Chapter 122: Is It Huang Ying?

“No worries, I’ve got it!” Li Hua instantly felt revitalized, realizing he wasn’t completely useless after all. Although he hadn’t been the first to hear the news, he had done a lot of homework beforehand, all to impress the master in front of him.

He had thought there was no chance before, but unexpectedly, a new opportunity had arisen.

“It all started yesterday afternoon when you posted that video…” Li Hua was about to start from the beginning, intending to share the captivating story he had crafted overnight, but he was cut off by Luo Chen after just a few words.

“Just get to the point. There are only a few minutes left before class starts.”

“Alright… alright,” Li Hua replied, wanting to argue that he couldn’t possibly summarize it that quickly, but even he didn’t believe that. In the end, he gave Luo Chen a resentful look and reluctantly agreed.

“Basically, a bunch of haters claimed you deliberately smeared some big-name celebrities to boost your popularity. I got furious and led our faction to attack them, and we crushed those haters in no time. But even though those haters were defeated, more and more people kept discussing the matter. So I guessed those haters must have been hired trolls, and I even figured out who the mastermind behind it all was!”

Li Hua grew more and more excited as he spoke, but at the crucial moment, he suddenly stopped and looked at Luo Chen expectantly. Unfortunately, Luo Chen was deep in thought and didn’t pay him any attention. Even if he had, he probably wouldn’t have responded.

Not getting the answer he wanted, Li Hua switched topics and continued, “Honestly, those people are just fools. Smearing a few celebrities—most of them don’t even have as many fans as you do. Even if those stars were upset, what kind of trouble could they really stir up?”

Li Hua’s reasoning wasn’t without merit. Among all the people Luo Chen had ever dealt with, only Uncle Long had a higher popularity. It was likely that those trolls had originally planned to deal a fatal blow from that angle, but plans couldn’t keep up with changes. Even Uncle Long himself said he didn’t care, so the trolls found themselves at a loss and had no choice but to push forward blindly.

Luo Chen digested the information Li Hua provided. He hadn’t expected the trolls to attack from this angle. He had thought after being slapped down during the Uncle Long incident, those haters would behave, but instead, they used this new topic.

That explained the awkward situation—there was some impact on Luo Chen, but it was minor, just small skirmishes.

Seeing Luo Chen finally snap out of his thoughts, Li Hua enthusiastically said, “The mastermind may be cunning, but clever as I am, I found the truth from some clues. It’s definitely him, no doubt!”

“Hmm? You know who it is?” Luo Chen glanced at Li Hua in surprise. Could it be that he had learned this through some special channel?

That wasn’t impossible.

“It’s Huang Ying! Who else could it be?” Li Hua noticed Luo Chen’s puzzled look and bragged, “I discussed this at length with a top master in our group before figuring it out. Now that I have the chance, of course, I want to show off.”

“Huang Ying?” Luo Chen thought for a moment. Among these people, Huang Ying was indeed the prime suspect. Luo Chen clearly remembered how Huang Ying had stirred up trouble, rallying fans to suppress his own sister. Their feud began then, and after Luo Chen turned the tables in a livestream, Huang Ying must have been extremely resentful.

If anyone was pulling strings behind the scenes, Luo Chen wouldn’t be surprised if it was Huang Ying.

“Exactly, it’s Huang Ying. Only he has the ability, the motive, and the means to do something like this. If you, the master, get suppressed, the biggest beneficiary would naturally be Huang Ying!” Li Hua continued proudly, relaying the analysis a certain expert had shared with him, turning it around to impress Luo Chen. Now in the eyes of the King of Mischief, he must be the very embodiment of wisdom—just the effect he wanted.

Hearing Li Hua’s explanation, Luo Chen understood the situation. It was just that Li Hua had overheard someone else’s analysis somewhere and rushed to show off in front of him. Luo Chen had thought he might have acquired some key information or evidence proving it was Huang Ying, but it was all speculation after all.

Luo Chen’s first reaction upon hearing this was also Huang Ying—not for any special reason, but because Huang Ying had the greatest notoriety and was the most memorable. Luo Chen also knew he wasn’t the only one with the ability and motive to do such a thing. Sometimes, conflicts behind the scenes were far more ruthless than those in the open.

After some thought, Luo Chen asked Li Hua, “Do you know which platinum-level masters are on the Stardust platform? Or, when you think of each category, who are the first people that come to mind, excluding me and without repeating?”

“Each category? Hmm… if not counting you, the master, the gaming category is Shui Han, the livestream category is Huang Ying, the music category is Luo Shen, and for the comedy category… I think it used to be the original comedy king, Ruan Hongyi,” Li Hua answered offhand, not quite sure what Luo Chen meant.

Li Hua’s answer was pretty much what Luo Chen expected. Why ask this?

Luo Chen knew his fame had certainly offended some people, especially the most popular content creators in each category, suddenly being overshadowed by a newcomer.

Especially in the comedy category. Ever since Luo Chen rose to fame, whenever people mentioned comedy on the Stardust platform, they only thought of him.

Luo Chen knew the top stars in other categories but had never heard much about the original comedy king. He was probably completely eclipsed by Luo Chen’s brilliance.

Among the top content creators and streamers in the four main categories, Luo Shen was Luo Chen’s sister and could be disregarded. Shui Han and Luo Chen had no major grudge, so the likelihood was low. Huang Ying was still undecided, but the remaining comedy king, Ruan Hongyi, was the biggest suspect.

Still, suspicion was one thing. Without confirmation, Luo Chen couldn’t just go looking for trouble. If he targeted the wrong person, it would be awkward—he would offend a popular content creator for no reason, and the real mastermind would be delighted.

“Master, do you think we should gather our forces and rally the fans to give that Huang Ying a good lesson? With such a big move from the other side, we can’t just sit back and do nothing, right?” Li Hua, oblivious to Luo Chen’s thoughts, was ready to persuade him to launch a fan offensive. He couldn’t swallow this grievance without striking back hard.

(PS: Thanks to the reader “I Just Love Your Book” and the wolf cub 1006 for the generous 2000 starting coins! Flowers all around! Please keep recommending!)