Nora Scott finally replied to Pedro Langley’s message. [Nora]: You know about it too? [Pedro]: It’s trending. [Pedro]: When you’re in the entertainment industry, can’t you also have this trending physique? Lately, Zero has become a regular on the trending topics, any slight movement becomes a one-day trending topic. In contrast, Nora Scott, a celebrity in need of publicity, rarely makes it to the trending list, and when she does, it’s usually not for positive news—either her acting is criticized, or a director says she’s unprofessional, or simply her looks are being admired by fans... In short, there’s hardly anything positive. The worst part is, she rarely even makes it to the trending topics. [Pedro]: Don’t joke around. [Pedro]: If it’s about public opinion, feel free to come to me. [Nora]: No need this time. [Nora]: Let it ferment, the bigger the fuss, the better. This was the most straightforward stance. Pedro Langley could tell she had a plan and was confident, so he didn’t say anything else. [What’s the big deal about overlapping themes and worldviews?] [UU fans, don’t try to start anything!] [Who’s leading the narrative and seeking fame, isn’t it obvious? A certain newcomer whose fans don’t even compare to Zero’s fans!] Statements flying across the internet pierced Sophie’s eyes, causing her heart and lungs to ache with anger. Compared to Zero’s fans, her fans were completely powerless, just a few words from them and Zero’s fans would push their comments to the back, with all major forums dominated by Zero’s fans. If this isn’t called bullying, what is?! However, what was causing her anxiety went beyond that. She knew why so many people sided with Zero, because Zero is a laid-back person, doesn’t intentionally stir trouble, and focuses solely on manga. Unless something really provokes him, he won’t retaliate. Yet when he does retaliate, it’s always a huge deal. Because of this, Zero not only has many fans but also a very good reputation with the public. So when the "similar theme incident" came up, their first reaction was—impossible. What made Sophie anxious and uneasy was her suspicion that Zero’s new work really was aimed at her. A few days ago, Nora almost clearly hinted: I know you plagiarized; Nora knows Laura Collins, and Zero seems to know Laura Collins, it’s highly likely Nora also knows Zero; Zero rarely strikes first, yet on the day the manga exhibition ended, he posted a nearly provocative message on social media, letting "Eternal Sleep" beat out "First Ruins"; The storyboard she saw came from Nora, the initial draft was only something a manga artist of Zero’s caliber could provide; The storyboard she saw was most likely Zero’s! If Nora knows Zero, it would make sense for Nora to have Zero’s storyboard. Besides, if she used the storyboard’s idea first, Zero’s subsequent moves—posting on the day of the exhibition, deliberately updating at the same time as her, a similar worldview now—all can be explained! Which means, did she inadvertently plagiarize Zero’s new work? And even published ahead of Zero?! Understanding this, Sophie’s heart began to thump uncontrollably, a sense of nervousness permeating throughout. Nora and Zero surely don’t have evidence, otherwise their means of dealing with her wouldn’t be so subtle. Sophie repeatedly calmed herself down, needing to stay composed. The phone on the table buzzed, the screen lit up showing "Lily Turner." Sophie crouched on her chair, arm wrapped around her knees, hesitated for a long time, then reached out to pick up the phone, answering. "Sophie, I saw the news online, are you alright?" Lily Turner asked with concern. "I’m fine." Sophie replied with a fleeting tone, paused briefly, then feigned nonchalance, "It’s not like I plagiarized." Lily chuckled, "Didn’t want you to be upset." "...It does bother me a bit." Needless to say, a person’s endurance can increase more and more each time. Starting from Zero’s social media post at the manga exhibition, causing "First Ruins" to be overshadowed by "Eternal Sleep," she’s been ridiculed; "Base No. 9" deliberately arranged to release at the same time as "First Ruins," countless netizens laughing at her; the dark memories from the Virtue Retreat’s day made her the subject of mockery within the circle... And now she’s discovered that she actually plagiarized Zero’s manga, with Zero wanting to manipulate public opinion to get back at her. Maybe it’s numbness, maybe it’s just becoming a habit, but she no longer feels as collapsed as before. At the very least, besides the emotions that bubbled up in the first few minutes, right now, she’s slowly calming down. "You’ve really been having a rough time lately," Lily sighed. "I heard Zero is quite a top-tier cartoonist in your industry. I never thought they’d be shameless enough to plagiarize, bullying others with a large fanbase and their high status." Sophie pursed her lips, not saying a word. It seems, in Lily’s eyes, she’s an outright victim. "What’s going on with your website?" Lily asked. "The editor said that having a similar world view doesn’t count as plagiarism," Sophie furrowed her brows, her tone rather powerless. "Plus, the chief editor is in charge of ’Base No. 9’, and I heard the chief editor is a fan of Zero..." "So, they’re trying to cover for Zero?" "It looks that way now." Sophie spoke in a low voice, full of grievances. "Ha, capitalist society. Sophie, things can’t go on ," Lily analyzed. "You have fewer fans, and with Zero’s side twisting the truth, they’ll claim your work plagiarized theirs. Bystanders and netizens who don’t know the truth are easily misled, you can’t just sit and wait." Sophie’s lips moved slightly, muttering, "I don’t know what to do either." Lily’s voice grew stern, "These days, controlling the narrative means controlling everything." "What narrative?" Sophie was taken aback. "Aren’t hot searches currently all about plagiarizing? Whether it’s true or not, establish ’Zero plagiarized’ first," Lily scoffed coldly, continuing, "They say you’re riding their coattails, so why not truly ride this wave? At least you have a clear conscience. Use this momentum to make your work viral, isn’t that better?" Understanding Lily’s intention, Sophie raised her head, her tone rather tense. Lily said, "I’m in the entertainment industry; I know more about public opinion than you do. These days, no one cares about the truth, only the buzz is real." "So, what should I do?" Sophie was moved. A light laugh reached her ears, and Lily slowly spoke, "I’ll help you." At dawn, Oliver was woken up by Steve’s call. Sitting up in bed, Oliver half-closed his eyes, messing up his hair. His voice carried the groggy irritation and laziness of waking up. "Something happened! Something big!" Oliver was startled awake by his shouting. The source of this content ɪs NovєlFіre.net Pausing slightly, he asked, "Did the school finally get bombed?" "...Didn’t expect you to be this kind of nerd!" Steve joked, then quickly added, "Nothing got bombed, but Twitter blew up! ’Zero plagiarized UU’ trended all night! I just scrolled through half-asleep, and now I’m wide awake." Only just starting to process, Oliver felt like the information pouring into his mind was somewhat unreal. Steve exclaimed excitedly, "Zero plagiarized UU!" Oliver replied quietly, "I know both those names." Adding "plagiarize" between them just felt unfamiliar. UU, his sister, Sophie. Zero, his sister’s idol. Though ever since ’Base No. 9’ was released, there’s always been online buzz tying "Zero and UU" together, Oliver never thought they’d be linked again in this way. "Can’t believe it, right? I can’t either. But marketing accounts are talking about it convincingly, and lots of bystanders are being swayed," Steve said. Rubbing his hair and face, Oliver fully awakened, "I’ll go take a look." Ending the call, Oliver opened Twitter, skimming through the news. He was busy last night and didn’t follow the updates of the two comics, so Oliver spent a few minutes catching up, feeling they were somewhat similar but not enough to be "plagiarism." However, every marketing account he clicked was presenting "Zero plagiarism" as a solid fact, even providing comparison images, analyzing them with plausible arguments. Online opinions were polarized. One side was Zero fans, fiercely defending Zero’s reputation, accusing UU of riding coattails. The other side included Zero’s critics, from all kinds of backgrounds, declaring Zero a plagiarist, claiming they feared a newcomer with similar themes might outshine them, bullying them using their large fanbase, listing events such as chart battles, conflicting update times with ’First Ruins’... Amidst it all were plenty of voices adding fuel to the fire. Occasionally, uninformed bystanders joined in. [Holy crap, never thought I’d see the day! A high-caliber Zero also becoming a plagiarist?] [Doesn’t Zero care about their reputation? Why not come out and explain?] [If there was an explanation, it would have been given long ago, why hide behind a screen now.] [Hahaha, with this uproar, everyone is comparing the two works; UU’s followers increased by 300,000 overnight, and CC Comics’ ’First Ruins’ data exploded... Whatever happens, ’First Ruins’ is completely on fire now.]