Chapter 4: The School Forum's Farce

The marriage certificate was taken away, and Chen Yang felt regret. After all, this was his first time obtaining a certificate since his rebirth; even if it was just an act, it was worth commemorating.

Lin Wei seemed to sense Chen Yang's displeasure and said earnestly, "I'm doing this for your own good. Zhang Jun isn't as good as you think. If our marriage gets exposed, you'll have plenty of trouble in Qingshui City."

Chen Yang said indifferently, "What's there to fear? I don't even plan to return to Qingshui City to develop—his influence can't possibly reach Xingcheng, can it?"

Hearing Chen Yang's words, Lin Wei was a little surprised: "You're not going back to Qingshui? I remember you didn't used to say that!"

Chen Yang said, "My previous idea was to use the knowledge I gained at university to return to the countryside and help my hometown get rich. But I've changed my mind now."

Lin Wei asked curiously, "I want to know the reason."

Chen Yang said, "Without policies, without people to implement them, and without funds, going back would just be wasting my youth."

Lin Wei wasn't satisfied with Chen Yang's answer. "A place's development needs a leader. You could go back first to start some projects and motivate everyone. I'll figure out the funding."

"Thank you for your kindness, but I don't currently plan to return to Qingshui," Chen Yang said, shaking his head. After being reborn, who would still want to be a foolish fool who labors in vain? In my previous life, I settled in Deep City; aside from Zhang Jun's scheming, even some of my hometown folk bore a share of the 'credit'.

"Chen Yang, you don't seem like someone who would easily forget your roots! I still hope you can return and contribute to Qingshui's development."

"If I told you that my family's old house has been taken over and our land reclaimed by the village, do you think I still have a reason to go back?"

Lin Wei's expression shifted from disappointment to surprise, and moreover, she couldn't understand. "Chen Yang, how could they do that? This is illegal…"

"My parents have passed away, and my household registration is now at the school. They've done this—what can I do?" Chen Yang gave a bitter laugh. Without connections or money, even if bullied, he could only endure. This is the fate of the lower classes.

Even as a reborn person, Chen Yang currently lacks the power to change the situation.

Lin Wei looked at Chen Yang with pity; she had known his background since freshman year, but she hadn't expected it to be so harsh. After a moment of silence, she comforted him: "Come with me back to Qingshui City and stay at your aunt's place. With your education, finding a good job in the city won't be difficult."

Chen Yang thought to himself, Qingshui City is Zhang Jun's turf—that guy would never let him off easy. But since these things haven't happened yet, he couldn't tell Lin Wei; she wouldn't believe him anyway. He could only find another excuse to get out of it.

"My female cousin graduated from high school this year, and her goal is to attend a university here in Xingcheng. I expect her whole family will move here as well."

Lin Wei felt a little disappointed by Chen Yang's reluctance to return to Qingshui, but she also understood that such matters cannot be forced.

At that moment, Lin Wei's phone rang—it was the Student Council urging her to come handle affairs. Worried she would keep nagging him about returning to Qingshui, Chen Yang hastily called a taxi to send her back to Xingcheng University, while he himself ran back to the inn to catch up on sleep.

Probably because he hadn't slept well the night before, he slept until dark. When he woke up, his phone showed several missed calls and messages. Lin Wei, Zhang Jun, Zhao Shunfa, and Tang Kun had all called, plus some other classmates. Most importantly, even Instructor Wang Jianguo had called.

He then looked at the messages and finally understood the gist. It turned out that Zhang Jun, Zhao Shunfa, and Tang Kun had been making sarcastic remarks on the campus forum, accusing him of lusting after beauty and forgetting righteousness, and of seducing Lin Wei.

He was about to go find those three bastards to settle the score when Lin Wei's phone rang again.

"Chen Yang, what are you doing? Why haven't you been answering the phone?"

"Just woke up."

"... You know what happened on the forum, right? I'm sorry—I didn't expect Zhang Jun to have bribed my close friend as well."

"It's fine; those little clowns aren't worth my attention."

"Chen Yang, don't act rashly—you're about to graduate. I've already explained things on the forum; just pretend today never happened."

"Okay!" Chen Yang gave a perfunctory reply, made an excuse about needing to shower, and hung up. Then he called Instructor Wang Jianguo, who, after learning the situation, also advised him not to act impulsively.

The more they said that, the more curious Chen Yang became. He immediately ran to the internet café near the inn, logged in with his ID, and quickly accessed Xingcheng University's campus network.

"Seducing my sister-in-law—Xingcheng University actually has such low‑quality scum!"

A striking hot‑topic post was pinned on the forum's homepage, making it hard for Chen Yang to ignore.

The poster, "Tangmen Diyijun," was very familiar to Chen Yang—it was Tang Kun's online name.

Chen Yang clicked open his post with the mouse; it was filled with criticism of him. The gist was that throughout his four years of university, his food and lodging were all paid for by Zhang Jun, the school subsidies were also obtained by Zhang Jun pulling strings, and in the end he even stole Zhang Jun's girlfriend.

Below the post, there were a bunch of sockpuppet accounts belonging to Zhang Jun, Zhao Shunfa, and Tang Kun stirring up the thread, all sorts of nitpicking at Chen Yang's faults.

No doubt, their hype was a success. Chen Yang flipped through dozens of pages, and most of the onlookers gave him negative reviews; some even suggested the school expel him to protect its image.

Of course, there were also some classmates who got along well with Chen Yang speaking up for him, but their strength was too weak and they were quickly drowned out by the mob of critics.

However, beneath Tang Kun's post there was another highly popular thread, posted by Lin Wei. As the Student Council chair, she had always been a focal figure on the school forum.

Her post's title was simple and clear: "Statement Clarifying My Relationship with Zhang Jun and Chen Yang."

"Dear school leaders and fellow students, I'm sorry to waste everyone's time here. I hereby declare that I have never had a romantic relationship with Zhang Jun; we are merely ordinary classmates, fellow townspeople, and friends. As for Chen Yang, we are also currently just ordinary classmates, fellow townspeople, and friends. Those who enjoy spreading rumors, please understand this: the internet is not a lawless zone, and reckless defamation will surely be punished."

After Lin Wei's statement post went up, Tang Kun's thread obviously lost its heat. The onlookers also began to turn against him, criticizing Tang Kun for being overly sentimental and stirring up trouble where there was none.

Nevertheless, even though Lin Wei had stepped forward, Chen Yang had no intention of letting the matter rest. He needed to let the onlookers know some truths they were unaware of.

"Dear school leaders and fellow Xingcheng University students, I, Chen Yang, in person. Regarding Tang Kun's call‑out post, I offer three explanations."

"First, during my time studying abroad I upheld the principle of working diligently and living frugally; all my living expenses, aside from the school's subsidies, were earned through part‑time work. The notion that I relied on classmates for support is completely baseless."

"Second, I did indeed accept leftover food given by my roommate. Following the principle that wasting food is shameful, I also ate it. I hereby express my heartfelt thanks to that kind roommate."

"Third, Lin Wei is a modern independent woman who possesses both beauty and wisdom, and I truly admire her. If such admiration were a crime, then many more people in our school would deserve punishment. As for Tang Kun, the one who accuses others of poaching corners, from what I know, his skill at digging walls is quite profound…"