Substitute Toyokawa Shoko, you can become stronger by breathing

Yutenji Wakamugi, who was enthusiastically replying to fans' comments, soon noticed these discordant voices.

At first, she wanted to delete the comments, block the account, and even tried to post a clarifying message, explaining that the old account was blocked only because of some "minor operational mistakes."

But her counterattack seemed so pale and powerless in the face of the overwhelming negative comments that were obviously manipulated by the internet trolls.

Her clarification post was quickly flooded with ridicule and questioning.

"A small mistake? That's easy to say. Do you think we're stupid?"

"Feeling guilty? Starting to delete comments?"

"The more you explain, the worse it gets. I think there really is a problem!"

Those vicious words, like poisoned needles, pierced her heart densely.

She looked at the screen and felt dizzy, her stomach churning, and her hands and feet were so cold that she almost lost consciousness.

She had experienced the lows of her career and felt the cold treatment of being blacklisted, but those... were more like the chronic torture of boiling a frog in warm water.

And now, what she encountered was an attack that was like being in a violent storm.

She felt as if she had been stripped naked, standing in the middle of a crowded square, being scrutinized by countless pairs of malicious eyes, having her spine poked by countless cold fingers, and being surrounded by countless vicious curses...

Shame, anger, fear...

But even stronger than these is the overwhelming panic and self-blame!

Screwed it...

Xiaoxiang had worked so hard to help her create such a high level of popularity, mobilizing so many resources, so that she had the attention she had always dreamed of overnight.

As a result, she couldn't even maintain this little bit of popularity, and was quickly caught by someone.

Even though it was fabricated, it still caused such a huge negative storm.

Is she too careless?

Were there really problems with some of her past behaviors that are why people keep holding on to her?

Or... is she just a troublesome person, destined to bring misfortune to those around her?

She clearly...she clearly did nothing wrong!

At least this time, she worked hard and seriously, wanting to seize the opportunity...

But why...why did things turn out like this?!

A huge sense of grievance and helplessness instantly overwhelmed her.

She felt that all her efforts and aspirations were shattered in this sudden storm.

Panic, grievance, anger, helplessness, self-blame...

All kinds of negative emotions were like surging tides, crashing and tearing at her heart, almost swallowing her completely.

Finally, on the verge of complete collapse, she dialed the only number she could think of that might save her, almost instinctively, with trembling hands.

The moment the phone was connected, she could no longer suppress her inner collapse and tears burst out like a dam breaking.

"Woo...Xiao Xiang..."

Her voice was choked and intermittent, full of heavy nasal sounds and crying.

"S-Sorry... Ugh... Xiaoxiang... I... I seem to have messed up..."

She didn't even dare to say what happened directly, but just apologized repeatedly and sobbed.

"I... I don't know why this happened... A lot of people scolded me online... Ugh... I'm sorry... I'm useless... I messed it up... I'm sorry..."

She cried uncontrollably, like a child who had done something wrong and was afraid of being scolded. She expressed her apologies and panic incoherently, completely forgetting that she was also a victim of this cyberbullying.

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone.

Yutenji Wakamu could almost imagine that Xiaoxiang must be frowning at this moment, feeling extremely impatient with her "incompetence" and "troublemaking".

She was even prepared to face the scolding, and subconsciously suppressed her crying, leaving only tiny, pitiful sobs.

However...

When the familiar voice finally sounded again, what reached her ears was not the coldness and harshness she had expected.

"do not Cry."

That voice was... unexpectedly gentle.

Yes, mild.

"Take a deep breath first." Jiujo Liansi said in a gentle voice, "Tell me slowly, what exactly happened."

Perhaps she was comforted by this sudden tenderness, or perhaps she had finally found someone to talk to, Ruomai choked up and spoke in a halting manner, recounting the vicious rumors on the Internet, the attacks on her, and her inner panic and self-blame in a slightly clearer manner.

She sobbed as she spoke, her voice still full of grievance and helplessness, but it was much better than the complete collapse she had just had.

The person on the other end of the phone listened patiently, without interrupting or commenting, and only occasionally said "um" to indicate that he was listening.

Not until Ruomai had finished telling everything and his emotions had calmed down a little from venting, leaving only low sobs, did that gentle voice sound again.

"Well, I see."

There was no accusation of messing up, no blame for causing trouble, not even a hint of impatience.

"this is not your fault."

This simple sentence was like a ray of warm light, instantly illuminating the dark corner in Ruomai's heart that was shrouded in self-blame and panic.

It's not...her fault?

"Things on the internet are very complicated. Malicious attacks are beyond your control, and you don't need to blame yourself for it."

"I'll handle it."

"Trust me, it will be fine soon."

"You don't have to think about anything right now. Just take a good rest and adjust your mood. Leave the rest to me."

Every word reached the ears of Yutenji Wakamai.

An unprecedented, strong sense of security wrapped her tightly like warm sea water.

"Uh-huh!"

She nodded vigorously, and even though the other party couldn't see her, her voice was still heavily nasal:

"I...I understand...Thank you...Xiaoxiang..."

After hanging up the phone, Ruomai curled up on the bed, holding the phone, her eyes still red.

The night outside the window is still dark, and the air-conditioning temperature seems too low.

She wrapped herself tightly in her light nightgown and suddenly realized that her fingers were no longer shaking.

The chill that had penetrated my bones had faded away at some point, replaced by a warmth like warm water spreading from my chest.

Xiaoxiang...as expected...is her god.

...

"beep..."

With a slight tone indicating that the communication was cut off, silence returned to the hotel room.

Sure enough...it's here.

"what happened?"

In my mind, Toyokawa Shoko's voice carries a subtle hint of tension and uneasiness.

"Is... is it coming for us? Who could have done this?"

Kujo Renji let out a short, mocking laugh.

"Who else could it be?"

He didn't even need to resort to overly complex methods. He simply aggregated and analyzed the information from the most active rumor-mongering and marketing accounts, tracking their IP addresses, analyzing their speech patterns, and cross-checking their correlation with other events...

Using basic statistics and network intelligence analysis techniques, the outline of the mastermind quickly became clear.

All the clues point to a common name - Star Entertainment.

When he saw this name, Kujo Renji almost immediately understood the whole story.

Star Entertainment...isn't the person in charge of these resources the "good uncle" Toyokawa Hidehiko, who has always regarded him as a thorn in his side?

This is really an old rival.

At this point in time, doing this little action against "Meow Dream"...its purpose is obvious.

Hidehiko Toyokawa may not have expected that this level of cyber attack could cause him any substantial harm. After all, "Meow Dream" is just a pawn in his hand, and Ave Mujica behind it is not entirely dependent on the popularity of a single member.

What he did was more like a temptation, a disgusting means.

Maybe...it's because of what happened to Mu some time ago?

Kujo Renji's fingers tapped rhythmically on the smooth table unconsciously, making a light "da, da, da" sound.

Then, the corners of his mouth curled up unconsciously.

Since that’s the case, why not settle both old and new grudges together?

.....

No matter how Shoko Toyokawa views her "living together" partner.

She had to admit one thing.

That is, Kujo Renji's ability is indeed outstanding, and his efficiency is astonishingly high.

In less than half an hour, an "emergency public relations crisis response team" composed of senior lawyers was established.

They quickly completed the work of collecting evidence of defamatory remarks on the Internet and locked down several marketing accounts and individual users with the widest dissemination and the most vicious language.

Immediately afterwards, harshly worded lawyers' letters demanding the immediate removal of infringing content and a public apology were delivered to these targets as accurately as snowflakes.

At the same time, Ave Mujica's official account also issued a strongly worded statement, condemning online violence and malicious defamation, and clearly stated that it has entrusted a law firm to handle the matter and will pursue all infringements to the end and will not tolerate them.

This "open hand" immediately caused quite a stir online. Ordinary netizens might have been watching the incident, but those behind the scenes, the "troll army" leaders and marketing account operators, smelled danger.

Legal defense and deterrence alone are far from enough.

Renji Kujo's goal is to make Hidehiko Toyokawa and Star Entertainment pay a real price for their actions.

He immediately activated the "black public relations" resources that had been lying in wait.

These forces hidden in the shadows of the Internet, like well-trained hounds, began to release "black material" about Star Entertainment in a targeted and rhythmic manner.

Unlike the groundless and malicious fabrications used by Star Entertainment to smear "Meow Dream", the "information" released by Jiujo Liansi is more "real" and more deadly.

Some "inside revelations" about Star Entertainment exploiting its artists, signing unfair terms, and withholding wages began to circulate on anonymous forums and gossip groups; old news about a senior executive of Star Entertainment being involved in a financial scandal a few years ago that was later forcibly suppressed was dug up again, accompanied by seemingly plausible "new evidence."

Even "insiders" revealed that Xinghui Entertainment has long used unfair tactics to suppress its competitors, including but not limited to hiring trolls to spread smears, threatening the media, and even interfering with talent show results...

These "black materials" are a mixture of truth and falsehood, but they all accurately hit the public's sensitive nerves about the "unspoken rules" of the entertainment industry and the "original sin" of capital.

For a time, the wind direction on the Internet began to change quietly.

The negative attention originally focused on "Meow Dream" began to be diluted by a large amount of "black material" about Star Entertainment.

The public's attention was successfully diverted, and the focus of discussion shifted from "What is Miao Meng's character like" to "How shady is Xinghui Entertainment."

Soon after, some seemingly “neutral” comments began to appear, cleverly interpreting the online attack on “Meow Dream” as a despicable measure taken by Xinghui Entertainment to suppress the rapidly rising Ave Mujica.

"It's terrifying when you think about it! Miao Meng was attacked right after she became popular. Isn't the timing too coincidental? Did someone mess with someone's cake?"

"I dug up Xinghui Entertainment's dark history. Tsk tsk tsk, they're really going to any lengths to suppress newcomers!"

"So this time, it's the established company that's jealous of the up-and-coming talent and deliberately throwing mud at them? The entertainment industry is incredibly complex!"

Through this series of actions, Jiujo Liansi successfully pushed Xinghui Entertainment from behind the scenes to the forefront, placing it on the verge of public opinion and turning it from an attacker into an object of doubt and condemnation. This tactic of "encircling Wei to save Zhao" was mastered to perfection.

While the war of public opinion was going on, Kujo Renji did not let go of the "henchmen" who actually carried out the attack mission.

He asked Ishikawa to use his connections and resources in the gray area to quickly identify several key outsourced teams and individuals responsible for organizing this water army attack.

When it comes to these people, Kujo Renji's approach is more direct and ruthless.

Perhaps a small public relations company that relies on orders from Star Entertainment suddenly received a "key audit notice" from the tax department.

Perhaps a certain online "opinion leader" with a large following suddenly had his unknown financial backer withdraw his investment and suggest he be more cautious. Or perhaps it's something more direct...