Chapter 34: A Self-Inflicted Stain

Deng Dongyu nodded with a polite smile on his face. He pointed at the other person’s phone:

"Could you turn that off for a moment?"

The man glanced at Deng Dongyu, a glint flashing in his eyes. He smiled, nodded, and put the phone into his bag.

However, what Deng Dongyu didn’t notice was that although the man put his phone away, he hadn’t stopped recording.

The man spoke with a smile:

"Sir, who are you? Did you need me for something?"

Seeing that the streamer before him had put his phone away, Deng Dongyu relaxed.

He shook the cigarette pack in his hand and offered a Yellow Crane Tower.

The young streamer didn’t refuse and took it directly.

The two of them quickly moved to the alley beside the shop and started puffing away.

As they smoked, they started making small talk.

After one cigarette, they were already acting like old pals. It was as if the time it took to smoke a single cigarette had turned them into long-lost friends.

Seeing that the mood was right, Deng Dongyu quickly voiced the question on his mind:

"By the way, Brother Zhou, sorry to be so blunt, but yesterday a ton of streamers suddenly showed up to review our shop. But after their visits, they all gave us bad reviews. What’s going on?"

"Did someone pay you guys to give us bad reviews?"

The streamer, whose surname was Zhou, immediately put on a confused expression:

"Huh? Someone paid to give you bad reviews? That’s impossible, right?"

"I haven’t heard anything about that, anyway."

"I came to do a review today mainly because I saw your shop has been getting a lot of buzz recently."

"So I just came to ride the wave. That’s all. I really didn’t get paid."

"Besides, who would do such a thankless job???"

"Usually, only a competitor would do something like that."

"Boss, this shop has been open for over 20 years. You shouldn’t have many competitors, right?"

Hearing the streamer’s words, Deng Dongyu fell into self-doubt.

’Could it be that no one is pulling strings behind the scenes? Is it just that my shop is genuinely bad, and that’s why it’s getting so many negative reviews?’

The thought that the problem might really lie with his own shop made him anxious.

The public opinion had only been brewing for a day, and it had already taken a huge toll on his business.

If this continued, his 20-year-old, time-honored brand might all go down the drain.

At this thought, he immediately took out his wallet, pulled out five 100-yuan bills, and stuffed them into the streamer’s hand.

Seeing the cash stuffed into his hand, the streamer of course understood what the man meant, but he still feigned reluctance:

"Boss Deng, what’s the meaning of this, suddenly giving me money?"

Deng Dongyu:

"Little brother, my shop has been getting way too many bad reviews lately. If this keeps up, business is definitely going to suffer."

"You’re a streamer, too. Do your big brother a favor. When you post the video, make the copy look a little better. Consider this 500 yuan a little something for your trouble."

Hearing the man say exactly what he’d been hoping for, all thanks to his own baiting,

The streamer was ecstatic inside, but he forced himself to suppress the smile tugging at his lips.

He pretended to push the money back:

"Boss Deng, this isn’t right, is it?"

Deng Dongyu:

"It’s just a small token. Think of it as compensation for your trouble in making the trip, my friend."

"Just say a few nice things for your old pal, and we’ll be good."

The two of them immediately put on a show of polite refusal and insistence, after which the streamer reluctantly stuffed the money into his bag.

Seeing the streamer had taken the money, Deng Dongyu breathed a sigh of relief.

In his mind, accepting the money meant he was willing to say good things about them in his video.

The two chatted for a while longer before the streamer ostentatiously took his phone out of his bag again, pretending to resume filming.

After finishing a free lunch, the streamer quickly left Yun Ji Bamboo-Rising Wonton Noodles.

Once he was somewhere private, the streamer, Zhou Xun, immediately opened his WeChat.

During a break between classes, Li Xiao opened his phone.

He saw another message from a streamer and casually opened it.

He initially thought it was another streamer who had completed a shop review and sent the video for his approval.

But when he opened it, he found it wasn’t a video, but an audio recording.

By the time he finished listening to the recording, his expression was quite a sight to behold.

Li Xiao typed a query:

[Is your recording authentic?]

Brother Zhou’s Shop Reviews:

[Don’t worry, Boss. It’s 100% real.]

[I also took 500 yuan from him, but I can donate it to a children’s fund.]

Li Xiao understood immediately:

[Donating to a children’s fund is a good thing. I fully support it.]

[Aside from the price we originally agreed on, I’ll give you an extra 1,000-yuan bonus.]

[Also, I’ll spend 500 yuan on Dou+ for this Douyin video to help boost your numbers. How does that sound?]

Brother Zhou’s Shop Reviews:

[Thanks, Boss!]

[I’ll donate the 500 yuan right now, then.]

[I’ve already finished a rough cut. Take a look, and if there are no problems, I’ll publish it as is.]

’Damn, this guy’s something else,’ Li Xiao thought. ’Looks like he was betting I’d definitely give him extra money.’

He opened the video and checked it. After confirming there were no issues, Li Xiao sent over the final payment along with the promised 1,000 yuan.

If the other videos were just about word-of-mouth, then this one was going to be a direct, crushing blow.

While shop owners paying streamers for reviews was already an open secret,

some things were fine as long as they weren’t brought out into the open.

But now that this was being laid bare for all to see, the situation would be completely different. It could easily provoke collective disgust.

He closed WeChat and idly scrolled through Douyin.

Soon, a video caught his attention.

Watching the scene of a surging crowd in the video, Li Xiao licked his lips.

’Good. I already have an idea for where to go for my next stream.’

However, considering he had a full day of classes and a night study session, he couldn’t be bothered to stream again tonight.

So, he decided to schedule the stream for tomorrow night instead.

Seeing there were two minutes left before class, Li Xiao nudged his roommates with his elbow:

"Are you guys free tomorrow night?"

"Fair warning, if you come, we probably won’t make it back to the dorms that night. But I’ll get a hotel room nearby."

The three of them had all been scrolling on their phones, but they immediately turned their heads when they heard Li Xiao.

Zhou Yu:

"Yeah, of course! If Brother Li gives the order, I’d go through fire and water for you."

Zhang Jiawen:

"I’m free, but I’m not doing anything illegal."

"I have to stay pure for my girlfriend."

Li Xiao rolled his eyes, annoyed:

"Get outta here. You, staying pure? Who are you kidding?"

Huang Zhiyuan was the sharpest of the three and instantly understood what Li Xiao was planning:

"Are we going out for good food again?!"

"I’m definitely free. The kind of free where I’m on call 24/7."

Hearing no objections from the three of them, Li Xiao made an OK sign with his hand:

"That’s right. I found a great place to eat, but it’s for a late-night snack. We’ll discuss the details tomorrow."