Chapter 102: Debut on the Galactic Ranking!

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Smash!

Shen Anyuan threw the wine glass in his hand against the wall. The elegant glass shattered with a sharp sound, and the red wine splattered all over the walls and floor.

The cleaning robot detected the spill and immediately slid over to clean, only to be kicked away by Shen Anyuan.

The robot lay on the floor, squeaking as its cleaning program tried desperately to continue its task.

“Useless! A bunch of useless fools!” Shen Anyuan roared.

“I spent so much money and mobilized so many resources, and this is how you handle things for me?”

“Those trash, those scoundrels, charge me handsomely every year. I’ve been feeding and maintaining them like dogs, and at the critical moment, they tell me they can’t do it.”

“Can’t do it? Why not? It was always doable before, so why not now?”

Secretary Xu You stood respectfully to the side, silent as his boss vented his fury.

When the outburst finally subsided, he cautiously explained, “The initial progress was smooth, and public opinion was developing along the path we set. It’s just that unexpectedly, so many people stood up to defend him.”

“Ordinary people like that, with no fan base and no money to bribe the media or manipulate public opinion, are usually easy to suppress. Whatever we say goes.”

Shen Anyuan’s eyes darkened as he fixed Xu You with a glare. “So you’re saying someone paid to bribe the media for him? Those people defending him are paid trolls?”

“We monitored their data and found that those defending him are genuine fans.”

“Genuine fans? Where does he have so many real fans? Are those people crazy? Defending a small-time thug from the backwater?” Shen Anyuan’s anger surged again.

He was frustrated, furious.

He felt like a powder keg, ready to explode at any moment.

Ever since his son, Shen Qingping, ventured into Ghost Mountain, Shen Anyuan had been plagued by nightmares night after night.

He dreamt that Shen Qingping returned, standing at the bedside smiling at him.

He would leap up excitedly, asking, “Qingping, you’ve come back?”

Qingping would reply, “Yes, I’m back. I brought you a gift.”

Then he would reach up and remove his own head, holding it out with both hands as a gift.

Each time he woke, he was drenched in cold sweat.

His wife cried day and night, thinking of their precious son battling those inhuman monsters in that place, overwhelmed with fear and sorrow.

Repeatedly she begged him to plead with Uncle Shen Boyu and Eldest Uncle Shen Wuxiang, but Shen Anyuan refused.

It wasn’t that he was too proud to ask for help, nor that he was unwilling to save his son from misery.

He knew clearly that the decisions of Shen Boyu would not easily change.

If he went begging now, it would only deepen their disdain and might extend Shen Qingping’s three-year service in Ghost Mountain to six years.

Even his own standing would be undermined; it was uncertain if he could keep his position at all.

Xu You knew Shen Anyuan would never believe it, nor could he believe it himself.

He presented the simulated data visuals on his tablet to his boss and said, “At first, only a few people spoke up for him, but under our guidance, those voices were quickly drowned out without causing any ripple.”

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“Until a woman named Liang Xin’ai appeared and wrote an article titled ‘How Long Has It Been Since You Said No to Someone?’ That article was wildly shared and commented on.”

“Just one article defeated us? We had the media and platforms backing us, hundreds of celebrities from various fields speaking on our behalf, and yet one article took us down?”

“The article’s quality was average, but it struck precisely at the modern pain points: inability to refuse, eagerness to please, enduring grievances, and people-pleasing personalities.”

“So, when they saw Tang Fei boldly refusing, they felt this was the lifestyle they desired, the way of life they should learn and imitate.”

“They even created a fan organization for Tang Fei called ‘Lie Down Fei’ — fall where you may, just lie flat there. This slogan resonated deeply with countless people.”

“They feel overwhelmed by life’s pressures, trapped in high-intensity competition every day. Knowing this group exists, many eagerly joined.”

“Many of these people don’t even particularly like Tang Fei; they just want to lie flat and live freely, learning to say no.”

“Under Liang Xin’ai’s leadership, these people organized a disciplined counterattack, and our momentum weakened. Now we’re not fighting just one person.”

“Who, then, are we fighting against?”

“The entire populace,” Xu You whispered. “Everyone who finds life difficult.”

...

Seeing his boss fall silent, Xu You hesitated briefly before choosing to speak the truth: “There’s also bad news.”

“What?”

“The data monitoring department just sent word that Tang Fei has entered the Galaxy Rankings.”

...

Shen Anyuan wanted to smash something again.

Finding the desk bare, he slammed his fist down upon it.

Damn it!

—

“Entered the Galaxy Rankings?” Shen Boyu looked at the list on his device, feeling how absurd this world was.

“Yes, the Blue List of the Galaxy Rankings. Tang Fei just got on today, currently at number 497,” explained Chang Biao, standing nearby with his goatee.

The Galaxy Rankings evaluate young people under thirty in the Galaxy system, considering popularity, combat ability, appearance, family background, and future prospects, then release the rankings.

They’re divided into Red, Blue, and Black Lists: Red and Blue are charm rankings for males and females respectively, and the Black List is purely for combat power, open to both genders.

Shen Boyu chuckled bitterly, “A good wind gave me a lift to the clouds. Did we just blow a favorable wind for him? And it sent him straight onto the Galaxy Rankings?”

Chang Biao understood his master’s thoughts. No one knew better than they whether the wind was a blessing or curse.

Unexpectedly, the wind they blew propelled Tang Fei onto the Galaxy Rankings.

This feeling of losing more than you gain was unbearable.

Especially for Second Master, known as the ‘Interstellar Silver Fox,’ a man of oceanic wisdom.

“No matter. He’s just hanging on the very tail end of the list. A few outstanding young stars will push him off soon enough. Besides, our family’s Xinglan remains top of the Blue List — he can’t even reach that level,” Chang Biao comforted.

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“Consider this: he’s only been in this new star system a few days and already made it onto the Galaxy Rankings. That’s no small feat.”

“If Shen Anyuan hadn’t made such a fuss, nobody would even know him,” Chang Biao added.

Shen Boyu waved his hand, “Don’t put all the blame on Anyuan. This idea was mine.”

“I just didn’t expect that, after all the shouting, we’d lose? Anyuan has so many media companies under him, managing tens of thousands of people — how could he lose to a nobody with no backing?”

“I originally thought Princess Xiu Xue had interfered, but after checking, it wasn’t so. Those fans came forward spontaneously. Tell me, how can their tastes be so strange? Who can reason with that?”

“We tried to manipulate public opinion, but in the end, we were outplayed by it.” Shen Boyu handed the laptop to Chang Biao, puffing on his water pipe before saying, “This is fate. That boy has great fortune.”

“Second Master, why praise the kid again?” Chang Biao laughed. “I think he just got lucky, like a blind cat catching a dead mouse.”

Second Master could praise Tang Fei, but Chang Biao knew he himself couldn’t.

Second Master praised him to show magnanimity; if Chang Biao praised him, it’d seem like misplaced loyalty.

Could Second Master actually like Tang Fei? Certainly not.

So the more you belittle him in front of Second Master, the more satisfied he feels.

Shen Boyu shook his head. “Old Chang, don’t just feed me sweet words. That kid’s got something uncanny going on. We have to take him seriously.”

“I’ve been watching him closely,” Chang Biao said. “Should we find a chance to send him back to Old Earth?”

Shen Boyu knew exactly what Chang Biao meant by “send back to Old Earth” and shook his head.

“That’s too reckless. Now everyone knows the Shen family has a grudge against him. If he suddenly disappears, Princess Xiu Xue will come knocking on our door.”

“That girl was clever as a child, always charming. Now, as a young woman, she’s even more calculating.”

“If she doesn’t hold power, that’s fine. But if she does, she’ll definitely make trouble for the Shen family. Why provoke such a powerful adversary? Anyone else can act, but the Shen family must not.”

“Second Master means let others take the initiative?” Chang Biao immediately understood and said.

“The bait’s already set. Are there no greedy fish?” Shen Boyu laughed. “Anyone eager to curry favor with the royal family and major houses will take a risk.”

“I get it.” Chang Biao gave a thumbs up. “Second Master had Shen Anyuan stir up a loud fuss and also exposed the scandal between Tang Fei and Princess Xiu Xue. That naturally angered the royal family and the noble houses interested in the princess.”

“Although Tang Fei made the Galaxy Rankings, he’s now the target of universal scorn. If someone wants to remove him now, besides the princess feeling some sorrow, everyone else in the royal family would be glad. The sovereign would be delighted, and the two princes would surely support it.”

“As for the other houses, having him kicked out without lifting a finger suits them perfectly. The more outstanding he is, the more enemies he makes.”

“So, Second Master’s move was just to unleash the sword’s intent; the sword’s energy hasn’t even reached his head.”

“If the sword’s intent could harm, why draw the sword at all?” Shen Boyu smiled. “By the way, have Shen Anyuan come here.”

“Yes, Second Master.”

(End of chapter)