14. Am I being singled out?

Seeing the chaos brewing on Tweebo, Jin Yuchuang felt a tingling numbness across his scalp. His reputation was in utter ruin, his public image shattered beyond repair. The few fans he had left were still battling fiercely online, using praise to counter criticism in a way that only attracted more negativity.

What concerned him even more were the sudden bursts of “scandalous rumors” now emerging.

In the past, anyone daring to expose dirt on Jin Yuchuang would simply vanish the next day, quietly erased by Hanchao Entertainment. But now, Tweebo had transformed into a place of public revelry, where it was impossible to distinguish friend from foe. Hanchao Entertainment could still silence a person or two in secret, but trying to quell a frenzied crowd was a different matter altogether.

Most troubling of all, some of these rumors were completely unfounded—but some… were actually true?

“How do they know I want to be Brother Xu’s personal plaything?”

Fuming with anxiety, Jin Yuchuang paced his room, stomping his feet. After struggling to regain some composure, he ordered his agent, “Hurry, get the AI think tank to come up with something!”

But his agent stammered, “The AI think tank… it’s after hours… they’re refusing to boot up…”

“Damn it! At a time like this, would it kill them to work overtime?” Jin Yuchuang cursed, his voice cracking with fury.

“In any case… let’s contact Tweebo’s company first, ask them to help suppress the trending topics,” his agent, ever the professional, quickly offered a solution. “Once the AI think tank is back on tomorrow, we can plan a more detailed response.”

That night, Jin Yuchuang couldn’t sleep a wink. He kept an eye on the Tweebo battlefield with an alternate account, yet the heat around his name refused to die down.

Frustrated, he called his agent again, blasting, “Didn’t I tell you to have Tweebo suppress the trending? What do they even do? Why isn’t the fire put out yet?”

His agent’s mechanical neck light flickered, a sign of low power: “Sorry, Mr. Jin… Tweebo said…”

“What did Tweebo say?!”

“Tweebo said letting the situation play out will bring them more traffic, so they refused to help us suppress the trends…”

Despair was written all over his agent’s face.

“Damn it!” Jin Yuchuang exploded, slamming the call shut.

…

That night, the entire PR department of Hanchao Entertainment pulled an all-nighter for the first time in ages. They’d managed to recover the hacked account and delete the offending post, but it was too late for damage control.

All they could do was delete posts and issue apologies at a breakneck pace.

The next morning, Jin Yuchuang arrived at the company with swollen, dark circles under his eyes, his face devoid of its usual poise.

The PR staff looked even worse—ashen-faced and exhausted, each one teetering on the brink of collapse. One employee, spotting the star himself, jabbed a military-grade stimulant into his arm and returned to deleting posts with renewed vigor.

“What’s the current situation?” Jin Yuchuang asked coldly, eyes narrowing at the PR manager running over to meet him.

“Mr. Jin… we’ve done everything we can, but it’s out of control… the online attacks are only getting fiercer,” the PR manager stammered.

“Useless! You’re fired!” Jin Yuchuang, already in a foul mood, erupted at the news.

Just then, his agent hurried over with a folder, delighted, “Mr. Jin, the AI think tank has an analysis ready.”

“Really?” A hint of relief flickered on Jin Yuchuang’s face. “What’s their suggestion?”

“They say…” The agent read quietly from the printout, “Given that your merchandise sales have jumped by thirty percent in the short term, the AI think tank recommends you let the situation be, without intervention.”

Hearing this, the employees about to inject themselves with another dose of stimulant collectively exhaled in relief. A few collapsed on their desks, their heads pounding out gibberish on the keyboard.

But Jin Yuchuang flew into a rage. “Bullshit! Things have gotten this bad and those AIs still say to let it go? Are they spies from the rival company?”

His agent agreed something was off. “You’re right, Mr. Jin. With things as they are, how could the think tank advise us to do nothing?”

“To hell with those stupid AIs! Fire them all!” Jin Yuchuang snorted coldly. “My new show is about to air—I won’t let this mess ruin it. Arrange a press conference for me, now! I’ll handle this myself!”

“Yes, sir!” The agent snapped into action, phone in hand.

Back in his office, Jin Yuchuang grabbed a bottle of 2021 Fukushima White Peach Sake, twisted off the cap, and took a whiff. Then, with a sudden twist of his wrist, he sent the bottle spinning through the air, smashing it against the wall and filling the room with the scent of liquor.

“Damn it… someone must be out to get me…”

…

“Achoo—!”

Chen Shang, lying on the sofa scrolling through his phone, sneezed unexpectedly.

It was Saturday, and the internet was even livelier than on weekdays.

At this moment, all of Tweebo was Jin Yuchuang’s battlefield. The once-revered superstar had now become a cult leader, surrounded by fanatical devotees.

Watching the “collapse index” climb another twenty points in a single day, Chen Shang knew things were unfolding exactly as he wished.

“Ding dong~ Your special follow, [Jin Yuchuang · Hajime], has posted a new update. Tap to view >>>”

A notification popped up on his phone.

Opening it, Chen Shang saw that Jin Yuchuang’s official account had just posted a notice a minute ago:

“Mr. Jin Yuchuang will hold a fan meeting on September 10…”

Reading the announcement, Chen Shang’s grip tightened on his phone.

He knew this day would come. With Jin Yuchuang’s arrogant nature, he would definitely choose to fight back and clear his name through a press conference.

Especially with his new drama, “Nuclear Rebirth,” about to premiere. If he retreated now, the losses for his company would be incalculable.

There were only three days left until September 10. In three days, his decisive showdown with Jin Yuchuang would arrive.

“Big brother~”

Suddenly, Nayuta appeared before him, quietly settling next to him.

“What is it, little sis?” Chen Shang was in a good mood.

“Well… our Class A is having a class gathering next Saturday, hosted by a classmate named Xu Qing.” Nayuta lowered her head slightly.

“So?” Chen Shang asked, though he already knew. At this class gathering, Xu Qing would grow closer to Nayuta, successfully boosting her affection for him.

From this event onward, Nayuta’s heart would hold not only her brother but also a certain golden-haired youth.

“I heard your favorite, Mr. Jin Yuchuang, will also be there,” Nayuta hesitated. “If… if you want to go, I can talk to Xu Qing and bring you along.”

Chen Shang sighed, at a loss for words.

Even though Nayuta mistook her brother for a rabid fan, she was always thinking of him.

If he didn’t know that maxing out Nayuta’s affection would lead to her death, Chen Shang wouldn’t have the heart to keep suppressing her affection score—he’d probably be on the fast track to a taboo ending within a month.

But faced with this suggestion, Chen Shang refused flatly, “Not interested.”

“What? But you clearly like Jin Yuchuang!” Nayuta’s eyes widened, crestfallen. “And I was hoping you’d make some friends at the party… You don’t seem to have any at school…”

“Not interested means not interested.” Chen Shang couldn’t be bothered to explain. He got up from the sofa and retreated to his room.

In the game, players could attend this Class A gathering through special methods. Some players, refusing to accept the narrative, tried to stop Xu Qing from getting close to Nayuta at the party, hoping to keep their little sister from being stolen away.

But all their efforts were in vain. Faced with Xu Qing’s maxed-out “protagonist template” and Jin Yuchuang’s support, rookie players couldn’t stop a thing.

All they could do was watch as Xu Qing gave a wicked smile, lifted Nayuta’s chin with a finger, and stole her heart.

In other words, whether or not the player attended the party, the only difference was whether they were NTR’d behind their back or right before their eyes.

“So what’s the point in going? Nothing will change. I’d better focus on how to bring about Jin Yuchuang’s downfall!”

Stretching lazily, Chen Shang dialed Black Calista’s number once again.