Chapter 17: A Declaration of War

After leaving, Xia Yangyang immediately called Gu Qichen. He was in a meeting, but paused to answer her call on the balcony. "Yangyang, what is it?" he asked.

"Could you do me a favor?" she replied.

"Tell me."

"You mentioned having a hacker friend who exposed Gong Xue'er's defamatory post on the campus forum. Could you give me his contact information? I need his help."

"Alright, I'll give you his contact information later," Gu Qichen said.

Xia Yangyang was surprised by his ready agreement. After a pause, she asked, "Aren't you going to ask what favor I need?"

"If you want to tell me, you will," he responded.

Xia Yangyang decided not to burden Gu Qichen with the details, especially since her plan was somewhat childish. "I'll tell you later," she said.

"Okay," Gu Qichen said gently.

After hanging up, Gu Qichen called Ah K. "I'll do anything for my sister-in-law," Ah K declared.

"Report back to me afterward," Gu Qichen instructed.

"Big brother, it's not right to always monitor my sister-in-law's whereabouts," Ah K protested.

Gu Qichen replied nonchalantly, "The technical director position at our company is open. I could mention it to your mother."

"Big brother, I was wrong! My mom still thinks I'm in the United States. Please don't tell her I'm back. Don't worry, whatever my sister-in-law asks, I'll write a thousand-word report."

Suddenly, Xia Yangyang received a call from an unknown number. "Hello sister-in-law, it's Ah K. What do you need?"

Xia Yangyang explained her request.

"That's easy," Ah K said. "Don't worry, I'll handle it quickly."

Xia Yangyang felt embarrassed. "Thank you. I'm sorry for the trouble."

Ah K chuckled. "Sister-in-law, no need to be polite. I eat my big brother's food, use his things… my big brother's matters are my matters, my big brother's wife is my wif—"

Xia Yangyang was stunned. Ah K quickly apologized, realizing his slip. "Sister-in-law, I got carried away. Big brother's wife will always be my sister-in-law! Long live my sister-in-law! I'm off to work on your task now." He hung up.

Xia Yangyang was confused. He seemed so unreliable.

Despite his bluster, Ah K's skills were exceptional. Xia Yangyang's votes surged in the afternoon. By the time voting ended, she had edged out Kim Fei'er by a single vote. Xia Yangyang had simply asked Ah K to help her win, just enough to surpass Kim Fei'er.

This "small advantage" was just one vote. Kim Fei'er's team was actively campaigning in the afternoon, but Ah K maintained a one-vote lead. No matter how many people she recruited or how much money she spent, it was futile. The constant one-vote difference attracted considerable attention and discussion.

The video of Xia Yangyang and Kim Fei'er's morning confrontation was also posted online. Suddenly, the entire campus knew that the school's two most popular girls had declared war.