“Good morning, Senior Ji.”
A junior girl in a miniskirt greeted Ji Yuenian with a warm smile.
“Morning, Brother Ji!”
Another junior waved, his eyes filled with respect and admiration.
“Minister Ji, this roujiamo is for you.”
A blushing junior girl handed him a steaming roujiamo, her gaze tinged with shyness and anticipation.
In the cafeteria, with Jiang Chi on leave, Ji Yuenian no longer had to play the role of Ji Qingchan and had time for his morning workout.
Fresh from a 3-kilometer run, sweat still glistening on his forehead, he entered the cafeteria only to find a long line of juniors greeting him enthusiastically-some even bought him breakfast.
“Uh… hi,” Ji Yuenian replied politely, though slightly bewildered.
Grabbing the breakfast, he swiftly headed upstairs to find an empty seat.
As he walked, he frowned slightly, wondering to himself: Since when did I become this popular?
“Brother Ji, you’re trending!”
Suddenly, a guy in a T-shirt carrying his breakfast rushed over and plopped down beside him, exclaiming excitedly.
Ji Yuenian turned-it was Su Tian.
“What’s going on?”
He looked utterly confused, as if the world had changed overnight.
Trending? For what? How come I didn’t know?
“Brother Ji, haven’t you checked your phone? You went viral for doing a good deed without seeking recognition! Top of the trending list! Over a hundred million searches!”
Su Tian quickly pulled out his phone, tapped on a video, and handed it to Ji Yuenian.
Just as Ji Yuenian reached for it, his pocket buzzed incessantly.
He pulled out his phone-the caller ID read “My Foolish Big Bro,” aka Ji Haotong.
“Hey, bro-“
“What the hell are you up to?!”
Before Ji Yuenian could finish, Ji Haotong’s voice boomed through the phone like a scolding father.
“Little bro, I know you like attention, but why would you waste money on hyping yourself up? 1.3 billion searches! Top of the trending list! Did you blow your entire savings on this?!”
“Don’t you know that fame is a double-edged sword? Whatever-right now, immediately, contact the PR team you hired and pull all the posts! I’ll have people suppress the buzz. Otherwise, when the backlash hits, you’ll be drowning in online hate!”
Ji Yuenian: ???
Dazed by Ji Haotong’s lecture, Ji Yuenian was at a loss.
Hyping myself? With what money? And why would I even do that?
“Bro, I didn’t hype anything,” Ji Yuenian defended himself.
Ji Haotong paused. “Really?”
“My word is my bond. Don’t you trust me?”
On the other end, Ji Haotong frowned.
If it wasn’t staged, then it was just a spontaneous viral moment-which made suppressing the hype much easier.
“Got it. Go home now, or find somewhere else to stay. Those opportunistic media outlets will probably swarm your school for interviews. Avoid them if you can. If you can’t, keep your mouth shut! Remember-loose lips sink ships!”
“The hype should die down in about a month. Your father and I are on a business trip out of town, and your mother is attending a class reunion in another province. You’ll have to manage on your own this month. Just remember-under public scrutiny, never say anything you shouldn’t.
Better yet, don’t speak at all. Otherwise, you’ll bring trouble upon yourself, and no one can save you once the masses turn against you!”
With that, he hung up the phone, leaving Ji Yuenian utterly bewildered.
* * *
In a speeding black Audi in Binhai City, Ji Haotong, seated in the driver’s seat, ended the call and turned to the man resting with closed eyes in the back seat.
“Dad, it wasn’t Little Brother’s fault. It might’ve just been an accidental snapshot. In this internet age, things like this happen all the time.”
Ji Hong opened his eyes, sharp and stern, yet tinged with concern.
“The PR team is already working to suppress the hype. Yuenian’s advisor approved his leave, so hopefully, he’ll stay quiet at home this month and avoid stirring up more trouble.”
“But this sudden surge in attention is too suspicious. I contacted a friend in the cyber police, and they’ve already started investigating.”
Ji Haotong nodded, though his gaze drifted unconsciously to the scenery outside the window.
Traffic, hype, the internet.
These terms were familiar, but combined, they formed something both coveted and chilling-deification.
As someone raised in the information age, he was no stranger to the concept of “deification.”
In this chaotic, noisy era of the internet, every few months—or perhaps a year or two-ordinary people would suddenly rise like meteors in the vast digital cosmos, shining brilliantly before just as swiftly fading away.
Perhaps they harbored some unique, dazzling trait, a spark that magnetized the attention of countless netizens.
These netizens would then obsessively praise these alities, using the most extravagant words to sculpt them into flawless, immaculate, utterly pure idols-divine embodiments of human perfection in the spiritual realm.
Yet, once elevated to the pinnacle of public attention, seated upon the throne of mass adoration, even the tiniest overlooked or hidden “flaws” would suddenly glare like stars in the night sky.
The most minor imperfections, under the relentless scrutiny of the crowd, would be magnified into irredeemable stains.
And that was the moment of their fall from grace.
The same wave of attention that had lifted them to the throne would, in an instant, cast them down from divinity.
Throughout this process, the media feasted greedily on the spectacle, netizens vented their emotions and frustrations in the virtual world, and the deified individuals quietly retreated after reaping their share of benefits.
As for the online backlash—perhaps, months later, when the hype receded like the tide, it would all fade away as if it had never happened.
But Ji Yuenian was different.
His temperament ensured he would personally engage, argue, even provoke―leaving him vulnerable to manipulation by opportunists or corporate rivals, potentially dragging the entire group into the fire.
At this thought, Ji Haotong suddenly snapped back to reality and gave a slight shake of his head.
Although his younger brother usually acted like a delinquent school bully, he should still be able to distinguish right from wrong when it came to major principles… right?
Without hesitation, he slammed his foot on the accelerator, and the car shot forward like a wild horse, speeding swiftly until it finally arrived at a private villa in the suburbs of Binhai City.
Ji Haotong and Ji Hong’s business trip wasn’t solely for negotiations—it had another purpose.
With Hongyuan and Yueyu, two major conglomerates, joining forces to venture into the financial industry, it was only natural they would seek to learn from the valuable experiences of predecessors or solicit advice from seasoned veterans in the field.
It was said that the owner of this villa was the heir of a financial group.
However, rebellious in his youth, he had voluntarily relinquished his vast inheritance and retired early to enjoy a sweet life with his beloved, free from worldly concerns.
Thanks to his exceptional financial acumen and profound expertise, his retirement was leisurely and comfortable, with no worries about daily necessities.
In simpler terms-an experienced old-timer who could mint gold!
As the car came to a gentle stop, the two stepped out, greeted by the sight of a sparkling blue pool within the villa grounds.
Inside the pool, a group of beautiful women in various swimwear styles frolicked merrily.
Their figures were graceful, their curves alluring—some playfully splashing and laughing, others teasing and pouting.
Some wore sexy, eye-catching bikinis, flaunting their enviable figures; others had delicate collars around their necks and the villa owner’s name tattooed on their shoulders; still others donned elegant one-piece swimsuits, exuding a captivating charm.
Blondes, brunettes, redheads, purple-haired, dark-eyed, blue-eyed, violet-eyed, green-eyed-cool and aloof older sisters, girl-next-door types, innocent maidens, adorable lolitas, and even a few foreign girls.
Every type was represented, a dazzling array that left the eyes struggling to take it all in.
A quick glance revealed no fewer than twenty of them, and Ji Haotong’s lips twitched involuntarily.
It seemed the public’s understanding of “pure love” needed some serious re-evaluation.
The villa’s iron gate stood wide open, revealing a young man dressed in a plain white T-shirt and gray casual pants.
Ji Haotong stepped forward and extended his hand.
“Mr. Zhao, hello.”
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.