Chapter 16: Exposing the Scoundrel!

“Why are you still hung up on that useless loser? What’s there to be afraid of? If he dares to show up here, just beat him within an inch of his life!” Mrs. Chen raged, rolling her eyes and unleashing a torrent of curses.

Mr. Chen chimed in as well. “That loser was always a scumbag—no ambition, fickle in love. Everything you said about him in the video was spot on. If anything, you were too kind. You should’ve been harsher!”

The old couple had never thought much of Lin Fan. Even after hearing he’d struck it rich, they felt not an ounce of goodwill toward him. Now, with someone offering money as long as they smeared Lin Fan, why not take advantage and count their cash?

“Sis! If you keep hesitating, I’m going to lose it!” Chen Wei barked. “Zhu Ruoxue told me just the other day—she wants five hundred thousand for the bride price! If I don’t agree, she won’t marry me! If you don’t make it happen, don’t blame me for what happens next!”

“Wasn’t it three hundred eighty thousand before? Why did it go up again?” Mr. Chen asked, bewildered.

“It’s all Lin Fan’s fault! Ever since he gave Zhu Ruoxue a car, she’s started acting all high and mighty, says I’m not good enough for her, thinks she’s worth more, so she wants to raise her price!” Chen Wei clenched his fists and beat his chest in frustration.

As the four of them bickered endlessly, Chen He listened nearby, eyes alight with amusement. So they were just making things up—every bit of the video was a lie! But he didn’t care. Chen Yanzi’s video had drawn a lot of attention, mostly because she was quite attractive. With some packaging, she could be an internet sensation—a beauty with real potential. He didn’t want to miss the chance to launch a promising new star.

“Miss Chen, I can give you five hundred thousand now, so your brother can get married. The wedding is most important,” he offered.

Without hesitation, Mr. and Mrs. Chen, along with Chen Wei, forced Chen Yanzi to sign the contract. Chen He kept his promise and immediately transferred the money to her. Before leaving, he reminded her again and again to keep exposing Lin Fan’s “misdeeds.”

The next day, Chen Yanzi released a new video.

In the video, Chen Yanzi wore makeup that made her look utterly pitiful and battered. “Ladies, I was beaten by that scumbag! He saw my last video, said I was out to harm him, came to my house and beat me up again. He even threatened that if I exposed him any more, my whole family would never have peace!”

“I was always so good to him—doing his laundry, cooking, always tolerant, never despising him. Just because I asked for a bit more bride price, he broke up with me. Now, his ugly side is fully revealed! He even came to my house and assaulted me!”

“We women only ask for a bride price because we want security, not because we want to take all the money. The bride price is for emergencies in the future, not for spending. Ladies, tell me, who’s right and who’s wrong here…”

With her heart-wrenching and tearful monologue, the new video once again exploded in popularity on the DouGold app. Chen Yanzi’s follower count shot up from twenty thousand to over seventy thousand. That single video racked up more than fifty thousand comments, nearly all of which were venomous attacks on the “scumbag” she described, filled with the most vile and repulsive language.

“I hate useless scumbags like this the most. If it were me, I’d have someone beat him half to death. He’s a waste of space!”

“Support the lady in exposing that scum—let’s cyberbully him and make sure he never finds peace!”

“Ladies, always steer clear of men with no ability like this. Keep your eyes open and don’t be fooled!”

“Scumbags deserve to die. Support the lady’s livestream sales—her family is so poor, let’s do our part to help…”

…

At the Bilake Lake Villa, Lin Fan also saw Chen Yanzi’s latest video.

“This woman is truly shameless! Anyone with eyes can see her bruises are just makeup. How can so many people believe her? She’s completely destroying my reputation!” Lin Fan was so angry he nearly smashed his phone.

Back when he was still desperately chasing after Chen Yanzi, he never dared lose his temper with her, always did all the chores big and small without complaint. Yet now, in her account, he’d become a lazy, abusive, good-for-nothing scumbag? She was out to utterly ruin him!

Gu Qingcheng approached with a glass of milk, her voice gentle and soothing. “Honey, calm down. She’s just trying to attract attention and boost her views. Look at her profile—it seems she’s signed with a company. Most likely, the content is crafted by her company’s team.”

Lin Fan had already noticed this. Chen Yanzi was even replying to comments, explaining her situation to curious netizens. When asked about her parents, she said they were in poor health, unable to work, both unemployed, and that she was only working with the company to earn money to treat them.

When asked about her brother, she spun a new tale—saying he was shy and withdrawn, struggled with social interactions, and kept failing at work. With a muddle of excuses, she painted herself as a tragic figure beset by misfortune, moving many to tears.

Still, most netizens cheered her on, urging her to move past the pain and start fresh. In her latest post, Chen Yanzi shared a photo of herself dining with the boss of a food company, claiming she’d started making money, which delighted her family and drew another wave of fervent support.

Of course, all of this was meticulously orchestrated by the Superstar Media Group behind her. They crafted her tragic persona to win attention and traffic—it was an entire industry, full of formulas and templates! But the masses of gossip-hungry viewers ate it up.

Lin Fan, being an insider, saw right through Superstar Media’s manipulations. He’d spent his time learning about new media operations, becoming familiar with industry rules. But being smeared and slandered by Chen Yanzi left him at his wit’s end.

“Why not send a lawyer’s letter? Sue her and see if she dares go further?” Gu Qingcheng, equally furious, suggested taking her to court.

“No rush. If I act now, I’ll just be playing into their hands.”

“If I make a move, her company will seize the chance to expose me. Even if I produce evidence, I’ll never clear my name.”

“She’ll get what’s coming to her. I believe her act will unravel sooner or later. You can’t deceive everyone forever—eventually, she’ll slip up.”

Lin Fan waved it off, not out of mercy, but out of helplessness. The public was hostile toward him; whether he warned her or took her to court, they would turn it against him. The only thing to do was wait for the hype to fade, or for sensible netizens to uncover her lies—then he could strike back with evidence.

Being an internet streamer was all about quick cash—the hype never lasted long.