Seeing Lin Chen's expression, the young man chuckled awkwardly. "Brother Lin, I genuinely admire that quality of yours. I wish I had something like it."
Lin Chen nodded.
"I appreciate that."
"Uh... Brother Lin, I've gotta run. See you around."
After the young man left, Lin Chen searched his phone. He watched several videos and confirmed the comments section was indeed problematic.
He'd checked it yesterday, and there hadn't been this issue.
Moreover, these negative comments were concentrated after 10 PM.
There were still many such comments after midnight, which was abnormal. Did the haters all stay up late together?
Which bastard is trying to smear me? Lin Chen muttered inwardly.
His thoughts turned to Zhao Tianyou and the Wu Family. The Zhao family had been kicked out of the Xu Group, and they must harbor resentment. But would they dare act on it?
The Wu Family was the most likely culprit.
Wu Haoyu was in prison, and they'd benefited from his downfall.
The Wu Family must be furious about the harmony within his family. It's entirely possible they used such tactics to spite him.
But this is just a petty attempt to annoy him. Could the Wu Family have a deeper motive?
Lin Chen put himself in the Wu Family's shoes.
They know the Xu Family is helping me, along with other forces. Why would they use such crude methods to force me to reveal my hand?
Or perhaps they're trying to stir up public opinion. With enough attention, someone might leak some of my personal information.
Lin Chen pondered silently.
Xu Mengyao walked over, holding Lin Xiaoqian. "Honey, are you okay?"
Lin Chen smiled. "I'm fine."
"Someone's just hired some trolls to smear me."
Worry flashed in Xu Mengyao's eyes. "Should I call Dad and have him handle the PR?"
Lin Chen shook his head. "No need to bother. If we don't act, I bet someone will handle it for us."
Purple Garden Community.
"Captain, we have a situation."
"There are many negative comments about Lin Chen online. Could this be a bot campaign?" someone said over the walkie-talkie.
"Wang Jie, stop playing on your phone during work hours."
"What's the issue with Lin Chen?" a voice came through the walkie-talkie.
Wang Jie replied awkwardly, "I just took a look. Many people are saying Lin Chen doesn't deserve Xu Mengyao. Even though the Xu Family is wealthy, Xu Mengyao already has a child."
"There's no need to resort to such tactics just to pursue Xu Mengyao, is there?"
The captain quickly reviewed the situation.
Beep!
Confirming the bot campaign, the captain made a call.
"Feng Qing, what's up?"
The person who answered was still asleep.
"Team Leader Meng, there's a bot campaign online targeting Lin Chen. Since we're protecting him, should we intervene?"
"Let me see... Send me the relevant links."
Soon, Feng Qing forwarded several links to the captain.
Meanwhile, on Mount Tai, Lin Chen and his group were riding the cable car down.
"Huh?"
Xu Mengyao noticed that many of the negative comments about Lin Chen had disappeared.
Someone was indeed helping Lin Chen.
She checked several other videos, and the results were the same.
Xu Mengyao didn't mention that there were other people in the cable car. As soon as they got off, she blurted out, "Honey, many of the negative comments about you are gone!"
Lin Chen smiled. "That's normal."
The Ministry of State Security was protecting him in secret. If it were just a few paid trolls spreading rumors, they might not intervene. But if the number of attackers grew too large, they would almost certainly step in.
"Daddy, are people saying bad things about you?" Lin Xiaoqian asked.
Lin Chen flicked his daughter's nose. "Xiaoqian, there are so many people in the world. If someone doesn't like you and says mean things, does that make you sad?"
Lin Xiaoqian thought for a moment.
"Sometimes it does, and sometimes it doesn't."
"Why?" she asked. "If Mom, Dad, Grandma, Grandpa, or my maternal grandparents don't like me, I get very sad. But if strangers don't like me, I don't care."
Lin Chen kissed his daughter. "That's a very wise way to think, Xiaoqian."
"I won't get upset when strangers say bad things about Dad. It'll just make them happier."
Lin Xiaoqian nodded. "They're big meanies. Dad, Mom and I will always love you."
"Mom, is that true?"
Xu Mengyao smiled. "Of course. Mom and Dad will always love you too. Xiaoqian, no matter what problems you face in the future, we'll always help you."
"Mm-hmm."
Lin Xiaoqian smiled sweetly.
After descending the mountain and having dinner, Lin Chen drove them home.
Lin Xiaoqian fell asleep soon after.
"Honey, who helped you with this?" Xu Mengyao asked curiously.
Even if the Xu Family pulled strings, they couldn't have handled it this quickly.
Lin Chen pointed upward with his right finger.
Xu Mengyao paused, then quickly realized. "Honey, has someone in the government noticed you?"
"Isn't that normal?" Lin Chen chuckled.
Xu Mengyao nodded.
Lin Yu's calligraphy skills were exceptional, making him a top talent in the cultural sphere. It was only natural that the government would notice him. A simple investigation would easily reveal his identity.
"Honey, let me see your phone."
Xu Mengyao pulled out her phone and started checking it again.
"Honey, there's something going on."
"The video of your recent basketball game has been leaked. Videos from older games have also been dug up."
"This leak shouldn't be a big problem," Lin Chen said. "The previous leaks only caused a brief stir."
Xu Mengyao scrolled through the comments.
"Honey, I think this time is different. A top domestic basketball star commented that your skills might have reached the level of a professional player."
"The videos are getting a lot of attention."
"As long as I don't respond and don't play basketball, the hype will probably die down in four or five days at most," Lin Chen said. "It's not a big deal."
Xu Mengyao nodded slightly.
She continued scrolling through Weibo and short video platforms.
Soon, Xu Mengyao spoke up again. "Honey, another basketball star is praising your exceptional skills. This hype probably won't die down in four or five days."
Lin Chen smiled faintly. "A little hype isn't bad. Even though the paid trolls are gone, they've stirred up some momentum. We don't want people thinking I'm just good because of my stamina."
"Otherwise, they might think you're only interested in that one aspect of me."
Xu Mengyao: "..."
She rolled her eyes at Lin Chen.
Somewhere in Shanghai, Wu Yangfeng was staying in a five-star hotel.
He was puzzled.
Is Lin Chen just good at basketball?
Being good at basketball was certainly a plus, but how could such a simple advantage possibly lead the Xu Family to help him?
Beep! Beep!
Wu Yangfeng called Wu Yangcheng.
"Brother, I was the one who orchestrated the smear campaign against Lin Chen. I hired a friend who specializes in this."
Wu Yangfeng said.
On the other end of the line, Wu Yangcheng's expression darkened. "Second brother, you're being too reckless! What if someone finds out?"
"Don't worry, brother," Wu Yangfeng replied. "I'm close to this friend, and I handled it privately. As long as he keeps his mouth shut, no one will ever trace it back to me."
"He won't say anything."
Wu Yangcheng breathed a sigh of relief. "Are you sure?"
"Absolutely," Wu Yangfeng assured him. "This isn't a major crime—at most, a fine or a few years in prison. What benefit would he get from reporting me?"
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
"Who is it?" Wu Yangfeng asked, approaching the door.
-----------------------
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