Reborn, my online friend is the real me.

Su Yu cleared his throat and began to write a long explanation on the keyboard.

"The first possibility is that Huayi Brothers and Feng Xiaogang are trying to divert attention; Liu Yifei just happened to be the scapegoat at this critical juncture."

Anxi: "You mean Liu Yifei was a scapegoat for Feng Xiaogang?"

Su Yu: "It's possible, but I think the probability is not high. Even if Feng Xiaogang is unethical, he wouldn't go so far as to target a seventeen-year-old girl."

"The second possibility is that it's a case of her contemporaries hiring someone to smear her. Liu Yifei has been incredibly popular these past two years, playing Wang Yuyan and now she's going to play Xiaolongnu. Her resources are so good that it makes people envious. Do you know who hates you the most in the entertainment industry? It's not the audience, it's your colleagues."

Anxi sent a "makes sense" emoji.

Su Yu perked up: "The third possibility is those actresses who were misled during the casting of 'The Return of the Condor Heroes.' They and their fans are definitely unhappy. With nowhere else to vent their anger, they take it out on Liu Yifei. Fans, when they go crazy, are more terrifying than haters."

Anxi: "Is there anything else?"

Su Yu hesitated for a moment, then decided to unleash his ultimate move.

"The fourth possibility: the Tang people."

"Tang Ren? The Tang Ren from 'The Legend of Sword and Fairy'?"

"Yes! I heard that Tangren is a company that relies on online trolls. Someone on the forum said that Liu Yifei acted in Tangren's 'Chinese Paladin' but didn't sign with Tangren, so Tangren might be unhappy about it."

Anxi sent a shocked emoji: "You even know that?"

Su Yu was so smug he practically wagging his tail: "Of course, I surf the internet a lot. I know all the tricks of the trade online."

What he didn't say was that all this information came from scrolling through Douyin (TikTok) in his previous life. Back in 2004 on the internet, no one had even compiled any of this kind of information yet.

Anxi then asked, "So tell me, what's the best way to break this?"

Su Yu was getting a little impatient: "What are you meddling in, you're just a fan? What's it to you? You're not her manager."

Anxi: "It's just casual conversation. I'm just worried about her. Look at those scandals, they're getting more and more outrageous. If this continues, her reputation will be ruined."

Su Yu thought about it and agreed.

As a seasoned hater, he may be sharp-tongued, but he still couldn't stand seeing such baseless rumors.

"Alright, then I'll share my thoughts."

"First of all, in this situation, we can't play dead. Playing dead is tantamount to admitting guilt, and the rumors will only become more and more true. We must respond immediately, and it must be a formal response."

"Secondly, a mere response isn't enough; you need to send a lawyer's letter. Not just a bluff, but a real lawsuit. Pick a few of the most vocal ones and sue them directly."

"Finally, we'll make an example of them. If we win against one, the others will behave. If you don't sue, there will be even worse things waiting for you."

Ansie asked, "What could be even darker?"

Su Yu thought for a moment: "I don't know, but it's definitely true. These people are incredibly good at making up lies. If you don't sue them today, they'll dare to make up even more outrageous stories about you tomorrow. Let me tell you, I've seen this kind of thing a lot in the entertainment industry."

Anxi sent a "You're right" emoji.

Su Yu added, "Anyway, my advice is: don't delay, issue a statement immediately, and send a lawyer's letter directly. Sue whoever is spreading rumors, don't hold back. It's best to call the police directly and get them involved; that will be the most effective."

After posting, he felt he had said it perfectly, so he added, "But speaking of which, as a hater, giving Liu Yifei advice, doesn't that count as betrayal?"

Anxi sent a laughing emoji: "You're no longer a hater, you're now a hidden fan disguised as a hater."

Su Yu: "Pah! I'm still a hater! I'm just a hater with principles!"

Anxi: "What is a principled hater?"

Su Yu: "I'll criticize when I should, and not criticize when I shouldn't. For example, I can criticize someone for poor acting, but I won't spread rumors or slander."

The two chatted for a few more minutes, and then Anxi said she had to go to work, and her profile picture went gray.

Su Yu tossed his phone aside and continued munching on his apple.

He was just bragging when he said those things.

........

To everyone's surprise, a few days later, Su Yu's finger stopped moving while he was browsing the news in his dorm room.

Lu Yang sat down next to him, pointed at the screen, and said, "Look at this one."

Sina Entertainment Headline: "Liu Yifei's agency has reported the case to the police, a lawyer's letter has been sent, and the court has officially accepted the case."

Su Yu stared wide-eyed as he read the news from beginning to end.

The news reported that Liu Yifei's agency held a press conference in Beijing this afternoon, announcing that they have reported the case to the police and have commissioned lawyers to collect evidence from anonymous posters on Tianya Forum. The court has officially accepted the case.

The agent stated, "We will pursue malicious defamation and slander to the end and will never tolerate it."

Wang Boxue poked his head out of the bed: "Really? They really sued? So fast?"

Lu Yang nodded: "The speed and manner of this response were more professional than I expected. Usually, when celebrities encounter this kind of situation, they just issue a statement and that's it; it's rare for them to call the police directly."

Su Yu didn't speak. He stared at the screen, his mind replaying his conversation with An Qian from a few days ago.

"We can't play dead; we must respond immediately."

"A mere response isn't enough; we need to send a lawyer's letter."

"Calling the police directly and getting them involved will be the most effective approach."

Now, Liu Yifei's studio's response is almost exactly the same as what he said.

Statement, lawyer's letter, police report, case filing. A series of coordinated actions, executed flawlessly.

Su Yu scratched his head and muttered to himself, "Why does this feel so familiar?"

Wang Boxue didn't hear him clearly: "What did you say?"

"It's nothing, I just think this PR approach is quite professional."

He picked up his phone, scrolled to Anxi's chat history, and sent a message: "Anxi, have you seen the news? Liu Yifei's studio called the police. That's a good move, calling the police directly, that's tough."

Anxi's profile picture lit up. "I saw it! Great! I finally got my revenge!"

"But don't you find it strange? Their response is exactly the same as what we said before."

Anxi replied quickly: "Aren't you overthinking it? Their studio is so big, why would they need to listen to you?"

Su Yu thought about it and agreed. It was a coincidence, absolutely a coincidence.

........

After the lights were turned off at night, Su Yu lay on his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

Wang Boxue was already snoring, while Lu Yang was still reading under the lamp. Su Yu held his phone up to his face, scrolling through his chat history with An Qian, one message at a time.

From "Good luck on your college entrance exam, you lackey" before the exam, to "Do you think these rumors are true?" later, and now to "You're overthinking it."

This Anxi sometimes speaks like a little girl, and sometimes like a worried old mother.

She claims to be a die-hard fan of Liu Yifei, and her understanding of the entertainment industry seems to go beyond that of a mere fan.

Su Yu suddenly remembered something: An Qian said that she had been sent to Sichuan by her company and wouldn't be returning to Beijing anytime soon.

Sichuan? The filming of "The Return of the Condor Heroes" started in Jiuzhaigou, which is in Sichuan.

Anxi is a big fan of Liu Yifei, who is currently filming in Sichuan.

Anxi said she was doing "performance work that conveys emotions" and was sent to Sichuan by her company.

Su Yu sat up abruptly. Wang Boxue's snoring stopped for a moment, and he muttered, "What are you doing?" before turning over and continuing to sleep.

Su Yu slowly lay back down, pulling the blanket up to his chin.

An absurd idea popped into his head, like a seed that he couldn't suppress.

impossible.

It is absolutely impossible.

He recalled something Anxi had once said: "You always spout nonsense."

The tone didn't sound like a fan chatting with a hater.

It's more like...

Su Yu shook his head vigorously, trying to banish the thought from his mind.

What are you thinking? How could Liu Yifei chat with a hater on QQ every day? Is she just bored?

Besides, if Anxi were Liu Yifei, how could she possibly join him in criticizing herself? From criticizing her acting skills to her gums, from Wang Yuyan's love-struck mind to her godfather's motives, is this something a normal person would do?

Su Yu convinced himself.

It's all just a coincidence.

He turned over and closed his eyes.