Because of everything that happened, Yeri somehow found that the anger she had been holding toward Shin had faded.
Back when he had confined her before the engagement, she had been furious.
But now, after hearing about the attempted arson near their home and seeing the chaos online, she began to understand that he might truly have had his reasons. Perhaps he had only been worried about her safety.
Even so, he could have told her. She was not a child and if something involved her life or her family, she had the right to know.
"Those comments are just nonsense," Madam Zhi said carefully while watching her. "Don't trouble yourself over them."
With something this big happening, it was impossible for her parents not to know.
Yeri smiled and shook her head.
"Mom, I'm not scared," she said. "Don't worry. This is just how social media works. Even if these accusations didn't exist, people would still find reasons to hate me just because I'm engaged to Brother Shin."
Madam Zhi forced a smile, but the worry in her eyes was obvious.
For many years their family had lived quietly, far from public attention. Suddenly being placed at the center of such a storm was naturally uncomfortable.
"It's beautiful here, isn't it?" Yeri said, deliberately changing the topic as she looked at the red rose garden. "Why don't you ask Dad to play golf with Master Keir tomorrow morning? Since we're staying at the golf estate, it's a good chance for him to relax."
"Yeri's right, Mom," Jj added quickly. "You haven't even seen the golf course here yet. Ask Dad to take you around."
Although Father Zhi had come with them, his phone had been ringing nonstop since they arrived. Company matters, partners, shareholders, and endless calls asking about the news.
In fact, everyone in the family had been receiving calls from relatives, friends, and acquaintances.
In the end they had no choice but to mute their phones.
At that moment Father Zhi walked toward them, still dressed in his formal suit.
"I need to return to the manor for a while," he said. "There are some important documents I must get."
Madam Zhi immediately tried to stop him, but with his workaholic nature it was almost impossible.
Eventually, after Butler Hong insisted on arranging proper security, Father Zhi left with several bodyguards escorting him.
Madam Zhi remained uneasy, but Butler Hong's calm conversation and amusing stories soon distracted the three of them.
---
The next morning, Yeri woke up early feeling surprisingly refreshed.
She had been so exhausted the night before that she fell asleep almost immediately after lying down.
After changing her clothes, she stepped outside.
The villa was still quiet.
She assumed her parents and Jj were still asleep. As for Master Keir and Shin, she had not seen either of them since the engagement banquet.
They were probably busy dealing with the aftermath of everything.
"Good morning, Young Miss. What would you like for breakfast?"
It was Butler Hong.
Yeri smiled awkwardly, seeing him standing there in his impeccable suit and flawless posture, she could not help admiring his professionalism.
"Butler Hong, you don't have to be so formal with me," she said. "I'll eat whatever is available."
Butler Hong smiled politely.
"I remember you like pancakes, the kitchen is already preparing them. The others are still asleep. Where would you like to have your breakfast?"
Yeri glanced outside.
The weather was beautiful, the sky clear and the air fresh.
"I'll eat at the balcony," she said. "The view is too good to miss."
Soon she was seated outside, enjoying the breathtaking scenery stretching across the estate.
It was amazing that such peaceful nature existed even though they were still technically within the city.
While sipping her coffee, she casually picked up her phone.
The moment the screen lit up, she almost choked at the number of notifications.
Missed calls. Messages. Chat requests.
Her phone had never experienced this level of activity before. For a second, Yeri even felt a little sorry for it.
Yeri decided to ignore the flood of notifications and opened her social media account instead, only to be dumbfounded.
Her followers had climbed to eight million. Just overnight or rather, in only a few hours.
What exactly did these people gain from stalking her account?
Or was it because she rarely posted anything that it triggered people's curiosity? Her account only had around twenty four or twenty five photos, most of them random pictures of food, scenery, or quiet moments.
She was not trying to appear mysterious, she simply had never been that interested in social media. Between her health and her studies, she barely had the energy to care about online trends.
Scrolling down, the comment section was still overflowing.
The insults had not decreased. If anything, they had multiplied.
Some people were still arguing whether the account was really hers or just a fake one. But after seeing that the few accounts she followed were mostly her classmates from SC University, many quickly concluded it was indeed her official account.
And if yesterday she had only been labeled a blood sucking vampire who constantly needed transfusions, today her reputation had apparently upgraded.
Now she was also a record breaking seductress.
Yeri did not even know where the netizens had dug up the materials.
There were suddenly photos of her with Tristan Felan and with Saeki Jie.
Even that time she had simply been chatting with Xian Song at a café had been posted online, including the moment when Shin Keir arrived.
The headline above it read dramatically:
"She tried to cheat but got caught immediately."
Yeri stared at the screen, speechless.
It was broad daylight in a café. What cheating?
The photos clearly showed nothing suspicious. Just her sitting across from Xian Song, talking normally, and later Shin Keir joining them.
But that did not stop the internet from spinning its own story.
Further down, the photos with Tristan Felan were from the hospital, the day he helped her when Leo Nafplion caused trouble.
Another photo showed them together at the auction they had attended. That same auction also produced a photo of her chatting casually with Saeki Jie.
But the most outrageous one was a photo of the building, the penthouse she was currently staying in.
The post showed Saeki Jie entering and leaving the building late at night.
Below it was a dramatic caption.
"Who exactly is our Young Master Jie visiting here?"
Even her normal interactions at school were not spared with photos of her walking with Levi Ando on campus.
And Loki, the handsome transfer student, was described as her "loyal lapdog."
Yeri "…"
She sighed quietly and continued eating her breakfast.
The pancakes were soft and fluffy, topped with fresh fruits and served with crispy bacon. At least the food was honest.
Just as she thought the rumors could not become more ridiculous, another video surfaced.
It was Marco Fabian confessing to her at school.
Yeri remembered that moment very clearly but the video had been carefully edited.
The part where she looked unimpressed and rejected him was cut out.
Instead, the video jumped directly to the moment when a man dressed in black with a mask suddenly appeared, causing a physical confrontation between the two.
The implication was obvious. The poster wanted people to believe that she had been juggling between Marco Fabian and the mysterious masked man, causing the two men to fight over her.
The matter of Leo Nafplion acting crazily and Zoren Lin defending her was also circulating online.
Anyone with a bit of sense would know these were nothing more than trivial assumptions meant to smear her name.
However, the articles were written in a way that encouraged netizens to overthink, grow suspicious, and create all kinds of hypothetical conclusions.
The timing of the releases was not random either. Everything was published at once, deliberately creating the impression that all these incidents had happened simultaneously.
Even though the photos themselves were not exactly scandalous, the framing was insidious.
A fan of Tristan Felan might initially think the photo simply showed the two of them talking. But after seeing similar photos of her with other men, people's judgmental instincts would inevitably kick in, pushing them to jump to the conclusion that she was a promiscuous and scheming woman.
She had already expected Shin Keir's fans to dislike her. But linking her to Tristan Felan, Saeki Jie, and the other prominent bachelors who had countless women chasing after them would undoubtedly make their admirers view her as a sworn enemy.
Clearly, this was not merely an attempt to ruin her reputation. It was meant to drown her beneath the endless spit and condemnation of the online masses.
A social death.
The people behind this had not simply thrown out random photos. Judging by the angles and timing, they must have investigated her thoroughly, including the people around her.
Sure enough, the comments were vicious and utterly unreasonable.
"So she was shopping around and naturally chose Shin Keir as the best option. Damn, she's honestly terrifying to be able to string along these big shots."
"Where is this bitch hiding? Let's hurry up and make this witch regret it! I bet she used some kind of dark sorcery to seduce my Shin Keir! Only when she's dead will Shin Keir wake up from her spell!"
"I don't believe Tristan Felan would fall for this vixen 😭 I refuse to believe it! She already stole my prince Saeki, not Tristan too! I'll fight this bitch to the death!"
"Did you all notice how she keeps that 'cold beauty' expression in most of these photos? Like she's some untouchable goddess? Maybe that's the trick. After all, men always want the ones they can't easily conquer."
"Stop patronizing Café Zhillion! I used to love their desserts and coffee and never missed a day without going there. I didn't realize I was giving my hard-earned money for this slut to spend! I'm really heartbroken right now."
"Did you all forget who Marco Fabian is? He recently married that bully, Tiffany, but I remember her ranting on her social media account about how Yeri tried to steal her boyfriend! Back then no one believed her, but now I'm starting to think there was a reason for her to bully Yeri Zhi!"