Opening the video, she checked the data:
Views: 135,845
Favorites: 4,723
Comments (Danmaku[1]): 1,000
Honestly, aside from the view count being somewhat reasonable, the rest—especially the nearly 5,000 favorites in just a day for a newcomer—was stunning. And a full thousand danmaku comments? That really was a surprise.
Her gaze drifted downward. When she saw the number of coins, she nearly jumped:
Coins: 2,524
This was clearly abnormal. Aside from truly legendary content, very few videos achieved such success right out of the gate. It was simply too unusual.
Finally, she opened the comments section. The top comment thread had 1,758 replies. Her brows knit together. It looked like something was stirring there.
She clicked into the most liked comment, and the first post caught her attention. She read it carefully:
"A girl in white, another in red—on a quiet, empty afternoon, by the misty lakeside embankment, inside a small pavilion by the lake."
"The one in white bowed her head as she strummed the guzheng and sang softly, while the one in red danced a solo, telling a tale of pouring one's all into the world."
"To be honest, when I saw that moment where their outfits swapped colors and styles, I was truly stunned."
"What kind of powerful post-production and how much long-term training did it take to make such a seamless scene? Perhaps we really should thank you both—for bringing us such a breathtaking performance of music and dance… (rest omitted)"
The comment was nearly a thousand words long. As Chu Lian read through it carefully, it seemed like a normal, albeit glowing, compliment. She breathed a slight sigh of relief. Still, something felt off—an unease she couldn't shake.
Scrolling down, the second most-liked comment only deepened her suspicions:
"Can I ask—how does a student find that much time to rehearse this? Never mind when the video was shot, I've never seen the scenery here look that beautiful."
"The uploader's real name is 'Chu Lian,' right? I did some digging. She's a newcomer author who rose to fame just a few months ago. Her books sell well, sure, but that doesn't explain everything."
"Aside from that talent, her singing is passable. Refer to her previous piece, 'Glad You're A Lolicon.' This time, she's clearly improved a lot. Not bad. Props for that."
"But let's be honest. Anyone watching this video must have felt something odd. To confirm it, I compared it closely with her last video. The conclusion? Both were shot recently."
"Now here's the problem. She just entered the renowned Sucheng high school, Sudi High. Before that, she was in a strict public school, No.1 High School. More importantly, her parents were hospitalized in an accident over the weekend."
"So if she filmed the video instead of visiting her parents, that's unfilial. And if she didn't shoot on the weekend, then I don't see how a boarding school student could've had the time to film it."
"Also, the video was clearly shot around 2 or 3 p.m. in the afternoon. You're telling me West Lake was completely empty at that time? Yeah, right."
"Next, let's talk about her guzheng skills. From her familiarity with the instrument and the ease with which she played, there's no way she's a beginner. She looked like someone with decades of mastery."
"But again, I searched and couldn't find any record of her receiving guzheng training. So first question: who taught you guzheng, UP[2]?"
"Second, let's talk about the woman in red. In the previous video where the uploader shared her daily life, she claimed to be the UP's sister. Later, the UP uploaded a solo video of this 'sister' as well."
"Well, this point is mentioned in the UP's Baidu Baike—she does have a sister, but not one that looks like this. If you're interested in what she actually looks like, feel free to look it up yourself."
"So here comes the second question—who is this 'sister'? Heh, I suspect it's someone who's supposed to remain unseen."
"Lastly, the editing of the video is just too good. I downloaded it in the highest resolution and slowed down both of the outfit-change moments dozens of times. Still, I couldn't find a single flaw."
"Their expressions, their eyes—it all stayed exactly the same, as if this was completely routine for them, not surprising in the least."
"This level of editing? Even top Hollywood teams couldn't pull that off so flawlessly. Unless a master-level editor worked on this, I'm calling bluff."
"Now here's the third question: with a family background like hers, there's no way she could afford to hire a top-tier editor just for a singing video. So who edited this for her?"
"That's it—three questions. No malice intended. If the UP can answer them, I'll livestream myself eating shit."
"If she can't, then get out of M Station. We don't need frauds here. Heh, loli or not, this world has plenty of manipulative green tea b*tches, even among the young ones."
The user who wrote this long rant was named "UnderstandClothes丶AwaitPlow," and their comment appeared on floor 1588, posted two hours ago. Yet it already had 350+ likes, chasing right behind the top comment with 370+. The replies to their thread numbered in the dozens.
Only a handful were speaking in Chu Lian's defense; the rest echoed similar sentiments. In what felt like a moment, she had become the internet's scapegoat, as if she'd committed some unforgivable offense.
They might claim to have no ill intent, but the tone of those words was dripping with malicious personal attacks.
It was obvious—someone had come to slander her. Though angry, she wasn't one to lose control easily. Admittedly, she couldn't really explain everything anyway. But that didn't mean she would let others defame her without consequence.
Answer the questions and livestream eating poop? Fine. Let's see if you follow through. If not, I'll dig up your information and blast it all over my Weibo. Let's see you act smug then.
Think you're well hidden? Think again. Just because a little loli looks soft and short doesn't mean she's easy to bully. Once a loli decides to get revenge, she can be scarier than a demon child.
Especially this loli, with a system, connections in high places, and a heart blacker than ink when she needs to be—don't cry to mama when she's done.
Smack! "Who's mumbling over there?" A whip appeared in her hand and lashed the floor with a crisp crack.
(I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said that! Please forgive me! Orz.emoji)
She continued scrolling. The praise and criticism were now about evenly split. Clearly, her video was too well made, and the skills she showed far exceeded what her age would suggest. Suspicion was inevitable.
Since the gatekeeping standards for M Station registration had been lowered, it was now crawling with trolls. Looks like she had to clean up some trash herself.
A strange smile curled on her lips, looking oddly dangerous on her otherwise innocent face. If Wang Tingsi or her siblings saw her like this, they'd shudder instinctively.
Because whenever she smiled like this, it meant she was truly angry. And the consequences? Well, let's just say someone ended up hospitalized for three months last time.
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard. After thinking it through, she typed out a few lines:
"Looks like many people are starting to doubt me. BlackNeko won't say much—I'll just make an announcement here: Three days from now, May 2nd, Saturday, is the 10th anniversary of Sudi High School's founding."
"I will be performing solo during the personal performance segment, using classical instruments. There will be food and drinks available all day, and everyone is welcome to attend."
"If you're curious or skeptical, come watch. Record it live, if you like. I'll prove the truth with my own strength."
"As for explanations? Baseless accusations are nonsense. Explaining to people like that is a waste of breath. The truth speaks for itself."
She hit post and closed the browser. Then she opened Word and began slowly writing the script for Sword and Fairy.
Her anger flared fast and faded just as quickly, but that didn't mean she'd let the slander slide. Vengeance was definitely on the menu.
She also knew—sometimes, controversy was the spark that created a sensation. If she handled this fallout smartly, she'd secure half the progress for her system task.
"Looks like I should redeem those songs soon…" That dangerous smile still lingered on her lips.
[1] Bullet Comments
[2] Uploader