Dating Myself - Chapter 6

The provincial TV station would report on this matter later that evening, but their report would never be as detailed as what An Mu knew.

An Mu narrated the entire story, telling them everything she could and glossing over the parts she couldn’t.

Although she would protect Jian Yixi, there were times when she couldn’t be there. It’s wrong to be malicious, but it’s essential to be cautious. She wouldn’t let Jian Yixi become as cunning as she was, but she had to let her know that the world wasn’t all sunshine. There was always a dark side that couldn’t be seen.

Lu Yuexin wasn’t actually a fan of Jian Yihu. She was a black fan and had even joined a group of black fans where they would all talk bad about Jian Yihu, calling her a fake pure-hearted girl.

Weicheng No. 2 Foreign Language High School had the best teachers and the highest university admission rate in the city. It was a top high school that was even more popular than public ones. Lu Yuexin was understandably proud of getting in and bragged about it in the group.

To her surprise, besides her, two other girls in the group had also gotten into the school. Many members came out to congratulate them, and they started talking about Jian Yihu’s sister, Jian Yixi.

The group’s leader, who went by the alias “Mask 1,” then chimed in. They said a friend of theirs went to Weicheng No. 2, and new students had to collectively change into their uniforms at school on the first day. As a transfer student, Jian Yixi would have to change with them. They then led the conversation to secretly filming Jian Yixi.

The group members didn’t initially understand why they should film Jian Yixi. “Mask 2” jumped in to support the idea, saying that if they could get the footage, they could upload it online, pretending it was a video of Jian Yihu changing clothes. This would completely ruin Jian Yihu’s pure and innocent image.

“Mask 3” also supported it, saying they could create a scandal, accusing Jian Yihu of having a promiscuous private life and daring to undress in public, even having slept with school leaders.

“Mask 1” added that the video would definitely go viral, bringing a lot of traffic to Lu Yuexin and her friends, helping them gain fans. They might not become a million-follower influencer, but a hundred thousand was definitely possible.

Lu Yuexin was a little worried at the time, afraid it might be illegal, since it was an indecent video.

The group leaders’ aliases all chimed in to reassure her. They said Jian Yixi was changing in a public area, not in private. Filming in private was called voyeurism, but filming in a public place was called exposure. Jian Yixi was violating the Law on Public Security Administration Punishments, which could lead to detention, education, and fines. The ones who exposed her would be considered “caring citizens,” the kind often praised in TV news reports.

Lu Yuexin was still worried and asked what if the school punished them, since the school was the one that told the students to change there.

The “masks” continued to reassure them, saying that the swimming pool itself was a public place. It was unreasonable for the school to ask students to change there. The school would definitely try to suppress this matter and would never publicize it, or else the school would have to apologize, and they wouldn’t want to lose face.

What did a bunch of teenage girls know? The “masks” spoke with such confidence that they quickly convinced Lu Yuexin and her friends.

To ensure everything went smoothly, “Mask 1” even messaged everyone in the group, saying that the three girls were taking on this important task for all the black fans. They had to show their support. If the plan succeeded, every member would send a red envelope to them, no matter the amount, as a show of gratitude and encouragement.

Most of the group members replied that they agreed. A few who had doubts about the legality of the plan were quickly lost in the chat. The “masks” secretly removed their messages as administrators.

The group leader never showed their face and was completely uninvolved. No one knew that all those “masks” were the group leader’s aliases, and no one would have ever imagined that the group leader was Jian Yihu herself.

This was Jian Yihu’s cleverness. She maintained her real fan groups on one hand and created “black fan” groups on the other. She used the black fans to create scandals and then used her true fans to clear her name. By creating and then solving these crises, she gained new fans, more public attention, and a higher profile.

This was one of Jian Yihu’s self-marketing methods before a talent agency found her. Later, when an agency reached out, she had already mastered self-promotion and her family had plenty of money, so she didn’t need an agency to take a cut. She turned them all down.

Lu Yuexin and her two friends were stupid enough to be used as pawns without even knowing it. They exchanged information and met up with high hopes on the first day of school.

They split into two groups. One went to wait at the swimming pool, while the other hid far away to keep an eye on Class 11 on the third floor. This was to make sure they didn’t get the wrong person and to be ready with a backup plan if Jian Yixi decided to just wait in line for the restrooms in the academic building.

Jian Yixi saw that the restrooms were crowded and went to the swimming pool without a second thought. As soon as she entered, she was captured on video.

An Mu had gone there early. She knew Jian Yixi would come to the swimming pool and even knew where she would stand to change. She waited nearby and, based on the angle of the voyeuristic video from her past life, she figured out where Lu Yuexin was standing.

This was also the first time An Mu saw what the secret filmer looked like.

In her last life, Jian Yixi never found out who the filmer was. Jian Yihu had claimed she wanted to protect a minor and didn’t even tell the victim, her own sister.

Jian Yixi’s so-called biological parents not only didn’t help her, they praised Jian Yihu for doing the right thing. They told her she had disgraced her sister and still had the audacity to ask who the filmer was. “What did you want to do with that information? Get revenge on them? Wouldn’t that just make things difficult for your sister?”

Was her sister’s “saint-like” reputation more important than her own?

In her past life, An Mu was cursed and criticized all over the internet and lectured by her family. As a teenager with an unstable worldview, she truly thought it was her fault and blamed herself for a long time.

To make up for the damage she had caused Jian Yihu’s reputation, she even became Jian Yihu’s personal errand girl. If Jian Yihu sent her a text, she would limp on a sprained ankle just to buy a drink from downstairs and deliver it to Class 1.

Her actions only cemented the idea that she was in the wrong, and her already terrible reputation plummeted. Every time she went to Class 1, she was met with taunts and ridicule.

Remembering her previous life, a furious rage welled up in An Mu’s chest.

In this life, she would protect herself. She would never again allow herself to be hurt, and she would never let anyone who had hurt her get away with it.

An Mu had deliberately not stopped Lu Yuexin from filming so that she could gather evidence, but she also wouldn’t let them film anything incriminating. The small video they had was enough for her to work with.

She had initially wanted to give the school a chance. If they handled the matter properly, she would not have insisted on Lu Yuexin’s expulsion. She would have accepted a public reprimand and demerit.

But the school had disappointed her.

Since that was the case, she had no reason to show them any mercy.

In her past life, Lu Yuexin and her friends were incredibly grateful for Jian Yihu’s “leniency” and became her fans. They eventually became Jian Yihu’s most loyal fan club leaders.

In this life, would they still be grateful?

Heh.

Not far away, Lu Yuexin was crying as she and her family came out of the academic building. She was limping and covering her face, not daring to look up. She was gnashing her teeth, and all her resentment and anger were now directed at Jian Yihu.

An Mu was hateful, but she was nothing compared to how hateful Jian Yihu was. If it weren’t for that fake, self-righteous b***h, why would she have ever filmed anything in the first place?!

She wouldn’t let An Mu get away with it, but she certainly wouldn’t let Jian Yihu get away with it either!!

Just wait. I’m not done with you!

“Dad! That An Mu kicked my leg so hard, and you’re just going to let it go?!”

Her father angrily turned around. He wished he could beat his good-for-nothing daughter.

“Shut up! Haven’t you embarrassed yourself enough?!”

When Lu Yuexin looked up, she saw An Mu and her friends. Her teary eyes widened instantly. The next second, she acted as if she had been injected with a shot of adrenaline and rushed forward on her limping leg.

“An Mu! I’ll kill you!”

Seeing this, Jian Yixi quickly pulled Xie Maomao to the side. Her intention was to pull both Xie Maomao and An Mu over, but Xie Maomao lost her footing and let go. The two of them were out of the way, leaving An Mu all alone.

Lu Yuexin’s father was shouting “Don’t hit her,” but his feet were moving slowly, purposely giving his daughter a chance to get revenge. She had already been expelled anyway. Why should she not hit back after being hit herself?

In her panic, Jian Yixi rushed back to pull An Mu away. Just as she grabbed An Mu’s arm, she heard a sound swoosh past her ear, followed by a crisp slap.

The lively campus suddenly fell silent. The next moment, it erupted, and a huge crowd gathered. Some people even shouted to the sports field.

“Did the reporters leave yet? Hurry and come film! The secret filmer is hitting people~!!”

Lu Yuexin stood frozen, holding her stinging cheek. Her head was buzzing, and she was furious.

I was the one who got hit! Are they blind?!!

Lu Yuexin’s father heard that the reporters hadn’t left and quickly went to grab his daughter.

Lu Yuexin had already lost her mind and refused to leave.

Her father tried to pull her, but she turned and forcefully pushed him away. Her father was not expecting this. He stumbled, tripped over a curb, and landed on the ground with a thump.

Lu Yuexin raised her hand to hit An Mu, just as the cameraman rushed over with his camera.

“Go on and hit her! Why aren’t you hitting her?”

An Mu tilted her head to dodge the slap, leaning in close to Lu Yuexin’s ear. Her long eyelashes were lowered, and her eyes were icy cold. Her thin lips spoke like a demon’s whisper.

“If we go through legal channels for secretly filming someone’s privacy, how many years do you think you’ll get?”

Lu Yuexin’s legs instantly went weak.

“You… you’re not going to scare me!”

An Mu moved back, her honey-brown hair scattered over her shoulders. Her casual expression only deepened the cold fury in her eyes. This time, she spoke louder so everyone could hear.

“If you dare to touch a single one of my fingers, this won’t be just a threat. I will sue you.”

She would! She really would!

She had even dared to call the provincial TV station; what wouldn’t she dare to do?!

Lu Yuexin’s raised hand trembled. It would be humiliating to put it down, but she didn’t dare to hit her. Facing the provincial TV camera, she broke down. She covered her face, turned, and limped through the crowd, running away.

Lu Yuexin’s father struggled to get up. As a man in his fifties, he couldn’t bear the shame. He also squeezed through the crowd and chased after his daughter.

Out of consideration for the victim’s privacy, the reporters did not interview Jian Yixi. After a few more questions for An Mu, they wrapped things up. The school leaders who were closely following them let out a sigh of relief and enthusiastically invited the reporters to a dinner.

The crowd finally dispersed. Some boys whistled at An Mu, and some girls were in awe, sneaking looks at her as they walked away.

Xie Maomao had never received so much attention at once. Even though it wasn’t focused on her, she felt a sense of pride by association. She quickly and smoothly wrapped her arm around An Mu’s.

“You’re so cool, An Mu! I’m officially declaring it: from now on, you’re my bestie. A real, ironclad bestie!”

—You’ve always been my bestie, for two lifetimes.