The male supporting character was actually myself.

"Stop flaunting your husband. Wei Jiangchen likes to sleep with married women and won't pay any attention to you innocent girls."

"The law punishes marital infidelity and mistresses too leniently. We hope the anchor will set an example and contribute to rewriting the law. We look forward to attending your court trial..."

…………

Not long after starting the live stream, Jiang Chen noticed some strange comments mixed in with the messages scrolling through the chat.

Marital infidelity? Mistress? Stealing from a married woman?

He suddenly became alert and remembered the picture in the script. Hua Zaihong was a married young woman who had not yet had children. Could there be some rumors again?

How did the virus manage to concoct a story about these two completely unrelated people?

When it came to online rumors, Jiang Chen didn't bother searching online; instead, he called Peng Ziyang directly.

"Mr. Wei, what can I do for you?" The last collaboration was quite pleasant, and one intervention directly boosted the public relations company's reputation. Peng Ziyang was overjoyed to receive the call from his sugar daddy. "We'll definitely have a friendly price for our next collaboration. Our company has recently expanded its talent pool, and we can help you control any kind of public opinion!"

"Are there any rumors about me online these past two days? The kind that spreads rumors, like 'young married woman' or 'mistress' or anything like that. Collect all the rumors and send me an email."

"What? There are still people spreading rumors? Damn! The internet is full of all kinds of idiots. Jin Chenxi's case is a perfect example, yet someone still dares to defy the law. Don't worry, Mr. Wei, I'll start investigating right away and let you know as soon as I have any news!"

After hanging up the phone, Peng Ziyang scratched his head, looking bewildered. "Although he doesn't have any connections, Wei Jiangchen is definitely among the 'tall, rich, and handsome' type. Now he's even set up a company to provide legal aid and help people with lawsuits. How come there are still people who are oblivious to the danger spreading rumors about him?"

Rumors and gossip on the internet are updated and iterated extremely quickly, and the direction of the news is unpredictable.

It is not easy to sift through the multitude of messages to find the rumors targeting Wei Jiangchen.

But soon, Peng Ziyang tracked down some clues and immediately contacted his sugar daddy through social media.

[Bang bang bang: Mr. Wei, I've used my connections to find some clues in those social media groups. Could you take a look?]

What was sent was a forwarded chat log.

Jiang Chen clicked on it and saw that the first picture was indeed the one from the script!

The following content, however, is infuriating.

Dozens of fabricated social media posts essentially claimed that someone had taken photos of themselves with Hua Zaihong, and used these to create a story about a young college student who met a top salesman from a foreign trade company and had multiple inappropriate relationships with him in high-end clubs and hotels.

The fabricated social media messages contained a large amount of veiled and explicit content, and even included a video clip from the lobby of the hotel where the person was staying. In just a few seconds, Hua Zaihong could be seen making a phone call, turning around, seeing the person, smiling, hanging up the phone, and then the two walking towards the elevator.

The social media group where the message was posted also sparked a large number of vulgar and veiled comments.

【Pengpengpeng: Mr. Wei, I found out that these pictures, videos and content were initially circulating in those groups, and then the merged chat records forwarded to you started to spread rapidly.

At the current rate, self-media outlets will likely get involved in the next day or two, and then things might get out of control. Should we intervene?

[Wei Jiangchen: Not needed for now. Wait for my further instructions.]

[Bang bang bang: Okay! I'm ready to serve you at any time!]

Another online rumor?

The virus really doesn't have any new tricks up its sleeve, but how can spreading rumors endanger my life? I'm not the kind of person who has a weak mentality and can't handle pressure, so I'm not going to commit suicide.

Is it...

Jiang Chen tapped her fingers lightly on the table, pondering a possibility—since Hua Zaihong was married, could it be related to her husband? Could a hot-tempered young man have easily believed the rumors and come to her door to cause a violent conflict?

The reason he could think of this possibility was because he had seen a news report about it in real life.

A man always felt that something was wrong with his wife, so he tried to probe her indirectly, but she always gave vague answers, so he suspected that she was having an affair.

He secretly followed her and discovered that his wife was indeed leaving the hotel at the same time as a tall and handsome man. He thought he had found the adulterer and, in a fit of rage, stepped on the gas and rammed into him, killing him instantly.

However, after investigation, the police learned that his wife had only taken on the job of running errands to deliver things in order to create a surprise for his birthday because her company was struggling and her salary had been reduced.

He repeatedly asked indirectly, and his wife thought that her husband cared about her and was unwilling to tell him the truth so as not to hurt him. She wanted to wait until his birthday to confess her feelings.

That day, he only followed the woman as she came out of the hotel after delivering a fare. The young man he hit and killed did not know his wife at all; they just happened to be taking the same elevator downstairs and out the door at the same time.

The tall, handsome young man had just graduated with a master's degree and joined a high-paying company with a bright future. He was planning to hold a wedding in two months to marry his sweetheart. On the day of his arrival, he checked into a hotel and was about to go downstairs for dinner.

Meeting the wrong person at the wrong time, and inexplicably dying under the wheels of a car—a vibrant life abruptly ended.

Given the nature of the virus, Jiang Chen couldn't rule out the possibility that it might orchestrate a melodramatic tragedy, leaving him completely unprepared and killed in the other party's mindless and insane revenge.

"It's easy to dodge a spear in the open, but hard to guard against an arrow in the dark. We need to prepare well these next couple of days." He tapped the table with his fingers, his brow furrowing slightly. "Who exactly took those photos and spread those rumors? Have they had enough of the good life and have to find some excitement for themselves? Do they want to go to jail? Well then... I'll grant their wish!"

Chapter Fourteen: Honest people aren't easy to bully!

"That bitch!" Zhang Chengbo angrily turned off his phone, but the blatant words in the chat history were still assaulting his senses.

With a fire burning in his heart and a surge of hot blood rushing to his head, Zhang Chengbo slammed his fist on the chair. "You two bastards, you've been openly fooling around while I'm on assignment abroad! I'll make sure you suffer a terrible death!"

The moment he saw the chat log forwarded by his friend, he felt his whole body tremble uncontrollably and he almost lost control. He wished he could immediately return to Fuyu City and kill that despicable couple to vent his anger!

No man can tolerate being cuckolded!

Anyone with a modicum of courage must kill the adulterous couple to avenge their shame!

"Damn it, how could they abandon such a good tradition as drowning pigs in a cage? They're still keeping traditions, let's see which adulterous couple dares to cheat!" Zhang Chengbo became angrier the more he thought about it.

Especially considering how many times this chat log had been forwarded and seen by countless people, the thought of being pointed at and ridiculed for being cuckolded made him restless and want to rush back immediately.

The bus driver was still driving steadily, and at the current speed, it was estimated that they would return to Fuyu City in the afternoon.

He was so impatient that he stood up, walked to the front, and yelled at the driver, "Can you drive faster? What are we going to do to get to Fuyu at this rate?"

The driver, focused on driving, remained attentive and patiently replied, "This is the speed for long-distance buses. We're not high-speed trains that have to follow the speed regulations. Besides, a steady ride ensures everyone's safety, right?"

Don't worry, as long as there's no traffic, we guarantee we'll arrive in Fuyu on time.

As the saying goes, haste makes waste. Even if you're in a rush, you have to drive at this speed. Go back to your seat and fasten your seatbelt; this road isn't very smooth, and the bumps might cause you to get hurt.

"Damn it, there aren't any cars in front, so why don't you just drive!" Zhang Chengbo's fiery temper couldn't bear the torment any longer. Standing behind the driver, he pointed at the wide, car-free road and roared, "Do you even know how to drive? There are no cars or cameras on this road. You could go as fast as 160 or 170 without any problem! You idiot!"

The driver's face immediately fell, but he ignored him and continued driving steadily.

"Are you sick? Damn it, driving steadily is for everyone's safety. What kind of idiot is this who's trying to teach the driver how to drive?" The ticket seller stood up when he saw this. He was a tall, dark-skinned, and muscular man, about 1.9 meters tall, and his loud voice echoed throughout the carriage. "Want to go fast? Go buy a high-speed rail ticket. It only costs 300 yuan and takes an hour from Qingyi to Fuyu."

Damn it, they're unwilling to spend money and complain about the slow pace.

"A bus ticket is only sixty yuan. We're not even on the highway yet. If we speed and cause an accident, will you take responsibility?"

Zhang Chengbo immediately deflated after being yelled at from above and involuntarily moved to the side.

The ticket seller glared and roared, "What, you want to grab the driver's steering wheel? You're asking for trouble!"

"Holy crap! Hold him down!"

"Damn it, I always run into idiots everywhere I go. They even dare to grab the steering wheel and beat the guy to death!"

"Isn't it good that the driver is driving steadily? Is this person crazy?"

"Keep an eye on him! We can't let him disturb the driver. There are dozens of lives on this bus..."

…………

The two sentences of the argument had been silent until someone tried to grab the steering wheel and cause trouble, and the entire bus suddenly came to life from its drowsy state.

People criticized him, and several elderly well-meaning people even pulled and pushed him into a seat.

Zhang Chengbo was speechless; he had no intention of grabbing the steering wheel.

Isn't this slandering someone's innocence?

"There was a news story from the south a while ago, right? An old lady missed her stop and asked the bus driver to stop, but he said he couldn't stop if it wasn't a stop. So she grabbed the steering wheel and crashed into the bus. Luckily, the driver reacted quickly and stopped it, preventing any fatalities. People like that should be skinned alive!"

"I saw a news report online about a couple who got into an argument while driving on the highway. The man told the woman to stop, but she ignored him, so he grabbed the steering wheel and crashed horribly! If it weren't for the dashcam, no one would know how they died. It's such a pity that the woman was pregnant; it was a double tragedy!"

"If you ask me, we should give drivers a small private room. I've seen that in the new buses in big cities, there's a transparent door so you can see the driver but not touch them. That way, no one will bother the driver while they're driving, which is much safer..."

…………

As everyone chattered amongst themselves, they glanced at him with eyes that seemed to guard against a thief.

The two burly men deliberately switched seats to sit next to him, ready to make a move at any moment, fearing that he might actually try to grab the steering wheel and cause some trouble.

"Who the hell tried to grab the steering wheel? Did you even see me trying to grab it?" Zhang Chengbo thought angrily.

I only earn a few dollars a month and I get yelled at by my boss every day at work.

His wife cheated on him with a rich gigolo at home;

All I wanted was for the driver to go faster, and the ticket seller is slandering me for no reason. These idiots are all blindly following the crowd, staring at me like hawks. Can't they see what's really going on?

"It will be too late by the time you make your move!"

"Exactly, if you don't want to grab the steering wheel, why are you moving closer to the driver? Can't you talk here? The driver isn't deaf or mute, surely he can hear you?"

"Even if you didn't intend to grab the steering wheel, it's still wrong to talk to the driver and disturb their driving! The driver is responsible for the safety of everyone in the car, not your personal chauffeur. What are you doing acting so arrogantly?"

"Spending sixty yuan on a ticket, do you really think you're some kind of big shot? And you're even telling the driver how to drive? Do you even have a driver's license? Do you know the law?"

"People like you who are selfish and self-serving should be charged with endangering public safety!"

"I'm keeping an eye on you today. Try making a move and see what happens!"

He only said one sentence, and the entire bus immediately bombarded him with dozens of comments, leaving Zhang Chengbo furious but powerless to refute.

"How unlucky I am!" Looking up at the burly, six-foot-tall ticket seller glaring at him, he could only curse the despicable man who had framed him in his heart.

What else can we do?

He definitely couldn't win a fight; that kid preemptively accused him of trying to grab the steering wheel and kill everyone in the car, so now everyone looks at him like he's a thief, and any slight movement will draw a wary and angry stare...

Zhang Chengbo clenched his fists and sat in his seat, sulking with frustration.

"Hey, there's some big news in Fuyu again!" A loud-voiced older woman with a gossipy face in the front row chuckled at the older man sitting next to her, "I'm the one who's keeping an eye on that pretty boy, the one named Wei Jiangchen!"

The other person, arms crossed, was engrossed in watching some unknown, low-quality movie playing on the bus. He waved his hand impatiently and said, "It's just some online bullying case trial that's over. We've been arguing about this for ages, there's nothing new about it, and it has nothing to do with us."

We're not keyboard warriors, and we didn't join the bandwagon of insults. We've had our fill of the spectacle, so let's move on. What kind of news can we possibly have left?

"This isn't a lawsuit, that's all in the past. I saw it in your 'Loving Family' group chat, a chat log forwarded by Xiao Liuzi, oh my! You have no idea how explosive it is, Wei Jiangchen was caught on camera cheating on her with a married woman."

Putting everything else aside, those two actually look quite well-matched.

The woman is gorgeous; her figure is just as good as those slutty girls you like to see wiggling their hips and showing off their legs. And the man? He's handsome and rich! I heard he recently made millions in tips just from livestreaming based on his popularity!

The man became interested upon hearing this, opened his phone, glanced at it, and scoffed, "What nonsense is this? Anyone with a brain wouldn't believe it! As the saying goes, to catch someone cheating, you have to catch them in the act. Even a photo of the two of them together in a room would be more convincing than this."

"Isn't there a video of the two of them meeting?"

"In the hotel lobby, the two of them glanced at each other and headed towards the elevator. What does that prove?" The man looked at him like he was an idiot and clicked his tongue. "The chat logs are even more ridiculous. If someone were really cheating, who would dare to use their own photo as their profile picture? It's a secret affair. Who would have leaked the screenshots?"