A smokeless war swept through the comment section of X Station, ending in the defeat of one party.

Hu Ying threw away his keyboard and slumped in front of the screen, his expression full of indignation. That woman actually hired a group of internet water army to attack his comment section. All his videos were flooded by "Yin-Yang People" alternate accounts!

These internet water army were clearly professionals. They made Hu Ying feel as uncomfortable as if he had swallowed a fly, yet their comments were never deleted by the administrators. Hu Ying could only step in personally to moderate the comments. However, the more he deleted, the more comments flooded in. In the end, he gave up on resisting.

"Why did it turn out like this..." Hu Ying despaired, covering his face with his hands.

The chain of events started like this.

There was a user on X Station named "Xi Jiang," who was active in the gaming section. Although her gaming skills were mediocre, she had a decent appearance, and occasionally played Hearthstone on the side, accumulating a group of loyal "licking dog" fans.

Last year, a young male celebrity joined X Station and quickly became a popular UP with millions of fans, thanks to the support of his followers on Weibo. Around the same time, Xi Jiang switched to the lifestyle section and started a CP (couple pairing) fandom with the young celebrity.

Unbelievably, the fans of Xi Jiang and the fandom of the young celebrity managed to reach some kind of agreement and peacefully coexist. They proudly called themselves "one family" and even formed a "marriage proposal association."

Xi Jiang and Hu Ying were completely unrelated, and it was impossible for them to have any interactions. However, since Hu Ying deleted his video about the doll, Xi Jiang started riding the coattails of the remaining popularity. As a result, conflicts arose between Hu Ying and Xi Jiang.

As for why Hu Ying deleted the video?

Hu Ying considered himself a principled and righteous young man. After returning the doll to Xu Tong, he realized that the doll manufacturing company wanted to keep a low profile, so it was inappropriate to showcase their products without permission. If he continued to keep the doll video on his channel, what would be the difference between that and profiting from a shady business deal?

So, he immediately deleted the doll video with millions of views and explained his reasons in a post.

From a personal standpoint, Hu Ying didn't actually want to delete the doll video because it had become so popular, bringing in a wave of traffic and possibly even leading to his rise in popularity. It was highly likely that this breakout in a niche industry could attract new financial opportunities, and Hu Ying would have been more than happy to take advantage of it. However, in the end, he gave up on those potential benefits.

Many fans admired Hu Ying's dedication to his principles, but some passersby doubted his true motivations. Some conspiracy theorists attempted to uncover the so-called "truth."

Some claimed that Hu Ying had a copyright dispute with the doll company, which was why X Station took down the video. Others said that the figure in the video wasn't actually a doll but a real person, and Hu Ying took it down out of guilt. Of course, these conspiracy theorists were quickly drowned out by Hu Ying's fans. After all, even capitalists who engaged in charity for tax avoidance would be praised by the public, let alone Hu Ying, who gave up potential profits.

The story should have ended here. Hu Ying continued to make content about BJD dolls, pretending as if the incident with the physical doll never happened. However, "Xi Jiang" decided to step into the spotlight at this moment.

She posted a cosplay video imitating the doll. Because Xi Jiang was a petite girl and heavily relied on beauty filters, she looked like a middle schooler at first glance, making people easily overlook her actual age.

Whether it was serious or just a joke, the next day she posted a status update claiming that the doll that had gained popularity recently was actually a real person, and she was the actress who portrayed the doll. At that time, her makeup was quite complicated, and the average person wouldn't be able to recognize her.

After this status update, some people started mentioning Hu Ying crazily, and he soon found out about it. After watching Xi Jiang's video, he almost vomited out his lunch.

In the video, the woman was wearing the same clothes he had bought for the doll. She awkwardly imitated a character archetype of a "San Wu Loli" (a fictional loli character with no personality, no humor), but it was neither funny nor interesting. It made people cringe.

Hu Ying was furious: How could an old woman like her, pretending to be young, have no shame? Just focus on your fandom, why do you have to steal attention from me? Get lost, you bootleg!

At that time, Hu Ying was still at his company. He stopped working and directly mentioned Xi Jiang on X Station, criticizing her and warning her to delete the video, or else she would face the consequences.

Upon seeing Hu Ying's post, his fans empathized with him and immediately flooded Xi Jiang's comment section. Some were so emotionally charged that they could only express themselves through three-word phrases in English.

Onlookers flocked to witness the drama, with sales of melon seeds and drinks booming, fearing that peace in the world would make their lives dull.

Xiao Hu's simping fans couldn't tolerate anyone criticizing their goddess. So they rallied their forces and launched an all-out attack on the comment section and bullet screen of all of Hu Ying's videos. Hu Ying's private messages were also flooded. In no time, Hu Ying's homepage became chaotic.

That night, Hu Ying couldn't sleep. He opened his computer and engaged in a fierce confrontation with Xiao Hu's simping fans.

Although the number of simping fans was large, their fighting power was mediocre. Hu Ying was able to refute them without breaking a sweat. Frustrated and unable to argue back, they resorted to insulting Hu Ying's family, only to be banned by the disciplinary committee.

After defeating the simping fans, Hu Ying thought he had won. However, the conspiracy theories resurfaced, with some people questioning Hu Ying's motives for deleting the doll original video, attacking his character in the process.

In an instant, Hu Ying went from being on the side of justice to being labeled as a "crazy dog attacking the adorable Xiao Hu because of envy and impotent rage."

At this moment, Xiao Hu finally responded to Hu Ying. Surprisingly, she stood up for him, pleading that he was just momentarily impulsive in his words. She hoped that everyone would not fight and valued peace. She said she would not mind the verbal attacks and believed in justice.

In Xiao Hu's comment section, a large number of people left messages:

"Protect!!"

"Protect our up!"

"Is this an angel? I love her so much."

"Xiao Hu is so adorable, sniffles. Compared to that person, it's clear who's superior."

"Xiao Hu, don't pay attention to the crazy dog. That person only knows how to spread rumors and leech off popularity. He can't stand others making money."

"Brothers and sisters, let's report the crazy dog's videos together. This person has already crossed the line with his provocations!!"

"I've been following Hu Ying since last year. His doll videos used to be interesting, but I didn't expect him to be like this. I've unfollowed him."

"..."

The wind had changed. Under the guidance of the water army, even some uninformed pedestrians were deceived, sending angry private messages to Hu Ying.

Fans of young idols also joined the battlefield, skillfully arranging the situation against Hu Ying. Even some of Hu Ying's own fans advised him to apologize, as it seemed to them that Hu Ying was the one who had verbally attacked Xiao Hu first.

Hu Ying's reputation was completely tarnished this time. In just two days, he lost twenty thousand followers.

Sitting alone in front of the computer, Hu Ying despairingly covered his face, feeling like crying but unable to shed tears.

Should he really apologize? No, he would rather die than apologize! He hadn't done anything wrong, so why should he apologize?

But if he didn't apologize, how would things end? He was just one person, while the young idols had professional public relations teams that could manipulate public opinion better than him. If things continued like this, he might not be able to survive on X platform.

Just then, Hu Ying's phone rang. He thought it was his boss calling. These past few days, he hadn't been focused on work because he was immersed in the online confrontation.

But the caller ID showed an unfamiliar number.

"Hello? Who is this?" He pressed the answer button, not bothering with polite greetings due to his bad mood.

"Boss, someone actually picked up..."

Hu Ying faintly heard a fuzzy voice on the other end of the phone, mixed with other random noises. However, the chaotic sounds only lasted for a few seconds, quickly returning to silence. Then, a clear and pleasant voice followed - gentle and steady, more delightful to listen to than any sound he had ever heard... and it felt familiar.

"Mr. Hu Ying, I'm glad you didn't change your phone number."

Hu Ying was stunned for a moment. "Ah, oh, it's you..."

"I'm the head of the doll company. You can call me 'Gussy'. I wonder if you're interested in continuing to collaborate with our company?"

From shock to excitement, Hu Ying struggled to suppress his tone. But he quickly calmed down and said, "I was just thinking about that. Can we have a face-to-face meeting?"

"I'm sorry, but currently, we are not in the country. We can discuss through video instead."

...

After becoming friends, Hu Ying and Gussy had a video call. And it started with a bolt of lightning!

"Hello, nice to see you again. Have you missed me?" Gussy greeted Hu Ying.

"You, you, you... can speak?"

On the screen was the doll that he had once picked up, but unlike last time when it was stiff, it now had vivid expressions and its eyes, beautiful and pitch-black, seemed to be diving into his soul.

Cute and delicate, it gathers all kinds of beauty and yet remains so real. It doesn't need to act cute like Hichan, its existence itself is adorable.

Real or special effects?

Hu Ying couldn't help but suspect if he was having a conversation with a virtual character. Recently, there were more virtual creators on the X site, those who role-play as characters from the second dimension.

But after hesitating for a moment, Hu Ying felt otherwise. Firstly, the environment behind the doll was entirely three-dimensional scenery. Secondly, the doll had been staring at his eyes, conveying its emotions without any hint of stiffness.

"Don't doubt it, everything you see is real..." Gussy adjusted the angle of the phone, "Did you see the man driving just now? His name is Ma Youcai, and the girl next to me is called Heize Lianyue. They are both from the company."

Lianyue greeted him, but Ma Youcai didn't turn around and remained focused on driving.

"..."

After thinking for a while, Hu Ying still couldn't figure out how the doll actually moved. Was it... alive?

Hu Ying voiced his doubts.

"If you consider 'alive' as an individual with an independent consciousness, then undoubtedly, yes. The first time we met, I was also alive, I just didn't move back then. As for my form of existence, you can think of me as an extraterrestrial."

Extraterrestrial, that makes it easier to understand. But when it comes to moral issues, it still feels awkward, especially considering Gussy's behavior and speech, which is no different from an adult.

Hu Ying remembered what he had done to the doll before, his face turned red, and he said, "I'm sorry, I didn't know at that time, cough, I apologize!"

"I forgive you. Now, let's talk about our collaboration!"

"Collaboration?"

"Yes, it's like this..."

At this moment, the camera suddenly shook, and Hu Ying heard the sharp sound of brakes and the shattering of glass, mixed with... gunshots?

"Damn it, boss! Help! Someone is shooting at us, I almost died!" The boy exaggeratedly cried for help.

"Shut up, Youjun. Don't remind the enemy that you're still alive," said the girl in a low and scolding voice.

"Uh oh..."

"Sorry, Hu Ying, we have a small problem here. Wait a few minutes, I'll call you back later." Gussy hung up the call.

Hu Ying was at a loss. Was the other side shooting a movie?

Five minutes later, Gussy resumed the video call.

"Let's continue our conversation... The collaboration is about you helping us promote as the representative of X Site, letting more people know about me. I'll send you a few vlogs, and you can post them on X Site for more people to share. The reward is one million, and I have already prepaid half of it. After you complete the task, I'll send you the remaining amount... Of course, you can choose not to help us, I won't force you."

Hu Ying opened his phone and found that his account had received a remittance of five hundred thousand. He was shocked, and when he looked back at Gussy, he felt an unparalleled determination.

"No problem, I will definitely make you famous."

Despite the fact that the doll's company didn't seem like a legitimate one, Hu Ying still wanted to help them. It wasn't about the money... well, they did offer quite a lot.

Apart from the money, he felt a strong connection with Gussy. He picked it up and sent it away, and now, when he needed help, it came back.

As long as Gussy was willing to appear on the internet, without Hu Ying needing to explain, that shameless Hichan and her fans in the "fresh meat" circle would naturally crumble!

Hu Ying wanted everyone to see the difference between original and pirated, and also, he wasn't a desperate money-chasing dog!