Chapter 143

The first livestream from Nine-Bend Slope was a massive success. The sales numbers were so good it startled even the village officials, who couldn’t stop clicking their tongues in amazement behind the scenes. At this rate, if they did a few more livestreams, they wouldn’t even need to carry the Navel Oranges down the mountain this year. They could just hand everything over to Wei Sheng and let him sell it all for them.

However, Wei Sheng had been in the spotlight lately. He didn’t care much about the gossip and just focused on doing his own thing, but that didn’t stop others from watching him like hawks. Not long after, another smear campaign popped up online.

This time, the haters changed their angle and started targeting the Navel Oranges he sold during the livestream.

“I looked it up. This time of year, the going rate for Navel Oranges is usually around two to three yuan per jin. But in Wei Sheng’s livestream, he’s selling a ten-jin box of so-called premium extra-large Navel Oranges for 69 yuan? So he’s buying cheap from the locals and flipping it for a high price to fleece his fans?”

(Commenter: “Do these haters even understand basic logic? Did they miss the words ‘premium extra-large’?”)

“Hilarious! I just checked—those retro enamel tea mugs he’s selling? Wholesale price on a certain site is barely over three yuan each, but he’s selling them for fifteen yuan for two? Is doubling the profit still not enough?”

(Commenter: “Did you forget about shipping costs, or did you just eat them yourself?”)

Others even took issue with the cured meats he sold, claiming that last year pork prices were low, with fresh pork wholesaling under ten yuan per jin. Even with the added cost of curing, selling it at 38 yuan per jin was outrageous.

(Commenter: “You’re happily paying 380 yuan for health supplements that do nothing, but this is where you draw the line?”)

For a while, posts accusing Wei Sheng of “ripping off his fans” flooded the internet.

Zhou Mingxing had originally been worried that after Hu Qianqian cleared things up, Wei Sheng’s reputation would be restored and the TV station might not want to let him go. But to his surprise, he woke up to a fresh wave of smear articles targeting Wei Sheng!

Could this guy really be some kind of reincarnated star of destiny?

Zhou had just been thinking about fabricating some new rumors to tarnish Wei Sheng’s name again, but who would’ve thought the guy would sabotage himself instead? Right in the middle of all the controversy, he went and pulled a “livestream sales scam” move? Damn, this kid’s ruthless!

In reality, Wei Sheng wasn’t scheming nearly as much as Zhou Mingxing imagined. He just genuinely wanted to help the villagers of Nine-Bend Slope sell off the oranges they couldn’t move because of the rain.

As for why the price was more than double the usual wholesale rate?

In response to the backlash, Wei Sheng and Jiang Xiaoman personally demonstrated to viewers just how difficult it was for the villagers of Nine-Bend Slope to harvest their Navel Oranges.

Each of them carried a bamboo basket nearly as tall as themselves. From climbing the mountain to picking the fruit, then hauling a full load down steep slopes using both hands and feet, they practically slid down the vertical terrain. By the time they reached the starting point of the zip line with their baskets full of oranges, both of them looked like mud-covered monkeys. Wei Sheng’s palm had even been cut by wild grass on the roadside.

He had slipped due to inexperience and instinctively grabbed at the grass for balance, not realizing how sharp the mountain grass was. It sliced his palm open in several places.

Xiao Bai, following behind, was nearly scared out of his wits.

“I wasn’t planning to explain,” Wei Sheng said, “but I don’t want the fans who bought oranges from me yesterday to feel disappointed. As you all just saw, the villagers of Nine-Bend Slope climb these kinds of mountain paths every year to harvest oranges. I heard that every year, someone in the village gets injured doing this.”

“I do want to sell all the village’s oranges and make some money, but I never intended to keep that money for myself. Xiaoman and I already agreed—while the film crew is shooting here, all the proceeds from our livestream sales will be donated to build proper cement steps up and down the mountain for the entire village. We want to replace those makeshift ladders made of bamboo and wire.”

“You saw them just now—some of those bamboo ladders are practically falling apart. Honestly, carrying dozens of jin of oranges and stepping on those things, I was genuinely afraid they’d collapse and I’d fall to my death.”

“I’m a young guy in good shape, and even I didn’t dare trust those ladders. Let alone the villagers, many of whom are elderly. If you have elderly family members, you know—falls are the last thing they can afford.”

“So please rest assured, Xiaoman and I will make sure every cent you’ve contributed is used wisely to help the people of Nine-Bend Slope build a real path to prosperity!”

Out of respect for the local government, there was one thing Wei Sheng didn’t mention to his fans. Back when the Navel Oranges were first planted in Nine-Bend Slope, the local authorities had actually considered paving the mountain paths. They couldn’t afford a full cement road for vehicles, but at least they wanted to build a proper footpath.

Unfortunately, the construction costs far exceeded the budget, and the local government simply didn’t have that kind of money. In the end, they compromised by installing a zip line to transport the oranges down the mountain, while people still had to walk the same treacherous path as before.

Here, the oranges were worth more than the people.

Realizing this left both Wei Sheng and Jiang Xiaoman with heavy hearts.

It was also why, despite all the criticism, they insisted on selling the fruit at a higher price during the livestream.

To be fair, Nine-Bend Slope’s premium Navel Oranges truly lived up to the name. The fruits were beautifully shaped, large, juicy, and practically melted in your mouth. They were worth the price.

Wei Sheng explained everything to his fans and emphasized once more: even if people kept cursing him online, the premium Navel Orange gift boxes in his livestream would not be discounted.

Because they were counting on that money to build a road to prosperity for their village!

“Wuwuwu, Wei Sheng is just too good! I never imagined picking oranges meant climbing such a steep mountain path. Forget carrying a huge basket of oranges—just walking it empty-handed would scare me! The folks in Nine-Bend Slope have it way too hard!” (sobbing loudly)

“Finally, someone’s speaking some sense! Sixty-nine yuan for ten jin of premium, extra-large, early-ripening Newhall navel oranges? My family runs a fruit shop, so let me tell you, that price is not expensive at all! We sell an imported brand of Newhall navel oranges, and honestly, they don’t taste as good as the domestic ones. Even the five-jin packs go for seventy-five yuan!”

“Build it! That road must be built! My family’s getting gift boxes ready for Mid-Autumn Festival visits. I suggest Wei Sheng put together some specialty products from Langshan—like Xiao Man Ge’s wild honey and mountain green tea—bundle them with the navel oranges into a beautiful gift box. Even if it’s priced a bit higher, it’s fine. Gifts for family visits aren’t cheap anyway, and older folks love this kind of local produce. Bottom line, hurry up and make money! Build the road!”

“My family also grows navel oranges. Even though we have a road that reaches right to the orchard, every harvest season, my grandpa, my dad, and I have to carry dozens of baskets of oranges down the mountain every day. The bamboo straps dig into our shoulders until they’re black and blue. I’ve been hauling oranges for years, and honestly, with Nine-Bend Slope’s terrain, I wouldn’t dare carry a full basket down that slope. Wei Sheng is absolutely right. That road must be built! If the orange sales aren’t enough, I suggest Wei Sheng open a donation channel. I don’t have much, but I’ll start with five hundred yuan.”

In the comment section, loyal fans stood firmly behind Wei Sheng. Even passersby who stumbled across the video were moved to tears by the harsh terrain of Nine-Bend Slope and the image of elderly villagers in their seventies hauling heavy baskets of oranges down treacherous slopes just to earn a living. Many couldn’t help but click on the yellow shopping cart to do their part.

But even so, they were still a step too late.

After the contract dispute broke out between Wei Sheng and the TV station, why was the internet suddenly flooded with smear campaigns against him? Would professional haters really go that far to slander a stranger if they weren’t being paid?

At the root of it, it was because Wei Sheng’s fanbase was simply too wealthy. That drew the envy and resentment of many in the industry. They looked down on these retired grannies and grandpas for being old-fashioned and out of touch, yet they couldn’t help but covet their willingness to spend money for someone like Wei Sheng without batting an eye.

When it looked like Wei Sheng might be “shelved” by his former employer due to the contract fallout, these people swarmed in like sharks smelling blood, hoping to poach his wealthy fanbase for themselves.

But they forgot one crucial thing: the grandmas and grandpas didn’t love Wei Sheng just because he was likable. More importantly, they admired what he did.

Whether it was joining the show’s rural poverty alleviation trips, helping villagers sell mountain goods, or founding a charity for elderly people living alone—on the surface, it seemed like Wei Sheng was just doing what he enjoyed. He never tried to curry favor with fans through these efforts. In fact, he approached it all with a straight face and turned it into a serious business.

Yes, he was making money. But his fans didn’t mind one bit that he profited from these ventures. Because they understood that only by turning rural aid and agricultural support into a sustainable, profitable industry could they truly help the locals and keep this livelihood going.

It couldn’t be like before, when someone helped sell off unsold farm products and then… what?

The next year, the villagers would chop down their fruit trees and tear down their greenhouses, swearing never to grow those crops again because they couldn’t sell them and ended up losing money.

But if an industry could bring a rural household a stable, long-term income—even if the profit margin was slim—there would still be plenty of people willing to do it. Don’t believe it? Just look at grain farming. Despite the low prices, countless farmers still grow grain every year.

Even a small profit is still income. That’s how easily content the people of china have always been. Especially for the elderly left behind in Nine-Bend Slope—if growing oranges could bring in tens of thousands of yuan a year, they’d rather risk their lives climbing the mountain than cut down those trees.

It was laughable how the financial backers behind those professional haters thought that destroying Wei Sheng would let them seamlessly inherit his fanbase.

What they didn’t realize was that this unique fan group never belonged to the entertainment industry in the first place. It was a “new cake” that Wei Sheng had stumbled into baking by accident.

Now, someone had gotten jealous of how sweet that cake looked and wanted to kick out the baker and claim the whole thing for themselves. All we can say is—go to sleep and dream on. In dreams, anything’s possible!

These grandparent fans didn’t accidentally stumble into the entertainment world to chase idols. They came because Wei Sheng was there!

Now, due to the contract dispute, Wei Sheng’s TV projects had all been suspended. He could only take his company’s team into the mountains to shoot short dramas.

But instead of being scattered by public opinion and moving on to find new idols in the entertainment industry, as the schemers had hoped, Wei Sheng’s fans simply followed him to short video platforms and livestreams. They kept buying and supporting his rural aid efforts through e-commerce.

The schemers: “???”

Hey! Aren’t you even going to take a look at the dazzling talent in our entertainment industry?

There are so many handsome young idols—why cling to this crooked tree named Wei Sheng?

If Wei Sheng looked like Xiang Lei, they might at least accept it. After all, a face like that is a gift from the heavens, and there’s no use being jealous.

But Wei Sheng? Why him?!

Yeah, why him indeed?

All because Wei Sheng wanted to build a proper cement road for the villagers of Nine-Bend Slope, the program’s official livestream store was completely wiped out in less than one night. The little yellow cart was ruthlessly emptied by a swarm of well-off grandpas, grandmas, uncles, and aunties—didn’t even leave a single item for the bystanders!

The passersby who had planned to help out: “…”

No way! I can’t hold back my rebellious spirit anymore!

Why shouldn’t I be allowed to support rural development by shopping?

Originally, they just wanted to make a quick purchase and leave, but these enthusiastic bystanders ended up smashing the follow button and becoming loyal fans of the show’s video account. All so they could rush in the moment the next livestream started and snatch up whatever was on sale. These nosy onlookers were seriously going all out.

The production team, suddenly gaining over a hundred thousand followers for no apparent reason: “…”

(End of this chapter)