Chapter 53 Anonymous Leak

"Yes, the principal personally spoke with me and expressed his hope that I could help these underprivileged students. I am merely following his instructions."

Hearing this, Instructor Wu's expression softened somewhat, though his tone remained discontented: "Even so, you must maintain a sense of proportion and ensure that these students do not neglect their studies because of their part-time jobs."

"Rest assured, I will keep a close eye on them," Lin Qianfan agreed with a nod.

Instructor Wu waved his hand, signaling him to leave.

Soon, the news of Lin Qianfan hiring students as delivery personnel spread across the campus.

"I heard Lin Qianfan is paying out delivery wages now. He must be making a fortune, right?"

"Indeed. Running his own milk tea shop, operating a delivery service, and hiring people to work—he's truly impressive."

"Just look at how long the semester has been, and he's already earning this much. It's so enviable."

The girls in the class were also chattering endlessly.

"If only my boyfriend were half as capable."

"Ah, why are all the exceptional guys never my boyfriend?"

Listening to these remarks, Xu Qian experienced a whirlwind of complicated emotions.

Staring at her phone, the more she thought about it, the angrier she grew, her fingers tapping rapidly against the screen.

Not long after, an anonymous public account published an article directly targeting Lin Qianfan.

"A certain student, under the guise of entrepreneurship, is actually exploiting his fellow classmates, fattening his own pockets with the blood and sweat of impoverished students for exorbitant profits!"

"Furthermore, he betrayed his girlfriend and was seduced by Xia Ruo, tangling up with her."

"Utterly selfish and devoid of any social responsibility—how can someone like this possibly be held up as a role model?"

The article not only detailed the operational model of Lin Qianfan's delivery platform but also incorporated numerous baseless accusations.

"Did you know? The delivery workers he hires make only a few yuan per order. After running around in exhaustion all day, Lin Qianfan just sits back and counts the money."

"I heard he even intentionally depresses the delivery workers' wages, deducting money under all sorts of pretexts."

Although these claims lacked any concrete evidence, the phrasing was sharp and the logic seemingly meticulous, making it intensely inflammatory.

As soon as the article dropped, the campus social network exploded instantly.

"Is this for real? Lin Qianfan is actually this heartless?"

"I knew it! How could a student be this successful? Turns out he made his fortune by exploiting his peers."

"Isn't he the campus heartthrob? To think he's doing this kind of filth behind the scenes—truly disgusting."

Voices of skepticism multiplied, and some students even began forwarding the article in their class chat groups, attaching their own commentary:

"Everyone take a look. This is our school's 'star figure'—simply sickening."

However, dissenting opinions also existed.

"Are you people really that easily swayed? Is there any proof in that article?"

"I used to work part-time on his platform, and I've never encountered any of these issues. My wages were always settled accurately."

"Stop letting the trolls lead you by the nose. This article smells fishy from the start."

The two opposing viewpoints clashed, and the debate grew increasingly fierce.

Lin Qianfan sat in his studio, his peripheral vision sweeping across his roommates' phone screens as he caught sight of screenshots of that article circulating in the WeChat group.

"Brother Fan, have you seen this? This article paints you practically as a capitalist," Yong Pan said, handing over his phone with a rebellious edge to his tone.

"I've seen it," Lin Qianfan replied, setting aside his book in a calm tone.

"Aren't you angry?"

"Being angry is useless."

"But this article is trending everywhere on campus right now, and a lot of people are starting to curse you out," Dawei added.

"If you don't clarify things soon, the fallout is going to be massive."

The corners of Lin Qianfan's lips curved upward slightly. "The more you defend yourself, the guiltier you look. It's better to let them make a ruckus first."

"Then what do you plan to do? You can't just endure this indefinitely," Xiao Yang said, looking somewhat baffled.

"Of course not." Lin Qianfan sat up, looking toward the group. "Which of you has a spare account?"

Yong Pan blinked in surprise. "A spare account? What are you planning?"

"Open a burner account and muddy the waters even further."

"Huh?" the others uttered in unison.

Lin Qianfan chuckled lightly. "Since someone wants to play the game of public opinion, we'll gladly play a proper round with them."

Soon enough, a new account quietly emerged on the campus social platform.

"I heard Lin Qianfan isn't just exploiting his classmates, but he's also secretly colluding with certain merchants to pocket illegal income."

"What's even more outrageous is that he's planning to monopolize the delivery market near the campus and suppress competitors."

This post was even more absurd than the previous anonymous article, but the phrasing carried a pseudo-authoritative "inside scoop" vibe, sparking an even greater wave of discussion.

"Oh my god, he actually did all these filthy things?"

"Is this true? Isn't this a bit too exaggerated?"

"Doesn't anyone else think this leak sounds a bit fake? Planting cameras? Monopolizing the delivery market? Can a mere student have that kind of capability?"

"But the earlier article already stated he made his fortune through exploitation; these things aren't entirely impossible."

"Stop believing this messy gossip. Claims without proof are just empty talk."

For a time, the focal point of discussion shifted from the initial anonymous article to the hard-to-verify new revelations.

A few days later, Lin Qianfan finally broke his silence.

"Fellow students, regarding the recent rumors, I would like to clarify a few things."

He published a long article on his public account, earnest in tone.

"Regarding the wages of the delivery workers, my platform has always adhered to industry standards and provided additional subsidies for our part-time student workers. Everyone is welcome to ask the students who actually participated.

As for the claim of betraying a female classmate, it is entirely nonexistent. After an important vote back in high school, I received only a single vote, and I cherished that vote dearly at the time.

Later on, Xu Qian approached me and claimed that she was the one who cast it. From that moment on, I became her loyal knight, yet Xu Qian kept me dangling all along.

Only later did I discover that she wasn't the one who voted for me—it was Xia Ruo."

At the end of the post, he specifically mentioned the anonymous author of the article: "I do not know with what motive this classmate chose to publish such content."

As soon as the article was published, it immediately triggered a fresh round of discussion.

"I told you so! Those rumors were completely untrustworthy."

"Lin Qianfan's explanation is well-reasoned and supported by facts; it doesn't sound like lying."

"What about the anonymous author, then? If they had the guts to leak this, why don't they dare to step forward?"

Concurrently, Lin Qianfan attached some past photographs of himself and Xia Ruo, briefly touching upon the nature of their relationship.

"Xia Ruo and I have been friends since high school, and she has consistently supported my endeavors. I hope everyone will not be misled by certain untruthful remarks."

These words caused many students to experience a sudden moment of realization.

"So that's how it is. No wonder someone went out of their way to smear him—pure jealousy."

"In this day and age, capable people are always easy targets."

"Was the anonymous author perhaps Xia Ruo's love rival? Pulling this stunt out of petty jealousy?"

The tide of public opinion gradually began to reverse, and Xu Qian's name was brought up by several students.

As for Xu Qian herself, by this point, she had completely panicked.

She never expected matters to escalate to this extent, nor did she anticipate that Lin Qianfan would direct the spearhead straight at the anonymous author.

Ever since the article was published, she hadn't dared to step outside, hiding in her dormitory day after day, refusing to eat or attend classes.

"Qianqian, you can't go on like this," her roommate advised repeatedly, but to no avail.