Chapter 3

The one-star reviews hit at two in the morning.

I had barely fallen asleep when my phone started vibrating like it had lost its mind.

One notification.

Ten.

Fifty.

[The owner flirts with married men while fixing air conditioners.]

[Stay away! There's a fox shapeshifter living in this repair shop. You can hear creepy noises at night.]

[She never fixed my fridge. Instead, a fox tail smacked me right in the face.]

I sat upright in bed. The more I read, the more awake I became.

Brandon stood in the doorway, hugging his pillow. His voice was quiet.

"I'll go find her."

"So, you can walk right into her trap?"

"They're coming after me."

"However, they're destroying my business."

I opened the shop's dashboard. Our rating had already crashed from 4.9 stars to 3.2.

A system notification popped up.

[We've detected an unusual number of recent reviews on your business. Please pay close attention to customer feedback and continue providing quality service.]

I nearly crushed my phone.

Brandon's tail drooped onto the floor.

"I'm sorry."

"Sorry isn't enough." I threw off the blanket and got out of bed. "Do you know anything about computers?"

"A little."

"How little?"

"I maintained the Bureau of Supernatural Affairs' archive system."

I froze. "And you call that 'a little'?"

He answered honestly. "I was afraid you'd think I was bragging."

I shoved my laptop toward him.

"Then show me."

Brandon sat down in front of the computer. The moment his fingers touched the keyboard, everything about him changed.

His shoulders straightened and he stopped staring at the floor. Even his fox ears perked up with confidence.

Lines of code flew across the screen so fast they blurred together. Standing beside him, I could not understand a single thing. It felt like I was watching some kind of high-tech magic.

Less than ten minutes later, he stopped.

"They're all fake accounts. The IP addresses were disguised, but they all trace back to the same source."

He tapped the screen.

"Whitetail Media Group."

I blinked.

"Your fox clan has a media company?"

"Yeah." Brandon nodded. "They mainly handle relationship counseling, matchmaking services and social media management."

"It’s no wonder they're so good at spreading lies."

He pressed Enter, and a mountain of files filled the screen: account registration dates, payment records, private group chats... everything.

As I read through the chat screenshots, my blood pressure climbed.

The group was called:

[Operation: Bring the Heir Home]

One message read:

[Target: Female. Twenty-eight years old. Appliance repair technician. No connections. Easy to manipulate.]

Easy to manipulate?

I laughed.

Brandon looked at me nervously.

"Please don't laugh like that. You're scaring me."

I picked up my phone, logged into the shop's account, and recorded a response video.

Brandon wore a baseball cap. His nine tails had been stuffed under a blanket, although the tip of one stubbornly poked out.

Facing the camera, I said, "To all my longtime customers, and to everyone seeing this for the first time, my repair shop has been targeted by an organized fake review campaign tonight.

"I'll be releasing all the evidence. I've already filed a police report and reported these fake reviews to the platform. If anyone wants to keep posting fake one-star reviews...

"Go ahead. We've got plenty of things in this shop."

I picked up a wrench. "And most of them are made of steel."

Brandon quietly added from beside me, "And security cameras."

I turned to look at him. He immediately shut his mouth.

Ten minutes after I posted the video, the comments exploded.

[This owner is fearless. I love her.]

[Hold on. Who's the cute guy next to her? Are those ears under his cap?]

[I've been following this shop for three years. She even brought my grandma's ancient hot plate back to life. There's no way she's a scammer.]

[The review saying she seduced someone's husband while fixing an AC had me crying. Drop the address. I volunteer to be seduced.]

I was speechless.

The internet really had a talent for focusing on the wrong thing.

Brandon stared at the comments. Little by little, his fox ears started poking out from under his cap.

"They said I'm handsome."

"Put them away."

"...Okay." He obediently stuffed the ears back under the cap.

The video kept gaining traction until four in the morning.

Finally, the platform assigned a real customer service representative to contact me.

The woman sounded exceptionally polite.

"Ms. Lloyd, we've officially opened an investigation into the malicious review attacks against your business."

"It'd better be fast," I replied calmly. "Because if this isn't resolved by tomorrow, I'll take all my evidence to the Consumer Protection Office, livestream the whole thing and repair a broken toaster right outside the front door."

Silence.

Two full seconds.

"...We'll move your case to the highest priority."

After hanging up, Brandon quietly poured me a cup of hot water. "You're amazing."

I collapsed into my chair and waved a tired hand.

"Amazing? I'm so exhausted I could fall asleep standing up."

He lowered his head and smiled.

It was quick.

Barely there.

However, I caught it anyway.

I had to admit it. When Brandon smiled, he was almost unfairly handsome.

My phone buzzed again. This time it was a text message.

[Sender: Unknown]

There was only one sentence.

[Tomorrow at 10:00 a.m., the Legal Department of Whitetail Media Group will officially file a lawsuit against you for damaging the company's business reputation.]

I handed the phone to Brandon.

The moment he finished reading, the color drained from his face.

"They're serious now."

I tightened my grip around the mug.

"So, this is how supernatural creatures fight?

"First fake reviews, then lawyers?"

Brandon looked up. For once, his expression was completely serious.

"Mabel... I can't keep dragging you into this."

"What are you planning?"

"I'm going back to Whitetail."