Chapter 121: Disaster Strikes!
The next morning, bright and early.
Lo Chen was promptly awakened by his internal clock. Even though it was still relatively early, he had no intention of lingering in bed any longer.
After getting up, dressing, and freshening up, Lo Chen greeted Yan He, who was preparing breakfast, then sat at the dining table to wait. A few minutes later, Lo Tianyi appeared, pulling Dai Xinhua from her room and sat directly opposite Lo Chen.
Seeing the beret-wearing girl suddenly added to the household, Lo Chen immediately knew that his younger sister must have secretly invited her to stay again last night.
It looked like the number of permanent residents in the house was about to increase once more. Fortunately, the house had plenty of rooms, so it wasn’t much trouble. Besides, having more people in such a big house would make it livelier. Lo Chen didn’t mind either way, but if it were too quiet, Lo Tianyi probably wouldn’t be able to stand it.
Lo Chen had spent the entire morning yesterday watching TV with Lo Tianyi. In the afternoon and evening, he stayed in his room working on new video projects. Besides the “All-Star Parody Series,” the “Assassin’s Creed Collection” also needed updating. If he only posted parody videos, the gaming fans would likely complain again.
Three videos in one day kept Lo Chen busy well into the night, so it was quite an effort for him to get up early.
After breakfast, everyone packed their things briefly and set off together. Since it was still early, there was no rush to get to campus.
On the street, usually cheerful Yan He now wore a troubled expression. After hesitating for a moment, she slowly stopped walking.
“Lo Chen…”
“What’s wrong, Yan He? Are you feeling unwell?”
Noticing Yan He’s unusual expression, Lo Chen turned around with concern. Ahead, Lo Tianyi and Dai Xinhua, who were playing around, also sensed something was off and stopped to join them.
Yan He tugged at her short hair near her ear, slightly turning her face away to avoid Lo Chen’s gaze. She explained somewhat embarrassed:
“Well… it’s about Bilibili. Yesterday afternoon, a lot of unfavourable comments about you suddenly appeared on Bilibili. It’s probably someone hiring internet trolls to smear you. At the time, I was busy with other things, and by the time I found out, the trolls had already disappeared. I’m really sorry, Lo Chen… I promised to manage it well, but in the end…”
“So that’s what happened. Don’t worry, you’ve done really well. I’ve caused quite a stir these days; it’s normal for some jealous people to want to take me down. Let those trolls say whatever they want—it won’t affect me. Yan He, just keep a light eye on Bilibili; no need to spend too much energy on it.”
Lo Chen wasn’t angry about such a minor issue. In fact, after Yan He mentioned it, he realized he’d been offloading all the trouble onto her. If anyone deserved an apology, it was him.
Usually, Lo Chen habitually entrusted all the little tasks to Yan He, who never refused. On top of that, she managed the website and handled her high school coursework. Managing all that so smoothly was already impressive.
However, this incident reminded Lo Chen that the Bilibili channel’s traffic was growing rapidly. Relying on just one or two people wouldn’t suffice anymore. Recruiting staff, establishing a company—his plans needed to be moved up.
“Exactly! Lo Chen, you’re way too lazy, always leaving everything to Sister Yan He. Last time I asked for her help, she didn’t even have time.” Lo Tianyi stepped forward, displeased as she scolded Lo Chen.
“Yes, yes, my fault. I’ll find someone to take over soon,” Lo Chen sighed helplessly. There was nothing he could do about his sister.
“Okay… I’ll do my best to manage things for the rest of the time. There definitely won’t be any more mistakes.” Although Lo Chen claimed he didn’t mind the trolls’ slander, Yan He didn’t believe him—it was probably just him comforting her. She gave Lo Chen a complex look and silently vowed never to let any mistakes happen again.
Seeing Yan He didn’t seem to understand his words, Lo Chen opened his mouth to say more but gave up. He decided to have Lo Tianyi and Dai Xinhua help manage the website as well. No matter what he said, Yan He probably wouldn’t listen.
The atmosphere grew awkward for the rest of the walk. Yan He remained silent, seemingly lost in thought. Lo Tianyi kept glaring at Lo Chen in resentment, and Dai Xinhua hesitated to speak, weighed down by the tension. Lo Chen forced a wry smile, unsure how to ease the mood, hoping time would heal everything.
Fortunately, the house wasn’t far from school. Only after stepping into the classroom did Lo Chen finally breathe a sigh of relief.
“Damn…” Shortly after entering, Li Hua approached in alarm but bit back the words “Demon King” under Lo Chen’s fierce glare.
Still, many turned curious glances, but seeing Li Hua’s exaggerated reaction, they soon looked away, losing interest.
Li Hua gave an awkward smile, clearly realizing he’d been too loud and almost revealed Lo Chen’s identity. Holding back for so long had made Li Hua restless, so he leaned in with a mysterious tone: “Boss, something big happened!”
Lo Chen looked at Li Hua’s secretive expression and sighed, “Something big? You don’t mean those trolls from yesterday, do you?”
Though Lo Chen didn’t fully know the details, he could guess it was just some people who disliked him and hired trolls to smear him.
“What? Boss, you already know? I didn’t see you respond yesterday and thought you hadn’t heard yet.” Li Hua had hoped to impress Lo Chen but was disappointed to find out he already knew. His excitement quickly faded.
Lo Chen chuckled at how fast Li Hua went from an overly dramatic kid to a defeated youth. He had worried Li Hua might take it too hard, but it turned out to be a needless concern.
“I only know that much. Don’t know the specifics.”
(P.S.: Thanks to readers Mint Leaf Xiang, Ti Tao Nang Qu Rui Ru Ta Hu Tiao Zi Mao, No Tomb April, Lonesome, Three Feet Cat, and I’m Only 17 for their generous donations of 100 Qidian coins. Much appreciated! Please recommend the story!)