The next day, early morning. The online buzz about the "Zero plagiarism UU" just began to die down when, out of nowhere, a character interview in the South City Daily brought the focus back to "UU, ’First Ruins’". The attention centered on UU. The character interview was published in the newspaper in text format and simultaneously as a video online. The video content was shared thousands of times shortly after its release, quickly climbing the trending charts with a visible rise in ranking. In the video, Sophie Scott sits in a spacious and bright living room, looking cute and charming, dressed casually and elegantly, with graceful and poised manners without appearing nervous or timid in front of the camera, exuding confidence and politeness. The eight-minute content outlined her journey to becoming a manga artist and the psychological journey following her career. Facing the online controversy over "First Ruins" and "Base No. 9," she provided a direct response— "Personally, I really like Zero and often sneaked to read his comics during high school. Readers can tell that the style of my early works does resemble Zero’s, which cannot be denied." "This time creating a work in the same theme as Zero’s, to be honest, makes me very nervous, afraid of being overshadowed. However, it’s also exciting to work in the same genre as my idol. Zero’s prowess is well-known, and there’s no comparison with him; I’ve always followed ’Base No. 9.’" "Regarding the similarity in world views, I believe it’s merely a coincidence. Even if not, for us newbie manga artists, having Zero appreciate our concepts is truly an honor. I do hope readers can view this issue more rationally. (Laughs)" Her responses were humble, polite, and graceful. The release of this video instantly garnered the favor of thousands of netizens. "I saw her photos before and thought they were photoshopped, but didn’t expect her looks to be so striking!" "Didn’t expect she was this adorable in person. Also, her family must be really wealthy! Judging from the lighting, she must be living in a villa, and the living room’s decor isn’t cheap. emmmm, it’s said she lives in the pricey Fenton City?" "I’m in love! I’ve turned from a fan of her work to a fan of her looks!" "[Shocked][Shocked] UU is actually a super student at Capital Uni? Kneeling for a confirmation from a top student at Capital Uni!" "I’m a junior at Capital Uni and can confirm UU is a student in our History Department, originally named Sophie Scott, and she’s the department beauty. She’s super nice, definitely a top student, wins scholarships every year, comes from a wealthy family, and is very talented... In short, she’s like a goddess." "Ahhhh, so good-looking, a top student, wealthy family, talented, humble... and her manga is so amazing?! What kind of celestial manga artist have I become a fan of!" "o(╥﹏╥)o I’m not worthy to judge her." "Her response to the plagiarism issue was awesome, openly admitting to imitating Zero’s art style (after all, it’s not a disgrace). If the older man doesn’t respond officially, I’m going to climb the wall." Among a plethora of supportive comments, occasionally, a few discordant voices would emerge. "emmm, she’s indeed excellent, but hasn’t anyone noticed her saying ’It’s our honor if Zero appreciates our concepts,’ suggesting a strategic retreat, hinting at plagiarism?" "@Reply: Above Zero fan, get lost. UU openly praises your Zero, and you twist her words maliciously? Waiting for definitive plagiarism proof to slap you in the face for peace?" "@Reply: Go sulk on your big uncle’s Twitter. Zero, your acknowledged scruffy guy, someone who doesn’t dare show his face, probably looks unsightly." "@Reply: He’s probably old enough to be UU’s dad, bullying a yet-to-graduate female student, have some decency, okay?" The few who occasionally spoke up were attacked fiercely and soon silenced. With this video, the entire internet lean engaged in UU’s favor, and Zero maintained his usual cold silence without commenting; his fans, despite being fierce, had no direction, and later simply kept quiet, safeguarding the data of "Base No. 9," awaiting a turnaround in Zero’s next update. The fans followed their idol and remained relatively laid-back. — Thus they consoled themselves. But, this time, their idol was not laid-back. After everyone had circulated UU’s interview video across various websites, having discussed it fervently, that night, Zero suddenly updated his Twitter without a word. "Zero": Hmm? [Reshares video tweet] What the heck do you mean by hmm! This time, the fans who forced themselves into serenity exploded. Within moments, the comments on Twitter exceeded ten thousand. Nᴇw ɴovel chaptᴇrs are published on novｅlfire.net "Why not explain in the tweet, huh? What’s with this ambiguous ’hmm,’ big elder, shut up already!" "Do you know how many people are watching you, why share that tweet recklessly!" "Delete it! Delete it now! I’ll give you one second! Hurry up!" "Uncle! Uncle! Uncle! I’m begging you! This buzz is raging these days, can you not stir the pot further?!" "Uncle! Do you know what they’re saying about you, sleazy sloppy middle-aged single man, neither good-looking nor fit, this appearance-obsessed world isn’t for you! They also rumor you as a poor student! And now, tell us, what do you mean by sharing a video of a soft cute pretty girl, have you also been smitten by beauty?!" The fans howled miserably. Of course, besides fans, the haters, having long awaited Zero’s response, naturally rolled up their sleeves to mock, sneer, and insult, almost all going for personal attacks, with few decent words. Over the duration of this day, UU had risen as the goddess in everyone’s heart, while Zero’s unfavorable public image had led to labels like "scruffy guy" and "muscle man"; the comparison of their images made where the netizens stood self-evident. Now, whenever Zero made a move, they automatically overlooked the works, comparing the real identities of the two, the public opinion sided overwhelmingly. After all, it’s a world that values appearance. What’s more troubling is— Once Zero spoke, Clement Winter, as his die-hard fan, also reshared the tweet a minute later. [Singer Clement Winter-V]: Uncle! I look better than her, look at me! Look at me! [Retweet] Clement Winter’s fans: [Get lost, what are you doing here!] [Be good, delete that tweet right now!] [This is not something you can get involved in! This is going to become a century war!] [Manage the comments! Emergency battle, everyone in charge of fan groups, quickly organize to manage the comments!] With these consecutive tweets, the internet descended into chaos. Nora Scott had just retweeted when Pedro Langley called her. "What are you doing?" Dude-acting Nora opened the speakerphone and skillfully applied a face mask. Pedro sounded irritated, "Delete the tweet." Does she not care about her reputation at all? Every time he saw those derogatory comments about her, he wanted to quietly get all their accounts suspended. Nora responded straightforwardly, leaving no room for negotiation. Being scolded a bit won’t make her lose a layer of skin. In this freezing weather, people all over the country have nothing fun to do, and the entertainment industry has been quiet lately. They’re probably bored, so if something interesting happens, why not make it big to satisfy them? Consider it an early celebration of the new year for them. After a brief silence, Pedro asked, in disbelief, "How did you end up portraying yourself as a dude-acting girl?" Nora replied honestly and directly, "I don’t know. One day I saw it in a gossip piece." He truly underestimated her level of negligence about herself. "Maybe my talent overshadows my looks," Nora said nonchalantly. "Don’t ever think that way," Pedro sincerely advised her. Nora was momentarily speechless. Is he complimenting or criticizing her? "You’re not deleting it?" Pedro’s voice deepened. After a two-second pause, Pedro said in a low voice, "Fine." Nora squinted her eyes, realizing something was off, "What do you plan to do?" Pedro chuckled lightly and said word by word, "As you wish, promote Sophie Scott." Before Nora could ask, Pedro had already hung up. In the living room, Alma Ferreira was video chatting with a friend. The whole day, Alma received countless phone calls, all from relatives and friends who saw the explosive news online, calling to confirm. After getting accurate information, they either sincerely or insincerely praised Sophie Scott. Though the words might have been insincere, they were progressively more pleasant. Alma was basking in this atmosphere of accolade, feeling overjoyed. As for Sophie, she spent the entire day with her phone. Friends, classmates, and relatives all sent congratulatory messages, even long-lost classmates reached out. Her phone never stopped buzzing. Additionally, in the comic artist group, the topic was all centered on her— [Wow, UU is so beautiful, she could debut right away, right?] [Straight-A student + talented girl + rich second generation, UU, you’re so low-key!] [Living is the ultimate winner in life, so envious!] Finally, the long-held breath in her heart was released. The whole day, Sophie’s lips were curved upwards, never dropping for a moment. Feeling relieved, Sophie happily planned to eat, but then her phone buzzed again with a notification. She glanced down to see a new friend request on WeChat. [Hello, I am the director of Cool Ridge Media’s "Waiting for You to Say" program, Ms. UU, would you be available to join our show?]