Chapter 26

The words from the newcomers left everyone completely confused.

Everyone’s gaze instinctively turned toward the group of people in uniforms.

More than a dozen people wearing matching uniforms stood among the crowd, and it certainly looked quite impressive.

The first to react was Su Xingyao. Seeing that they’re looking for him by name, he took a few steps forward and approached the person at the front.

Su Xingyao politely extended his hand. “Hello, I am Su Xingyao.”

The person obviously recognized him at first glance and immediately shook his hand enthusiastically, explaining the purpose of their visit.

“Hello, I am Wang Youwei, the director of the Qing Shan City Market Supervision Bureau.”

“I’m terribly sorry for the sudden interruption of your filming and the entire production team.”

Director Wang Youwei’s face showed a hint of apology as he continued, “The reason we’re here is that we’ve been trying to contact you for quite a while, but we couldn’t reach you, so we had no choice but to wait for you here.”

What Director Wang actually meant to say was that they couldn’t find him, so they had to chase him all the way here.

However, considering the crowd, he didn’t want to speak too bluntly.

This wasn’t really Director Wang’s fault.

After all, all the contact information listed for Su Xingyao online was related to his film star profile.

The only phone number that could reach him had been changed recently.

Unaware of this situation, the head of the Market Supervision Bureau had been trying to contact Su Xingyao ever since they saw the video yesterday.

Unfortunately, after a long search, they found that all the phone numbers they called were out of service.

At first, everyone thought the banner they had prepared overnight would be wasted.

But luckily, someone informed them that the “We’re Going Traveling” program was recording here in the scenic area, and Su Xingyao was also present. However, they learned that he would be leaving right after filming today.

Upon hearing this, the director immediately rushed to the recording site with his team from the Market Supervision Bureau, hoping to catch Su Xingyao.

After hearing Wang Youwei’s explanation, Su Xingyao finally understood.

Before he could speak, he was quickly handed a banner by the enthusiastic Director Wang.

Wang Youwei sincerely thanked him, “Thank you, Mr. Su, for your supervision of the night market stalls and mobile vendors in Qingshan City, especially the issue with the faulty scales.”

Although Su Xingyao didn’t think he had done anything significant, he was surprised when the banner was suddenly pressed into his hands by Director Wang.

“Th-thank you, but I really didn’t do much.”

This was the first time in his life someone had presented him with a banner. After thanking him, Su Xingyao lowered his eyes in surprise and curiosity.

He then saw that the banner had four very prominent golden words written in Song style font:

“Warm-hearted Citizen!”

Warm-hearted Citizen, Su Xingyao himself: o.o

Viewers in the live stream who were shocked by the banner: !!!!!

【At first, when I saw so many people in uniforms, I thought Su Xingyao had gotten into some trouble.】

【Who would have thought that Su Xingyao was actually being chased down by the director of the bureau to the filming site to give him a banner.】

【The director’s face is like he’s afraid Su Xingyao will slip away if he’s not careful, hahaha.】

【You can really tell how hard it was to find Su Xingyao, look at how anxious the director is.】

【Meanwhile, Su Xingyao, who’s been handed the banner, is still totally confused, hahaha.】

【This live stream has shown me things I never imagined! This scene is so funny, who gets it?】

【Who knew that watching a variety show live would lead me to see the director personally handing a “Warm-hearted Citizen” banner to someone!】

As the viewers were enjoying the unexpected and amusing scene, Zhang Shanfeng suddenly realized what was happening and quickly shouted at the director.

“Quick, quick, turn off the live stream!”

The directors, who were also stunned by the banner presentation, hadn’t noticed that the broadcast was still live.

After Zhang Shanfeng’s prompt, they quickly cut off the live stream.

Soon, the viewers found their live stream screen had turned completely black.

【????? I was enjoying myself, why did it stop?】

【Zhang Shanfeng, are you playing games with me?!】

【You cut off the broadcast for such an interesting scene?!】

【What happened next? What happened after that?? (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻】

【Am I not VIP enough? Do you want me to upgrade to SVIP right now?】

As the viewers were freaking out over the stream being cut off, Director Wang and the Market Supervision Bureau team were enthusiastically inviting Su Xingyao to take photos with them.

Having waited for a long time without the stream resuming, the viewers, feeling the need to vent, went to various forums to share the event with others who missed the live broadcast.

Soon, news of Su Xingyao being personally chased by the Qing Shan City Market Supervision Bureau officials and handed a “Warm-hearted Citizen” banner spread quickly everywhere. Some of the audience members at the scene even uploaded photos of Su Xingyao holding the banner and posing for pictures with Director Wang.

The viewers had a good laugh when they saw the photos.

It was already eye-catching for a celebrity to take action against faulty scales, but to be recognized and honored by the local Market Supervision Bureau with a “Warm-hearted Citizen” banner was just too much for the audience.

Quickly, the hashtags #SuXingyaoChasedWithBanner and #SuXingyaoWarmHeartedCitizen trended once again on social media.

【Before clicking on this, I didn’t expect it to be this funny.】

【Warm-hearted Citizen Su Xingyao, hahaha, Su Xingyao probably never imagined he would get such a title in his life.】

【Su Xingyao, maybe you should quit acting and just stay on variety shows. I promise I won’t roast you anymore.】

【Just when I thought the “faulty scale” incident with Su Xingyao had blown over, who would have thought a banner would stir up so much!】

After seeing the trending topics and various photos from the scene, the viewers laughed all night.

After all the fun, they thought the incident would finally be over. But what they didn’t expect was that the situation was about to get even crazier.

After the Qingshan City Market Supervision Bureau found Su Xingyao, they expressed their gratitude by tagging him on their official Weibo account and even posted the video of them giving him the banner.

Not only that, but the authorities also made no attempt to avoid discussing the issue of faulty scales. They didn’t try to silence the netizens or citizens, instead, they carefully summarized their oversight on their official Weibo account and posted a set of sincere and effective rectification measures.

Finally, the authorities sincerely invited the public and netizens to supervise them and the markets in Qingshan City.

Seeing that the authorities had openly addressed the issue, the netizens responded positively. Many even participated in the supervision project that very day.

That night, netizens across various platforms quickly provided timely feedback on their supervision efforts.

Everyone said that the problems with faulty scales and other issues had been greatly improved.

However, this wasn’t the main focus.

The key point was that all the netizens who had visited Qingshan City mentioned one thing.

That was, the local night market’s specialty snacks were simply delicious!

Qingshan City had already been gaining popularity recently, and everything related to it was closely watched by netizens.

When everyone saw that all the outsiders who had visited the city came back with the same story about the local food, the temptation of these delicious snacks was too much for many to resist.

Some even took overnight flights to personally investigate the food’s authenticity…

And these people who investigated confirmed what the previous visitors had said.

It’s really that good!!!

With so many people recommending it, Qingshan City, which had previously had a very poor tourism industry, suddenly went viral online.

By the next day, almost all the hotel rooms in Qingshan City had been booked up.

The locals didn’t expect that, just because Su Xingyao had inadvertently tackled a faulty scale, it would circle around and end up boosting their local tourism industry.

So, more people wanted to send banners to Su Xingyao.

But, once again, they couldn’t find him in person, so they could only share their thanks online.

Netizens and various influencers, upon seeing this unexpected development and outcome, couldn’t help but revisit the path that led to Su Xingyao and Qingshan City’s sudden rise in popularity.

No matter how they analyzed it, they all found this series of events to be bizarre and dramatic.

But, in the end, this absurd chain of events unfolded naturally.

Before the netizens even had time to figure out what was going on, the local government had already accepted it very positively.

The local official media directly shared Su Xingyao’s video.

Local government Weibo accounts also joined in, all @ing Su Xingyao with high praise.

Then, the government even invited Su Xingyao for an interview, and the interview was broadcast during prime time on the most authoritative local TV station.

It was a major display of respect.

The video was soon uploaded online.

Netizens quickly watched the video and noticed that in the interview, Su Xingyao didn’t simply focus on the issue of faulty scales.

Instead, he humbly and modestly shared all the tips for selecting vegetables that he hadn’t fully explained on the show.

His logic was clear, and his explanation was simple and easy to understand. He even thoughtfully shared some tips on making and pairing everyday dishes.

For the netizens who only order takeout and never step into a vegetable market, this video was like a ready-made grocery shopping guide.

As a result, many people who didn’t know how to cook suddenly developed a huge fondness for Su Xingyao.

His Weibo, which had been bombarded with over a million negative comments, suddenly had a top comment that read “Thank you, Su Xingyao, for the informative tips.”

Just by recording a single variety show, Su Xingyao had attracted such massive attention.

His haters, after seeing the events of the past few days, could no longer sit idly by.

【Su Xingyao’s new team is amazing, their marketing for this comeback is so good】

【I don’t get it, this is such a simple and common thing, why is it being blown out of proportion?】

【Su Xingyao’s fans are acting like they’ve never seen the world, celebrating as if he’s the only one who knows how to buy groceries】

Su Xingyao’s haters were relentless, finding fault with anything.

But this time, what he did was truly related to the interests of ordinary people, and his performance was genuinely well-received by the public. As a result, many people stood up to defend him.

【It’s hilarious, if it was such a simple thing, why didn’t you notice it before?】

【It’s a pity that Qingshan City is now thanking Su Xingyao in multiple Weibo posts, and not you bitter haters】

【Knowing how to buy groceries is such an amazing skill? Su Xingyao not only knows how to buy groceries and cook but does it well! Can your brother or sister do that?】

【Speaking of grocery shopping, my mom also watched this interview video today, and she told me that Su Xingyao must have at least five years of experience in grocery shopping to be this skilled】

【Same here, my mom said the same thing and told me I should learn from Su Xingyao】

【But Su Xingyao is only 23, right? If he has five years of experience, then he must have been cooking since he was a teenager!】

【No way, he’s been cooking and shopping for groceries since he was a kid, didn’t he mention in the interview that these were all skills he learned from his sister when they were little?】

【Oh… having a sister who’s so good at being frugal from a young age… Just curious, does Su Xingyao’s family not have a lot of money?】

【Why would you think that? Maybe his family is just naturally frugal and hardworking.】

In the Shen family’s mansion, Wen Ningshu, who had just finished dinner, also watched the video.

On the phone screen, the host was enthusiastically interviewing Su Xingyao.

Host: “Su Xingyao, can you share how you became so skilled at buying groceries at such a young age?”

Su Xingyao smiled lightly, as if remembering something happy, and answered somewhat proudly, “My sister taught me.”

“When I was little, I loved following my sister around. I would go to the market with her, and after watching for a while, I learned how to do it.”

“She also taught me how to spot underweight produce. She’s even better at estimating the weight of food than I am.”

In the video, when Su Xingyao mentioned his sister, there was so much tenderness in his eyes.

Wen Ningshu paused the video and stared at that image of Su Xingyao for a long time.

Over the years, she had never seen that expression on her son’s face…

In her memory, he had always been quiet, not fond of talking or smiling, and certainly never acted coquettishly in front of her…

So, when Su Xingyao spoke about his sister with that slightly proud expression, Wen Ningshu simply couldn’t imagine him doing such a thing.

Thinking about this, Wen Ningshu couldn’t quite pinpoint what she was feeling. She decided to distract herself by opening the comments and reading through the netizens’ posts.

Soon, she realized that in addition to praising Su Xingyao, many netizens also started speculating about his family background because of his answer about knowing how to cook at a young age.

The majority of people thought Su Xingyao must have been the kind of child who took on adult responsibilities early due to a poor family.

Wen Ningshu had to admit that sometimes the netizens’ instincts were incredibly accurate.

Just from a few words, they could sense Su Xingyao’s difficult childhood.

However, as a mother, it wasn’t until after reading these comments that Wen Ningshu suddenly realized this issue.

Not only that, but she had just learned from the video that Su Xingyao had already been buying groceries and cooking at such a young age…

She had never known that her son had these skills.

In fact, she had never even thought to ask what his life had been like before he went to the orphanage.

The disappearance of her child had always been a knot in her heart.

Su Xingyao had been drifting outside for seventeen years, and she had been avoiding this issue. She never had the courage to ask how he had been living all these years.

When they had reconnected with Su Xingyao at the orphanage, they had been told that due to certain special circumstances, his previous records were confidential, and the orphanage had no information. So, she had comfortably stopped pursuing details about her son’s past experiences.

She had always had a vague sense that his childhood had been very unfortunate.

But if that were true, the overwhelming guilt would make it even harder for her to face him.

So, she had convinced herself that before he went to the orphanage, he must have been happy.

However, this video had ripped that veil of self-deception away.

The netizens didn’t know exactly how young Su Xingyao meant by “childhood.”

But she knew clearly that he had gone to the orphanage when he was 12 years old.

So, before the age of 12, while Shen Huaixi was still throwing tantrums in the mornings, Su Xingyao had already learned to buy groceries and cook for himself…

Thinking about this, Wen Ningshu couldn’t bring herself to read any further.

For the first time, she realized just how negligent she had been toward her child because she couldn’t face the truth. Her hands began to shake uncontrollably, and her phone fell to the floor.

“What’s wrong, dear?”

Shen Liangyu picked up her phone and handed it back to her.

The phone had already been locked when it fell, but because it had just locked, the screen was still lit up.

When Wen Ningshu looked down at her phone, she saw Shen Huaixi’s bright smile on the lock screen, looking directly at the camera.

Suddenly, Wen Ningshu found the smile a little too glaring, so she quickly turned off the phone.

She looked at Shen Liangyu and softly said, “I saw Xingyao’s video…”

Shen Liangyu, who had been smiling warmly, immediately lost all expression when he heard those three words.

“A person who doesn’t focus on their proper work and is always out, what’s the point of watching him?”

Wen Ningshu opened her mouth but found that she didn’t know how to respond.

Originally, she had been angry because Su Xingyao insisted on entering the entertainment industry.

But hearing her husband bring it up, she suddenly didn’t even have the energy to be angry.

Her heart felt as though it was being twisted, and in her discomfort, Wen Ningshu ended up saying the wrong thing.

“I saw the comments below the video, and everyone says Xingyao’s family background is poor.”

Wen Ningshu didn’t explain clearly, leading Shen Liangyu, who hadn’t seen the video, to misunderstand.

He seemed speechless. “He’s the eldest son of the Shen family, how could his family background be poor?”

Wen Ningshu quickly defended Su Xingyao. “Xingyao has never mentioned it to anyone.”

After hearing Wen Ningshu’s words, Shen Liangyu suddenly remembered that since Su Xingyao entered the entertainment industry, he had never brought up the fact that he was the eldest son of the Shen family…

Wen Ningshu continued, “And he really didn’t have a good life before.”

Shen Liangyu thought his wife was referring to Su Xingyao’s time at the orphanage and interrupted her somewhat impatiently.

“I know.”

“I’m not talking about that… I mean, before he went to the orphanage, his life with his foster parents must have also been difficult.”

Wen Ningshu looked at Shen Liangyu. “Do you think we…?”

Before Wen Ningshu could finish her sentence, they heard Shen Huaixi’s voice coming from the doorway.

“Mom, Dad, I’m back~”