Snail Senior Brother

Chapter 239 The Online Operator Beside Me

I cut off the listening device not long after, and Lao Tie appeared. I looked at him and asked casually, "You haven't left the hospital?"

"The listening device has a range."

"Why, Lao Tie? I helped you once in Huhhot. One hundred million yuan wasn't enough for you and your wife to live on. I thought you were back to go legit this time, but I didn't expect you to try and scam me again. Lao Tie, I honestly think you're overdoing it."

"One hundred million? Hmph, I haven't had that little money for a long time, Tang Nan, I envy you."

I lay on the hospital bed and smiled helplessly, "Here we go again, right? What do you envy me for? Back then, you envied me because I was The Schemer and you weren't. Back then, you envied me because I had money and you didn't. Back then, you envied me because you thought I was a good person and you were bad. But don't forget, we split that money equally. Judging by your tone, you don't even care about a hundred million now, which means you must be richer than me. What else do you envy me for?"

Hearing me say this, Lao Tie's face became serious. "Tang Nan, do you know how I got my money? I lived a normal life outside all these years. One hundred million yuan sounds like a lot, but once you cross that social stratum, you realize that in the world of financial tycoons, we are still worthless poor people. Until one day, I saw Zhu Guang's gambling game at an offshore casino. When I saw the promotion and you were just like a background extra, I knew it was a trap set by the house. Because I know better than anyone that in the world of The Schemer, you are always the protagonist. So, I bet all my money on you winning."

"You won?"

"At 40 to 1 odds."

I took a deep breath and looked at Lao Tie in disbelief, "You used my trust to win forty billion yuan."

"That's right, but the more money I had, the emptier I felt. I kept thinking, ever since I was a kid, I've always been better than you. Why were you the glorious protagonist? So, no matter what, I had to come back and scam you once."

"You failed."

"If it weren't for Zhang Ying'ai, how could I have failed?"

"Trusting someone you shouldn't have trusted is destined to fail."

Lao Tie gave a wry smile. "Thinking back now, Zhang Ying'ai defected to me, going through all that trouble just to get to you. She's gone mad, wanting to be the woman who helps you."

"I will cooperate with Zhang Ying'ai."

"What did you say?"

"Lao Tie, you'd best take care of yourself. Go on, I won't see you out. Oh, as a brother, I'll give you a piece of advice: don't be so overconfident. Your knowledge of antiques is still far inferior to that of a true connoisseur. You used a fake jade thumb ring and mixed it in with that set of Qianlong thumb rings. With your experience, you thought you could fool the experts, especially since you have the real one and making an identical fake is easy. But don't forget, my wife is an expert among experts. Soon, your impure intentions in offering a national treasure will be noticed by the Criminal Investigation Bureau, and my sister, Yu Xiaoluo, will also quickly discover your motive for stealing the 'Guan Gu Tu'. No matter how much money you spent to buy your identity, you'll become a fugitive once again."

Hearing me say this, Lao Tie's face turned a little green.

"You're going to betray me to gain Zhang Ying'ai's trust."

"Don't say betray. Between us, the word 'betray' hasn't existed for a long time. Betrayal is the act of friends turning on each other, and we are no longer friends. We are just using each other."

...

After Lao Tie left, I called Zhang Ying'ai, "We cooperate."

"I already know."

"How do you know?"

"Am I not allowed to install a listening device on Tie Shan if he's allowed to install one on you?"

I smiled helplessly, "So, you're in this hospital too."

"We were in the same car accident, so of course, we'd be sent to the same hospital. I can move with my leg injury, I'll come find you later."

...

As expected, not long after, Zhang Ying'ai arrived in my ward in a wheelchair. She reached out to take my hand, and before I could dodge, I saw someone take a photo.

"Again?"

"People's perceptions aren't so easily twisted. With constant reporting, it creates a subconscious belief that what I'm saying is objective and fair. The entire internet will believe that I am the one you are meant to be with."

"You planned this far ahead."

"Otherwise, why would I bother fighting to be this internet celebrity?"

"This identity is something you stole?"

"Yes!"

The online handle "Spring Breeze Delights a Night's Joy" was stolen by Zhang Ying'ai. I knew Zhang Ying'ai was willing to take on other people's identities, but I never expected her to even steal a virtual online handle.

Come to think of it, "Spring Breeze Delights a Night's Joy" has been on the internet for quite some time. Her bold descriptions of love affairs garnered her a large following. It was precisely because of this that her fans were able to identify the bank president who was summoned for questioning.

From the descriptions in her posts, "Spring Breeze Delights a Night's Joy" should be the president's mistress, and Zhang Ying'ai, dressed in a bank uniform, wouldn't have become the president's mistress so quickly.

"Where is the real 'Spring Breeze Delights a Night's Joy'?"

"She's dead."

"You killed her?"

"Mm! After killing her, I uploaded my photo online and took her username as my own. This way, I would have enough online influence to force you into submission."

I pondered. Undeniably, the power of the internet is immense. It made me the perpetrator of a national treasure theft case, and now it's making me and Zhang Ying'ai seem like fated lovers.

After a moment of thought, I seriously asked Zhang Ying'ai, "Weren't Cui Fang's methods effective? Why did you have to resort to the power of the internet? She told you that my wife wouldn't divorce me over this, that we were faking our relationship and that Lao Tie's scheme caused the car accident. But you were already prepared to help me, and you exposed Lao Tie. We were already friends, so why are you giving me a sweet date while still stabbing me in the back?"

"I like it. I want you to hate me, yet be unable to leave me."

"Leave."

Seeing my self-abandonment, Zhang Ying'ai smiled happily, "Tang Nan, the next time I see you, it will be when I finally have you."

...

That day, Zhang Ying'ai posted a photo of me and her in the hospital ward online. Undeniably, Zhang Ying'ai was skilled at photography. The instant photo was incredibly impactful, with her staring into my eyes, holding my hand, and appearing to be on the verge of tears.

This photo was posted without any caption, yet it caused a stir online.

Zhang Ying'ai's character became multifaceted: a debased soul with a pure body, her actions sparked public opinion, and the final image portrayed us as lovers finally united.

Da Huang brought his laptop to the ward and showed me the netizens' reactions. The voices of agreement were overwhelming.

"Lin Han, see?"

"Sister is so angry her face has turned white."

"What should we do? Even if Lin Han believes me, she wouldn't want to see such talk all over the internet."

Da Huang smiled, "Tang Nan, the year we met, we opened an editorial department in Beijing. Yes, it was fake. But later, we did the yellow pages and portal websites, which were all genuine. Now, Zhang Ying'ai's methods are child's play in my eyes; she only knows a bit of the surface."

"What do you mean?"

"The online discourse has been manipulated by Zhang Ying'ai, with people helping her. When I saw her article last time, I devised a counter-strategy and have already begun implementing it."

I looked at Da Huang in surprise, "What counter-strategy?"

"On forums, hyping something up is equivalent to adding a highlight, to pinning it, to making the title float. And these things can be done with money. I've already contacted the moderators and the website's business personnel."

"You're burying the posts?"

"No, I'm making them even hotter."

I was dumbfounded, "Brother, my dear brother, whose side are you on?"

"Brother-in-law, you don't understand the internet. To stay continuously popular online, the most important thing is balance. If someone receives a lot of negative comments, and the criticisms pile up, we organize some writers to support them, guide the topic, and simultaneously pay to delete unfavorable comments. Conversely, when there are many people praising her, we find people to curse her. The two parties need to go back and forth to make the topic sharper and more interesting. If I only praise Zhang Ying'ai and help her, the internet will get bored. Some people are already starting to think that Zhang Ying'ai pretends to be innocent but is actually a venomous scorpion."

"Why haven't I seen any such comments?"

"Brother spent money to delete all those comments. Water flows, it shouldn't be blocked. I'm forcefully blocking it, what do you think?"

I was amused. Old ginger is indeed spicier. Da Huang was right. Zhang Ying'ai only knew a little bit. She might be very smart, but she hadn't been exposed to it for long enough.

"How do you want to deal with her?" I asked Da Huang.

"Brother will do as you say."

"Spring Breeze Delights a Night's Joy was killed by Zhang Ying'ai? But I have no proof."

"What evidence do you need on the internet? Just tell me what you want her to be."

"I want her to become a universally reviled rat overnight. To control me, she has already betrayed Cui Fang and Lao Tie. We'll leave her one last way out: if she wants to cooperate with me, she has to tell me who the 'warhead' she mentioned is?"