Just as Liu Chenyan was overwhelmed by this matter, Xiao He had already put away his phone.
"It seems this incident really wasn't your doing." Liu Rulan said, seemingly even breathing a sigh of relief. "Someone who knows this many secrets is most likely their opponent. This exposure was probably the result of a clash between powerful figures."
After all, the positions held by those from the Liu family were watched by many. This time, they were probably caught off guard and taken down in one fell swoop!
Xiao He shrugged: "Of course it wasn't me, I don't have that capability."
Liu Rulan, however, was somewhat disappointed: "It's just a pity. We could have leveraged this for marketing, but with something like this happening, we can only keep a low profile."
After all, when big shots fight, the little guys suffer.
Xiao He didn't feel such a big sense of disparity: "Whatever, I've been on Hot Search several times already, missing this one isn't a big deal."
Liu Rulan: "Tch."
Then she directly sat down next to Xiao He and asked: "Tell me the truth, did you really learn to operate that speedboat on the spot?"
Xiao He pretended to be profound: "Alright, to be honest, I learned it when I went to Hawaii with my dad."
Liu Rulan: "..."
She couldn't help but roll her eyes: "Be serious, tell me the truth."
"Actually, I know a little about racing cars, helicopters, speedboats, motorcycles... even tanks." Xiao He coughed lightly and told the truth.
However, Liu Rulan's next sentence was an absolute checkmate: "Then do you have licenses for them?"
Xiao He: "..."
Damn! The system didn't issue any certificates when I was learning!
Xiao He was shattered.
So now his skills were in a Schrödinger's state?
Seeing Xiao He silent, Liu Rulan understood.
She looked at Xiao He with a complicated expression, then raised her hand and patted his shoulder: "I get it. If you're really interested in these things, I'll sign you up for some classes later. Study properly, and don't act recklessly in the future. You need a license to operate these, understand? And that tank... you really dare to boast. But since you probably won't ever drive one anyway, I'll just assume you can."
So after all that, he was just a theoretical master.
Xiao He tried to salvage his dignity: "Then sign me up for the classes first. I really can do all these things, it's mainly about taking the exams to get the certificates."
Liu Rulan was suspicious: "So confident?"
"That confident!"
"...Alright then."
...
The online public opinion continued unabated, with netizens' enthusiasm for discussion reaching unprecedented heights.
In a certain villa area in Shanghai, someone also saw this news.
A woman sat on the sofa, leisurely scrolling through the comments online, her expression calm yet carrying a hint of melancholy.
Although she was already over fifty, she still had a head of jet-black beautiful hair, her posture graceful and dignified, with gentle and elegant eyes that carried the sedimentation of time.
It seemed time truly was kind to beauties; not a trace of aging could be seen on her. Sitting there, she was like a beautiful painting.
The only flaw might be the slightly uneven skin on her right cheek. Even after multiple reconstructive procedures, the marks of a burn remained permanently there.
Lin Yipeng walked in from outside.
Seeing the news on the tablet, Lin Yipeng was somewhat surprised: "Mom, you're looking at this news too."
Qu Qiuyan put down the tablet, her tone light: "Just browsing."
It was just that this news reminded her of some past events.
After all these years, that circle is still the same.
Tch—
"Ah, it's also fortunate this matter was successfully exposed this time. I imagine the program team will face punishment soon."
Lin Yipeng walked over and sat close to Qu Qiuyan, saying.
Qu Qiuyan, however, shook her head: "Difficult."
Then she stood up and walked towards the upstairs.
Lin Yipeng watched her mother's retreating back and sighed helplessly.
But clearly, Qu Qiuyan's prediction was correct.
On the second day of the intense public opinion, another piece of Hot Search news emerged out of nowhere—
[Qin Yuezhang proposes!]
[Has Qin Yuezhang finally found true love?]
[Let's bless this old couple!]
[Zhu Zishan: Our happiness is simple, but I hope our love can be so high-profile that everyone sees it!]
In the blink of an eye, the previously top-ranked topic was silently taken down, and instantly replaced by a new topic building a high tower.
Everyone seemed to tacitly forget that previous topic, enthusiastically discussing Qin Yuezhang and Zhu Zishan's marriage in the comments.
It seemed everyone's enthusiasm was once again diverted by celebrity relationship gossip.
[Wow, they were spotted together last year, and now they're really officially announcing it.]
[Wuwu, I'm not jealous at all, I refuse to admit Zhu Zishan is the only girlfriend Brother Qin has acknowledged, I don't believe it!]
[I don't care, I don't care, you two are not allowed!]
[Hasn't Brother Qin had plenty of girlfriends over the years? How many lasted till the end? None! Waiting for the breakup!]
[Zhu Zishan is a perennial low-tier celebrity, who knows how she hooked up with Brother Qin? Brother Qin, promise me, don't marry her, okay? Otherwise I'll really make a scene!]
[Buddy, just have fun, don't take it seriously!]
[This is just the marketing accounts talking nonsense, right? The female side has been jumping up and down, but the male side hasn't responded yet! Don't spread rumors!]
[Uh, am I the only one thinking this is being used to suppress another piece of gossip? From what I know, Qin Yuezhang was recently on 'Fearless Journey' and is on good terms with that person. Let's just say those who understand, understand.]
[I wanted to say this too. Qin Yuezhang is famously a big romantic in the circle, changing girlfriends every so often. His fans are probably used to it by now, why would they make a fuss? But now it suddenly shoots to Hot Search, while another very popular Hot Search topic instantly disappears, emmm, I'll just say, read between the lines.]
[Indeed, it clearly feels like Qin Yuezhang's Hot Search is here to suppress someone else's Hot Search (LCY's name can't even be posted anymore, but everyone surely knows who it is!) Folks, don't be led astray, LCY must be investigated, he must get out of the entertainment industry!]
On the other side, Xiao He also noticed this situation.
He was somewhat surprised, but not shocked.
The hacker the other side found was stronger than him; fixing the system audit bug he forged wouldn't be difficult. At worst, manual review could work overtime.
But it was already too late. The pierced black cloth had already started letting light through. The real battle had just begun.
Of course, the one who should fight wasn't him, but the one who truly should take action—
But what no one, including Xiao He, expected was that at this very moment, several other Hot Search topics emerged, suppressing all other Hot Search topics—
[Qu Qiuyan likes a Weibo post!]
[Qu Qiuyan mentions film set safety accident again!]
[Qu Qiuyan subtly criticizes the Liu Chenyan incident!]
[Qu Qiuyan steps in to support Group C's Cheng Jiajia!]
The gossip-loving netizens were exclaiming 'Holy crap' everywhere. The previously restored restrictions suddenly failed again, but this time it wasn't due to a system bug; the platform actively revoked the restrictions, and netizens could freely mention Liu Chenyan's name again!
[Qu Qiuyan? Is that the Qu Qiuyan I know?]
[Dad, the goddess you chased is back!]
[Oh my god, oh my god, Qu Qiuyan is still alive? I thought she had passed away.]
[Ahhh, I sent it to my family group chat, and the entire group chat exploded. My dad and uncles are all asking me where they can see the Hot Search.]
[Why did Qu Qiuyan suddenly speak out about the Liu Chenyan matter? Is there conflict between them?]
[Let me explain: Qu Qiuyan back then suffered facial disfigurement due to a film set accident, leading her to leave the entertainment industry. Seeing the Liu Chenyan incident now probably reminded her of that event.]
[Indeed, Cheng Jiajia is practically a second Qu Qiuyan. If she hadn't been luckier, she might have been directly killed by the explosion. Even so, her back was seriously injured. In the end, after failing to get exposure, she could only take the program team's money and go back for treatment, and even got smeared as trying to defraud the program team. As a result, her back still hasn't healed properly. Qu Qiuyan probably empathized and wanted to help.]
[Wuwu, after all these years, Goddess Qu is still so gentle.]
[So satisfying! The damn platform still wanted to suppress the topic, but once Goddess Qu appeared, the platform directly abandoned Liu Chenyan. It's clear who has the stronger background, but I just want to say, well done Goddess Qu, attack the bastard!]
[Let's go, folks! They still want to suppress the Hot Search? Let's show them what we can do!]
[My dad said he'd give me 100,000 to help promote the trend. He really... I'm crying.]
[Wow, the stocks of 'Fearless Journey' and several companies under its parent TV station are plummeting. That's our Goddess Qu for you!]
[What a coincidence. The young guys who chased Qu Qiuyan back in the day are now in high positions, powerful and wealthy, forming the backbone of society. They couldn't help Qu Qiuyan back then, but now they're all stepping in to protect their goddess. I'm truly deeply moved by these big shots' lasting affection.]
[So I'll just say one thing: Investigate Liu Chenyan's family thoroughly! Liu Chenyan, get out of the biosphere!]