past: Ah. You found out.
[Private Chat] From the Past: Go tell him quickly. That's amazing. So proud of yourself.
[Private Chat] Slowly in the Past: You think you can meet him in real life? You're too naive.
[Private Chat] From the Past: I'm kind-hearted, and I have some good news for you. For someone from his family background, arranged marriages are very common. He doesn't need an arranged marriage, but he's been in poor health since childhood, so there's a pre-arranged marriage to "bring good luck" [sunglasses].
[Private Chat] From the Past: He has a fiancé.
[Private Chat] From the Past: There's a grayed-out alt account in the management of Heaven. Haven't you always wanted to find out who it is? It's Master's fiancé.
[Private Message] Slowly in the Past: Are you happy?
Yuan Ying's casual gaze suddenly froze.
...
Xiangsheli Street is bustling with people, lined with tall buildings, and robots and smart devices can be seen everywhere.
Shen Fangzhi hid in a corner, one button of his shirt undone, leaning against the white wall in a slightly relaxed posture, with a nonchalant smile on his face, but he was arguing with someone on the phone.
"You're really something. I only asked you to take care of him because I considered you a brother, and it turns out he got married in the game, and I only found out about it almost a week later. Our time difference isn't that big, is it?"
The fox calmly replied, "I've been too busy lately. Who knew he would suddenly get married?"
“Allen,” Shen Fangzhi called out the fox’s name, speaking in a low and slow voice, “You never care about the family business, what have you been so busy with? The only reason you've waited until now to inform me is because you think Yuan Ying is too much of a threat. Isn’t that right?”
There was a long silence on the other end of the phone, followed by a soft laugh. A half-smile played on Shen Fangzhi's lips, but his eyes remained expressionless. Amidst the hurried flow of people, some noticed the corner. Shen Fangzhi was quite well-known in this area, so those who stopped cast appraising glances at him. Shen Fangzhi looked up, and a sharp, hawk-like glint flashed across his eyes beneath the languid mist, so fast it was almost an illusion.
He quickly nodded in acknowledgment and then lowered his head to continue the call.
“We grew up together, I know exactly what you’re thinking. Stop pretending.”
The fox asked with a smile, "When will you be back?"
Shen Fangzhi straightened up, patted the dust off his back, and said, "Right away."
He hung up the phone and headed straight for the first-floor restrooms. As the elevator arrived, a tall, thin executive ran towards him: "Roy! Wait!"
Shen Fangzhi stopped in his tracks. The executive rushed up to him, his pale face flushed with color from running and anger. After catching his breath, the executive straightened his back and asked in bewilderment, "We're about to talk to Sequoia about our second round of financing. At such a crucial moment, you're telling me you're going to abandon the company and go back to China?"
“You’ve been here for four or five years, and even during your New Year’s and Spring Festival, I’ve never heard you mention going back to China. Did something happen to your family? But Roy, you used to curse your parents to have a car accident and go to hell with you. Those scumbags are worse off than we are. I don’t understand, what makes you abandon the company at such a crucial moment? We’ve worked day and night for so long, and it’s been so hard to get to where we are now. This is all our hard work!”
Upon hearing this, Shen Fangzhi smiled faintly, turned his wristwatch, and the cold, hard metal surface reflected a pair of dark gray eyes. His smile was roguish, yet also carried a hint of ferocity, like a wolf in a suit, unruly and untamed.
He said, "If I don't go back soon, my wife will run off with someone else."
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