This director is vindictive.

Chapter 353 Welfare Festival 3.0: An Ordinary Night, Yet with Light!
The online response to the hashtag #FindTheOrdinaryLightAroundYou# far exceeded expectations.

Chen Mo's team acted swiftly, selecting the most representative cases from a massive number of submissions. Meanwhile, major brands also jumped on the bandwagon.

Participating in this event is one thing, but the key point is that this year's event is different from those in the past.

Because I joined the "Ordinary Light" project.

Brands aren't stupid.

Because it was part of the "Ordinary Light" project, this became its theme.

For them, this was also an opportunity they had no choice but to take, yet were happy to accept.

Why is it said that it is something we have no choice but to do?

Because everyone knows that Chen Mo will definitely give these "ordinary beacons of light" special benefits.

However, if businesses only provide benefits to the general public while ignoring these individuals, they will inevitably attract controversy.

They've already spent so much money, they certainly don't need this much.

Indeed, Chen Mo's plan was to showcase the stories of these 20 "Ordinary Lights," and at the same time, to select a group of outstanding individuals from the various challenges of the "One Good Deed a Day" program. They, too, would be part of the "Ordinary Lights."

Their stories may not be as moving as these typical cases, but they are equally worthy of encouragement.

Originally, this was a spur-of-the-moment decision, so there was no communication with the merchants. Therefore, Chen Mo planned to pay for the "rewards" himself!
However, to everyone's surprise, after the proposal was sent out, the brand merchants all became restless.

Many companies have added special rewards.

For them, doing charity is also a form of advertising!

Chen Mo never rejects this kind of charity with ulterior motives, because people are actually giving real money!

As I said before, their company isn't a charity!

The plan for the "814 Welfare Festival" super welfare live broadcast has been adjusted repeatedly.

On the other side, Yang Mi was flipping through the selected cases when she suddenly pointed to a document and said, "This case is very interesting—a food delivery driver saved a girl who was about to jump off a bridge while delivering food, but he was fined by the platform for being late. Netizens spontaneously organized a 'reward relay' to not only make up for his fine, but also raise enough for half a year's rent."

"This is exactly the story we wanted."

Chen Mo nodded, then thought for a moment and said, "Contact this food delivery platform and see if we can take this opportunity to improve their rating system."

As preparations progressed, the live-streaming plan gradually took shape.

The entire live broadcast will be divided into four chapters:
The first chapter, "Small Lights Become a Torch," uses data visualization to showcase the overall results of the "Do a Good Deed Every Day" campaign. From this, the first batch of "Ordinary Lights" are selected, namely, those "ordinary people" who are most active and outstanding in doing good deeds every day, based on big data screening from various challenge projects. Each of the sponsoring brands will give these people special rewards!
The second chapter, "A Single Spark Can Start a Prairie Fire," features 20 representatives of "Ordinary Lights" sharing their stories; it also follows up on the issues behind these stories and announces solutions!

The third chapter, "Kindness Knows No Boundaries," showcases public welfare projects jointly launched by brands and various sectors of society.
The fourth chapter, "Blessing Every Family," features a traditional lucky draw.

A week before the live broadcast, Chen Mo personally visited the locations where several typical cases had occurred. Although these were all real cases that had been investigated, the fact that the event would be shown to hundreds of millions of people across the country and even the world made Chen Mo decide to make the trip anyway.

Many of these are in urban areas, which is relatively easy, but some are in remote mountainous areas.

Chen Mo and his team drove for seven hours to reach Qingshan Primary School, located deep in the Qinling-Bashan Mountains. This rural teaching point, consisting of only two bungalows, is the birthplace of one of the most touching cases in the "Do a Good Deed Every Day" campaign—the story of teacher Zhang Mei and her students delivering meals to elderly people left behind in rural areas for more than 30 consecutive days.

As the SUV rolled over the last stretch of gravel road, Chen Mo could see the national flag fluttering in the wind at the school gate in the distance. A dozen or so children wearing red scarves were lined up, each carrying a thermos with the words "Love Meal Box" printed on it. The teacher at the head of the group, Zhang Mei, with her hair tied in a neat ponytail, was bending down to tie the shoelaces of the youngest child.

She paused for a moment when she looked up and saw the convoy, then revealed a simple, honest smile typical of mountain people, the wrinkles around her eyes etched with the marks of time like tree rings.

"These lunch boxes were donated by caring businesses in the county."

Zhang Mei stroked the slightly chipped logo on the insulated container and led Chen Mo to see their self-made food delivery route map.

On the yellowed exercise paper, more than twenty red circles marked in pencil formed a heart shape. The farthest delivery point had to be crossed two mountains. Chen Mo noticed a dozen or so pairs of worn-out children's rain boots stacked in the corner, their soles wrapped with anti-slip straw rope.

Just then, a little girl with pigtails suddenly raised her hand: "Uncle Chen, I found five yuan last week and gave it to the police!"

The other children immediately began to report their good deeds, and one chubby-faced boy even took out a "Helping Others Medal" made of wildflowers from his pocket.

Zhang Mei explained with a smile that since the activity started, the children have been writing down the good deeds they do every day on the "Tree of Good Deeds" on the back wall of the classroom, which is now covered with more than 300 leaf-shaped sticky notes.

"Actually, what we did was very ordinary," Zhang Mei said shyly. "We just thought that the elderly people are alone at home, and it's inconvenient for them to eat."

"It just so happened that a kind person was willing to donate, so we just brought our children to help deliver it."

She spoke casually, but as she was leaving, Chen Mo noticed a photo under the glass of Zhang Mei's desk—a photo of her and the children forming a human wall, hand in hand, in the mud during a rainstorm, with lunchboxes wrapped in plastic sheets.

In the city, this behavior might not seem like a big deal, but in the mountains, it is an absolute challenge for them.

Time flies, and the 814 Welfare Festival is just around the corner.

Although there is no welfare week like last year, this year's "Do One Good Deed a Day" program lasts longer and has a greater impact.

Even netizens overseas spontaneously participated.

Because the previous 814 Welfare Festival also included overseas netizens.

Therefore, it's no wonder that overseas netizens are paying attention to the "Do One Good Deed a Day" initiative in China.

Many overseas netizens spontaneously participated in this event, even though the rewards were only for netizens in China.

As the hashtag #FindTheOrdinaryLightAroundYou# gained traction on global social media platforms, overseas netizens once again exhibited a peculiar "sour grapes" mentality in their reactions.

The hashtag #WhyNotOurCountry has quietly emerged on Twitter. Japanese netizen @TokyoStar posted a photo of a convenience store clerk helping an elderly person carry heavy items, with the caption: "We also have 'doing a good deed every day,' but no one ever gives us any benefits!"

The number of likes quickly surpassed 10, and the comment section was filled with "lemon" emojis from netizens around the world.

A Japanese netizen, @Sakura_Helper, also posted a photo on Twitter: an office worker squatting by the roadside, patiently giving directions to lost tourists, and even drawing a detailed map in his hand.

The caption reads: "Tokyo's 'map of kindness'—we also have our own 'do a good deed a day'!"

A commenter named Liuliu wrote: "It's a pity we don't get Chen Mo's super-generous live stream. Doing a good deed only earns us a 'ありがとう' (thank you)."

In fact, there are many more cases like this.

A South Korean netizen, @Seoul_Kindness, posted a video showing an elderly woman falling at a subway station. Three high school students immediately rushed to help her up and stayed with her until her family arrived. The video was captioned: "Kindness in everyday life in South Korea. I hope more people can see stories like this!"

However, the top-rated comment was: "If this were in China, these kids might be on Chen Mo's live stream and become national role models... while we'd only make it onto local news."

American netizen @NYC_GoodVibes posted a photo showing a barista providing free hot drinks to homeless people in the cold winter, with the words "Today will be better" written on the cup.

The caption read: "A heartwarming moment in New York—even without a raffle, kindness itself is the reward."

However, some commenters joked: "But in China, this kind of good deed might earn you sponsorship from brands, or even make you a representative of 'ordinary light'... while we can only rely on GoFundMe crowdfunding."

A British netizen, @London_Heart, uploaded a photo showing a bus driver waiting an extra 30 seconds to allow an elderly person with a cane to slowly board the bus. The caption read: "London's 'slow-paced kindness'."

In the comments section, someone lamented: "In China, this driver might be invited to a live stream, while we... have to fight for overtime pay ourselves."

Indian netizen @Mumbai_Kindness shared a photo: a vendor setting up a makeshift shelter for stray dogs during a downpour. The caption read: "Mumbai's 'unsung heroes.'"

The most popular comment, however, was: "In China, such acts of kindness would be made into documentaries, while we can only express our admiration through social media likes..."

Despite some sour comments from netizens around the world, the global trend of "doing a good deed every day" continues.

Some overseas netizens even created the hashtag #GlobalActsOfKindness in an attempt to replicate the popularity of China's "Ordinary Light" campaign. However, comments still included sentiments like, "Without Chen Mo's charity livestream, our goodwill ultimately lacks a 'reward mechanism'..."

Media outlets from various countries have also reported on this related news.

A lengthy article titled "The Cultural Export Strategy Behind the 818 Chen Mo Welfare Festival" on a South Korean forum has sparked heated discussion.

The author wrote sourly, "While we are debating the dating scandals of our idols, the Chinese have already reaped global goodwill through 'kindness economy'."

The article also included a comparative data chart showing the participation of Chinese and South Korean netizens in public welfare activities—87% of the posts under the "Do a Good Deed Every Day" topic in China were stories of ordinary people, while 72% of the posts under the same topic in South Korea featured celebrities posing for photos.

The most ridiculous thing is the popular post on Reddit in the United States: "How to replicate China's welfare festival on Amazon Prime Day?" The poster posted a screenshot of Chen Mo's live broadcast room last year, and the top-rated reply below is: "First, you need a madman who is willing to spend tens of billions of dollars of his own money, and second, you need to convince Bezos to use the rocket budget to issue coupons."

The Economist in the UK used data to cut to the heart: "For every good deed story shared by Chinese netizens, the exposure for brands is equivalent to spending $23,000 on advertising - this generation of consumers is using their morals to hold capitalists hostage."

As the topic gained traction...

The number of people who made reservations for this year's 814 Welfare Festival's super welfare live stream has reached a new high compared to last year.

The number of people who made reservations for the live stream exceeded 5 million, with overseas viewers accounting for 25% of the total!

The public's recognition of the 814 Welfare Festival has reached a new level.

Many netizens lamented that the current 618 mid-year promotion and Double Eleven e-commerce shopping festival have almost become defunct.

However, the 814 Welfare Festival is anticipated more and more each year.

"We've been waiting for this day for so long! Last year's theme was about family and friends, and this year's theme is about the ordinary yet radiant. As expected of Chen Mo, he never disappoints!"

"No problem. To be honest, after the first Welfare Festival, I was only interested in the benefits the second year. But I didn't expect Chen Mo to add so much more to the original simple benefits. This year's Ordinary Light and Daily Good Deeds program are so heartwarming!"

"The main idea is to break your defenses while simultaneously drawing prizes, making you cry and laugh at the same time. No wonder he's a director; even if he weren't making movies, he'd be a master of emotional manipulation!"

Finally, it was 8 p.m. on August 14th.

The highly anticipated 2023 814 Welfare Festival, featuring a super-generous live stream of benefits, is about to begin.

At this moment, the pressure is on ByteDance's technology department.

Because at this very moment, a large influx of traffic is flooding into the live stream.

The number of concurrent online users exceeded 3 million, and the data is still soaring.

At 8:8, the countdown in the live stream reached zero, and this most special super-generous live stream in history officially began. The opening scene was a time-lapse video: countless points of light rose from various corners of the map of China, eventually converging to form the four large characters "Daily Good Deeds".

"Hello everyone, I'm Chen Mo."

Chen Mo, dressed in a simple white shirt, spoke calmly in front of the camera: "Tonight, we won't talk about traffic or business; we just want to witness together the power of kindness."

"Our country has a long-standing tradition of doing good deeds and accumulating virtue. In the past month or so, we have witnessed countless acts of kindness from ordinary people—they may be the figures wiping bus stops in the early morning, the silent guardians in convenience stores late at night, or the loving lunch boxes passed from the hands of children in mountainous areas... These small lights have gathered into a galaxy that illuminates the entire society."

"Next, let's take stock of this charitable event that involved the entire population."

The live stream transitions to a deep blue starry sky background with a golden title that appears on top: "Small Lights Become a Torch—A Data Panorama of Daily Good Deeds"

A warm female narration began.

"Over the past 45 days, 1.2 million hands have jointly lit up this galaxy—"

On the screen of the live broadcast room, countless points of light rose from the provinces on the map, converging into a rushing Milky Way!

"The total number of participants reached 19.8 billion! On average, each person participated 16.5 times! That's equivalent to more than 30,000 good deeds happening every minute!"

The top 3 most active regions: Zhejiang Province (12.7%), Sichuan Province (9.3%), and Guangdong Province (8.9%).

International Collaboration: Netizens from 73 countries spontaneously created the hashtag #GlobalActsOfKindness!

The screen switches to a 3D Earth model, with red light bands marking transnational acts of kindness.

The mouse clicks on a red light.

A series of images appeared on the screen, showing Danzeng, a herdsman from Nagqu, XZ: riding a horse 60 kilometers round trip to deliver medicine to elderly people left behind in the village, a journey that could circle the equator 1.2 times!
The mouse moved again, revealing that the Sansha Fisheries Administration fleet had casually salvaged 4.7 tons of marine debris, equivalent to cleaning up plastic pollution equivalent to 2.3 football fields!

Suddenly the screen went dark, and the sound of keyboard typing began!

The voice-over of programmer Xiao Wu begins.

"The most impressive thing is this real-time heat map!"

The scene changes, and the map is instantly covered with rainbow-colored blocks, which change in brightness as day and night alternate.

早高峰7:00-9:00：让座率达78%（公交系统数据）
午间12:00-14:00：共享餐食超41万份（外卖平台统计）
After 10 PM: Acts of kindness such as designated driving/escort services surged by 63%.
Suddenly, the data stream was reorganized into a "Pyramid of Good Deeds"!
The data was read aloud in a child's innocent voice.

"Returning lost property accounted for 32%, helping the elderly for 21%, and environmental protection actions for 17%, but the most special one is—"

Golden light burst forth from the top of the pyramid.

Creative acts of kindness accounted for 5%!

The "Shunlubang" app, developed by programmers in Hangzhou, has matched 5.7 requests for garbage disposal services!
The "heated chair stickers" invented by middle school students in Shengyang have been affixed to 3.2 bus stops free of charge!
Suddenly, the camera cut to live footage!
On the street, sanitation worker Sister Li's sweeping truck was secretly equipped with a "Lost and Found LED Screen," which helped her recover 217 lost and found documents!
The story of Grandpa Wang, who lives alone at a bus stop, submitted by netizen @风清扬, has inspired the construction of 1.2 new "Love Stations" across the country.
The screen dims, a special effect appears in the starry sky displaying a single sentence, and a voiceover begins: "These numbers will be reset to zero, but the starlight will never be extinguished—now, let us meet the first 'Ordinary Lights'."

The screen began to display photos and videos.

They came from all over the country; some delivered water to sanitation workers, some fed stray cats, some returned lost property, and some picked up trash. Countless photos and videos filled the entire screen, densely packed.

Ultimately, it all came together to form the character "善" (goodness).

The barrage of comments exploded instantly.

"The rate of people giving up their seats during rush hour is so touching! So many kind things happen every day!"

"The programmer's voice is so soothing! Please show his face!"

"The moment the golden light exploded at the top of the pyramid, I got goosebumps!"

"Chen Mo's team is amazing! This data visualization is more captivating than a sci-fi movie!"

"The thought that I am one of them suddenly makes me feel inexplicably good, hahaha!"

"Yes, that's right. I'm also part of this data, part of this three-character phrase!"

"I actually saw my own picture on it! I'm so excited!"

Just then, the starry background in the live stream slowly rotated, and Chen Mo's voice rang out with a smile: "Next, we will select 1000 'Daily Good Deeds' from among the 1.2 million participants—they may not have earth-shattering deeds, but they have turned the ordinary into the extraordinary through perseverance."

Example of the highest density of good deeds: @富二代许某某, whose mobile phone number ends in 0086, has participated in and completed more than 600 good deeds in the past 45 days!
Example of the most consistent good deeds: @Grandpa Wang at Tianfu Bus Station (wiping the bus stop platform for 10 years without a single day off);

A prime example of the greatest social impact of good deeds: Grandma Li, the "shared grandma" in Shenzhen, has led the entire community to form an intergenerational mutual assistance network.

The background system displays a heat map in real time, with red dots marking the distribution of candidates.

Suddenly, a point of light in a remote area began to flash frequently—Gesang, a herdsman from XZ, had been delivering fresh vegetables to a border post for 30 consecutive days, covering a total distance of over 2000 kilometers on horseback.

(End of this chapter)