Chapter 102 The Mastermind

Some netizens also dug up an incident from a month ago in which a resident of Bishui Haoyuan in Huai County reported seeing a waterspout over the Sanshui River in the middle of the night, speculating that what the Bishui Haoyuan resident saw was the same dragon seen by the villagers of Dahuai Village.

"So what if we saw it? It didn't bother us humans, and it only appeared at night. Everyone, let's disperse."

"Yes, we must accept the existence of different species on Earth. Perhaps in the eyes of dragons, we humans are also strange creatures."

"I really can't understand people who chase dragons every day. Even if you prove the existence of dragons, what does that prove? You still eat three meals a day."

Buddhist netizens are really Buddhist; they probably wouldn't be surprised if dinosaurs came back to life someday.

Some rational netizens believe that the images and videos are AI-generated, subtly implying that the villagers of Dahuai Village deliberately fabricated them to gain attention and capitalize on the tourism boom in Huai County.

Less than five minutes later, Huai County Culture and Tourism Bureau personally stepped in to refute the rumors.

[Huai County Culture and Tourism]: This morning, our reporter arrived at the villagers' homes and confirmed that the villagers used a domestically produced mobile phone, the Huaxia M20, to take the photos.

The attached photos are three cell phone pictures, and the hands of three villagers are also visible in the frame.

When netizens saw this Weibo post, they burst into laughter and almost fell to the ground.

"Huai County Culture and Tourism Bureau knows how to refute rumors."

"Hehe, I'm just clarifying that it's not an AI-generated image. As for whether it's a dragon, that's a matter of opinion."

"Huaxia M20 is a key point; circle it and it will be on the test."

"@Huaxia Mobile, come out and claim your reward! The official account is praising your high pixel count."

"Thanks for the official introduction. My phone was broken, so I placed an order, and the delivery guy is on his way."

Rational netizens were both angry and amused, faced with the questionable actions of Huai County's cultural and tourism department, they were caught in a dilemma: to criticize or not to criticize.

The internet is in complete chaos right now, mainly with rational and impulsive people arguing with each other, and a thread has started to be built around the question of whether dragons actually exist in China.

Each of them, quoting classical texts and speaking eloquently, was ultimately refuted by netizens using a picture of a dragon head taken by villagers of Dahuai Village.

"Stop passionately talking online, go directly to Dahuai Village to verify, I'll pay you to run the errand!"

Influencers who frequent the area, along with some social media influencers and dragon enthusiasts, have already bought high-speed rail tickets and are on their way to Dahuai Village.

Amidst this chaotic situation, Huaxia Mobile sensed a business opportunity and launched an official campaign.

[Huaxia Mobile]: If any netizens manage to photograph the dragon again, they can exchange it for a new mobile phone at any Huaxia flagship store in China. The phone's value will be no less than that of the M20 model.

As soon as the news was released, the people of Huai County flocked to Dahuai Village, taking advantage of their proximity.

Clever vendors seized the opportunity and set up long queues at the main intersection of Dahuai Village to start doing business.

There were vendors selling snacks and water, fried noodles and fried rice, sugar sculpture vendors who specially made several dragon shapes and stuck them on straw poles, vendors selling clothes and shoes, and even art students working part-time painting for others to earn tuition fees.

The director of Huai County Culture and Tourism Bureau once again called on the volunteers who participated in the last folk activity to support the frontline traffic police in maintaining road order in Dahuai Village.

The Huai County government turned a blind eye to this matter. There was no way to take it seriously or refute the rumors. After all, no one dared to guarantee that there were no dragons in China. Even if someone had the chance to see one, without other eyewitnesses, who would believe it?

Wait a minute, after the dragon-chasing craze subsides in three days, Dahuai Village will be able to return to its former tranquility.

Of course, in order to make a good impression on the people of the whole country, the village chief of Dahuai Village recalled all the able-bodied laborers in the village overnight to help clean up the area in front of each household.

We must not let Huai County down. We should greet each household in advance, not find the tourists bothersome, and greet them with smiles, treating them as if they were golden eggs.

The Sun family has been extremely busy these past two days. Sun Aimin went to set up a stall to show off his carpentry skills, selling small tabletop ornaments and stools.

A sharp-eyed tourist recognized Sun Aimin as the popular Taiwanese music blogger "Little Carpenter" and happily went up to ask if they could take a photo together.

Sun Aimin is not bad-looking, with thick eyebrows and big eyes, but he lacks confidence. He declined the request for a photo and offered to give them a 20% discount on purchases.

Seeing Sun Aimin's shy expression, the tourist immediately realized that the little carpenter was a stranger, so he bought a small desktop ornament with a smile.

These small ornaments costing twenty yuan are both cheap and exquisite.

"Little carpenter, is your cousin home?"

Sun Aimin was taken aback. Oh, so he was still thinking about his cousin's mural.

"I'm sorry, my cousin hasn't been home for the past two days."

Although the tourists were somewhat disappointed, they didn't press the matter further, chatted for a few more minutes, and then left.

Cao Hualan also took the opportunity to fry meatballs and make spring pancakes to sell. She didn't go to the village entrance to compete with the vendors, but set up her stall at the entrance of her own house. Anyway, there were always tourists coming into the village and wandering around.

And you know what? Cao Hualan's food is incredibly fragrant and delicious, and the prices aren't expensive either. It's usually sold out on the same day.

Sun Aijun didn't go anywhere; he stayed home painting the walls.

The story of the dragon in Dahuai Village has generated so much buzz that it has even overshadowed the "Walking into Intangible Cultural Heritage" program recorded in Huai County. As a result, on the day of the first small test, the number of fans who came to the wetland park to watch the live performance was reduced by more than half.

The production team personally sent a car to pick up Shao Quan. Qin Xue and Jiang Mingyue didn't go to join the fun; instead, they went to another park to watch birds, accompanied by Meng Huai.

As for Wei Lai and Meng Qinzhou, they didn't connect this matter with Jiang Mingyue at all; in their eyes, Jiang Mingyue had been learning painting from Qin Xue all along.

The first live broadcast of the mini-exam of "Exploring Intangible Cultural Heritage" attracted millions of netizens to watch online. Some were viewers who genuinely enjoyed the variety show, while others came specifically to see Jiang Mingyue.

Disappointingly, Jiang Mingyue did not appear this time; instead, her mentor, Teacher Shao Quan, sat on the judging panel.

Teacher Shao Quan looks very strict; no wonder Brother Wei broke down.

I think Professor Shao Quan has a kind face; maybe it's just a case of loving someone because of them.

Strict teachers produce outstanding students.

The four guests all did quite well on the quiz. Qi Sheng sculpted a small dog out of dough and drew a sugar soccer ball.

Guan Yue sang Huaiqiang Opera for ten minutes. Just as Teacher Wang commented, her posture was good, but her singing skills still need to be improved.

Zhao Xin'er's cloud cakes are ready to be sold, but the taste is still a bit different from Master Niu's. However, they are already very good. Master Niu praised her for her hard work and said that if she doesn't act in the future, she can consider becoming his apprentice.

Zhao Xin'er's fans flooded the live stream with messages of praise for her academic excellence and gratitude to Master Niu for the compliments.

Wei Lai embroidered a grape. The front was a grape, but the back had a strange shape that didn't look like anything. At first, no one could tell, but when the camera zoomed in, they could see that the shape on the back was actually a water droplet.

[Hahaha, Brother Wei is clever, he knows how to be cunning.]

Brother Wei knows how to be opportunistic.

[Genius, who gave Brother Wei this idea?]

[It feels very much like Sister Jiang's work]

In the park, Jiang Mingyue sneezed. Who was talking about her?

Seeing this, Qin Xue quickly told Meng Huai to take off his coat and put it on Jiang Mingyue, saying, "Young girls always wear too little. Don't you know the saying 'dress warmly in spring and lightly in autumn'? It can get really cold in late spring."

Miss Jiang was about to say that she wasn't afraid of the cold, but when she saw Qin Xue's furrowed brows, she quickly took the coat that Meng Huai handed her and put it on.

"Thank you, Master. Thank you, Brother Huai."

Qin Xue straightened her collar for her, saying, "It's alright, Meng Huai is a man with a strong temper, he's not afraid of the cold."

Meng Huai: "..." Is it possible that he's the one who's afraid of the cold?

Midway through their stroll, while Qin Xue went to the restroom, Meng Huai asked Jiang Mingyue, "Mingyue, did you create that dragon in Dahuai Village?"

Jiang Mingyue feigned surprise, "Brother Huai, you're joking. I'm not a god, how could I possibly gather seven gourds to summon a dragon?"

Meng Huai had personally witnessed Jiang Mingyue's mystical methods at the South Island Criminal Police Brigade. The timing of the dragon that appeared out of nowhere in Dahuai Village was too coincidental, and the mastermind behind it could only be Jiang Mingyue.

Since she wouldn't admit it, Meng Huai didn't expose her; everyone has their own secrets.

"We have to thank this dragon. There are tourists everywhere in Huai County taking pictures with their phones, and police support has been increased in various places. If Eric is not afraid of death, he can show up and try."

The dragon appeared at night. In the past two days, many tourists have been setting up tents in various parts of Dahuai Village. The village secretary has arranged for staff to patrol and provide convenience for the tourists.

If a stranger enters the village late at night, he will be immediately bombarded with questions.

"Brother Huai also believes in the existence of dragons?"

“I’ve seen him before when I worked here.”

This time it was Jiang Mingyue's turn to be surprised; Meng Huai was truly knowledgeable and experienced.

"Brother Huai, what if Eric is really fearless and hides among them disguised as a tourist?"

Jiang Mingyue's move was a double-edged sword, both boosting Huai County's cultural tourism revenue and using the huge exposure to intimidate Eric.

In the era of mobile phone reporters, some social media bloggers livestream day and night. The scenery of Dahuai Village is also quite nice. Taking pictures and strolling around is sometimes more effective than the surveillance cameras of various households.

Meng Huai nodded, "That possibility cannot be ruled out, but he wouldn't dare to act rashly in public."

Qin Xue came out, and the two of them decided not to talk about work anymore, so as not to worry Qin Xue.

At the same time, in Beijing.

Yan Qian had just returned to Beijing after a trip abroad a couple of days ago and was still jet-lagged when he learned about the dragon sighting in Dahuai Village that had surfaced online. He immediately went online to check it out.

Sure enough, the dragon that the villagers photographed was the same ground dragon he had witnessed by the Sanshui River.

The Earth Dragon rarely appears in front of people, especially since it hasn't transformed into a dragon yet and can't hide in the clouds. It must be Jiang Mingyue helping it from behind.

He immediately figured out some of the details and called Jiang Mingyue, asking, "Has someone gone to Huai County?"

I heard birds chirping on the other end of the phone; it sounded like it was coming from a park.

Then came Jiang Mingyue's teasing, "Nothing can be hidden from President Yan. Guess who it is?"

After a moment of careful consideration, Yan Qian identified Eric as the likely candidate. Jiang Mingyue needed to use the power of numbers and the attention of the crowd to drive Eric away.

Jiang Mingyue praised Yan Qian for his exceptional intelligence.

Eric's appearance in Huai County must be aimed at Jiang Mingyue, who is completely innocent and has been forced into this matter.

Yan Qian felt really bad. "Mingyue, I will ask He Qi to send someone over. He should clean up the mess that the He family made."

“Sure, take as many as you want.” Jiang Mingyue didn’t refuse, and would find a few more bodyguards to be stationed near her cousin’s school.

Yan Qian rubbed his temples and said earnestly, "Mingyue, regarding Qian Dejian's matter, you have a record here in Qiyun Mountain. The higher-ups know that you come from Huai County. With the dragon causing trouble in Dahuai Village, it's hard for them not to suspect that you did it."

Although she single-handedly boosted the cultural tourism economy of Huai County once again, her ability to stir up trouble was too great, and Yan Qian was worried that she would be targeted by higher authorities.

"If you don't say anything and I don't say anything, who would dare to doubt it? Besides, there are tens of thousands of dragons all over China, and many netizens have taken pictures of them. The higher-ups can't possibly manage them all."

Yan Qian was speechless. So many dragons?

Let's not talk about dragons yet. What Jiang Mingyue meant was that, so far, besides her, only he knew about the existence of that earth-walking dragon.

Yan Qian felt a strange sense of pride welling up inside him, but of course, he would never betray her.

He watched the replay of the first live recording of "Walking into Intangible Cultural Heritage," in which Jiang Mingyue appeared in a cheongsam, still claiming to be an apprentice of an intangible cultural heritage master.

Her appearance is extremely deceptive, and it's unlikely that those above would easily believe she could control the wind and rain and summon the earth dragon.

Things will work themselves out; we'll deal with it when we actually encounter it.

That evening, Jiang Mingyue, Wei Lai, and Jiang Mingyue had dinner together. Wei Lai thanked Jiang Mingyue for the idea that helped him pass the small test, but he couldn't get away with it so easily in the big test on the tenth day.

The program team asked the four teachers to each prepare ten designated test questions, which will be randomly selected on-site.

Wei Lai asked Jiang Mingyue if there were any shortcuts, and Jiang Mingyue told him to practice more, because practice makes perfect.

Wei Lai sighed heavily, "Alright, that's the only way."

The following day, Yan Qian met with Jiang Mingyue at his villa in Bishui Haoyuan, inviting her to dinner.

The film and television city project is about to start, with construction commencing in late March. For future convenience, Yan Qian purchased a villa on his own.

Yan Qian immediately understood when he saw Meng Huai following behind Jiang Mingyue.

Eric's message must have come from Meng Huai.

Yan Qian greeted Meng Huai, "Captain Meng, it's been a long time."

"Long time no see, Mr. Yan." Meng Huai placed the fruit he brought on the coffee table in the living room and shook hands with Yan Qian with a smile.

"We didn't know what kind of fruit Mr. Yan liked, so we just bought some random ones."

us.

Yan Qian raised an eyebrow slightly, glanced at Jiang Mingyue who was looking around, and smiled, "It's alright, whatever you buy is a token of your affection."

Their relationship progressed rapidly, which is understandable, given that Meng Huai's grandmother is Jiang Mingyue's mentor.

After exchanging pleasantries, the three of them went straight to the restaurant to eat and discuss business.

Yan Qian's assistant brought a chef from Beijing, who specially prepared a table of delicious Beijing dishes.

During the meal, Yan Qian and Meng Huai talked a lot, while Jiang Mingyue mainly listened in and her main task was to fill her stomach.

Yan Qian specially asked the chef to make scallion oil poached chicken with Linjiang Laozha grass chicken. The secret recipe was provided by Lao Bai and was not told to Jiang Mingyue beforehand, so as to see if she could taste the difference.

After eating two pieces of scallion-oil poached chicken, Jiang Mingyue noticed the difference and looked at Yan Qian, "You got Boss Bai's secret recipe?"

Yan Qian knew he couldn't hide it from her; the young girl had a good appetite and could appreciate fine food.

"Yes, I felt bad that I couldn't entertain you in time last time in Beijing. That night in Linjiang, you unusually liked this dish, so I remembered it and asked Lao Bai about it."

No wonder Yan Qian is so successful; he is truly thorough and meticulous in his work.

Jiang Mingyue gave Yan Qian a thumbs up, saying, "Next time you have the chance to go to Beijing, just treat me to this dish."

Yan Qian poured her another cup of tea to cleanse her palate. "Alright, you're in charge."

When Meng Huai returned after finishing the phone call, his expression was rather unpleasant.

Jiang Mingyue asked him what was wrong.

Meng Huai sat down again. "Eric is in Huai County. We almost caught him. He's very vigilant and quick to escape. However, our people discovered that there was another person with him, who didn't look like a Chinese person."

Yan Qian's expression turned serious. "I'm afraid the people he brought will be difficult to deal with."

Jiang Mingyue pressed for the key question, "Where was he found?"

Meng Huai: "Old Street in Huai County".

Jiang Mingyue was stunned. Why was Eric near the old street in Huai County?

Was it intentional? Or just a smokescreen?

The three were not unintelligent, and they couldn't figure out why Eric had appeared in Huai County Old Street for a while. It couldn't be that Eric was a local of Huai County and his hometown was in Huai County Old Street.

The Shao Family Compound.

Wu Lizhen is on night shift tonight, so Shao Quan and Qin Xue will be having dinner together.

Shao Quan ladled a bowl of chicken soup and handed it to Qin Xue. The nanny simmered it in a clay pot over low heat for two hours, adding mushrooms as well, making it fragrant and delicious.

"Where did Mingyue, Xiao Huai, and Qinzhou go? Did they go to have dinner with Xiao Wei again?"

"Oh dear, I can serve myself the soup." Qin Xue smiled and picked up the soup spoon. "Mingyue and Meng Huai went to see their friends, and Qinzhou went to have dinner with Xiao Wei."

Shao Quan also served himself a bowl of soup and sighed, "Our Mingyue people are good, and the friends we make are also good. Little Wei seems shrewd on the surface, but he's actually quite silly."

Qin Xue knew that "silly" didn't mean Wei Lai was actually stupid; it was just Shao Quan's unique way of praising someone, meaning that Wei Lai was naive and thoughtless.

“Mingyue is very smart; she can tell at a glance whether someone is a friend or not.”

Shao Quan nodded, "Yes, I hope that Mingyue will find a partner who will treat her unconditionally well and support her career in the future."

Qin Xue's thoughts were exactly the same as Shao Quan's. In their eyes, their apprentice was intelligent, studious, and powerful, and her future partner had to be a good match for her in every way, not just in terms of family background.

As things stand, no one has yet caught the eye of the two masters.

Qin Xue wouldn't force Meng Huai and Jiang Mingyue to be a couple. The two children thought she didn't know anything, but she knew very well. Meng Huai was the captain of the Lingcheng Criminal Police Team, and his acquaintance with Jiang Mingyue must have been due to some case.

These past few days they've been getting together to chat frequently, and they've been talking to Meng Qinzhou behind my back, so something thorny must have happened.

However, since the two children didn't say anything, she cooperated by not asking. As an elder, she knew she had to learn to let go at the right time.

Three days later, the fervor surrounding the dragon gradually subsided, and the number of tourists visiting Dahuai Village decreased by more than half.

After all, it hadn't rained all week, and the people stationed in the village stayed up all night waiting but still couldn't get a shot.

Tourists also have work to do and cannot stay here indefinitely, so they have to leave with regret.

The villagers of Dahuai Village don't seem to care that the hype has died down; every household has earned a lot of pocket money from tourists this week.

Cao Hualan has earned nearly five thousand yuan. She saves the money and plans to repay Mingyue in a round number later. Even if she can't repay that much in the end, every penny saved is a penny earned.

"Hua Lan? Is Hua Lan home?" came the voice of the old lady next door from the courtyard gate.

Cao Hualan hurriedly came out of the kitchen, "At home, Aunt Xu, what's the matter?"

Aunt Xu didn't go into the courtyard, but waited at the gate. When she saw Cao Hualan come out, she grabbed her hand and said, "A fortune teller has come to the village. He's incredibly accurate. Come on, let's go listen to him!"

Author's Note: [Evil grin][Evil grin]