The Art of Reputation

Everyone knew Jiang Li would retaliate, and everyone was waiting for her.

To be fair, being slandered and led astray to such an extent was no longer a matter of ‘the innocent clearing their own name.’ Regardless, she had to say something, even if it was just a simple clarification.

Otherwise, as a dignified legendary chief student, she couldn’t possibly remain ‘motionless like a tortoise’ (TL Note: A Chinese saying implying cowardice or inaction).

Thus, when the post that appeared to be a clarification was published, countless eyes converged upon it.

“Yun姐, Yun姐!”

Yun Caiyi’s subordinate immediately reported, “Jiang Li’s people have posted!”

Someone handed her a phone, and as Yun Caiyi took it and began to read, her brows gradually furrowed.

Why was it described as ‘appearing’ to be a clarification post?

Because—

[Don’t listen to these people spreading rumors; I’m their classmate. While their situation might seem like a fact, it’s actually nothing of the sort.]

[Jiang Li is indeed stern with others, but that’s just her personality and style; it has nothing to do with anything else.]

[It’s true that she’s always with her big-chested roommate, but they’re roommates and deskmates. It’s perfectly normal for them to be close, isn’t it?]

How to put it? If one were to call this a clarification post, the strength of this clarification…

It was only marginally better than ‘completely fabricated’ and ‘already handled by a lawyer.’

Yun Caiyi exited the post, only to discover several new ones.

[I’m their classmate, and I remember both of them. Frankly, that big-chested girl is truly vibrant, and it’s very easy to get along with her. If I were in Jiang Li’s shoes, I’d want to be closer to her too.]

[We’re not in the same class, but we live on the same dorm floor. We’ve spoken a few times, and the big-chested girl is incredibly thoughtful. Jiang Li doesn’t even need to speak; she can help say everything.]

[Honestly, if I had such a beautiful, big-chested girl by my side—someone cheerful and vibrant, understanding, gentle, and considerate—I too would involuntarily grow close to her, perhaps even become useless from relying on her. It’s only human nature, and Jiang Li is no different. This is a very normal behavior; there’s no need to overanalyze it, is there?]

[Exactly! If it were me, I’d do the same. By your logic, does that mean I’m a lesbian too?]

Yun Caiyi stared at these posts, her brows tightly knit, sensing something peculiar but unable to pinpoint what was amiss.

Behind her, a subordinate chuckled, “Yun姐, Jiang Li’s people must be dizzy. To whitewash her own actions, they’re intensely praising a mediocre student who ranks only around eight hundred.”

‘That’s right,’ she thought. ‘Her grades are quite ordinary. What’s the point of praising her so extravagantly? Will anyone believe it?’

This thought flashed through Yun Caiyi’s mind, and she turned to a certain subordinate. “What do you all think?”

While she said “you all,” she was actually addressing only one person.

He was the smartest among her subordinates, and more importantly, his ideas always aligned perfectly with Yun Caiyi’s own.

Both the scheme to bribe students with better grades last semester and this current plan to slander Jiang Li had been his suggestions.

“Yun Caiyi, Jiang Li has clearly thrown herself into disarray. She’s attempting to elevate that girl, Xi Yao, to make everyone believe that it’s normal to rely on her because Xi Yao is so capable, and that anyone else would do the same. Such a flimsy tactic is transparent; it won’t fool anyone.”

Others chimed in as well.

“Exactly, she’s truly been rattled by us.”

“Her panic-stricken appearance is laughable.”

For a moment, the tea room filled with a cheerful atmosphere.

****

“I don’t quite understand.”

In Dorm 502, Jiang Li had also seen the posts Aileen had arranged to be published, scrutinizing them several times over.

She found it difficult to distinguish which posts were from Aileen’s side and which were from Yun Caiyi’s people; some even seemed like deliberate reverse psychology.

Xi Yao sat obediently, her hands resting on her thighs, not daring to speak.

She understood the situation, but precisely because of that, she knew it wasn’t the right moment to voice her thoughts.

“It might appear a bit meaningless, even a little disingenuous, but it doesn’t matter. The focus isn’t on Yun Caiyi’s side; if it can lull them into a false sense of security, all the better, but even if the effect is minimal, it’s fine,” Aileen explained. “The crucial point is the others—the onlookers. We need to subtly embed Xi Yao into their impressions.”

She had mentioned before that the most damaging aspect of the public opinion Yun Caiyi was stirring up was how it transformed the students’ impression of Jiang Li into one of diminishing leadership.

After all, everyone would assume that if you constantly relied on one person, like a mama’s boy, your leadership skills must be lacking.

However, a crucial question arose: in a fixed relationship between two people, leadership was conserved. If one person had less, the other inherently had more.

Jiang Li relies on Xi Yao. In other words, Xi Yao is so amazing that she can even take care of a reclusive genius like Jiang Li.

Jiang Li began to grasp the meaning. “Simply put, it’s about establishing an image for Xi Yao?”

“Precisely, and utilizing the public opinion war between you and Yun Caiyi to transfer your popularity to Xi Yao,” Aileen paused, then shook her head. “No, it should be called replicating it, amplifying it together.”

Popularity isn’t conserved; an imperfect genius is more authentic, and her submissive position in this two-person relationship creates a contrast that can appear quite endearing, potentially leading to even greater popularity.

Aileen had calculated everything meticulously.

Of course, she hadn’t yet confirmed whether these two were truly a lesbian couple, but it didn’t matter; that wasn’t important.

As long as they didn’t hold hands, kiss, or sleep together in front of her, Aileen couldn’t stand anything inelegant.

“What’s next, then?” Jiang Li inquired. “What should we do now?”

Aileen picked up her teacup, only to realize the warm water she had poured earlier had grown cold. Glancing at the eager Xi Yao, she hesitated for a long moment before rising to refill it herself.

“From now on, you don’t need to worry about the popularity aspect. Yun Caiyi won’t notice Xi Yao; she’ll only think you haven’t given up. The people I’ve arranged will continue to post and keep the argument going. The more they argue, the more Xi Yao’s popularity will flourish.”

After speaking, she took a sip of the freshly refilled warm water, finding it quite pleasant.

“But,” Jiang Li pressed, “what do I need to do?”

“You don’t need to do anything at all. If you’re truly bored, you can occasionally check the forums, but remember to maintain a good mindset and not take anything to heart.”

“…”

Xi Yao’s spirits lifted. “What about me? Do I have anything specific to do?”

“First, take care of yourself. Yun Caiyi isn’t paying attention to you because your last exam scores didn’t meet the election criteria; they were far off,” Aileen’s mouth twitched. “When the actual elections come, don’t you dare have any issues with your grades.”

“That certainly won’t happen.”

‘My academic scores are definitely fine,’ Xi Yao thought. ‘It’s just my physical education that’s a bit lacking.’

‘However, I truly need to put in more effort. Aileen is orchestrating this public opinion battle, Jiang Li is training her mindset; everyone is so motivated, so I need to push myself too.’

‘I’ll go for a run tomorrow morning!’