I asked you to write a light novel, but you wrote about living?

The "thirty-four witnesses" was originally just a joke in the comments section of "Running for Governor".

But not long after, that sentence left Midtown Observer along with those screenshots.

The first to suffer are those articles recently published about Yu Huashi.

A news account just reposted the previous questions, emphasizing in the title that Yu Huashi has not yet responded directly to public concerns.

The first comment in the comment section was quickly pushed to the top.

It is noteworthy that Mr. Yu Huashi maintained a rather suspicious silence in the face of public questioning.

Someone asked:

How many witnesses were there this time?

[Thirty-fourth place.]

Who is the witness?

[I've already said they're witnesses, so why are you keeping harping on their identities? Are you trying to change the subject?]

[Yu Huashi has yet to prove that these thirty-four people do not exist; it is advisable to maintain reasonable skepticism.]

A few comments quickly steered the originally serious discussion off course.

The account operators quickly deleted several of them.

However, the deletion record was intercepted as soon as it appeared.

[Faced with reasonable questions from 34 witnesses, the account did not respond directly but instead deleted comments. Does this indicate that they have a guilty conscience?]

This screenshot has gone viral again.

Similar incidents quickly appeared in the comments sections of other articles.

Whenever the title contains words like "insider," "industry analysis," or "according to reliable sources," people in the comments section will ask how many witnesses actually came this time.

Those articles did not disappear into thin air.

Some people still believe in these claims.

However, once the original unquestionable tone is applied to the sentence structure of "running for governor," it becomes difficult to maintain the condescending sense of judgment.

Many passersby began to skip the sensational headlines and carefully search for verifiable content in the articles.

However, it was discovered that the so-called insiders had no names, the so-called inside information had no source, and many conclusions were merely the result of the reverse motivation of Yu Huashi's actions.

At 2 PM, "thirty-four witnesses" entered the StarNet trending topics list.

Although its ranking is not high, it is still rising.

……

Starshine Studio.

Pei Zhixing sat in front of the huge floor-to-ceiling light screen, expressionlessly scrolling through the messages in the author group.

The group chat is in complete chaos.

[The comment section of my previous article was full of 34 witnesses, what should I do now?]

I have already deleted the article.

What's the point of deleting it? The screenshots have already been leaked, and now everyone's saying you've maintained a suspicious silence.

[Yu Huashi was simply avoiding the issue; does writing a novel really constitute an explanation?]

"Then go and tell them."

Now, anyone who says that is automatically taking offense.

[Weren't they saying this angle was fine? Why has it all become a joke now?]

A screenshot was sent by a studio manager.

That was a text he posted half an hour ago.

The content wasn't particularly intense; it simply emphasized that literary creation cannot replace a response to facts, and that Yu Huashi should still explain whether he had obtained the girl's family's consent.

However, the most popular comment in the comments section was:

[Attention everyone, this newspaper has started adding new charges.]

Below that was a row of neatly arranged smiling faces.

The person in charge was clearly annoyed.

Am I wrong?

They're completely unreasonable now; they just use lines from novels to shut people up.

[Professor Pei, shouldn't we also issue a joint statement?]

Seeing this, Pei Zhixing finally raised his hand and sent the first message in the group.

[Everyone, please pause responding.]

The previously chaotic group chat fell silent for a moment.

Soon someone asked:

[Not saying anything at all?]

Doesn't that mean we're admitting we have a guilty conscience?

Pei Zhixing's eyes turned slightly cold as he looked at that sentence.

Your response now is a sign of your true insecurity.

[There are no names or real-world platforms mentioned in "Running for Governor," so whoever jumps out to accuse it of alluding to them is simply making a self-reference for the reader.]

Do not delete all published content at once, temporarily stop adding new articles, and refrain from arguing with readers in the comments section.

Someone else couldn't help but say:

If this continues, all the previous discussions will be treated as rumors.

Pei Zhixing remained silent for a moment.

Then produce new evidence.

[Shut up if there's no new evidence.]

The group chat fell completely silent.

Pei Zhixing closed the chat window and reopened "Running for Governor".

This was the third time he had read this novel.

When he first saw it, he just thought Yu Huashi reacted very quickly.

Unable to directly explain the open letter, he wrote a story that took place more than two hundred years ago, thus extricating himself from the direct debate.

On his second reading, he noticed the increasing number of titles in the novel.

Perjurer, thief, corpse thief, embodiment of alcoholism, corrupt official, fraudster.

Each charge does not require proof of the truth or falsehood of the previous one.

If the message is thrown out fast enough, the reader won't have time to stop and think.

Only now did Pei Zhixing truly understand the most troublesome aspect of this novel.

Yu Huashi was not using it to prove his innocence.

He is undermining the credibility of the very methods of questioning.

From now on, whenever someone presses him to respond with anonymous testimonies, inferred motives, or questions he cannot prove, the "34 witnesses" will immediately appear in the comments section.

That originally very effective method has been turned into a joke.

Once a joke spreads, it's hard to take it back.