After the divorce, he took care of his child and sold fried rice; his ex-wife was filled with regret

The one grabbing him by the back of his collar was Li Dayong, who was second in line.

His fleshy face was expressionless as he stared down at Fei Ge.

"What...what do you want to do? Hitting someone is illegal, and I have tens of thousands of followers watching!"

Fei swallowed hard, his legs feeling weak, but he still forced himself to point the camera at Li Dayong, trying to bolster his courage with the help of online public opinion.

"Hit you? Who do you think you are, to dare dirty my hands?"

Li Dayong loosened Fei Ge's collar as if throwing away trash.

He clapped his hands and glanced disdainfully at the lit phone camera.

"Didn't you want to confess? Didn't you want to investigate whether this store used chemical fragrances?"

Li Dayong sneered, pointed to himself, and then to the men in suits queuing behind him:

"The combined net worth of all of us could buy half of Jiangcheng."

Li Dayong took a step forward, and Fei Ge was so frightened that he retreated repeatedly.

"Do you think that we, a group of people who stay up at five or six in the morning and stand in line to feed mosquitoes, are all idiots brainwashed by a roadside stall owner using chemical fragrances?"

"You think your damn tongue is more sensitive than us old guys who've eaten at Michelin-starred restaurants all over the world?"

"If this store were truly toxic, if there were something fishy going on, believe it or not, you wouldn't be here yelling nonsense on this broken phone; we would have razed the store to the ground long ago!"

Chairman Chen, who was at the back of the line, also slowly stepped forward.

He pushed up his gold-rimmed glasses and spoke in a gentle tone:

"Young man, the internet is not a lawless zone. You question an honest business owner just for the sake of traffic; that's called provoking trouble."

"Master Lin's craftsmanship was personally appraised by Mr. Ye Weiguo, who gave it very high praise."

"Your disturbance here today is not only questioning Master Lin, but also questioning Elder Ye's taste and the judgment of everyone in our Jiangcheng Chamber of Commerce."

Chairman Chen glanced at Fei, who was covered in sweat, and added casually:

"I have had my legal team record and save your live stream footage."

"If you don't leave now, or continue to spread false rumors online, Shengshi's lawyer's letter will be delivered to you this afternoon. Do you think your little bit of livestream donations will be enough to compensate for the damage to your reputation?"

If Li Dayong's victory was a physical and imposing one, then Chairman Chen's words were a precise, albeit devastating, attack.

Fei Ge's face turned completely white, devoid of any color.

He's just a small-time internet celebrity who wants to ride the wave of popularity and make some quick money. He's good at bullying small restaurant owners who don't dare to cause trouble.

Now, facing these powerful capital tycoons who truly wield influence in Jiangcheng, he wouldn't dare to confront them head-on even if he had a hundred lives!

Forget about Shengshi Real Estate's legal team, just the label of "questioning Mr. Ye" is enough to make it impossible for him to stay in Jiangcheng.

"Misunderstanding, misunderstanding... Bosses, it's all a misunderstanding..."

Fei Ge stammered as he backed away, the selfie stick in his hand shaking so much that the image was dizzying.

"I just...I just came to take a look, that's all. I'm leaving now, I'm leaving now..."

He didn't dare utter another harsh word, turned around sheepishly, pushed through the crowd of onlookers, and fled like a dog with its tail between its legs.

He even forgot to say "thank you for the gifts, family" at the end of his usual live stream and abruptly ended the stream.

What seemed like a raging online storm was easily defused by the group of big shots queuing up, without Lin Fan even needing to say a few words.

Other minor internet celebrities were also terrified, their faces turning ashen.

They were just following Fei Ge to ride the wave of popularity and profit from the tragedy of this internet sensation.

They had already seen what happened to Fei Ge. How could they, with only a few hundred or a few thousand fans, dare to cause trouble here?

"Put it away! Stop filming!"

"Delete the entire recording! Don't record these guys' faces! You want to die? I want to live!"

A dozen or so bloggers and gossip paparazzi, who were holding up fill lights and selfie sticks, suddenly swarmed out of the crowd like leeches scalded by boiling water, clutching their phones tightly to their chests.

In less than half a minute, the once chaotic and noisy intersection was cleaned up completely.

Even the air seemed to have become fresh again.

Watching the group of people flee in disarray, Li Dayong rubbed his bald head, snorted coldly, and turned to look at Chairman Chen:

"Young people these days are really arrogant and ignorant. They'll do anything for a little bit of traffic."

Chairman Chen adjusted his gold-rimmed glasses, his tone remaining gentle, but his eyes revealed a businessman's ruthlessness:

"The internet has a long memory. You think you can just spread rumors and walk away? Not so easy."

"Shengshi's legal department usually employs so many people, they're just worried about not having enough work. Today, every single marketing account that has published smear articles against Master Lin online will be caught."

For those who truly stand at the top of the pyramid in Jiangcheng, taking down a few self-media outlets that spread rumors is simpler than crushing an ant.

Their intervention was not only to protect Lin Fan, but also to protect their hard-won "canteen".

If this little shop really closes down because of these disgusting flies, where will they go to eat this divine food that can prolong life and soothe the soul?

Lin Fan stood beside the roller shutter, taking in everything.

His expression remained calm; he was neither flattered by the protection of the bigwigs nor complacent about the easing of the online storm.

He simply turned his head and nodded slightly to Li Dayong and Chairman Chen.

"Oh, Master Lin, you're being too polite!"

Li Dayong quickly waved his hand, the fierce look on his face vanishing instantly, replaced by a憨厚 (honest and simple) smile like that of Maitreya Buddha.

"These kinds of scoundrels just need to be taught a lesson. Don't let him affect your mood; our stomachs depend on you!"

"Yes, Mr. Lin, it's time. Shall we go in?" Chairman Chen smiled and glanced at his watch.

Lin Fan didn't say anything more, turned around and pushed the roller shutter door all the way up.

The morning sunlight slanted into the shop, falling on the rustic, heavy solid wood tables and chairs and the clear artificial stream.

A gentle breeze carries a faint scent of sandalwood, completely shutting out the heat and noise from outside.

"Please enter the store in order."

Su Xiaoxiao immediately got to work.

She stood at the door, dressed in a clean and neat uniform, smiling as she guided the guests to their seats in an orderly fashion.

Li Dayong was the first to rush to the cashier, waving his hand dismissively:

"Girl! A plate of scrambled eggs with tomatoes, a bowl of rice, and a glass of plum juice!"