Seeing Qiu Yihe's fingertips trembling slightly, Jiang Cheng reached out and stroked the back of her hand. "Don't worry, I already gave the instructions last night. The heat has started picking up online today..."
Qiu Yihe's whole body stiffened slightly.
Normally, she would have certainly given him a shy, annoyed, or wary roll of the eyes for such an intimate touch that carried an obvious protective meaning.
But at this moment... all her senses and emotions were occupied by the overwhelming public opinion on the phone screen, the heart-wrenching comments, and the internet torrent that was about to tear away her enemy's disguise.
Qiu Yihe looked closely; the most popular post had already surpassed eight hundred thousand shares, likes were approaching three million, and the number of comments was scrolling and refreshing at an alarming speed. She couldn't help but click on the comment section, and the surging public opinion almost burst out through the screen:
Top Comment #1 (@Shining Today Too): "I'm stunned! Seeing this reminds me of certain people abroad who collect money. Is this a coincidence? I don't believe it!" (Likes: 421,000)
Top Comment #2 (@Guard the Light): "I'm breaking down. My dad's comrade was an Anti-drug Police Officer who sacrificed himself over a decade ago. Even now, my aunt doesn't dare let my cousin take his father's surname, and they've moved cities three times. Seeing this, my tears are falling directly onto the keyboard. Why should the line they guarded with their lives be traded behind the scenes by these people?" (Likes: 387,000)
Top Comment #3 (@Logic Master): "Come on, let me deconstruct the essence of this 'Pilot Proposal' for everyone: on the surface, it's'scientific control,' but in the actual clauses, it lowers the conviction threshold for specific crimes in multiple places and introduces a vague 'medical commercial' channel. Who benefits the most? Those who know, know. I suggest a strict investigation into the overseas account transactions of the proposer and their associated companies!" (Likes: 355,000)
Tens of thousands of replies followed, some supplementing details, some indignantly condemning, and many people tagging the accounts of various official media and law enforcement agencies, demanding a "thorough investigation into the background of the proposal" and to "give the heroes an explanation."
"This trend... is too fierce." Qiu Yihe's voice was a bit dry, filled with both shock and the excitement of a great grudge about to be avenged.
She didn't even care about the shyness of Jiang Cheng stroking the back of her hand.
After putting down the phone, she turned her hand over to grab Jiang Cheng. "You... how did you do it? This doesn't look like ordinary traffic boosting."
He held shares in both Sina and TikTok; after posting a few threads and performing some routine operations, it had shot directly to the top of the trending searches.
However, Jiang Cheng did not say those routine words out loud.
After all, every Girl's characteristics were different.
Things like money and status clearly couldn't move this big-chested Girl.
Jiang Cheng put on an act of sharing a common enemy: "The truth itself has power; we just found the fuse that was easiest to ignite. This matter itself touches the breaking point of everyone's simple sense of justice. Now, the fire has started burning."
These words were not passionate in tone, yet every word was clear, striking deep into Qiu Yihe's heart.
She was stunned.
Looking up at Jiang Cheng, the look in her eyes quietly changed.
Last night... she thought what she had given was a transparent transaction.
She exchanged herself for Jiang Cheng's intervention, each getting what they needed, clean and efficient, even carrying a bit of the desperation of someone with nothing left to lose.
Jiang Cheng's line, "This is another requirement," had made her see it as a cold exchange of value.
But at this moment, hearing him say "the line they guarded with their lives" in such a serious, even somewhat resonant tone...
Seeing that his eyes weren't entirely full of calculation, but also held a somber edge regarding things that "should not be"... Qiu Yihe suddenly felt that she might have been wrong.
To him, this matter might not just be a convenient "business deal" or a piece of leverage to conquer her.
He truly saw the injustice within it and touched that heavy "line."
Even if his methods were god-like, and even if he was a well-known "scumbag," on the fundamental level of this matter, the position he stood in had warmth.
This shift in perception was like a small warm current, dispersing the humiliation and estrangement brought by the transaction in her heart.
She even felt that last night's "sacrifice"... seemed to be not just for an exchange, but more like... participating in something right?
Her heart warmed, mixed with gratitude, guilt, and an indescribable emotion. Her grip on Jiang Cheng's hand unconsciously tightened, and her voice trembled slightly with unprecedented sincerity:
"Jiang Cheng... I... I really don't know how to thank you. Not just for this matter, but also because I might have... misunderstood you a bit before."
These words were a bit disorganized, but they were her most genuine feelings at the moment.
Jiang Cheng looked at her suddenly softened gaze and reddened ear-tips; that rare moment of sincerity, having shed all her hard shells, caused something in the depths of his heart to stir slightly.
But almost instantly, his familiar, somewhat cynical smile climbed back onto the corners of his mouth.
He gripped her hand back, his fingertips scratching her palm seemingly inadvertently, and lowered his voice with a teasing hook:
"Don't know how to 'discharge'?? That can't be right?"
That tone, that look!
Qiu Yihe snapped back to her senses, instantly pulling her hand back as if burned. The gratitude and softness that had just surged onto her face were "swish" replaced by shy annoyance, and the romantic atmosphere from a moment ago was shattered completely.
"Crap! scumbag! As expected, I can't have even a shred of expectation for you!" She almost raised her voice to cover her instant guilt and confusion.
She glared at Jiang Cheng, but that glare was clearly lacking in confidence, and even flickered because of the impact of her memories.
She remembered when she was confronting Jiang Cheng in the bathroom just now, her face being pinned down while in her uniform... the rising steam... ice
cold, hard marble sink edge... her flushed cheeks in the mirror... and those eyes that couldn't focus... Jiang Cheng had even deliberately pressed her face against the glass mirror... As Qiu Yihe thought, Jiang Cheng really did take this matter to heart.
But he didn't want Qiu Yihe to think of him as being so noble.
He knew the weight of "expectations" all too well.
A good person doing ninety-nine good deeds is taken for granted, but a single misstep makes them an irredeemable hypocrite or even a villain.
But a villain only needs to put down the butcher's knife once to become a Buddha.
In the hearts of Girls, Jiang Cheng really didn't want to play the role of a good person.
Occasional "goodness" is what becomes a surprise.
By keeping expectations suppressed to the limit, every instance of inadvertent "seriousness" would be exceptionally cherished.