Chapter Three: Cyberbullying? Strike Back Immediately!

Chapter Three: Cyberbullied? Fight Back Immediately!

Examining her stats closely, Bai Ling felt a wave of emotion.

"If it weren't for the system awarding me some singing skills and a better voice, among these three main panels, only the idol panel would be remotely presentable," she mused.

"So, in the end, am I just a pretty face with nothing inside? An utter flower vase?"

"And with this, I still dare to dream of becoming a superstar or an artist? Isn’t that a bit much?"

"They say, with great power comes great responsibility—doesn’t the reverse also hold true?"

With a clear conscience, Bai Ling sank back into her comforter.

The outside world was far too cold; only this little quilt offered her any warmth.

“Delightful!”

Out of habit, Bai Ling reached for her phone to order takeout, only to be greeted by no fewer than thirty or forty missed calls.

The sea of red notifications immediately set her on edge.

Looking more closely, she realized all the missed calls were from people at Starlight Entertainment.

Among them was, of course, Zhou Tai, the head of the artists’ department, and several members of her current group.

Naturally, Bai Ling had no intention of calling anyone back. She checked her WeChat and found it flooded with messages.

“Bai Ling, you’ve messed up big time!”

“No one can cover for you this time.”

“What’s wrong with you? Why did you provoke Zhou Tai?”

“Don’t you know what kind of person he is?”

“My advice: just admit your mistake and apologize. Isn’t it just that sort of thing? If you have to agree, just agree!”

“Hahaha, Bai Ling, who would’ve thought you’d see this day? You reap what you sow.”

…

The messages came from all sorts of people.

Some were her close friends.

Some were mere acquaintances.

Some were her superiors.

And some were group members who had always smiled to her face but secretly harbored resentment, seizing this opportunity to gloat.

Still, even in a group, no one would openly confront someone they disliked; instead, they’d stab at her from behind the scenes.

So when someone began openly mocking Bai Ling in the chat, she sensed something was very wrong.

Without delay, she logged onto forums and microblog topics.

She also glanced at her fan group.

Though she’d debuted three years ago without much company backing or big opportunities, she’d still had some time in the spotlight.

And with her looks alone, Bai Ling had drawn in quite a few fans.

She opened the fan group chat—a group that once boasted only a thousand members, a third of whom were fake accounts. Today, though, it was in an uproar.

“Is what’s being said on the forums true?”

“Did she really do those things?”

“No way, right? No way!”

“I always thought Bai Ling was pure and innocent—this is such a betrayal!”

“She actively sought out the boss to exchange favors for resources? That’s disgusting!”

“I heard the boss turned her down and now wants to terminate her contract.”

“I find it hard to believe. Something doesn’t add up.”

“Even though some things seem off, the commotion is huge. The other group members are all speaking out…”

“Everyone is blaming Bai Ling. How could it be fake?”

“Exactly. I only just found out the person I liked was actually this kind of person. They say she’s filthy in private, not at all as radiant or refined as she appears. I must have been blind.”

“They’re celebrities. Of course, what we see isn’t their true face.”

“Someone else said Bai Ling is actually ugly without makeup…”

“What? Really? I’m a looks fan—this is shattering.”

Reading through the chat, Bai Ling could already guess what was going on.

She then compared what was being said on the forums and microblog topics.

The comments there were far nastier than those in her fan group.

“To condemn a woman, all you need are these three things: her innocence, her future, and her reputation!”

“Zhou Tai and that President Wang—what a pair of dogs, biting first and hardest.”

Bai Ling let out a cold laugh.

She’d thought, at worst, she could just quit this industry—no big deal.

But now, it seemed President Wang of Starlight was determined to force her hand.

In truth, Bai Ling had never placed much hope in her future.

But now, they were attacking her reputation, and she’d have to live as a pariah for who knows how long.

That was no fun.

“Unfortunately, I am not some delicate damsel in distress!”

Bai Ling immediately looked into legal action, but after glancing at the 888 yuan in her wallet and her outstanding debt on Huabei, she ruled out the “green corpse cold police” approach.

After weighing her options, she made up her mind without hesitation—to fight back head-on!

“A true man never shrinks from adversity!”

“Even if I’ve lost everything, I will never back down!”

Clenching her delicate fists, the stunningly beautiful Bai Ling revealed a look of firm resolve.

She would never allow herself to be a loser!

She picked up her phone and addressed her fan group:

“To all my fans, I feel obligated to explain what happened today!”

“In ten minutes, I’ll go live. Anyone can come to my channel and watch the livestream…”

The group fell silent in shock.

Fan groups like this were usually set up spontaneously; though the idol herself might be added, she’d almost never show up.

Everyone treated it as a place for idle chat.

No one expected the main character to step in herself.

Suddenly, those who’d been talking behind her back felt awkward—as if they’d just been caught red-handed.

But Bai Ling was really going to livestream at a moment like this?

Could it be true?

Was she actually this brave?

Some loyal fans voiced their support; even the fake fans echoed them.

After all, the bigger the drama, the better the show.

Some were already planning to share the link with friends, colleagues, and family.

But they hardly needed to—Bai Ling posted a brand-new update on her social media account herself.

Since the “news” broke, fans of other group members had already flocked to her page to hurl insults.

She might be a minor celebrity, not yet big enough to trend, but the number of people cursing her was still considerable.

The previous post, which had barely a hundred comments, now had tens of thousands.

How laughable—three years of hard work training in dance went unnoticed, but one rumor about trading favors and suddenly the whole world knew her name.

“The internet really is a magical place,” Bai Ling mused.

As for the truly vicious comments?

Bai Ling thought, “Let them. The birth parents of the original owner really were no good anyway!”

But right now, that was irrelevant.

What mattered was that, after her new post, most people were stunned.

Among the more rational onlookers, just like her fans, a sense of confusion began to spread.