Chapter 8 The Poor Female Supporting Character in the Mountains
The topic of Luo Shu's illness became even more popular than expected, even making it into the top three trending searches on Weibo, followed by a dark red "hot" tag.
It wasn't just fans who wanted to donate; some companies and brands that valued the immense commercial potential Luo Shu brought also participated. As her popularity grew, even official channels eventually got involved.
It was announced that Luo Shu would become the spokesperson for X County, and would receive subsidies and a salary. Furthermore, Luo Shu would be connected with renowned hospitals to help her receive treatment. The nation deeply loves every one of its children.
The official Weibo account was filled with praise, and many fans left messages hoping to open a donation channel so they could contribute to their beloved daughter.
So the official channel was opened, and each account could only donate one yuan at a time. Even with just one yuan per account, 300,000 yuan was received within a day of the channel being opened, and the amount is still rising.
It has to be said, the power of fans is simply terrifying.
The program was still being broadcast live. Feng Yixuan and the others knew that the authorities would take Luo Shu to get treatment. At this time, Luo Shu's parents had also returned, and they had also brought Luo Shu's little brother back with them.
The family sat together, their eyes red and swollen. They hadn't gone online and were unaware of the outside world's news. At that moment, they were still worried about Luo Shu's medical expenses.
Mr. Luo squatted at the door, his brows furrowed and his face deeply lined. He was still wearing his factory uniform, probably having rushed back as soon as he received the call. This man was not well-educated, and the hardships of life had caused him to have white hair at only 30 or 40 years old. Thinking of his daughter's illness, his eyes reddened.
He watched his daughter grow up little by little, and she became so beautiful and outstanding, unlike any other rural child. Now she is seriously ill, and he heard that the disease will cost a lot of money. How could he bear to give up his daughter? It's his fault for being incompetent. It's all his fault for being incompetent.
Tears mingled with white smoke, dissipating into the air.
Luo's mother looked somewhat numb, her eyes red. She just stared blankly at her daughter, as if trying to etch her into her heart.
The whole family was shrouded in gloom, except for the youngest brother, Luo, who leaned against his sister, laughing carefree. Luo Xiaobao loved his sister the most; she was like a fairy from heaven. He had never seen anyone more beautiful than her, and he adored her.
Just as the Luo family was worrying, the village chief led several people into the Luo family's courtyard.
"Chang Sheng (Luo's father), hurry, hurry, the county leaders have come to visit you."
Mr. Luo was still squatting and smoking, not quite reacting yet. He was a beat slow to extinguish his cigarette before standing up. The middle-aged men were all smiles, but Mr. Luo looked at them with some unease. He wiped his hands on his pants before shaking hands with the leader.
"Comrade Luo, hello. We are staff members of the county government. We are here today because we have considered that your daughter Luo Shu has a very good image, and our county intends to hire your daughter Luo Shu as the image ambassador of our county. We have learned that Comrade Luo Shu is ill, and we will provide your daughter Luo Shu with free medical resources. We are here today to discuss these two matters with you."
The leader smiled kindly, but Luo's father was stunned by the windfall. He had just been worried about money, and now it had come to him?
Luo's father was afraid that this was just a dream.
"Hello, hello, let's go inside and talk. Leaders, please come in and have a cup of tea."
Mr. Luo led the people in and poured them tea. The leader then repeated what he had just said to Grandma Luo and the others. The septuagenarian grasped the leader's hand and was about to kneel down, but the leader quickly helped her up.
"Grandpa, please don't be like this. Our country will help every person in need. Comrade Luo Shu will also receive subsidies and allowances as our county's image ambassador. Don't worry, we will do our best to help her treat her illness."
The leader's voice was calm yet powerful, but it brought tears to the eyes of Grandma Luo and her mother, who repeatedly said:
"Our country is so good! Our country is thinking of Luo Shu. Thank you, country!"
Luo Shu's eyes also reddened. She thanked the leaders and bowed to them.
The girl is really beautiful. These leaders had seen Luo Shu's videos and photos online before they came, but they didn't expect that the videos and photos were not even a tenth as good as the real person.
At such a young age, she is stunningly beautiful.
"Comrade Luo Shu, we have already contacted a hospital for you. After communicating with the specialist who is proficient in your condition, the arrangements have been made. You will probably go to the hospital the day after tomorrow. You should pack your luggage. Tomorrow afternoon, our staff will come to film a promotional video about our X County for you. Is that alright?"
"Okay, no problem. I will definitely do my best to complete the filming. Thank you."
The little girl's smile was sweet and well-behaved. The leader looked at the child, who was about the same age as his daughter, and felt a warmth spread through his heart. What a wonderful little comrade!
"There's one more thing. We've opened a donation channel, and we've already received 1 million yuan in donations. Comrade Luo Shu and the other comrades, what do you think we should do with these funds?"
The program was still being broadcast live at this time. This was a decision made in consultation between the officials and the director, and it was undoubtedly the right one. At this point, the comments section was full of praise for the excellent and wise leadership of County X.
Many fans were sending bullet comments.
Fan #1: My darling daughter, you must go for your treatment. Mom has also donated money to you. I helped all my aunts and uncles register Weibo accounts so they could donate money through their accounts. So, my darling Luo Shu, don't worry about money. Just focus on getting better.
Fan #2: Little fairy, hang in there! It's just a minor illness, you'll get better.
Fan #3: Keep going, baby, we'll always be there for you.
There were even more encouraging comments, densely packed and completely blocking the live stream video.
Luo Shu's mouth gaped slightly in surprise, and a shy look appeared on her face, as if she was embarrassed about having so many fans.
"How could I have so many fans? I can't sing or dance."
Luo Shu was still a little shy, her face flushed, and she looked extremely cute.
The screen was filled with comments like, "Ahhh, I'm dead, the little girl is so cute," "Baby, do you have some kind of misunderstanding about your own looks?" and "Fairy, you are the pinnacle of Nuwa's skillful display. I could watch you eat live for ages."
The leader smiled without saying a word, looking at Luo Shu with gentle eyes, wanting to see what she thought about the 1 million.
Luo Shu thought about it carefully for a while, then asked if she could meet these fans; she wanted to thank them properly. As for the one million, she needed to think about it more.
The leader told her to take her time to think it over and not to feel pressured. Once the time for taking promotional photos was confirmed, the group went back first.
The program director called Luo Shu aside and told her that she could meet her fans that afternoon and do a live stream for her.
Then the director handed her an envelope containing 20,000 yuan as payment for Luo Shu's appearance on the live stream. Luo Shu refused to accept it, believing that she hadn't done anything and shouldn't take the money. The director patted Luo Shu's head and told her that her appearance had brought the show a lot of traffic and buzz, and that the money was not much at all, so she should accept it without worry.
After several rounds of back and forth, the director insisted on doing so, and Luo Shu had no choice but to accept it. She bowed to the director, thinking, "There are still many good people in this world."
In the afternoon, the director arranged a live broadcast for Luo Shu. Feng Yixuan and the others were afraid that Luo Shu would be nervous, so they sat in a corner where she couldn't be seen to keep her company. Actually, there were also fans around them filming the live broadcast, but Luo Shu's live broadcast was a solo broadcast, just like a streamer.
Zhang Tingxuan stayed by Luo Shu's side and read the comments to her. Luo Shu shyly greeted the viewers, and the comments section was filled with "awsl" (a Chinese internet slang for "awesome"). Such a divine beauty suddenly appearing near the live stream camera was a beauty overload, making the fans watching the live stream hold their breath.
"Thank you so much for the donations from all the fans. I'll return the 1 million yuan to everyone. The government is already providing me with free medical treatment. Everyone works hard to earn money, so thank you all. I appreciate your kindness."
After saying that, she revealed a bright, sunny smile that was so adorable it made one's heart flutter.
The screen was filled with comments like, "No need, my daughter will keep it to buy supplements," "Baby, please accept it, Mom is willing to spend money on you, Mom has money," and "Fairy, we each only gave you one yuan, you can keep it."
Zhang Tingxuan told her that the fans insisted on not taking it back, and Luo Shu frowned in distress, her cute little face making people's hearts flutter.
"I want to donate half of this money to the country, because the country also needs a lot of money to treat my illness. Thank you to every one of my fans, thank you so much."
Luo Shu's voice was slightly choked, her eyes were a little red, her expression was sincere and serious, and her voice was somewhat weak.
"I want to donate the other half to the village. I want to build a road for the village, a playground and a dining hall for the primary school, so that everyone won't have to walk through the mud on rainy days, and the teachers and us can eat together."
The little girl had a beautiful expression, her face full of longing, holy and pure; she truly was an angel.
For a moment, no one spoke in the live chat. Many people were asking themselves, what have they gained after so many years of following celebrities?
While they were promoting their idols and boosting sales, they didn't realize that their motherland had been quietly making sacrifices, building many roads, constructing better ships, and maintaining peace and stability. Their lives were getting better and better, but there were still children who couldn't afford to eat and poor people who couldn't go to school. They never saw these people.
Indulging in entertainment to the death, they squander money and time in the superficial entertainment industry, paving the way for their idols, but forgetting that their country has only been strong for 30 years and still needs their joint efforts to become even stronger.
As fans watched the live stream, their restless hearts, stirred by the entertainment industry, suddenly calmed down, as if something had subtly changed.
Luo Shu felt a little uneasy after speaking, unsure if her suggestion was correct.
Zhang Tingxuan was also stunned for a moment. She suddenly remembered a saying: "When poor, one should cultivate one's own virtue; when successful, one should benefit all under heaven."
When did they become someone they no longer recognized?
The director backstage, watching the live broadcast, thought to himself, "I'm afraid the entertainment industry is about to undergo a major transformation."
When Zhang Tingxuan came to her senses, she told Luo Shu that the comments section was very supportive of Luo Shu's decision and that everyone was praising her. Only then did Luo Shu reveal a small smile, which shone brighter than the warm autumn sun.
She chatted with her fans for a while, and they told her that she must register a Weibo account and preferably upload videos to the account from time to time so that they could know her treatment progress. They said it was okay if she didn't have time to film videos, and that she must focus on getting better, and they would always be there for her.
After the live stream ended in a harmonious atmosphere, Feng Yixuan and the others prepared a farewell party for Luo Shu. Cao Zihao was especially reluctant to part with her and wrote down his phone number for Luo Shu, asking her to call him when she got a phone in the future, or that he could give her a phone now. Luo Shu politely declined the offer to give her a phone, saying that she would definitely contact them when she got a phone.
The farewell party was lively. Feng Yixuan and the others urged Luo Shu to take good care of herself and promised to visit her whenever they had time. They also told her to get well soon.
Luo Shu nodded to each of them, indicating that she would definitely cooperate with the doctor to receive proper treatment and would invite everyone to her home for dinner after she recovered.
The next morning, county government staff came to film a promotional video for Luo Shu. In the video, the little girl wore a flower crown and a green gauze dress, with totems painted on her face. She appeared in this small town at the foot of the towering mountains, like a mountain spirit from a myth, following the smoke and fire into the human world.
The staff who filmed the promotional video for Luo Shu exclaimed that they had never seen such a beautiful girl before. The video looked like a CG animation, so beautiful that it was unreal.
After lunch, Luo's mother packed her things. She quit her job at the factory and was going to go to the hospital with Luo Shu to take care of her.
The family enjoyed a warm dinner together in the evening, and drifted off to sleep with happy expectations for the future.
Luo Shu went to the hospital for treatment. Little did she know that the storm she was stirring up in the entertainment industry was only just beginning to take shape.
Countless fans have begun to reflect on whether it is really worth spending a lot of time ranking and data manipulation for a celebrity, and spending money to endorse them and boost sales.
Taking advantage of this wave, the government launched the "Clean Up the Entertainment Industry" campaign, requiring artists to hold licenses to work. For example, hosts must have a hosting license, artists can no longer use voice-overs unless the circumstances are extremely special and they must apply to the government. There are also salary limits to prevent exorbitant pay. With these policies in place, people in the entertainment industry knew that things were about to change.
The variety show is coming to an end, and everyone in the entertainment industry is on edge. On the contrary, their variety show has become quite popular and has a good connection with the industry, so the ratings are not bad, which makes the industry envious.
The eye of all this storm was caused by an ordinary little girl—how unbelievable! A thousand-mile dike can be breached by an ant's bite.
No one dares to hire online trolls to smear Luo Shu now. Firstly, Luo Shu is now protected by the government, and secondly, the "Clean Internet Action" has cracked down on online trolls, so no one dares to defy the rules.
The days of making money effortlessly and receiving exorbitant salaries are gone forever. The entertainment industry will become increasingly transparent and fair in the future.
Moreover, more people are focusing their attention on scientists and other individuals who make significant contributions to society, and students are no longer solely focused on entering the entertainment industry. As social values improve, the overall mental outlook of the nation also becomes better.
Luo Shu, this little butterfly, flapped her wings and changed an era.
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