My cousin asked me to go to Wuha, and Hanikezi stuck to me.

Mr. Zhou's wrist went limp, and the few thin sheets of paper scattered on the carpet.

The office was deathly silent.

The public relations director stood in front of his desk, barely daring to breathe.

"Mr. Zhou, this..." The secretary's voice trembled with fear.

Mr. Zhou suddenly came to his senses, kicked the leather seat next to him, and the panic on his face instantly turned into extreme ferocity.

"Intimidation! This is absolutely intimidation!" Boss Zhou roared, pointing at the lawyer's letter on the ground. "Liu Qiang took cash! They can't possibly trace the funds! Chen Yi issued this to scare us!"

The PR director swallowed hard.

"So what do we do now?" the PR director asked.

"Keep the online trolls coming!" President Zhou gripped his desk tightly, his eyes filled with madness. "As long as Chen Yi doesn't dare release the original footage today, this lawyer's letter is just a piece of paper! Get the hashtag 'Chen Yi is using the finale as a shield because he's guilty' to the top of the trending searches!"

We moved to a guesthouse in Dali.

7:55 PM.

The main lights were off in the guest room at the far end of the second floor.

Hanikezi sat cross-legged on the large bed without even taking off her shoes. She stared intently at the tablet in her hand, the screen filled with vicious comments spammed by online trolls.

"Coward! Not daring to release the original footage just shows you're guilty!"

"Using an entire season to whitewash their image? The production team and Chen Yi should be locked in a deadlock, it's disgusting!"

Hanikezi was so angry that her chest heaved violently, and she slammed the tablet face down on the blanket.

The door clicked open.

Chen Yi strode in, one hand in the pocket of his black overalls. Old Wang and Xiao Fang followed closely behind.

Hanikezi suddenly raised her head.

"You're still laughing!" Hanikezi glared at Chen Yi, her eyes red-rimmed. "The whole internet is criticizing you for using the finale as a shield! Why did you have to wait a whole season before releasing the original episodes?! I'm logging into my alternate account right now to confront them!"

Chen Yi walked to the bedside, pulled over a chair and sat down, casually crossing his long legs.

"Who said I have to wait a whole season?" Chen Yi retorted.

Hanikezi was stunned.

She turned to look at Old Wang beside her. Old Wang was covering his mouth, grinning like a fox who had successfully stolen a chicken.

"That statement Lao Wang issued this afternoon was just a smokescreen." Chen Yi glanced at his watch. "If it weren't for that, why would President Zhou have been willing to personally spend 20 million to help us push the hype to its peak across the internet?"

Hanikezi's eyes widened little by little, and she finally understood.

"Did you deliberately trick him into spending money to hire online trolls?" Hanikezi's voice trembled.

"The entire internet is focused on you now." Chen Yi took out his phone, the backlight illuminating his extremely calm face. "Eight o'clock prime time, close the net."

8:00 PM.

The official Weibo account of "Five Ha" and Tencent Video jointly released a new update without any prior warning.

There were no unnecessary lengthy public relations statements, and no explanations that evaded the main issues.

There is only one thirteen-second ultra-high-definition original video.

The video title has only ten characters: "Unreleased footage of the old bridge in Dali - Full version".

The video feed unfolds.

It's not the visual illusion in the edited version where Chen Yi forcibly approaches and the woman retreats in panic.

In the video, Hanikezi loses her balance and falls backward uncontrollably because her high heels get stuck in the gap of the bluestone slab.

Chen Yi reacted quickly, grabbing her wrist and pulling her back steadily.

The distance between the two instantly closed.

Hanikezi blushed and looked up at Chen Yi, her gaze so intense it could be straight out of an idol drama.

A clear and bright sound came from the video, without any noise.

"Are you coming next time? If you're not coming... I'm not coming either."

Chen Yi looked down at her, a faint smile on his lips.

"Since you've asked me, I'll reluctantly come."

The video ends here, without any filters or editing.

The entire internet was silent for a full minute.

Subsequently, the bullet comments and comment section experienced an unprecedented explosion.

"Holy crap! Holy crap! Holy crap! Is this what you call 'paying someone to do something for you'? Is this workplace harassment?"

"May all those marketing accounts die! They cut out the scene where Hani sprained her ankle, cut out the scene where she initiated a conversation, but only showed the moment Chen Yi pulled her up in slow motion? This editor must have studied fraud!"

"Who says a woman blushes and says 'If you don't come, I won't come either' in a workplace harassment situation?! This is clearly a perfect, mutually beneficial love story!"

"Chen Yi's comeback was too ruthless! He tricked the haters into spending tens of millions on hype, and then he released the full video and showered everyone with sweet moments! I declare! Chen Yi and Hanikezi are locked in! I'm keeping the key!"

The trending topics list was instantly reshuffled.

The online trolls that Mr. Zhou spent 20 million to hire were instantly melted away like snow under the scorching sun in the face of this absolute truth in thirteen seconds.

#ChenYi's materials were maliciously edited and used to spread rumors# suddenly became the number one trending topic.

#If you don't come, I won't come either, Hanikezi# followed closely behind.

Millions of active fans and casual observers were outraged, their anger at being fooled directed directly at the marketing account that initially started the controversy.

Xiao Fang was so excited, holding the tablet, that she jumped around in the room.

"Bro! Your feint was brilliant! Zhou's 20 million has become free publicity for us! Now the whole internet is shipping you two as a couple!" Xiao Fang shouted until his voice cracked.

Hanikezi looked at the top comments on the tablet, her face turning as red as a ripe apple, and even the base of her neck flushed pink.

She glanced at Chen Yi furtively, unable to suppress the smirk on her face.

Chen Yi's expression remained unchanged as he turned to look at Old Wang.

"Old Wang, have you had enough data?" Chen Yi asked.

"I'm stuffed!" Old Wang slapped his thigh with delight. "The Tencent Video backend almost crashed due to the sheer volume of traffic! Boss Li just called and said he'd give you a big red envelope tonight!"

"No need for the red envelope." Chen Yi stood up, his eyes turning completely cold. "It's time to settle the score."

Xiao Fang's phone suddenly started vibrating wildly.

He answered the phone, listened for only two sentences, then suddenly looked up, his eyes shining with an astonishing light.

"Brother! The legal team has given us a message!" Xiao Fang hung up the phone, speaking rapidly, "The Dali police have officially summoned Liu Qiang! That bastard was packing his bags to run away when he was apprehended at the budget hotel!"

Chen Yi straightened the cuffs of his black shirt.

"Did he confess?" Chen Yi asked.

"He confessed!" Xiao Fang clenched his fist. "He admitted he was instructed to do this, directly naming a mid-level manager at Xingyu Media! The police have already accessed his bank accounts and discovered two clandestine financial transactions!"

A dangerously smirk appeared on Chen Yi's lips.

He turned to look at the night view of Dali outside the window.

"Notify the legal team," Chen Yi gave the final instruction, "to submit an application to the court to add a defendant."

Xiao Fang gasped.

"Formally list Xingyu Media as a co-defendant." Chen Yi's tone was extremely calm, yet it exuded an overwhelming sense of pressure. "I want President Zhou to know that he can't afford the price of overturning the table."