Perfect Superstar.

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Beihai City Forum, Free World.

As the evening progressed, the forum became more active.

Especially among the university's single students, those who didn't play games or hang out in the library often liked to mingle in various sections of the forum. 

They'd hide behind different usernames, commenting on everything, and would argue fiercely, sometimes even over trivial matters like whether to put sugar or soy sauce on tofu pudding, metaphorically smashing each other's heads in the process.

In the world of online forums, it's vast, and verbal warfare reigns supreme!

[Last night at Houhai Bar, I found a handsome guy and heard a great song!]

This post, highlighted and pinned by the moderator with a recommendation badge in the ''Free World'' section, inevitably attracted a lot of attention from forum members. The post's views and replies skyrocketed.

"What the heck, even the moderator is selling out and taking money for promotional posts?"

"Please watch your language! The guy is truly handsome, and the song is really good. Not everything is about hype!"

"I agree with the earlier commenter. But man, it was way too short."

"Do you know what the name of the song is? I couldn't find the full version online. Anyone got a download link?"

"Don't bother asking, it's probably an original song. It's great!"

"It's really nice! He plays so well!"

"It's pretty mediocre. This old-school style might have worked in the past, but nowadays? Meh."

"Meh, my foot! If you think you can do better, then go write one. Jealous much?"

"Exactly! I think it's a great song too, but it's too short!"

"Based on my analysis, this video was probably shot at Houhai Bar. Case closed."

"Which bar in Houhai? I want to check it out."

"Lead the way, experts!"

The pinned and recommended post sparked a clear divide among the forum's comments. Some praised the song, saying they'd listened to it multiple times, regretting that it was only a snippet rather than the full version.

However, others found nothing impressive, labeling it a typical song and even speculating that it was all part of a pre-planned publicity stunt.

One person arrogantly suggested that this was a common marketing trick: release a teaser to pique people's interest, then gradually reveal the full content, like fishing for curiosity. Only those with higher IQs wouldn't fall for it.

This viewpoint gained support from quite a few members.

Frequent users of the Beihai City Forum were mostly university students. They were often passionate and confident, believing the world was theirs, with a rebellious attitude toward authority, and their combativeness was top-notch.

Some liked to go against the grain— if others praised something, they'd criticize it just to stand out.

These people were usually called "Vipers" on the forum— those who enjoyed spitting venom and relentlessly attacking their targets!

One such user, with the ID "Passing Traveler," was a well-known Viper in the ''Free World'' section, with a bit of fame and a small group of followers.

Unfortunately, not long after "Passing Traveler" posted his reply, Xiao Mi, who had just logged in, saw it.

Xiao Mi was none other than the user who posted the original thread, ''Mini Baby''.

She hadn't gone out shopping with her roommate, Second Sister, because she wasn't feeling well that evening. Bored, she stayed in bed and started browsing the internet on her laptop.

When she logged into the Beihai City Forum, Xiao Mi was immediately overwhelmed by a flood of system notifications.

Only then did she realize that her post from last night had been recommended and pinned by the moderator in the ''Free World'' section, with over 30,000 views and 1,000 replies!

Even with the recommendation and pin, this level of activity was astonishing. Xiao Mi was both surprised and thrilled, happily scrolling through the replies until she saw the comment from "Passing Traveler."

Xiao Mi was absolutely furious!

Others calling the song "ordinary" didn't bother Xiao Mi; after all, there were too many sour people on the forum. She didn't care if someone questioned whether it was hype— how could you go through life without facing some criticism?

Xiao Mi was a regular on the forum herself.

But the post by "Passing Traveler" was particularly venomous. He used a feigned insider's perspective to spew his toxic analysis, labeling ''Mini Baby'' (Xiao Mi's username) as a professional hype artist. His snide remarks were detailed and sarcastic, and to make it worse, many people agreed with him.

How could Xiao Mi let that slide?

Though she usually appeared to be a sweet and obedient girl, Xiao Mi was not the kind to silently endure when wronged. She immediately wrote a new post in the ''Free World'' section, directly calling out Passing Traveler.

''[Calling out Passing Traveler: I'm not a professional hype artist, do you dare to reveal your identity?]''

A long, fiery title, coupled with a challenge, instantly drew attention.

In the post, Xiao Mi briefly explained the origin of the video from the pinned thread, answering several questions people had asked. To prove her identity, she even posted a photo of her university meal card with her picture and student number censored. Next to it, she added a small note with her forum ID.

At the end of her post, Xiao Mi challenged Passing Traveler: "I guarantee I'm not a professional hype artist. Do you dare to prove your identity? If not, then shut your foul mouth!"

Within just half a minute of the post going live, there were already hundreds of replies.

"Wow, she's from Jing University!"

"Passing Traveler is just a loser, don't get mad, girl. It's bad for your health."

"I've hated that guy for a long time. Well said, girl!"

"Can we get a picture, miss? I bet you're a beauty!"

"Man, how can you tell she's a beauty when the photo's been so heavily blurred? I'm impressed!"

"You're just being dumb. Take off your glasses and look again."

"Support for the girl! Crush Passing Traveler, that venomous troll!"

"'My Old Classmate'? That's a nice song title! Where's the full version?"

"There's no full version yet, I think."

The responses overwhelmingly supported Xiao Mi. Even though she had blurred out her photo and student number, the clear ''Jing University'' logo on the meal card strongly verified her identity.

Jing University was famous for having many female students, and lots of them were known for their beauty. In the Beihai City Forum, being from Jing University gave you a natural advantage, and crushing someone like Passing Traveler, a single guy, was child's play.

The ''Free World'' moderator, Wang Yu, was quick to pin Xiao Mi's battle post.

Wang Yu had recommended Xiao Mi's original video post because the song deeply moved him. He already had a distaste for trolls like Passing Traveler, who would always pick a fight, whether justified or not. 

Though his role as moderator prevented him from engaging directly in such spats, he was more than happy to support Xiao Mi's battle, whether she was from Jing University or not.

Once Xiao Mi's post was pinned, replies surged. It was as if Passing Traveler had been publicly hung up for a beating!

Yet, despite being infamous for his venomous attitude and combative nature, Passing Traveler never showed up again.

Passing Traveler wasn't stupid. He knew who he could mess with and who to avoid. While it would have been easy for him to keep trashing ''Mini Baby'', the consequences could have been severe.

In Beihai City Forum, there were hordes of single men, all of whom turned into wild animals when they saw a female student, especially one from Jing University. They would never pass up the chance to curry favor with her.

They might track down Passing Traveler's IP, and dig up his name, age, and dorm address... Just thinking about it was terrifying!

Not wanting to meet a gruesome end, Passing Traveler opted to lay low. He couldn't afford to fight the masses of single men on the forum. After all, he was one of them, and no one knew single guys better than another single guy.

As Passing Traveler played dead, the forum users lost their steam. Eventually, they returned to the original video post, asking for more details.

Whether they genuinely liked the song or just wanted to chat with a girl from Jing University, either way, they were content.

"How does one relieve the loneliness of the long night? Only through forum chat!"

Having thoroughly defeated the venomous troll, Xiao Mi patiently answered their questions. Besides revealing that the song was called 'My Old Classmate', she also shared where she had heard it and her feelings about it.

Unintentionally, 'My Old Classmate' began to quietly build a reputation in the ideal environment for it, slowly sprouting a new green bud of interest!

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(End of chapter)