During a short break in filming, Lin Wan headed to the restroom.
On her way back, just as she turned the corner of a quiet hallway, a familiar voice slipped into her ears—
Zhou Zixuan.
Low. Pressed. Angry.
"…Yeah, that husky. And the woman… dig into her background… I don't believe they're clean… Today's humiliation? I want payback… Find dirt. Spin it toward animal abuse, scripted hype… Buy some bots… And remind the Pet Medical Foundation their partners should be chosen carefully…"
Lin Wan's footsteps stopped.
Her heart sank.
She backed away silently.
When she returned to the set, laughter still floated in the air. Staff buzzed around. Cameras reset. Everything looked normal.
Except it wasn't.
Because across the stage stood Er'gou.
Cold. Proud. Unbothered.
Unknowingly stepping straight into a storm.
Lin Wan's chest tightened.
Zhou Zixuan is going to play dirty.
Less than an hour after filming wrapped—
Her phone exploded.
Buzz. Buzzbuzzbuzzbuzz.
Notifications flooded in like machine-gun fire.
Trending alerts.
Entertainment accounts.
Short video platforms.
Weibo headlines screaming one after another:
"SHOCK! Viral Husky Suspected of Abuse — Terrified Eyes Reveal Truth?!""Deep Dive into "WanWan & Er'gou" — Scripted Manipulation Exposed!""Pet Medical Foundation Pauses Cooperation with Controversial Influencer"
Lin Wan's blood ran cold.
She tapped one open.
Photos.
Clips.
Twisted narratives.
Er'gou yawning at snacks → "Exhausted from forced performances"Er'gou avoiding ugly costume → "Fear response"Er'gou sneezing at Zhou Zixuan → "Stress-induced reaction"
The captions were venom.
Suggesting Lin Wan abused her dog for fame.
Comment sections already occupied by bots:
[Boycott unethical influencer][Protect animals][Platform ban now]
Zhou Zixuan's fans joined the frenzy, swarming Lin Wan's account with curses.
Even the production team messaged politely:
"Given current public concerns… future cooperation may require reassessment."
Reassessment = suspension.
Suspension = disaster.
Lin Wan sat frozen in the dressing room.
Face pale.
Fingers icy.
She knew black PR tactics.
But this speed… this brutality…
It was suffocating.
At her feet—
Er'gou looked up.
Blue eyes sharp.
Reading everything.
The hatred. The lies.
A cold fury ignited inside him.
He nudged her hand.
Then—
Raised a paw.
Pointed at her laptop.
Lin Wan hesitated.
Chen Lin's warning echoed in her head.
Stay public. Stay visible. But be careful.
She inhaled slowly.
Checked the room.
No one watching.
Laptop open.
Hotspot connected.
Account backend loaded.
Er'gou leapt onto the chair.
Paws on the desk.
Eyes locked on the screen.
Lin Wan slid the laptop closer.
Something changed.
Er'gou's gaze hardened.
Focused.
Predatory.
He lifted his right paw.
Hovered over the touchpad.
Slight tremor—
Not fear.
Precision calibration.
Then—
He moved.
Click.
Swipe.
Tap tap tap.
Browser opened.
Search bar filled.
Rumor keywords.
Marketing accounts.
Profiles.
Posting history.
Engagement anomalies.
Data trails.
Lin Wan stared, jaw slack.
The paw speed.
The logic.
The accuracy.
This is insane…
Within minutes—
Targets identified.
Three major rumor leaders.
Accounts previously linked to Zhou Zixuan's studio.
Er'gou opened a DM window.
Paused.
Lin Wan whispered nervously:
"What are you doing? We don't have proof—"
The paw descended.
Typing began.
Slow.
Painfully difficult.
Yet unstoppable.
Letter by letter:
Evidence secured. Legal notice (partial screenshots attached) will be sent to your corporate email and publicly disclosed within ten minutes. Delete and apologize immediately. Otherwise, see you in court.
Attachments:
Summary of recent fund transfers linked to Zhou Zixuan Studio (redacted)
Partial internal chat records discussing smear directives
Lin Wan's eyes widened.
The wording—
Cold.
Dominant.
Terrifyingly professional.
Exactly Silas Moore's crisis PR style.
"You—when did you get these screenshots?!"
Er'gou didn't answer.
Just glanced at her.
Blue eyes saying:
Irrelevant.
Next tab.
Cloud storage login.
Folders.
Evidence archives.
Screenshots.
Audio.
Documents.
Er'gou dragged files into the DM.
Sent.
Cleared traces.
Logged out.
History wiped.
Then—
Weibo compose window opened.
But Er'gou didn't type.
He launched a video editor.
Imported footage.
Lin Wan's breath caught.
Backstage clips from today's filming.
Zhou Zixuan discreetly signaling Prince with his foot.
Zhou Zixuan pacing the hallway on a phone call.
Silent—
But the lip movements were unmistakable.
"Husky."
"Black material."
"Traffic manipulation."
Er'gou trimmed.
Cut.
Zoomed.
Added subtitles:
Truth often lives outside the camera.
He circled Zhou Zixuan's mouth in red.
Added text analysis.
Frame by frame.
Savage.
Clinical.
Deadly.
Upload complete.
Caption typed by Lin Wan's shaking hands:
@WanWan & Er'gou Daily: The innocent fear no scrutiny. Today's backstage bonus.
Post.
Send.
Er'gou dropped to the floor.
Panting.
Exhausted.
But eyes—
Still burning.
Still watching.
Lin Wan stared at the screen.
Comments surged in real time.
Wind direction—
Reversing.
[HOLY SH*T THAT VIDEO][Zhou Zixuan staged the whole thing?!][Lip reading doesn't lie][Er'gou wasn't "abused," he was DISGUSTED 😂][Protect WanWan & Er'gou]
Ten minutes later—
The loudest rumor accounts began deleting posts.
Silently.
Frantically.
One even posted a weak clarification:
"Information inaccurate. Apologies."
Zhou Zixuan's Weibo?
Dead silent.
No posts.
No response.
No arrogance.
Just—
Digital graveyard quiet.
On the dressing room floor—
Er'gou finally closed his eyes.
Battle won.
For now.