The Self-Cultivation of a Reborn Massage Therapist

Chapter 327 Collapse
Sensing the immediate change, she couldn't help but shake her head and chuckle, feeling a little helpless at her own lapse in composure. Her finger unconsciously swiped and clicked on the comments section below the video.

The front row was filled with the same old compliments: "Sister is so beautiful," "Professional," "I've learned something."

As a woman, Li Wan naturally enjoys appreciating the charm of outstanding women in short videos.

However, the thought of that fleeting glimpse of her in reality—that almost exaggeratedly voluptuous figure and strikingly beautiful face—suddenly stirred up a dark emotion lurking in the shadows of his heart, manifesting as a somber rant:

Damn it, you slut.

Suddenly, Li Wan's finger stopped on the screen. A comment that stood out from the other praises caught her eye and shattered her newly calmed mood.

"Guoguo? Isn't that Jiajia from 'Beijing Philharmonic'?"

"Just because she changed her clothes doesn't mean she's an expert! Back in the day, my buddy was playing Black Spade in a VIP booth, and she came over to mooch drinks more often than anyone else. But as soon as the drinks were opened, she disappeared and went to the next booth to suck up to some rich kid! She ripped me off for almost 20,000 yuan. I'll remember that for the rest of my life!"

This comment, like a pebble thrown into a still lake, immediately created ripples:
"No wonder she looked so familiar... I saw her at Philharmonic back then, she was definitely the top performer!"

"Hahaha, classic plot, the story of the gullible guy at Workers' Stadium has a new version every day."

"She's a master of face-changing! If you just order beer, she won't even look at you, and will be playing on her phone with a black face the whole time. But as soon as the people in the next booth open their 'dragon set' (a special set of gifts), she'll immediately go over and call you 'brother' this and 'brother' that, she's incredibly enthusiastic."

"What do you mean by 'no proof'? That this happened years ago, are you just jealous that they're famous now? Dude, you know the law. You want evidence, right? Here are the photos!"

Suddenly, a blurry photo appeared in the comments section, with a background clearly showing a nightclub booth. In the photo, a woman whose profile or back view somewhat resembles Guoguo is holding a bottle of alcohol or pointing to the drinks menu.

"Here's the picture! Look at that familiar pose, she's trying to trick the guy next door into opening a bottle of wine! I knew this woman was something special back then, so I took a picture, and now I'm seeing the result!"

The dissenting voices continue to resist, arguing that the photos are blurry and insufficient evidence.

Then, an even more damning piece of evidence was dropped:

User @AiyueOldFamiliar:
A clearer, but obviously candid, group photo. In the picture, a woman with glamorous makeup and wearing a halter-neck mini-dress is sitting among several men, smiling broadly and making a peace sign.

"High-definition and uncensored! Look at how glamorous 'Teacher Jiajia' was back in the AiLeDu era! Surrounded by women, rushing from one venue to another in one night, earning a meager living through hard work. Now she's dressed up and pretending to be an expert?"

When individuals gather to form a group, their intelligence and rationality decline significantly, and they exhibit extremely impulsive and suggestible characteristics (The Crowd).

Those blurry images acted like a command, instantly igniting the pent-up malice and prejudice in the comments section. Those who had previously praised the professionals drastically changed their tune, and the storm of public opinion shifted with astonishing speed:

A flood of comments filled with shock, disappointment, and anger began to appear:
"My God! Is it really the same person? From nightclub queen to professional masseuse, this transformation is too surreal!"

"So, her current persona as a 'senior technician' is just a facade? Just a way to make money?"

"Unfollowed! Unfollowed! The thought that she honed her 'professional skills' in a place like that makes me sick!"

"No wonder the prices are so high! So all the costs are going into these 'top girls'? Are those big spenders paying for the service, or for a hefty commission?"

"Ha, the internet really has no memory! This 'dirty' woman thinks she can just change her appearance and go back to the right path? What makes her think she can?"

"Did she ever imagine this day when she was ripping people off in nightclubs? What's with the act of pretending to be all serene and professional now?"

"I have to say, having extensive experience in the 'service' industry really makes a difference."

"She has a certain air about her, she used to be openly provocative, now she's more subtle."

"I'm unfollowing you! I always thought your company was a breath of fresh air, but it turns out you're just another business driven by traffic! So disappointing!"

Li Wan's fingers froze at the top of the screen as she watched the comment section being swallowed up by this torrent of malice at an alarming speed. She even glimpsed someone attempting to dox her for more information.

The image of the voluptuous, focused woman who had just taught her how to breathe was now frantically overlapping in her mind with those blurry nightclub photos.

Her personal thoughts were quickly integrated into the collective effect on the internet.

A maternal instinct, an almost obsessive protectiveness, instantly overwhelmed reason.

She couldn't tolerate it, and absolutely wouldn't allow a woman with such a "dirty" past to touch her child with hands that might have touched countless wine glasses and been touched by countless men in nightclubs!

"No!" she exclaimed, suddenly jumping up from the comfortable sofa, dodging the young lady's questions and attempts to stop her, and rushing towards the glass workshop.

"Bang~"

The tempered glass door was slammed shut, instantly covered with a dense pattern of snowflakes.

In the originally quiet studio, Guo Guo looked on in astonishment as Li Wan walked straight up, pushed aside Guo Guo's hand that was gently massaging her, and forcefully pulled the child off the massage bed and protected her behind her.

"We're not doing it anymore!"

Her voice was tense and resolute, her eyes sharply fixed on Guoguo as if she were looking at something unclean. She then quickly turned and left with the bewildered, crying child. The gentle scent of Roman chamomile still lingered in the air, and the soothing white noise of forest rain continued to murmur in the background—carefully designed for the child's tranquility and peace of mind, but now they coldly and ironically reflected this sudden embarrassment.

In the deathly silence, the words of Guoguo's earlier confident vows seemed to still echo:

"What kind of people haven't I seen in nightclubs? What kind of swear words haven't I heard? This little storm is no different from getting a light drizzle for me."

"Let me handle this. I'm tough and can take a beating and handle things."

Guoguo was wrong.

Zhou Yaqin was also wrong.

They all underestimated the power of this kind of thing.

Li Wan is merely one of the offline agents of online mobs.

An agent can be any stranger you pass by, or even a former relative.

…………

"Are you sure you want to do this?"

As they strolled leisurely towards the gate, Zhou Yaqin stopped Li Wan.

The massage parlor's operations had completely ceased, and all the customers and staff stared at the scene with complicated expressions, an awkward atmosphere thick with tension.

Zhou Yaqin was trembling with anger, and for the first time ever, she stopped using honorifics when addressing customers: "Is this how you treat someone who genuinely helps your child?"

Her voice trembled with anger, yet she still tried to give the young mother in front of her one last chance to turn back.

Li Wan held the child tightly in her arms: "I'm sure!"

Her answer was resolute, her eyes filled with unwavering conviction of her own justice.

Zhou Yaqin nodded slowly, stepped aside to make way, and pointed to the door with a trembling hand: "Thank you for coming. Please take your time, and you won't be welcome to come again..."

Before she could finish speaking, her voice choked with emotion.

"Aunt Zhou~"

"Aunt Zhou—" Guoguo walked over calmly, gently took Zhou Yaqin's arm, and tenderly led her away from the doorway.

Pan Xiaoli appeared at the right time and politely but distantly saw the mother and son off.

Guoguo pulled Zhou Yaqin toward the studio.

"Don't get upset, it's not worth it for someone like that." She pretended to be calm. "As long as we have a clear conscience, that's enough."

“Child…” Zhou Yaqin grasped Guoguo’s hand with trembling hands, a hint of fear flashing in her eyes, “I will take down the video right away, I was wrong, we were all wrong.”

"Little Hammer and I are all alone and fearless, but you are not."

“Aunt Zhou, don’t say that,” Guoguo interrupted softly, trying to soothe her with a calm smile, “We’re not wrong, the ones who are wrong are…”

She had only spoken half a sentence when her cell phone suddenly started blaring, one shrill beep after another, shattering the tense atmosphere in the corridor like a death knell.

She glanced at the caller ID, her face turning slightly pale.

The first call connected, and the father's anxious and humble voice came through the receiver: "Guoguo, I know we've severed ties, but... I beg you, for the sake of blood. Someone has come to my workplace, and I... my new family can't take any more trouble. Your little brother is only three years old..."

The first call had barely ended when a second one came in. The birth mother's tearful voice spilled from the receiver: "Guoguo, I beg you, can you please issue a statement saying it's all fake? Your sister is preparing for her middle school entrance exam, and someone is threatening to... to tell the school if you don't do something..."

The first call had barely ended when a second one came in. The birth mother's tearful voice spilled from the receiver: "Guoguo, I beg you, can you please issue a statement saying it's all fake? Your sister is preparing for her middle school entrance exam, and someone is threatening to... to tell the school if you don't do something..."

"Snap~"

The phone slipped from my fingers and shattered on the clean floor.

The massage parlor fell into a deathly silence. All the curious, worried, or scrutinizing gazes that had been directed at the patient audience froze, leaving only the distant strains of the background music, "Raindrops."

Before the shattered screen went dark, the last thing it showed was Guoguo's bloodless face and empty eyes.

(End of this chapter)