Chapter Thirty-Two: Could It Be That Darkness Has Gone Too Far?

“Luo Chen, what’s wrong?” Yan He, walking ahead, glanced back at Luo Chen who had stopped in his tracks, and asked softly.

“Yan He, do you still remember that Yuan Ning?” Luo Chen hesitated for a moment. Looking at Yan He’s face, which was filled with concern, he decided to share what was on his mind.

“Yuan Ning? You mean that professor you lampooned so badly? What about him?” Yan He seemed to have a faint impression.

“It looks like I might have gone too far back then, and now he’s causing trouble.” When Luo Chen had chosen his material, he hadn’t thought much about it. Seeing that Yuan Ning seemed to have a questionable character, he’d simply used him as inspiration, without considering how the man would react upon seeing himself portrayed.

A university professor—apparently one with a strong sense of pride—watching himself in a video spewing vulgarities, gesticulating wildly like a madman… how could he possibly take it? He was lucky not to have fainted on the spot; that alone showed remarkable endurance.

“Too far, you say? Hahaha—” The line “Hello everyone, I’m—I’m African, I buy Ko Jie,” from Yuan Ning’s infamous moment, flashed through Yan He’s mind, making her laugh aloud. She shot Luo Chen a reproachful look.

With such a savage parody, it was only natural that Yuan Ning had come looking for trouble.

Seeing Yan He’s bright, smiling face, Luo Chen could only let out a weary sigh.

“But can Yuan Ning even find you?” Yan He, calming herself, asked with a suppressed smile.

“Well, my details are on the Stardust Platform, but they’re unlikely to disclose them to Yuan Ning. After all, I’m one of Stardust’s top creators now, so I can rest easy on that front.” Luo Chen was Stardust Platform’s golden goose these days; two consecutive blockbuster works had proven his worth. He wasn’t worried the platform would leak his information to Yuan Ning.

“Then what are you worried about? At most, Yuan Ning will rant about you on Weibo. He’s not going to sue you over this, is he?” Yan He looked at Luo Chen, puzzled by his lingering concern.

“You’re right. I’ll just see how things go.” Luo Chen gathered his thoughts and realized there really wasn’t anything to worry about.

Once inside the classroom, Luo Chen went directly to his seat and sat down quietly. Although this wasn’t his first day here, he still tried to avoid classmates who recognized him.

Glancing at the time, he saw there was still a while before class began, so Luo Chen pulled out his phone and logged into the Stardust Platform to check on his two works.

“Luo Chen, I didn’t expect you to be watching this video too.” Nearby, a classmate noticed Luo Chen watching the current viral spoof video on his phone and hurried over, as if he’d finally found a common topic.

“I’m a die-hard fan of this creator! You have no idea, back when the video wasn’t even popular—”

“Stop, stop. I’ve watched this video more than once. It’s by the Innocent Little Angel, isn’t it?” Luo Chen cut him off, seeing he was about to launch into a tale of how he’d gone from a casual viewer to a hardcore fan.

Although meeting his own fans was something to be happy about, Luo Chen had no time to listen to a chatterbox recount his journey.

“What do you mean, Innocent Little Angel? It’s the King of Filth! His Majesty the King of Filth, don’t you get it?” The talkative classmate, Li Hua, seized the chance to show off, shooting Luo Chen a scornful look for his apparent ignorance.

“Innocent Little Angel—that’s ancient history. Don’t tell me you’re a total rookie?”

“Actually, I know—the King of Filth thing, wasn’t it a self-appointed title?” Luo Chen was all too aware of his own past antics. Who told him to post that without a second thought back then? He still regretted it, and had even fleetingly wished he could cut off his own hand—though only for a moment.

“What? Even you know that?” Li Hua, who’d just been about to tell Luo Chen the tale of how the creator had become the King, was visibly deflated. Was none of this secret anymore?

Impossible! As a hardcore fan, didn’t he know more than the average person? Or was he not a true die-hard fan after all?

Luo Chen glanced at Li Hua, who was now caught up in self-doubt, and thought he should at least give the guy a chance to show off. After all, he was his fan.

“I heard that Professor Yuan Ning is planning to declare war on the Innocent Little Angel. Is that true or just a rumor?”

“I told you, it’s the King of Filth! Please address him as His Majesty!” Seeing Luo Chen had something he didn’t know, Li Hua instantly perked up, while also correcting the title with great seriousness. Knowing the title and not using it was the greatest insult to the King.

Luo Chen felt as if a thousand wild horses were trampling through his mind. Was there ever a fan so intent on making life difficult for their idol? He was speechless. If all his fans were like this, his life would be nothing but darkness.

“Luo Chen, let me tell you: judging from the few works out there, the King of Filth’s morality is unfathomable, his soul as murky as the depths of the sea…” Li Hua, seeing that Luo Chen had no intention of correcting the title, launched into an impassioned description of the King’s image. He’d never met him in person, but he could imagine vividly.

“Enough! I just want to know about the Weibo flame war. I’m not interested in anything else.” Luo Chen nearly threw his phone at Li Hua’s face. Was he sure he was talking about his idol, not himself?

“Uh, fine.” Seeing that Luo Chen really wasn’t interested, Li Hua gave up with a sigh and explained, “Basically, that scumbag Yuan Ning posted a bunch of provocative comments under the video, then started arguing with fans on Weibo.”

“That idiot Yuan Ning even tried to act like a gentleman, and nearly exploded from all the insults thrown his way.”

“If you ask me, Yuan Ning is just asking for it. Think about it: the King of Filth is notorious for being, well, filthy to the core, inside and out. Yuan Ning’s little tricks are nothing; sooner or later, he’ll be fuming himself into an early grave.” Li Hua was getting more and more worked up, spittle flying everywhere.

Whether or not Yuan Ning would die of anger, Luo Chen didn’t know, but if he listened any longer, he himself might just commit murder to keep Li Hua quiet.

Having such a die-hard fan out there singing his praises—wouldn’t his reputation be utterly ruined?

The bell rang just in time, saving Luo Chen from acting on his homicidal impulses.

Only after Li Hua reluctantly returned to his seat did Luo Chen finally breathe a sigh of relief. He pulled out his phone and began searching according to Li Hua’s leads.

Weibo search: University of Science and Technology, Yuan Ning!

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