I met my whole family through Baidu Tieba.

"Okay." Xiao Yiming put the p on Zhuang Xu's desk and returned to his seat.

Zhuang Xu, who was browsing the internet, glanced at it but did not immediately put it away. Instead, he got up, went behind Xiao Yiming, and looked at Xiao Yiming's computer screen.

He's kind of nice; Xiao Yiming borrowed his P, and returned it in two minutes. What's he up to?

Then he saw the post on Xiao Yiming's screen.

"I know that after seeing my last post, many people called me a fence-sitter, said I was opportunistic, and said I would criticize and then praise both sides. I saw it, but I didn't reply. Because I knew that no matter what I replied, I would still be criticized."

"But I want to tell you something else."

"After posting the previous thread, I browsed the comments section for a while and saw someone say, 'If you really think she's brave, why don't you buy a used P to support her?' I was stunned for a moment, thinking, what kind of logic is that? Do I have to spend money to prove I'm praising someone?"

"I turned off that comment and went to do other things. But I found myself thinking about it all afternoon."

"I'm not thinking about 'whether to buy it' or not, I'm thinking about 'why I don't dare to buy it'."

"When I was yelling at her, I was completely justified. I said, 'Why won't you admit you bought a secondhand item?' But when I myself was faced with the choice of 'buying a secondhand item,' I found that I couldn't say it either. I really couldn't say it. My first thought was—'How embarrassing it would be if people knew I used secondhand items.'"

"Then it suddenly dawned on me. The reason I felt so good cursing her back then was because I didn't have to face that choice."

"The reason I'm standing on the shore and criticizing someone in the water for having an awkward posture is because I haven't even been in the water."

"So I borrowed my roommate's camera to take these two photos and uploaded them."

"I haven't bought it yet because I need to confirm one thing first—whether I really have the courage to write down the words 'I bought a second-hand item.' I'm posting these photos today to tell myself: See, it won't matter if I say it out loud."

"I'll switch to another online order tomorrow."

"It's not because of her, it's because I want to try and see if I can do what she did today."

Zhuang Xu stood behind and watched, while Xiao Yiming sat in the chair in front, admiring the article he had hastily written.

Of course, the most important thing is to keep refreshing the page and see the comments and replies below, as well as everyone's reactions.

Very quickly, comments started appearing below, and with each refresh, the number of comments increased.

"Wow, you went from a 'Momo hater' to a 'Momo fanboy'? And you even helped him place orders?"

"Wait, you mean you didn't even buy it, you just borrowed your roommate's P to take two pictures and are going to post about it? You posted about it even though you didn't buy it, what happened when you bought it? I don't even want to think about how many posts you can post with just one P."

Upon seeing this, Xiao Yiming inwardly cursed, thinking to himself, "You talk too much."

Then continue reading.

"To be honest, Teacher Wu's thought process of 'How embarrassing it would be if people knew I used secondhand items' is quite realistic. So, Teacher Wu, is this some kind of courage challenge?"

This is good; this person has good comprehension.

Xiao Yiming was satisfied with the comment and replied directly below it: "That's somewhat true, but it's not exactly a courage challenge. You could think of it as a challenge to 'be brave and be yourself.'"

Then continue looking down.

"I'm not pretending anymore, I'm coming clean. I don't actually have a P, I don't have a roommate, I don't have a phone, and I'm typing this in an internet cafe. If you've read this far, please give me a like."

"I'm dying of laughter. The comments section is starting to see a 'I'm not pretending anymore, I'm laying my cards on the table' style. Is this a new literary genre?"

"I hereby declare 'I'm not pretending anymore, I'm laying my cards on the table' has become the most popular phrase on the Beiming Community. Seriously, Lu Tinglan's original line was quite nonchalant, so why do you guys find it so funny when you talk about it?"

"Speaking of 'I'm not pretending anymore, I'm coming clean,' what exactly does that mean? I've seen it in several places."

"You don't know? Then how did you end up here?"

"I didn't come. My roommate said there was something interesting to see, so I came."...

Seeing this, and noticing that people were already discussing it in the comments section of his post, Xiao Yiming's lips curled into a smile.

See, now almost no one calls him a fence-sitter anymore.

Everyone started making fun of the phrase "I'm not pretending anymore, I'm coming clean."

In addition, some people are talking about second-hand P.

"Teacher Wu, I'll go with one. I'll also go and buy a used P."

Xiao Yiming replied to this comment, saying, "Looking forward to your post then."

"I'm not pretending anymore, I'm coming clean, I've placed the order. It's not because of the slight chill in the air, nor because I'm allowed to sleep for another five minutes, it's because I just checked the prices at Huanhuan, and it's cheaper than the hot pot I had last year. Trading a hot pot meal for a fart, I think it's a win-win situation no matter how you look at it."

Xiao Yiming replied to this comment: "Over 400 yuan for a hot pot meal? Did you eat the pot too?"

Some people are even talking about the "plot".

"Someone who criticized her has now become her biggest promoter and is even ordering the same products herself. I've been following this plot for three days now, and there's a new twist every day. When will the Beiming Community hold an 'Annual Best Plot Award'? I'll vote for this incident."

"I'm not pretending anymore, I'm coming clean. After reading your post, I also searched for Huanhuan.com. I might place an order too. Your post is even more effective at driving sales than Lu Tinglan's post."

"What are you talking about? I just walked in. Who's made their move? Can someone give me a quick recap?"

"Don't bother watching it. What you're seeing now is already season three. Season one was 'Is she lying?' Season two was 'She was proven right.' And now we're fast-forwarding to season three, 'Everyone wants to buy the same thing.' Just watch season three; you don't need to watch the first two."

"Hilarious, 'Season 3'!"

After scrolling through the comments for a while and replying to some of them, Xiao Yiming stopped scrolling for the time being, leaned back, and looked completely comfortable.

He felt once again that he was a genius.

After he started a new wave of discussion, nobody talks about being a fence-sitter anymore. People are either making jokes, watching shows, or saying they want to buy the same items.

Okay, after I place the order tomorrow, I can post another "I placed an order" post, and the day after tomorrow I can post another "I received it" post. After that, there will be "My feelings after using a second-hand P for two days", "It feels so good to be myself after using it for a week"...

Wouldn't this ensure a continuous output?

Those pretty faces in the Beiming community only get a little attention today, while they themselves are constantly clinging to the spotlight.

This is the difference.

As Xiao Yiming was happily lost in thought, a voice came from behind him.

"Yiming, this post of yours is very well written."

It was Zhuang Xu's voice.

Xiao Yiming didn't turn his head, but just smiled reservedly, "Right? I think so too."

Zhuang Xu's voice continued from behind: "There's just one thing I don't understand. When you were criticizing her before, you said she was a liar. Now you're criticizing her because you think she's not a liar anymore, but..."

How do you know she's not lying now?

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yiming was taken aback and slowly turned around.

"What do you mean?"

Zhuang Xu simply pulled up a chair and sat down behind Xiao Yiming, then began to analyze the situation for him: "She used to pretend to be sophisticated, but people exposed it. Then she changed her profile picture to a bare-faced one and posted a message saying 'I'm not pretending anymore.' You all think she's real now. But is it possible that she...?"

Zhuang Xu thought for a moment, "...It's just a different way of pretending? Before, I pretended to be rich, now I pretend to be open and honest. Before, I acted sophisticated, now I act brave."

He spoke in a calm tone, without sarcasm or anger, simply stating a hypothesis he had been pondering for a long time.

"Think about it, someone gets criticized and honestly attacked for three days, and then the next morning they post something saying, 'I'm calm now,' 'I've regained my courage'—isn't that a bit too fast?"

Zhuang Xu continued, "I'm not saying she's definitely acting. I just feel that every one of you is too quick to believe. Before, you were too quick to believe she was a rich and beautiful woman, and now you're too quick to believe she's genuinely honest."

Finally, Zhuang Xu looked at Xiao Yiming.

What do you think?

"..."

Xiao Yiming found Zhuang Xu utterly incomprehensible: "Are you a liar? Didn't you just speak up for her before?"

He clearly remembered that when he was in the dark and slightly cool place, it was Zhuang Xu who said to him, "You haven't really investigated her or understood her. Isn't it a bit inappropriate to make such a hasty judgment?"

Now that she's praised her, Zhuang Xu is opposing her?

"Aren't you changing too fast?" Xiao Yiming couldn't help but ask.

Others called him a fence-sitter and a fickle person, but he felt that those people should come and see Zhuang Xu for themselves, to see what true speed really is like.

"The past was the past, and the present is the present. I haven't changed; I've always analyzed this matter from the perspective of objective facts."

Zhuang Xu pointed this out seriously, and then said, "I still maintain that the change was too fast; perhaps she's just acting."

Xiao Yiming thought to himself, "Do I care if she's real or acting?"

He said, "Impossible, right? I read her post and it was so sincere, every word was genuine. I think she was being real, not acting. She really bravely being herself."

Now that I've "gone with the tide," Lu Tinglan must be real, and can only be real. That's what I'll tell everyone!

Zhuang Xu glanced at him several times, then sighed softly, said nothing more, shook his head, got up, carried his chair back to his seat, and looked at the computer screen in front of him.

As can be seen on Zhuang Xu's computer screen at this moment, the Yangke University Square of the Beiming Community is also paying attention to the Lu Tinglan incident.

As Zhuang Xu scanned the posts and saw those cheering for Lu Tinglan, a feeling of "I am the only one who is sober in a world of drunks" welled up within him.

They, like Yiming, are still too young.

……