I met my whole family through Baidu Tieba.

The next morning, the weather wasn't great; the sky was overcast and the sun was hidden behind it, but that couldn't dampen the enthusiasm of the students at Yangko University of Science and Technology for studying. One by one, the students got up from their dorm beds early in the morning without hesitation, calling on their friends to go and study together.

Of course, most of the time they just lie in bed like corpses.

For example, Xiao Yiming.

He hadn't slept well today, and was woken up early by the noise of his roommates getting up. Half-asleep, he turned over and went back to sleep. When he woke up again, the dorm was quiet, and he was finally awake, unable to fall back asleep.

Xiao Yiming sat up in bed, leaned over the railing, and looked down. He saw that only his roommate Zhuang Xu was there; the other two were gone.

"Did they all go to study?"

"Um."

Xiao Yiming got out of bed, washed up, sat down at his desk, turned on his computer, and logged into the Beiming Community.

Upon entering the Yangko University of Science and Technology's homepage, his first glance was directed towards the very top.

Over there, the previously viral post is gone, replaced by a post marked as officially pinned.

Notice Regarding the Punishment of "Happy Pluto"

"The authorities have finally taken action!"

Xiao Yiming was secretly delighted.

Seeing that the cheerful Pluto was punished, many users of the Beiming Community felt relieved and happy. It was a kind of joy that came from seeing a villain they hated finally receive a just punishment and justice be served. It was a simple and pure kind of joy.

However, Xiao Yiming's joy was different from theirs; it was somewhat complicated.

But no matter what, it's still a happy occasion.

Filled with joy, Xiao Yiming immediately clicked into the official punishment announcement.

"Upon investigation, the account 'Happy Pluto' (UID: 107428) posted a thread titled 'A Slight Breeze on the Road, Get Out Here!' on the Yangke University Plaza forum on December 13, 2008. This post disclosed other people's real names, student IDs, accommodation information, and other personal privacy information without authorization, which seriously violated Article 12 of Chapter 3 of the 'Beiming Community User Agreement'."

This behavior was egregious in nature and had a wide-ranging impact, causing severe mental distress to the individuals involved and setting a destructive example for the discussion environment of the Yangko University of Science and Technology community.

While online communities are virtual spaces, every ID represents a real person. Extending online debates into real-life privacy violations is something Beiming Community firmly opposes. Community discussions can have stances, disagreements, and debates, but they cannot be without boundaries.

After verification by the Beiming Community Management Team, the following decision has been made regarding "Happy Pluto":

1. The account "Happy Pluto" is permanently banned, and all its historical posts are deleted.

Second, we reserve the right to report this to the relevant school departments. If the party involved chooses to pursue the matter further through school rules and regulations, Beiming Community will fully cooperate and provide background data as evidence for the investigation.

We would like to reiterate to all users of the Beiming Community: the internet is not a lawless zone, and neither is the Beiming Community. Every expression of opinion reflects the dignity of another person…

Xiao Yiming looked at the announcement and searched for the account "Happy Pluto" again, finding that it had indeed been banned, which made him breathe a sigh of relief.

"Should!"

Xiao Yiming felt relieved.

It seems that Xiao Yiming has a grudge against that Pluto, but in fact, Xiao Yiming didn't even know Pluto until yesterday.

The reason the two became connected was a post titled "The biggest problem with 'Mo Shang Wei Liang' is not buying secondhand goods, it's being scammed."

Among the posts attacking Lu Tinglan, Shen Kang highly praised this one, telling Lu Tinglan that it was "exceptionally well-written" and praising the poster as "a master."

The poster of this thread had the online name "Let Me Sleep for Five More Minutes," and Xiao Yiming was that "Let Me Sleep for Five More Minutes"...

Xiao Yiming has been using the Beiming Community for several months.

Because of his ordinary appearance, average build, and average creativity, Xiao Yiming, like many others in the Beiming community, remained relatively unknown for several months. At most, he was only a little bit of pocket money because he was relatively active in the community and had accumulated some ghost money, which he then sold to ghost money dealers on Xianyu.com.

Until recently.

As a loyal user of the Beiming Community, and someone who followed all the busty female bodhisattvas in the Beiming Community, Xiao Yiming saw it on the very first day that the post exposing Lu Tinglan's use of second-hand information was published.

At that time, he and many others left a comment under that Mr. Wang's post asking "Who is Mo Shang Wei Liang?" and that was it.

As he continued browsing the forum, he discovered that the discussion wasn't limited to the original post; it was gaining traction among many people on the public forum as well.

Xiao Yiming keenly sensed something—this post might go viral.

So Xiao Yiming began to get restless.

Xiao Yiming was actually unwilling to be an unknown figure and wanted to become famous, but unfortunately, he was always out of step with the times: when others were posting photos of their faces, he couldn't, he couldn't exactly go back to the womb and be reborn, could he? It was too late; when others were showing off their muscles, he still couldn't keep up—others had started training since their freshman year of college, or even high school, and it was too late for him to start training now.

Talents? Let's not even talk about them. His only talent is being able to finish a bowl of rice from the cafeteria in five minutes.

Xiao Yiming was also helpless.

But this time, it seems he's finally making it.

Xiao Yiming immediately read through all the posts related to "Mo Shang Wei Liang" on the square and found that everyone was cursing.

This thing is great.

When it comes to swearing, it doesn't matter what you look like, how many places you've been, or how big your chest muscles are. There's only one thing that matters: whether you can hit the nail on the head, and whether you can swear more ruthlessly, more accurately, and more interestingly than others.

Xiao Yiming felt he could do it.

He had been holding it in for far too long. It wasn't that he wanted to curse a specific person, but rather something more general—a resentment towards his insignificant status, a vague anger at "why they get attention while I don't." "A Slight Breeze on the Road" was simply an outlet, an outlet that appeared at just the right time.

And so, Xiao Yiming began.

He started writing the article "The biggest problem with buying secondhand goods is not that it's being cheated."

He was very excited while writing.

He had a gut feeling that this post would go viral. Not the kind of minor viral one with a few dozen replies, but the kind that might be pushed to the front page of the forum and appear on screen for days, because his perspective was different from everyone else's.

Others criticize her for being poor, for using secondhand items, and for pretending to be sophisticated, but Xiao Yiming doesn't criticize them.

He felt these arguments were all a bit forced and didn't hold water: Being poor justifies criticism? Who isn't poor? Using secondhand items justifies criticism? That's even more unreasonable. Pretending to be sophisticated also warrants criticism? Hey, why don't you just drag Qingxiao Biehan into the criticism too? I think she's even more sophisticated than Moshang Weiliang these days.

Xiao Yiming went straight to the core issue and started cursing—that people were lying.

She's poor, uses secondhand items, and tries to look sophisticated—there's nothing wrong with that; everyone does those things. But she lies, and that's where she's wrong.

Xiao Yiming couldn't help but admire his brilliant angle.

When writing this post, Xiao Yiming was very serious, even more so than when writing a final paper. He stopped to look up many things, such as which was more appropriate, "trying to cover up the truth" or "there is no silver buried here," and so on.

After finishing the post, Xiao Yiming carefully reviewed it twice and was finally very satisfied: You can't see any vulgar words or personal attacks in this post, but every paragraph is dissecting her very bones. That's skill.

That day, after posting the message, Xiao Yiming went to sleep.

The next morning, Xiao Yiming habitually turned on his computer, logged into the Beiming Community, and then stared blankly at the number of private messages in the upper right corner.

99+

What does this mean?

After a while, Xiao Yiming clicked in and saw that his account had received more than a hundred private messages overnight.

It was only that day that he learned that in the Beiming Community, once the number of unread private messages exceeded 99, they were all displayed as 99+ instead of showing the specific number.

Xiao Yiming spent a long time reading through those private messages, and then a long time reading through the comments section of his own post: some people praised him for his "clear and incisive logic," others said, "He finally made everything I wanted to say clear," and still others said, "Teacher Wu, please accept my bow"...

The title "Teacher Wu" made Xiao Yiming feel a little arrogant.

He had never felt this way before.

He looked at those three words over and over again, and the more he looked at them, the more pleasing they became.

Over the next few days, Xiao Yiming also experienced an unprecedented joy.

The name "Teacher Wu" became increasingly well-known in the square, and his post was repeatedly quoted.

Some people have created posts specifically to discuss "Teacher Wu's analytical logic," some have posted screenshots of his passages along with their own thoughts on social media, and some have even sent him private messages asking, "Teacher Wu, are you interested in writing about other topics?"

He was like a street vendor who had been selling roasted sweet potatoes on the roadside for twenty years and suddenly got a Michelin star. He stood in front of his stall, at a loss, but with a grin on his face.

He began planning for the future. The "Teacher Wu" brand could be sustained.

He doesn't need to be good-looking, he doesn't need to go to the gym, and he doesn't need to have any amazing talents. He just needs to keep writing posts that "say what others dare not say" to keep getting traffic.

He even thought about monetizing it: some of the big bloggers with thousands of followers on Yangke University Square are already getting paid to post things like newly opened milk tea shops or trial classes at postgraduate entrance exam preparation institutions. He heard that they can earn several hundred yuan by posting a single post.

He could even do more than just work on the Beiming Community; he could modify his posts and post them on other forums, create a blog or something, and maybe even get noticed by an editor and be offered a column. Columnist Xiao Yiming. Hmm, that title is even more appealing than "Teacher Wu".

Just as Xiao Yiming was thinking a lot, his roommate Zhuang Xu also saw his post and even talked to him.

"Isn't this a bit inappropriate?" Zhuang Xu felt a little sorry for her. "Your post has had quite a impact. Out of so many posts, yours has the highest popularity. Half of the discussion is about your post, and the other half is using it as a weapon to attack her... Didn't you write too harshly?"

Xiao Yiming retorted, "If she hadn't posted those things, would I have had anything to write? If she hadn't been so pretentious, would I have been able to see through her?"

Zhuang Xu said at the time, "But have you ever considered that what you say you've seen might just be your opinion? You don't really know what she's like because you don't know her. My idea is that you should at least try to understand her and investigate her first. If she really is like that, then it's not too late for you to write this, instead of writing this without understanding anything at all."

Xiao Yiming thought at the time that Zhuang Xu was too naive.

"An investigation? Just like you said, it's all too late!"

"In the end, she set up the target herself. I just happened to shoot an arrow and hit the bullseye. Being accurate is my skill."

Zhuang Xu thought for a moment and then asked, "Put yourself in their shoes, what if one day someone shoots at you too?"

Xiao Yiming didn't care at the time, saying, "If anyone has the ability, let them shoot me."

Xiao Yiming had something else he didn't say: What's with all this talk of "a slight chill on the path" and "too hot on the road"? Who cares? It's just a stepping stone. When you step on it, do you care if it hurts? You just feel that the stone is the perfect height, and stepping on it allows you to see a little further.

Xiao Yiming added, "That's just how it is. If you're not as skilled as someone else, you have to accept the consequences. If one day I'm not as skilled as someone else, I'll still accept the consequences."

Seeing Xiao Yiming's reaction, Zhuang Xu had no choice but to sigh and leave, never mentioning the matter to Xiao Yiming again.

Xiao Yiming continued to immerse himself in his dreams of a bright future—a columnist earning hundreds of dollars a month!

It was at this time that an ID called "Happy Pluto" entered Xiao Yiming's life.

Pluto left several long replies under his post, with impassioned and excited language, the gist of which was "Teacher Wu, you finally told the truth" and "This kind of person should be exposed."

Xiao Yiming glanced at it but didn't pay much attention.

He'd seen plenty of these fervent supporters in the last few days; at most, he'd mutter to himself, "Dude, you're not very good at managing your emotions," and then continue planning his career as a columnist.

He even casually replied to Pluto with "Okay, I got it"—after all, as "Teacher Wu," occasionally interacting with fans is part of brand management.

As for "Okay, I understand," it's a common, perfunctory phrase Xiao Yiming often uses, without any real thought.

But he never expected that Pluto's way of getting excited would be extraordinary.

Pluto's intoxication wasn't from drinking a couple of extra beers; it was the kind of intoxication that comes from pouring a whole case of Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor) into the engine and flooring the gas pedal.

Pluto later posted another thread titled "It's a bit chilly on the road, come out here!"

When Xiao Yiming clicked on it, he almost spat out the rice bowl he was eating onto the screen.

Pluto posted Mo Shang Wei Liang's real name, student ID, dormitory building, room number, and bed location. He even wrote down what posters were pasted above her bed and that the lampshade on her desk lamp was crooked—what kind of inhuman level of observation is this?

Xiao Yiming scrolled down and saw another line of text: "Teacher Wu is the person I admire most."

Before he could even process what the outcome would be, his keen intuition made him instantly realize that everything was going wrong.

Just as his keen intuition told him at the time, the "Slightly Cool Moshang" thing was going to be a hit, and he had to get on board.

Now, his keen intuition also sends a message—it's going to be bad.

Xiao Yiming's intuition was very accurate.

This post by the cheerful Pluto has gone viral, it's terrifying.

The comments below the post were filled with people expressing their dislike and attacks on Pluto.

Consequently, Xiao Yiming, the "Teacher Wu who was highly praised by Pluto," also became the target of attacks from some netizens.

"Pluto said, 'Mr. Fifth is the person I admire most.' Can anyone find out who this Mr. Fifth is?"

"Do I even need to dig into it? 'Let me sleep for five more minutes,' that analysis post was written by him. Pluto commented on his post several times, and he even replied."

"What did you reply with?"

He replied, "Okay, I understand."

"Pluto said he was going to expose someone, and Teacher Wu said, 'Okay, I understand'? Understood what? Understood that he was going to take action? And what does 'okay' mean? Did he 'approve' of his actions?"

"I get it now, so Pluto is a knife, and the hilt is in the hand of that Teacher Wu!"...

Xiao Yiming stared at the comments, his vision blurred again, and he felt his stomach sinking.

His casual reply to Pluto back then is now being posted in the comments section, like a label that can't be removed.

"Okay, I got it" - These words would normally be considered normal interaction, but after Pluto posted the unboxing post, the meaning of it completely changed.

Then things started to speed up.

Someone dug up Xiao Yiming's analysis post again, not to praise him, but to examine it paragraph by paragraph:

"‘She's playing a persona game with everyone’—doesn't that imply she's insincere and not genuine? So, isn't Pluto's attempt to ‘expose’ her true identity simply following this logic?"

"'She's not just selling a used iPod, she's selling a lifestyle she herself is imitating'—you've already called her a fraud, so isn't it only natural for Pluto to investigate her true identity as the next step?"

Xiao Yiming wanted to argue that "analyzing" and "investigating her true identity" were two different things, but he didn't dare. Because every typing action of his rebuttal, rehearsed in his mind, would be misinterpreted as "guilty conscience."

He could only watch as those people dismantled his post into a pile of parts, and then pieced those parts together to create a person he didn't recognize—a person standing side by side with Pluto.

"So, Teacher Wu provides theoretical guidance, and Pluto is responsible for execution? Your division of labor is quite clear."

"One plays the good cop, the other the bad cop; one writes the analysis, the other investigates real identities and exposes other people's privacy. They work together quite well. Are you guys in the same dorm?"

"I'm not saying that Teacher Wu was the mastermind, but he was definitely the one who handed the knife to him. Without his post, Pluto would never have felt that he had any 'justice'."

After the phrase "handing over a knife" appeared, it quickly became a meme.

Some people started calling Xiao Yiming "Teacher Handing Over the Knife," some said, "Teacher Wu teaches well; the students have all learned to be honest with others," and someone even posted a thread with just four characters in the title—"The Chronicle of Handing Over the Knife"—about how "Let Me Sleep for Five More Minutes" ignited a madman's sense of justice with an analytical post, and then hid behind the scenes to watch the show.

The post ended with the line: "The knife was handed over, blood splattered on you, and you want to say you didn't do it on purpose? Well, you should at least wipe the blood off."

Last night was a sleepless night for Xiao Yiming.

Seeing the villain Pluto finally brought to justice, Xiao Yiming felt incredibly satisfied!

He felt like he was walking by the roadside when a stray dog ​​inexplicably peed on his pants leg, and now that stray dog ​​had been shot dead—it felt so good!

"Snapped!"

Xiao Yiming couldn't help but clap his hands, then stopped looking at the announcement and started reading a post he had made the night before.

I urge everyone to resolutely boycott Pluto's behavior! And let me add a couple more words from my heart.

This is a powerful piece that Xiao Yiming wrote last night after much deliberation, after seeing the various political winds that had affected him because of Pluto.

The post mainly has two topics.

The first theme, naturally, is to align with everyone else, to express our deep sorrow and condemnation of Pluto's despicable act of arbitrarily exposing other people's privacy, and to convey our clear stance of "opposing Pluto."

At the same time, he clarified some points that had been used against him, saying that he didn't know Pluto at all, and that the reply was just a casual interaction with fans. He even posted a lot of similar evidence to prove that it really was just a casual reply and didn't mean anything.

In short, it's about distancing oneself from Pluto.

The second theme is not as obvious as the first. Instead, it subtly reminds everyone that while Pluto should be resolutely opposed, we should not throw the baby out with the bathwater and let bygones be bygones.

Xiao Yiming couldn't accept Mo Shang Wei Liang's "whitewashing"—he himself rose to fame by stepping on Mo Shang Wei Liang in this whole affair. If Mo Shang Wei Liang successfully whitewashed himself and his reputation improved, what would become of him?

Just as he once told Zhuang Xu, this has nothing to do with grudges or the facts, but only with conflicts of interest.

As a result, after looking at the comments section of this post for a short while, Xiao Yiming immediately and decisively deleted it. After letting out a long sigh, he started writing a new post and finally published it.

"Celebrating Pluto's ban, with my rethinking"

In this new post, Xiao Yiming still focuses on two themes: one is celebrating Pluto's ban, and the other is the victory of justice over evil.

Another topic, however, was a complete reversal of yesterday's attitude. He began to reflect, saying that he might have misunderstood the "gentle breeze on the road".

There was nothing I could do. In last night's post, I subtly asked everyone not to let Mo Shang Wei Liang off the hook, and I got attacked too fiercely.

Xiao Yiming also realized that the current trend meant he could no longer attack Mo Shang Wei Liang—at least, he couldn't attack her himself.

That disgusting Pluto, with his self-destruction, also shut up the mouth of the "most influential hater"—it's disgusting, like dog shit!