They are still close to me today despite their negative feelings

Chen Di's suggestion was also what I was thinking at the moment. I nodded and then hurried downstairs with him and An Yu.

……

As we guessed, the senior student and Qiu Luxi, the center of the conversation, are currently in the club room.

Senior Wu Yuehua was sitting in her office chair, looking at her phone with a furrowed brow, while Qiu Luxi was sitting quietly on her favorite single sofa. When she saw me come in, her eyes gleamed slightly as she looked at me.

"Junior! ...The school is also affected by those trending topics, so we've asked Qiu Luxi to refrain from any campus activities and to avoid contact with ordinary students as much as possible."

Senior student Wu Yuehua explained the current situation to us.

"I'm sorry to have caused you trouble."

Qiu Luxi, on the other hand, obediently lowered her head and apologized to us first.

"No, this isn't your fault, Xiao Qiu..."

An Yu said sadly, clutching her phone. She had probably seen even more infuriating and disgusting things in the comments section below the topic.

"What did the agent and the company say?"

Without any unnecessary formalities or probing, I asked Qiu Luxi directly.

The girl shook her head.

“I don’t have that kind of thing. My family wouldn’t allow it, but my grandfather’s secretary is helping with the most basic screening.”

This seems to be one of the conditions that enabled her to pursue an idol career.

However, the requirements sounded very familiar, reminding me of the Excel spreadsheet that Uncle Gold Tooth sent me.

"...Why? These photos aren't even evidence, so why are these guys acting like mad dogs, biting anyone they see?" An Yu complained anxiously as he typed on his phone.

"It's pointless to refute them now. Most of the people under this thread are professional trolls who will quickly suppress dissenting voices, creating the illusion that the public has reached a consensus. Save your battery and data."

An Yu shook his head, somewhat discouraged but still determined.

"I have no other way."

The first tier of Linwai School may have some reputation in Lucheng, but it seems like a firefly in the national spotlight.

However, judging from her expression, even if it was futile, she seemed to want to do something, so I stopped trying to persuade her.

"Although it's obvious, as a necessary procedure, I'll still confirm with you—is this kind of negative trending topic common for you?"

After all, the possibility that idol stars might direct and act in their own dramas to generate buzz cannot be ruled out. While Qiu Luxi is unlikely to be that kind of person, it's hard to guarantee that other collaborators, platforms, or fan groups might be involved in similar schemes.

Qiu Luxi thought for a moment, then shook her head slightly.

"No. Although the reasons are different, neither my family nor I want too much attention. Besides, I usually go home immediately after I finish delivering the announcements."

Judging from what she said, this kind of negative comment that went viral on social media must be a first for Qiu Luxi.

"Home?..."

Although An Yu asked the question subconsciously, he quickly realized that this was not the time to explain the reason behind it to her, so he immediately shut his mouth and continued to chat online.

He would only glance at us occasionally, looking confused and bewildered by the topic.

"Um, junior, actually I..."

Wu Yuehua, a senior student standing next to me, put down her phone and spoke to me with a serious expression and tone, but I interrupted her as soon as she opened her mouth.

"Senior, you're planning to use another identity to speak out online, right?"

"Eh? You've already... that's true, after all, you're quite amazing, junior."

The evaluation of "amazing" is quite subtle.

Senior Wu Yuehua nodded, as if she had made up her mind.

"If necessary, I can reveal my identity and publicly support my junior... Although I don't know the complicated relationships behind what you're talking about, I think I still have some influence to change the direction of public opinion."

"That's probably what they were thinking too."

I smiled softly.

"Eh?"

"The fact that they can fabricate a trending topic out of thin air with a few pieces of dubious evidence suggests that we should consider the worst-case scenario when it comes to the preparations they've made around Qiu Luxi."

"Your identity is indeed a secret to most ordinary students and netizens, but for those guys, I think it's unlikely to have any surprising effect."

Putting everything else aside, the director, editor, screenwriter who adapted the story, and the actors who worked with her all knew more or less about her appearance and age. If they were to inquire a little, it wouldn't be hard to guess that the student council president of Linwai High School was Ping Qiuyue.

"So, am I supposed to do nothing?"

"If you want to do something, you can borrow someone else's account and fight against online trolls, just like An Yu did, but that's just wishful thinking."

An Yu, who was called upon, looked up with a blank expression.

"I'm not criticizing you, please continue," I said calmly.

An Yu nodded, then buried his head again and continued surfing the internet.

"But it's best not to use even a secondary account. Because if I were on the other side, I would definitely be waiting for any account related to you right now."

As I spoke, I kept refreshing the trending topics list.

"After all, they probably also felt that this was the counterattack they needed to be most wary of."

"?"

"I'll tell you why later. Wait a minute."

As I said this, I glanced at the wall clock.

Time passes slowly.

An hour after lunch break was almost over, the top trending topic on the hot search list once again sparked an astonishing discussion.

"Qiu Luxi: From Commoner to Elite Queen at a High School?" is a Hot Topic

[Next chapter preview: "Hey, junior, you don't have to belittle yourself like that, do you?"]

I panicked, I panicked.

"It's hard to tell the difference now. The water's become so murky..."

"This lousy school."

Chapter 78: Are you even teachers?!

"If you had spoken out just now, you would probably be labeled as 'students with a voice in school ganging up to bully ordinary students'."

I said it casually.

When this trending topic went viral, I saw the fear in Wu Yuehua's eyes.

"Why, why?"

"Just like An Yu just said, the first trending topic had no substantial evidence at all. This means that even if they used trolls to spread it like crazy, to the general public, it's just a joke that drives gossip lovers crazy."

I scratched my head.

"So this thing is clearly bait. Its purpose isn't to use this topic to ruin Qiu Luxi's reputation, it can't do that. So why push this topic in the first place?"

I looked at Senior Wu Yuehua, who seemed a little lost.

"Oh, it seems you haven't seen that video, senior. 'All eyes are on me! I have an announcement to make! I'm an idiot!'"

"Hey, junior, you don't have to belittle yourself like that, do you?"

Senior Wu Yuehua said tactfully.

"If it weren't for you, junior, we would definitely be in a much more panicked situation right now."

You don't need to insult yourself like that!

I panicked, I panicked.

"No, no, no, it's a joke, a joke, senior."

I took a deep breath.

"The first trending topic about diva-like behavior and rudeness serves to draw everyone's attention to me. Its essence is to raise the topic and make more people curious, 'Oh? Let me see what happened.'"

If this is a malicious attempt to control public opinion against Qiu Luxi, then it is clear that the other side must have a key weapon that they believe can truly sway public opinion to their side.

"It's a win-win situation."

I looked at Qiu Luxi, who was silently looking at her phone without saying a word.

"If there are public figures who sympathize with or want to support Qiu Luxi but lack relevant experience, they will most likely stand up for Qiu Luxi out of a sense of justice."

Well, I'm practically begging President Wu Yuehua to recite her ID card. After all, there aren't many public figures who lack relevant public relations crisis experience.

"Qiu Luxi's fans are the same. But if there are more negative revelations, how long can these fans hold on? Those 'righteous people' who defend Qiu Luxi will only get themselves smeared, won't they?"

Rather, this public opinion crisis seems to have been telling us from the very beginning that their understanding of Qiu Luxi's surroundings far exceeded everyone's imagination.

To my knowledge, there is probably only one person who could do something like this and achieve their own interests after the event.

On the phone screen, public opinion regarding Qiu Luxi's misconduct on campus intensified. It included accusations of special treatment, changing rules for her alone, and even alluding to bullying ordinary students.

These fabricated comments, coupled with photos of Qiu Luxi taken secretly on campus and deliberately cropped at specific angles, create the impression of a haughty and aloof "privileged student."

In short, Qiu Luxi is not suitable for ordinary schools.

"It looks like there are quite a few comments from 'students' below."

Chen Di said softly.

"It's hard to tell the difference now. The water's become so murky..."

Just as I was about to continue, I heard some murmurs outside the club room.

"Hey, hey, hey, have you seen Qiu Luxi trending on Weibo?"

"Yeah, it feels really bad."

"But how should I put it, some of the things mentioned in the trending topics seem to be true. For example, you can freely participate in PE classes and clubs, and you are very free to go to and from get out of class—being an idol is so great. I was originally in the home club, but now I've been forced to join the computer club, which is full of otaku, and I can't understand what they're talking about."

"Yeah, I even switched shifts at work. Although at first I still wanted to support Qiu Luxi on set, now that this has been said, I feel a bit..."

"I'm not accepting it. Why should she? She's already an idol, and they say the school is going to give her all sorts of awards and qualifications. What about all our hard work?!"

...Okay, it seems I don't need to explain anymore.

Most people take a detached, spectator attitude towards the turmoil within the entertainment industry. But if it happens in a school, it becomes more than just a private matter for the actor.

The sounds outside the door made Wu Yuehua's face even more grim. To the ordinary students, they were unaware that Qiu Luxi participated in any clubs. What was originally intended as protection for Qiu Luxi had now become a double-edged sword.

"I did go to PE class."

However, the person involved did not seem to be in a hurry. Instead, they looked at me seriously and patiently explained.

"I missed a few times because I had to attend events and couldn't skip other classes—it wasn't something I did casually; I always asked for leave."

It's hard to skip other classes, so I chose to ask for leave during PE class—the status of PE class in high school is still as low as ever.

I smiled wryly and said, "Oh, it's nothing, you don't need to explain to us. Besides, that's not the point right now, is it, boss?"

"Yes. But I just don't want you to misunderstand." Qiu Luxi looked at me quietly, as if it were a matter of course. "And so does Senior Wu Yuehua. I am trying my best to be a good student."

"Although it may be somewhat special, my time as an ordinary student was also very important to me, no, it was the most important."

She spoke softly, touching the pirate cat keychain hanging on her phone.

"This is the only thing I must tell you."

When surrounded by rumors and suspicions that he couldn't shake off, the guy who became the center of attention on the trending topics had something he wanted to say that was so ordinary it was almost laughable.

"Xiao Qiu..."

Wu Yuehua gripped her phone tightly, her voice filled with resentment.

"Should we...should we go find the teachers..." An Yu bit her lip and tugged at my sleeve as I was thinking.

Although they try to remain calm, it's understandable that they will subconsciously seek help from adults when faced with problems they can't solve.

"I think the teachers probably..."

Before I could finish speaking, Xiao Lai opened the door to the literary society with a cold face.

She glanced at Qiu Luxi, and was just about to speak when her cell phone rang in her pocket.