Chapter 84

On the third day of the Lunar New Year, the first episode of "The King of Singers" officially premiered on Lotus TV.

The Spring Festival holiday is a time when people are usually at home and relaxing. It's the liveliest time of the year at home.

Because of this, many viewers who were looking forward to the "Singer" program were able to watch it on Lotus Channel as soon as it aired.

[It's finally airing!]

[Does anyone know?! I thought it was yesterday; I went out and picked up a whole bag of trash.]

[Lin Wen! Lin Wen! We've come for Brother Wen!]

At the same time, many excited viewers on Weibo created a long thread in the topic.

Lotus TV also values ​​this program.

The stage design team at the station specially renovated the entire set, replacing all the old equipment and installing a new stage.

Lotus TV made a lot of money this year thanks to two popular TV dramas.

Since Hu Zhenzhen is now interested in continuing their cooperation, Lotus Terrace naturally wants to seize the opportunity. Without Hu Zhenzhen even having to mention it, they proactively replaced all the facilities.

"The King of Singers" is a music competition variety show.

The participating singers are all established veterans in the music industry, so there are certain requirements for the equipment.

On the very day that Lotus TV learned about the music variety show, the station director immediately issued an urgent order.

By the time the recording officially started, the stage of Lotus Platform was already on par with that of Watermelon TV, which is famous for its variety shows.

The station director brought in the station's main anchor, and for this variety show, they didn't even bother to organize a local Spring Festival Gala like other TV stations do.

Unlike other variety shows, the audience votes only determine the order in which the singers will appear.

Who is the true king of singers will depend on the votes of the audience outside the venue.

Those in the audience who want to vote must first obtain a vote.

"Please pay attention to your surroundings. Whether you're out for a stroll or on your way to work, if you see litter on the roadside, take a picture and post it on the official website, and you'll receive a ticket."

"Everyone only needs to do one good deed a day to get three votes. If you want to support a singer to become the king of singers, please leave your photo on the official website."

Voting is no longer related to money, which makes it simpler.

After briefly explaining the rules, the host glanced at the script and said something extra before starting.

"In addition, the Good People List event sponsored by Ms. Hu Zhenzhen has also started on Weibo."

"If you encounter any good deeds in real life and feel that they should be rewarded, please let us know on our dedicated Weibo account. After verifying the authenticity, Ms. Hu Zhenzhen will fund the reward for the good deeds."

Only after this conversation was over did the variety show officially get to the main topic.

Xiaxia, who was originally looking forward to Lin Wen singing in front of the TV, had a new idea.

She glanced into the room and saw her father taking a break while listening to crosstalk. She then secretly took out the brocade banner that he had put away in the drawer.

The banner wasn't big, about the size of Xiaxia's two palms.

But for their whole family, it was something of special significance.

On TV, Xiaxia's favorite singer, Lin Wen, was singing, but she wasn't paying attention.

She unfurled the banner and took a picture.

After waiting for a while and confirming that Dad was asleep, I sneaked into the room and took a picture of his hand.

Soon, her comments appeared on the Weibo account that Hu Zhenzhen had specially set up.

Seeing that Sister Hu was preparing to award people for good deeds, I decided to tell her about my father's story.

Three years ago, one afternoon, my father encountered a knife-wielding assailant on the street. There were many pedestrians on the street at the time. The assailant, without saying a word, began slashing wildly with his knife, injuring several people.

When my father saw this, he rushed forward, disarmed the assailant, and lost three of his fingers in the process.

The banner she attached was specially awarded by the city at the time.

But this happened several years ago. Xiaxia's city was relatively remote and underdeveloped. The city squeezed out a bonus of 10,000 yuan, plus a banner, which was all of Xiaxia's father's reward.

However, the medical expenses alone made the prize money insufficient to cover the costs.

Over the years, Lao Xia has never complained or regretted taking action that day.

They never use this as a source of capital to show off to others.

He remained an ordinary person, living an ordinary life, but in Xiaxia's eyes, he was a great hero.

Dad deserves to be seen and praised by more people.

Her thoughts were simple. As for the reward the host mentioned, Xiaxia didn't know what it was for the time being, and she didn't have much expectation for it.

Even if it's the same reward as the city's original one, with a bonus of 10,000 yuan and a banner, it would still be good for Lao Xia.

At least it will make Lao Xia's life a little easier, and he can do less work in the winter.

After posting this Weibo post, Xiaxia didn't look at it again.

The show was indeed wonderful, and she quickly became engrossed in it, immersing herself in each song.

"Xiaxia, go to the supermarket and buy a bottle of soy sauce!"

Xiaxia reluctantly turned off the TV only after her mother peeked out from the kitchen and called her to come out.

"Okay! What brand do you want?"

Xiaxia went out and had only taken a few steps when she bumped into a person in a police uniform.

The police officer looked at her for a few seconds, then suddenly took the initiative to greet her.

"Hello, are you Ms. Xia?"

"I am," Xia Xia said, a little scared. Although there are fewer scammers these days, their tricks are still endless. She had never heard of the police coming to her door looking for someone before. Was this a real policeman?

"Hello Ms. Xia, we have already reviewed the post you made online. I'm here to take a photo of the banner for our records. Is now a convenient time for you?"

Xiaxia then realized why the police had come to her door.

This is just too fast.

She posted it less than two hours ago, and the police had already finished their investigation and even came to her door to provide services?

It's no wonder she was suspicious.

After all, her father had once fought with a thug, so Xiaxia was quite sensitive to such things.

Seeing that she didn't quite believe him, the officer had no choice but to show his identification.

"Now you can prove I'm a real police officer, right, little girl?"

The police officer smiled helplessly. "Can I go take a picture of the banner now?"

"Okay, okay," Xiaxia said shyly as she led the way.

The door slammed shut, and Mom poked her head out from the kitchen. "Why so fast? Did you forget your money?"

She was startled when she saw the police officer.

"What's wrong? Xiaxia, what did you do?"

Upon hearing this, the police officer knew she had misunderstood and quickly explained.

"Don't misunderstand, Auntie, I'm here for good news."

"Good thing? Xiaxia did a good deed?"

Xiaxia's mother's expression did not improve because of this answer.

Ever since Lao Xia became disabled after doing a good deed, she has become somewhat anxious about the word "good deed."

Upon hearing what the police said, her eyes instinctively darted around her daughter several times, as if afraid of seeing any injuries she might have.

Xiaxia knew what her mother was thinking, and quickly said, "Mom, I'm fine! The police came because of the good thing my dad did."

"Your dad did good deeds, but that was so many years ago."

While saying this, Xiaxia's mother took out the banner that she had kept in the drawer, just as the police had requested.

Just as he said, the policeman took a picture and left.

Xiaxia hadn't even realized what was happening when the person left.

It wasn't until I heard my mother ask, "Your dad's act of bravery happened so many years ago, why are people still coming to see the banner now?"

My dad, who was lying in the room, was also woken up and asked a question.

"What's wrong? Who just came by?"

Xiaxia had no choice but to bite the bullet and confess that she had posted her father's heroic deeds online.

As a result, I was scolded by both my parents.

“This happened so long ago. Didn’t your mother teach you not to brag about this?”

Xiaxia lowered her head and tugged at her fingers.

"I understand, I won't tell anyone else."

She had only hoped that the prize money would help improve her parents' lives.

Two days later, the police came to the door again.

When Xiaxia saw the people, she thought they were there to take pictures of the banner again, and she regretted posting online even more.

When the police came last time, her parents scolded her. Now that the police are here again, she'll get scolded again.

She thought this, and her expression didn't hide her unhappiness.

"Come in, I'll go get the banner."

"No, there's no need to take the banner."

The officer placed the box he had brought on the table.

The moment the box was opened, he said, "Miss Hu Zhenzhen specially asked me to deliver her reward money. Please check it and sign here, Miss Xia."

Xiaxia couldn't even answer him.

The boxes of money in front of her startled her, who hadn't even entered society yet.

After a few seconds, she said in a trembling voice, "I want to call my mother."

The police officer could tell she was young and probably hadn't experienced anything like this before.

"Then please ask your father or mother to come back."

Xiaxia's mother rushed back from the factory.

Her daughter called to say the police were there again, and they were talking about money. She was afraid her daughter was being scammed, so she gave up her perfect attendance bonus and immediately took leave to ride her electric bike home.

"Xiaxia, what's wrong?"

My mother's voice arrived before she even stepped inside.

Xiaxia quickly stood up. "Mom, you're finally back."

Hearing her voice, Xiaxia's mother felt a little relieved, but when she saw the cash in the open box on the table, she became wary again.

There's no such thing as a free lunch in this world; this must be a trap.

"We don't want this money, please take it back."

Before the police officer could explain, she blurted out those words.

The police officer had seen Xiaxia's mother's wary gaze many times before, but in the past, it was always directed at the criminals they had arrested. He never expected to be looked at like that by Xiaxia's mother today.

The officer realized she had misunderstood and quickly began to explain.

"Don't misunderstand, this is legitimate money. It was donated by Ms. Hu specifically to reward people who dare to act bravely and righteously."

“Your daughter posted about what your husband did online, and many netizens liked and applauded it. We verified the authenticity of this matter before we gave you these reward money.”

Xia's mother was a little confused for a moment.

"Who is this Ms. Hu you mentioned? Why are you giving us so much money for no reason?"

Xiaxia, who was being protected behind her, had already roughly figured out the truth of the matter.

So the reward Sister Hu mentioned was real!

Moreover, the reward is so generous, completely different from the 10,000 to 20,000 yuan bonus that Xiaxia initially expected!

She interrupted to explain to her mother.

"Mom, Ms. Hu is the philanthropic tycoon I always talk about. She has done so many good deeds!"

The police officer followed her words and said, "You can check it online. What Ms. Hu Zhenzhen did can be found all over the internet. It can't be faked."

With both of them saying the same thing, Xia's mother began to waver.

At the officer's suggestion, she turned on her phone and searched for the name Hu Zhenzhen.

It turns out he was indeed a celebrity and often did good deeds.

But Xia's mother knew that some people were just using the names of celebrities to do fraudulent things.

She was very cautious and added "heroic act" after Hu Zhenzhen's name.

This time, there were far fewer related news reports.

After reading through the first few points, Xia's mother finally confirmed that what the police officer said was true.

Such a good thing actually exists in the world.

After a moment of shock, she apologized to the police officer.

"I'm so sorry, I misunderstood you."

The officer waved his hand, "It's alright, but it's best if you're cautious since so much money is involved."

He pushed the box forward and said, "It's 200,000 in total. Please check it."

Two hundred thousand!

Ever since Lao Xia had his accident, all of the family's savings have gone to the hospital; Xia Xia's mother has never seen such a large sum of money.

So much money, are we just going to give it to her like that?

She asked anxiously.

"Of course, I won't give it to you now. You need to check it carefully and then sign the receipt before the money belongs to you."

Xiaxia couldn't wait to start counting the money.

She majored in accounting and had only just started taking practical courses.

His counting technique was standard; although not as skilled as bank tellers, his speed was not slow.

Seeing this, Xiaxia's mother simply handed everything over to her daughter and sat down in a chair to rest for a while.

After confirming the amount and seeing the police officer off, she still didn't feel like it was all real.

He touched the money over and over again.

"Xiaxia, do you think they won't ask for the money back?"

Xiaxia was completely relieved and comforted her mother, "Don't worry, Mom, Sister Hu always keeps her word!"

The room remained silent for a long time.

After a long pause, Mom finally spoke, "I never expected that the good deed Old Xia did would actually be rewarded."

In the moment of doing a good deed, people do not seek anything in return.

However, when Xiaxia's mother couldn't get Lao Xia surgery at home right away because of medical expenses, her mood changed.

How could such a good person become disabled first?

For so many years, this has been a hurdle in her heart.

It wasn't because of poverty, but because of a sense of unwillingness to accept defeat.

Everyone says good people are rewarded, but Lao Xia has been a good person for so many years, so why didn't God even spare him a few fingers?

This idea troubled Xiaxia's mother for many years, and it was also the reason why the couple was unwilling to mention that act of bravery.

Now, looking at the money on the table, she couldn't hold back her tears.

"Although it's a bit late, this time, your father can finally hold his head high and say that good deeds are rewarded."

Xiaxia had never thought about so many things before.

Only after her mother spoke did she vaguely understand many things.

She choked out a soft "Mmm!"

"By the way, you should remember to thank Ms. Hu properly. She does charity without asking for anything in return, but we should be grateful."

Xiaxia's mother gave her detailed instructions.

Xiaxia listened carefully. "Mom, don't worry, I'll go thank Sister Hu right away."

After saying this, she went back into her room.

Hu Zhenzhen's latest Weibo post is a photo of her watching "King of Singers" at home.

Just like before, a TV, snacks, and a smiley face emoji make up a photo.

Xiaxia typed each word carefully.

[Thank you so much, Ms. Hu Zhenzhen. I'm Xiaxia, who left a message under the "Good Deeds" event.]

After my father lost his finger, our family savings were depleted. For many years, my parents have worked tirelessly to support my education, not even daring to take sick leave.

[I never imagined that such a small attempt could bring in so much money and improve my family's situation. Thank you so much. I will remember this and, when I am able, I will follow your example and try my best to do good deeds and help others.]

[Attached is the signed form. I truly love you, Sister Hu! May you always be happy!]

In her emotional state, Xiaxia managed to organize her thoughts and say everything she wanted to say.

This comment was long enough that it caught the attention of many people the moment it was posted.

People started commenting to boost her popularity, hoping Hu Zhenzhen would see Xia Xia's words.

[Hey, Sister Hu, look here!]

[I'll take you up there!]

Wow! Two hundred thousand! It seems like Sister Hu's good deeds campaign will last a long time. How much money is that going to cost?!

Some fans noticed the amount and were surprised, so they retweeted the post.

Marketing accounts that wouldn't normally pay much attention to Hu Zhenzhen's comment section suddenly rushed over like sharks smelling fish.

[Tycoon Hu Zhenzhen generously awarded 200,000 yuan to every good Samaritan who acted bravely.]

[You'd never guess what a wealthy family is doing! Recently, renowned businesswoman Hu Zhenzhen launched a reward campaign on Weibo called 'Good Deeds,' offering a substantial reward to anyone who has ever performed an act of bravery, provided they can provide evidence. I'm so envious! Have you ever performed an act of bravery?]

Such marketing accounts sprang up like mushrooms after rain.

It wasn't until an hour later that Hu Zhenzhen found out about this.

On his first day at work, Chen Kaicai reported this matter to Hu Zhenzhen as soon as he entered the door.

"Boss, the videos from marketing accounts are getting a lot of traffic on the platform right now. Should we limit them?"

There's no need for restrictions; Hu Zhenzhen's original goal was simply to spread the word.

"No, not only will we not restrict it, we'll add fuel to the fire."

"But this will attract a lot of scammers who want to take advantage of the situation, boss."

Hu Zhenzhen doesn't care about the money, but Chen Kai feels sorry for her.

If a few scammers infiltrate and actually get the money, he'll definitely be so upset he won't be able to sleep at night.

"Boss, do you want to think about it again?"

Chen Kai advised.

“Scammers are always unavoidable; all we can do is avoid being scammed.”

From the very beginning of the plan, Hu Zhenzhen had already thought about the scammers.

However, those who are timid and hesitant will never accomplish anything.

To accomplish this, you must constantly solve problems, rather than avoiding or circumventing them when they arise.

Holding onto this belief, she was able to build her business from scratch in her previous life.

"Then we'll add more money to the review process to ensure the authenticity of the information."

Actually, this isn't too difficult.

The vast majority of acts of bravery are reported.

People like Xiaxia's father are even recorded in the city's archives.

In this case, verification is relatively simple.

The difficulty lies in the possibility that the deeds of those unsung heroes might be claimed by others.

Hu Zhenzhen has done her best to verify this.

It's not just the government that's putting in the effort; every time a new story of a hero is reported on Weibo, Zheng Xing's team immediately investigates the facts online and locally.

In the past few days, they have taken more than a dozen train trips, and everyone has lost weight from being so busy.

Hu Zhenzhen saw all of this and prepared generous red envelopes for everyone.

With the investigation team being expanded and its salaries increased, things are progressing smoothly.

Although many scammers tried to gain publicity online to swindle money, Hu Zhenzhen's employees saw through their schemes and exposed their information to prevent others from falling for their tricks.

One fraud gang was even exposed three times before they finally gave up.

When the list was made public for the third time, netizens went from being indignant to feeling helpless.

Wait, don't these scammers have any other targets? They're only after this prize money, right?

[Hilarious! He got caught after scamming three times. Are scammers this stupid these days?]

[A disgrace to the scamming world!]

There are far too many people laughing at scammers on Weibo.

The leader of the scam group saw it, got really angry, and left a comment in the comments section.

Unexpectedly, this one sentence was caught by sharp-eyed netizens.

[@CyberPolice: On duty! There are scammers here!]

[You managed to slip away quickly before, but now we've caught you red-handed!]

[How incredibly stupid! How can scammers be so dumb?]

After being ridiculed by netizens, the police, who had been keeping an eye on them, located the fraudsters.

An hour later, the police announced the good news in a swift arrest.

[Thanks to the netizens for their reports, the entire fraud gang operating brazenly in southern Beijing has now been arrested.]

The official Weibo account posted photos of the scammers, only blurring their eyes.

When netizens who rushed to the scene saw the photo of the fraud ring leader, they immediately burst out laughing.

[Hilarious! No wonder people say he's stupid and it's hard to stay calm; this leader really looks like a genius.]

Can this really lead to a scam group? Have they ever actually succeeded in scamming money?

[Family members, the police have released information about their previous crimes!]

[Hahaha, this scam mastermind's only successful scam was actually swindling an older man out of 20,000 yuan through online romance! Who's going to laugh so hard?!]

Did the man who was scammed eventually find out? I'm anxious! I want to know more!

[Breaking news! I saw it elsewhere—they met in person after their online romance! After the man discovered the scam ringleader was also a man, he tried to force himself on her, got beaten up, and later reported it to the police!]

When Hu Zhenzhen saw this, she couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Chen Kai, you know what, catching scammers can be quite fun sometimes."

Chen Kai also saw the news and had a smile on his face.

"The boss has done a service to the people."

It wouldn't be accurate to call it eliminating a scourge for the people, but it would be a good thing if we could use this opportunity to lure out those fraud gangs and give the police some clues.

After seeing the joke about the fraud ringleader, Hu Zhenzhen even posted a Weibo post about it.

Scammers have been active lately, so please be vigilant and discerning. The national anti-fraud app is a must-have!

The moment this Weibo post was published, the comments section was instantly flooded with netizens laughing at the scammer.

I knew it; Sister Hu must have seen Da Congming get caught too.

[Oh no, from now on, every scammer I see will look like a grown-up, smart one!]

[Hilarious! This scammer probably never imagined that not only would he not make money from fraud, but he'd also be arrested and ridiculed by the entire internet!]

[Feeling sorry for the scammer for a second (I'm just pretending)]