The situation spiraled fast.
More and more students flooded the thread, especially with it being the weekend. Curiosity turned into outrage, and outrage turned into a full-blown pile-on.
Anyone who tried to speak up with a neutral or rational take was immediately drowned out—labeled as Riley's "paid trolls" and attacked until they went silent.
Soon, no one dared to defend her.
They just watched.
And in tens of thousands of comments, every single one was condemning Riley.
Her expression cooled, her eyes darkening slightly.
She exited the thread and opened the freshman representative voting page instead.
As expected, she was ranked first.
Right behind her was Felicia, trailing by about a thousand votes.
So that's it.
Someone finally made their move.
If I hadn't noticed that passing comment accusing me of cheating my way to first place, I might have forgotten about the voting entirely.
Riley leaned back, a faint smile curling at her lips.
Release a scandal before the freshman representative assembly.
Force the school to remove me to protect its reputation.
Let second place take over.
At the same time, drive me out of Imperial University.
Clean. Efficient. Two birds with one stone.
Not bad.
She rested her chin on her hand, considering her response—
When suddenly, the door opened.
Oh shit—Adrian!
Her heart jumped.
The laptop was still out.
She scrambled, grabbing a few clothes and throwing them over it. Just as she tried to squeeze her way out—
BANG!
Her head slammed straight into the metal corner of the closet.
"Mm—!"
She clutched her head, eyes watering instantly.
Hearing the noise, Adrian kicked his wheelchair aside and strode over.
In front of her, he never bothered to hide.
He pulled open the closet.
Inside, Riley crouched there, phone in hand, eyes red, looking pitiful.
He reached in and pulled her out.
"It's fine," he said. "I'll handle this."
Riley pouted.
Handle what? Break the closet open?
Adrian glanced at the still-lit screen on her phone and switched it off for her.
"Stop looking," he said calmly. "It's just a bunch of nobodies. I've already had the post taken down."
Riley blinked, stunned.
Oh.
So he meant the campus forum.
She shook her head. "No. I want to handle it myself. You don't need to interfere."
Her tone carried a hint of stubbornness—almost like she was throwing a small tantrum.
Adrian sighed inwardly.
This fool… even her temper was stubborn.
"You just focus on your study," he said. "I'll take care of everything else. I've already tracked down who started the rumors. I'll have someone deal with it."
Riley froze.
That fast?
I've only been reading comments for a few minutes, and he's already making a move?
No.
That won't do.
If I don't settle this myself after being smeared like this…
I'll never be satisfied.
"No," she said firmly. "I want to deal with it myself."
Adrian frowned. "How? Argue with them online?"
That would only make things worse.
The more she argued, the more people would twist it against her. Once labeled guilty, public opinion rarely cared about the truth.
But Riley didn't back down.
"Trust me," she said, her voice steady. "I can handle it. No arguing. No fighting. I'll clear my name."
There was something different in her eyes.
Clear. Certain.
For a moment, Adrian paused.
Then, without fully understanding why—
"Fine," he said. "I won't interfere for now."
The moment the words left his mouth, Adrian regretted it.
She doesn't know anything.
How is she supposed to handle this?
What if things spiral further and only make her look worse?
But when he looked at her, at that bright, almost glowing face, the words to stop her just wouldn't come out.
He sighed.
Forget it.
Let her play around for a bit.
If things get out of hand, I'll step in.
After all, I already know who's behind the post.
Adrian had been worried she'd feel hurt after seeing it.
But now, watching her stand there, smiling as if nothing had happened, he shook his head helplessly.
Ignorance really is bliss.
He turned and went back to his study.
***
The moment Riley confirmed he was gone, she pulled her laptop back out.
Then, with a few quick keystrokes, she restored the post he had just taken down.
The forum, which had suddenly gone quiet when the post disappeared, exploded again the moment it reappeared.
A flood of question marks filled the comments.
[Did someone delete it? Feeling guilty?]
[Hahaha, that fool didn't expect this, did she? She's already pissed everyone off. Even if this post disappears, more will pop up. And whoever exposed her? Absolute legend—can't even be shut down!]
The mocking tone was relentless.
Riley skimmed through it, let out a soft scoff, and closed the page.
Then she went downstairs and casually asked Martha for two plates of snacks.
Tomorrow was the final day of the freshman representative vote.
For now, she would wait.
Let them make their next move.
She wasn't being paranoid.
In the entire university, the only people who had a real grudge against her was Felicia and her little followers.
***
At that moment, in the Cole residence, Felicia sat at the piano.
She had seen the post.
Excitement gleamed in her eyes.
Go on. Make it worse.
Let the whole university see how disgusting Riley really is.
A satisfied smile spread across her face.
Earlier that day, she had failed an audition and had been in a foul mood.
But now, seeing Riley dragged through the mud, her spirits lifted instantly.
She even began humming softly.
Her phone rang.
She frowned slightly as she picked it up, but the moment she saw the caller ID, her expression softened, her voice turning sweet.
"Hi Selena. Do you have a new job for me?"
On the other end was her manager, Selena Lockwood.
"Felicia." Selena's voice was brisk. "You're on Heaven-Sent Talent this Wednesday. Voting and gifts apply. Start a livestream now and build engagement. You need to hit the top thirty."
"More gifts, higher rank. More screen time." A beat. "Don't mess this up."
"Of course, I got it!" Felicia said quickly.
But the moment the call ended, her face fell.
Sure, I have some popularity on the show.
But most of it comes from my mother spending money.
Where am I supposed to find that many real fans?
She sighed, posted a livestream announcement, messaged Elaine, then went to put on a flawless makeup look and change into something pretty before starting her stream.
***
Meanwhile, in the boys' dorm, someone burst into the room, holding up their phone.
"Damn, Henry, our class sweetheart is getting dragged online!"
They shoved the post in front of Henry.
Henry quickly wrapped up his game, pulled off his headset, and frowned as he read.
The accusations are vicious.
The post is backed with clips and images.
Clearly premeditated.
He scrolled through the comments, his expression growing darker with every swipe.