The male supporting character was actually myself.

Perhaps he can help me, who is on the verge of a precipice?

Ye Ruoyi regarded this trip to Fuyu as her last lifeline. If even Wei Jiangchen could not help her, she dared not imagine how she would proceed.

If I can't continue my design work, do I really have no choice but to go to a remote small city and find another job?

Or perhaps... being taken back to their hometown by their parents...

The thought of being left with no other options sent a chill down her spine. She had grown up in a small county where male chauvinism was rampant. Girls there who couldn't find a way out would be treated like commodities to be picked over when they returned home.

The exorbitant bride price would be taken by the parents and given to the younger brother to squander, leaving the bride to become nothing more than a baby-making machine until she gave birth to a son!

The parents often said that they treated their daughter fairly and had already been very good to her.

Her son shared two chicken feet with her when he ate roast chicken, and he supported her education without forcing her to drop out of school to work. Compared to most parents in the county, they have done better.

Therefore, she must repay the kindness, and the family property should belong to her son; the responsibility of caring for her in old age should be borne by her daughter.

After all, she wasn't drowned or abandoned at birth. She was given a life, able to eat and dress warmly, and even go to school. This is an immense kindness! Without her parents' nurturing grace, the girl would have died long ago. Now that she's grown up and can earn money to repay her family, how can she be selfish and neglect her parents and younger brother?

Ye Ruoyi dreamed of escaping that horrible little county town.

Supporting one's parents is a child's responsibility, and one will take on that responsibility. But supporting one's younger brother is not one's responsibility! It's even less likely that one will go back to be treated like a commodity to provide for one's brother's extravagant spending, and in the future, be forced to become a Voldemort-like figure, emptying the family's coffers to subsidize him according to the parents' instructions.

Originally, escaping the small county town was part of her plan. Ye Ruoyi had even planned to save money by working overtime and taking on more online jobs. Once she had enough money, she would find a small house, make a down payment, own her own home, and stay in the city forever to enjoy fair treatment.

However, a rumor, spread by a group of people hiding in the shadows, completely ruined their future!

"You don't need to worry about work." Jiang Chen could sense that her feigned composure concealed a panicked and helpless heart. Touched by this, his voice softened involuntarily. "My company happens to have many vacancies. If you don't mind, you can stay in Fuyu."

The company provides employee dormitories, and the benefits are relatively good.

With me, you don't need to worry about the harm caused by rumors and cyberbullying. All the resources will be there to help you dig out the rumor-mongers, bring them to justice, and publicize the results widely. Let all those with filthy hearts who want to smear others' reputations see clearly that not being able to control your mouth comes at a price!

Wei Jiangchen's gentle voice has a reassuring power; his eyes have a firm light.

Whether it was helping her solve her urgent work problem or the immense sense of security that came from readily agreeing to her request, Ye Ruoyi felt that she had finally found someone to rely on in her despair.

As long as there is a place to stay, there is no need to return to the small county town;

As long as the rumors can be quelled and stop spreading, and stop affecting my life...

"Thank you! You're so kind!" After a moment of stunned silence, she finally remembered to bow and express her gratitude.

Jiang Chen waved his hand, indicating that she didn't need to be polite. He scrolled through the offensive and harassing messages on his phone, recording a video to preserve evidence while asking, "How are you feeling now? Would you like a cup of coffee to calm down?"

Like a person who is about to drown on a vast ocean, suddenly touching the land brings a sense of security. Ye Ruoyi's tense body and mind suddenly relax, and she realizes that she is really tired.

A wave of weariness washed over her, causing her to slump into her chair, panting.

"Thank you! I... I've been very anxious lately." When Ye Ruoyi came to her senses, she noticed a steaming cup of coffee on the table, emitting a rich aroma.

Jiang Chen nodded slightly in understanding. "I've experienced cyberbullying, and I know how unbearable that kind of mental torment is. But from now on, you can relax. If you need, I'll take you out for a walk; it can help relieve some of your anxiety."

Next, we'll go through the whole process of how you were falsely accused. Revisiting the hurt will definitely feel uncomfortable, but there's no rush; you can relax first.

Ye Ruoyi felt her mind was in a mess, and she held the warm coffee cup in both hands, taking small sips.

After a long while, she calmed herself down and said firmly, "The sooner we start, the sooner we can clear my name. If possible, shall we start now?"

“Of course, I can anytime.” Jiang Chen simply pulled up a chair and sat down next to her, flipping through the video and asking, “Judging from the angle of the video that was first used to spread rumors, it looks like footage recorded by surveillance equipment. After you reported it to the police, did you investigate the source?”

Ye Ruoyi nodded and recalled, "After receiving the report, the police officers went to check the place. However... based on the angle of the camera, they didn't find any suspicious traces in the corresponding location. The officers said that the other party most likely installed a pinhole camera in an inconspicuous corner, one of those small devices with a built-in memory card."

There are so many of these products on the market that once they're taken, it's very difficult to track them down.

Furthermore, the original source of the video's online dissemination is unknown, making it impossible to identify the suspect.

“Then let’s think about it from a different perspective.” Jiang Chen knew that the efficiency and manpower and financial resources of the relevant departments in the current mission world could not be relied on too much, so it seemed that he could only rely on himself to investigate. “From the video footage, we can see that you are renting the most common type of apartment building.”

There are two elevators serving four households per floor, and you and your roommate live in room number four, which is on the far side.

The camera was positioned directly towards your room, and based on that angle, it couldn't have been filmed from other rooms. Can we be certain that someone was secretly spying on you?

“The police officer guessed the same thing and asked me and my roommate if we had noticed anything unusual or offended anyone.” She gently bit her lip and said with certainty, “We are colleagues, about the same age, neither of us has ever had a boyfriend, and we usually have a small and clean social circle. My roommate is a gentle and easy-going girl, and we couldn’t possibly have offended anyone.”

The camera was taken from inside the hallway. Who would normally go in and out of the hallway to look in the corners? So, neither my roommate nor I noticed anything unusual…

Two young, beautiful, single girls and a hidden camera installed in the stairwell—the combination doesn't sound like a good thing.

Do you or your roommate have any suitors with extreme personalities?

"I do have quite a few suitors, but Xiao An and I both want to wait until our jobs are stable before dating. Besides, those are all college classmates we've known for a while and there's really nothing we want to develop a relationship with, so we politely declined them. I can't think of anyone with an extreme personality... after all, we don't have a deep relationship with most of them, and they usually wouldn't be able to detect if someone installed a pinhole camera."

“That’s true.” Jiang Chen frowned slightly, his fingers tapping slowly on the table. “The other party installed a hidden camera in front of your door, not inside your house. This means they know your exact address, but can’t get into your house.”

Judging from the leaked video and the rumors being spread, why are they targeting you? It's clearly a room shared by two girls, both of them were home, yet they're specifically targeting you with these rumors. Could it be that they're specifically after you?

Ye Ruoyi whispered a reminder: "It could also be because my face appeared in the video. You see, the deliveryman arrived first, carrying a big box to the door and knocking. I thought it was a deliveryman bringing medicine, so I went to open the door."

My roommate, Xiao An, was changing clothes in her room when she heard the delivery arrive. She told me to wait a moment to sign for it. Shortly after, the delivery person came over, carrying bags from the pharmacy and helping to move the boxes. I helped open the door for her.

We hadn't planned to close the door, since it's just the two of us girls at home, but the strong draft in the hallway blew the door shut. The video was edited and lacked a precise time, creating the illusion that they had been inside for a long time.

What did your roommate buy?

The other person suddenly asked an unrelated question, and Ye Ruoyi was stunned for a moment before replying, "It's a treadmill. Xiao An said she wanted to work out at home. What... does that have to do with anything?"

"First of all, these kinds of pinhole cameras that leave no trace have their own battery devices, which means that if they are filmed 24 hours a day, the battery simply cannot last for a long time; in addition, the memory card has limited storage capacity, and the video takes up relatively a lot of space."

From a spying perspective, it would be more appropriate to find a place that can be plugged in with a power cord and connected to the cloud for storage.

Shooting with this method requires frequent battery and memory card changes, making it easy for others to spot.

So I have an idea—the other party didn't install the hidden camera for long, and they deliberately chose that day to film. Following this line of thought, how could the person who installed the camera be certain they could capture material to edit and spread rumors on that day?

She was immediately taken aback, her beautiful eyes blinking a few times with a look of horror. "You mean... the other party knew that Xiao An had a large package to be delivered that day, so they deliberately installed a hidden camera to film this scene?"

"This is just speculation based on the current clues, but if it's true, the circle of suspects will be quite small. Who would know that your roommate had a large package delivered that day? Your roommate Xiao An, who can see the logistics information at any time when she bought the treadmill, and the courier who delivered the package—who else could it be but those two?"

Ye Ruoyi rested her chin on her right hand, tilted her head slightly, and carefully recalled the events.

The bright sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, giving her hair a gentle golden edge.

"Many people in the company know that Xiao An bought a treadmill. I remember she was struggling with which brand to buy and consulted several close colleagues. But more detailed logistics and delivery information..." Her eyes suddenly lit up, "I remember now, the supervisor knows!"

The day before the delivery, the supervisor asked Xiao An if she had bought a treadmill, saying he had a gym membership that he hadn't used much and could give it to her. Xiao An declined, saying she had already bought it and arranged with the delivery person for the larger items to receive it after get off work the next day!

Upon hearing this, Jiang Chen raised an eyebrow slightly. Could it be... that Ye Ruoyi was just unlucky and suffered an undeserved misfortune? Could the other party's target be her roommate, Xiao An?

Chapter Nineteen: Stupidity is Beyond Saving

"How's your roommate doing lately?" Since it's still in the initial discussion stage, the more information we have, the better it will be for determining the focus of our investigation. Jiang Chen thought of this and asked directly.

Ye Ruoyi was even more confused. Did he suspect that Xiao An had secretly installed the hidden camera?

"Xiao An... is she alright?" After thinking carefully, she hesitated and replied, "The video that was used to spread rumors about me was filmed three months ago, and the rumors started circulating last month. After that, our rented house was vandalized with paint, the door was banged on in the middle of the night, and many people gathered around and tried to take pictures, so we dared not continue living there."

Unable to find a suitable shared apartment quickly, Xiao An moved in with her cousin; I temporarily found a single room for short-term rental, but then rumors spread in the office, making it impossible for me to work normally, so I had to resign. Lately, I haven't even dared to turn on my phone, so I haven't contacted Xiao An at all.

Ye Ruoyi paused for a few seconds and added softly, "Xiao An is a very good girl. We've known each other since college. It's not like she's the one pulling the strings behind the scenes."

"No, I suspect this rumor was actually targeting your roommate." Jiang Chen tapped the table with his finger and said in a deep voice, "It's just that you appeared in the video and took the fall for her. Of course, this is just my guess without any other evidence, so I'll just note it down as a possible direction of suspicion."

I'll get some professionals to handle the online content and help me trace the source of the video.

The former can be handled by Peng Ziyang, who is a professional in online commentary control;

As for the latter, the video was taken a while ago, and the police haven't been able to find any leads. Furthermore, the two cities are separate, and my company is just starting out and doesn't yet have a mature network of connections there; intervening rashly would likely take a very long time.

Moreover... in the age of internet information, the leakage of personal privacy is a serious problem.

Perhaps it was just a fleeting glance in a crowd that sparked lust, and a girl was then targeted, stalked, and spied on.

It's not impossible for Ye Ruoyi to encounter random crimes. In order to apprehend the suspect as soon as possible and free her from heavy shackles, sending Little White Cat is the simplest and quickest way!

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" Ye Ruoyi's lips trembled slightly with excitement. She couldn't think of any words to express her emotions other than thank you.

After nearly a month of physical and mental torment, she was finally able to unload all the anxiety and fear she had been feeling in Fuyu City. She was very glad that she had chosen to knock on the door and walk into this office.

At least someone is willing to lend a hand!

Jiang Chen treated her to a sumptuous and cozy dinner and settled Ye Ruoyi in the company's employee apartment.

After being attacked by various rumors one after another, she probably had no heart to work. Since Hua Zaihong was still in the hospital and needed someone to take care of her, Jiang Chen arranged a new job for Ye Ruoyi - to accompany Hua Zaihong.

Two girls who have been hurt by rumors should be easier to get along with.

"Host, these two rumors that slander your future wife weren't spread by the same person." The fluffy little dumpling, its eyes blurry with drunkenness, scratched at the forwarded message on its phone with its little paws, and said indistinctly, "Look, come and look at the details of the rumor. The latter is obviously imitating the former, but you can see very subtle differences."

Jiang Chen reached out and gently patted its head. "Don't talk nonsense, we've only just met."

"Hiccup~" The little white cat, its face flushed red from being slapped, retorted with its neck stiff, "What do you mean you just met! How much PDA have you two been throwing around all along? Host's memories are folded, but mine aren't! I remember it all perfectly well, hmph, don't try to fool me, it won't be long before... hiccup! You're going to have another grand wedding..."

It wagged its big, fluffy tail and chuckled, "Holding a wedding would be great, there would be lots of delicious food, and cake too, hehehe..."

"Let's get down to business first." Jiang Chen flicked it on the forehead.

The fluffy ball slapped its paw and meowed, "Oh dear, I understand how anxious the host is to clear his future wife's name, but this can't be rushed. These rumors have been forwarded many times, so I have to trace them back from the information channels."

Hmm, my intuition tells me the courier spreading rumors was done by a man; the one spreading rumors in the office is most likely a woman. Just you wait, I'll find out who they are soon!

He watched the white kitten pawing around and asked curiously, "Little White, how exactly do you manage to track network information records? How do you connect to the network of the mission world?"

Mentioning her profession, a smug expression appeared on the fluffy little face of the little ball of fluff. "Ahem, do I need to be online? To tell you the truth, host, I'm an auxiliary system!"

System, do you even understand? Don't be fooled by my incredibly cute and cuddly kitten appearance; it's all an illusion!

The cat's true form is a small database created by the main system.

What is the essence of the mission world? It's a data world created by relevant departments according to a script. Host, you're practically a different kind of data now. We all 'live' in a space that's essentially data, but our mortal eyes can only see the surface.

But cats can see through appearances and get to the essence!

Simply put, it's about digitizing all the things we can and can't see, so I can track them one by one.

The theory sounds easy, but in reality, it takes a lot of time for a cat to deduce the source from the data, because this thing... has countless threads that need to be untangled.

In the eyes of the fluffy little dumpling, the whole world can be transformed into a data matrix?

"Looking at the mission world through data must be really interesting, right?" Jiang Chen thought of scenes from some sci-fi blockbusters and felt a little envious.

It's a pity I don't have such extraordinary abilities.

The little white cat waved its paw and chuckled, "It's not that interesting. How should I describe it? It's just strings and chains of data in various colors. Actually, I only learned it naturally because of my system instincts. If you asked me to learn how to analyze data and find the source, my CPU would never be able to do it in this lifetime."

It was a great help, allowing Jiang Chen to extricate himself from investigating the rumors about Ye Ruoyi and focus all his energy on preparing for the next operation.