Stepping on the Demoness to become the strongest

Chapter 469: Chapter 65 Yun Jin Becomes Alert, Sister Zhao Harbors Dissatisfaction
 

The confrontation match between Zhenhai Team and Huofeng Team quickly became the hottest headline of the first quarter after the year.

The heat in public opinion even far surpassed the Privy Council’s estimate. Based on internet monitoring, what everyone was most interested in was “who would win,” but to the Privy Council, this seemed to have hardly any suspense—if Captain Yan from Zhenhai Team was temporarily removed, the remaining strength was inferior to Huofeng Team; but if Captain Yan was included, Zhenhai’s odds of winning were too great.

The public didn’t see it that way. Most of the time, the public’s perspective on matters didn’t depend on evidence and logic but rather on their own positions and preferences.

In the poll results from Shinetech, about seventy percent of the national public believed that Zhenhai Team would win, and about thirty percent believed that Huofeng Team would win, with the majority of the latter’s IPs coming from western provinces like Nanchuan and Nanjiang; similarly, the southeastern provinces were the main supporters of Zhenhai Team, with over 90% of the voting users believing that Zhenhai Team could achieve victory. However, in the western provinces, this ratio could drop to 40% or lower.

Along with the voting and massive discussions, corresponding regional discrimination and online salvos also emerged, forcing Shinetech to urgently close the comment section six hours later.

“Report!” Xie Ruoxi hurried downstairs, saying, “The Black Pieces of Zhenhai Team have started to be very active again!”

“Is it spontaneous or organized?” Yan Yu asked gravely.

“Not sure yet.” Xie Ruoxi said.

“Explore more and report back!” Yan Yu commanded with a wave of his hand, speaking sternly.

Xie Ruoxi, the community operations specialist of Zhenhai Team, responded and quickly ran back to the study.

“Why are there Black Pieces again?” Lin Ning also got irritated, “Aren’t the higher-ups dealing with it?”

“Why should they handle it?” Yan Yu retorted, “Just ignore it and it’s done. With your attitude of always wondering ‘why doesn’t anyone handle this,’ you are fundamentally waiting for someone superior to take charge for you, which shows your overdependence on others. We cultivators should stand strong and independent. To be agitated by a bit of public pressure goes to show a lack of inner strength.”

“I just can’t stand people badmouthing us!” Lin Ning retorted.

Chen Lingyun slightly smiled, explaining to everyone:

“There are also many supporters of Huofeng Team. These people argue with our supporters, and when emotions ferment, a portion of extremists come to attack us. It’s unavoidable. As for why the higher-ups don’t handle it, mainly it’s because…”

“Handling it is pointless.” Yan Yu said, “Idiots can’t be eliminated by silencing. Winning the match is the best way to slap them in the face. The more you win, even if they still don’t respect you, at least they won’t keep posting attacks online to avoid embarrassing themselves.”

“I can’t wait until we win the match, I’m so impatient!” Lin Ning, overtaken by her temper, stood up and headed towards the upstairs study, “I’m going up now to bash them with Ruoxi!”

She stomped upstairs. Yan Yu sighed helplessly and turned to instruct the others:

“Don’t let this affect you.”

“We won’t,” Su Yunjin said with a smile.

“What kind of influence?” Zhao Yuanzhen asked, puzzled.

“The ones likely to be affected are already upstairs,” Chen Lingyun said with a chuckle.

Everyone continued their activities as Yan Yu picked up his phone and saw a message from Tang Xiaolian.

[Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: I’m dying, someone online is calling me Intertone Dirty Inkstone.

[Win Over with Virtue]: Who? I don’t know them.

[Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Captain Yan pretending? Just play dumb!

[Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: It’s your Zhenhai Team’s die-hard fans cursing me!

[Win Over with Virtue]: I’ve also been called “Hanged Man,” “Bottom,” “Harem Yan.”

[Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: That counts as cursing? Do you know what they say about Captain Zhou? They say she “really knows how to thank.”

[Win Over with Virtue]: Why?

[Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Because she shoots whenever she sees someone.

Yan Yu couldn’t help but burst into laughter.

Zhou Hongyu was indeed quick to fire off flames on the battlefield, being unable to wait even half a second was like asking for her life. But the nicknames netizens come up with never shy from hitting below the belt, which was a bit too harsh.

[Win Over with Virtue]: So, ban them from talking.

[Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Already asked the higher-ups to do so.

[Win Over with Virtue]: But it’s useless. They’ll just go to other places where they aren’t banned to continue cursing you, like in private chat groups.

[Miaojiang Maiden Tang Lingling]: Then let it be, out of sight, out of mind.

“What’s up?” Su Yunjin saw Yan Yu laughing for no reason and asked curiously.

“Tang Xiaolian told me that there are more people cursing them online than us,” Yan Yu showed Su Yun Jin his phone.

“Let me see.” Chen Lingyun, seeing something amusing, quickly leaned over to join the fun.

She peeked over from behind Yan Yu’s left side, her head getting incredibly close, almost touching his face, so close that Yan Yu could even smell the distinct jasmine scent—probably from her second favorite shampoo brand.

Su Yun Jin, sitting to his right, didn’t notice Chen Lingyun’s ambiguous posture and casually asked:

“Captain, are you very familiar with Tang Xiaolian?”

“Not very familiar,” Yan Yu replied.

He didn’t plan to tell his teammates that Tang Xiaolian was a “spy” he had planted in the Huofeng Team, after all, the more people knew, the easier it would be for the news to reach Zhou Hongyu’s ears, which wouldn’t be good.

“But I see she chats with you and obviously has quite a fondness for you,” Su Yun Jin said cautiously, continuing to probe.

“Because she doesn’t have friends within Huofeng Team whom she can chat with freely,” Yan Yu replied.

Su Yun Jin unconsciously found it strange, but after thinking about it, she felt it indeed seemed to be the case.

Girls usually prefer to spend time with other girls, and though Tang Xiaolian was quite close to Captain Zhou, the problem was that Zhou Hongyu had a boring and irritable character, definitely not a good conversation partner.

So, did she consider Captain Yan …a male confidante?

Weird.

Su Yun Jin believed that pure friendship could exist between men and women, but when it involved their own captain, she felt that being overly cautious was still not enough.

Well, I should add Tang Xiaolian as a friend and probe her intentions.

“Who has a fondness for Yan Yu?” Zhao Yuanzhen, listening to their conversation, finally caught on and hurriedly stood up to join.

Her figure was naturally voluptuous, with plenty of curves where it mattered, and without much effort, she easily nudged the slender Chen Lingyun aside and stared intensely at the chat records between Yan Yu and Tang Xiaolian.

“If you want to look, take it and have a look.” Seeing the enchantress about to stick to him, Yan Yu, also afraid of any accidental contact, quickly handed her the phone.

Zhao Yuanzhen, however, didn’t take it but instead frowned and asked:

“Who is this Tang Lingling?”

Everyone was speechless. Sister, it’s been so long since you joined the group, and you still don’t know who is who?

“The Huofeng Team’s Tang Xiaolian,” Chen Lingyun reminded her.

“Does Huofeng Team have such a person?” Zhao Yuanzhen puzzledly asked.

“Who from Huofeng Team do you remember?” Yan Yu counter-questioned instead.

“How could I not remember? Don’t underestimate people!” Zhao Yuanzhen said with her hands on her hips, “Zhou Hongyu!”

“Who else?” Yan Yu smiled and asked.

“And… um…” Zhao Yuanzhen pondered, showing a thoughtful expression, “Zhang Youde?”

“Zhang Huaide,” Su Yun Jin corrected her.

“Right, Zhang Huaide,” Zhao Yuanzhen showed an expression as if she knew it all along.

Chen Lingyun was speechless. They often talked about Huofeng Team members during video analysis and strategy discussions, and Zhao still hadn’t remembered their names, proving she never actually listened properly to the stratagems.

“Let’s make sure Zhao recognizes everyone first,” she said with a sweet smile, “otherwise, when we get on the battlefield, I tell her to target Qin Meng, and she charges at Meng Qingxi instead, that could really spoil our plans.”

“I just couldn’t remember the name all of a sudden!” Zhao Yuanzhen hurriedly argued, “When I see the person on the battlefield, I’ll probably remember their name!”

“Do you only somewhat remember names?” Yan Yu mercilessly teased her, “Is your brain capacity all grown into your chest?”

“Captain!” Su Yun Jin immediately became anxious, “You can’t talk to a girl with such crude language!”

Zhao Yuanzhen gritted her teeth, fuming inside:

The scoundrel insulted me today for being ‘beautiful but brainless,’ I’ll remember this grudge! When my day comes, I’ll hold him tight in my embrace and suffocate him to death, and we’ll see if he can still speak any nonsense!