After hearing He Junhao's story, Xiao He fell into rare silence.
This kid had truly suffered.
He didn't even know how to comfort him.
"So what are you planning to do next?"
Xiao He asked.
"Ah—"
He Junhao let out a long sigh at this, though his mood seemed slightly better than before. "Start over, I guess. With Douyin's growing popularity lately, I can post my new account's content on both Douyin and Bilibili."
Xiao He considered this and thought it sounded reasonable.
"Need any help?" he offered proactively. "I might not be able to do much, but I can make an appearance or something—"
"Yes! Absolutely yes!"
He Junhao grabbed Xiao He's arm, tears and snot flowing freely. "Wuwu, you're truly my best bro! You have no idea how viral you are on Bilibili! If I can ride your coattails, you'll be my godfather reincarnate!"
"But wouldn't this affect you negatively?"
Xiao He's face darkened. "Alright, alright. It's not like I have any agency restrictions right now anyway—this popularity is more than I can handle alone. Consider this you helping me share the load."
Truthfully, he'd been too busy lately, jumping between film sets nonstop. Even when he wanted to post occasional photos to maintain fan engagement, he rarely found the opportunity. Those few nine-grid photos they'd managed? Entirely thanks to Lin Yipeng's efforts promoting their drama "Thief Catcher."
So in a way, this would be Xiao He's first official appearance on Bilibili since gaining fame.
Of course, he'd appeared before—specifically in He Junhao's videos—but back then his mind had been elsewhere entirely. He Junhao had considerately minimized his screen time, which was why nobody had discovered they were dormmates until now.
"That's fantastic!" He Junhao kept bowing in gratitude. "Thank you, Xiao-ge. I—I don't even know how to express my thanks properly. Really, thank you—"
These past weeks had been an emotional rollercoaster for He Junhao. One moment he'd been fantasizing about hitting one million followers and landing lucrative sponsorships, the next he'd been reduced to a complete nobody starting from zero.
The bitterness and frustration? He'd told no one, not even his family, afraid of worrying them.
Thankfully his relatives weren't active Bilibili users, and his close friends were all preoccupied with their own lives. Otherwise, He Junhao wouldn't have known how to explain his situation.
"But Xiao-ge... I might need to wait a bit," He Junhao suddenly looked troubled. "I'm moving places right now and still apartment hunting. Can't film anything temporarily."
Xiao He pondered briefly. "No rush. I'm entering a new filming location tomorrow anyway—might be stuck at the studio for a long while. Just give me advance notice when you're settled, and I'll come find you."
"Deal—"
With their plan set, He Junhao regained his energetic demeanor, enthusiastically brainstorming video ideas. Xiao He finally relaxed and turned to boot up his computer.
The startup logo illuminated the screen, its dark surface reflecting the young man's icy gaze.
What was that company called again?
Chuangxing? Heh, watch me wreck you—
______
Shanghai, an office building.
"What? How could this happen?"
Manager Yu angrily slammed his desk. "I hired you people to tell me our computers got hacked?"
The employees exchanged helpless glances.
"Manager Yu, this really was too sudden," one programmer explained helplessly. "This virus is completely different from anything currently on the market. I suspect foreign hackers targeted us."
At least he'd never encountered anything like this domestically.
"Ha! Then call the police! If you can't handle it, surely they can!"
A junior assistant awkwardly interrupted: "Manager, that might not be advisable..."
"Now what's the problem? Nothing ever works with you people! Do you realize every minute wasted is money lost?"
Manager Yu roared, "Call them! Immediately!"
Some programmers rolled their eyes discreetly.
Unbelievable...
The assistant suggested, "Manager, maybe you should look at this first?"
Fuming, Manager Yu stormed to a computer—then his expression changed completely upon seeing the screen.
"This... this—"
Displayed were their company's financial statements and tax filings from the past five years—even recent bank transaction details!
It was like someone had skinned their company alive, exposing everything raw to the world!
Watching these damning documents flash relentlessly across every screen, Manager Yu barked at his assistant: "Is every computer like this?"
The assistant watched the scrolling spreadsheets and pouted. "Yes, Manager Yu."
"Then cut the power immediately!"
Manager Yu shouted, cold sweat forming on his forehead. This couldn't get out! They'd be ruined!
"We can't! The programmers already said—if we force shutdown, every infected device gets bricked!" The assistant looked genuinely distressed. "Didn't you just tell us not to cut power?"
Every computer in the company was compromised—even routers and servers in their data room. Forced shutdown would mean irreparable damage with incalculable losses.
Manager Yu's lips trembled, unwilling to shoulder this responsibility, and could only angrily urge the programmers: "Then hurry up and fix it! These are company assets—you think you can afford this loss?"
The lead programmer simply sneered, crossing his arms. "Can't be fixed. Just call the police. We're just coders—can't solve this, won't take the blame. Save your threats."
Manager Yu choked: "You—you—"
Thanks to the company's excessive overtime demands, most staff were still present. As incriminating data kept flashing publicly, some employees already started recording with their phones while cursing the unethical company, immediately dialing whistleblower hotlines to ensure this institution got shut down for good.
By the time authorities arrived, the virus had vanished without a trace—only the employees' video evidence remained.
Not that it mattered anymore.
This subsidiary called Chuangxing had engaged in years of tax evasion, fraudulent contracts, and data manipulation. With ironclad evidence, authorities sealed the premises that same day, taking Manager Yu and other executives in for questioning.
Given the circumstances, their chances of walking free were slim—they'd likely be enjoying prison meals for quite some time.