Chapter 80 A smile that could topple a city, a smile that could topple me again.

The top scholar bowed to the couple, his voice deep and pleasant, "Father, Mother, please."

The couple, all smiles, slipped into the line and walked side by side with the top scholar.

The couple couldn't help but look at the top scholar repeatedly, growing more and more delighted with his handsome appearance.

It's unclear which tourist threw flower petals at the top scholar, but seeing this, others followed suit and threw paper flower petals distributed by Huai County Culture and Tourism Bureau over there.

"Lu Lang! Look this way!"

"Lu Lang! Look at me, look at me!"

Petals rained down from the sky. The top scholar looked around, then smiled and continued on his way, carrying his lantern.

The viewers in the live stream were stunned, all drooling over the top scholar.

The top scholar is as handsome as Pan An; how wonderful!

[Thump thump thump, for the first time I experienced what it means to have my heart pounding.]

【biubiubiu, the top scholar's smile is enough to captivate a city, and his second smile is enough to captivate me】

The ancients were right! A top scholar should indeed be this handsome!

[The image of fruit being thrown onto a cart is made concrete]

[Ahhh, I really want to take a picture with the top scholar!]

Huai County's cultural and tourism resources are becoming increasingly abundant.

Unsurprisingly, the phrase "handsome top scholar" immediately topped the Weibo trending list.

Many passersby were confused and thought it was a character from a TV series, or that the celebrity team was buying trending topics for publicity. But when they clicked in, they were surprised to find that it was actually a folk activity promoted by Huai County Culture and Tourism Bureau, and the other party was a folk character actor.

"Such realistic makeup and costumes! Where did Huai County's cultural and tourism department find such a treasure of an actor?"

"He might be a Huaiqiang opera actor, with an upright posture, bright eyes, and an otherworldly temperament."

"Does this handsome guy have social media accounts? I really want to follow him."

A crowd of netizens flocked to the official Weibo account of Huai County Culture and Tourism Bureau to inquire, but the editor, who usually replies to netizens 24/7, was offline, perhaps because they saw the post but were unable to answer.

The Huai County Culture and Tourism editors certainly saw it, but they couldn't answer or lie, so they simply pretended not to see it.

However, Jiang Mingyue's cross-dressing portrayal of the top scholar tonight was truly stunning. If people in the entertainment industry knew the truth, they would probably be devastated, having lost such an excellent female star for nothing.

The director of the Culture and Tourism Bureau was also in the old street, keeping a close eye on the situation on-site and online public opinion. Everything was developing in a positive direction, and their folk activities in Huai County's old street had officially gone viral, winning widespread acclaim.

"Keep an eye on Teacher Jiang's situation. If we agree on five minutes, then it's five minutes."

"Teacher Jiang said she wasn't tired and was willing to participate for another ten minutes."

"good!"

The director of the Culture and Tourism Bureau was moved to tears, silently praising Jiang Mingyue's contributions. He felt that anyone who single-handedly drives the development of their hometown deserves praise and admiration.

On the other side, Wei Lai looked around, scrutinizing the twelve folk character actors, even the atmosphere group with their singing and playing instruments, but she couldn't spot Jiang Mingyue.

The twelve folk character actors, eight men and four women, are not Jiang Mingyue. The female Taoist priestess, the county magistrate's daughter, the eight-year-old fisherwoman, and the fifty-year-old woman are not Jiang Mingyue.

strangeness.

Could it be that Jiang Mingyue disguised herself as a volunteer and a security guard?

Viewers in the live stream also expressed their regret at not being able to see Sister Jiang.

Although Sister Jiang didn't show up, seeing the top scholar somewhat made up for the disappointment.

The folk activities at Huai County Old Street were quite fun; I'll definitely go check them out next year during the Lunar New Year.

Let's change our perspective. Instead of spending every Chinese New Year at our hometown eating, drinking, and gaining weight, why not travel to different parts of the country and experience different customs and cultures?

Life is only 30,000 days long; we should go out and see the world.

Jiang Mingyue spotted Wei Lai at first glance and even glanced at her twice, but Wei Lai only looked at her once before looking away, clearly not recognizing her.

Jiang Mingyue smiled slightly. She would tease him a bit after the trip was over. After all, he was her travel companion on the budget trip for half a month. She didn't recognize him after she changed her look.

Sun Aijun's family was also waiting in the old street. Since Jiang Mingyue had not revealed the role she was playing beforehand, the three siblings searched for a long time but could not find her. It was Cao Hualan who spotted her immediately.

Sun Aijun was completely bewildered. "Mom, Aimin, little sister, have you found Mingyue?"

Sun Aimei and Sun Aimin shook their heads in unison, "We didn't see our cousin."

Cao Hualan shook her head and sighed, "If Yueyue knew that the three of you hadn't found her, she would probably be disappointed."

Upon hearing this, the three knew that Cao Hualan must have seen Jiang Mingyue, and they quickly approached her with smiles to ask her more questions.

"Oh, Mom, stop keeping us in suspense! We've looked at all twelve actors over and over again, and even taken photos to compare, but we still can't find them. Now that you've found them, just tell us already!"

Unable to withstand the three children's nagging, Cao Hualan reluctantly revealed, "That top scholar is Yueyue. Yueyue's features are the easiest to recognize. You three are going to get a spanking."

Sun Aijun and the other two: "..."

Who is Yueyue? The top scholar?!

The Sun family reserved a window seat in the teahouse on the second floor of South Street, partly to avoid the crowds and partly for an excellent view.

The tourists at the next table happened to be two fans of ginger. They overheard the conversation of the people at the next table and were pleasantly surprised.

The table behind me must be Sister Jiang's family!

The top scholar was actually Sister Jiang!

Two fans immediately opened the video they had taken and watched it repeatedly. And you know what? The more they looked at the top student, the more he resembled Sister Jiang.

Her phoenix eyes were deliberately elongated with eyeliner, and her upturned eyebrows and eyes were cold and sharp. Who else could it be but Sister Jiang!

They're so clever; instead of posting on Weibo, they're going to go straight to Sister Jiang and see if they can get a photo with her.

Coincidentally, Jiang Mingyue left the group early with her staff, avoiding the crowd by going through another alley, where she was accidentally encountered by two fans.

Two fans rushed forward excitedly and shouted, "Sister Jiang!"

When the staff saw that they were two girls in their early twenties, they relaxed their guard and gestured for them to keep their voices down.

Jiang Mingyue's eyes sparkled as she waved to them, "Now that you've spotted us, let's take a group photo."

The two girls quickly covered their mouths, happily stepped forward, and stood on either side of Jiang Mingyue, asking the staff to take some photos and videos together.

After the photos were taken, one of them confessed that they had overheard a conversation between Sister Jiang's cousin and her family, and that they had come looking for her secretly.

I see.

"It's nothing, just a small matter. It's just that we're destined to meet. Go back early later."

Jiang Mingyue gave them some instructions, and then returned to the activity room with the staff.

When Jiang Mingyue removed her makeup, the two girls who took a photo with her immediately uploaded the photo to their Weibo accounts and expressed their feelings.

"Hehe, I'm so lucky to have taken a photo with Sister Jiang, the top scholar. Sister Jiang smells so good, and she speaks so gently!"

Unsurprisingly, the video immediately attracted a large number of fans and casual viewers after it was released.

"Sister Jiang, the top scholar? Those five words are so unfamiliar. Is that what I meant?"

"Aaaaaah! You guys are saying that the top scholar was actually Sister Jiang in drag?!"

"Waaaaah! We missed out on a fortune right in front of this alley!"

Some people didn't believe it and repeatedly played the video. In the video, Jiang Mingyue's voice could be heard, but it was no longer a deliberately male voice; it was her own voice.

Jiang's fans are so angry they want to gouge their own eyes out! Why didn't they recognize that the top scholar was Sister Jiang?!

Why? Why? Why is this happening?!

The earth trembled; it was the sound of fans stomping their feet in regret.

Some of Jiang's fans voted for the video's views, so we can't let her be the only one jealous; we have to make all the fans who didn't realize it jealous and regretful!

As expected, "[Top Scholar Sister Jiang]" became a trending topic on Weibo, soaring to the top spot at an alarming speed, and then exploding in deep red within five seconds.

Netizens were stunned, speechless, and after a long pause, they began frantically rushing to the Huai County Culture and Tourism livestream room, which was still broadcasting.

【Ahhhhh, okay, okay, you've really fooled us! We're begging you, Scholar Jiang, no, we're begging you to return for an encore!】

[Waaaaah, I knew I'd fallen for someone else! Turns out Lu Lang is actually Sister Jiang!]

Sister Jiang: I gave you a chance, but you didn't seize it.

The greatest distance in the world: Sister Jiang dressed up as the top scholar, but I, a lovesick fool, called her Lu Lang.

Given Sister Jiang's personality, fifteen minutes of cooperation was already her limit; she wanted us to not recognize her, otherwise things would fall apart.

Ten minutes later, Huai County Culture and Tourism posted a new Weibo post, thanking the twelve folk performers for tonight's event and tagging all twelve performers, adding a note that the ranking was based on their order of appearance.

Fans and netizens were surprised to discover that the actor playing the last top scholar was Jiang Mingyue.

Nearly a million fans visited Huai County, but only two of them recognized that the top scholar was actually Jiang Mingyue in drag, leaving the rest of the fans feeling embarrassed.

“I should have recognized her, really, I have a vivid memory of Sister Jiang’s phoenix eyes.”

"Haha, sister, don't blame yourself. You have to believe that Sister Jiang deliberately didn't want us to recognize her."

"Well, two lucky fans recognized them."

"Is it possible that they just happened to overhear the staff calling the top scholar 'Sister Jiang'?"

"Don't try to make excuses. It's because we Jiang fans haven't worked hard enough and don't understand Sister Jiang thoroughly enough."

"It wasn't a wasted trip. Thank you, Sister Jiang, and the other eleven actors and teachers, for giving us such a wonderful event. I'll definitely come again next year!"

Yes! We'll come again next year!

The trolls took the opportunity to nitpick and find fault in the comment section of the official Weibo account of Huai County Culture and Tourism Bureau.

"Jiang Mingyue said she was retiring from the entertainment industry, so why is she back in the limelight?"

"Can't you tell? Jiang Mingyue may appear to have retired from the entertainment industry, but she's actually cultivating a down-to-earth persona. She'll be back to livestreaming and selling products soon."

"The ultimate goal of acting is live-streaming e-commerce, and Jiang Mingyue is no exception."

The haters were jumping around in the comments section, but this time, Jiang's fans didn't need to fight back. The Huai County Culture and Tourism editor took matters into his own hands and started the fight.

"It was our cultural and tourism staff who personally visited and invited Sister Jiang. Sister Jiang originally only agreed to appear for five minutes, but she couldn't bear to leave her fans who had come from afar, so she extended it by ten minutes."

"Sister Jiang said she was honored to contribute to her hometown. Have you made any contributions to your hometown?"

"All the actors and teachers tonight are performing voluntarily, without any payment."

Female celebrities from all walks of life in the entertainment industry naturally noticed Jiang Mingyue's cross-dressing role as the top scholar and breathed a sigh of relief. If Jiang Mingyue hadn't retired from the industry, with her versatility, she would have become a top star sooner or later.

Jiang Mingyue is still so successful after retiring from the entertainment industry, and she can even boost the tourism economy of her hometown. Who wouldn't be envious? Unfortunately, not everyone can copy her success; it depends on the right timing, location, and people.

The major entertainment agencies were quite disappointed, realizing they should have been more shameless and approached Jiang Mingyue to discuss a contract before she officially retired from the industry.

She dominated the trending topics again tonight, her Weibo followers skyrocketed, and many casual viewers became fans. Her fanbase spans all ages.

Gaining millions of followers overnight is both frustrating and frustrating.

Luck is a mysterious thing; after retiring from the entertainment industry, she actually gained more and more attention.

Before leaving the activity room, Jiang Mingyue called Sun Aijun and told them to go back early, as she was going to have dinner with two friends from the entertainment industry.

Sun Aijun was worried about her going back to the village alone. "Cousin, I'll take my younger sister and the others back first, and then I'll come back to pick you up."

"Cousin, there's no need for that. My friends will take me home after the dinner."

Sun Aijun wanted to insist a little longer, but Sun Aimei stopped him, saying, "Brother, friends that your cousin approves of must be trustworthy. You shouldn't go and cause trouble. If you just wait there, your cousin won't be able to enjoy her conversation."

"That's true."

Sun Aijun gave an awkward smile. He quickly told Jiang Mingyue to eat and have fun, and that he would leave the lights on for her at home before hanging up the phone.

Jiang Mingyue smiled. Her cousin understood her best. Her cousin was straightforward and didn't have many hidden agendas. His intentions were good.

Jiang Mingyue met Wei Laiqi and Sheng at the north gate exit of the old street and led them to a time-honored restaurant in Huai County that only locals knew about.

What tourists commonly refer to as a "fly restaurant" (a place where you can't find food or drink).

But this small restaurant is located in an alley below a residential building. It is run by a middle-aged couple who inherited their father's skills and operate until 2 a.m.

Jiang Mingyue requested a private room on the second floor. Although the decor was simple, the table was clean and tidy.

The air conditioning was on in the private room. Wei Lai and Qi Sheng took off their disguises, hats, masks, and down jackets, revealing stylish casual wear underneath.

Jiang Mingyue was familiar with their tastes, so she ordered all the signature dishes on the menu and told the owner to halve the portion size of each dish.

"This restaurant is known for its generous portions and great value; let's try it all tonight."

"Okay, it's your treat, you decide."

Wei Lai took apart the bowls and chopsticks, picked up the kettle and washed them, then pushed the washed bowls and chopsticks to Jiang Mingyue.

Qi Sheng laughed from the side, "Mingyue, you've surprised all of us tonight. I bet even Brother Tang and the others didn't expect you to be the top scholar."

"Brother Tang is so smart, he'll definitely be able to see it at a glance. Besides, it doesn't matter if he can't see it, it's already been exposed online, haha."

Wei Lai handed another set of cutlery that had been heated to perfection to Qi Sheng, and then began to unpack his own cutlery.

The owner served the food very quickly, with all the ingredients prepared in advance and stir-fried over high heat, resulting in a wonderfully wok-fried flavor.

Local specialties include braised beef with greens, stir-fried glutinous rice balls, and soft-shelled eel shreds.

None of the three drank alcohol, they only ordered tea, and then they ate and chatted about work, life and the future.

The meal was a great success, and everyone enjoyed themselves immensely, taking many group photos together.

Wei Lai called a car online and, together with Qi Sheng, drove Jiang Mingyue home.

Because it was too late, they did not enter the Sun family's gate, but only told Jiang Mingyue to close the gate and get some rest.

Jiang Mingyue didn't bother arguing with them, since they would meet again in another month anyway.

The following afternoon, Wei Lai and Qi Sheng boarded the high-speed train back to Lingcheng, and only then did they leisurely post photos of their dinner gathering on Weibo.

[Wei Lai]: It's so nice to reunite with friends. Thank you Mingyue for treating us to dinner.

The accompanying image is a nine-grid layout, with eight pictures showing eight dishes, and the last picture is a group photo of the three people.

Jiang Mingyue sat at the dining table, with Wei Lai and Qi Sheng standing behind her in a group photo. The three of them smiled brightly at the camera.

As soon as Wei Lai posted on Weibo, fans from all three groups rushed in, crying and lamenting, and expressing regret in the comments section.

This is because five minutes earlier, netizens had discovered that the two unkempt men interacting with the folk performers were him and Qi Sheng.

"They say you become like the company you keep, and you two have even learned to pretend after hanging out with Sister Jiang!"

"It's fine if Sister Jiang didn't recognize you, but why didn't we notice you!"

"I regret it, I really regret it. I was standing right behind you, but unfortunately my attention was on the folk performers the whole time."

"I missed out on 300 million, sob sob sob."

"I envy the friendship between the brothers and Sister Jiang. Sister Jiang is smiling so happily. Only in front of the brothers does Sister Jiang act like a little girl who is her actual age."

"We're not trying to stir things up, but you two secretly went to meet Sister Jiang behind the backs of the other seven guests on the variety show. Aren't you afraid of getting beaten up? @TangHuang @JiWenxuan @MengQinzhou @LinChaosheng @XieFei @WangXia @QiuZhenlong"

Qi Sheng posted a video so that Jiang Mingyue's fans could hear her voice. She talked about the local customs and culture of Huai County, as well as the local delicacies hidden in the alleys.

[Qi Sheng]: I understand you guys, everything is understood without words.

"I kneel down to thank Brother Qi, and wish Brother Qi a long and healthy life."

"Huai County food guide acquired! I'm going to check out the food Sister Jiang ate tomorrow!"

"Sister Jiang said it was delicious, so I went downstairs to buy it. Proud JPG".

Thanks to Wei Lai and Qi Sheng for generating buzz, the variety show guests' "divine friendship" has once again topped the trending searches.

Last night, Don Juan had a late-night performance. After the performance, I watched the replay of the live broadcast of the cultural and tourism folk activities in Huai County. I recognized the top scholar at first glance.

The reason he discovered it was simple: he first recognized Wei Lai in disguise. The top scholar glanced at Wei Lai a few more times, his eyes filled with the teasing between acquaintances.

Sometimes the most unlikely possibility is the right answer.

Don Juan went to Weibo again, and sure enough, Jiang Mingyue had returned to the public eye, and her fame had spread beyond her usual circle.

Don Juan even spotted director Lin Zi'an's alternate account in the comments section of Huai County's official Weibo account, where he was among a group of fans cheering for Jiang Mingyue.

Some people are born superstars, loved by men, women, young and old.

Don Juan wasn't jealous at all; on the contrary, he was proud that he was fortunate enough to have met Jiang Mingyue and become friends with her.

The happy time passed in a flash. Most people started work on the seventh or eighth day of the Lunar New Year, while a few people started work after the Lantern Festival.

The tenth day of the month was chosen as the date for the renovation of the Sun family's house. The two brothers, Sun Aijun and Sun Hualan, took care of the whole process and also asked Cao Hualan's two nephews for help.

Cao Hualan was responsible for preparing three meals a day for the four young men.

Jiang Mingyue took Sun Aimei to Huai County No. 1 Middle School for registration early in the morning.

The transfer procedures were completed faster than expected, in less than two hours. The principal of a high school in Huai County personally greeted the cousins ​​at the gate, accompanied by the director of the Culture and Tourism Bureau.

Jiang Mingyue was neither surprised nor intimidated, and chatted happily with the two leaders.

Her eloquence and insight impressed a high school principal and the director of the Culture and Tourism Bureau. She truly deserves to be the person who brought new heights to the tourism economy of Huai County; her vision is exceptionally broad.

That's why talented people are respected everywhere; even after retiring from the entertainment industry, they can still thrive.

The high school arranged for Sun Aimei to take an entrance exam, which only tested Chinese, mathematics, and English.

The Chinese and math exams were conducted first to make it easier for teachers to grade them quickly. By the time Sun Aimei took the English exam, her Chinese and math scores were already out: a perfect score in math and a near-perfect score in Chinese.

Sun Aimei proved with her abilities that Jiang Mingyue's support for her was a wise choice.

The principal personally arranged for Sun Aimei to be placed in the best class, Class 5 of the first year of high school. Jiang Mingyue also helped Sun Aimei with the accommodation procedures, letting her adapt for half a semester first. After buying a house, they would then change her status to a day student.

After everything was settled, Jiang Mingyue didn't rush back to Dahuai Village, but instead started browsing the real estate developments around the No. 1 High School.

She doesn't want any new buildings to be built; her target is high-rise residential communities that are five or six years old, or seven or eight years old.

As luck would have it, after looking around, she finally found a property she liked along the Shehe River, where three rivers converge, within a ten-minute bike ride from the school.

The name of the development is also interesting: Jinghua Shoufu (京华首府).

Jiang Mingyue took out her phone and went online to check. She guessed correctly; the developer was indeed Jinghua Construction, a subsidiary of Jinghua Group.

Jinghua Capital consists of eight high-rise buildings, which is considered a fairly large residential area in Huai County, where land is extremely valuable, located next to the Shehe River.

The sales office had already been taken over, and there were three real estate agencies in the storefronts on the first floor. Jiang Mingyue went there first to inquire about the apartment layouts and prices.

The apartments come in various sizes, with the smallest having a floor area of ​​80 square meters. It's a middle floor apartment and doesn't have cross ventilation. The largest has a floor area of ​​200 square meters. It's a west-facing apartment with four bedrooms and two bathrooms.

Prices range from 400,000 to 1 million yuan. Housing prices in county towns are not high, and the cost-effectiveness is far superior to that of first-, second-, and third-tier cities.

Jiang Mingyue has her eye on two large apartments, each 163 square meters, with three bedrooms and two bathrooms. They are located in Building A and Building C, one on the 12th floor and the other on the 22nd floor. The two apartments together cost 1.65 million yuan.

The house was renovated, but the landlord hadn't lived in it for more than a few days after buying it. He planned to use it for his own child's wedding. Last year, the children wanted to buy a house in a big city, so he listed it for sale through a real estate agency.

I've already lost money on the renovations, I just want to make back the money I spent on the house.

Jiang Mingyue immediately decided on both apartments, paying a deposit of 20,000 yuan. She then asked the agent to arrange a payment and transfer date with the landlord.

After leaving the capital city of Jinghua, Jiang Mingyue did not rush to leave the county town. Instead, she drove straight to Bishui Haoyuan, which is opposite the capital city of Jinghua. Bishui Haoyuan has both high-rise buildings and detached villas, but sales are not good, and more than half of the houses are vacant and cannot be sold.

The reason is that there used to be a large cemetery across from Bishui Haoyuan. Even though the cemetery was moved and the property price was one percent lower than the market price, no one was willing to buy.

One reason is the taboo surrounding the property, but another is the online rumor that homeowners who bought apartments in Bishui Haoyuan will develop all sorts of minor health problems within six months.

Author's Note: [Winking emoji][Winking emoji] Happy Mid-Autumn Festival!