Volume One, Chapter 21: My Sister Is Being Slandered Across the Entire Internet

As soon as Guan He laid eyes on Chi Xingwan, he was visibly stunned. Such a natural beauty, if she were to enter the entertainment industry, could attract countless fans as a mere decorative figure, even if she had no real talent.

He turned back to Chi Qianyu and asked, “Qianyu, who is this?”

Chi Qianyu clenched her teeth in hatred; she was convinced that Chi Xingwan had instructed her parrot to cause trouble, aiming to ruin her before the livestream began.

She would never let Chi Xingwan succeed.

“Cousin, I know you don’t like me, but why did you teach your parrot to insult me?”

Chi Qianyu’s eyes brimmed with tears, her expression full of sorrow. Her hair was a mess, and with her delicate features, she looked every bit the pitiful victim of bullying.

Instantly, her fans in the livestream exploded in outrage.

[She’s a cousin too? How can two people be so different? She lives with Qianyu? Doesn’t that mean she’s been bullying our Qianyu all along?]

[So vicious! If her parrot can say such things, she must insult Qianyu all the time in private. Queen Yang, please come protect your daughter!]

[Qianyu is really unlucky to have such relatives.]

[Dig up her information! If she dares bully our Qianyu, she’ll pay for it.]

[…]

Yang Jing appeared at a timely moment, looking at Chi Xingwan with a troubled expression.

“Xingwan, I know being lost for so many years and growing up in a remote mountain has been hard on you. Your uncle and I had no choice, but as soon as we found you, we brought you home. Whatever Qianyu has, you’ll have too. We’ll make it up to you double, but please, don’t make a scene now, alright?”

She turned to Guan He and apologized, “Director Guan, I’m so sorry. My niece was lost before and suffered a lot outside. She just returned home and doesn’t know much yet. Please, everyone, be understanding.”

With just a few words, Yang Jing revealed Chi Xingwan’s background, and the livestream chat immediately turned into a barrage of insults directed at Chi Xingwan.

[I’m not prejudiced, but our ancestors were right: wicked people come from poor, remote places. No wonder there’s such a difference between these two cousins—they received very different upbringings.]

[The Chi family should have just supported her from afar if they had to. Having someone like her living with Qianyu is such an eyesore.]

[She looks exactly like a venomous beauty. If she dares to have her pet insult Qianyu on camera, who knows what she does in private?]

Sitting in front of his computer, Chen Qifan was furious. That was his sister-in-law—a powerful exorcist, no less! Yet these ignorant fools dared to insult her.

He rolled up his sleeves and registered seven or eight alternate accounts, filling his desk with computers, phones, and tablets. He joined the livestream from every device and started fighting back.

[The girl has barely spoken a word since she appeared—how can you judge her like this? Who do you think you are…?]

[I think Chi Qianyu is just a fake, putting on an act to disgust everyone. (vomit)]

Chen Qifan single-handedly waged war against Chi Qianyu’s fans, the insults growing harsher and dirtier with each exchange, to the point where the chat was practically unreadable.

Fearing the livestream would be shut down, the moderators could only enable chat restrictions.

But the war of words didn’t end there. With the livestream chat silenced, Chi Qianyu’s fans moved to other platforms, and Chi Xingwan’s name shot to the top of the trending topics, covered in scorn.

Back at the Chi house, Chi Xingwan had already rescued Daidai from Guan He’s hands.

She glanced at Chi Qianyu and said flatly, “You’re right, I don’t like you. But you’re also wrong—I never taught Daidai to insult you. It just spoke from the heart. After all, anyone would want to scold you after what you’ve done.”

Panic flickered in Chi Qianyu’s eyes, but she forced herself to protest, “Cousin, why are you slandering me?”

Chi Xingwan raised her phone and waved it lightly, a half-smile on her lips. “Don’t make me spell it out. Don’t force my hand.”

Chi Qianyu fell silent, terrified—she knew exactly what Chi Xingwan meant. Chi Xingwan had evidence of her releasing poisonous snakes.

Guan He sensed there was more to the story. He was torn; if he dug deeper, it could be a huge scoop. But if the truth was unfavorable to Chi Qianyu, his show would suffer, and he’d offend Yang Jing.

Chi Xingwan, eager to leave, had no interest in further entanglement. She stuffed Daidai into her backpack, ready to go.

“Oh, and you,” she said to Guan He. “There’s a dark aura over your head. Trouble is coming your way soon. If I were you, I’d cancel this show.”

With that, she strode off.

Guan He looked at Yang Jing, bewildered.

Yang Jing tried to smooth things over. “Don’t mind her, Director Guan. Xingwan is just insecure after everything she’s been through. She does odd things to get our attention.”

Guan He forced a smile, still uneasy. “I see.”

Chi Xingwan had the driver take her to Yangguan Alley. When no one was around, Daidai hung its head and muttered, “Sister, I’m sorry.”

Chi Xingwan looked puzzled. “What did you do to apologize for?”

Daidai said, “I couldn’t help insulting that ugly girl. Now everyone online is tearing you apart.”

While in the car, Daidai had secretly used Chi Xingwan’s phone to go online. Public opinion was overwhelmingly against her—everyone was cursing Chi Xingwan.

Chi Xingwan glanced through her phone and immediately saw that Yang Jing and Chi Qianyu had hired internet trolls.

She didn’t care. “Let them curse. I’m not in showbiz, so no matter what they say, it doesn’t affect me. If anything, people who curse too viciously are only harming themselves.”

She walked into Eternal Night Street and headed straight for the Spiritualist Association’s tower, where Xu Hengyang was waiting.

As soon as he saw her, he handed her an admission letter.

“This is an acceptance letter from Yanjing University’s Taoist Studies Institute. I arranged for you to start directly as a sophomore, based on your age.”

Chi Xingwan was puzzled. “Do I have to go to university?”

Xu Hengyang nodded. “Absolutely.”

“The Taoist Studies Institute at Yanjing University was founded by our Spiritualist Association. It’s the only spiritualist education institution in the country. Members of our association take turns teaching the students there.”

Chi Xingwan understood. “So I have to go too?”

Xu Hengyang confirmed, “That’s right. I was going to schedule you as a lecturer, but then I realized you’ve never even attended university. That won’t do.”

He’d originally thought Chi Xingwan was a student and was planning to pull some strings to let her graduate immediately. Once she had her diploma, he could appoint her to a teaching post. But to his surprise, she’d never even been to college.

“So, I’ve decided you’ll enroll as a student and get your diploma first.”

Xu Hengyang’s plan was clever. If Chi Xingwan became a professor, she’d only have to teach one class a month at her level. But as a student, she’d attend classes every day, and classmates could ask her questions anytime—a far better arrangement.

Chi Xingwan didn’t notice his scheming. She thought that, since she’d been given a second life, she ought to integrate into society. And so, she agreed.