Ch 18: The Cannon Fodder Won’t Play Along Anymore [QT]

Mu Xing sat in the back seat with his eyes closed, resting, while Liu Xue sat beside him scrolling through his phone.

They had been livestreaming in Tianhua Town for four days and were now heading to another town.

“Damn!” Liu Xue suddenly cursed.

Mu Xing opened his eyes to look at him.

“Did I wake you?” Liu Xue, seeing Mu Xing glance over, quickly apologized in embarrassment.

Mu Xing shook his head. “I wasn’t sleeping anyway. What’s wrong?”

Since he wasn’t asleep, Liu Xue didn’t hold back. “That group you used to be in, MRC, is seriously shameless.”

“They’re stirring things up again?” Mu Xing asked in surprise.

“Not exactly stirring trouble… but what they said is just disgustingly fake.”

He handed his phone to Mu Xing. It was a series of long, sentimental Weibo posts from Chang Yiming and Xu Zijia.

The gist of the long-winded posts was: It’s okay if you don’t treat me as a friend anymore, I’ll always remember the good times we had.

Mu Xing shivered.

Liu Xue was right — it was creepy.

He scrolled down to the comments. The replies were already a war zone.

One side was blasting Chang Yiming and the others for shamelessly clout-chasing — even after Mu Xing had made it crystal clear he wanted no association, they still tried to latch on.

The other side was their fans, who were busy “controlling” the top comments while also hurling insults at Mu Xing.

And that wasn’t all.

“There are a ton of haters in your super-topic now, and all over the internet there are shady press releases smearing you. Totally looks like paid bots.” Liu Xue snorted coldly, his tone certain. “I’d bet it’s your former company hiring them.”

“What are they even smearing me for?” Mu Xing was curious.

He wasn’t a celebrity anymore, and he wasn’t taking commercial gigs. What good would it do them to smear him?

Liu Xue scrolled a bit and showed him.

Right at the top was a headline in bold: #Former star who left the industry exploits fan trust to cash in through livestreaming#

The article introduced Mu Xing briefly, then took a turn halfway through:

“…Mu Xing has always said that he started livestreaming to help sell unsold persimmons from his hometown, that it wasn’t for profit, and that he wouldn’t be a long-term streamer. But this reporter has learned that recently he’s taken on several agricultural product livestream gigs in a row…

Livestreaming sales isn’t shameful, but using the banner of helping your hometown as a gimmick, building a good reputation to pave the way for yourself to cash in — that’s not a good look.”

On the surface, the article sounded neutral and fair, but anyone who read it would walk away with a worse impression of him.

“This kind of soft smear? I’ve seen several already,” Liu Xue fumed. “And there are comments on Weibo claiming they contacted you for endorsements but you turned them down because the pay was too low.”

Now the haters were shouting that he was hypocritical, using his hometown as a cover to make money.

“There are even fans in your super-topic who can’t tell what’s real anymore, so they’re all fighting with each other,” Liu Xue said, indignant.

He didn’t mention that he’d just spent over an hour on a burner account cursing out haters.

“Oh,” Mu Xing said simply.

Liu Xue looked at his calm face and couldn’t help asking, “You’re not mad?”

Mu Xing asked in return, “Mad about what?”

“They’re wronging you! I’ve never seen a streamer as selfless as you!” The first time Liu Xue learned Mu Xing was helping the farmers for free, he’d looked at him like he was a saint.

Then, when he found out Mu Xing had turned down all commercial livestream requests, that “saint” status in his mind only solidified. Who else would pass up that much money?

Mu Xing stayed unruffled. “At the end of the day, they’re just strangers on the internet. They can like me because I look good or because the persimmons I sell are cheap. They can also hate me because my dancing is bad or because I make money from livestreaming. Those likes and dislikes are just light, passing feelings. If I got mad every time, how would I live my own life?”

“But they’re insulting you!” Liu Xue repeated.

Mu Xing thought for a moment, then said, “Okay, flip it around — they spend all that time crafting insults, wasting hours online to curse me… and I don’t even see it, let alone get angry. Don’t you think they’ve wasted their effort?”

Liu Xue: “…”

Now that he thought about it… yeah, that was true.

Mu Xing really wasn’t angry at all — he didn’t even open his phone to check.

Thinking about it that way made the haters seem pretty pathetic.

Liu Xue’s mood instantly calmed. He looked at Mu Xing with a complicated expression and a hint of admiration in his voice. “Alright, I admit you’ve convinced me. Mu Xing, the way you think and act… you really don’t seem like someone in their twenties.”

“I don’t?” Mu Xing pondered this, then turned to him seriously. “Then what is someone in their twenties like?”

The half-open car window let in the orange glow of the setting sun, lighting up his eyes with a bright, unguarded curiosity.

Well… maybe he didn’t seem that different, Liu Xue thought. Right now he looked just like a pampered kid.

Scratching his head, Liu Xue said, “I can’t put it into words… maybe you’re just what the internet calls a ‘Buddhist youth.’”

---

By the time they reached their destination, night had already fallen.

Online, the rumor had already shifted into Mu Xing charges sky-high fees for livestream sales, and many merchants can’t afford him.

Several merchants even “exposed” that they’d tried to hire Mu Xing, but he’d flatly refused — leading people to “reasonably” guess that it was because he wasn’t satisfied with the pay.

Liu Xue told Mu Xing about it. Mu Xing yawned, the corners of his eyes moistening slightly.

“It’s fine. I’ll just clarify it during tomorrow’s livestream.”

But before they could even start streaming the next day, Director Wang — who had been keeping a close eye on any online news about Mu Xing — couldn’t hold back anymore.

Director Wang had a great impression of Mu Xing. A young man, steady, not chasing fame or fortune, wholeheartedly working to do good for his hometown.

How could someone like that be smeared like this?

The Propaganda Committee of Xincheng County posted an official Weibo statement, sternly refuting the rumors spread by netizens. They clarified that the livestream sales Mu Xing was doing were all arranged at the county’s invitation, aimed at helping local farmers sell unsold produce, and that he did not take a single cent in payment. The so-called “sky-high fees” were pure nonsense.

The county account didn’t have many followers, so at first, not many people saw it. It wasn’t until a young netizen from Xincheng tagged several big Weibo accounts that it started gaining attention.

When Mu Xing opened his livestream the next day, he was instantly dazzled by a screen full of gift effects.

He blinked in discomfort and asked, puzzled, “What’s going on? Did everyone win the lottery today?”

[Sending gifts to help Xingxing make money!]
[My mom used to scold me for wasting time on livestreams. But when I told her you were helping your hometown for free, she didn’t scold me for the first time — she even praised you for being a good person.]
[I argued with haters yesterday, saying there’s nothing wrong with a streamer earning money. Which streamer doesn’t? But I didn’t expect you to be this selfless.]
[Cheering for a fellow local! I’m from Xincheng County — thank you for what you’ve done for our hometown. Sending you a tip in support.]

Mu Xing quickly pieced together what happened and turned to Liu Xue, who was holding the camera.

“Didn’t we say I’d just explain it during the stream today?”

Liu Xue quickly said, “Not me — it was our county’s official Weibo who couldn’t stand it anymore and spoke up for you!”

[Wait, the streamer doesn’t know?]
[…I thought you were joking when you said you don’t check Weibo or online news, but it’s actually true?]
[The confused look you just had was adorable — mama loves you.]

At some point, a significant portion of Mu Xing’s fanbase had shifted from the “Hubby, I’m here!” vibe to “Mama loves you.”

Once he understood, Mu Xing nodded. “I was planning to mention it in the livestream today anyway. Thanks to the official account for speaking up.”

Seeing the constant stream of gifts, he quickly tried to stop them. “Everyone, you really don’t need to send me gifts. Impulse spending isn’t good. My regular streaming income is already enough to live on.”

[I’ve noticed the streamer’s never once asked for gifts.]
[Yeah, and he’s never thanked the gift leaderboard either. I might be the most pitiful #1 gifter in all of Yunduo — not even as much recognition as a basket of persimmons.]
[Hahaha, let’s all give a thumbs-up to our pitiful #1. But hey, that’s what you get for following a real sales streamer.]
[But seriously, the fruit here is so cheap. Those persimmons before were delicious.]

Mu Xing instantly replied, “Of course! Every product I sell on stream, I personally try before accepting it. As for the price — since we’re selling straight from the source, the farmers here are all very honest and give very fair deals. You can be confident about the value.”

He thought for a moment and added, “The fruit from Xincheng County is truly delicious. We’ll slowly expand our online sales, so please keep supporting us.”

[We’ll support you! Definitely!]
[Just placed an order.]

---

This livestream was undoubtedly a success. With the county’s official endorsement, Mu Xing’s products had practically been stamped with a “high quality, fair price” seal, and his popularity reached a new peak.

Xincheng County even began promoting him as a model public figure. Against the backdrop of his good deeds, all his so-called “scandals” seemed trivial.

In that atmosphere, he received a call from a national TV station inviting him for an interview.

The reporter was confident — who would turn down such an opportunity?

Then Mu Xing hit him with an instant rejection.

“It’s harvest season. I’m busy. Sorry.”

The reporter quickly tried again. “We’re from the national broadcaster. This interview will let more people know and appreciate you.”

Mu Xing: “Sorry, I’m really busy.”

The reporter: “…”

After getting hung up on, the reporter complained to a colleague.

That colleague happened to be Mu Xing’s fan and suggested, “Call him again, but this time say the program is nationwide. If he does the interview, after it airs, more people will know about Xincheng County and Xiaoxi Village, and the fruit will sell even better in the future.”

The reporter was skeptical. “Will that really work? He doesn’t even seem to want fame himself.”

The colleague urged, “Just try it.”

The reporter called again and repeated the colleague’s words exactly.

This time, Mu Xing didn’t even hesitate. “Is that so? Alright, when are you coming?”

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