I’m Really a Superstar

Morning.

There was a knock from outside his bedroom door.

Knock knock. “Old classmate, it’s time to wake up.”

Zhang Ye hurriedly closed his notebook computer’s lid, “I’m already awake.”

The door opened. Dong Shanshan walked into the room, dressed in pajamas, “Yo, you’ve already woken up? I thought you would be sleeping till noon. Are you eating breakfast?”

Zhang Ye smiled, “It’s almost 10. Let’s have lunch in a while.”

Dong Shanshan acknowledged, “Alright, then I’ll go do some groceries. The fridge is empty already.”

Zhang Ye did not stand on ceremony as he said, “Buy some pork belly for stewing. Let’s celebrate this afternoon.”

“Celebrate?” Dong Shanshan chuckled, “Are we celebrating the loss of our jobs?”

Zhang Ye did not reply and vaguely brushed it away. He had to keep this matter absolutely confidential. After all, it was illegal to access someone’s computer through the internet, so he could not let a second person know. What was most important to a hacker was not his skill or the strength of his digital attacks, but the ability to protect and conceal himself. This was the first rule of a professional hacker.

His old classmate went out.

He flipped the computer lid and began working again. He immediately used false information and an IP address to register an account on a large discussion forum. After pondering all day, he wrote a title, called “The evidence of conspiracy behind why Zhang Ye and Dong Shanshan were banned”.

This matter had already caused an uproar, and was the focus of many. Hence, despite not having any content in the thread, there were many people who followed it.

“Conspiracy?”

“Is this real or fake?”

“Hai, who doesn’t know that there’s a conspiracy?”

“Right, ‘Zhang Ye’s Talk Show’ clearly is in line with the requirements. I heard ‘Online Talents’ was halted yesterday? It would be strange if there’s no conspiracy!”

“OP is speaking nonsense. Appraisal completed!”

“Proof? Where do you get it from? What proof?”

“Where’s the OP? Why did he disappear? Is he cheating us for clicks and replies?”

“Hurry up and post it. Provide whatever evidence you have! We are all waiting for it!”

Zhang Ye used the same method and registered several new accounts of Tieba and Weibo, as well as places where many netizens gathered. There was no need to provide a real name to register, so by doing so, even if the website investigated him, they might just ban or delete his account, but it was alright, Zhang Ye only needed the account once. All the accounts he registered were of the same name, “Kevin Mitnick”.

This name was chosen firstly because no one in this world knew of him. This was because he was one of the highest profile and best hackers in Zhang Ye’s world. He was labeled by the U.S. Department of Justice as the “most wanted computer criminals in U.S. history.” Hence, it was obvious how awesome he was. Secondly, Zhang Ye also used this name to draw a clear line and distanced himself from this matter. If he chose an “ultra-nationalist” nickname, he might be suspected by others. After all, his intrusion this time was beneficial to himself and his colleagues. So it was inevitable that he would be suspected, hence, he decided to choose the name of the number 1 hacker, Kevin Mitnick of his world. Furthermore, it was in English, so as to avoid suspicion.

Of course, Zhang Ye was just being alert. This was just a small intrusion, and would not concern the heavy-weight security department as it was not at a high enough level. Li Tao was just a small cadre, and he was not intruding into the nation’s Department of Defense. He was just being careful and deliberately turned attention away from himself. Anyone who had seen his program knew he was the ultra-nationalist amongst ultra-nationalists, so it was impossible for him to take on a foreign name.

“SARFT Conspiracy Revelation”!

“The Manipulator Behind the Scenes”!

“Zhang Yuanqi’s Private Collection! Come gather around”!

“Angled Scenes of Dong Shanshan! Internal Unedited Versions Leaked”!

Zhang Ye was a complete asshole. If he went all out, without bragging, he could really cause the entire country to fall into chaos. One could tell just from this fellow’s topics. Just these topics would not only attract the citizens who were focused on the halted programs by the SARFT, even those unconcerned people would be f**king attracted in. Each title was more staggering than the other!

But the ones above were nothing much.

The most pornographic and most staggering title was posted by Zhang Ye using the account, “Kevin”, on the main battlefield, Weibo. Weibo was where the most number of netizens gathered, so Zhang Ye placed great importance on it. He decided to use a certain joke from his world.

Many people nearly vomited blood seeing this Weibo post!

Zhang Ye posted, “Why did a old granny in her nineties die naked on the street? Why did hundreds of sows in the village scream out at midnight? Why did a tiny store’s condoms get tampered with? Why would panties from female dormitories frequently get stolen? Who is the serial rapist of sows? Was it a human or ghost who knocked on an old nun’s door every night? What is the hidden meaning behind hundreds of young bitches dying? Is the distortion of human nature or moral decay behind all this? Please stay tuned tonight, where Kevin Mitnick will bring you the latest news…at roughly 8:20.”

“Pfft!”

“OP is too funny!”

“I’ve already seen this Kevin Mitnick posting more than ten posts. All major forums have been flooded by him, but this post is the most staggering!”

“Hahahaha!”

“Aiyah, why is it so funny?”

“Aren’t you trying to blow the whistle behind the conspiracy of the banned programs? Why is there a mention of an old granny in her nineties dying naked on the street!? And why is there hundreds of sows in the village screaming out at midnight!?”

“There’s actually such a way to cheat for hits!”

“That’s right. This promotion..is really inhumane!”

“Your sister! I really thought you had Teacher Shanshan’s angled scenes! Angled scenes your sister! What’s that in-construction triangle picture up there!?”

“This English abbreviated name, KM is too inhumane!”

“Our pants are already off, but what are you letting us see!?”

Numerous people were cheated in, and then numerous people began cursing, but it was because of this that more and more people came in. Immediately, these threads gained a lot of popularity. There were two threads that were deleted by the website due to the titles, but most of them were left alone.

“Reveal at 8:20?”

“Why is the time so precise?”

“Hurry up and post it. What’s the conspiracy?”

However, Zhang Ye refused to post it. He whetted everyone’s appetite. By doing so, he could maximize the attention placed on this matter. After all, Li Tao was not some celebrity, so just posting his video might not gather enough attention, and not enough to stir up a huge matter for Zhang Ye.

……

Time slowly passed.

Around 8 at night, Dong Shanshan went to the office to settle some matters, maybe something associated with a notice about her program being halted. Due to this, Zhang Ye was left home alone.

He switched on his computer and saw his posts and Weibo popularity greatly increasing. The main reason was Zhang Ye’s titles and content were written too well. Although many netizens knew that they were being deceived, they still clicked in and had a good laugh upon seeing the content, before leaving curses. If not, they would reply and mess around, just to soak in the lively atmosphere. Sows screaming out at midnight was seriously lacking in moral integrity!

“Where is he?”

“It’s almost time, right?”

“That’s right, where’s the information about the conspiracy!?”

On Zhang Ye’s side, he was uploading the video. After he finished uploading, he linked the video to the posts and on the Weibo he had posted before.

It was 8:20 sharp.

Li Tao’s video was released.

“Hello, Little Yong ah….Yes….Yes….How are the investigations of those Talk Shows going….I know there are violations…but just symbolically take some actions against them and it will be fine, there’s no need to halt their broadcasts….Right…Copyright? I know they plagiarized Zhang Ye’s program, but whether there’s an issue with the copyright, it does not concern us. It’s the job of the relevant copyright departments. Even if they bring it to court, it has nothing to do with us…..Right, right, just issue them warnings and that will be enough. We don’t need to met out overly harsh punishments on them, but don’t make it too light either. At least we have to show the public that we mean business. Do you even need me to teach you? That girl from Weiwo Video…that Dong something girl. Her program’s been halted right? Good…who? Whoever calls in….Yes… I know, but it doesn’t matter who pleads for her. She’s Zhang Ye’s university classmate, so we will ban the both of them…Right, to go against our team and cause us so much trouble, hur, did they even think they would live peacefully? No way! In the future, keep an eye on this Weiwo Video company as well. If there’s any problem with any of their programs, report it to me….Yes, we will use them as an example to others. Let’s see who still dares to rebel….Hur Hur, you think I’m not aware that ‘Online Talents’ doesn’t have any problems? Even if there are no problems, we will still take action against it! Who can do anything about it…. You understand?…..Alright, go and take care of it. You must repress all of those negative opinions! Whoever refuses to accept it, report them to me!”

The sounds and scenes of Li Tao sneering streamed from the video!

“Who is he?”

“Isn’t this that team leader from the Shanghai SARFT live broadcast!?”

“Yes, it’s him. He’s called Li Tao!”

“Holy sh*t! There really was a conspiracy!”

“So the reason why ‘Zhang Ye’s Talk Show’ and ‘Online Talents’ was halted was because of Li Tao’s machinations. There is no problem with the programs! It’s all because of a personal grudge!”

“F**k! It’s so sinister! Too sinister!”

“F**k! I knew Teacher Zhang’s program had no problems!”

“I can’t stand it! This footage is too overwhelming! If the video is real, then there is hope in saving Teacher Zhang and Teacher Dong’s programs!”

“Waiting for SARFT headquarters to settle the matter!”

“This sort of person has to be dismissed!”

“What sort of god is that KM poster? Hacker? He can even get such a video?”

The moment the footage finished playing, a new wave was set off into the internet that had been quelled!

Many industry insiders, who had previously spoken up for the Shanghai SARFT and Li Tao, immediately turned silent. No one dared to say anything!

The other counterparts, who were just watching the bustle, also did not make a sound. As the matter was too sensitive, no one dared to take sides before the matter came to a conclusion!