Marry a female star at a bargain price

Chapter 287, Chapter 288: Just Do It!
Lin Xiao drove along the winding road until after seven o'clock before finally returning to Mashan County.

I found the apartment complex where I was renting – Wangnan Mansion.

Just by hearing the name, you know it's a high-end product.

This is the most upscale and largest residential area that Lin Xiao could find while taking into account transportation. Of course, there must be places for Brahmins in the county town to live, which is a villa area, but it is inconvenient for Lin Xiao to commute to and from Xingguang Town every day.

So he gave up.

Of course, the main reason for giving up was that I felt I was now a town mayor, and a famous one at that, so I had to be careful about my influence.

The 150-square-meter four-bedroom apartment in Wangnan Mansion is the most suitable house for him. It is relatively new, has good property management, and has enough rooms. When his wife comes with their child and postpartum nanny, they can also stay comfortably.

Park the car downstairs.

Lin Xiao went upstairs, opened the door and found no one in the house. He called out twice and his younger brother Lin Yu came out from a small room.

"Have you eaten?" he asked.

Are you asking about lunch or dinner?

"dinner?"

"Didn't eat."

"What about lunch?"

"I didn't eat either."

"..."

Lin Xiao choked, and at that moment he really wanted to throw the briefcase in his hand at this mature-looking young man.

This guy is definitely here to torture himself.

"Why didn't you eat lunch? Didn't I tell you to order takeout?"

"Mom says takeout is unhealthy and won't let me eat it," Lin Yu said.

"Ah!"

Lin Xiao rolled his eyes. "Mom won't let you play games or buy comics, why don't you listen?"

Lin Yu: "..."

The two brothers rolled their eyes at each other, like they were having a competition.

"Change your shoes, let's go out for something to eat!"

"Oh."

The boy changed his shoes.

Taking advantage of this break, Lin Xiao wandered around the house.

The renovation looked luxurious, but the materials were actually of poor quality and the workmanship was subpar, with obvious flaws visible in the corners and edges.

Needless to say, the places that are not visible are even more so.

The quality is inferior to his new villa in Ninghai, and even to his parents' old house that was renovated less than two years ago.

Lin Xiao wasn't very satisfied, but he had no other choice but to accept it.

I took Lin Yu out for barbecue.

It was already 8:30 when I got home.

Lin Xiao took a shower and went to the empty master bedroom to video call his wife. While waiting for the video to connect, the two purple lotus lamps on the bedside table made him feel that the room was not very healthy.

Video connected.

"Brother, are you done with your work?"

Xi Xi's soft voice came over, along with her beautiful and gentle smile.

In that instant, Lin Xiao's fatigue from a long day was instantly soothed.

"Yeah, I just had a meal downstairs."

"What to eat?"

"barbecue."

"Barbecue?!" Xixi exclaimed excitedly. "Is it delicious?"

"is acceptable."

"..."

The mistress on screen pouted, looking like she was saying, "I'm not happy that you didn't take me to the barbecue."

Lin Xiao found it amusing.

Even though my wife is a mother, she doesn't seem more mature; instead, she's even cuter!
"Where's Xiao Chu?" Lin Xiao remembered that he was a father.

"She just finished drinking her milk powder and went to sleep with her aunt."

"Oh."

Lin Xiao glanced at the time and guessed that it was indeed time for Ms. Lin to take her fourth nap.

Thinking of that chubby little girl, he couldn't help but smile.

"What are you doing?" Lin Xiao asked.

"Well, nothing much, just listened to some music, read a book for a while, and..."

Xixi looked like she wanted to say something but hesitated.

Lin Xiao understood, but pretended not to.

"What else?"

"Um...nothing."

"Nothing? If nothing's wrong, then I'll hang up."

"Oh……"

"Oh what?!"

Lin Xiao suddenly became serious, startling Xi Xi.

"what happened?"

"If you have time, why don't you call me?" Lin Xiao asked with a stern face.

"I...I was thinking, but I was worried you were busy..."

Xi Xi looked aggrieved. "Today is your first day in office. I was worried you might have a dinner party or a meeting at work tonight to review documents... How could I dare to bother you, Mayor Lin?!"

The last sentence sounded somewhat angry.

Lin Xiao, however, did not feel that his wife was being unreasonable; on the contrary, he felt genuinely pleased.

"It seems some people have a lot of opinions about my job transfer?" he joked.

"I didn't!"

"I was talking about certain people, not you!"

"Hey!!!"

Xi Xi was so angry that her voice rose, her big, dark eyes glaring, and she was about to curse.

But after a long while, he couldn't say anything, and his breath inexplicably deflated.

This is actually worrying.

"What's wrong? Why do you look like that? If you want to scold me, then scold me. I'm listening, and I won't talk back!" Lin Xiao quickly teased her.

"I'm not scolding you, you didn't do anything wrong..."

"So you scold me when I do something wrong, right?"

"You... Lin Xiao! Can you even do this?!"

Xixi is really angry.

Lin Xiao, however, continued to bounce around: "Ha, you actually asked me if I can do it? Don't you know whether I can or not?"

This shameless attitude infuriated Han Xixi so much that she jumped out of bed, rolled up her sleeves, and looked ready to unleash a torrent of abuse.

"How come you've become so glib-tongued? You're a father now..."

"What's wrong with being a dad?"

Lin Xiao said shamelessly, "What's wrong with being a dad? Can't dads talk about whether they're capable or not? If I were impotent, how did my daughter come into being? This is science, and people should follow science, right?"

"oops!!!"

Xi Xi blushed with amusement, completely baffled as to how this guy could utter such lewd words without batting an eye!
"If you keep talking nonsense, I'm hanging up!"

"Don't hang up! Don't hang up!"

Lin Xiao grinned ingratiatingly in an instant, "Oh, I was just trying to make you laugh because you were unhappy!"

Xi Xi's face darkened.

"Oh."

"Are you really angry? I was wrong, I was wrong, okay? I'll apologize."

"No need... I'm not angry."

"Then why are you still so sullen? You won't even give me a smile."

"Um~"

Xixi forced a smile to prove that she wasn't really angry.

The result was that his smile looked worse than his tears.

Lin Xiao almost burst out laughing, but knowing his wife was reluctant, he forced himself to hold it in.

"Honey, I'm serious."

He said seriously, "If you really can't bear to part with me, I can resign and quit this job."

Xi Xi's eyes lit up: "Really?!"

Lin Xiao nodded: "Of course! There are so many civil servants across the country, one more or one less won't make a difference, let's not take ourselves too seriously. Besides, if I resign, it will free up a town mayor's position, allowing someone who has been stuck at the grassroots level for so many years to take over as a deputy section chief... Isn't that a good thing?"

Xi Xi's eyes lit up, but she hesitated.

"And what about you? Didn't you want to do that..."

"I don't care."

Lin Xiao said casually, "Right now, you and Xiao Chu are more important to me than anyone or anything else. I want to be with you every day and don't want to be separated from you."

These were his true feelings; the discomfort of working in a different city was far more unbearable than he had imagined.

At this moment, he really wanted to drive back to Ninghai overnight and sleep with his soft and delicate wife in his arms.

But when I think of the organizational appointment, the leaders' expectations, and the dilapidated and backward state of Xingguang Town, I am overwhelmed.

He couldn't make up his mind.

Right now, I actually wish my wife would push me a little. If she were to act unreasonably just once, I could go along with it, half-heartedly quit my job and go home, and then spend the rest of my life enjoying a leisurely life with my wife, kids, and a warm bed.

However, Han Xixi disappointed him.

"Hmm... never mind, you can't resign!" Xixi's voice was soft, but her tone was firm.

"Uh, why?"

"Because this is your career, I know you can gain a sense of accomplishment and happiness from it."

Xi Xi's expression softened, and she smiled brightly and radiantly.

She said softly, "Brother, although I really want you to stay with me and the baby, I know that's not right. Everyone is an independent individual, and everyone has their own dreams and pursuits... Just like how you supported me to become a singer back then, I now support your career 100%."

These words deeply moved Lin Xiao, and his longing for his wife reached its peak.

"But I'm not alone anymore. I have you, I have children..."

“My child and I are independent; we don’t need to depend on you to live,” Xixi quickly replied.

Lin Xiao looked embarrassed: "Are you sure Ms. Lin Xiaoxi is also independent?"

Xi Xi scratched her head, smiling gently and sweetly.

"Um, it's a bit too much to expect her to be independent right now..."

"It seems a bit..."

The couple looked at each other and burst into laughter at the same time.

Lin Xiaoxi, who was sleeping soundly in the next room: Listen to this! Are you even speaking human language?!

Xi Xi laughed for a while, then said seriously, "Brother, do you remember something you said before?"

"I've said a lot of things, which one are you referring to?"

"Hmm... that line, 'I love you, you are free!'"

Xi Xi smiled gently, "Now I'm saying the same thing to you. What I want to tell you is that no matter what happens in the future, I hope you won't sacrifice your career for the family. If one day you decide to resign, it should only be a well-considered decision from a career development perspective, not for me and the child. I know you love me and the baby and want to spend as much time with us as possible. But you need to know that the reason I agreed to have a child was only because I love you, never to tie you to my side. So, please, please don't feel guilty..."

As Xixi spoke, a hint of sadness flashed in her eyes.

The reason I'm a little unhappy today is simply because... because... I miss you...

She finally spoke her mind, her cheeks flushed.

Lin Xiao had always known that she was holding back these words.

Hearing this now, I felt no pride, but rather a surge of tender affection.

"Me too."

"Ok?"

I miss you too, my wife!

"……Ok, I know!"

Xi Xi smiled brightly, suddenly full of energy again, and started jumping around in the video.

"Honey, let's stop thinking about it. You're not going abroad, it's just a small county like Mashan!"

Xi Xi said excitedly, "After Xiao Chu gets her vaccine the day after tomorrow, I'll drive her to see you... Please don't find us annoying!!"

Lin Xiao's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he became excited.

"What's the trouble? I wish you could just come over right now... But it's fine if you come the day after tomorrow. This place isn't ready yet, so I'll hire a cleaner tomorrow to clean it inside and out so you can stay comfortably."

"Okay, okay~"

Xi Xi's gloomy expression vanished instantly, replaced by a joyful glow on the screen.

Seeing her like this, Lin Xiao was also infected by her joyful mood, and he smiled so hard that wrinkles appeared on his face as he looked at the screen.

I was immediately filled with anticipation for the reunion the day after tomorrow.

……

Early the next morning.

Lin Xiao arranged for a cleaning service, transferred 2000 yuan to his younger brother, and then went to work.

Given my experience of taking the wrong route home from get off work yesterday.

Lin Xiao dared not rely on his memory to navigate the winding roads of the mountain towns, and obediently followed the navigation.

Even so, it still took almost an hour to reach Starlight Town.

Although I met with all the town's officials yesterday.

But today, the officials still looked at him with a degree of inquiry and curiosity. After all, he had too many titles. In the hundreds of years since the beginning of Xingguang Town's history, no one had ever been so famous throughout the country.

It's understandable that everyone is excited.

Lin Xiao tried to ignore those looks and quickly got back to work.

The first thing I did upon taking office was, of course, to conduct on-site visits.

After signing two documents, Lin Xiao instructed Yao Jun, the office director, to arrange vehicles and itinerary, and they began to travel around the Xingguang Town area.

Deputy Mayor Dong Jianhui accompanied them.

Deputy Mayor Dong is 45 years old this year, but he has almost lost all his hair, with only a few strands remaining on his temples and the back of his head, and a shiny patch on the top of his forehead.

When the sun shines on it, the effect is comparable to that of a solar panel.

While making his rounds, Lin Xiao couldn't help but daydream, thinking that if Deputy Mayor Dong's forehead were exposed to the sun all day, he might be able to power all the appliances in his house and not have to pay the electricity bill for a month...

I've been thinking too far ahead.

"Ahem, Mayor Lin!"

With a radiant smile and boundless excitement, Dong Jianhui introduced, “This area is called Maoyan Mountain. Doesn’t it look like a big hat brim? Cough cough! This is the most scenic area in Xingguang Town. If you go further into the mountains, there are waterfalls, mountain springs, cough cough, and all kinds of wild fruit trees. The slopes aren’t too steep either. The natural conditions are much better than those 4A and 5A scenic spots outside, cough cough. Look, you’re here. If you want to develop tourism, you should start with Maoyan Mountain. What do you think, cough cough…”

As Deputy Mayor Dong introduced the situation, he habitually coughed up phlegm, almost giving Lin Xiao a psychological trauma.

Throughout yesterday's meeting, he was deeply impressed by this Mediterranean deputy mayor.

First, there's the forehead; second, there's the sound of coughing up phlegm.

Lin Xiao was sleeping last night, and his dreams were filled with the sound of "cough, cough, cough," which made him feel numb.

Although he has some psychological trauma.

However, it must be said that Dong Jianhui's work enthusiasm is second to none in the whole town. He did not look down on Lin Xiao or look down on him because of his youth and being parachuted in, nor did he try to trip him up in secret.

Yesterday, among the three deputy town mayors who gave their work reports, Dong Jianhui's report was the most detailed and his attitude was the most approachable.

Because of this, Lin Xiao felt much more comfortable with his occasional coughs.

I hope I can adapt as soon as possible.

Listening to Dong Jianhui's vision of "developing the tourism industry," Lin Xiao didn't think he was overstepping his bounds, as a deputy mayor was actually instructing the mayor on how to do things.

All he saw was Deputy Mayor Dong's deep affection and sincere heart for the development of Xingguang Town.

Lin Xiao was deeply moved.

It is these unsung grassroots cadres who support the complex undertakings of all sectors and fronts of the country. Compared with them, I, who have become "famous throughout the country" through unorthodox means, am truly not worthy of respect.

"Old Dong, what's wrong with your voice?" Lin Xiao changed the subject.

"what?"

Dong Jianhui was taken aback by the question, and gave an awkward chuckle. "I smoked too much, and my lungs aren't in good shape. A couple of years ago, my family practically begged me to quit, and it took me half a year. I did quit, but my throat just won't get better... Mayor, please don't find me annoying!"

Lin Xiao smiled and said, "Don't mention it! My sister-in-law is a good woman!"

Dong Jianhui waved his hand: "Hey, it's fine as it is, she's a tigress..."

The topic shifted, and the matter of developing tourism was no longer mentioned.

By the end of the day, Lin Xiao had explored almost most of Starlight Town.

Originally, he didn't want to conduct a superficial survey; he planned to listen to the reports in each village and take a closer look.

But after visiting three or four villages, he realized that it was completely unnecessary.

Of the 33 natural villages in Xingguang Town, apart from a few villages along the main road that have some activity, the other villages hidden in the mountains are almost all old and dilapidated, with houses far apart from each other and most of them in ruins and sparsely populated.

Lin Xiao visited several villages, and it's no exaggeration to say that he saw more egrets in the fields than people in the villages.

Every village is pretty much the same; there's really no point in visiting them all.

So, on the advice of Dong Jianhui and Yao Jun, Lin Xiao only visited a few villages with distinctive features. The most special one was a village called Xiakeng Village.

In fact, this village is not special in terms of geographical location, population resources, or industrial characteristics.

What makes it special is that this remote mountain village with only 160 permanent residents has a young man who is a minor internet celebrity with 40 followers on Douyin.

When Lin Xiao first heard Dong Jianhui talk about this in an excited and exaggerated tone, he couldn't believe it at all.

He subconsciously felt that Deputy Mayor Dong was definitely exaggerating.

Only when Dong Jianhui quickly found the little internet celebrity's Douyin account, which indeed had over 40 followers, did Lin Xiao have no choice but to believe it.

The account name is "Handsome Man in the Deep Mountains".

Lin Xiao's expression after reading it: Uh...

It was already awkward enough, but Dong Jianhui, as if showing off a treasure, clicked on one of the "handsome men's" pinned videos.

The video shows that it was posted a year and a half ago and has received 120 million likes.

This data is absolutely phenomenal.

However, Lin Xiao glanced at the videos and found that only the top three videos of the "handsome man in the deep mountains" were popular, and the rest had only a few thousand likes, with the occasional video having more than ten thousand likes.

This is the norm.

After all, once a video on a personal account suddenly goes viral, it's usually followed by endless copying.

At first, netizens found it interesting, but after they got tired of it, they naturally stopped paying attention.

This is a key reason for the rise of influencer agencies.

Because relying solely on an individual, even if they occasionally become a sensation, it's difficult to maintain their popularity. Only through planning and packaging by an organization can they continuously generate buzz and seize trending topics, thus achieving lasting popularity or even becoming increasingly popular.

This is Lin Xiao's rudimentary understanding of the influencer economy.

At the moment, he wasn't thinking that far ahead; he was simply drawn to the content of the "Handsome Man in the Deep Mountains" account.

This attraction comes from two aspects.

Firstly, he was surprised to find that the account holder looked familiar.

Take a closer look.

Isn't this the handsome young man I saw by chance on the country road when I took the wrong turn on my way home from get off work yesterday?

At the time, I felt that this young man had fair skin and an elaborate hairstyle, which seemed out of place in the secluded and rustic countryside.

Now he realized that there was indeed a reason why the young man was here.

Secondly, as the video content unfolded, it genuinely embarrassed Lin Xiao.

The handsome man's video content is divided into two parts.

The first half is borderline, the second half is a complete disaster.

The video shown above is a typical transformation video on Douyin, with excellent lighting, atmosphere, and camera work. The person is dressed perfectly, but then the music suddenly changes, and their upper body is stripped down to reveal a well-defined physique with a seductive expression on their face.

Hmm, this young man has built up some nice muscles.

Up to this point, the video was still considered normal. Although it was a little awkward for a group of grown men to watch the male streamer making suggestive remarks, it was only a little awkward.

But the video has a second half.

Then, the music abruptly stops, the lights suddenly turn white, and the man who had been deliberately flirting is suddenly exposed in a dilapidated village, with several elderly rural men and women in the background pointing and whispering with disgust...

It has to be said that although Lin Xiao felt embarrassed, he was also amused by the huge contrast.

Dong Jianhui, beaming with pride at his successful pitch, exclaimed, "Mayor, isn't it great? This is the pride of our Xingguang Town! It's one of a kind in the entire Mashan County—a super internet sensation!!"

Old Dong then clicked on another video.

Lin Xiao watched several videos and found that they all followed the same formula, so they weren't as popular as the first one.

"Is the young man a local?" he asked.

"Yes, he's a native of Xiakeng Village, his name is Chen Dong. His parents died early, and he grew up relying on the kindness of others!"

Dong Jianhui said with some emotion, "After finishing junior high school, he went out to work and wandered around for a few years. He suddenly came back the year before last and lived in the old house left by his grandfather, bringing a bunch of equipment with him. At that time, people in the village pointed at him and said that he was not doing his job properly, and some even said that the things he filmed were disgusting."

"But the village was lifeless; everyone except him was elderly. So even though people complained, they all wanted to hang out with him, and they would always join in whenever he filmed a video. That's how the video you just saw came about, and it unexpectedly went viral."

"Since then, Chen Dong changed his approach, shifting from skirting the edges to his current style, and his fan base has grown significantly. Now he's a key online celebrity in the county and a popular online streamer for farmers in our Xingguang Town. The young man is also very honest; last year, after the oranges ripened, he did two months of live streaming, helping the town sell a lot of oranges!"

Dong Jianhui spoke with a mixture of emotion and excitement.

Lin Xiao listened with excitement and exhilaration.

Looking at the name "Handsome Man in the Deep Mountains" and the cover images of those borderline videos on the homepage, he no longer felt embarrassed or greasy. He only felt that the young man had regular features, his eyes were full of righteousness, and even his slender physique made people feel passionate, bold, and full of positive energy.

Lin Xiao was really looking forward to meeting this top internet celebrity in Mashan County.

However, upon arriving at Xiakeng Village, they were told that Chen Dong had gone to town to buy things, so they regretfully missed the opportunity.

The day's field trip has come to an end.

Lin Xiao gained a deeper understanding of Xingguang Town. To be honest, the situation was not optimistic. The town had almost no industry, a large number of young laborers were leaving, and agricultural development was limited by the terrain, making it impossible to carry out mechanization reforms. It could only remain in the era of small-scale farming.

As for Tung Chee-fai's long-cherished dream of developing the tourism industry, that's nothing but a pipe dream.

The lack of highways and railways alone has completely blocked the path of tourism.

In summary, there was no manpower, no industry, and no resources.

The most outstanding person in the whole town was actually a small internet celebrity with 40 followers. Oh, and now there's a super internet celebrity who's known all over the internet.

Lin Xiao had a real headache after understanding the whole situation.

But they had no intention of backing down; on the contrary, their determination to make a name for themselves here only grew stronger.

Because Deputy Mayor Dong, who was suffering from chronic phlegm in his throat, did not give up.

Even the orphaned, marginalized internet celebrity didn't give up.

They are all making their own small but crucial efforts for their careers and hometowns.

This sincerity and dedication deeply moved Lin Xiao, even evoking a sense of humility and a feeling that a man doesn't easily shed tears.

I got back to town just as I was getting off work.

Lin Xiao stood at the office window, gazing at the distant sunset over green hills and rice paddies, and looking at the low, quiet buildings nearby.

My mood was very peaceful and serene.

It was completely different from the confusion and anxiety of yesterday.

"Damn it, they're giving me another hellish start, huh? Let's just go for it!!"

(End of this chapter)