Using a bit of Northern Spiritual Energy on the wheat stalk, I forcefully pierced the Heart-Talk Fruit's skin, allowing its juice to flow out.

Although the skin of the Heart-Talk Fruit is soft, it is actually very sturdy. Ordinary items can't pierce it; you need to bite it with your teeth or use something hard to puncture it.

When holding it in your hand, there's no worry about crushing it, making it ideal for drinking directly from the hand.

"What should we do next?" Jiang Hui asked Ling Zhenfei after taking a small sip of the Heart-Talk Fruit.

Ling Zhenfei shook his head and said, "I've done everything I should. I don't know what will happen tomorrow, whether the opening of Xi Shan Restaurant will be a failure."

"Should we head back to Binyang now, to check on Xi Shan Restaurant? I guess it's already the center of attention," said Jiang Hui.

"That's right, I'll arrange a few things at the manor first, then head back to Binyang."

Ling Zhenfei knew that the live stream he just did would definitely have an impact, perhaps the maximum retaliation against Sun Zan's smear video and a bit of useful publicity.

But it was uncertain how the internet would react. If things took a turn for the worse, it would be problematic.

Ling Zhenfei knew that Qin Lan must have hired a lot of trolls to defame him and Xishan Manor online, trying to muddy the waters. But Ling Zhenfei had so many followers, it was impossible for them to sit idly by while their idol was attacked.

Ling Zhenfei immediately made a call to Guo Qing'an, who picked up the phone right away.

"Hey, Zhenfei, what's the situation now?"

Ling Zhenfei said, "Director Guo, I've found out who has been spreading false rumors."

Guo Qing'an was very shocked, clearly not expecting Ling Zhenfei to find the culprit so quickly.

"Who did it?"

"The person is named Sun Zan, the son of our old acquaintance Sun Liqing. He's a graduate of the Agricultural University; it should be easy to find him."

"I'll take action immediately and arrest Sun Zan. This will help restore your reputation to some extent."

"Thank you, Director Guo. Sun Zan is undoubtedly backed by someone, most likely Qin Lan. If you can implicate Qin Lan, that would be best."

"It's unlikely to bring in Qin Lan; these people are very meticulous. They never handle these matters personally, so it's almost impossible to catch Qin Lan."

Ling Zhenfei felt a bit helpless: "Then let Qin Lan enjoy a few more carefree days."

"Don't worry, once we arrest Sun Zan, we'll promptly publish an online notice to generate some positive buzz for Xishan Manor and help mitigate your losses."

Ling Zhenfei knew the damage was already done and difficult to fully recover from, but any bit of remediation would help.

After hanging up, Ling Zhenfei logged back into Weibo and saw that his follower count had reached over thirty-two million and was still growing.

The live stream he did just now attracted over ten million viewers, with even more unable to join. Thanks to the replay function on Weibo, many people were tuning in to the earlier live stream.

That live stream had now become a video that could be freely viewed, with the playback count already surpassing ten million and continuously rising.

Simultaneously, Xishan Manor, Ling Zhenfei, and Ling Zhenfei's live stream became trending topics, with their search volumes skyrocketing and propelling them to the top of several trending lists, along with Heart-Talk Fruit, Ziling Fruit, and others.

This launched Ling Zhenfei into the spotlight. The search volume for his name surged drastically, and even old videos of him healing were receiving increased views.

Ling Zhenfei didn't have time to look at all this and immediately posted a new update on Weibo.

"After investigation, the person responsible for smearing Xishan Manor and filming defamatory videos about Xishan Manor is Sun Zan. We have reported to the police, and we believe the matter will be resolved soon."

Comments flooded in underneath Ling Zhenfei's Weibo post.

"Beep beep, boarding now, those in line get on the bus."

"Beep beep, the bus is leaving immediately; I'm heading to Xi Shan Restaurant."

"What's wrong with the person above, friend or foe?"

"Is there still anyone praising Ling Zhenfei? Like if you're among the critics."

"Is Ling Zhenfei trying to clean his name again? Can he really clean it this time? I'm not sure."

"Smash Ling Zhenfei, he's just a hype master. This whole affair is likely a ploy, with Sun Zan being part of it."

"Follower count has hit thirty-four million, impressive, buddy."

At this moment, Ling Zhenfei's support groups, official fan pages, and others all reposted and pinned his update.

After logging off Weibo, Ling Zhenfei went to Xishan Manor, where Zhou Yun was making records, tallying the orders for tomorrow.

"How are things, sis-in-law? What's the current situation?"

Zhou Yun sighed and said, "Some cancellations are happening, but more reductions in order quantities. The situation is complex; tomorrow's output will be just a third of what it used to be."

Ling Zhenfei said, "Restaurants are watching and waiting—this is normal. I believe it will rebound soon."

But Zhou Yun was not pleased: "This impact is much worse than last time. The last crisis took a long time to recover from. How long will this one take?"

Ling Zhenfei smiled and said, "Sis-in-law, things are different now. Xishan Manor's fame is much higher now. As long as our products are good, we won't have trouble selling them."

"Hmm, hearing you say this makes me feel better. Do you have any plans for tomorrow's opening of Xi Shan Restaurant?"

"What plans could I have? Whatever happens, happens. Even if no one comes to the restaurant tomorrow, I will still be happy."

Zhou Yun said, "I'm glad to hear you think that way."

Zhou Yun glanced outside at Jiang Hui and asked Ling Zhenfei, "Who is that girl?"

Ling Zhenfei knew what Zhou Yun meant and said, "She's my assistant and secretary."

Zhou Yun was clearly skeptical: "Really just a secretary and assistant, nothing more?"

Ling Zhenfei was momentarily at a loss for words, and Zhou Yun seemed to understand.

"Fine, no need to explain. It's not like she's the first. How is Ling Xiu doing?"

Ling Zhenfei said, "He Lingxiu is in a hospital in the Provincial City. Don't worry, I won't treat her badly."

"Alright, I hope you have a clear understanding of what you need."

"I understand, sis-in-law, no need to lecture me. I'm heading back to Binyang now."

Ling Zhenfei met up with Chen Qian again, and they chatted for a while. Chen Qian said, "Your live stream was good, it regained a bit of ground for us. But this approach isn't sustainable."

"What do you mean?" Ling Zhenfei asked, sensing Chen Qian had a solution.

Chen Qian said, "Isn't it obvious? Someone slapped you twice, and it hurt. Your live stream was just a way of rubbing the sore spots, but the slaps were real."

"What do you suggest?" Ling Zhenfei asked.

Chen Qian said, "Do we even need to say it? If someone slaps you, you need to kick them back."

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