Chapter 364: Wants to Turn the Tables?
This night was destined to be a sleepless night for many people.
…
Ning Li followed Lu Huaiyu back to the Rongyue Mansion.
The sky was already completely dark.
Ning Li sat on the sofa in the living room, took out her phone, and casually browsed through it.
The matter of Ye Ci cheating had already caused a huge uproar on the Internet, and the related hot searches were still rising.
Not only was the hashtag for this topic used to death, but the front page had also been changed several times.
It seemed that everyone was involved in this farce.
She looked at it calmly.
This scene was very familiar.
In her previous life, after she had been reported for cheating, the situation had also been like this, setting off a public opinion carnival.
Countless taunts and insults had surged over, drowning her and making it impossible for her to escape.
In addition to countless harassing texts and phone calls, there had also been people who kept sending her WeChat friend requests.
It did not matter whether she had approved it or not.
Their goal had merely been to let her see the insults that were attached to those applications.
Those had only been the situations on the Internet.
In reality, her things had wantonly been vandalized, and she received threatening packages with blood.
For a long time, even after that, whenever she walked along a road and heard the same notification sound as her phone, she would immediately become highly tense.
That had almost become a stress trigger for her.
However, this time, the person who bore all of this was now Ye Ci.
As she was observing this, Wei Songzhe sent a message.
[ Sister Li, who was it that leaked the news about Ye Ci? Why was it faster than us? ]
Ning Li paused.
[ There’s no shortage of people who want to watch the show. ]
[ Should we look into it? ]
Wei Songzhe seemed to be quite interested in this matter.
[ Don’t worry about it. Someone will naturally check it out. ]
Wei Songzhe reacted for a moment and quickly understood.
This matter was so big that Ye Ci’s side would definitely not let it go.
After all, she still had the Ye family behind her. If she really wanted to investigate it, it would not be difficult.
[ Okay. ]
Wei Songzhe simply replied and ran off to consume more gossip.
Ning Li turned off her phone screen and looked out of the window.
Not many people knew that Ye Ci had been caught with a cheat sheet. The person who had leaked the information had just been one of the examinees.
It did not really matter who it had been.
What was important was that this layer of window paper had already been pierced through.
Since the flames had already appeared, all it needed was a little wind to be added, then it would be able to become a prairie fire.
…
It was already 11 o’clock at night, which was the period with the most traffic.
The terms related to Ye Ci’s cheating had already risen to seventh place on the hot search list, followed by a conspicuous “Hot”.
The number of searches was still increasing.
Ye Ming dialed Ye Yiming’s number again.
“Yiming, what’s going on with the hot search? Why is it still remaining? Not to mention, it’s still rising?”
He had clearly instructed Ye Yiming to deal with this matter as soon as possible. However, so much time had already passed, yet there was no effect at all. In fact, the heat was even greater than before!
Wasn’t this getting more and more troublesome?
Ye Yiming also had a headache.
“Uncle Ming, it’s not that I don’t want to help, but I can’t really do it! I’ve contacted them, but they said that this is normal data, so there’s no way to withdraw it, and the heat can’t be reduced either.”
Ye Ming’s heart sank.
Ye Yiming’s company specialized in these matters, so he was the clearest about the methods that were involved.
If even he could not do it, then there really was no other way.
However, did they really have to just sit and watch?
Not only was Ye Ci the focus, but some people had also started to mention the Ye family.
Once the Ye family was implicated…
Ye Yiming hesitated for a while, but he still could not help but ask, “Uncle Ming, did she… offend someone?”
Ye Ming did not understand the reason, but he understood what was being implied.
The statement from Weibo was actually just an excuse.
The platform was theirs. As long as they wanted, what kind of trending topics could not be taken down? What kind of news could not be suppressed?
It was nothing more than a matter of money.
However, he had already raised the price twice before, yet the other party still refused to budge.
Wasn’t it obvious that someone was deliberately making use of this matter, with the intention of completely destroying Ye Ci’s reputation?
Other than money, he was more worried that the person behind this might have an extraordinary identity.
The platform’s attitude was so firm. Either the other party had given enough money or had a strong background.
But no matter what, this did not bode well for them.
That was why Yiming asked this question.
Ye Ming frowned.
“She’s just an ordinary girl who just goes between home and school. Who could she have offended? Why are you asking this?”
Ye Yiming wanted to say something but hesitated.
He could not explain it to Ye Ming in such a short time.
He said, “It’s nothing. I’m just asking. I’ll think of another way. Uncle Ming, don’t be too anxious. Actually, netizens are the easiest to be led astray. As long as you can grasp a little bit of it, you might be able to turn the tables. Regarding this exam… Did Lil Ci give any other explanation?”
Ye Ming suddenly thought of something.
“There is.”
…
Rongyue Mansion
Lu Huaiyu looked at Ning Li and raised his eyebrows.
“Are you still going to sleep in the master bedroom?”
Ning Li, “…”
This was really too much…
Just as she was about to refuse, her phone rang.
It was a message from He Xiaochen.
[ Ning Li, this is bad! There are people online who are saying that you’re the one who framed Ye Ci for cheating! Quickly go and take a look! ]
Chapter 365: Bite Back
Ning Li hung up the phone and clicked on Weibo.
The post related to Ye Ci’s cheating was already ranked sixth.
She clicked on it and saw that the Weibo post that had exposed Ye Ci’s cheating on the topic square had been blocked by another Weibo post.
[ Gossip Duck: I’m shocked! The national competition cheating case turns out to have another inside story? The real daughter was envied by the fake miss and was deliberately framed!? ]
There were a few pictures attached below.
The first one was the screenshot of a private message.
The name and profile picture of the person who had sent the private message had been cut off.
[ Hello, blogger, I’m a student of Yunzhou Second High School, and I’m in the same grade as Ye Ci. At the moment, the Internet is saying that she cheated, but as her classmate from the same school, I really can’t stand it anymore, so I have to say something. ]
[ First: Ye Ci has always been very outstanding. Her ranking has always been in the top ten of her grade. Even without participating in the competition, she is capable of getting into the Top Two of the national universities based only on the strength of her college entrance exam results. There was no need for her to deliberately cheat in the competition for a guaranteed spot in the university. ]
[ Second: Ye Ci has always been a good person. I accidentally got injured in PE class, and it was she who helped me get to the infirmary. She might not remember me anymore, but I’ll always remember her. It’s not just me. Most of the students in Second High School can testify that her character is absolutely fine.” ]
[ Third: Last but not least, everyone knows that the invigilation of the Physics competition finals is extremely strict. Wouldn’t Ye Ci would know that? Under such circumstances, why would she have chosen to carry a cheat sheet, a method that is extremely easy to be discovered? No one knew that she was staying with another classmate, Ning Li, for the duration of the exam in the Capital. In addition to this layer of competition with Ye Ci, there is a deeper contradiction between the two: Ning Li’s biological mother is Ye Ci’s stepmother. ]
[ Ning Li’s name may not ring a bell. But if you think back to the school violence incident where she choked a classmate and almost pushed that person down the stairs, you should have a bit of recollection, right? That person was her. ]
[ Her father is in prison, and her grandmother has passed away, so the Ye family took pity on her and brought her home. They’ve given her the best in food and clothing, and they even got her into Yunzhou Second High School. However, Ning Li has a problem with her personality. Ye Ci has always taken care of her, but Ning Li has never appreciated it. All the students in Second High School know that Ning Li has never even looked at Ye Ci in a nice way. ]
[ Ye Ci had always been fine. Why is it that the moment she went to take an exam with Ning Li, she was suddenly accused of cheating? Isn’t it strange? ]
[ Anyway, I believe that Ye Ci definitely did not cheat! Even if a cheat sheet was found on her, she definitely did not bring it herself! ]
After this picture, there was also a list of the many awards that Ye Ci had won in various competitions, both in and out of school.
Other than these, there was also a photo of her wearing a pure white gauze dress as she danced on stage.
That was her solo dance during one of the celebrations held at the Yunzhou Second High School.
She was delicate, gentle, and beautiful.
Anyone could see that she was an extremely outstanding young lady that had been carefully nurtured by an aristocratic family in all aspects.
The last photo, however, was a screenshot of a video with Ning Li.
Her face was half covered in the photo, but there was an aloof and ruthless air about her that could be felt even through the photo.
When the two photos were put together, the contrast was even more intense.
The comments on this Weibo were rapidly increasing.
Many people were discussing Ning Li in the comments section.
[ I knew that Yunzhou Second High School sounded very familiar. So, this is the school where the school violence incident happened? ]
[ Tsk, what this person said is not impossible. Why did this young lady who was originally doing fine, suddenly have all sorts of problems when she was with Ning Li? Looking at the photos, I can tell that Ning Li is not someone to be trifled with, right? ]
[ I have wondered before. Why would someone bring a cheat sheet to the Physics competition? That would be utterly stupid! However, it makes sense if they were framed. ]
[ How can there be such a disgusting person in this world? It’s not enough that they’ve taken advantage of others, yet they still want to frame them? Are they really that hard up to become a rich young lady? ]
[ This Ning Li is not a good person! We should investigate thoroughly! ]
[ The person above is right, but the difficulty lies in obtaining evidence. They eat and live together. Who knows when it was done? There aren’t even any surveillance cameras. ]
[ Ye Ci is so pitiful... ]
Ning Li casually swiped down.
There was obviously a troll army leading the way, and the hot comments were now all in favor of Ye Ci.
It was as if they had already determined that Ye Ci had been caught cheating because Ning Li had framed her, and Ye Ci herself had been completely unaware of it. She was completely innocent.
It was as if it had already been decided that she was a victim.
“What are you looking at?”
Without her realization, Lu Huaiyu had walked up to stand behind her. With one hand propped on the back of the sofa, he leaned over slightly.
The cool, cedar-like aura on his body instantly wafted over.
Ning Li turned off her phone and shook her head.
“Nothing, it’s only some small matters.”
Lu Huaiyu raised his eyebrows.
“Small matters?”
At a glance, he had actually already caught sight of some harsh words.
Ning Li nodded slightly.
“It’s just some small problems. Don’t worry about it.”
Lu Huaiyu looked at her.
It was as if she already expected Ye Ci’s side to bite back, so there was no surprise in her eyes.
Moreover, judging from her reaction, she seemed to already have a way to deal with it. She did not appear to be anxious at all.
He raised his eyebrows slightly.
“You really don’t care?”
Ning Li replied with an “hmm”, her eyes were frank and clear.
She had faced worse words and a storm of public opinion before.
To her, this was just a small issue.
Lu Huaiyu observed her quietly as if he was trying to see through the deepest part of her heart.
He had noticed a long time ago that Ning Li did not seem to bother about these things.
It was as if there was an invisible layer of armor in her heart that blocked out all the sharp blades.
However, he did not know where this layer of armor had come from.
He also did not know what kind of suffering his little girl had suffered.
Ning Li was a little embarrassed by his stare, so she stepped back quietly.
“Second Brother, shall I sleep in the guest bedroom?”
Lu Huaiyu stood up.
“Yes.”
Ning Li returned to the guest bedroom.
Lu Huaiyu sat in the living room for a long time.. His eyes were deep, as his hands played with his phone.
Chapter 366: What Did You See?
By the time Ning Li had finished washing up and gone to bed, it was already past midnight.
On the Internet, the news of her framing Ye Ci for cheating had also become increasingly popular.
In a short period of time, many bloggers posted that it was indeed unreasonable for Ye Ci to have cheated with a cheat sheet.
In addition, many classmates, friends, and even teachers who had any connection with Ye Ci, whether big or small, had also come out one after another, to vouch for Ye Ci as someone who had always been outstanding and would never cheat.
There were also some people who cited a lot of evidence to show that she and Ye Ci were on bad terms, as if this would prove even more that she was the one who had harmed Ye Ci.
Very soon, the direction of public opinion on the Internet changed.
From initially accusing Ye Ci of cheating and insulting her passionately, to gradually becoming suspicious, and then finally blaming everything on Ning Li by insinuating that she had used some underhanded means to frame Ye Ci.
Even if the person involved did not say a word from beginning to end, it did not prevent the Internet from setting off a wave of public opinion.
He Xiaochen was still sending messages to Ning Li, and feeling like she was about to explode from anger.
[ Ning Li! Those people are really too much! They don’t know anything and are just spouting nonsense! Ye Ci’s results were okay in the past, but she was still one step away from Xijing University, right? What did the person mean by not lacking the qualifications to be guaranteed in this competition? Who in the whole of Second High School did not know that her recent exam rankings had plummeted? That informant is either not from our school, or they are deliberately lying. ]
[ In addition to that, that person is insinuating a lot of negative things about you! If you can’t any produce evidence, then you’re just spouting nonsense! Also, these people on the Internet are really easily led astray! Ye Ci’s cheating should be confirmed. Why is it that it now comes across as if she has been wronged? ]
Ning Li looked at the string of exclamation marks that she had put. It was not difficult to imagine her furiously typing away on her phone.
She could not help but laugh.
[ It’s okay. Today’s exam results and punishment results will be out. When the time comes, everything will be clear. There’s no need to argue with them. ]
No matter how much she said, people would take it as a sign of her guilt.
The results of the finals and the punishment notice were the most important things.
Hearing her words, He Xiaochen finally calmed down.
“That’s true! No matter how much they argue, it won’t change the final result.”
However, she was actually still angry.
Ye Ci had done something wrong, yet she still wanted to throw dirt on others.
[ Don’t read any more of those online comments. Go to bed early! ]
Ning Li said good night to her, put her phone aside, and went to bed.
In her room, He Xiaochen had intended to go to bed as well.
However, after lying down for a while, she could not help but take out her phone and get on to Weibo to challenge those people again.
Unfortunately, she was too weak, so her comments quickly sank.
…
By the time Ning Li woke up in the morning, it was already past nine o’clock.
She took out her phone, thinking that she would have received a lot of strange calls and messages to harass her. However, everything was clean.
She blinked her eyes.
Based on Ye Ci’s hatred for her now, she should have been itching to release all her information to the public.
What–
She opened Weibo.
[ Ning Li ]
[ Ning Li framed Ye Ci for cheating ]
[ Ye family of Yunzhou Second High School ]
After a night of fierce battle, these few entries were also trending.
But the strange thing was that when she clicked into the relevant topic square, she found that the popularity of the relevant Weibo posts was very low.
This was the hot search that the other party had bought, so it was normal that the data was not high.
However, this had obviously been filtered.
She scanned a few times and found that although these topics had been posted, she did not find any Weibo or comments that had leaked her personal information.
That included her cell phone number, photos, address, and so on. All of it was clean.
She saw a few marketing accounts with millions of fans posting pictures, probably with her related content, and pictures that had been posted.
She heard familiar footsteps coming from outside.
Ning Li took her cell phone and walked out, but she did not see Lu Huaiyu.
He seemed to have entered the master bedroom.
Ning Li walked over and saw that the door was ajar.
Without thinking too much of it and she pushed the door open and went in.
“Second brother, over on Weibo is–”
Before she could finish her sentence, a half-naked, tall, and straight back came into view.
The lines on the man’s shoulders were smooth and straight, and the muscles on his back were perfectly formed. It was not hard to imagine the vigorous and astonishing strength hidden underneath.
He had a slender waist, with perfect lines that could cause people to daydream, hidden under his trousers.
Ning Li’s voice suddenly stopped, and she was completely stunned.
Lu Huaiyu was changing his clothes!
And she had actually barged in just like that!?
She had suddenly pushed the door open and entered, which was surely not what Lu Huaiyu had been expecting.
He paused for a moment, before continuing to change into a black shirt, buttoning it up from the bottom up.
He always seemed to carry himself with a proud and noble air. Even in such a situation, he still carried his body with a casual languidness.
Such a simple action made him look unspeakably casual and seductive.
Ning Li’s mind went blank. Subconsciously, she tightened her grip on the door handrail, and her heart started beating rapidly.
Lu Huaiyu had cocked his head to the side and buttoned the top button with one hand which highlighted his sharp and smooth jawline, and made his protruding Adam’s apple clearer.
Ning Li suddenly remembered that she had kissed Lu Huaiyu and… his Adam’s apple on this bed that night.
She held her breath.
“I-I’m sorry, Second Brother. I didn’t know you were changing–”
As soon as she said that, she made a move to leave.
Lu Huaiyu slowly took the tie and coat that was beside him, then raised his eyebrows and asked, “What did you see?”