Chapter 148: The Entire Internet Strikes Back

Upon hearing a voice in the video that sounded eighty or ninety percent like her own, Xie Qingtang was momentarily stunned. For a split second, even she doubted whether the woman speaking in the video was herself, leaving her caught in a daze.

"Boss, when did you ever say such things? How did someone even manage to record it?" Zhou Jinfan asked, his voice laced with anxiety as he watched the silent Xie Qingtang, assuming the woman in the video was truly her.

Xie Qingtang’s brows furrowed tightly. She shook her head firmly and said, "The person speaking in that video is not me. I have never said anything of the sort."

"Ah, but the voice in the video is exactly like yours," Zhou Jinfan exclaimed in shock, already convinced in his heart that the woman in the video claiming to be chasing clout was indeed Xie Qingtang.

Once the video was released online, the topic of the two actresses’ severe hair loss—which had been slowly dying down—was thrust back to the top of the trending lists.

"I knew it! Cunshantang is just some obscure traditional Chinese medicine clinic, and this Xie Qingtang suddenly pops up claiming my goddess has hair loss issues. She’s definitely just chasing clout. People like this are disgusting."

"Exactly! Goddess Sun Ying has real backbone. To face such a quack and a clout-chaser and shut them down so aggressively—she’s truly the star I admire. I’m going to buy all her merchandise again."

"A quack like this should be kicked out of the traditional Chinese medicine community so she doesn't embarrass us. She’ll do anything just to get famous."

In an instant, the online vitriol against Cunshantang intensified. Xie Qingtang, in particular, was branded a shameless, duplicitous, and treacherous villain.

Some of the more extreme fans even brought rotten eggs and vegetable scraps to the clinic’s entrance, dumping all the filth in a pile right at the door.

"Boss, it seems we won't be able to open for business today. The entrance looks like a garbage dump; it reeks," said a helpless Zhou Jinfan as he closed the doors of Cunshantang and turned to the frowning Xie Qingtang.

Xie Qingtang pondered the situation repeatedly. She knew full well that the video was a fabrication, yet she could not fathom who would have the capability to create such a deepfake and drag her name through the mud.

Meanwhile, she had become the target of the entire internet. Beyond Sun Ying's fans, self-proclaimed crusaders for justice also swarmed her Weibo page, leaving behind a torrent of malicious comments.

"Tangtang, the voice in this video is so similar to yours that even I, your grandfather, might not be able to tell the difference if you were both speaking at the same time," Grandpa Xie said, his expression filled with astonishment as he witnessed the crisis unfolding at Cunshantang.

Xie Qingtang did not want to worry her grandfather. She took his hand and forced a smile. "Don't worry, Grandpa. I will handle this."

"Silly child, you don't need to be so strong. If you need help, you can go to Gu Xiujin. For my sake, he will certainly help you. With his financial and material resources, he should be able to find out who made this video very quickly and clear your name."

Grandpa Xie stroked her hair with a pained expression, but Xie Qingtang immediately dismissed the suggestion in her heart. She did not want to seek Gu Xiujin’s help.

The public pressure continued to mount on Cunshantang, causing a massive loss of patients and forcing the clinic to remain closed to avoid the reckless behavior of the crazed fans.

In the dead of night, Zhou Jinfan took a deep breath and put on a look of tragic resolve as he spoke to Song Qing. "Song Qing, although you started as my competitor, after spending this time together, I’ve come to see you as a friend and a brother. Good brother, take care."

"You too," Song Qing replied, his eyes filled with a trace of desolation. He tied a handkerchief over his face, and Zhou Jinfan did the same. With the expressions of men heading to their deaths, they opened the doors of Cunshantang.

The moment the door opened, the garbage piled outside surged in like a tidal wave, causing both men to instinctively recoil as if avoiding vipers.

Xie Qingtang, holding three brooms, also covered her nose and mouth with a cloth and said, "Alright, let's begin. Let's clean up happily!"

With that, the three of them began clearing the refuse from the entrance of Cunshantang. This had been their routine for the past few days. During the day, the crazed fans and those who despised traditional Chinese medicine would pile trash at their door.

Initially, Zhou Jinfan had tried to clean it during the day, but as soon as he stepped out, the fans blocking the entrance would pelt him with rotten eggs and vegetable leaves. Consequently, the three of them had no choice but to wait until two or three in the morning, when the fans had left, to clean up.

Although the pile would be restored the next day, Xie Qingtang would never allow the filth to remain at the door of her clinic for an entire day.

"Dad, look at her pathetic state—it’s hilarious. I bet that bitch Xie Qingtang won’t be able to hold out much longer. When that happens, we can toss her a few crumbs, and she’ll surely be begging to crawl back to the Xie family in gratitude," Shao Bin said from a black sedan parked across the street, laughing hysterically as he watched the three of them struggle with the trash.

A cold smirk played on Shao Siming’s lips. He waved at the driver, and the car pulled away, not even granting Xie Qingtang a single glance of pity.

Early the next morning, Zhou Jinfan didn't wake up until past ten, having labored until four in the morning to clear the entrance the night before.

"I suppose the trash is piled up again. I really don't know when these crazy fans will finally let this go," Zhou Jinfan muttered to himself with a sigh before glancing out the window toward the entrance.

Just then, he discovered to his surprise that the phenomenon of the entrance being piled high with garbage every morning had miraculously disappeared today.

Excitedly, he ran to the backyard and told Xie Qingtang, "Boss, I just checked outside, and there’s no trash at the entrance of Cunshantang. Does this mean those fans have finally left?"