This director is vindictive.

Chapter 354 2023, A Guide to Using Human Gentleness

"Small acts of kindness can become a great torch! Let us thank them for their contributions. On August 814th Welfare Festival, we are giving a special reward to these most lovable people for their good deeds!"

Material rewards: Each selected participant will receive a "Good Deeds Package" (including 10 yuan in no-minimum-spend vouchers, lifetime membership benefits, etc.);
Honors and recognition: A "City Goodwill Ambassador" certificate will be awarded by the "One Good Deed a Day" campaign in conjunction with the local government; and the deeds will be displayed on LED screens of landmark buildings!
The stories of the selected individuals will be included in the annual public welfare documentary "Ordinary Light" and broadcast on mainstream media.

Viewers left numerous comments on the live stream.

"I was deeply moved by the story of Gesang, a herdsman from XZ, delivering vegetables on horseback! 2000 kilometers through wind and snow, this is a true 'deliveryman'!"

"Xu's rich second-generation persona has collapsed! It turns out he secretly does 600 good deeds every day. He's richer and more hardworking than me (doge)."

"10 yuan in consumer vouchers + lifetime membership? Chen Mo's move has taken charity vouchers to a whole new level! I'm going to help an old lady cross the street tomorrow!"

"We suggest promoting the 'Goodwill Ambassador' certificate nationwide; it's more prestigious than the 'Five Good Citizens' certificate! @Local Government Affairs, come and see!"

However, overseas netizens were envious!

Japanese netizens commented: "We only get a 500 yen reward for finding a wallet and handing it over to the police, but China gives out lifetime memberships? I'm so envious!"

American netizens: "GoFundMe crowdfunding VS Chen Mo's charity package... Capitalists should learn what 'utilitarian charity' really means! (Image: Bezos and Rockets crying)"

Chen Mo had initially thought the reward would cause some controversy.

Unexpectedly, netizens took the initiative to speak up for him.

"Rewards are not the goal, but acknowledging the value of kindness is what keeps the starlight shining—Chen Mo understands human nature deeply!"

"Last year they gave out money for welfare, this year they're giving out a sense of honor for 'doing good,' will they be giving out 'love number plates' next year? (Just kidding)"

Interestingly, some of the netizens on this list were also in the live stream at that time.

After seeing their names and the last four digits of their phone numbers on the list, they all showed up.

They never expected to be on the list.

@RichSecondGenerationXu: "I have to frame this 10 yuan no-minimum-spend voucher! To be honest, I just thought the 'Do a Good Deed Every Day' challenge was fun, so I helped my neighbor walk his dog and gave the delivery guy some ice water... I never expected the statistics to show over 600 times?!"

The screen was instantly flooded with comments about Versailles!
The camera suddenly switched to another contestant – Grandma Li, a “shared grandma” in Shenzhen, who was connected to the live stream. The elderly woman’s wrinkled face was right in front of the camera, with a lively scene in the community activity room in the background.

"Oh my, can an old woman like me even be on TV?" Granny Li squinted and leaned closer to the screen, speaking in a thick dialect, "Xiao Zhang from the neighborhood committee insists I'm 'doing charity,' but I just help working parents pick up their kids when I'm bored!" She turned around and pulled a stack of yellowed pick-up and drop-off registration forms from her drawer, "Look, these kids all call me 'Grandma Li' now, they're even more affectionate than their own grandchildren!"

The most dramatic moment came from the live footage of Gesang, a herdsman from XZ—when the production team connected via satellite phone, he was riding through a blizzard, and his honest laughter came through the intermittent signal: "What? I've become an 'ambassador'? Last time they came to deliver down jackets, I thought it was a poverty alleviation visit!"

The barrage of comments was filled with phrases like "Breaking through the defenses" and "This is the real top star."

Suddenly, a golden light effect appeared in the live stream chat: "[Grandpa Wang at Tianfu Bus Station]: 'I've been wiping the bus stop platform for ten years just to be worthy of this uniform. I never thought I'd get an 'award' in my old age?'"

The accompanying photo shows an elderly man holding up a newly received gold-embossed certificate with trembling hands, his red-rimmed eyes reflected in the unfinished glass of the platform in the background.

The comment section of the overseas live stream is now completely filled with envy:
Japanese netizens commented: "In our town, we give out a towel as a 'model resident' award... (Image: heartbroken emoji)"

An American netizen commented: "I suggest the mayor of New York City learn from this! Our community heroes at most get a greeting card signed by the mayor (and they have to pay for the postage themselves)!"

The first round of the list kept rolling, and when the list reached number 999, one name sparked heated discussion: @Keyboard Warrior Transformation Project.

This netizen, who was previously reported for cyberbullying, redeemed himself by anonymously sponsoring impoverished students.

Chen Mo said softly, "The starting point of a good deed is not important; what matters is the direction."

The last one was an anonymous code name "X"!
Chen Mo paused for a moment and then explained, "This netizen is a terminal cancer patient who anonymously donated all his savings and left only one sentence: 'Please watch a few more sunrises for me.'"

"Because of her own request, she did not want to appear in front of everyone, so we did not show her photo!"

The live stream fell silent for a moment, then the chat was filled with white candles that read "Respect".

At the same time, Chen Mo suddenly announced: "We have seen many overseas netizens spontaneously participating in the 'Do One Good Deed a Day' activity. Therefore, we have specially added 100 international slots!"

"However, since this was not part of the original plan, we welcome netizens around the world to share your stories of good deeds!"

Upon hearing Chen Mo's words, overseas netizens immediately erupted in an uproar.

It's going viral on platforms like Twitter, Reddit, and TikTok!
Japanese netizen @Tokyo_Helper posted a video instantly: "Tokyo convenience store clerk has been helping an elderly person carry bags of rice for 30 years—please let Chen Mo (the author of the video) comment!" (Over 200 million views)
American netizen @NYC_Kindness posted a photo: "A homeless man cleans up subway trash every day; we call him the 'Underground Cleaning Hero'!" (Popular comment: "It would be an injustice if he wasn't featured!")
Indian netizen @Mumbai_Angel uploaded a series of photos: "Slum teacher buys books out of his own pocket, teaches 300 children in 10 years!" (Caption: "We don't need rewards, but we hope the world sees them.")
The international version of the "Do a Good Deed Every Day" hashtag #GlobalActsOfKindness has become a trending topic!

Data explosion: 500,000 new submissions in one hour, from "bus driver in Norway adjusts route for autistic boy" to "slum teenager in Brazil makes solar lamps from waste materials".

A South Korean netizen, @Seoul_Volunteer, posted a "365-day charity check-in chart," showing how to do three good deeds every day, captioned: "Now I have the chance to be on a live stream in China, let's get this going!" (Comments: "Do you South Koreans even have to fight amongst yourselves when it comes to doing good deeds?")
Because of the influence of the super-generous live stream, many overseas brands quickly began to capitalize on its popularity.

7-Eleven Japan announced: "Any employee selected for the international 'Ordinary Light' award will be rewarded with a trip for two to Hokkaido!"

Starbucks in the US followed suit: "Customers who do good deeds can receive a 'Goodwill Starbucks Gift Card'!"

The result was that netizens criticized: "Trying to give out benefits like Chen Mo? First, learn from his 10 billion yuan budget!"

Just then, a video feed suddenly switched into the live stream.

The video showed Karu, a "water protector" in Kenya, walking 10 kilometers to deliver water to a drought-stricken village. Through the intermittent signal, he said, "We don't need rewards... we just hope more people will pay attention to the water shortage problem."

The comments section instantly broke down in tears:

"This is the true light of the ordinary!"

"Chen Mo, quickly dig a well for him!"

The next second, an announcement popped up in the live stream: "We have contacted the water conservancy organization and drilling will begin next week."

Despite the enthusiasm of overseas netizens, there were still some sour comments: "100 spots are too few! I suggest allocating them according to the country's GDP (doge)."

Chen Mo responded with a smile: "This is just the beginning—maybe next year there will be a 'Global Good Deeds Day'?"

At this moment, the global live chat was flooded with comments: "Chen Mo, you really know how to manipulate human nature!"

The first chapter has come to an end.

Soon, the starry background in the live stream slowly faded away, and the scene switched to a virtual "Starlight Auditorium".

Twenty spotlights lit up in sequence, each beam revealing the silhouette of a representative of "ordinary light".

Chen Mo's voice was gentle yet firm: "Next, let's listen to how these glimmers of light illuminate the lives of others and witness how the social problems behind these stories are being changed."

"Perhaps our selection process isn't that authoritative."

Chen Mo's humble words, however, prompted a barrage of jokes from netizens.

"No, it's very authoritative!"

"No problem. I might not trust others, but I definitely trust you, Chen Mo!"

"Just because you can give away billions of dollars so easily, you're the authority!"

"Blindly support! Those who question it, shut up!"

Chen Mo couldn't continue speaking; he could only thank the netizens for their support.

"There are probably many more touching stories, but we cannot list them all. The following are some of the more representative cases selected this year!"

Let's look at the first one.

The screen displayed the first recipient of the "Ordinary Light" award: an ordinary food delivery worker!

"He's just one of millions of food delivery workers."

In fact, this person's story is not that outstanding among so many cases.

However, it was still selected mainly because it is very representative.

This person's story is about saving a girl from jumping off a bridge, but he was fined by the platform for exceeding the time limit!

In front of the camera, he rubbed his hands shyly: "That day I saw the girl climbing over the railing, and I rushed over without thinking... Later, the money I received from netizens made me cry for three days."

As food delivery has become an indispensable part of people's daily lives, the rights and interests of delivery personnel, as well as various other issues, have become a focal point of social concern.

The problem exposed in this case is that the platform's algorithm mechanically determines timeouts and ignores special circumstances.

Many viewers in the live stream who deliver food could relate to this.

"The platform's mechanical judgment is really upsetting. An adult's breakdown can happen in an instant. I remember once, because I was stopped by security guards and not allowed to enter, I was two minutes late in delivering the goods. The customer gave me a bad review, I was fined 200 yuan that day, and I couldn't take any orders for the whole day. When I received the message, I just broke down and cried!"

"It's outrageous that someone was fined for exceeding the time limit for doing a good deed!"

"I hope this can be improved. Data is ruthless, but people can be compassionate. The appeal channel is also very inhumane!"

Since the live stream chose this case as the first "Ordinary Light" case, it naturally also provided a solution.

Solution: Chen Mo's team, in collaboration with food delivery platforms, launched a "Good Samaritan Channel"—riders can upload evidence of acts of bravery, and after verification, they will be exempted from punishment and given a reward.

The live stream connected with the platform's CEO, who immediately announced: "In the future, we will incorporate 'social responsibility points' into our performance evaluation, and good deeds can be redeemed for priority order allocation benefits!"

Although this only addresses a platform drawback in special cases like acts of bravery.

However, it still garnered a lot of praise.

"Although it's not perfect, this is still a thoughtful move!"

"I hope things will be more humane in the future!"

"Actually, there are many good deeds done by delivery drivers, and we hope that the platform can treat them even better!"

However, this first "ordinary light" surprised many people.

"This choice for the 'Ordinary Light' is very interesting! I thought they would choose some emotional and touching cases, but I didn't expect it to be this one!"

"But this is more meaningful! And it has a certain universality!"

"This is very representative, very authoritative, and it achieves multiple benefits at once!"

"Yes, it really is a win-win situation. At first glance, it seems to solve the worries of delivery workers about doing good deeds or acting bravely for others. But in reality, it is also putting into practice the principle that good people are rewarded!"

Just as netizens finished speaking, the second case broke their defenses.

The second case shows a rural village in Henan Province. In the video, when torrential rain flooded the village road, rural teacher Lin Jianguo and six parents joined hands to form a human wall to escort students across the raging torrent.

In the background noise, you can still hear his hoarse voice shouting, "Hold on tight to your red scarves! Not one can be left behind!"

The live chat exploded instantly.

"Holy crap, I've seen this video before, and it brought tears to my eyes!"

"I admire it, but I'm also a little sad. Many people would find it hard to believe that such a thing still happens in 2023, but it's true!"

"Because commuting to schools in many rural areas is really unsafe during the rainy season!"

"A teacher like that, I could cry my eyes out!"

"These parents are also shining examples of ordinary kindness!"

The screen freezes on the image of Lin Jianguo, a simple rural teacher, anxiously shouting in the rain.

The screen displayed a set of data:
Safety hazards for commuters to rural schools during the rainy season (similar risks exist in 23% of administrative villages nationwide)!

Emergency supplies delivery blind spot (the village is 58 kilometers from the nearest fire station)!
Furthermore, a solution was proposed: the Chen Mo Foundation, in conjunction with Sany Heavy Industry, donated 20 amphibious school buses equipped with lifeboats on their roofs!
Gaode Maps has launched a "dangerous road section warning system" that pushes detour plans to parents' groups in real time!
The live stream chat exploded with comments from local netizens: "I'm from this village! I just saw the new car parked at the school gate yesterday!"

"Damn, what I feared most has come true. This is really making us nervous while we're drawing the prize. I don't know why, but even after winning, I'm not that happy. It's all Chen Mo's fault!"

"Yeah! I won too, but I'm not as happy as I was last year! I feel like crying for no reason! It's all Chen Mo's fault!"

"It's all Chen Mo's fault!"

Chen Mo looked at the screen filled with comments saying "It's all Chen Mo's fault!" with a mix of amusement and exasperation.
One after another, stories of ordinary people shining brightly unfold, and one after another, ordinary people shining brightly appear.

One problem after another was discovered and solved.

One prize after another was drawn.

These people all share one characteristic: they are all ordinary and unremarkable, yet they do extraordinary things.

Their stories may not be as moving or influential as those of "Touching China," but they truly demonstrate to everyone what it means to shine with the light of the ordinary!
Among them was "Grandma Fairy Tale" from the cancer ward. When 75-year-old retired editor Zhang Xiulan appeared on the big screen, a golden barrage of comments suddenly appeared in the live stream: "[I am Xiaomi from bed 307 in her ward]".

This elderly woman, wearing a woolen hat, has handwritten more than 800 fairy tales for fellow patients during her chemotherapy breaks over the past three years. Her latest story, "The Dancing Infusion Bottle," has been made into an audiobook and has been played over 100 million times.

The problems exposed are also obvious: there is a lack of psychological intervention resources for cancer patients (the doctor-to-nurse ratio is 1:120)!
Copyright issues exist in hospice care literature (most works are freely reproduced)!
The final solution was for ByteDance to develop a "ward story" AI assistant to help bedridden patients create stories via voice!
A "Firefly Copyright Fund" has been established, allowing immediate family members to inherit the profits generated from patients' works!
During the video call, Grandma Zhang suddenly raised her hand, which had an IV line inserted, and said, "Mr. Chen, could you add a QR code to the little bear in the story? The children say they want to see him dance."

There's also something like "Shakespeare in the dump!"
When the camera switches to a waste recycling station in Guangdong Province, 39-year-old Wang Haibo is piecing together a Hamlet sculpture from scrap metal. This father, who dropped out of junior high school, has been teaching more than 200 migrant children to read and write in the garbage dump for seven years. His most successful student was admitted to a prestigious high school this year.

It has a "life router" on the snowy plateau!
When the signal reached the XZ clinic at an altitude of 4700 meters, the image shook violently due to the wind and snow. Village doctor Tsering Deji, carrying a medicine box equipped with a satellite module, was providing remote medical care to herders. Behind her, a hand-drawn map on the wall marked 183 grazing points, with the word "vaccinated" crookedly written next to each red dot.

The video shows the solution: Huawei urgently deployed "Starlink backpacks" which can establish temporary base stations with a radius of 15 kilometers!

Tibetan Medicine AI Analysis Project: Big Data Verification of 500 Folk Remedies!

Dr. Tsering suddenly said in broken Chinese, "Could you put a hand warmer in the medicine box? The vaccines will freeze."

Ten minutes later, Haier Biomedical's official Weibo account announced a donation of 100 constant temperature medicine boxes.

After the 20th representative—the captain of the Bohai Bay search and rescue team—finished recounting the story of their overnight rescue of the distressed fishing boat, the large screen behind Chen Mo suddenly split into countless small pieces. Each piece displayed a picture of one of the "Ordinary Lights" award recipients watching the live broadcast.
The delivery driver squatted by the roadside looking at his phone during a break from deliveries.

Teacher Zhang Mei led the children from the mountainous area to gather around a tablet computer.

Wang Haibo is watching a live stream while holding his phone in a Hamlet-shaped hand made of scrap metal.

Retired editor Zhang Xiulan is in the hospital with a group of fellow patients.
Chen Mo's voice rang out amidst interstellar-themed sound effects: "These sparks were able to ignite a prairie fire because we always believed—"

The images of 200,000 people simultaneously turning on their phone flashlights were transmitted back via satellite, forming a dazzling galaxy against the backdrop of the universe in the live broadcast room.

Countless ordinary faces appeared on the screen, gradually merging into one.

At this moment, the number of online viewers in China has exceeded 3.5 million, while the peak number of viewers in overseas live streams has exceeded 1.2 million. The top five trending topics on Twitter are all related to the hashtag #ChineseSolutions.

The South Korean newspaper Daily News ran the headline: "From good deeds to systemic solutions—we lost at the cost of the supply chain."

(End of this chapter)