Not long after, news started going around that the number two top scorer actually cheated. To prove their point, pictures of 'Fu Ling' drinking and partying were dug up on the internet. As if that wasn't enough, someone inadvertently mentioned that unlike the other two top scorers, number two's family did not celebrate him in any way.
This was all within Fu Ling's expectations. He declined everyone's offer to help and told them he has his own plans. Fu Ling had quite a good reputation among the classmates and he helped a lot of them at some point or the other so these group of young men and women fully displayed what it meant that the emperor is calm but the eunuch is flustered.
But they did not doubt Fu Ling's abilities. Since he said he had it under control, no one went online to say anything fearing it would ruin his plans. This however fueled the person on the other side and more malicious slander was brought up about him.
This was Fu Ling's way of completely doing a cleanse. The more you try to hide something, the more guilty you'll seem. And alot of these things weren't false. They were things the original owner had done so there was no way he could avoid it.
When the discordant voices on the internet had reached its height, someone posted a blog about rebellious children, how it affects the society and how many of these children actually find their way back to the right path. This supposedly unrelated topic seemed to be drowned in all the other things but it had already started a ripple.
People began talking about their children, siblings, friends, acquaintances who had unknowingly or deliberately stepped onto a part of debauchery and how difficult it was to get out. Some were reported dead, others in jail, some managed to pull through but we're psychologically scared.
While this discussion finally started getting more attention, the blogger posted something else.
[I don't know why a young man who painstakingly found his way back on the right part is now being criticized by the whole network.]
Everyone was stunned and seemed to realize who the blogger was talking about. Some people realized belatedly that they might be pushing this young man back into the abyss with their mindless words.
Others tried to make a weak refute by saying a person who was always the last in the class couldn't suddenly become intelligent over night and there must be something fishy behind it.
In response to this, Fu Ling's teachers and classmates from elementary down to middle school came out in large numbers to testify Fu Ling had always been the top of the class.
[I used to attend the same middle school as Fu Ling. He always won prizes for being a top student.]
[Fu Ling has always been extremely intelligent. Instead of saying he suddenly became intelligent, it's best to say he finally went back to how he was]
[Fu Ling is the easiest student I ever managed. He had no problem understanding classes and he would always tutor his classmates to make sure everyone was brought along]
[I don't know why everyone is accusing him for cheating, obviously he could even get first place if he wanted to.]
[Who says Fu Ling is a useless young master who only knows how to eat and drink? Obviously he's not even eighteen yet. Is teenage playfulness so unforgivable these days?]
[Obviously he just changed in the summer vacation before highschool. Nobody knows what happened. But I'm glad he's back now.]
People were stunned by this turnaround. So it wasn't that Fu Ling suddenly became smart, but he just returned to how he used to be?
The person on the other side probably didn't expect this development and were taken off guard. Fu Ling took advantage of this to strike while the iron was still hot.
[For everyone saying classmate Fu doesn't deserve second place then who does? Your grandpa?]
[[Picture] [Picture] This is a before and after picture of classmate Fu. Before he started studying for the entrance exam and after. This exam clearly took such a toll on him how could you guys be so heartless to say he cheated?]
[I'm in the same class as Fu Ling. I can say for a fact that this change wasn't sudden. He rose up the ranks slowly and made a name for himself. I wasn't really surprised when I found out he was in the top three scorers but cheating? Are you guys blind?]
[I don't have anything to say just look at this. [Picture] it was a picture of Fu Ling sitting by the window reading when Gu Lian came to ask him about his health. He obviously worked so hard for this yet it became cheating in your mouths]
Enthusiastic netezins immediately noticed there was something wrong
[Why does he look like he's in pain?]
[My mom says that's how I look whenever I have a migraine]
[To be honest he doesn't look very good. All this aside, how's his heath?]
That became another catalyst.
"System unblock the video and everything related to my fainting."
"Done."
It wasn't too long before people noticed the similarities between the young man who fainted and the second top scorer.
[Are my eyes playing tricks on me?]
[Omg why does he look so much like the second top scorer who was said to have cheated?]
[Guys that seems to be the background of an entrance examination hall]
[…]
[…]
[…]
[I am stunned silly. This kid obviously looks at his wits end.]
[I have a cousin who works at the hospital. They say this kid was brought in by two of his friends and was unconscious for about sixteen hours but his family didn't even show up once. ]
[I'm not calling names but I heard that he had overexerted himself mentally and his body forcefully shut down. ]
[Oh my! Poor thing. If I worked so hard on something that I even fainted and people said I cheated, I would k##l someone.]
[Why isn't anyone talking about how his family didn't come out from start to finish]
[I know a bit about his family. It is said that his parents favour his older brother to the moon and back but they don't really care much for him.]
Just like that, the whole things turned around.
The entrance examination board also personally came out to confirm that an investigation had been carried out and no candidate was found guilty of cheating.
Fu Ling sighed at rubbed his forehead feeling glad this was over.