Lin Xiaoman walked to the man, smiling slightly: “Is there anything I can help you with?”
The man held out the umbrella to Lin Xiaoman, his gaze evasive: “Thank you.”
Lin Xiaoman took the umbrella and noticed it was folded flat, like new.
“Thank you for taking such good care of it,” Lin Xiaoman shook the umbrella, trying to lighten the atmosphere. The man seemed even more uneasy, keeping his head down.
“Be careful on your way home.”
Just as Lin Xiaoman was about to walk away, the man suddenly spoke: “I can help you.”
“Hm?”
“Those people who bullied you,” the man spoke very slowly, “I can find their addresses.”
…Is this a crazy fan?
Lin Xiaoman carefully looked at the person in front of her.
His eyebrows were thick and black, his eyes large, with drooping corners, showing a childlike quality.
He looked at Lin Xiaoman uneasily, seeming to seek approval.
Lin Xiaoman’s heart softened: “You’re really capable.”
As if encouraged, joy flashed in the man’s clear eyes: “I can also hack their computers so they can’t post comments.”
“Wow, impressive.”
The man immediately brought his backpack to the front, pulling out a computer: “I’ll help you solve this right now.”
Lin Xiaoman: ???
“Wait—” Lin Xiaoman didn’t dare let him act recklessly, “If this is discovered, you’ll be arrested.”
“Don’t worry, no one can find me,” the man said confidently, with a hint of pride.
Lin Xiaoman laughed: “Still, we can’t do illegal things.”
The man became uneasy again, hesitantly putting the computer back in his bag, head lowered like a child who had done something wrong.
But I still want to thank you.”
The man’s eyes brightened again.
Lin Xiaoman felt warmth in her heart: “Thank you for being willing to like me and believe in me.”
“I know…” the man’s voice was soft, returning to his initial state, “You are not that kind of person.”
Looking at his sincere expression of belief in her, Lin Xiaoman’s mood, which had been ruined by the hot search, suddenly eased.
No matter how many people curse her, there will always be people who believe in her and defend her.
So, she must not let these people down.
After persuading the man to go home early, Lin Xiaoman returned to the hotel. She decided to follow Xiaobai’s suggestion and find a manageable person from her fans.
However, after searching for a long time, she discovered the situation was getting worse, with many marketing accounts spreading rumors about her fans.
The topic #ManFullyFerocious# had exploded, with many passersby discussing the love and hate between “Manfen” and others, essentially mud-slinging.
Most of her fans were young and easily provoked. After seeing the negative information, they rushed to argue, causing the situation to develop in an even worse direction.
She had a thought and searched for “An Zhifu’s” ID. The Weibo account was still there, just stopped updating after her incident last year.
In her previous life, this person was her die-hard fan, not only signing to counter black PR, organizing fan support, but also writing small essays when she was being attacked. This person’s name was under every one of her Weibo posts, and their comments would always be pushed to the top.
Lin Xiaoman quite admired that fan – clear-headed, strong in ability to argue, capable of fighting against a thousand alone, and not short of money.
She had originally wanted to personally meet and thank such a fan who liked her so much.
Only, she unintentionally discovered that An Zhifu was actually a cult leader!
An Zhifu not only frequently mixed in the “Zhifu” super topic but also wrote many fan fictions about the two. Crucially, they captured the characters’ personalities perfectly, just like the real thing.
Because of writing fan fiction about the two, An Zhifu had a large group of loyal fans. These fans even established a forum, checking in daily, with higher activity than her forum with boyfriend Huo Qizheng.
An Zhifu’s fan fiction was even wildly reposted on Tencent Space after her and Ji Zhixian’s TV series aired, with many lines even being copied as signatures.
Lin Xiaoman was currently in a state of finding Ji Zhixian completely unbearable, but unwilling to do anything to her fans, directly shut down the “Zhifu” forum. After learning about this, An Zhifu led everyone in mourning, booking the highest building in A City that night, writing “Zhifu Forever” to commemorate the lost forum.
Lin Xiaoman grew more melancholic, thinking if she had such a fan now, she wouldn’t need to work so hard.
She wondered how An Zhifu was doing now.
If they knew she was being attacked like this, they would definitely defend her single-handedly.
But now, she had to rely on herself.
Lin Xiaoman gathered her spirits and re-examined her fans’ comments when suddenly, an urgent, continuous, heavy knocking came from outside the door. It was Wei Qinghuan’s knocking style.
Lin Xiaoman opened the door directly, and Wei Qinghuan excitedly called out: “Xiaoman, you’re on the hot search again.”
“Aren’t I still not off it?”
“Not the hot search where you’re being attacked.” Wei Qinghuan brought her phone close, “It’s good news.”
The latest Weibo hot search was #LinXiaomanFairy##LinXiaomanStunningBeauty##LinXiaomanTangFeifeI#.
“Your previous advertisement is trending,” Wei Qinghuan scrolled to the video comments, “Look.”
In the video, Lin Xiaoman in ethereal red, accompanied by a pure guzheng sound, descends from the sky, floating like a startled swan, with a graceful turn of her head. Her gaze is sharp and intimidating, but the slight smile at the corner of her mouth is like a warm spring breeze, intoxicating everyone.
Just when everyone was waiting to see a joke, Qian Yuan posted a Weibo: Yes, thanks to Xiao Man. Without her, I wouldn’t be able to recognize my own director identity now. She deserves everyone’s love.
Black fans saw this and still left comments asking if he was kidnapped or if he had been paid off.
Afterwards, a staff member from that time detailed the events thoroughly, and many people switched from criticizing Lin Xiao Man to praising her, with public opinion shifting towards “Lin Xiao Man is all-capable,” and the heated discussion about her fans gradually subsided.
Lin Xiao Man remembered the advertiser saying the ad would be released around the end of the month, but it was only the 20th, and the timing didn’t match. Moreover, she was currently at the center of criticism, and the client probably wouldn’t want to be associated with the controversy.
Lin Xiao Man guessed the reason and checked other trending topics. Although there were criticisms about her, they had been pushed down. She returned to her Weibo, and under the previously harsh comments, supportive posts had now been pushed to the top.
Someone was helping control the narrative, and it definitely wasn’t her company.
Ji Zhi Xian.
But he had previously said he would be abroad for a while. Could he have already returned?
Lin Xiao Man sent him a text message: Are you back?
But Ji Zhi Xian did not reply. Lin Xiao Man did not send another message afterwards.
★ Chapter Twenty-Seven: Reversal
Just as things had calmed down for Lin Xiao Man, Wei Qing Huan was now trending.
As Lin Xiao Man had worried, Wei Qing Huan had been set up.
Photos of her and Ji Yuan taking an MV and having a meal together were released by marketing accounts, sparking online discussions about whether they were secretly dating.
Lin Xiao Man watched the girl who was cheerfully scrolling through Weibo suddenly turn murderous.
“Huan Huan, don’t be impulsive.”
“I’m not impulsive. I’m very clear about what I’m going to do now.” Wei Qing Huan smiled slightly, stretching her limbs. “Xiao Man, perfect timing. Come be my witness.”
