I met my whole family through Baidu Tieba.

As Lu Tinglan looked at the post and the username "Happy Pluto," only one thought remained in her mind.

Is this person really Shen Kang?

Otherwise, why would Shen Kang allow him to gain so much attention and not deal with him at all?

But if that's the case...

Is this what Shen Kang meant by "charging"?

Lu Tinglan suddenly recalled the guesses she had made this morning after parting ways with Shen Kang at the cafeteria entrance.

She made many guesses at the time, and finally thought, "Shen Kang wouldn't be driving a tank and firing at her, would he?"

She laughed when the idea came to her.

Unexpectedly, Shen Kang actually drove a tank and opened fire on her...

Lu Tinglan seemed to see Shen Kang suddenly jump in front of her, with a bright smile and his arms outstretched.

"Surprised? Unexpected?"

Lu Tinglan took a deep breath.

She felt a little dizzy.

However, after a period of dizziness and blurred vision, Lu Tinglan forced herself to break free from this state and began to rationally analyze the situation before her.

This was a habit she had developed since meeting Shen Kang: Shen Kang's words and actions seemed nonsensical at first glance, and still seemed nonsensical at second glance, but upon third glance, one could often discern something about him. Although this discernment was often accompanied by a strong urge to punch him, there was indeed something to it.

If this is Shen Kang's "charge," she must take a good look at what kind of swimsuit Shen Kang is wearing.

If this wasn't posted by Shen Kang, but by someone else, then she should take a closer look. After all, knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory.

Lu Tinglan went through that post again.

The personal information mentioned above is indeed accurate, including her real name, student ID, dormitory building, room number, and the layout of her bedside...

"?"

Lu Tinglan's gaze suddenly paused, landing on the comment "the lampshade is a little crooked" in the post.

This morning, while she was having breakfast in the cafeteria, she mentioned the table lamp to Shen Kang.

Shen Kang asked her how her sleep had been lately, and she said it wasn't good. When she read in bed at night, the lamplight was always crooked and couldn't illuminate her properly. Shen Kang said, "Then you should straighten the lampshade." She said she couldn't straighten it; the threads on the lampshade seemed to be stripped, and even after she straightened it, it would crook back to its original position after a couple of days.

Shen Kang knew that her lampshade was crooked. But he also knew that she had tried to straighten it this morning—because she had complained to him that she couldn't straighten it.

So here's the question.

If "Happy Pluto" were Shen Kang, how would he describe the lamp in this post? Would he write "the lampshade is a little crooked"? Or would he write "the lampshade can't be straightened"?

Lu Tinglan mentally reviewed both versions of the text.

The first way of writing it is something anyone who has secretly observed her bed can do—as long as they have glanced at it at some point, they can remember that "the lampshade is crooked."

The latter way of writing is known only to those who have had in-depth conversations with her—they know that the lampshade is not just crooked, but has a structural problem caused by stripped threads, making it a lampshade that cannot be straightened.

The post describes the first type, not the second.

Therefore, it is highly likely that this was written by someone who secretly observed her bed but did not talk to her or learn about her.

Moreover, based on Lu Tinglan's understanding of Shen Kang, if this Pluto were Shen Kang, then when this man wrote something, he would definitely add a detail that only she herself would understand, such as "the lampshade is not straight" instead of "the lampshade is a little crooked"—this seems a bit nitpicky, but after Lu Tinglan learned that the CEO of AAA Building Materials Wholesale was Shen Kang, she felt that Shen Kang would write it that way.

This is a story of mutual appreciation between two artistic young people.

Then, Shen Kang would wait for her to notice, wait for her to smile knowingly, wait for her to call and say, "Boss Shen, you're so observant!" This was Shen Kang's style—the kind of cunning maneuver where he would do something bad but leave a secret signal so people would know it was him.

This is Lu Tinglan's impression of Shen Kang.

Therefore, Lu Tinglan felt that Shen Kang was not the one who did this.

But if it wasn't Shen Kang who did it...

Lu Tinglan couldn't sit still any longer. She picked up her phone, stood up, and walked towards the door while scrolling through her contacts.

Lin Jin, who had already turned to look this way, also stood up and was about to ask Lu Tinglan what she was doing.

Wen Nian, however, grabbed her hand and shook her head—Lu Tinglan was clearly about to make a phone call to someone, perhaps a friend, a true friend, to confide in them about her current situation. At a time like this, it was best not to disturb her; let her have some peace and quiet.

After leaving the small dormitory, Lu Tinglan glanced at the bathroom but gave up. She took her phone and went downstairs. When she estimated that it was about time, she dialed Shen Kang's phone number in her contacts.

When she stepped out of the apartment building, she could see that the streetlights were already on—she had gotten up, read the posts, been silent, and pondered; in the short time that had passed, it was already dark.

Lu Tinglan also held the phone to her ear and slipped into the gap between the small flower bed and the floor on the right side of the doorway, standing behind the shadow of a tree.

The phone rang twice before being answered.

Shen Kang's voice came from the other end: "Feed?"

"Boss Shen,"

Lu Tinglan spoke up: "That person wasn't you?"

"Of course it wasn't me!" Shen Kang's voice came from the other end of the phone, sounding angry and aggrieved at being wronged.

Lu Tinglan said, "I haven't said who I'm referring to yet."

"..."

Shen Kang paused for an almost imperceptible moment, then spoke naturally: "Do I even need to guess? That's the hottest topic in the Beiming Community right now, and it's closely related to you. And you suddenly called me, asking such a nonsensical question right off the bat. Of course I know who it is. In fact, I'm investigating it myself."

Lu Tinglan was immediately drawn to the phrase "also under investigation".

"Did you find it?"

Not yet.

On the other end of the phone, Shen Kang sounded a bit irritable and helpless. "I don't know where my technical supervisor is. I haven't been able to get through to him all afternoon. I've gone to his dorm and the place he stays outside, but there's no one there. He's completely vanished. I'm even thinking of calling the police."

Lu Tinglan didn't know who Shen Kang's technical supervisor was, nor did she care. She only cared about one thing: "Since your technical supervisor is gone, how are you going to investigate?"

"I also have a chief technology officer."

Shen Kang's voice came through, sounding somewhat timid.

Lu Tinglan was taken aback, thinking to herself, "Boss Shen has quite a few top talents under him, including technical supervisor and chief technical director. It's a bit confusing, and I can't tell who's who."

But it doesn't matter anymore.

Lu Tinglan asked, "Did your chief technology officer find out?"

"I'll ask her."

Lu Tinglan heard that Shen Kang's voice was a little distant on the other end of the phone, and then Shen Kang's voice came through.

"Chief Technology Officer!"

"have!"

"Have you found that person yet?"

"Still investigating, sir!"

"How much longer!"

"Soon, sir!"

"Okay, keep it up!"

"Roger that, sir!"

Lu Tinglan heard Shen Kang's voice and moved closer to the microphone.

"Did you hear that?"

Shen Kang's voice came from the other end: "My chief technology officer said it'll be soon, very soon. Don't worry, we'll find out who it is very quickly."

Lu Tinglan remained silent.

After a moment, he spoke: "Boss Shen, if I heard correctly, your 'Chief Technology Director' is He Qiuzhu, the student from this morning, right?"

She had a deep impression of that classmate He; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say it was love at first sight. Therefore, Lu Tinglan remembered not only classmate He's appearance but also his voice very clearly.

The person on the phone who kept calling me "sir" was full of energy and had a sweet, innocent voice. Although it was different from the cold and aloof voice I heard this morning, it was clearly the same person speaking!

How could such a stunningly beautiful woman be a lesbian?!

Shouldn't all those who do T be a bunch of bald guys?

"..."

Shen Kang muttered softly on the other end of the phone, "Your hearing is still pretty good."

Lu Tinglan, however, didn't hear clearly. "What?"

"Nothing, I was just thinking about what to have for supper tonight."

Shen Kang changed the subject and acknowledged Lu Tinglan's words, "That's right, it's her, she's my chief technology officer! Don't let her pretty face fool you into thinking she's just a pretty face, she's a genius! Her father is a computer science professor at Yang University who's not even forty yet! A professor who's not even forty, do you know what that means? Not to mention, her father just won a national 863 Program project and became the project leader!..."

Shen Kang launched into a long, boastful speech.

Lu Tinglan was completely confused, but she could still tell that the student surnamed He was a genius academic star who came from a prestigious family and had a strong family tradition.

"It sounds... kind of impressive?" Lu Tinglan hesitated for a moment before saying.

"What do you mean 'sounds impressive'? She's actually very impressive! Otherwise, why would I have hired her as the chief technology officer?" Shen Kang said with some dissatisfaction.

Lu Tinglan nodded silently, finally accepting He Qiuzhu's character and the reality that the poster was not Shen Kang.

So, if it wasn't Shen Kang, then who was it? How did they know about the situation in her dorm? Did they peek through the window?

Thinking of this, Lu Tinglan silently raised her head and looked towards their dormitory on the fifth floor.

...Spider-Man?

She could almost see a person, like a gecko, clinging to the wall, climbing up to their dormitory window and peeking inside.

The scene is a bit eerie, a bit abstract, and just plain unrealistic.

Lu Tinglan decided to put it aside for the time being.

She looked away and turned her attention back to her own affairs. "So when will we be able to find out? And what will we do once we do?"

"It's not easy to handle either."

Shen Kang sounded somewhat troubled on the other end of the phone: "You said he leaked your information, but he hasn't broken any laws yet, and the school doesn't have any regulations on this. At most, we can all condemn him on a moral level."

In 2008, legislation on the privacy of personal information on the internet was still underway, and everything was in its initial stages. There was indeed no legal basis for such legislation, and moral condemnation was the only recourse.

"If we really find out who he is, at most we'll just warn him not to do this kind of thing again."

Lu Tinglan thought about it and felt helpless; she really felt there was nothing she could do about the other party.

So, they had no choice but to put the other person aside for now and brought up the post again, "So when are you going to delete this post?"

Shen Kang said, "Actually, when I first saw this post this afternoon, I wanted to delete it. But then I thought, hey, this seems like a good opportunity!"

"My original plan was to create a new account, start a thread, and refute all the posts attacking you, and then tearfully plead for your innocence."

Upon hearing this, Lu Tinglan thought to herself, "So Boss Shen really intended to do this. It seems he was thinking the same thing as me."

Shen Kang continued, "Unexpectedly, I saw this post. I thought about it carefully, and hey, this is a great opportunity! Have you noticed that the sentiment in the comments section has changed? People are no longer criticizing you; everyone is criticizing him. He originally wanted to attack you, but now he's the one drawing all the fire for you, and you've become the victim!..."

Listening to Shen Kang's words, Lu Tinglan once again thought of the comments and replies she had seen when she read the post before.

"No, I was criticizing Mo Shang Wei Liang the day before yesterday, but I can't stand by you for what you're doing. It's one thing to argue online, but when you step into someone's real life, it changes everything."

"You're a computer science major, right? Looking up someone's student ID and dorm number, do you think you're so cool? Let me tell you, that's not cool, that's unethical."

"To put it bluntly, if there are more people like the original poster, who will dare to speak on the forum in the future? If you say one wrong word, someone can follow the internet cable to your dorm room. Just thinking about it is terrifying."

"Honestly, I'm getting chills. Even if someone bought a used toy and was scammed, you can post online to criticize them, demand a refund, or make them apologize. But you posted their dorm number? What grudge do you hold against them? A blood feud?"

"My thermos was stolen when I was a freshman. I cursed about it on the forum for three days, but no one helped me find out which dorm the thief lived in. What on earth did this 'Mo Shang Wei Liang' offend that a top student from the computer science department would personally go to the trouble of doxxing her? It's terrifying to think about."

The comments under that post have completely exploded, countless in number, all uniformly attacking the cheerful Pluto.

As a result, Mo Shang Wei Liang's reputation also improved rapidly and inexplicably.

"I reread all of Mo Shang Wei Liang's previous posts... She didn't really do anything heinous, right? She just bought a second-hand condom, maybe she was a little vain, and posted a few nice photos, right? Aren't all female college students like that? Is it really necessary for someone to dig up her dorm number?"

"I used to think she was being pretentious, but now that I think about it, it's her freedom to be pretentious, and it didn't cost me any money. It's people like Pluto who are truly terrifying."

"I declare that from this moment on, I stand with Mo Shang Wei Liang. For no other reason than that Pluto is fucking terrifying. What is vanity compared to being terrifying?"...

It's not just in that post.

Lu Tinglan's personal homepage message board suddenly saw a surge of messages.

"Hey girl, I don't know you, but I've been watching what happened all afternoon. Don't worry, if that Pluto dares to say anything again, we'll help you get revenge."

"There are a few individuals in the Computer Science Department at Yang-Tsing University who think they're something just because they know a little bit of technology. Don't worry, we non-computer science students all stand with you. Most of the computer science students also stand with you. That Pluto doesn't represent anyone."

"Hi senior, I'm a freshman. I secretly saved the pictures from your 'Weekend Yoga' post before, and I thought you were so dedicated and meticulous in your work. These past few days, seeing all those posts criticizing you, I haven't dared to say anything. Today, I can finally say: Keep it up, senior!"...

After Shen Kang finished speaking on the other end of the phone.

Lu Tinglan also spoke up, explaining what she had seen.

Upon hearing this, Shen Kang on the other end of the phone remarked with deep emotion, "The light of righteousness has finally shone upon the earth. It seems that we at Yangke University are all righteous people!"

Then, changing the subject, he returned to the main point: "So, why not take this great post that's been delivered right to our door? I'll leave it here for now and let it circulate for a while longer."

Lu Tinglan nodded silently.

The other party may have genuinely intended to attack her, but unintentionally, it gave her a good opportunity. Of course, the website owner, Shen Kang, also had to be on her side; otherwise, if it were another owner she didn't know or work with, the post might have been deleted by the afternoon, and it wouldn't have continued to escalate into the current public opinion situation.

"Okay, I understand."

Lu Tinglan finally asked, "Then when should I post a response?"

This time, Shen Kang gave no further instructions, saying, "You handle it yourself."

Lu Tinglan couldn't help but ask, "Aren't you going to offer any suggestions?"

"Student Lu."

Shen Kang's voice came from the other end of the phone, a little lower than before, and his speech was a little slower, as if he were saying something he had thought about for a long time: "There are some things I can pave the way for you, but I can't walk the road for you. The road is something that, whether it's muddy or asphalt, is something you have to walk on yourself to count."

He chuckled on the other end of the phone, but it wasn't his usual smug laugh; it was a fainter, gentler laugh.

"I fought the battle this time, but now that it's over, you're the one standing there speaking. No one knows better than you what tone you used, how much you said, and to what extent you went about it. I can't either."

Lu Tinglan remained silent.

After a moment, he spoke, "I understand."

After hanging up the phone, he didn't go upstairs right away, but stood downstairs for a while.

Shen Kang's last words had a very clear meaning in them—you still want me to walk every step of the way for you?

This was a manifestation of her inner pride.

After thinking for a long time, Lu Tinglan finally got up, went into the apartment building, and went upstairs.

At the same time in the startup base

The door to room 212 was closed, but the light inside was on.

He Qiuzhu sat in front of a computer, sitting upright and looking extremely well-behaved.

Shen Kang, who was standing by the window, put away his phone, returned to her side, and casually glanced at her computer screen, but couldn't understand it either.

"What is it? A mini-game?" Shen Kang leaned forward slightly, one hand on the edge of the table, looking rather cool.

"Sir, this is an LNU test server from the Yangko University of Science and Technology Network Center!"

Shen Kang's hand, which was bracing against the edge of the table, slipped, and he fell to the ground.