Xu Qiannian, having been an internet celebrity for several years, was well-versed in the adage “listen to advice and you’ll never go hungry.”
Seeing the situation, she quickly adjusted her strategy and sat down in front of Banzhuan, combing its fur while interacting with netizens.
“Thank you everyone for the new ideas, making a cat house is indeed a viable option.”
“The bamboo products from Pinghe Village are all traditional crafts, treated only with basic insect and decay prevention, without any harmful chemicals, so you can safely use them for your furry friends.”
“Look how soundly this little piggy is sleeping…”
At this moment, Banzhuan, who had been enjoying the grooming with its eyes closed, suddenly perked up its ears, opened its eyes wide, and hissed at her:
“Meow!!!”
Startled, Xu Qiannian retracted her hand, wondering if the cat could actually understand human speech.
She smoothly changed her tone:
“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, you’re not a pig, you’re the most beautiful kitty in the world!”
Only then did Banzhuan retract its teeth, lay back down, and signal her to continue grooming.
Xu Qiannian thought to herself:
….
….
It really understands!
The barrage of comments flooded with “hahaha,” as netizens left messages like,
“The pig is furious,”
“Woman, you’ve messed with the wrong wild boar!”
“Is this pig an actor? It’s so effective!”
Brother Banzhuan even sent two moons to support:
[It’s not fat, it’s just muscular!]
“The kitty is not an actor, it’s just a local cat. Look how fierce, cough, I mean how majestic it is, how could we possibly direct it?”
“It really just likes this little house. But we’re out of stock today, these bamboo products are handmade, so quantities are limited…”
Xu Qiannian said while glancing at Shi Pengpeng.
By then, Shi Pengpeng had already discussed the plan with Wen Miao and wrote it on a board to show Xu Qiannian.
Understanding, Xu Qiannian continued,
“We’ve just decided to put up a pre-order link, but it will take about two weeks to ship. If you’re willing to wait, you can place an order now.”
“Additionally, Pinghe Village will introduce new products based on your suggestions, such as cat trees and cat grooming brushes.”
“Our village representative says they’re already discussing it with the villagers, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“If you have any other ideas, please continue to leave us messages…”
Netizens, always eager to join in the fun, kept the livestream lively.
First, there was a wave of “Stone Concubine Lady personally balding a kitten,” followed by “fruit basket turned cat house,” which was already quite effective.
Not only did netizens interact and leave messages, but many also sent gifts.
Thanks to Xu Qiannian’s quick response and Pinghe Village’s cooperation, humbly accepting the netizens’ suggestions, they unanimously praised the village.
Thus, with the boost from the charity event, the number of online viewers once reached nearly 100,000.
Not only were all of Pinghe Village’s bamboo products sold out, but the other local specialties represented by Fuxi Foods also achieved outstanding sales.
Just past noon, the livestream officially ended, and all the staff on-site were beaming with joy, congratulating each other with high-fives.
Shi Pengpeng, who was responsible for the livestream for the first time, was naturally overjoyed with the success.
As she was checking the backend data, Wen Miao suddenly clapped her hands excitedly and announced,
“Everyone, I have good news to share!”
Everyone turned to look, and Wen Miao, beaming with joy, said,
“The tourism bureau officials saw our livestream today and are coming for an inspection!”
It turned out that the city was preparing to host a tourism festival, planning to select a few scenic spots in the surrounding towns and counties as key promotional areas, and Zhupo County, where Pinghe Village is located, was one of them.
Today, the senior officials and media personnel happened to be in the county for an inspection, originally planning to visit only a more developed waterfall scenic spot.
Somehow, they saw Pinghe Village’s livestream and were surprised by the buzz the bamboo products had created online.
The county’s representative took the opportunity to introduce Yujian Mountain.
Understanding that the purpose of developing tourism is to boost the local economy, and seeing that Pinghe Village’s bamboo products had already made a splash online, they thought it might even help promote the tourism festival.
The inspection team thus decided to make a detour to Pinghe Village before leaving in the afternoon.
If the place was suitable, it might be added to the recommended routes for the tourism festival.
Time was tight, so Wen Miao quickly informed the villagers to prepare for the reception.
Shi Pengpeng couldn’t help much in this area and was about to leave with Xu Qiannian and the Fuxi Foods staff, but Wen Miao insisted Shi pengpeng to stay she stayed, feeling that without her, this opportunity wouldn’t have come, and she should appear in front of the leaders.
After some thought, Shi Pengpeng agreed.
In the evening, the inspection team arrived.
Shi Pengpeng, along with the village representative, followed Wen Miao to the village boundary marker to receive them.
As it was a last-minute arrangement, the inspection team didn’t make a big show, arriving in just three cars, one of which included a media photographer.
As the car doors opened, Shi Pengpeng saw: Yan Jing, impeccably dressed, stepped out of one of the cars, his gaze meeting hers, and he raised an eyebrow.
The next second, Shi Pengpeng’s phone vibrated.
She picked it up to see a message from
Yan Jing: [What a coincidence, you’re here too?]
Shi Pengpeng thought: ‘This guy is putting on airs again.’
SPP: [Be careful, Yujian Mountain is haunted.]
Yan Jing: [You are still so good at throwing shade!]
The county representative introduced the team members, and Shi Pengpeng finally understood the situation.
It turned out that the city’s tourism festival promotion was a collaboration with Cat Paw Tech, with many sponsors involved, and this part was under Yan Jing’s responsibility, so he was invited to join the inspection.
And the reason the inspection team happened to see Pinghe Village’s livestream was also because Yan Jing “accidentally” mentioned it mid-journey.
By the time the inspection team left and all the follow-up work was completed, it was already past ten at night.
It was too late to return to Xiluo, so Wen Miao planned to take Shi Pengpeng to a hotel in the neighboring town for the night.
As they came out of the village committee office and were about to get in the car, a horn sounded from ahead, and white headlights lit up, shining towards them.
Shi Pengpeng looked up and, against the light, saw a tall figure step out of the car.
Yan Jing rested his right elbow on the car door, his left hand in his pocket, with a hint of displeasure in his tone:
“Why didn’t you reply to my message?”
Shi Pengpeng was momentarily stunned and instinctively said,
“My phone died.”
“Oh.” Yan Jing’s expression softened slightly, and he beckoned her, “Get in.”
Shi Pengpeng blinked:
“You came to pick me up?”
Yan Jing, reluctantly:
“I figured you probably couldn’t return to the city today. This place is so remote, if I didn’t come, how would you…?”
He paused, then added a bit self-consciously,
“If I didn’t take care of you, it wouldn’t sit well with my grandfather.”
Shi Pengpeng:
“Sister Wen was about to take me to the town…”
Yan Jing:
“Haha, just kidding.”
Seeing his expression change, Shi Pengpeng quickly bid farewell to Wen Miao, ran up, and flashed a flattering smile,
“Brother, then I’ll trouble you.”
Yan Jing snorted lightly:
“You know what’s good for you.”
Yan Jing had already booked a room at the county hotel.
As they checked in, Shi Pengpeng grew more puzzled.
As far as she knew, the inspection team had left Pinghe Village and returned directly to Xiluo.
Yan Jing had no reason to stay the night.
Shi Pengpeng pondered for a moment, still unsure, but smiled and said,
“Brother, thank you.”
Yan Jing looked somewhat uncomfortable:
“I told you, it’s just for my grandfather’s sake.”
“I know.” Shi Pengpeng suppressed a laugh and changed the subject,
“I’m thanking you for helping with the water army issue today.”
Yan Jing was surprised: “How did you know?”
Shi Pengpeng: “I wasn’t sure at first, but now I am.”
Yan Jing grabbed her head and ruffled her hair:
“Who taught you to fish for information like this?”
Shi Pengpeng, unusually unopposed, just giggled.
Today, Cat Paw’s official handling of the water army was extremely swift, far beyond their usual efficiency.
Shi Pengpeng initially thought it was just good luck, but later realized Yan Jing had also watched the livestream.
“It wasn’t just for you.”
Yan Jing explained after some thought,
“Recently, water armies on Cat Paw have been rampant, so we’ve stepped up our
efforts.”
He handed her a room card and walked towards the elevator, saying,
“When I heard you hired Xu Qiannian as the host, I guessed something like this might happen, so I went to take a look, and sure enough…”
“Were the water armies targeting Qiannian?”
Shi Pengpeng was confused,
“Why?”
Yan Jing: “Did she reject Yu Tian’s contract offer?”
“Ah?” Shi Pengpeng was startled,
“You mean this is Yu Tian Culture’s retaliation against her?”
Yan Jing didn’t answer directly, only vaguely said,
“Previously, several popular bloggers on the platform also received offers from Yu Tian, and after refusing to sign, they were attacked by unknown water armies.”
“Especially the pretty female bloggers, two have already left the platform, and those who didn’t leave have had their accounts greatly affected.”
Shi Pengpeng frowned:
“Doesn’t your company do anything about it?”
“This is just my personal speculation, there’s no concrete evidence.”
Yan Jing shook his head, his expression darkening slightly,
“The boss behind Yu Tian is Ouyang Jue, and the Ouyang family has been in the real estate business for decades, their methods have always been…”
He paused, seemingly struggling to find the right word.
Shi Pengpeng wrinkled her nose and sharply commented:
“Underhanded?”
“Mm.” Yan Jing chuckled, adding a word, “Ruthless.”
He continued,
“The Ouyang family is wealthy and has invested a lot in Cat Paw, with good relationships with many of our executives. The company may deepen its cooperation with them in the future.”
He didn’t explicitly say it, but Shi Pengpeng could read between the lines.
Cat Paw Tech is internally complex, with many factions.
Although Yan Jing holds a high position, he still needs to balance various interests.
Previously, dealing with Kang Lu required concrete evidence before action could be taken.
Given Yu Tian Culture’s methods, their relationship with some of Cat Paw’s executives was likely more than just “good.”
Shi Pengpeng thought for a moment and said,
“Speaking of which, Yu Tian Culture approached me before…”
“She then recounted how Yu Tian Culture tried to use her to establish a connection with Yan Jing.”
After hearing this, Yan Jing’s expression darkened further:
“Yu Tian just won’t give up.”
It turned out that Yu Tian Culture had tried to win him over before.
He glanced at Shi Pengpeng, a hint of mockery in his tone,
“Aren’t you fond of money? Why didn’t you agree to them?”
Shi Pengpeng sighed regretfully: “Ah, I would have, but I couldn’t!”
“Oh?” Yan Jing raised an eyebrow,
“What, did your integrity make a comeback?”
“What does integrity have to do with it?”
Shi Pengpeng was baffled,
“I told them I don’t get along with you at all.”
She clenched her fist indignantly,
“And they didn’t believe me!”
Yan Jing: “……….”