Chapter 58: The Moral Line

Perhaps it was because, in the early days, she had painstakingly crafted an image online of serenity and ethereal grace—a fairy who seemed untouched by earthly concerns, wholly absorbed in her passions and devoted to creating beautiful things. It must be said that Little Lamb’s efforts to build this persona were quite successful; many people genuinely perceived her in this way.

Now, they were forced to watch as their beloved fairy not only descended to the mundane world, but did so without the chilly aloofness or the heroic vigor of a warrior goddess. Instead, she appeared petty, vengeful, and calculating—a stark contrast that many found hard to accept.

What Ning Shuyi remembered most vividly was a comment: “Watching my goddess turn into a pushy madwoman right before my eyes is just disheartening. Little Lamb, I wish you well, but I can no longer be your fan. Farewell, until we meet again in the world.” Judging by the number of likes that comment received, it seemed many shared this sentiment.

Ning Shuyi checked the timestamp, then opened Wang Yuluo’s profile and compared the platform’s data over the same period. She found that, indeed, Wang Yuluo’s account had grown much more lively since then. Wang Yuluo hardly ever interacted with people in the comments—she simply posted photos and videos. Those who felt offended by Little Lamb’s behavior seemed to prefer Wang Yuluo’s approach, showering her with praise in the comment section.

Ning Shuyi leaned back in her chair, stretching her neck, which had grown stiff from focusing intently on the posts. She now had a rough idea of how the friction between Little Lamb and Wang Yuluo began.

It seemed that Little Lamb had been the undisputed leader of the club, her sensitive pride driving her to cultivate an image of a transcendental cosplay goddess. She carefully accumulated popularity not just for superficial glory, but to turn her fame into something tangible. Yet, the arrival of Wang Yuluo—a wealthy amateur—had deeply unsettled her.

Photos in the club’s album made it clear: Wang Yuluo, thanks to her wealth, was unconcerned with what others considered expensive costumes and props. She lent them freely to other girls in the club, which naturally endeared her to many.

In contrast, Little Lamb’s “goddess” persona set her apart from the other club members, erecting an invisible wall between herself and the group. The costumes and props she painstakingly made were tools for garnering attention and popularity; she could hardly bear to let others wear them and divert the spotlight from herself.

Wang Yuluo was merely a hobbyist who appeared out of nowhere, yet possessed the wealth Little Lamb desired but had never attained. With that wealth, Wang Yuluo easily won the club’s admiration. For Little Lamb, this was clearly unacceptable.

She had probably felt this imbalance for some time, but concealed it for the sake of her pride, repressing her emotions until she could no longer contain them. Eventually, she made veiled allusions in her livestreams and videos, only to be met with opposition. After finally regaining some popularity, she plummeted once more due to an advertisement, and, worse still, someone discovered Wang Yuluo’s account, realized both belonged to the same club, and understood that Little Lamb’s previous insinuations were directed at Wang Yuluo.

Thus, all the popularity Little Lamb lost seemed to flow directly to Wang Yuluo. Everything she had painstakingly built was snatched away by a privileged heiress with money to spare. The collapse and resentment Little Lamb felt were easy to imagine.

Little Lamb’s setback coincided with the period just over three months before Wang Yuluo’s incident. Afterward, Little Lamb appeared to quickly regain her composure, shedding her bitterness and striving to reclaim her lost popularity. Once more, she resumed her fairy-like persona, crafting clothes and traditional-style handmade jewelry, rebuilding her image as a person of quiet elegance.

As for the results, they were better than doing nothing, but she still could not recapture her former glory.

When Huo Yan returned, Ning Shuyi was staring thoughtfully at her computer screen. He quietly sat at his own desk, examined the photo Ning Shuyi had sent him, and understood the situation at once.

He began investigating some information, finished most of his current tasks, then glanced at Ning Shuyi, who was frowning. “Is something wrong?” he asked.

“Not really. I just pieced together the timeline and uncovered the core conflict between Little Lamb and Wang Yuluo.” Ning Shuyi explained her findings and thoughts to Huo Yan.

After listening, Huo Yan was puzzled. “Is the intangible popularity on the internet really enough to motivate murder?”

“Everyone’s moral boundaries are different. For some, no matter how grave the conflict, it’s insignificant compared to a human life. They believe in enduring for peace and stepping back for a brighter future.” Ning Shuyi replied. “But for others, their path is narrow. If you happen to block their way, they see it as destroying their future and ruining their life—a mortal enemy.

Right after Wang Yuluo’s incident, someone tried to delete everything related to Little Lamb from her phone. That kind of conspicuous cover-up suggests Little Lamb was inevitably connected to Wang Yuluo’s death.

Their relationship was hardly harmonious, whether openly or behind the scenes. So how could Little Lamb have had the opportunity to make Wang Yuluo ingest such a prohibited substance without arousing suspicion, and then arrange for her to watch a horror movie? I can’t figure that out. Now, I’m just waiting to see when Kang Ge can use Little Lamb as bait to catch the person who hacked Wang Yuluo’s phone and deleted the files. Hopefully, we’ll get a reasonable explanation then.”

“I just confirmed Little Lamb’s real identity.” Huo Yan handed Ning Shuyi the documents he had just printed. “Her real name is Yang Huishu, twenty-five years old, no criminal record.

But when I searched her name and her online alias together, I found something interesting. Take a look.”