I met my whole family through Baidu Tieba.

Shen Kang then continued looking at his phone.

"The author, Mo Shang Wei Liang, keeps saying 'Be yourself,' but she's actually the one who's least willing to be herself."

"Scrolling through her posts, I found that her favorite phrase is 'be yourself.' She mentions it almost every few posts, saying things like 'I hope we can all be ourselves,' 'You don't have to live up to other people's expectations,' 'The real you is good enough,' and so on… While telling people to 'be yourself,' she's packaging herself as someone she's not at all. While telling people 'don't care about other people's opinions,' she's constantly concerned about how others perceive her. While telling people 'just be yourself,' her account is one of the most insincere accounts on the Beiming Community. What is inconsistency between words and actions? This is inconsistency between words and actions…"

Shen Kang watched and remarked, "He's quite good at using parallel structures, isn't he? Is he preparing for graduate school?"

Lu Tinglan was amused and felt less uncomfortable.

Shen Kang continued reading the post.

"I especially can't stand people like this, who stand on moral high ground to lecture others about things they can't do themselves... I'm not saying you can't post nice photos, or that you can't buy secondhand items, I'm saying—you wrap your life in layer after layer of sugarcoating while telling others 'the real you is just fine'... You yourself don't believe 'the real you is just fine,' so what gives you the right to convince others to believe it?"

Let's look at the replies.

"She did say 'be yourself' all the time, which seems ironic now."

"Advising others to be themselves is indeed the safest approach, because others don't know if you've truly lived up to it. She's the type who says, 'I advise you to be kind, but I might not be kind myself.'"

"You guys are really good at interpreting things. When she said she was being herself, she probably just said it casually, but you all have to analyze it over and over again. I think she's quite sincere; at least she's trying to improve."

"All she talks about are principles, all she cares about is business. She said 'being yourself' was just a persona, and now that it's backfired, she's playing dead. It's laughable."

Lu Tinglan showed Shen Kang the posts one by one.

She truly had so much to say.

Shen Kang loved gossip, and he read through the posts one by one, finding that each post had a different perspective.

Half a year ago, Mo Shang Wei Liang posted a message saying, "Secondhand items are too dirty."

"The funniest thing about this is that she posted a thread before saying that she would never buy secondhand things... Everyone has seen the screenshot, where she clearly wrote, 'I'm a bit of a germaphobe, I can't accept things that other people have used, I'd rather buy new ones even if they're more expensive'... I'm not trying to criticize her, I just find it quite ironic. Sometimes when you look through someone's old posts, you'll find that they've already exposed their current self..."

Special commentator Shen Kang remarked: "This is good; this is digging up old posts for attack."

Lu Tinglan glanced at him.

Then comes the next post.

"A Slight Chill on the Road: The Difference Between You and Those Real Rich and Beautiful Women Is More Than Just a Piece"

"I think you've all gone astray. The point isn't about that piece of paper; the point is—even if her piece of paper were brand new, she still wouldn't be a rich, beautiful, and successful woman. I'm not saying this to belittle her; I'm just stating a fact: being rich, beautiful, and successful isn't something you can achieve by buying certain things."

"They grew up in houses with floor-to-ceiling windows, never worrying about whether they'd have enough money for the next month, or about which country to visit on vacation without having to check plane ticket prices. Their 'refinement' isn't something they put on; it's ingrained in their bones from childhood. They wouldn't post a picture of a coffee shop with a caption like 'What a relaxing day!' because drinking coffee is as natural to them as drinking water."

"What about Mo Shang Wei Liang? She desperately tried to break into that circle, but the 'effort to maintain' she exuded was too obvious. For one photo of her, I had to spend ten minutes setting up props; a real rich and beautiful woman could take a better picture anytime. Because she's imitating, while others are living life… Do you think she's vain? I don't think so. She was just born into the wrong family."

Special commentator Shen Kang remarked: "This is good; this is a base attack, very much so. The comments below will definitely be very heated."

I looked down with great interest, and sure enough, it was true.

"That hurts. But it's the truth. Truly wealthy people don't need to prove they're rich."

"So ordinary people don't deserve luxury? Don't deserve to drink coffee? OP, which super-rich family did you come from?"

"If she truly admitted that she was just an ordinary person, no one would criticize her. Her mistake was insisting on pretending to be someone else."

"So, ordinary people can't be sophisticated? Is sophistication only for the wealthy?"...

Lu Tinglan glanced at Shen Kang again.

Shen Kang then continued reading the next post.

The biggest problem with "A Gentle Breeze on the Road" isn't buying secondhand goods, it's being scammed.

"After reading so many posts, I've noticed that many people are still debating whether buying secondhand is the right thing to do. But I don't think that's the point at all. The point is, she lied... The problem with '陌上微凉' is that she not only gave you a embellished life, but she also told you 'this is real everyday life.' That's deception, not embellishment... She's being criticized now not because she's not good enough, but because she made everyone think she was great, and then sold that 'she's great' to everyone..."

Special commentator Shen Kang commented: "This is good, this is exceptionally good. This elevates the issue to a higher level, empowering people morally. This way, when people criticize you, you can stand on the moral high ground without any psychological barriers. This is masterful."

The comments below indeed confirmed Shen Kang's statement.

"That hits the nail on the head. Buying secondhand isn't the problem; the problem is that she says it's something she already owned."

"That's so true. Her most hypocritical trait isn't buying secondhand items, but rather making people feel that she deserves them even after buying them secondhand."

"It's the same old story—you dare to do it but not admit it. If you post staged photos, admit they're staged; if you buy secondhand goods, admit they're secondhand. If you hide everything, don't blame people for digging into it."

Shen Kang watched with great interest.

Lu Tinglan finally couldn't hold back any longer, "Boss Shen, could you please say less?"

Upon hearing this, Shen Kang also temporarily looked up from his phone screen and looked at her: "Can't hold on anymore?"

Lu Tinglan remained silent.

She herself told Shen Kang that she could hold on, so naturally she couldn't admit that she couldn't hold on now. Besides, she genuinely believed that she could still hold on, just under immense pressure.

Shen Kang looked at her, then put down his phone: "Actually, I was just testing your psychological threshold. If you successfully switch tracks, as the Beiming Community grows, you may rise to a position higher than you can imagine. This requires a very strong mental fortitude."

"If you don't have the mental fortitude to succeed in this line of work and are prone to breakdowns, then I sincerely advise you to quit now. I'll arrange a smooth exit for you. Otherwise, it might become a burden on the resources I've invested in you, which is something I don't want to see."

Shen Kang stopped joking and his tone became very serious.

Seeing Shen Kang's serious expression, Lu Tinglan was somewhat surprised, and then she sensed something else.

"Boss Shen, do you mean that the Beiming Community will invest a lot of resources in me in the future?"

Shen Kang nodded. "Yes, it's more than you imagined. Let's put it this way: from now on, you're my biological daughter, and everyone else is just an outsider. Of course, all of this is on the premise that your transformation this time is very successful."

"It's like a phoenix rising from the ashes; if it doesn't regenerate, it's burned to death."

Lu Tinglan was very tempted.

She didn't even count on the "future" Shen Kang mentioned; the resources he could offer right now were already very tempting. With the strong support of Shen Kang and the Beiming Community, surpassing Qingxiao Biehan would be a piece of cake, wouldn't it?

Then Lu Tinglan seemed to understand something, "...Is it because of my new track, 'Secondhand Recommendation Officer'?"

Shen Kang was puzzled. "Isn't that obvious?"

"..."

Lu Tinglan ignored Shen Kang's complaints and just started thinking silently.

Am I mentally resilient enough?

Lu Tinglan once thought it was enough. She believed herself to be a woman with a very strong mental fortitude, so when Shen Kang asked her if she could withstand it, she was very confident.

But when things actually happened, she realized it wasn't that simple.

When she saw posts like these springing up like mushrooms after rain in the Beiming Community, she realized that she couldn't ignore what those people were saying as she had thought beforehand—in fact, she found that she really cared about what they were saying.

Seeing those people attacking her from all angles was truly painful for her, but because of the plan, she couldn't say anything, which made it even more painful. And the more painful it was, the more she wanted to watch, thus falling into a vicious cycle with no way out.

What impressed Lu Tinglan the most was something that happened yesterday.

Yesterday, she was on her way back to her dormitory when she passed by the basketball court.

On the way, she was still looking at the posts on the Beiming Community on her phone.

As I watched, my mind started to wander.

She suddenly felt ridiculous, and also felt wronged. More often than not, she felt a strange emptiness, as if she were sliding into a very deep and dark place, reaching out but unable to grasp anything.

Then she received a text message.

It was a short text message from an unknown phone number, with no beginning or end:

"Sister, I've seen those posts, and I've bought secondhand items too. I don't think there's anything shameful about it. Just ignore those people; they're just bored."

At that moment, Lu Tinglan stopped and stared at the private message for several seconds, and suddenly felt a little sore.

She quickly replied with a "thank you," then hurriedly turned off her phone and stuffed it into her pocket.

This text message was probably sent by an unknown alumnus of Yang-Tech University who obtained her phone number through some unknown means, and was there to comfort her.

This text message acted as a fuse, completely igniting her emotions of the past few days.

She took a deep breath and looked at the basketball court next to her.

The December sunlight was a stark white, casting a thin layer of gray light on the cement ground. Several boys were playing basketball on the playground, and the sounds carried from afar, sounding almost unreal.

After looking at it for a while, Lu Tinglan took out her phone from her pocket, found Shen Kang's number in her contacts, and pressed the button to make a call.

But after waving his finger back and forth on it a dozen times, he finally withdrew it and exited the contacts.

……

Lu Tinglan's thoughts were pulled back from yesterday.

Then he looked at Shen Kang and asked a question: "Your biological daughter?"

Shen Kang nodded, "My own daughter. If you don't believe me, you can call me father now."

"..."

Lu Tinglan ignored Shen Kang's words and, after a moment's thought, nodded decisively: "I can."

Shen Kang nodded, thought for a moment, and then said seriously, "In that case, I believe you. Don't worry, just hold on for another ten days."

"?"

Lu Tinglan really wanted to say, "Boss Shen, this isn't how we discussed the details! According to what we said, it would be over in two or three days, right? How come you've increased the price several times over?"

However, Lu Tinglan ultimately didn't say it. After a moment's thought, she gritted her teeth and said, "Okay."

Shen Kang looked at her, then suddenly smiled, "Just kidding."

Then, changing the subject, she asked, "Any other posts about you that I can see? Just so you know, I'll be looking at them and commenting as I go."

Lu Tinglan breathed a sigh of relief when Shen Kang said it was a joke. But when Shen Kang insisted on watching and even offering his opinion, she thought, "Is this a test?"

"Yes, there are still some."

As Lu Tinglan spoke, she took her phone, quickly found another one that impressed her, and handed the phone to Shen Kang with a brave and fearless expression, as if she were going to blow up a bunker.

Shen Kang then started commenting as he watched.

I calculated how much Mo Shang Wei Liang's "refined lifestyle" would cost for three months—and the conclusion is that she simply can't afford it.

"This is good. This is a computational quantification attack. It is well-reasoned, convincing, and I, Li Jufu, am very pleased."

The account "陌上微凉" is now defunct.

"This is good. This social psychological attack goes straight to what you care about most, and it's easy to break your defenses."

Look at how "Qingxiao Biehan" posts, then look at "Moshang Weiliang"—the difference in quality is obvious.

"This is good, this is a dig at someone, maybe Qingxiao Biehan posted it herself."...

In addition to these attacks on Mo Shang Wei Liang, Shen Kang also asked Lu Tinglan to find some posts defending her.

Yes, that's true.

Support Mo Shang Wei Liang! Who says a refined lifestyle has to cost a fortune?

Your logic in criticizing "陌上微凉" is flawed.

"As a complete bystander, let me say a few honest words"...

After reviewing the posts, Shen Kang realized that, overall, the current public opinion was still focused on "criticizing and discrediting Comrade Mo Shang Wei Liang," and these posts defending him wouldn't cause any significant stir.

Judging from the current situation in the Yangke University section of the Beiming Community, the name "Moshang Weiliang" has become a top trending topic. Students from other schools have even come to check it out.

"Students from Yangshang University visited here."

"A female student from Yangshi Normal University came to watch."

"Yang Gong Wang Tiejun, I'm officially siding with Mo Shang Wei Liang! Anyone who's unhappy with me, come and beat me up at Yang Gong!"

"Brother, although I don't know you, I know you can be anyone, but you can never be Yang Gong Wang Tiejun."

This kind of habit isn't just Shen Kang's hobby; everyone enjoys it. Otherwise, every time a major scandal breaks in later generations, it wouldn't generate so much buzz.

"Okay, I understand."

Shen Kang put down his phone.

Lu Tinglan silently put her phone away, then couldn't help but ask, "When exactly do we start? What do you need me to do?"

"you?"

Shen Kang shook his head. "Someone will charge in."

"Who?"

"Mr. Wang."