Marry a female star at a bargain price

Chapters 285 and 286: The Internet Celebrity Town Mayor Takes Office
Zhong Jiawen's actions successfully cooled down the Lin Xiao family's public profile, acting as a free "ice cube."
After two days of online discussion, this woman has completely lost her popularity.

Lin Xiao has finally temporarily left the spotlight that netizens are eagerly watching.

This is certainly not solely due to Chung Ka-man's efforts.

The ultimate reason is that June 6th has arrived, and the annual college entrance examination is here again as scheduled.

On the eve of the college entrance examination, the official appointment document for Lin Xiao was finally issued.

The location and place have not changed; he is still the mayor of Xingguang Town, Mashan County, Yizhou City, exactly as Han Haijun initially revealed.

Lin Xiao had already prepared himself mentally and didn't feel anything about it.

Xi Xi couldn't help but feel disappointed.

While she rationally supported her husband's career, she secretly hoped that Lin Xiao could return to Ninghai to take up a position so that he could come home every day.

Moreover, she felt that after this online storm, her husband had become a celebrity across the internet and the face of Nanzhou, so it was only natural for the organization to keep him in the province for a position...

Ok!

Xi Xi admits that she is being a bit delusional, but she really doesn't want her husband to go to such a poor and remote place.

But now that the appointment document has been issued, she can only grumble and reluctantly accept it.

Lin Xiao knew his wife's feelings.

Without any attempt to soothe her, he would turn off the lights at night, first touching her belly, then moving upwards, followed by a passionate kiss to seal the kiss, and then his 150-pound weight would crush her...

After half an hour.

His wife nestled against his chest like a little lamb, her voice sweet and seductive: "Brother, take good care of yourself while you're at your post. We'll come find you after we finish these vaccinations..."

Lin Xiao remained silent and gently kissed her forehead.

Xi Xi drew circles on his chest with her finger, round and round.

On the sixth lap, her hand was suddenly gripped, and with a cry of "Ah!", she was once again set sail into the darkness towards the vast ocean...

The next two days will be the National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao).

People across the country made way for college entrance exam candidates.

Although Lin Xiao had already received the transfer order, the Organization Department, as is customary, would avoid certain important dates for personnel appointments and removals.

Therefore, the Organization Department decided to send Lin Xiao to his post on the 9th.

Lin Xiao was happy to follow the arrangements. There happened to be a high school student in his family, so he took on the role of a full-time driver for the next two days, picking up and dropping off his younger brother Lin Yu twice a day to go to the exam.

Lin Xiao was even more nervous than when he took the college entrance examination.

I've been holding it in for two days.

Finally, on the afternoon of the 8th, the last exam ended.

Lin Xiao picked up his younger brother Lin Yu before asking, "How did the exam go?"

Lin Yu maintained his indifferent and calm expression, looking more like he had just eaten barbecue than like someone who had just gone through the college entrance examination.

"good."

"Not bad? What do you mean by 'not bad'? Do you think I can get into university?"

Lin Xiao is now acting like a eunuch who's more worried than the emperor.

Lin Yu remained calm: "I don't know."

"Don't know? You took the exam yourself, how could you not know?"

"If you know that, you'll get a perfect score."

"..."

Lin Xiao was speechless; there was no way to have a conversation with him now.

I drove my younger brother home.

On the way, Lin Yu's phone, which had just been turned on, kept ringing incessantly.

He guessed that his classmates would be comparing answers and asking questions in the class group chat, but he was too lazy to open it to check.

However, after my brother cast a curious glance at me for the nth time...

He finally took out his phone, turned off the sound, and glanced at WeChat.

I saw that the class group had its messages set to "Do Not Disturb," and there was indeed a small red dot on it. But apart from that, the most active group chat was the only one that was pinned to the top.

The group name is "Easily Master the College Entrance Examination".

The group name was changed later. The original group name was "Cool Youth Fifty-Seven". There were five original members, but now there are only four.

Besides Lin Yu, the other three are Liang Tian, ​​Zhang Zihang, and Qin Jiapeng.

There was also a Chen Shuang in the group, who was Qin Jiapeng's girlfriend. However, not long after entering the senior year of high school, she suddenly left the group one day.

Everyone knew what it meant, but no one dared to ask further.

That afternoon, Liang Tian changed the group name from "Cool Youth Fifty-Seven" to "Easy to Master the Little College Entrance Examination".

After the group name was changed, the chat frequency in this group decreased significantly.

Qin Jiapeng never said a word.

Lin Yu is also a man of few words; even when he does speak, it's usually just "um," "oh," or "ah," like a monosyllabic animal.

Zhang Zihang and Liang Tian have lively personalities and can get along well.

However, in a group of four, it's always just the two of them chatting, which inevitably makes it a bit awkward.

However, their relationship wasn't close enough for them to have many topics to discuss privately.

So the group gradually became quiet.

The last time we chatted was before the May Day holiday, when the students from Jingzhou and Anyang counties exchanged holiday information and complained about the miserable life of high school seniors.

Then there is no more.

The National College Entrance Examination (Gaokao) ended today.

It was rare for the four of them to appear together, and even Qin Jiapeng's "muteness" was cured, allowing him to speak again.

When Lin Yu appeared, the three of them were already chatting enthusiastically. Zhang Zihang and Liang Tian, ​​the two academic underachievers, were particularly self-satisfied, looking like they were aiming for the top 2.

Qin Jiapeng humbly replied, "Yes, I did very well on the test. Getting 650 points is no problem!"

As soon as he spoke, the other two brave teenagers immediately fell silent and frantically tagged Lin Yu.

Lin Yu just happened to log on at that moment.

"Okay……"

He answered Liang Tian's question.

This appearance revitalized the two previously demoralized underachievers.

Zhang Zihang: "Damn, you finally showed up! I thought you'd died in the exam hall!"

Liang Tian: "No, no, dying in the exam room will make the news!"

Qin Jiapeng: "[Thumbs up][Thumbs up]"

Zhang Zihang: "Sweet Sister is a tough cookie, ruthless and doesn't talk much!"

Lin Yu: "[wiping sweat]"

Liang Tian: "@Lin Yu, what does 'okay' mean? Did you do well or poorly on the exam? Can you get into a university in Jingzhou?"

Qin Jiapeng: "Lin Yu has done well in the recent mock exams, with his scores consistently around 550. He might not get into Jingzhou University, but he should be able to get into any university within Jingzhou!"

Zhang Zihang: "Damn it, what have I done to deserve being in the same group as you bunch of academic geniuses!"

Liang Tian: "Don't be discouraged, Zihang, you still have me!"

Zhang Zihang: "[Brother, I wish you happiness]"

Liang Tian: "[Sister, wishing you happiness]"

Lin Yu: "[wiping sweat]"

Zhang Zihang: "Let's talk about something happy. We've finally finished our exams, so let's plan a graduation trip, shall we?"

Qin Jiapeng: "That's a good idea!"

Liang Tian: "Sure, sure! Would you like to come to Jingzhou? You've always been the ones hosting me before, this time it's my turn to host you!"

Zhang Zihang: "Jingzhou is great, I've never been there! Sweetie's awesome!"

Qin Jiapeng: "[No problem]"

Liang Tian: "Lin Yu, are you alright? It's good that you're here early to familiarize yourself with the environment. You'll be studying here for four years of university!!"

Seeing Liang Tian's enthusiastic urging, Lin Yu hesitated to reply.

He didn't feel well after these few exams.

Although he hasn't checked the answers or estimated his score yet, he still feels like he bombed the exam and is unsure if he can go to university in Jingzhou.

He held his phone, but didn't make a sound for a long time.

Lin Xiao, who was driving, caught a glimpse of this scene out of the corner of his eye and was somewhat puzzled.

He suddenly realized that his younger brother had grown up.

Although he still has that quiet, unyielding personality, he has clearly started to have worries and emotions, which is undoubtedly a significant improvement.

However, this worry arose after the college entrance examination, which inevitably made Lin Xiao anxious.

At this critical juncture, no matter how anxious and doubtful he was, he had to forcefully suppress his impulses and not add pressure to his younger brother.

After hesitating for a moment, he asked, "What are your plans after the college entrance exam? Want to go on a graduation trip? I'll give you money!"

Lin Yu held his phone, staring ahead, somewhat bewildered.

"Hmm... let's wait for the scores!"

He managed to squeeze out this sentence, somewhat dejectedly.

Hearing this tone, Lin Xiao became even more certain that his younger brother hadn't done well on the exam.

He was a little disappointed.

Originally, he had no expectations for his younger brother's grades—not that he looked down on him.

Rather, it was because his grades were indeed just average, making it difficult for him to get into university.

But with his older brother taking the lead, that's all that matters.

Even if Lin Yu doesn't go to university, he'll never be exposed to the wind or rain in his life, so it doesn't matter if he doesn't go to university.

But Lin Xiao's willingness to help his younger brother is one thing, while Lin Yu's own desire to work hard is another.

After entering his senior year of high school, Lin Yu was like a completely different person. He did nothing but study every day, and his grades improved dramatically.

In the last two months, his grades had improved to the top fifty in the entire grade.

This rapid improvement in his grades made Lin Xiao and his parents very concerned.

Even though Lin Xiao has been busy these past few months, giving birth, experiencing cyberbullying, and maneuvering to clean up battlefields, keeping him as busy as a spinning top, he still hasn't forgotten to pay attention to his younger brother's grades and attaches great importance to his college entrance examination.

However, perhaps the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.

Judging from Lin Yu's current state, it seems he failed the exam.

Lin Xiao was somewhat disappointed, but he quickly recovered, realizing that compared to whether his younger brother could get into a good university, his diligence and hard work over the past year seemed more worthy of recognition.

"I'm going to work in Mashan County tomorrow, are you coming with me?" Lin Xiao suddenly asked.

"Ok?"

Lin Yu was somewhat surprised, and after a moment of stunned silence, asked, "Where are my sister-in-law and Xiao Chu?"

Lin Xiao said, "Xiao Chu has two vaccinations to get this month. After she finishes, your sister-in-law will bring her over. You've had a lot of pressure this year, and you've finally finished your exams. Come with me to the mountains to relax. You can come back when the results are released and you're filling out your college applications! Are you coming?"

Lin Yu hesitated for a moment, then nodded.

Then type a message in the "Easy College Entrance Exam Preparation" group.

Lin Yu: "I can't go to Jingzhou, I'm going to Mashan County with my brother."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Zihang and Liang Tian immediately launched an attack. One said he was a spoilsport, and the other wondered why he had to accompany his brother to his new post. Did his brother not have legs?

Lin Yu stopped replying and put his phone away.

The two brothers were speechless for a moment.

……

The next day, August 6th.

Lin Xiao, carrying his younger brother Lin Yu and the two brothers' simple luggage, headed to Mashan County.

Upon assuming his post as mayor of Xingguang Town, he was personally escorted by Zhang Deqing, the Minister of the Organization Department of the city.

Logically speaking, the appointment of a mere section-level cadre should not have alarmed the municipal organization department.

But Lin Xiao now has a whole host of identities, both overt and covert, none of which should be underestimated.

Even the seemingly insignificant status of being a "rural youth sent to the countryside" warranted Zhang Deqing's personal intervention, since Zhang Deqing had personally escorted Lin Xiao when he took office in Anyang County.

A year and a half later, in addition to the words "Rural Youth," Lin Xiao had also acquired titles such as Provincial Advanced Individual, Outstanding Promotion, and Top Internet Celebrity. Zhang Deqing's escort seemed even more legitimate, and even somewhat inadequate.

The so-called escort is reflected in the conference room at the destination, not in the physical journey.

So Lin Xiao drove his own car and went to Mashan County first.

"Through countless mountains and rivers, through countless dark nights, I await the bright moon..."

The radio was playing the newly released song, "Thousands of Mountains and Rivers".

Lyricist and composer: Ma Yao.

Performer: Lin Xiao.

The song's name alone was enough to land it on the trending topics list and generate a lot of online criticism.

One day after the song was released, it had already garnered over 300 million favorites.

This clearly demonstrates the influence and appeal of the names "Lin Xiao" and "Ma Yao".

Lin Xiao, however, was unmoved.

Listening to myself sing right now feels so awkward, so I quickly turned off the radio.

However, three seconds later, Lin Yu turned the radio back on.

"Hey, you're making fun of me too, aren't you?" Lin Xiao said irritably.

"No, it sounds nice."

Lin Yu spoke calmly.

Lin Xiao knew his younger brother was being sincere, but he was still a little embarrassed. He forced himself to listen to the song to the end.

Before the host could delve into his own singing skills and revisit the recent online gossip, he quickly turned off the radio station once again.

This time, Lin Yu did not restart.

The two brothers fell silent for a moment.

"Brother," Lin Yu suddenly spoke.

"Ok?"

Why don't you become a singer or a civil servant?

Lin Yu asked.

Lin Xiao was a little surprised that his younger brother would suddenly ask this question.

"What do you think?"

"do not know."

"you guess!"

"Can not guess."

"..."

Lin Xiao gave up. Chatting with his taciturn younger brother was either choking him to death or boring him to death; he could never escape the word "death."

"If you can't guess, don't ask. You'll understand when you grow up!"

"..."

Now it was Lin Yu's turn to be speechless.

He couldn't help but think to himself: Adults are always like this, saying things like "you'll understand when you grow up" without any reason. Is it possible that I'm asking now because I want to know, but it won't be interesting when I grow up and know?
However, he didn't say those words aloud.

There were too many words, and he found it tiring.

The two brothers remained silent as the car sped eastward.

Although Mashan County and Anyang County are both under the jurisdiction of Yizhou, they occupy the eastern and western ends of the city and are more than 200 kilometers apart.

The journey isn't far.

However, Mashan County is located in a mountainous area, with winding mountain roads throughout the entire region, and most of its area cleverly avoids highway sections.

Lin Xiao left home, drove onto the highway and then onto the national road. After entering the mountainous area, his speed dropped to 50 miles per hour. It took him a full three hours to reach Mashan County.

Of those three hours, only one and a half hours were spent on the highway.

The other hour and a half was spent winding back and forth on a two-lane mountain road, which almost made Lin Xiao feel nauseous.

Finally arrived at the destination.

Lin Xiao was stunned by the tiny urban area of ​​Mashan County.

The entire town of Mashan is built on a hillside. Coming down from the national highway, you can overlook the whole town, which consists of about four or five high-rise buildings and a cluster of low-rise buildings. In developed coastal provinces, it would be equivalent to a small town.

Even in terms of appearance, it's not as good as a rural town.

It's bad enough that it's small, but the environment is also bad.

Mashan County is nestled among layers of mountains, and in Lin Xiao's imagination, it should at least be a place of beautiful mountains and clear waters with pleasant scenery.

The scenery is beautiful, but it only exists in the mountains and fields. Once there are houses and people, the green scenery will be abruptly replaced by gray and dilapidated brick walls.

Even more outrageous is that the town, nestled in the beautiful mountains and fields, was filled with sandstorms.

Lin Xiao didn't know where the sandstorm came from.

But once inside the town, the ground and walls were covered with rubble and gravel that could not be swept away, giving the entire town a feeling of the 1980s and 90s.

This scene far exceeded Lin Xiao's expectations.

He was stunned for a long time before driving to the apartment complex he had rented online to unload his brother and luggage.

"Please tidy up the house. I'm going to take up my post first, and I estimate I won't be back until the afternoon. You'll have to order takeout for lunch... There should be takeout available here, right?"

After giving his instructions, Lin Xiao drove away.

Lin Yu stood at the bottom of the building, completely bewildered, and couldn't help but wonder: Was this a place to relax, or to do hard labor?!
The county town was small, and Lin Xiao easily found the county government.

Compared to the drabness of the entire county town, the county government building was unexpectedly brand new, solemn, and magnificent. Just from the outside, it was even more luxurious than some government offices in Ninghai, the provincial capital.

He was completely shocked.

Thinking of the fate of the previous county magistrate of Mashan County, he probably knew what had happened, but he neither thought about it nor spoke of it.

When I drove to the gate, the gate number had already been registered in advance, so the barrier was raised immediately.

Just as I parked my car, a Toyota Coaster pulled up behind me.

Zhang Deqing got out of the car and immediately saw Lin Xiao. The two shook hands.

There's no need to say more right now.

What follows is a relay race to take up the post.

At a county leadership meeting, Zhang Deqing handed Lin Xiao over to the county head. The county head, Lin Xiao, and Zhang Deqing then gave their speeches.

After finishing his speech, it was already noon.

After having a working lunch, Zhang Deqing prepared to head home.

The entire county leadership team, along with Lin Xiao, escorted the leaders to the entrance of the Coaster bus.

Before getting into the car, Zhang Deqing deliberately walked through the crowd to Lin Xiao, his friendly smile undisguised, and patted him on the shoulder.

"Keep up the good work, Mayor Lin!" he said with a smile.

"I will certainly live up to the organization's trust!"

Lin Xiao smiled.

County Head Wan Zhilong seized the opportunity to interject, beaming with delight: "Definitely not! We've long heard of Mayor Lin's talent. On this new platform in Mashan County, he'll surely be able to showcase his abilities and achieve even greater success!"

Zhang Deqing nodded, said nothing more, got into the car and left.

Take a short nap at noon.

As soon as he started work in the afternoon, Lin Xiao went to Xingguang Town with the county head and his entourage.

This journey was even more difficult.

Apart from a few kilometers of national highway, the rest of the road is a winding mountain road, where even local drivers hold the steering wheel tightly.

Outside the car window, on one side were endless green mountains, and on the other side were rice paddies divided into small sections.

In June, the rice seedlings had already sprouted ears, and the green leaves were adorned with tender yellow buds.

Lin Xiao, however, had no interest in watching and focused on following the official car in front of him, driving with a heavy heart the whole way.

Forty minutes later, we arrived at Starlight Town.

After learning of his transfer order, Lin Xiao found some pictures of Xingguang Town online, which were exactly the same as the mountainous towns he remembered.

He hadn't had any expectations.

But after his experience in Mashan County, he now sees this small town as rather clean, tidy, and charming, though it is still quite dusty.

The town, nestled against green hills and fields, evokes a sense of tranquil seclusion and idyllic retreat.

If Lin Xiao were a tourist, he would fall in love with this place.

But he was the new town mayor, and at that moment, he was filled with worry.

How easy is it for such a remote mountain town, isolated by mountains and with poor transportation, to develop!
He couldn't help but feel the weight of the responsibility on his shoulders, a long and arduous journey ahead.

Of course, there's no time to think about that right now.

Following County Head Wan Zhilong, we entered the courtyard of Xingguang Town—though calling it a courtyard isn't entirely accurate.

The entire Xingguang Town government consists of only one three-story building with seven or eight rooms.

To the right of the building is a small bungalow that looks like a canteen. In addition, there is a cement courtyard of about 100 square meters, a low courtyard wall and an iron gate.

Vehicles have to be manually opened by the gatekeeper to enter; there isn't even a remote control.

Lin Xiao was deeply moved.

The shock came not only from seeing a building older than his own father, but also from the fact that he had just come from a magnificent, imposing, and lavish county.

The contrast is so stark, it's like Dilraba Dilmurat suddenly transforming into Yoko Lamu – no one could accept that.

He tried to calm himself down.

In the conference room on the first floor of the town government building, which is about 10 square meters in size, there is an oval conference table that is liver-colored.

The table appears to be newly purchased; the paint finish is still reflective.

But the seats around the perimeter are clearly old guys with a story to tell, with all sorts of peeling, fraying, and limp seats, yet they all stand tall with unwavering spirit despite their disabilities.

The small conference room was packed with people.

There was a nameplate on the table, but no one was sitting there. All the town officials had moved folding chairs and were sitting against the walls.

As soon as Lin Xiao entered with the county magistrate, everyone immediately stood up. The curious eyes that children used to peek at the bride at weddings were now openly fixed on this extraordinary town magistrate who had recently become a sensation online.

That posture was just like an antique connoisseur examining a treasure, determined to spot a fake even if it's genuine.

Lin Xiao was very familiar with this kind of gaze.

Not to mention their curiosity, just now in the conference room of the county government compound, the entire county leadership team couldn't help but be curious and kept looking at Lin Xiao the whole time.

They also have to listen to the leaders' speeches, take careful notes, and find time to watch big stars, musicians, mayors, sons-in-law, internet celebrities, and town mayors.

But I'm extremely busy.

Even the county leaders couldn't contain their curiosity, let alone the people in the town.

You rarely see young people in the village.

Now, out of nowhere, a super internet celebrity has appeared, the kind that's become famous all over the country.

How could the cadres not be excited? Naturally, they stared at him intently.

Lin Xiao has gotten used to this kind of gaze lately.

As the officials sized him up, he also took the opportunity to look them up in return, gaining a basic understanding of the cadre allocation in Xingguang Town.

There were fewer than twenty cadres in the room, only two of whom looked younger; the rest were the standard middle-aged cadres with keychains on their belts.

Lin Xiao paused for a moment.

County Head Wan Zhilong has already begun his mobilization speech, and his high spirits fully demonstrate the importance he attaches to Mayor Lin.

As the protagonist, Lin Xiao's mind inappropriately went astray.

Looking back, when he first signed up for the "Young Seedling Program" and went down to Chaobai Town, he subconsciously felt that the town was a hellish start.

But compared to the current situation.

He felt that with the facilities in Chaobai Town, it couldn't be considered hell; it was practically paradise on earth.

Lin Xiao: People can't even empathize with their past selves!
He was somewhat emotional.

Fortunately, I have experienced a lot and grown a lot this past year.

No matter how unfavorable the situation was, it wouldn't discourage him too much; in fact, he even felt a faint excitement about the vast world he could make a difference in.

"Starlight Town... I hope that one day, you will no longer only have a sky full of stars!"

(End of this chapter)