Chapter 2806 - 2868: The Online World

"What’s wrong?" Li Yifei just closed his eyes and quickly opened them upon hearing the shout, only to see Wu Shuwei’s fingers pressing repeatedly, trying to exit, but at that moment his phone froze for a bit, and he saw a shocking nude picture on the screen, with none of the key areas covered. And that private message contained more than just that picture, there were over ten of them altogether, Wu Shuwei hadn’t noticed at first, but when she clicked to open, she exclaimed in shock.

Li Yifei saw it too, Wu Shuwei’s face instantly turned bright red, like a boiled prawn, and Li Yifei was also stunned, not expecting this. Before he could say anything, Wu Shuwei threw the phone over, it landed in his lap, her face already turned to the other side.

Li Yifei chuckled awkwardly and said, "This... there are people like this, but I usually don’t open them. So many people send me private messages, I can’t keep up. They’re all regularly cleaned out, don’t misunderstand!"

"What kind of people are they? Are they crazy?" Wu Shuwei couldn’t help but ask.

"Well, it’s just women’s bodies, not men’s; no need to be shy. As for whether they’re crazy, I can responsibly tell you, they’re not crazy, but also kind of crazy. Although I usually don’t check private messages, I know a lot of women send me these pictures every day, sometimes even men. They’re young, pretty, some with great figures but lacking shame, or they think sending such pictures one-on-one won’t be shameful. Anyway, it’s every day. Many of them think if I notice them, they could shoot to stardom overnight. After all, I have no other scandals, but the reputation of my lustful nature has spread far. That’s why I receive so many." Li Yifei explained calmly, "Even without status, some girls might hope to have a night with me. On one hand, I’m the richest in Ning Province, and lustful; on the other, I’m a veteran. After creating this image as a sort of justice warrior, many young girls, driven by personal worship, are willing to give themselves."

This piece of explanation from Li Yifei was very calm, as if he wasn’t talking about himself. Wu Shuwei listened, dazed, as Li Yifei continued: "This was unforeseen when I set up my Twitter account. Initially, it was just to talk about some things, but now it feels like a burden. This positive image on Twitter now also makes me watch my words and deeds in life, giving it a somewhat positive spin, but mostly restricting. But leaving that aside for now, regarding this matter, when I first started receiving these images, honestly, I felt angry. Who isn’t curious about young women’s bodies? Who doesn’t want to see private parts? But that’s just a thought and shouldn’t be acted upon. Now they’re recklessly sending them to me, I couldn’t understand it at first. Later, I figured it out, it can’t be summed up in a few words. There are societal mistakes, teachers’ mistakes, parents’ mistakes, all sorts of incorrect public guidance, these mistakes stack up, causing young girls to either indulge and degenerate or develop a curious mindset."

"Many times, I’ve wanted to bring this up, and I’m sure it’s not just me receiving these photos or verbal harassment. Other celebrities, internet giants must be receiving them too. The internet demographic is getting younger and younger; teenagers have smartphones, can register accounts, can post and see these things. Plus, with bad actors influencing them, how can they maintain control?"

Li Yifei spoke messily, even he felt helpless. He spent days researching these girls’ psychology and eventually gave up because it was too overwhelming. He could only hope every girl’s or boy’s parents can truly lead by example, guiding their children with specific actions instead of letting them run wild. Teaching comes before raising; if you can’t teach them well, don’t breed them, lest they become human scum one day.

Wu Shuwei nodded, sighed, and said, "I understand a bit, sometimes helplessly too. I think to truly persuade them, it’s best to advise them against personal idolization, to use reason, recognize the issue of boundaries. No matter how much you like a celebrity, don’t offer your body, or money, unless you’re very wealthy, then that’s different."

"Right, but sadly, some kids just can’t understand. Do you think I haven’t tried persuading them? One-on-one persuasion, but to no avail. Teenagers already know about love and sex, how do you advise them? They know their bodies are valuable, even to the point where not learning or striving doesn’t matter, knowing relying on their bodies could support them in a few years, can provide anything they want. Once I pressed a girl, asking her why she thought she could get anything she wants. Guess how she answered me?"

"What did she say?"

"She said, her family’s two older sisters are just like that. One is in Southern Sky, another I forget where, living very carefree, lavish. Travel wherever they want, eat whatever they crave, buy whatever catches their fancy. As their younger sibling, she’s envious and has absorbed a lot from them; she knows more than me! That’s why, to outdo her sisters, she sends me these pictures, not out of malice. I suspect she sends them to many others too, like casting a wide net." As Li Yifei recounts this now, he still feels a lingering fear, thinking it’s terrifying. She’s only in her teens, how were her parents educated? What kind of home environment can foster such mindset in children?

Li Yifei doesn’t know, and Wu Shuwei cannot imagine either. Such things feel worlds away, not even in the same universe. Wu Shuwei never thought there’d be such people and situations, especially at such a young age. Isn’t this something out of a novel?

Of course, she knows Li Yifei wouldn’t joke about such matters, so he’s not fabricating stories; it’s a real incident. Especially since she saw it moments ago, the girl in those pictures... clearly has only recently started to develop, not very old.

Initially, she wondered what these girls were after, and Li Yifei explained it to her, now Wu Shuwei can only feel the impact in her thoughts.

Without seeing Li Yifei’s private messages, she wouldn’t know there were so many issues.

"Men do this too?"

"The online world is too restless, relatively secretive as well, thus many people’s true inner thoughts are revealed. Men are the same, although luckily, men bothering me, sending photos, are relatively few. But I believe for many female internet celebrities and stars, they receive far more harassment photos and words, much more because of gender. Never overestimate some people’s moral boundaries."

"I noticed that too, some time ago there was a burst of incidents about people secretly filming others online. I was shocked, but fortunately, I rarely use public restrooms, and I’m even more cautious now." Wu Shuwei said.

Li Yifei smirked helplessly and said, "I was the one who exposed it, sigh!"

"Ah? You were the one who uncovered it?" Wu Shuwei said, surprised.

"Using the word ’uncovered’... works too. I expanded it across the internet, with the help of Chu Xiaoyao and others at home implementing it specifically, we managed to bring these perverts to justice, even prompted special legislation by the state, which is a good thing!"

"Of course it’s a good thing, it’s a great thing! Yifei, you know, when I found out about this, I was sick to my stomach. I couldn’t understand how such creepy people existed, some with all sorts of identities, including that initial person who was a postgraduate student caught secretly filming girls in the school restroom... Just thinking about his identity made me feel like swallowing a fly."

"Postgraduate? There are professors too. This issue isn’t about education level; it’s about personal moral integrity and mental health. Perverted people do perverted things, but they must face distorted retributions. There’s no need to say more." Li Yifei said.

Wu Shuwei shook her head continuously; clearly, this has shaken her morality, she clicked her tongue and said, "Really opened my eyes today, sigh, at least I’ll be more cautious in the future, especially since today’s filming equipment is so advanced. I remember there were pinhole cameras, right?"

"You know too little; we’ve learned that not only are there pinhole cameras, but also many different shapes. Hence, relevant departments and some online stores directly closed several shops selling such items, which can be considered a good deed. Although it’s impossible to completely eliminate and curb, at least it makes it harder for criminals to find sources."

"That was very well done; personally, I support it!" Wu Shuwei said.

"Haha, long way to go. Like I said earlier, having created this internet celebrity status, now I’m realizing more responsibility because some fans truly lack self-discernment. Your every word and action can easily be taken as gospel by them, causing concern. If I mistakenly say something, they might do it, which means I’d be indirectly harming society as well as them."

"Are you sure? Are they really that brainless?"

"Look at comments under some trending news events, you’ll find plenty of speech that leaves you speechless. Add to that many motivated individuals pushing online, and they can be easily led astray."

Wu Shuwei found it hard to believe, so she searched a controversial news report. Checking the comments, she found either unbearable rhetoric or extreme views, though some held sound opinions, which made her feel slightly better. She sighed and said, "You were right, when it comes to this aspect, are people’s online ages too low, thus limiting their cognitive abilities?"