Xiao He didn't go far. He returned to Sister Zhou's café. Finding a quiet corner, he took out his laptop from his bag. If before he hadn't wanted trouble, now trouble had come knocking, and Xiao He wasn't about to back down.
Online, discussions about the "mysterious boyfriend" had already exploded.
[Is he from the industry? Paparazzi, are you even trying? Can't you get a full-face shot?]
[If you'd just rushed over and pulled his mask off, you'd be famous today!]
[Just a passerby, but judging from years of observing handsome guys, this dude's got a great body so his face must be handsome too. Xu Youyou's eating well.]
[Hah, how can you tell he's handsome? Take that mask off and he'll probably be ugly.]
[Youyou, mom forbids you from dating! Forbids it! Even if it's a college guy!]
Despite being mentally prepared, seeing these comments made Xiao He realize his preparation hadn't been enough. Netizens these days... well, the entertainment-seekers always outnumbered the actual fans.
Without hesitation, Xiao He first tracked IPs and quietly restricted Cheng Hongwen's water army accounts, including those related to Hao Entertainment. These accounts could still post, but Xiao He's tech limited their reach—others would experience "network lag" when viewing them, reducing exposure.
Got it!
Xiao He quickly identified the target.
Su Shengxi, artist under Jiaxing Entertainment, top idol with hundreds of millions of fans, currently one of the hottest stars. His identity and appearance matched perfectly. Plus, he was currently in Shanghai—Xiao He found his assistant's hotel records.
Hmm, basically confirmed.
Xiao He immediately drafted articles and mass-sent them to rival marketing accounts of both Hao Entertainment and Jiaxing Entertainment. With hacking skills, he could precisely select these accounts. And for traffic, these accounts would do anything—even tear skin off a top idol if given the chance!
These accounts had been quietly following Xu Youyou's dating rumors, so they quickly picked up Xiao He's anonymous tip. Some hesitated fearing Su Shengxi's influence, but most swarmed in, pushing "Su Shengxi and Xu Youyou's relationship" to top trending.
[Breaking! Xu Youyou and Su Shengxi's relationship fully exposed!]
[National film queen Xu Youyou dating top idol Su Shengxi!]
[The truth behind Xu Youyou's mysterious boyfriend revealed! It's him?]
Before either party could react, the real scoop was everywhere.
[Before clicking: No way. After clicking: Holy shit! My fandom's burning down too! These comparison details are too obvious—I almost missed them as a seven-year fan!]
[Five-year fan here—I thought the sitting posture looked familiar but didn't dare say.]
[Wait, so it's really Su Shengxi?]
[From what I know, Su Shengxi has been filming in Shanghai recently. That's all I'll say.]
[But wait—the earlier "masked college guy" was clearly taller than Su Shengxi.]
[Comparing heights: Xu Youyou's about 1.6m. The guy eating with her was slightly taller sitting, so ~1.78m. The "masked guy" standing was a full head taller, so ~1.83m. Clearly different people. And Su Shengxi's official height is 1.8m (actual ~1.78m). So who's Xu Youyou's real boyfriend? Hehe, so hard to guess~]
[Ah, so the later masked guy was just a scapegoat. Poor dude.]
[666, only netizens could dissect this. Without you, I'd have eaten the wrong melon. Let's be netizens again next life.]
"What the hell is this?" Cheng Hongwen glared red-eyed at his computer. "How did those marketing accounts move so fast?" Since when were they this efficient? They actually dug up Su Shengxi?
"Clarify immediately and send the water army to steer the narrative!" Cheng Hongwen barked at his assistant, who was sweating over his phone. "S-sir, the water army's messages won't send! Their networks keep showing busy."
"Are you joking?" Cheng Hongwen almost laughed. "Everyone else's internet works fine. And aren't they literally next to China Mobile's building?" These weren't amateur water armies—they had proper offices in central business districts, neighbors to China's largest telecom provider. Bad connection? Ridiculous!
"It must be Xu Youyou's rivals seizing the chance to kick us while we're down." Cheng Hongwen gritted his teeth, dismissing any thought of Xiao He. "Find new water armies. Contact platforms to remove the trending tags."
"Yes!" The assistant nodded hastily, slipping out before Cheng Hongwen's anger escalated.
Chaos also erupted on Su Shengxi's side. Liu Rulan had Jiaxing Entertainment issue denials, determined to stonewall. Without clear paparazzi shots, they could still salvage this if they held firm.
Yet the online storm raged uncontrollably. Xu Youyou had skyrocketed to fame with her debut film, achieving nationwide recognition. Su Shengxi needed no introduction—his idol group's debut had swept the nation, his fans famously relentless, dubbed "the craziest in the industry" by some. Putting these two names together was nothing short of detonating a bomb.
As for Xiao He? Nobody cared anymore.
With the real target exposed, few bothered about the scapegoat. Aside from some curious souls still asking about the "masked guy," most had migrated to the two stars' comment sections.
Seizing the moment, Xiao He—who'd ignited this "war of the century"—quietly erased all traces of his photos before packing up. Borrowing a thin plaid jacket from Sister Zhou to conceal his clothes and black backpack, he slipped out of the café unnoticed.
This melon was too big—let everyone else feast on it. He wouldn't stick around for the aftermath.