Chapter Thirty-Four: Dad, You’re Famous Again!

Yuan Ning felt that he had been quite happy lately—truly, he wasn’t just trying to fool himself. Although he had been mocked and insulted behind his back not long ago, what did that matter compared to all he had gained?

Eight hundred thousand followers. Yes, in just two days, eight hundred thousand people had followed him. Admittedly, most of them were there to hurl abuse, but what did it matter? He stood upon the pinnacle of moral righteousness. Once these rabid fans calmed themselves, as more and more people realized he was merely an innocent professor caught in the crossfire—a teacher slandered by a heartless influencer—what then?

Public opinion would shift. The masses would notice this pitiable professor, and with a single speech, he would transform from an unknown into a national figure, a moral vanguard unafraid of gossip. Would television interviews not follow soon after? With popularity, how could money not come?

But Yuan Ning would never feel grateful to that so-called little angel. That wretch had made him endure a whole week of contemptuous stares.

A week!

Even today, plenty of students still snickered behind his back. Unforgivable!

After a simple class, Yuan Ning followed his usual route home, though today felt somehow different. He clearly remembered just a few days ago, those students and teachers harbored hidden smiles as they looked at him, but today—why had it changed?

Now, they seemed to look at him as if he were some sort of scoundrel.

Yuan Ning furrowed his brow, bewildered. Watching the students seemingly avoiding him on purpose, he opened his mouth but couldn’t bring himself to ask.

Judging by their demeanor, no one would answer anyway.

Annoyed, Yuan Ning quickened his pace. These unknown circumstances made him uneasy, reminding him of the time not long ago when he was slandered and knew nothing about it.

What on earth had happened?

Was it something on Weibo?

Yuan Ning hurried home, opened the door.

His wife was still in the kitchen cooking, his eldest son still absorbed in his phone. Nothing seemed to have changed.

Perhaps he was just overly anxious today, letting his imagination run wild?

But—where was his younger son?

Never mind, he must be out playing somewhere.

Yuan Ning, exhausted, slipped off his shoes and entered the house, but before he could step inside, his nine-year-old son called out excitedly.

“Dad, you’re trending again!”

“Trending again? What do you mean?” Yuan Ning’s mind went blank; he didn’t even bother with slippers, rushing barefoot to the computer and trembling as he turned it on.

“Big Penguin News: Yuan Ning from UST challenges the Lord of Filth—who is the true champion of justice?”

What nonsense was this? How could there be any question about who embodied justice? One was a content creator who made satirical videos about professors without consent, the other, a hapless victim—how was this up for debate?

Fuming, Yuan Ning clicked on the headline to read.

“The day before yesterday, UST professor Yuan Ning took to Weibo to denounce the Lord of Filth, sparking a war of words between their fans. But is that all there is to the story? Today, fans of the Lord of Filth revealed insider information—Yuan Ning may become the infamous ‘Scoundrel Professor.’”

The further Yuan Ning read, the colder his sweat became. He hastily opened his own Weibo, saw his follower count nearing two million, and felt not a shred of joy.

Entering the comments section, he nearly collapsed at the sight.

“Professor Yuan Ning’s clearance sale—failed grades for eight hundred, scholarships for two thousand, diplomas for thirty thousand, and the professor himself available for free! Really, for free!”

“Disaster, disaster! The most corrupt Professor Yuan in China is about to fall! A diploma once priced at thirty thousand now only costs eight thousand—eight thousand!”

“Is that true? Only eight thousand? Mom, I want one too.”

“Wasn’t it supposed to be thirty thousand, no haggling?”

“The most corrupt in China? Surely not.”

“Yuan Ning’s African descent makes him the darkest of all.”

“Bang!”

Yuan Ning slapped the computer to the ground. Was it all over for him?

“Impossible!” Yuan Ning growled through clenched teeth. He refused to surrender; his reputation was on the verge of ruin, and if he didn’t act to salvage it, he’d become a scoundrel, a laughingstock.

There must still be a chance.

These trolls, numerous as they were, lacked solid evidence. If he firmly insisted that it was all the opponent’s paid shills slandering him, perhaps he could still be saved.

All he needed was an opportunity. The internet was overrun by these shills; no matter how Yuan Ning explained, it would be useless—not to mention that he himself wasn’t entirely clean.

So, the only option—

Ring ring ring.

Yuan Ning, hands shaking, took out his phone. Seeing the caller ID, he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

It looked like he was saved.

“Professor Yuan Ning, I’m the director of the ‘Truth’ program. Are you free tomorrow afternoon? We’d like to invite you for a television interview.”

“Yes, of course! I’ll definitely be there tomorrow afternoon.” Yuan Ning knew his comeback depended entirely on this opportunity. If he played the victim, insisted all this was the influencer’s malicious slander, he could turn the tables.

He absolutely could!

The “Truth” program was a renowned TV show in China, famous for daring to expose anything and never drawing conclusions without evidence. Each episode drew a massive audience and boasted top ratings nationwide, so there was no need to worry about the Lord of Filth buying them off.

Given that his opponent hadn’t appeared even once over all these days, Yuan Ning was almost certain the other party was unwilling to show their face, preferring to hide in the shadows, pulling strings.

A cowardly and foolish person, nothing to fear.

Luo Chen had no idea another accusation had suddenly landed on him, nor did he have time to pay attention to Yuan Ning’s affairs.

Because when Luo Chen awoke that morning, he found Yanhe had taken leave and gone home.

What about breakfast?

“Tianyi, did Yanhe say when she’ll be back?” Luo Chen had been hungry all morning and couldn’t bear the thought of starving through lunch as well.

“I don’t know. I don’t think Yanhe said anything,” Luo Tianyi replied, munching on a bag of snacks.

Luo Chen glanced at the snack bag in his sister’s hand, but couldn’t bring himself to ask for a share.

Ever since Luo Chen asked Qiushui Han for a recommendation, it seemed Tianyi’s snacks had never run out. Could she really have spent all her donations on snacks?

“Ahhh! It’s your fault, Luo Chen, for driving Yanhe away! I’m starving here,” Tianyi grumbled at her foolish brother, annoyed that he had complained about Yanhe staying too long—now he’d gotten his comeuppance.

“Tianyi, you’ve been snacking all day. If anyone should be hungry, it’s me,” Luo Chen sighed, watching the snack bag dwindle. Where did all the snacks go?

“That’s different; snacks go into another stomach.”

Thanks to reader Bingwu Huanshen for the reward of 100 Qidian coins—throwing flowers!