Chapter 4

The next morning, public opinion exploded as expected.

But the direction of the explosion was completely different from what Chloe had anticipated.

Last night's anti-vice raid at The Scarlet Lounge became a local trending topic. Bystanders caught photos of Chloe being escorted into a police car, looking disheveled.

Though her face was pixelated, her distinctive haute couture dress and limited-edition bag were immediately recognized by sharp-eyed fans.

"Holy shit! Isn't that Chloe, the million-follower blogger who constantly preaches 'female independence' and 'safety precautions'?"

"What's going on? The female empowerment blogger is playing this wild behind the scenes? Suspected of prostitution?"

"Inside scoop: apparently, it wasn't prostitution, but she was playing some 'real-life test' that backfired badly and nearly got her assaulted by a fan."

The internet instantly blew up.

Chloe's team reacted incredibly fast. In less than two hours, they released a clarification video.

In the video, Chloe appeared without makeup, her eyes red and swollen, face pale, looking pitiful.

"Hello everyone, I'm Chloe. Regarding last night's incident, I must clarify."

She choked back tears, large drops falling.

"Last night, I was trying to help my best friend with a 'fear of men desensitization test.' She's been unable to move past her past trauma, and I was too eager, wanting to use the most realistic scenario to stimulate her."

"I found a trusted fan to help me stage it, but I never expected my friend to misunderstand my good intentions. Not only did she abandon me at the last minute, she also locked me in the room and even falsely reported me to the police, slandering me..."

"I'm truly heartbroken. I poured my whole heart into helping her, why would she do this to me?"

As soon as this video was released, public opinion instantly reversed.

Chloe's long-cultivated persona as a "confidante" and "women's protector" played a huge role.

Countless fans flooded the comment section, beginning to furiously insult the "ungrateful friend."

"This friend is so toxic, isn't she? Someone tries to help her kindly, and she bites back?"

"Fear of men? I think it's more like a victim complex! People like her should be avoided!"

"Doxx her! Find this viper and make her apologize to Chloe!"

Soon, all my personal information was dug up.

My name, school, major, even records of my past therapy sessions were exposed online.

Countless malicious DMs and texts flooded in like a tide, making my phone almost unusable.

The university counselor's call also came through to Ethan's phone.

"Ethan, are you with Alice Stone? The current online controversy is negatively impacting the university. The department has decided to suspend Alice from classes for her to reflect at home. As her boyfriend, you should also be mindful of your influence and not get involved in this mess."

Ethan hung up immediately and threw his phone aside.

He turned to look at me, his eyes sharp as knives.

"Do you want me to get her account taken down?"

I sat on the sofa, looking at the disgusting insults on the computer screen, a cold smile on my lips.

"No need," I said, taking a sip of coffee. "Taking down her account now would be too easy. The higher you climb, the harder you fall."

I pulled out the voice recorder. Inside was Chloe's admission from last night, "It's more impactful if it's real," and the complete chat logs between her and that perverted fan, which I had backed up long ago.

But this wasn't enough.

In my previous life, Chloe relied on her powerful PR team and her skill at taking things out of context to twist black into white.

With just this evidence, she could easily claim it was a fan acting on their own, and that she was a victim too.

What I wanted was ironclad proof that would nail her to the pillar of shame.

I wanted to peel back her hypocritical facade and show the entire internet what kind of vile schemes this "women's protector" spouting righteousness and morality was really up to behind the scenes.