"Harry Forrest wasn't the first student of hers to get into trouble—her reputation at Ashford University is absolutely notorious. Just think about it: what kind of decent person would deliberately take a murderer as a student? She never had good intentions to begin with. When she left, the students at Ashford University were practically celebrating with joy."

Chapter 55: Carnival

After the post appeared, paid posters immediately tried to steer the conversation in the comments. They moved fast, so the first few replies were all following the trend and piling on the blame.

But things didn’t go as the paid posters had planned. The tone in the comments section gradually became polarized, making the presence of the paid posters glaringly obvious.

After a few pages, the thread was basically taken over by bystanders.

Netizens from Trident were instinctively repulsed by this kind of doxxing and online mobbing. They didn’t know The Vault, couldn’t speak for her, but they were there to stir the pot and argue anyway.

“Doxxing—reported.”

“@Moderator, do your job. Have you met your performance targets this month? If not, get out here! The KPIs are right in front of you!”

“Don’t rush to lock the thread, give me some entertainment! It’s been ages since I’ve seen this kind of drama. Isn’t it rare to get a thread-starter like this? [Tears of joy]”

“I’m not worthy to be a student at Ashford University. [Crying hard] I’m not even happy enough.”

“Happy? You think you’re one of the Seven Fairies? Why not send me money instead? I’ve been around Trident for ages, I can be a paid poster and guarantee the tone stays consistent and seamless, all high-level comments.”

“Hit me up, I can whitewash for you all night long. You say QC has a fake degree? I can go along with that. Professional and reliable, five yuan per post, 20% off for bulk orders, don’t miss out!”

Because the post involved privacy issues, the moderator deleted it as soon as it was discovered. But the topic was so hot, and the original poster was clearly up to no good and well-prepared. Even after being deleted and banned, they kept stubbornly using paid posters to open multiple related threads on the front page, resulting in The Vault’s personal information still being leaked.

A number of marketing accounts picked up the content and took it elsewhere for discussion, sparking heated debates.

The Vault’s rise to fame was so rapid that wherever there was money to be made, there were always unspoken rules. Even though she didn’t care about popularity and had no intention of becoming an internet celebrity, her presence still made a lot of people uncomfortable.

Some people started to subtly stir the pot.

“@Ashford University, can you confirm if this is true?”

“Not to say anything else, but I do think it’s necessary to avoid suspicion. If she and Harry Forrest are teacher and student, this kind of behavior is really inappropriate.”

“The more you think about it, the scarier it gets. Isn’t Trident supposed to tighten up management? [Crime analysis] is always known for its strict moderation, right? Teachers expelled from school are usually problematic—shouldn’t be allowed into this game, right?”

“She’s basically my elder, right? Auntie, or maybe grandma? She seems pretty experienced.”

These people were too eager, and netizens weren’t buying it. After all, they’d just finished watching a livestream and were still riding the high of feeling smarter. Such clumsy attempts at drama—wasn’t that just insulting their intelligence?

Besides, the audience at Trident was always fiercely protective, especially of those high-IQ, socially awkward, technical players. They’re all treasures—lose one and there’s no replacement, so they must be carefully protected.

“Wow, the coordination is fast. Usually you’re all on 2G speeds and only come out to make a statement after the topic’s trending, but today you’re on gigabit fiber?”

“I don’t get it. The pro is clearly a technical player, at least thirty points above you all, with no business conflict—so why are you so nervous?”

“All the ones speaking up are signed players. I’m starting to suspect some company is running a smear campaign.”

“Blocked them all. Grandma? My grandma, my ass! Damn! Freak! Green tea can’t become a demon, you know?”

·

Curiosity is almost an irresistible human instinct. Even though everyone knew it was wrong to invade someone’s privacy, when the internet started widely discussing The Vault’s identity, a bunch of people still couldn’t help but go to Ashford University’s official website and forums to verify.

Without some info in hand, it just didn’t feel right to argue.

Soon, all kinds of trending threads started popping up. Every new discovery overturned what netizens thought they knew.

#No, seriously, friends, didn’t you notice? This pro is actually only 26!#

“I followed the hints from that hater next door and searched the Ashford University forum. The Vault, resigned this year, female. The name The Vault is so unique, there’s no way there’s a duplicate. Only one person fits all these criteria. But the age listed for this special lecturer is 26! Not in her thirties or forties at all! She’s a genius, okay!”

“[Shocked pupils] Really? Well… thinking about it, it does make sense? After all, she’s a genius player with a score of 96, you can’t judge her career by normal age standards.”

“Damn! I’m dying laughing, who was it just now who said The Vault was an elder? Even called her grandma. [Rolling on the floor laughing]”

“The Vault is so young and already the ‘dad’ of so many people—doesn’t that make her an elder? She’s got it tough.”

#What’s wrong with you all? Isn’t this the most shocking thing?!#

“[Picture] I dug up a blurry ID photo of the pro from the official website! Ashford University’s site shouldn’t allow image theft, right? Or did I go to the wrong site?”

The earliest post had a photo of The Vault snapped from behind while she was teaching. You could only tell she was tall and slender—nothing else was clear.

But in this photo, The Vault is wearing a white shirt, with long, soft hair. Against a blue background and bright lighting, even though the screenshot is a bit blurry, her outstanding features are unmistakable. Especially that inimitable cool aura—every muscle in her face seems to spell out “I am a master”… damn, she’s captivating.

Netizens instantly clutched their heads in frenzy, feeling their “wife” had been deeply wronged.

Soon, the news from the Ashford University forum spread, reaching the hot-blooded students. At first, they were confused, but once they understood the truth, they were furious. They immediately rallied a group of friends and charged to the front lines at the Trident forum to fight back.

Their way of clarifying things was direct and effective—hard to argue with: they just posted photos.

#Since her identity is already exposed, there’s no other way. I’ll share my treasured photos with everyone. [GIF] Calm down! Everyone, please stay calm! Don’t act like you’ve never seen the world!#

In the GIF, The Vault seems to have just finished a meeting. She’s wearing a black suit, walking from the far end of the hallway against the light. One hand holding teaching materials, the other in her pocket, every step exuding confidence.

She walks to the window, and the light reflected from the glass suddenly brightens the scene. The camera’s autofocus wobbles, then locks onto her face again, casting a glow over her.

“I’m dead, but I can keep going. [Come at me! Don’t pity this delicate flower!]”

“Damn! [Nosebleed] Nuclear-level hotness!”

“That face, that figure, that intelligence, that resume—isn’t she the fated star I’ve been begging for all these years?! I can die happy! [Oxygen inhaled]”

“You did this on purpose, right? Hiding her this well? Students from top schools are too selfish, not sharing sooner—I see right through you!”

“Thanks to the haters! Sincerely, thank you to that hater before! You worked hard!”

#I was just afraid you couldn’t handle it, so I didn’t say anything. But now, her strength won’t let her stay low-key, right? [Picture][Picture]#

#Last time, The Vault saw my phone’s wallpaper and didn’t get mad. She even smiled and said it was a good shot. [Picture] Let everyone see a photo personally approved by her.#

#Four years! Four years and I never got into her class! But that didn’t stop me from auditing in secret, hehe~ [Picture]#

Some of the photos were candid, some were taken with The Vault looking straight at the camera.

She never banned photos in class—after all, the fastest way for students to take notes is to snap a picture, as long as they didn’t disrupt the class.

It had to be said, these students really admired her. The Vault, who was usually so serious, actually looked a bit gentle on camera. Maybe she didn’t realize it herself, but in her students’ eyes, that’s who she was.

Even though she was usually reserved and not good at self-promotion, these young people could sense her depth from her words and actions. She did her job earnestly, cared for her students, gave concise guidance, and taught them with insight and precision.

She never boasted, but she could remember exactly which student got which question wrong.

Everyone’s attitude was clear.

Even though The Vault had already left Ashford University, even if they’d finished her classes or even graduated, they still wouldn’t allow baseless accusations to slander someone they once respected.

“Don’t bully our teacher, okay? Especially not in the name of Ashford University students. Some people only see that Harry Forrest was her student, but can’t they see she has many students making their mark in different fields?”

Netizens shamelessly played along, completely derailing the mood.

“Yeah! Don’t bully my wife!”