Chapter 297: THEY’RE SPENDING SO MUCH FOR A NOBODY LIKE ME

He continued scrolling through the accounts, comparing their activity histories and saving copies of anything that might disappear later. Several profiles had been barely active before that morning, yet they suddenly became prolific commentators, posting about Guiying’s scandal almost the moment the original thread appeared.

"They’re paid accounts," Fu Pei said. "Someone is feeding them talking points and paying them to keep the discussion moving in the direction they want."

Guiying looked over the screen. "The Xue family?"

"Most likely."

Fu Pei opened another account, his expression gradually becoming more amused as another connection appeared. "They’re not particularly careful either. Different usernames, different profile pictures, but the same phrases keep appearing whenever someone questions the accusations. They disappear whenever the discussion changes, then come back together when someone needs to drag it back."

Guiying studied the screen for a moment before asking, "Can you trace them?"

"I can trace where the information is moving. Finding the person paying for it will take longer."

There was no pride in Fu Pei’s voice when he spoke about his abilities. He had spent years making money by finding things people desperately wanted hidden, sometimes as a hacker and sometimes as an informant. Although he wasn’t proud of every person he’d helped expose or every piece of information he’d sold, the work had kept food on the table. At the moment, those questionable skills were proving useful.

He saved another account before leaning back.

"Let them continue."

Guiying looked at him.

"They’re going to make mistakes once they realize the lawyers are involved," Fu Pei explained. "If they start deleting things, I’ll already have copies. If they keep posting, they’ll keep giving us evidence."

Guiying nodded and returned his attention to the tablet. The scandal had already spread beyond the original post, and attempting to answer every accusation would only leave him reacting to whatever someone else said next.

"Then we’ll release the statement."

Fu Pei nodded. "Bai Feng will send the legal wording."

The draft arrived shortly afterward.

Guiying read it carefully, removed the portions that sounded unnecessarily defensive, and changed the final paragraph so the statement would acknowledge the situation without inviting another round of explanations.

The final version was concise.

[Official Statement from Tang XiaoYu]

Regarding the false information and malicious allegations currently circulating online concerning Tang XiaoYu, we have become aware that certain individuals have deliberately fabricated and distributed information concerning his private life.

Relevant evidence has been preserved, and legal proceedings will be initiated against those responsible for fabricating, distributing, and deliberately amplifying these claims.

As this matter is now being handled through the appropriate legal channels, we will not respond to individual rumors or participate in public speculation. Further information will be released when necessary.

We ask the public to distinguish between verified facts and deliberately fabricated content.

Guiying read it one final time before publishing it through his official account.

For the first few seconds, the reaction remained relatively ordinary. Some users questioned why he had refused to address the individual accusations, while others argued that the announcement of legal action suggested the original post contained more problems than they had initially realized.

Then the tone changed.

Within minutes, the comment section was flooded with accounts repeating the same accusations, using increasingly vicious language, each new wave appearing whenever someone attempted to question the original post. The accounts appeared unrelated on the surface, yet their timing was too precise, and several had been barely active before the scandal erupted.

@TruthAboveAll: He can sue whomever he wants. A lawsuit won’t turn a man who sleeps with his own cousin into a respectable person.

@JusticeForVictims: Imagine being Liu Liuxian and waking up beside someone like that every day. I’d rather sleep on the street than touch him.

@NoMercy: Stop pretending this is about privacy. If he had any shame, he would’ve disappeared instead of hiding behind his husband’s money and lawyers.

@CleanIndustry: The Xue family has protected him for years, and now they’re threatening anyone who exposes him. Some people really think money can wash everything clean.

The comments grew uglier by the minute, dragging Liu Liuxian, the Xue family, and Guiying’s career into the discussion. At the same time, the same phrases appeared across accounts with no apparent connection to one another.

Fu Pei didn’t bother reading them all. His attention had already shifted to the accounts themselves, his fingers moving rapidly as he compared their posting times and activity histories.

"There they are."

Guiying glanced over. "The paid accounts?"

"Yes." Fu Pei opened another profile, then another. "They’re trying to drown out anyone asking for evidence. Look at the timing. The moment someone questions the original post, three or four of these accounts appear with the same accusations."

He saved the information before moving to another account.

"They’re being fed the same talking points." ℴℴ𝘮

Guiying watched another wave of insults appear beneath his statement without any change in expression. "They’re spending so much for a nobody like me."

"Whoever is paying them wants this discussion to stay ugly."

Fu Pei’s mouth curved slightly as another account began repeating the same accusation almost word for word.

"Which is convenient for us."

Guiying looked at him.

"They’re making the evidence for us."

The more aggressively the accounts pushed the accusations, the easier it became to distinguish the coordinated campaign from ordinary public reaction.

Several of them had begun replying to one another in predictable patterns, boosting the same comments and burying anyone who questioned the original thread.

A few had even repeated details that had never appeared in the public post, giving Fu Pei something far more valuable than their insults.

He saved another batch before opening a separate file.

"This one just revealed something."

Guiying walked over.

Fu Pei pointed towards the screen. "The original post never mentioned this detail, but three accounts have repeated it within the same hour. That means whoever is supplying them has access to information outside the thread."

Guiying’s eyes narrowed.

"Keep going."

"I intend to."

Fu Pei’s fingers moved rapidly across the keyboard, opening one record after another while Guiying remained beside him. The atmosphere inside the room had changed completely since the beginning of the morning.

The scandal was still spreading, and the accusations were still ugly enough to make anyone’s blood boil, but Guiying was no longer sitting in front of the screen, waiting to see what strangers would say about him.

He was watching the people behind the noise.

Fu Pei suddenly stopped. "Interesting."