Chapter 124: The Meeting of Two Beauties

P.S. The May Day update is here! Don’t rush off to play just yet—remember to cast your monthly vote first. Starting now, the Qidian 515 Fan Festival is offering double monthly votes, and there are other events with red packets, so be sure to check those out!

P.S. Working away on a computer in an internet cafe on May Day... it’s truly heart-wrenching... tears streaming...

Just as Lin Feng was visiting Ou Lin, he once again became the center of public opinion online. The cause this time: Lin Feng had been expelled from the Yanjing Institute of Physical Education.

The official Yanjing Institute of Physical Education Weibo posted the latest update: "Student Lin Feng has shown contempt for school rules and discipline, repeatedly refusing to mend his ways. The school has now decided to revoke his student status!"

The school’s official account did not have many followers, but because the matter involved Lin Feng and was such explosive news, the post went viral instantly. In less than half an hour, it had been retweeted over 100,000 times—a terrifying number for a school’s official account. Once the media took notice, the school’s phones were immediately overwhelmed.

Yan Weihua’s hands grew tired from answering calls, and he eventually had his assistant decline all interviews. However, in the phone interviews he did accept, he concocted a series of baseless accusations against Lin Feng, disparaging him until he had no redeeming qualities left.

Soon, news of Lin Feng’s expulsion from the Yanjing Institute of Physical Education appeared on all major web portals.

"Lin Feng is in trouble again! This time, he’s been expelled from school!"
"Lin Feng expelled from Yanjing Institute of Physical Education for contempt of school rules!"
"Yanjing Institute President: A black sheep should be kicked out of school, no matter how famous he is."
"Lin Feng—a genius abandoned by the world!"

As each news story broke, netizens began another round of heated debate.

"Lin Feng’s ability to stir up trouble is truly unmatched."
"He actually got kicked out of school? What on earth is wrong with Lin Feng?"
"He must have gotten arrogant after becoming famous. It’s not like this hasn’t happened before."
"I’m suddenly a bit disappointed in Lin Feng. I’ve always supported him, but being expelled from school? He must have committed a mistake the school simply couldn’t tolerate."
"I agree with the person above. I stood by Lin Feng when he clashed with the Basketball Association, but this time it’s hard to say. As his alma mater, the Yanjing Institute of Physical Education has no reason to maliciously smear him."
"Spilling some tea: you were all actually deceived by Lin Feng before. I’m a student at the institute from the same year as him. Although I wasn’t close to him, I often ran into him in the dorms. Lin Feng’s character has always been poor. Not long ago, he dumped his girlfriend just to get close to Diva Qin. Most of the students from our year know this. I posted about it before, but got flamed by his fans..."
"Holy crap, the person above is telling the truth! We have to upvote this!"
"Upvoting! So, does this mean Qin Ruolin is the other woman??"
"..."

There were many voices online, but this time, the majority of netizens stood on the side of the Yanjing Institute of Physical Education. Some even went as far as to fabricate "inside information," smearing Lin Feng until he was completely disgraced.

...

Leaving the detention center, it wasn't until Lin Feng was on his way back to Qin Ruolin’s villa that he learned he was in trouble again.

Seeing the Yanjing Institute’s Weibo post, Lin Feng wanted to curse. He had truly learned what it meant for the villain to file the complaint first.

Lin Feng thought for a moment, then updated his Weibo:

Heart cold, spirit chilled. I only wanted to play basketball in the NBA properly; why is it so difficult???
The Basketball Association obstructs me at every turn, and the school colludes with them.
I am just a small fry. I can’t afford to play your game, but I can afford to walk away. Therefore, I am withdrawing from the national team, quitting the CBA league, and dropping out of school...
Yet, even then, they continue to hunt me down. Heh...
Fine. If you want to play, I’ll play along until the end!
"Do not bully the young because they are poor; in thirty years, the river may flow the other way!"
One day, I will return riding on seven-colored clouds to destroy every treacherous villain who ruined me, insulted me, and schemed against me today!!
I firmly believe that day is not far off. Wait for me...

After posting, Lin Feng clenched his fists. Never before had he wanted to prove himself on the NBA stage more than at this very moment!

...

Lin Feng’s Weibo post was essentially a declaration of war.

Once it went live, the internet predictably exploded again. When Lin Feng’s fans saw the post, their blood boiled. After weathering several storms, they firmly believed in his character and integrity. Despite the vast amount of smear campaigns online, they fiercely guarded the comment section of Lin Feng’s Weibo.

Because the phrase "Do not bully the young because they are poor" did not exist in this timeline, it immediately became a buzzword, held up as a classic by countless downtrodden "losers." On Weibo and WeChat, the phrase spread like a virus.

Even Lin Feng hadn't expected that a line known to countless netizens in his previous life from the novel *Battle Through the Heavens* would become such a massive hit in this reality.

Evening.

Lin Feng once again boarded a plane bound for the United States. This time, he had two travel companions: Qin Ruolin and her assistant, Xu Lili.

Lin Feng and Qin Ruolin sat next to each other, just as they had during their first meeting.

Qin Ruolin was flying to the U.S. to shoot the music video for a song from her new album. One had to admit, a diva is willful—shooting a music video meant flying all over the world; she had just been to Europe, and now, it was the United States.

In his previous timeline, where piracy was rampant, such extravagant spending on music videos and album production would have left someone like Qin Ruolin penniless. It didn't matter if you were a king or a diva; physical albums just didn't sell.

However, things were much better here. Since there was almost no piracy, for a diva of Qin Ruolin’s stature, album sales started at five million copies, sometimes even breaking ten million. The profits were naturally substantial.

Qin Ruolin’s cold hadn't actually cleared up, but since the production team had already flown to the U.S., she had to "march into battle" while ill. Consequently, throughout the journey, Lin Feng once again served as the diva’s "pillow."

During the ten-plus-hour flight, Qin Ruolin spent seven or eight hours leaning on Lin Feng’s shoulder.

At the international arrivals gate, as Lin Feng, Qin Ruolin, and Xu Lili walked out, they saw Lin Wen and Qin Han waiting to pick them up. To Lin Feng’s surprise, Shen Mengfei was also in the group.

"Brother!"
"Sister!"

Seeing Lin Feng and Qin Ruolin, Lin Wen and Qin Han rushed over. Reunited with family, the atmosphere was naturally warm and affectionate.

After the group exchanged greetings, Shen Mengfei walked slowly toward Lin Feng and smiled faintly. "Welcome back to New York."

"Aren't you supposed to be scouting foreign players for the team? Why are you here to pick us up?" Lin Feng asked with a smile.

"Compared to picking you up, everything else is just a small matter!" A foxy smile played on Shen Mengfei’s lips as she looked at Qin Ruolin. "This must be Ruolin, right? I’ve heard so much about you!"

Qin Ruolin had spotted Shen Mengfei early on. She had assumed the woman was a friend of Lin Wen or her brother, but she hadn't expected her to be here for Lin Feng. For some reason, seeing Shen Mengfei greet Lin Feng so warmly made her feel uneasy.

It was especially unpleasant that this woman, who appeared to be around her own age, had addressed her as "Sister Ruolin." Most women didn't care for the title "sister," especially young women.

Because she was sick, Qin Ruolin had been feeling listless, but Shen Mengfei’s greeting seemed to awaken her fighting spirit.

Qin Ruolin’s beautiful eyes sparkled with a smile. She looked Shen Mengfei up and down before responding, "Since you’re a friend of our Lin Feng, just call me Ruolin..."

By referring to him as "our Lin Feng," she asserted her claim and simultaneously dropped the "sister" title.

The two women had only just met, and though they had only exchanged two sentences, every word was sharp and veiled with hidden meaning. Lin Wen and Qin Han, both being carefree, didn't notice a thing, but Lin Feng was no fool. He looked at Shen Mengfei, then at Qin Ruolin, and couldn't help but feel a headache coming on.

...

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