Chapter 83: Mind Reading (24)

Title: “Unveiled: The Unknown Side of the Academy’s Goddess…”

Main Post: Yan Ling - yes, I’m talking about Yan Ling. The one whom everyone perceives as pure, kind-hearted, and genuinely innocent is not what she appears to be on the surface! The real Yan Ling is wicked, shameless, promiscuous, willing to make advances on anyone, full of lies, and harboring malicious intentions… I hope everyone remains vigilant against her deception. Here’s the evidence below!

Image 1: Yan Ling stands near a trash bin, holding a stack of love letters. With a downward gaze, she releases them, letting the letters flutter down.

Image 2: Yan Ling sits at a dining table, smiling as she hands breakfast to a boy beside her.

Image 3: Yan Ling stands outside a bookstore, handing a book to a different boy.

Image 4: Yan Ling is in a shoe store with yet another boy, both selecting shoes together.

Image 5: Yan Ling dines at a Western restaurant with yet another boy.

The boys’ faces were carelessly pixelated, but even from their clothing and physiques, it was clear that Yan Ling was accompanied by different individuals in each photo.

OP: As you can see firsthand, these are the people Yan Ling met up with throughout the day! With so many dates in just one day, I leave it to everyone’s judgment to discern her true character!

Jin Yingyao edited the post carefully, ensuring no errors before sending it out. Initially, he considered including photos of Yan Ling and Xu Jingjing at the amusement park but later abandoned the idea. Xu Jingjing’s distinctive red hair was too noticeable, and while he knew there was something off about their meetings, others wouldn’t perceive it as suspiciously.

This evidence was sufficient; nobody could convincingly date so many people in a single day—no one!

Yan Ling enjoyed high popularity within the academy, and as soon as the post went live, numerous replies flooded in. Jin Yingyao scanned them, finding most comments aligned with his expectations. He slowly exhaled, knowing that once everyone became aware of this, his friends would come to their senses. Then, he’d make sure Yan Ling understood the consequences of abandoning and defaming him!

As soon as Jin Yingyao posted, m577 instantly relayed the information to its host.

Tong Ling lay in the bathtub, luxuriously soaking away. “The male lead sure can’t keep his cool, huh? Have you replied to the posts yet?”

m577 responded: [I’ve replied using the created burner accounts, just as you instructed, Bell Sister. The replies were filled with intense indignation. Due to not controlling emotions well while posting, several accounts even got temporarily banned.]

“Oh?” Tong Ling’s interest piqued. “Open the thread and let me see.”

m577 projected the thread onto Tong Ling’s consciousness sea.

As Tong Ling scrolled through the replies, she asked the system, “Are these your genuine thoughts?”

She saw comments beneath the post like:

—Ahh, Yan Ling is such an immoral woman; she definitely doesn’t deserve to be called the gatekeeper’s goddess!

—She’s truly vicious and great at bullying others, the worst and most twisted person I’ve ever met!

—Stay away from her! Run! Hurry! She’ll devour people without leaving a trace!

—All she enjoys is playing with men, don’t believe a word she says. With Yan Ling’s mouth, deception comes easy!

— I’ve never encountered such shameless behavior!

— Aren’t the comments on this post taking a strange turn?

The last reply seemed to be from a genuinely concerned student.

M577 hastily shook its virtual head: [No, no, everything is following your instructions. By sticking to the original plotline and making the female supporting character despised by all, I’m earnestly helping you advance the story!]

Tong Ling raised an eyebrow. “Then keep up the good work. Before Monday’s classes start, I want the entire forum flooded with negative posts about me. As for which account should be linked to the sock puppet you created, I trust you know what to do.”

M577 responded eagerly: [Such a minor task can be accomplished in minutes!]

“Not too fast,” Tong Ling cautioned. “Don’t make it blatantly obvious, and ensure the fake accounts aren’t overly foolish.”

M577 hesitated before replying: […Understood!]

After a night’s sleep, Tong Ling woke up to find her phone inundated with missed calls and messages.

She first called Lu Yifan back, reassuring him not to worry or take any action; she would handle the situation herself.

This time, Lu Yifan stubbornly disagreed, “How can I just stand by and watch you be slandered? Lingling, those forum accounts have excellent secrecy. I’ll find a way to uncover the people behind them; I won’t let you suffer injustice!”

“How do you know it’s slander?” Tong Ling smiled. “Yesterday, I indeed went on dates with multiple individuals.”

Lu Yifan’s voice faltered momentarily, “W-well, regardless, I believe in you, Lingling. You’re my future wife, and I will protect you. By the way, what if we shut down the forums altogether? Saint Hieria should not have such forums anymore!”

Tong Ling stopped him, “No need, Yifan. Silencing others this way won’t prevent them from discussing these topics behind our backs.”

“Ahhh, it’s so infuriating!” Lu Yifan exclaimed angrily. “Reading what those people say makes me feel terrible. Lingling, you mustn’t browse the forums, understand?”

“Then, Yifan, you also behave and avoid checking them. Will you listen to me?” Tong Ling asked.

Lu Yifan responded grumpily, “I will.”

After pondering for a moment, he still voiced his suspicion, “I suspect… that the person who posted is Jin Yingyao.”

Lu Yifan no longer used the nickname “Yaoyao” for his friend since discovering the malicious posts on the forum; it had fundamentally changed his perception of Jin Yingyao.

“I believe Jin Yingyao is deliberately targeting you,” Lu Yifan said indignantly. “Last night, he even called me, saying I should see your true colors and distance myself from you. I’m certain he’s behind all this. Once I have evidence, I’ll… I’ll send him a cease-and-desist letter and sue him!”

Lu Yifan genuinely considered Jin Yingyao as a close friend, so why would Jin Yingyao harm his Lingling?!

Tong Ling replied, “It doesn’t matter who it is anymore. Turn off your phone, let’s meet on Monday.”

Seeing that Yan Ling was about to hang up, Lu Yifan hastily blurted out, “I still love you very much today!”

Tong Ling chuckled softly, “Yifan, you’re truly adorable.”

Only then did Lu Yifan’s mood slightly improve, but he didn’t ignore the issue completely. Instead, he sought advice from his father on how to handle cases involving online defamation.

Apart from Lu Yifan, Gu Li and Xiao Lingfei were also busy addressing the situation.

“This whole mess clearly originated from Jin Yingyao’s mischief,” Xiao Lingfei said, holding a document that detailed exactly how Jin Yingyao had stalked and arranged for paparazzi shots of Yan Ling throughout the previous day. “But why did it escalate so rapidly? Aren’t you the student council president? Shouldn’t you have the authority to trace IPs and lock threads? Why couldn’t you control the narrative? What if Lingling sees all this?”

Gu Li removed his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. “That’s precisely the strangest part. The forum… seems to be out of our control.”

Xiao Lingfei furrowed his brow. “What do you mean by that?”

“Every post on the forum cannot be locked, edited, or deleted… Only replying is allowed.” Gu Li’s expression turned grave. “Currently, we no longer hold control over the forum’s permissions. I’m unsure where he found such skilled hackers; their techniques are advanced enough to leave no trace for me to investigate.”

Shocked and furious, Xiao Lingfei exclaimed, “Is he trying to completely ruin Lingling’s reputation within the academy?!”

“I’m not sure whether to feel relieved, but at least he hasn’t spread those rumors beyond the gatekeeper yet,” Gu Li sighed. “However, once every student here becomes aware, it will likely circulate throughout Olay’s upper-class circles as well.”

“This is going too far,” Xiao Lingfei clenched his fists tightly. “I’ll immediately make public the evidence of him stalking Lingling!”

“Wait,” Gu Li interjected rationally. “First, we need to find a way to gain control over the forum’s permissions. We can’t let this misinformation spread further. As it stands, even if you clarify that he deliberately sought revenge and tarnished Yan Ling’s reputation, there’s no evidence to support your claim. He could easily counter by saying he didn’t post it; instead, someone else couldn’t bear it anymore and exposed Yan Ling…”

“F**k!” Xiao Lingfei cursed angrily. “To go this far just for revenge against Lingling is truly despicable!”

“Has Yan Ling answered her phone?” Gu Li asked.

Xiao Lingfei shook his head, visibly dejected. ”…She never picked up my calls before, and now she definitely won’t after this incident.”

Gu Li’s gaze flickered slightly. “Why?”

“She wants to call off our engagement.” Xiao Lingfei’s voice deepened with distress. “It’s all Jin Yingyao’s fault. Lingling says since she’s been touched by others, she doesn’t want to hold me back. How foolish of her!”

Gritting his teeth at the forum posts, Xiao Lingfei exclaimed, “Lingling only went on those dates to make a point to me, clearly intentional. But damn Jin Yingyao for exploiting the situation and spreading the news… F**k, he’s really trying to ruin both Lingling and me!”

“She wanted to break off the engagement…” Gu Li lowered his head, feeling unexpectedly lighter despite his earlier gloom. Someone else had touched her… Was this why she sought to end their betrothal? He never intended for Yan Ling to worry about such matters; how could she go so far as dating multiple people just to break it off? Truly… a fool.

“If she genuinely wants to end the engagement, you shouldn’t burden her further,” Gu Li advised. “Forcing someone might not be the best course of action, especially when they’re already doing foolish things.”

“But she clearly loves me! How could I possibly give up!” Xiao Lingfei’s tone was resolute. “Moreover, with these incidents happening now, what kind of person would I be if I broke off the engagement? I won’t abandon her during such times.”

Gu Li silently acknowledged that some individuals were indeed overly sentimental, but he also recognized that breaking off the engagement at this time could lead others to suspect Yan Ling unfairly. It was better to address the issue first. Once Xiao Lingfei released those documents, his relationship with Jin Yingyao would undoubtedly be severed completely.

“Here’s another approach: have the individuals in those photos clarify the situation regarding Yan Ling,” suggested Gu Li. “I just received a message from the student council vice president, who was one of the dates mentioned. He stated that he and Yan Ling interacted purely as friends, and their outings involved no inappropriate behavior.”

Xiao Lingfei fumed, “Clarifying statements have been posted in the threads, but they’re all drowned out by the barrage of insults.”

Gu Li’s expression hardened. “Find a skilled hacker somehow; there must be paid posters and individuals specifically targeting Yan Ling among those threads. We need to investigate them all.”

After analyzing the situation, both men set off separately to devise their plans.

m577 couldn’t help but sigh: [“If not for me, the male lead would have been exposed long ago. His childish tactics don’t stand a chance against Gu Li…”]

Tong Ling formulated her strategy, “We can’t waste time. While these rumors are still spreading, we must swiftly complete all the necessary plot points.”

[“But what about the male-female protagonist pairing?”] m577 seemed eager with anticipation.

Tapping lightly on the table, Tong Ling instructed, “Release the information tomorrow, and let’s aim to finish all the plot points within three days.”

m577 responded cheerfully: [“Great! I’m confident in the pairing I’ve crafted; it will surely sweep Saint Hieria Academy off its feet.”]

Perhaps due to the rapid spread of rumors, that very evening, Father and Mother Yan began grumbling over dinner.

“Can’t you be more cautious during your dates?” Mother Yan wasn’t opposed to dating per se, but she had never encountered such a public display involving so many people. “Eight dates in one day! H-how could you lack such restraint!”

Even Father Yan couldn’t maintain a pleasant demeanor, expressing his displeasure openly. “Lingling, you already have Lu Yifan. What’s the point of meeting those eight others? Isn’t it a waste of your energy?”

Tong Ling elegantly continued eating while responding slowly, “Although they may not match up to Lu Yifan, they offer novelty.”

She elaborated with an analogy, “Just like how neither of you would bring home the same lover every day, I’m merely accomplishing in one day what you spread out over a month. Is there anything wrong with being more efficient?”

“You—!” Mother Yan was so enraged she felt her heart seize; clutching at her chest, it took several moments for her to recover. “You’ve brought shame upon us outside as well! How do you expect people to view our Yan family now!”

“It’s just following family traditions,” Tong Ling reassured them. “Others will eventually understand.”

Father Yan, face grim, said sternly, “Lingling, we’ve given you ample autonomy. If you can’t resolve this trouble, from now on, you must behave properly and refrain from causing further disturbances.”

Mother Yan wished to scold Tong Ling further, but each time she tried, she found herself unable to win an argument and only ended up frustrated, so she wisely chose to remain silent, avoiding any potential health issues due to anger.

Seeing the atmosphere at the dinner table growing increasingly tense, Father Yan slightly softened his expression and spoke, “I know you’re capable of managing the situation, Lingling. This is just a reminder that sometimes, one cannot be too impulsive. Continuing like this will inevitably erode all the goodwill others have towards you.”

Father Yan knew his daughter’s behavior had crossed beyond mere stubbornness; no young lady of high society should act so recklessly. However, he refrained from punishing her because despite the harsh rumors outside, Yan Ling continued to receive protection from various influential figures.

The Xiao family never proposed breaking the engagement, and their son, Xiao Lingfei, even privately contacted Father Yan, urging him not to blame Yan Ling.

Secretary-General Gu’s child also called to inquire about Yan Ling’s well-being, showing genuine concern for her.

As for Lu Yifan, although she didn’t directly contact them as parents, the royal family expressed no dissatisfaction whatsoever, indicating their immense tolerance towards Yan Ling.

In matters of affection, it seemed his daughter truly possessed remarkable skills. If only she weren’t so casual and flippant with her feelings, things would be even better…

On this issue, both he and Mother Yan acknowledged they hadn’t set a proper example or role model for their daughter.

Once again, Father Yan regretted the shortcomings in their parenting, feeling inadequate before Yan Ling.

Tong Ling paid no heed to what Father and Mother Yan were contemplating. After finishing her meal, she dropped a significant announcement:

“Tomorrow, I’m going to apply for withdrawal from the academy. Afterwards, I’ll stay at home for a few days, so please don’t bother me during that time.”

“Drop out?!” Father Yan exclaimed, shocked. “Why would you drop out? Is this trivial matter worth abandoning your education?”

Mother Yan choked on her tea and coughed repeatedly. “Cough, cough, cough, What nonsense is this, child? Saint Hieria is such an esteemed academy; who would voluntarily leave it!”

“And another thing!” Mother Yan seized the opportunity to confront Tong Ling further. “Didn’t someone here claim they’d become an S-grade student within two months? How can you consider dropping out before even reaching the S grade?”

“Applying for withdrawal doesn’t mean I’ll actually do so. If the college denies my request, I’ll return,” Tong Ling clarified. Having finished her explanation, she saw no reason to linger and headed back to her room. “Remember, don’t disturb me during those days.”

Mother Yan muttered, ”…This child bears no resemblance to me at all.”

Father Yan agreed, “Nor does she resemble me.”

Both sighed simultaneously, lamenting, “She’s only learned about keeping mistresses, how utterly abnormal.”

Monday morning at Saint Hieria Academy.

As Jin Yingyao entered the campus, he noticed everyone discussing the forum post from the weekend.

Initially, he felt pleased for exposing Yan Ling’s true nature, but gradually… something seemed off. Jin Yingyao began hearing numerous vile and disgusting thoughts that he had never encountered before.

In just two short days, the once ardent admirers of Yan Ling had drastically changed their attitudes towards her.

[Is the college goddess really that easy to approach? I’d love to give it a try; always thought she seemed overly innocent. Bet she’s wild in bed - wouldn’t be a loss if I could get close!]

[Tch, smiling so sweetly at everyone, is this woman up for anyone? Well then, count me in too.]

[Can’t wait till she arrives to see her reaction. Heh heh, I never dared before, but now I feel like giving it a shot.]

Jin Yingyao glanced at those seemingly well-behaved and respectable-looking youths, unable to suppress his mounting fury.

When Yan Ling appeared on campus, their thoughts became even more…

[She actually showed up today. If I make myself available, would she play along? I’d happily let her have some fun with me, ha ha ha.]

[I’m going in. Wonder if directly asking her will work? They say she has a good temper, so she surely won’t reject me. Then, I’ll take her back to my apartment…]

Jin Yingyao couldn’t bear it anymore. With clenched fists, he charged forward and unleashed punches on those repulsive boys.

“Ow!” The assaulted youths immediately wailed, cursing one after another, “Jin Yingyao, have you gone mad?! What the hell is wrong with you? Fuck, stop hitting!”

Jin Yingyao tightened his grip, delivering blow after blow. These bastards, how dare they lust after Yan Ling! Disgusting, disgusting, disgusting… How utterly revolting these people were!

Jin Yingyao, tall and athletic, swiftly took down the group without much effort. The bewildered youths clutched their heads, rolling on the ground in pain.

As Tong Ling passed by them, she cast a surprised glance but quickly looked away.

“What’s wrong with the male lead?” Tong Ling asked the system.

m577 gazed upwards, responding, “[Perhaps he truly is mentally unstable.]”

Jin Yingyao delivered several more forceful kicks to the fallen boys. Seeing Yan Ling walking away, he couldn’t help but chase after her instinctively.

Before he could get close, he noticed Gu Li approaching Yan Ling and gently speaking to her.

“Lingling, did you see the forum posts?” Gu Li asked, concern evident on his face. “Why haven’t you been answering my calls?”

[Yan Ling thinks: How can Gu Li be so stupid? Knowing who I am, yet still caring for me like this, he’s truly an idiot.]

[Someone like me, why do I deserve so much affection? It’s exhausting; I really don’t want to continue…]

“President Gu Li,” the girl said as she pulled out a piece of paper from her backpack and handed it to him, “here’s my written withdrawal application. Could you please submit it for me?”

Upon hearing this, Jin Yingyao’s mind went blank. Without thinking, he rushed to Yan Ling’s side and exclaimed, “You’re withdrawing? Who…who told you to withdraw?!”