Chapter 48: Internet-Wide Blessings
When he was very young, he was taken to his mother’s tea parties every week.
Shi Ye was the youngest of the four. They were all at the age to run and jump, but he couldn’t even walk properly.
Zhou Xie was completely different back then. He took Li’ao skiing, rock climbing, parkour… even tennis was started by Zhou Xie.
Shi Ye wasn’t convinced, so he played along too. And because he didn’t get along with Zhou Xie, he swore to be better than him.
Only Leon sat quietly on the side reading books, not joining their battles.
Later, a hot-blooded anime became popular. Shi Ye and Zhou Xie liked the same character, so the tea party activity changed from fighting to watching anime together.
Leon had no interest and still read books on the side.
Later, when they were older, Zhou Xie became a general for his father to gain votes from various states, frequently appearing on federal news.
Zhou Xie said he would be president like his dad in the future.
Li’ao always listened to his cousin and said he would follow his cousin’s lead.
Shi Ye liked a lot of things: boxing, racing, tennis…
Although everyone had family responsibilities, they all had one or two personal preferences. But Leon seemed like a “robot” who didn’t care about the world. Even among the tea snacks at the party, he didn’t particularly like any of them.
Shi Ye always thought he would follow the family arrangement to go research in some god-forsaken place for decades, eventually becoming a good example of lifelong dedication to federal technology in history books.
But now, Shi Ye despairingly realized that Leon liked Wen Rong.
Actually, he had a premonition the day he saw Wen Rong kissing Leon. He was just temporarily confused by Wen Rong’s denial, unilaterally believing that Wen Rong and Leon weren’t a couple, completely ignoring that the “misunderstanding” stemmed from Leon making such ambiguous moves on Wen Rong.
“What are you thinking about?”
Shi Ye snapped back to reality, realizing they had walked from the classroom to the school building entrance. The sky was gray, looking like rain.
He casually made up a line: “Thinking about how Shi Jing will tattle.”
Leon cracked his neck, smiling nonchalantly. “He can only go to Zhou Xie’s office to cry, scream, and threaten suicide. Could he find another nanny in the academy?”
“Zhou Xie will look for you.”
“I think he’ll look for you first. You parked your car on the roadside again; they put a ticket on it.”
The red LaFerrari was parked boldly on the roadside. The student council’s warning was stuck on the window. Shi Ye tore it off without a care, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it into the trash can.
Leon opened the door and got in first. “Take me back to the Administration Building.”
After getting in the car, Shi Ye couldn’t help but ask, “Coming from so far away, you were really anxious about Wen… that loser.”
Leon buckled his seatbelt. “Why call him a loser again?”
Shi Ye rubbed his thumb against the steering wheel, determined to say something he didn’t mean. “Isn’t it pathetic how he looks afraid to scold people when Shi Jing clings to him?”
“You dislike him that much? But the forum says you deliberately sat next to him in class and kept him back after class.”
Shi Ye was silent for a moment, then said, “I ran into him at the cafeteria this morning. I realized Shi Jing likes him, so I wanted to use him to piss off Shi Jing.”
“Don’t use him for things like that.”
“Well, for your sake, I—”
Leon cut in, “You don’t need to do it for my sake. He helped you get rid of Zhao Zeyang and made you the Tennis Club captain. Just based on that, you should at least respect him.”
Shi Ye made a loud “tsk,” deliberately emphasizing his disdain. “We’re already even on that. I got a Yellow Card because of him, and supported him against Zhou Xie. If I hadn’t covered for him, could he attend class peacefully with a Red Card?”
“Why aren’t you driving yet?”
Shi Ye: “…”
Shi Ye inhaled imperceptibly, calming his mind, turned on the signal, and stepped on the gas.
The autumn wind was slightly cold, shaped like needles. Not long after the car drove out, the bones in his face ached from the stinging wind.
He changed his mind.
Love isn’t long-lasting. Shi Changyuan and his mother were a match made in heaven and married for love, yet they ended up like that. It was better to maintain the friendship they grew up with.
“Those people on the forum are talking nonsense! What ‘fearing the clinging man’? And they dare open a poll betting on Shi Jing winning? Bah, who does that kid think he is…”
Lin Qizheng cursed all the way, taking on the indispensable role of atmosphere creator.
Otherwise, Wen Rong and Zhang Lin would be very awkward.
The moment he saw Senior Zhang Lin appear, the grievance in Wen Rong’s heart from being entangled by Shi Jing surged out. He couldn’t hold it back at all, and even after being led away, he continued to sob for a while.
But throughout the journey, Zhang Lin didn’t speak. Wen Rong felt a bit lost, not knowing if the senior had forgiven him or not.
“Youngest, listen to me. If he looks for you again, just—”
Zhang Lin interrupted annoyed, “He already has a Red Card. If he makes a move, he’ll be expelled directly.”
Zhang Lin’s words inexplicably comforted Wen Rong. Joy appeared in his eyes. “Senior, have you forgiven me?”
Zhang Lin: “…”
Lin Qizheng: “…”
Did he not forgive me?
Wen Rong lowered his head timidly, daring not to speak again.
After a moment, Lin Qizheng put his hand on Wen Rong’s shoulder. “Hey, Youngest, did you break a celestial law? What do you need forgiveness for?”
Wen Rong looked eagerly at Zhang Lin.
Lin Qizheng looked at Zhang Lin. “Could it be that the Campus Goddess ultimately belongs to you, the cross-dressing big shot? If this news gets out, everyone will go crazy.”
Zhang Lin slapped him. “Get lost.”
Zhang Lin looked at Wen Rong, silent for a few seconds, then said with frustration, “Why can’t your brain ever turn a corner? Do you have to be so literal that people must spell everything out? Can’t you understand implied meaning?”
Wen Rong could see his expression looked like he was about to get angry again, so he didn’t dare speak.
“I—” Zhang Lin’s chest puffed up, holding back a big breath.
Lin Qizheng asked curiously, “What? Did you two fight in private?”
He scratched his head. “That’s not right. Don’t the three of us meet together? Did you two have a private duel on Black Pigeon behind my back?”
Zhang Lin: “He thought I cut ties with him after the argument that day!”
“Which day?”
“The day we argued about cheating in marriage.”
Lin Qizheng looked at Wen Rong in surprise. “Oh my god.”
Wen Rong felt like he had made a huge mistake and lowered his head, afraid to speak.
Lin Qizheng hugged Wen Rong’s shoulders and shook him. “What are you thinking? Isn’t cutting ties with Zhang Lin a good thing? Count your friends on your fingers: Leon, Shi Ye, Shi Jing… which one isn’t awesome? Zhang Lin is nothing—”
Before he finished, Zhang Lin slapped him again. “Get lost.”
Then he said to Wen Rong, “Anyway, I’m not angry. People usually forget small arguments like that the next day. Normal people tacitly agree not to mention it again. Don’t chase after me apologizing and promising not to do it again; it puts a lot of pressure on me. I don’t even know how to reply to you.”
Did my apology pressure the Senior?
Wen Rong didn’t understand how one could forget an argument the next day and never mention it again.
But he was a little afraid to ask because the Senior just said not to dwell on such questions. He was afraid asking would drive the Senior crazy.
Who knew Zhang Lin would spot it anyway. “You want to ask again, right? Staring with that expression and saying nothing makes me feel like I’m guilty.”
Lin Qizheng patted him. “You know he’s dense, can’t you just say it directly?”
“…” Zhang Lin rubbed his forehead. “I was also at fault for not speaking clearly. I think you were much more likable before when you said whatever was on your mind. Just ask if you have something in the future. That day was partly my problem too; I didn’t control my emotions well. Anyway, you don’t need to apologize to me anymore for things that people forget after a nap.”
Lin Qizheng agreed, “Right, right, right. It’s really a small matter. It’s stupid to cut ties over something so small; we aren’t kids. Look, Zhang Lin and I have argued many times, and we’re still fine. Haven’t you had conflicts with your brothers before?”
Wen Rong recalled the conversation just now and concluded that the seniors still wanted him to be honest. So he weighed his words and answered truthfully, “I haven’t made friends before. This is my first time being friends with you guys, so I’m not very skilled at it. I won’t dwell on this kind of thing in the future. If there’s anything else I’m doing wrong, you must tell me.”
The two fell silent for a moment, exchanging glances.
Lin Qizheng: “Do you feel like he’s a bit too honest?”
Zhang Lin: “Yeah.”
In the brief conversation, the two seemed to reach a consensus.
Lin Qizheng turned back to ask Wen Rong, “Youngest, do you have a social account on Blue Book?”
“What is Blue Book?”
Lin Qizheng turned to Zhang Lin. “Great.”
Zhang Lin: “We actually found a country bumpkin who hasn’t been on the internet.”
“And we only found out today.”
“Luckily we didn’t find out after graduation.”
“It’s time to throw him into the big dye vat to learn some smooth talk.”
Wen Rong: “……”
Wen Rong: “?”
Lin Qizheng patted his chest and announced loudly, “Since the President isn’t free anyway, I declare our club activity changed to operating Blue Book accounts. As the reformation target, Youngest, you must participate.”
The plan was set. Wen Rong arrived at Room 100 on time that evening as requested by Lin Qizheng.
With Lin Qizheng’s help, Wen Rong learned that Blue Book was currently the hottest app in the federation; almost everyone in the alliance created accounts there to share their lives.
“Now, as a member of the Floriman Academy News Club, the first task I assign you on behalf of the President is to run an account to 10,000 followers.”
Wen Rong didn’t understand the concept of 10,000 followers. “Is this… difficult?”
“Difficult! It’s dead hard. Do you know I shared tutorials with my heart and soul for three years just to barely get 2,000 followers?”
Zhang Lin also said, “I only have 6,000 followers. You can’t buy followers on Blue Book; every account is real-name verified. Ordinary people without fame, no matter how big their circle of friends, get at most 1,000 followers.”
Wen Rong sensed this was an arduous task. He gathered twelve points of spirit to fill in the information and register.
After entering the interface, the Blue Book system popped up a “Recommended” page. Wen Rong couldn’t get past it no matter how much he clicked ‘Next’. He held up his phone to show Lin Qizheng. “Senior, I can’t seem to register.”
Lin Qizheng glanced at it. “Newly registered accounts are like that. Just pick two random people to follow; they’re all big Blue Book influencers.”
Wen Rong was distressed. “But I don’t know any of them.”
“We’re making you register for Blue Book so you can meet more people and gain some insight. Hurry up, follow whoever looks pleasing to the eye.”
Only then did Wen Rong understand the painstaking efforts of the two seniors in making him register for Blue Book. deeply touched, he followed everyone recommended by the system.
“Senior, I’ve registered.”
“Okay, what’s your account handle? I’ll follow you.”
Wen Rong: “Where do I see the account handle?”
“Tap on the person icon. There’s a row of numbers under the homepage info. Read the numbers to me.”
“9339175.”
Lin Qizheng tapped on his screen, his eyes suddenly widening. “No, wait. Do you use your real name on the internet too? Why use your name as your ID?”
Wen Rong asked strangely, “Isn’t that how it works? I saw the people recommended just now all had names and surnames.”
Lin Qizheng sighed. “Of course you use a fake ID online.”
Zhang Lin spoke up. “Using his own name is fine too, since his name sounds nice. Don’t listen to Lin Qizheng; he changed to a fake ID because his name is ugly.”
Wen Rong placed his finger on the homepage, contemplating whether to change his name.
Lin Qizheng tapped his screen over there. “Alright, you have two followers now. Scroll through those people you just followed and study how they have so many followers. The task of 10,000 followers is very heavy, so take it seriously.”
“Oh, oh.”
Wen Rong solemnly opened his following list. As luck would have it, the person ranked first had a profile picture of Shi Ye.
Out of a tiny bit of “meeting an old friend in a foreign land” psychology, Wen Rong clicked on Shi Ye’s avatar. He saw a blue “Verified” badge on his homepage. The bio read “346th Tennis Open Champion, 580 million fans,” and his homepage content consisted of only one post: a photo of him holding a huge trophy, with over a hundred million likes.
Wen Rong learned that having impressive achievements gets you fans.
For this new knowledge learned, he liked the photo.
After backing out, he casually thought that since Shi Ye was here, the seniors should be too. He searched for “Leon” in the search bar.
The interface popped up several pages of “Leons,” but Wen Rong didn’t see anyone with Senior Leon’s avatar, which was a bit regrettable.
“Youngest.”
“Eh.”
Lin Qizheng: “Hurry up and follow me back so I get another follower.”
“Oh, oh.”
Wen Rong hurriedly clicked on his only two followers—Follow, Follow.
Senior Lin Qizheng’s homepage was full of tutorials, very diligently posting a video a day, but the number of likes wasn’t high. It seemed no one was paying attention.
Wen Rong gained a new point of knowledge: Sharing skills might not get fans.
He then clicked on Senior Zhang Lin’s homepage. Blue skies, white clouds, and beautiful dresses rushed into his face. They were all photos of Senior Zhang Lin cross-dressing. There were many likes, and indeed, Senior Zhang Lin had many more fans than Senior Lin Qizheng.
Wen Rong gained another new point: Sharing pretty photos gets fans.
After understanding this, Wen Rong made a basic assessment of himself and quickly made a decision. Apart from his face, he had nothing else to show, so he could only learn from Senior Zhang Lin’s method.
Upholding the idea of completing the task, Wen Rong held up his phone, made a peace sign, took a shot, and uploaded it directly.
Three hours later, a post appeared on the front page of the Black Pigeon forum.
《Smart People Have Already Opened Blue Book to See the Top Hot Search》
[?]
[What do you mean?]
[What’s so interesting about hot searches full of gossip news? Might as well beg in Senior Liang’s daily thread; maybe his heart will soften and he’ll release the Goddess’s Mi Lulu cosplay photos.]
[Holy crap, quick, quick, look at Blue Book.]
[You’ll regret it for three years if you don’t look; you’ll cry for seven years if you do. My competition just went from the whole school to the entire Federation.]
[Don’t really get this topic. Lazy. Is there a class representative?]
[Class representative here!]
[Goddess plays Blue Book for the first time. A single peace-sign photo goes viral across the net, reaching number one on hot search in just three hours.]
[Bad news: The entire school only followed Shi Ye, and liked Shi Ye’s only note. Suspected underground romance surfaces, receiving internet-wide blessings.]
Explanation: The friendship between the four members of the News Club is pure. Little Rong treasures the News Club’s friendship very much, so he is a bit overly cautious.
Next, Little Rong is about to undergo the baptism of the internet’s army of smooth talkers. Once an old-fashioned honest person contacts the internet, slowly he will also…
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