Oh no, the aloof school beauty has been reborn too!

night.

When Zhou Lian returned to his dormitory, it was already completely dark.

The dormitory was much livelier than usual.

Lin Yuanzhou was studying the route on his phone's map, muttering to himself:

"I saw that this food stall has pretty good ratings, and it's not far from the school."

"It's about a ten-minute walk, and the portions are huge, which is perfect for poor college students like us."

Zhao Lin slumped in his chair and raised his hand:

"A large portion size is perfect!"

After he finished speaking, he added:

"Ideally, rice refills should be free."

Lin Yuanzhou immediately gave him a disdainful look.

Lu Xing was sitting at the table replying to the girl's message when he heard this and couldn't help but chuckle.

Street food stalls...

Maybe they'll have a little drink?

Shen Qingyi was even happier than he was when she heard the news about the competition.

She first sent several kitten spinning emojis on WeChat, and then sent a voice message.

When Lu Xing opened the call, the girl's sweet voice came through the receiver.

"Congratulations, Lu!"

His tone was clearly serious, but the last syllable of his voice trailed off, revealing a hidden smile.

But when Lu Xing told her that he planned to treat his roommates to a meal that night, and that they might drink some alcohol, Shen Qingyi remained silent for a while.

Shen Qingyi: [You can celebrate, but don't drink too much.]

Then he added another sentence.

Shen Qingyi: [You need to drink in moderation, a little less, do you hear me?]

Looking at the words on the screen, Lu Xing could imagine the girl with a slightly stern face, earnestly instructing him.

Lu Xing: [I'll do whatever you say.]

Shen Qingyi quickly replied with a satisfied nodding emoji.

"Lu Xing, stop grinning like an idiot."

Lin Yuanzhou leaned closer and waved his hand in front of his eyes.

"Have you finished reporting to School Beauty Shen? If we don't head out soon, there won't be any seats left at the food stalls."

Lu Xing put away his phone and stood up.

"Let's go."

Zhou Lian had just put his bag down and nodded upon hearing this.

"I'll change my shoes."

After tidying up quickly, the group left the dormitory.

The streetlights cast long, thin shadows of the trees, and occasionally students returning home late would pass by.

The group chatted and laughed as they walked out of the school gate, through a small alley, and soon arrived at the food stall.

The food stalls are set up on the roadside, with several folding tables and neatly arranged plastic stools at the entrance.

Flames flickered on the stove, and the smells of cooking oil, the aroma of grilled skewers, and the laughter of guests from several tables mingled together.

Lin Yuanzhou was clearly very satisfied.

"This is the place."

As he spoke, he skillfully found a table further inside and sat down, then picked up the menu and began to look at it.

"It's a special day, how about we have a few drinks to liven things up?"

Zhao Lin lazily raised his hand.

"I have no objection~"

Zhou Lian smiled as well.

"Me too."

After Lu Xing sat down, he first sent a message to Shen Qingyi to say that he had arrived.

The girl quickly replied with an "Mhm," and then reminded him to eat something before drinking.

Upon seeing this sentence, Lu Xing subconsciously replied:

Lu Xing: [Okay, Teacher Shen.]

Shen Qingyi paused for a few seconds before replying.

Shen Qingyi: [You're getting bolder and bolder, aren't you?]

Lu Xing couldn't help but cough lightly and place his phone face down on the table.

For some reason, Shen Qingyi seemed very sensitive about being called "teacher".

Lin Yuanzhou happened to look up and saw his expression, so he immediately smiled.

"Tsk tsk tsk."

Lu Xing simply pretended not to hear.

Lin Yuanzhou didn't tease him any further. He looked down at the menu and quickly marked a few dishes with his pencil.

"Dry-pot cauliflower, cumin beef, stir-fried beef with yellow peppers, smashed cucumber, stir-fried snails..."

As he spoke, he handed the menu to the group of people.

"Take a look and see if there's anything you can't eat or avoid."

"The champion is treating today, so we can't let anyone go hungry. I feel a little more at ease now."

The group ordered a few more dishes, and Lin Yuanzhou waved and handed the menu to the owner.

Soon after, the restaurant served peanuts, edamame, and several plates of cold dishes.

Immediately afterwards, a clerk wearing an apron came over carrying a case of beer and slammed it down on the table.

Lin Yuanzhou skillfully opened several bottles and poured them into disposable cups.

The golden beer, with its fine foam, looked especially atmospheric under the streetlights.

Lu Xing looked at the glass of wine in front of him, feeling a strange sense of disorientation.

He lowered his head and chuckled.

The group ate a few bites of cold dishes to fill their stomachs.

Lin Yuanzhou chewed on a peanut, and after confirming that everyone had eaten something, he picked up his cup.

"Come, come, come."

He cleared his throat, a bright smile spreading across his face.

"This first toast today must be to our dorm's first champion—Lu Xing!"

Zhao Lin obediently raised his cup.

Congratulations to Champion Lu!

Zhou Lian also picked up his cup and said earnestly:

"Congratulations."

Looking at them, Lu Xing felt a surge of warmth in his heart.

He picked up his glass and said with a smile:

Thank you everyone.

Lin Yuanzhou immediately waved his hand.

"Hey~ let's not make it so sentimental and solemn. Let's just have fun today."

"Come on, 317, cheers!"

The four plastic cups clinked together, and the group tilted their heads back and drank from one of them.

The beer was slightly chilled, with a faint bitter taste upon entry, followed by a malty aroma.

Lu Xing put down his cup and then picked up a piece of cucumber with his chopsticks.

Zhou Lian suddenly remembered something and looked up at him.

"Land journey".

"Um?"

Zhou Lian waved his phone, a slight smile on his face.

"Today is not only a day of celebration for your championship victory, but there is another piece of good news to tell you."

The people at the table paused for a moment.

"Is there any other good news?"

Zhou Lian placed his phone on the table and gently tapped the screen with his finger.

"We have begun to fight back against those who spread rumors."

His tone was calm and unhurried, but the atmosphere at the table fell silent for a moment.

"If nothing unexpected happens, they'll have to spend at least a few days in detention."

Lu Xing paused, his chopsticks still.

He was stunned for a moment, and his first reaction was not to be happy, but to subconsciously look at Lin Yuanzhou.

Lin Yuanzhou was also completely bewildered.

"Don't look at me, I'm just helping to gather information and evidence."

"I really don't know how they managed to achieve that level of skill."

After saying that, he suddenly turned to look at Zhou Lian.

"No, Zhou Lian, how did you do that?"

"They can detain people like that?"

Zhao Lin also put down the peanuts in his hand, his expression becoming more serious.

Zhou Lian organized his thoughts, trying to explain in simple terms as much as possible.

"In fact, at the beginning, if it was just a few people making sarcastic remarks in forums or groups and spreading some unfounded rumors, it was indeed quite troublesome to deal with."

Zhou Lian took a bite of food and continued:

"In those cases, it's more likely to result in internal school disciplinary action, deletion of posts, and apologies."

"It's not entirely impossible to make them take administrative responsibility, but it will be much more difficult."

Lu Xing nodded; he understood.

The most disgusting thing about rumors on campus is that they operate in a gray area.

What appears to be discussion is actually hurtful.

However, if the other party insists that they are just "hearing what others have said" or "just talking casually," it will be difficult to get to the point in one step.

"That's why I said before, don't rush to clarify, and don't rush to alert the enemy."

"Let them continue to spread the word, and we will keep collecting and securing evidence."

Lin Yuanzhou nodded repeatedly as he listened.

"I remember that. Oh dear, my hand is almost numb from taking screenshots these past few days."

"Those screenshots you took are very useful."

Zhou Lian glanced at him.

"Especially the forwarding paths of the several accounts you compiled show very obvious signs of concentrated dissemination."

Lin Yuanzhou was stunned for a moment, then his spirits lifted.

"It has this function too?"

"Of course there are."

Zhou Lian nodded very seriously.

"The problem with those three people isn't just spreading rumors."

"Later, in order to escalate the situation, they hired people to stir up trouble and apparently even hired online trolls."

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuanzhou's expression changed instantly.

"They actually hired online trolls?"

Zhao Lin frowned as well.

"Just for something this trivial?"

Zhou Lian said calmly:

"Perhaps in their eyes... this isn't a 'trivial matter'."

Lu Xing remained silent for a moment.

The image of Cheng Yue's arrogant and stubborn face flashed into his mind.

For him, this is probably not a "troublesome matter".

Cheng Yue inexplicably saw himself as some kind of righteous messenger...

Or rather, he needs to prove himself right in this way.

This proves that Shen Qingyi could not possibly truly love Lu Xing.

This proves that Lu Xing must have used some underhanded methods.

So the bigger the rumor spreads, the more he seems to have grasped some kind of "truth".

Zhou Lian continued:

"They forged chat logs and then directed others to flood the comment section with content, which changes the nature of the situation."

"As the scope of the spread expands, so does its impact."

"I've compiled all the various transmission chains, as well as the records of accounts I've previously blocked."

Zhou Lian said he was thirsty, took a sip of wine, and continued:

"In the afternoon, I went to see a senior student from the college who is doing volunteer work at the legal aid center. I also communicated with his advisor."

"The teacher suggested that we first go through the online public opinion handling process, and at the same time submit the materials to the platform to file a complaint."

Zhou Lian paused at this point.

"In addition, some of the purchased accounts are not clean, with previous records of spreading rumors and diverting traffic online."

"If the platform cooperates by providing information, and we have the evidence we have preserved, there shouldn't be any major problems with reporting it to the police."

Lin Yuanzhou's eyes grew brighter as he listened.

"So...they were detained because they spread rumors?"

"To be precise, it involves fabricating facts to defame others and spreading them online, causing a negative impact."

Zhou Lian said.

"If the circumstances do not constitute a criminal offense, they can be handled as administrative penalties for public security violations."

"The exact number of days of detention depends on how the authorities determine it."

Zhao Lin silently picked up a peanut and put it in his mouth.

"Sigh, law students, they're terrifying."

Lin Yuanzhou nodded in deep agreement.

"That's terrifying."

Zhou Lian shook his head, his expression calm.

"It's not that we're scary, it's that they dug their own grave."

He looked at Lu Xing.

"If they were just making sarcastic remarks in private, or saying vague things, it would be very difficult to get to this point."

"But they just had to bring it on themselves."

"Rumors are like fire; the more they burn, the more intense they become, and in the end, they can easily burn the person who started them."

Upon hearing this, Lu Xing felt a weight lift from his heart.

If he waits until the game is over to deal with it, he probably won't be able to do it on his own.

During this period, Lu Xing was not indifferent to the rumors.

No one can truly remain unmoved by baseless rumors, especially when these rumors involve Shen Qingyi.

They portrayed the girl's affection as forced and her initiative as something she had no choice but to do.

They maliciously distorted the precious time they spent together into so-called "handles" and "controls".

Now, Zhou Lian has turned the situation around for him in a calm and rational way.

Lu Xing picked up his wine glass and looked at Zhou Lian.

"Zhou Lian".

Zhou Lian looked up.

Lu Xing said seriously:

"You'll definitely become a great lawyer someday."

Lin Yuanzhou immediately chimed in, smiling as he said:

"Absolutely. Attorney Zhou will be in high demand, and you'll have to queue up to make an appointment if you want to consult him about legal issues."

Zhou Lian was somewhat helpless and was about to speak when Lu Xing raised his glass.

"This toast is for you."

His voice was very sincere.

"No matter what, you've been the one helping me deal with the rumors."

Zhou Lian looked at him and remained silent for a moment.

"Actually, I also had some personal motives involved."

He spoke frankly, raising his glass with a smile:

"But I assure you that my intention to help you is genuine."

The two cups touched lightly.

Lu Xing tilted his head back and finished drinking.

Zhou Lian also drank it all in one gulp.

After downing the beer, Zhou Lian put down his glass and glanced at the faces of the others.

He was a little reserved when he first arrived at the dormitory.

His suitcase was old, his clothes weren't new, and he arrived later than others.

He is used to not bothering others, nor is he used to accepting too much kindness.

But Lin Yuanzhou would always stuff all sorts of things into his hands in a way that left no room for refusal.

Zhao Lin may seem lazy, but he never makes anyone feel awkward.

Traveling by land...

He rarely says anything fancy, but he makes people feel comfortable through many small details.

Zhou Lian always came back late, and when he opened the dormitory door, there was always a light left on inside.

Everyone else is probably already asleep...

But Lu Xinghui looked up from his computer, stretched, and looked at him.

"You're back?"

The people in my dorm are very nice.

So he wanted to help.

Thinking of this, Zhou Lian suddenly smiled.

"If I ever become a lawyer, you can come to me for help, and I definitely won't charge you."

Lin Yuanzhou's eyes lit up.

"You said it yourself."

Zhou Lian nodded.

"Yes, just let me know on WeChat and I'll definitely come to help."

Lu Xing smiled too.

"This lawyer has already shown his skills; we'd better stick close to him."

Zhao Lin stuffed a handful of peanuts into his mouth, and upon hearing this, he vaguely raised his head.

"but……"

He chewed until his cheeks were bulging, and said indistinctly:

"It's probably better for everyone to avoid consulting a lawyer if they have any problems."

After he finished speaking, the people at the table were stunned for a moment.

They all burst into laughter.

That's true.