Chapter 99: A Storm of Outrage

"Good!!!"

Suddenly, a male student from behind Cao Sheng's teaching building shouted loudly in approval, startling Cao Sheng and also shocking the on-site reporters and teachers.

Before Cao Sheng could react, cheers erupted one after another from the teaching building, interspersed with some high-pitched female shouts.

"Cao Sheng! Well said!!! Keep it up!"

"Senior! Great job! Go! Harder!!"

"Junior! I love you!!"

"Cao Sheng! We support you! Don't back down! Curse those jealous old bastards to death!!!"

…

Teachers like Lu Xiangwei and others were both angry and amused; fulfilling their duties as educators, they turned around to scold the students cheering in the teaching building.

Scolding voices from within the teaching building also echoed out.

But…

This isn't elementary school, nor is it middle school—it's university!

How many good little angels are left among university students?

You're lucky if we call you "teacher"; if we're not feeling generous, who the hell are you?

Moreover, the teachers who were shouting now—though their tones sounded stern—couldn't suppress the smiles on their faces; their upturned mouths were harder to hold down than an AK magazine's feed.

Anyone watching would suspect they weren't teachers at all—they'd probably be cheering along with everyone else.

Collective pride is something you rarely feel in daily life.

But when someone from outside attacks someone in your group, your heart instinctively rebels—you want to roll up your sleeves and fight back.

Clearly, Cao Sheng's confrontation with those famous writers and professors had ignited the faculty and students' collective pride.

It was infuriating!

As one senior girl put it: "Fight! Our school finally produced a celebrity, and we finally got noticed by the whole nation—I was planning to brag about it later! Now these old bastards come to smear us? Why don't they just drop dead already? I want to rip their stinking mouths apart!"

…

The reporters left, packing up their hard-won material and sprinting away.

They hadn't seen a celebrity as bold as Cao Sheng in a long time.

His style—attacking anyone who crossed him, fearless like a newborn calf—was exactly what media people loved.

Because such celebrities were the most newsworthy, the easiest to hype.

And the most effective at grabbing public attention.

Having just gathered so many explosive pieces of material from Cao Sheng, how could they stay calm? Each one wanted to publish their story as fast as possible.

Publishing earlier than other media meant attracting more attention.

News, after all, is all about timeliness.

Be late, and you'll miss the hot meal—even shit will be cold by then.

In the square in front of the teaching building.

Lu Xiangwei and several teachers gathered around Cao Sheng.

A female teacher sighed bitterly: "Cao Sheng, you're still too young! How could you attack those professors and writers in front of the media? It'll ruin your image in the public's eyes—those who insult you are hoping you'll self-destruct."

A male teacher chimed in: "That's right! Even though I was angry hearing them attack you, now's the time to show your gentleness and humility! Whether you curse those professors and writers doesn't matter—it's about leaving a good impression on the public and your readers, so they'll support your future works!"

Another male teacher patted Cao Sheng's back, regretful: "Cao Sheng! You've been played! Once the media reports your words, the public will label you as 'rebellious,' 'disrespectful to elders,' 'arrogant'—and once those labels stick, it'll be nearly impossible to peel them off!"

As Lu Xiangwei listened, his frown deepened; he couldn't help but rebuke Cao Sheng: "I warned you just now—why did you still speak so recklessly? You're usually so composed! What got into you today? Do you know who you were mocking? Not just famous writers—they're top professors! I never realized you had this much guts!"

Cao Sheng knew these teachers meant well.

So, hearing their complaints and scolding, he wasn't angry—he smiled along.

But inside, he didn't regret a single word he'd just said.

Will my words make the public form a bad impression of me? Will they hurt my book sales?

He didn't think so.

In life, he was used to being low-key.

But in his career, he'd always wanted to show his sharp edge.

Previously, his works were his sword—he displayed his edge through them.

Now that he himself had become famous, he had become part of that sword.

When one sword meets another, does hiding your edge or holding back help?

His choice? A decisive showdown.

If you can, cut me down. If you can't, become my fallen foe—my stepping stone.

No one likes a sword without an edge.

Don't talk nonsense about "heavy swords without sharpness" or "great skill without artifice."

That's a legendary realm—not everyone can lift such a heavy blade.

Right now, he wanted to be a sword with every edge exposed.

He'd cut down every opponent who dared challenge him—after all, his books had already won in sales; what remained was just verbal sparring.

If he'd already won in book sales, why should he lose in words?

So what if the public labels him "rebellious" or "arrogant"?

Those labels are hated by middle-aged and elderly people.

But they're loved by the young.

Conveniently enough—his main readership is the young.

So he had no mercy when going after those writers and professors.

He only regretted that his literary talent wasn't enough, and his retort lacked just a bit of fire.

……

Cao Sheng, who felt his literary talent insufficient and his retort lacking just a bit of fire, had no idea how great a mental shock his remarks to the media that day would deliver to the public and to the professors and writers he had targeted.

That morning, several online media outlets had already posted his remarks on the internet.

The headlines were more eye-catching than the last.

"Central Plain's Single Ash: Famous Writer Gongyang Buyu? Never heard of him!"

"Central Plain's Single Ash: Don't casually slap the title 'Famous Writer' on anyone!"

"Cao Sheng: Shuren, be sure to recognize Zhou Shuren—beware of fakes and counterfeits!"

"Central Plain's Single Ash: Should Professor Wang be the one to decide if fame, money, and living with a flight attendant go together?"

"Genius Writer: Since you're getting old, focus more on your blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol—mind your own business!"

"Cao Sheng: 'I enjoy the blessings and bear the misfortunes!'"

"Central Plain's Single Ash says the masses have clear eyes! What are famous writers and professors, anyway?"

"Sales King Cao Sheng says: If what they write is truly fine currency, their sales ought to be higher than mine!"

……

Let's set aside how the targeted writers and professors felt.

Just consider how netizens felt when they saw these news stories.

——Stunned, frozen in place, eyes gleaming, laughing uproariously, crying out "Thrilling!"……

And countless other reactions.

Whether or not they had read Cao Sheng's works, anyone who saw these headlines gained new perspective and formed a lasting impression of Cao Sheng, Central Plain's Single Ash, and "Living with a Flight Attendant."

Even when they were old and gray-haired, recalling their youth, they would remember how a young writer named Central Plain's Single Ash had publicly humiliated veteran writers and professors, leaving them dusty-faced and utterly shamed.

They might even recall one phrase: "This kid plays dirty!"