Chapter 23: Flying to France! The Storm of Criticism!

Xia Rou was happily browsing Song Mo's account.

Watching the numbers surge uncontrollably.

In just a few short days.

Each video had over a million likes, and the number of followers on the account reached hundreds of thousands—Xia Rou felt a deep sense of accomplishment.

Most importantly,

wouldn't Song Mo be satisfied?

Xia Rou's cheeks flushed slightly; her long, slender legs in denim shorts unconsciously rubbed together as she propped her chin and stared blankly.

But why wouldn't Song Mo praise her at all?

Recently, Song Mo said he was going to France.

To meet the Piano Master Liszt.

How amazing…

These figures she'd only ever seen in books and online—Song Mo could meet them effortlessly, even perform before them.

Song Mo is truly amazing.

But maybe too amazing…

Xia Rou frowned slightly.

A selfish thought flashed through her mind.

If only Song Mo weren't so well-off…

Or if he weren't so outstanding…

Would she, then, be able to stand beside him?

Her cheeks flushed; she felt someone tap her shoulder and jumped in fright, shuddering guiltily.

She looked up—and it was An Yinuo!

The An Family's heiress who favored Chen Xi and caused trouble for Song Mo?

Xia Rou reacted like a forest deer startled by the rustle of wind.

Instantly on guard.

"Um…Xia Rou, do you know why Song Mo hasn't come to class these past two days?"

An Yinuo hesitated, then asked.

She didn't know why she cared so much about Song Mo.

Song Mo constantly insulted her in his heart.

He gave her the cold shoulder, ignored her.

He had no respect for anyone!

But… she just couldn't help wanting to know what he was up to!

An Yinuo knew Xia Rou had been close to Song Mo these past few days, and that Xia Rou had defended Song Mo when An Yinuo had misunderstood him—so they must be on good terms.

She probably knew what Song Mo was doing right now, right?

Xia Rou's expression was blank and innocent.

"Huh? What?"

As if just realizing, Xia Rou said, "Oh, Class Monitor, you mean Song Mo?"

"I don't know why Song Mo hasn't come to class these past two days."

"But…"

Xia Rou whispered weakly, "Didn't he take leave?"

"If he took leave, it shouldn't be a problem, right?"

A woman's instinct made An Yinuo sense something was off.

Xia Rou… was she guarding against her?

An Yinuo felt wronged.

Why does everyone think I'm the bad one?

I just misunderstood Song Mo once.

I already apologized!

An Yinuo forced a smile: "It's nothing—I'm just the Class Monitor, so I wanted to check in."

"After all… to do well in university courses, you still need to put in effort."

"Song Mo hasn't been coming to class—I'm worried he'll fall behind."

Xia Rou still whispered weakly: "But…"

"Song Mo's grades are excellent."

"Didn't you even ask him for help with a question before?"

This little bitch—she's definitely mocking me!

An Yinuo was heartbroken.

Sniffling, An Yinuo said reluctantly:

"Haha, it's precisely because his grades are good that I'm worried he won't be able to keep them up."

An Yinuo was still furious.

She couldn't help letting a hint of resentment creep into her voice.

"Besides, university is so free—what if Song Mo, by staying away so long, picks up bad habits outside?"

Xia Rou rolled her eyes inwardly.

You're the one who's gone bad!

Who else but you smears others without cause?

Now you're slandering Song Mo!

She frowned, impatiently:

"Monitor, isn't it wrong to talk about classmates like this?"

"If you really want to know, why not ask the counselor?"

"I really don't know..."

An Yinuo slunk away.

Inside her sheer white socks, her delicate big toes twisted tightly together.

So annoying!

She never came to slander Song Mo!

She just wanted to ask where Song Mo had gone.

Why is everyone so hostile toward her?

She sat down in her seat.

An Yinuo sincerely sent a message to the counselor.

An Yinuo: Counselor, I'd like to ask why our classmate Song Mo has been absent from class all this time? What's the reason for his leave?

An Yinuo: If Song Mo is facing any difficulties, I, as monitor, would like to help him.

The counselor replied quickly.

Counselor: No, Song Mo hasn't encountered any trouble—he said he's going to France to participate in a piano competition.

An Yinuo: A piano competition? Won't that affect his studies?

Counselor: Haha, this competition is quite prestigious; a few days' leave won't matter. If he wins, it'll bring honor to the university.

An Yinuo stared blankly at her phone.

Modu University isn't some crappy little school.

How prestigious must a competition be to bring honor to the school?

She felt absurd.

They're all the same age—why is Song Mo so outstanding?

But no matter what.

Ignoring people, not replying to messages—it's so annoying!

Three days later.

A flight bound for France took off.

And online.

Large numbers of trolls had been hired.

Huge sums of money had been spent.

Countless fake articles had been fabricated.

Everything was ready—a unprecedented smear campaign against Song Mo was quietly underway.

&

On Kuaishou.

Hot Search #1: White Moonlight Collapses—Online Rumors Claim Modu University's Song Mo Bullied Classmates.

The comment section exploded.

LittleMouse: Huh? No way, is this real? The white moonlight turned into a bully overnight?

XunWukong: Who knows? I think it's possible. After all, internet celebrities and stars always build personas—didn't the famous Kuanmian Brother also collapse?

MyEmpire: I believe it. These days, the more outrageous something is, the closer it is to the truth.

SunRising: I went to middle school with Song Mo. I'm afraid of retaliation here, so I won't reveal my identity—believe it or not, Song Mo used to bully classmates, acting arrogant and domineering because his family was rich.

SunsetGlow: You just found out? I laughed when he went viral—like, good looks equal goodness? Finally someone exposed his real face.

SnowFrozenToIce: What? There's no concrete evidence in this video, and you're all spreading rumors? Everyone's an enemy of Song Mo now?

SnowFrozenToIce: Don't let yourselves be misled, commenters—I think someone deliberately hired trolls to smear him here.

SnowFrozenToIce's comment was quickly deleted.

A tidal wave of trolls flooded the comment section.

Many trolls claimed to be "pure bystanders."

But those who understand, understand.

Pure bystanders never comment...

&

On Little Red Book.

Hot Search: "Modu University's White Moonlight Is Actually a Toxic Guy? Sisters, Be Careful! Don't Get Fooled!"

The article was published.

It began directly with:

Family! My values have been shattered!

Absolutely insane! This is definitely the biggest story of the year!

Middle content:

……(entirely blending feminism with yin-yang, slandering Song Mo's character)

Ending:

I really have to give up now!

What's wrong with men in today's society…

Be extremely careful! Watch out for scams!

We cannot let these stinking men successfully whitewash themselves!

Comments section…

No need to say more—the Queen of Feminism battle is live.

……

Zhihu.

Hot search topic: Why do bullies only need to polish their appearance and still thrive?

The article didn't directly slander Song Mo.

Instead, it sincerely recounted how a cruel, uneducated bully who harmed others now lives well.

The victim, filled with mixed emotions, felt society was unjust.

At the end, it cleverly attached this to Song Mo.

……

Besides these major platforms,

every small platform rapidly spread rumors about Song Mo, dominating hot search rankings.

Many netizens, unaware of the truth and lacking discernment, developed a subjective negative impression of Song Mo under deliberate manipulation by marketing accounts.

The internet was in an uproar.

When Xia Rou saw the online public opinion,

her heart skipped a beat.

She immediately tried contacting Song Mo, but his phone was in flight mode—unreachable.

So she urgently called Xia Yu.

The call connected.

Xia Rou said anxiously:

"Sis, something huge has happened!"

……

An Yinuo also learned of everything happening online.

She frowned.

She read through every slander against Song Mo by the marketing accounts.

A deep discomfort stirred inside her.

Worse—anger was beginning to boil!

Even though Song Mo always cursed her in his heart;

even though she was annoyed he ignored her;

even though she had once misunderstood his character.

But!

Why do netizens have the right to say this about him?

In the comments, some were mindlessly following the trend, others were dark-hearted, slandering him out of jealousy!

Why do they defame Song Mo?

No evidence at all—purely fabricated out of thin air.

An Yinuo instinctively believed:

Song Mo is not that kind of person!

She sent him a message.

An Yinuo: Asshole, did you piss someone off? The whole internet's trashing you—do you want the princess to help you clear your name?

Hmph!

Let's see if you'll reply now.

……

Inside the school clinic room,

Lin Weiwei leisurely bit into an apple.

Scrolling through the online rumors.

"Kind of interesting…"

(End of Chapter)