Chapter 2596: Chapter 817: There’s No Way Out in the World of Public Opinion

The blonde witch mentioned the Tu Shan Clan’s noble lady, immediately reminding Zheng Qing of the white-haired big fox that he had thrown back and forth on the magic stage.

He felt a bit apologetic and couldn’t help but lower his eyelids, clenching his fist, still seemingly able to feel the fluffy comfort of that big furry tail in his palm.

But amidst his apology, he also realized something.

It had been two days since returning to school from Shanglin Garden, and rumors about him or others at Shanglin Garden had been popping up one after another, slowly becoming known to the public. However, the incident of Tushan Chujiu being thrown was hardly known —not only was there no mention in the newspapers but even the school had no whispers. This made him marvel at the influence of the seasoned wizarding families while also feeling astonished by the ’solidarity’ among the aristocratic disciples.

Mind you, there were quite a few young wizards from the First University standing by Crescent Lake at that time.

Yet no one casually joked about Tushan Chujiu’s mishap.

"I’m not worried about being reported in the newspapers."

Recalling the papers he had flipped through these days, Zheng Qing noted their ’conservative and cautious’ reporting stance, deliberating: "Because I think whether it’s the Post or the Campus Newspaper, or the Daily Horn Newspaper, and so on, these formal media outlets have principles and won’t spread nonsense..."

The fat wizard seemed to hear a cold joke, emitting a peculiar moaning sound.

Zheng Qing pretended not to see his expression, continuing: "...My aim is simple, to purely hope to manage those rumors and gossip, both inside and outside the school. Just like you mentioned about Tushan Chujiu, she hasn’t had any bad news spread, right? That’s what I’m looking for."

"For example?" The blonde witch asked in return.

Zheng Qing took up the soda water, wetted his lips, looked uneasily at the window, and then slightly lowered his voice: "For example, I don’t want Jiang Yu to be disturbed because of me; hmm, also, I don’t want to be attacked by Alpha or any other inexplicable folks due to Tushan Chujiu or Luna Huisu..."

Xin Fat Man issued a very loud cough.

Linda Barnes glanced at him disapprovingly, then turned to Zheng Qing: "Luna Huisu? That young girl of the Huizong Tribe who wants to give birth to a foal for you? You don’t need to worry about that. Involving racial feelings, any Alliance newspaper would be very cautious, unless there’s a special request, they won’t report it lightly. As for rumors... The Tu Shan Clan and the Huizong Tribe aren’t small forces to be easily manipulated; any wizard wanting to spread rumors about them must first weigh whether they can escape the tracking of the two families’ diviners."

Zheng Qing let out a small sigh of relief.

After pausing for a few seconds and seeing that he had no intention of speaking further, the blonde witch frowned: "Is that all?"

"Ah?" Zheng Qing held the water cup in mid-air, not understanding what she meant.

The witch patiently questioned: "Do you only want to suppress those two messages concerning Student Jiang Yu and the Tu Shan Clan’s?"

Zheng Qing glanced at her in confusion, then at Xin Fat Man: "Of course, if possible, I hope the news about me dancing with over a dozen witches doesn’t spread recklessly either..."

The witch knitted her eyebrows into a tight line, seriously studying Zheng Qing’s expression.

After a while, confirming the boy wasn’t lying, she shook her head, muttering: "Is that all? Just dancing? No more specific requests? It’s not supposed to be..."

"What do you mean, not supposed to be?" Xin Fat Man finally swallowed the honey puff and timely spoke.

"Too few."

Linda Barnes glanced at her boyfriend, her tone carrying a bit of reproach: "You’re a journalist, you should have this sensitivity; yesterday’s Daily Horn Newspaper hinted a bit about it... Betsey Black, Vivian O’Brien, Balash Sasan, do these names ring a bell?"

She turned to look at Zheng Qing.

Pfft!

The fat wizard sprayed a mouthful of soda water.

"Are you even letting Balash Sasan off?"

He didn’t bother to wipe his mouth, staring at Zheng Qing in horror, with a hint of admiration in his eyes, as if Zheng Qing were dancing with a fire dragon: "No wonder you can say things like ’real love isn’t two lines overlapping on a piece of paper... whether two lines or three, they can all appear as one line’!"

Balash Sasan is a third-year witch at Atlas Academy, currently serving as the chairwoman of the campus newspaper’s ethics review committee, akin to a fire dragon to the editorial staff.

Zheng Qing looked irately at the fat man, his attitude stiff: "I know, but I’m not familiar... What do they have to do with me? Why mention their names?"

He looked at the blonde witch, forcibly steering the topic back: "I want to ensure I’m not falling into some deep vortex before I help you."

Linda Barnes tucked her hair behind her ear: "My aunt said she couldn’t recall the last time so many noble surnames were linked with an ordinary person. Of course, saying you’re ordinary doesn’t carry any derogatory meaning. What I mean is if there’s a big vortex ahead of the ship, I hope to stand at the top of the mast, not lie in the cabin... I’d rather leave this big ship early than drown in an enclosed space."

Linda’s aunt, Joy Barnes, is the chief editor of Miss Duo Duo, and before entering this room, the fat wizard had just given Zheng Qing a brief overview of some key figures in the Barnes family.

"There’s no living way in the world of public opinion; you, I, and him, we will all eventually drown in the spit of others." Xin Fat Man lifted an orange soufflé, raised it to the sun outside the window, expressing his pessimistic attitude toward the blonde witch’s vision.

Zheng Qing remained silent for a long time.

He wasn’t foolish.

On the magic stage at Shanglin Garden, when those old wizards from Centimeter Mountain threw olive branches at him, he vaguely guessed today’s situation.

No one knows better than him what those old wizards want—or, in other words, which large wizarding family wants to connect through him—The problem is, since leading Su Shi and others into San You Bookstore once last Christmas, the bookstore has remained empty, seeming like the mister doesn’t intend to see him again anytime soon.

This matter, he has no way to tell others about.

"I need to declare solemnly," he raised one finger, paused, then extended another finger: "Apart from Jiang Yu and Su Shi Jun, all other gossip is utterly baseless rumors! They have nothing to do with me whatsoever. If possible, I hope to make a complete severance from those gossips."

"But you danced with them," the blonde witch reminded: "In a special occasion like the Shanglin Garden Spring Hunt, under everyone’s watchful eyes... Wake up, student, whether you have a relationship with them doesn’t matter, what matters is whether they want to have a relationship with you. If they have such thoughts, even if we manage to suppress the rumors, tomorrow there’ll be several multicolored kids rushing over to hug your leg calling you daddy."