Chapter 154: Nobody Wants to Play Games with a Noob

Knowing full well that her remarks would stir up a storm, Bai Lu cunningly kept her phone off even after the plane landed. She had Xiao Dan turn on the hotspot, and she surfed the internet on her iPad.

She deliberately sought out posts related to herself, reading both the praise from fans and the harsh criticisms, though she focused more on the negative comments.

Sister Huahua glanced over and felt her stress spike, urging her, “Don’t read it, it’s too upsetting.”

Bai Lu smiled gently. “Know your enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles, you will never be defeated.”

Sister Huahua blinked in confusion. “...What do you mean? So your opponents are the haters?”

But seeing the relaxed, carefree expression on Bai Lu’s face, she felt reassured. Being an entertainer meant having a strong heart and an iron will. If you couldn’t handle harsh criticism, you simply couldn’t survive in this industry.

Xiao Dan teased, “Bai Lu, you’re just too carefree.”

Sister Huahua kicked him lightly. “Shut your mouth!”

Considering Bai Lu’s background and hardships, it wasn’t hard to imagine how much bitterness and tears she had swallowed silently to build such an unbreakable spirit.

“Hey?” Bai Lu exclaimed in surprise, drawing Sister Huahua and Xiao Dan’s attention to her screen.

It was the official Bai Lu fan club account that had liked a netizen’s Weibo post.

That account was in Lai Jian’s hands.

— @Huo Sui Shan Lu Fang: I dislike Bai Lu. I hate her “little sunshine” personality the most — always warming everyone around her, never showing herself any care, only caring for others. Every time she loses her temper, it’s to protect those around her. Faced with malice, she always smiles carefree. Doesn’t she know how to care for herself? Does she even realize how much negativity she’s brought upon herself by standing up for others?

Bai Lu’s incidents of hitting someone and exchanging verbal insults both trended on social media.

Netizens thought, “That’s true! Her anger is always to defend others.”

She hit someone because Liu Nana, who cursed two elderly people, was one of her fans. She verbally scolded because that scoundrel was spreading lies and slandering Lu Yiting, her idol.

When Qiao Qianyi was being criticized, Bai Lu also impulsively used her main account to like posts supporting Qiao Qianyi, never considering that she might get dragged into the mess herself.

The comments were full of sympathy: “Silly Lu has always been like this. Those who hurt her, she just laughs it off carefree. But if it involves people she cares about, she becomes like a rabid dog, fiercely irritable.”

She’s always like this — fiercely protective of those around her, never thinking about herself even once. She doesn’t care about the backlash or criticism.

How could people not sympathize with her? How could they not love her?

[“I understand the reasoning... but friend, your ID...”]

[“Damn, Huo Sui Shan Lu Fang!”]

[“‘Ma Sui Shan Lu Fang, Ji Za Ye Qin Qi’ is a line from ‘Thirty Poems in Wugong County’ by Yao He of the Tang Dynasty.”]

[“Raise the banner of Huo Lu for me!”]

[“Still... the official fan club liking a CP fan’s post is a bit inappropriate, right?”]

[“That ID is quite cultured.”]

#BaiLuPleaseCareMoreForYourself#

#BaiLuCaresForOthersFansCareForBaiLu#

Several hashtags surged onto the trending list.

...

Di Jia’er put away his phone, trying to hide his triumph... not really! He immediately called Brother Sui to boast, asking, “Brother Sui, am I smart or not?”

“Hm.”

“Then praise me a bit.”

“Well done.”

Di Jia’er was proud, saying, “Looks like I hit the netizens’ hearts exactly. I was ready to spend money on promotion, but it turned out to be unnecessary.”

Huo Yanfang chuckled softly on the other end. “Hm, the ID’s good too.”

Di Jia’er was puzzled.

It turned out it was Brother Sui.

“Brother Sui, how much did you spend buying promotion for my post? Never mind, it doesn’t matter, you’re rich anyway.”

Actually, no money was spent.

Huo Group’s software subsidiary’s technical department could handle it easily — even a new employee could do it.

Hacking the backend of Zhelang was not difficult.

Di Jia’er, proudly waving the Huo Lu banner, was basically the head CP fan of Huo Lu. He earnestly advised, “Brother Sui, you need a sense of urgency, but for now, there’s no need to worry. Clearly, Bai Lu only sees Lu Yiting as an idol, nothing more. But we don’t know his stance. So you have to act fast!”

“...Okay.”

Di Jia’er went on and on, giving many tips on how to woo a girl. He was long-winded, but Huo Yanfang showed no impatience.

“...Remember to call Bai Lu every day to check on her. That’s important. Since Bai Lu is filming with Lu Yiting, you have to show up often so she won’t be blinded by her idol... Damn, that girl is really carefree; she even has time to play games!”

“How do you know?”

“We sync WeChat friends with game friends. When I log into the game, I can see... Uh, Brother Sui, you don’t play games, right? Brother Sui, listen to me, download a game. No joke, several idol couples in our circle got together through playing games.”

“......”

After hanging up, Huo Yanfang handed his phone to Tang Xing. “Download a game for me.”

Tang Xing silently sighed: You don’t even know how to download games, why bother playing?

No one wants to play games with a noob, even if he’s handsome.

Just so you know.

※※

After several fierce battles in the canyon, Bai Lu felt a little nauseous. She pushed through the last round and then quit the game, just missing Huo Yanfang’s first login.

Bai Lu retched twice. “Feeling so sick...”

Sister Huahua scolded, “I told you not to play games in the car, but you wouldn’t listen. Serves you right.”

After scolding, she gently let Bai Lu rest her head on her shoulder. “Sleep for a bit, I’ll wake you when we arrive.”

Bai Lu’s eyes snapped open. “Really?”

Her butt was about to be jolted into eight pieces, and now she was being told to sleep?

By the time they got off the bus, her behind felt like sixteen pieces.

Bai Lu grimaced, rubbing her sore backside, but the moment she saw the staff and Mei Mei waiting to greet her, she quickly put on an obedient smile.

After brief introductions, Mei Mei introduced each person: “This is the director of the poverty alleviation office, this is the village chief, and this is...”

Bai Lu followed closely behind Mei Mei, politely greeting each person.

Before shaking her hand, the village chief wiped his hand vigorously on his clothes, though the black dirt caked under his nails wouldn’t come off. After lightly touching her hand, he pulled back and said, “Our conditions here are poor; we’re sorry for the inconvenience.”

Bai Lu shook her head without hesitation. “Not at all. If I can help even a little, it makes me very happy.”

She pointed to several oversized woven bags that Xiao Dan had struggled to drag off the bus. “These clothes I’ve mostly only worn once or twice. I came in a hurry and didn’t have time to wash them properly, sorry about that.”

The village chief waved his hands. “It’s fine, it’s fine!”

Bai Lu continued, “There are also some winter coats and shoes that are too heavy to carry, so I mailed them. They’ll arrive in a few days. Most are only worn a few times, some are brand new, but fewer in number. When I was a child in the orphanage, the thing I wanted most was a new set of clothes, so I...”

Before she could finish, the village chief clasped his hands and bowed repeatedly in gratitude.

Many villagers, having heard a big star had arrived, gathered around, joining the village chief in bowing fervently to thank her.

Bai Lu felt a bit overwhelmed and quickly waved her hands. “Oh no, no thanks necessary. Please don’t mind that these are my worn clothes.”