Chapter 106 - 104: Setting the Narrative

Chapter 106: Chapter 104: Setting the Narrative

In Guang City, when Yu Hui returned with the Medicinal Tea, Sister Wang was on the phone with the company, discussing how they would have to pay compensation if Chen Yi couldn’t be cured.

"Sister Wang, I’m back with the Medicinal Tea."

Wang Xiaoxiao saw that she had returned alone. "Where’s Chen Yong?"

"He said he had something to take care of, so he didn’t come back with me."

"That guy is getting more and more out of hand. Chen Yi has to fire him this time."

The two of them went over to Chen Yi, who was sipping warm water and reviewing the plan for that night’s concert.

"Sister Wang, Assistant Yu, you’re here."

"Here. I got the Medicinal Tea. See if it works. If not, we’ll have to figure something else out."

Chen Yi looked curiously at the unremarkable-looking tea. Thanks to the insulated container and thermos, the Medicinal Tea was still hot and had the distinct aroma of traditional Chinese medicine.

He took one of the cups and downed it in two or three gulps.

"It’s a little bitter, but the taste is fine."

"What did you expect, some fancy drink? Of course medicine is bitter."

"By the way, your assistant Chen Yong didn’t come back with her. You have to deal with him this time. You can’t keep protecting him."

Chen Yi looked troubled. Seeing how angry Sister Wang was, he decided not to say anything and wait for her to calm down.

More than ten minutes passed. Chen Yi was surprised to realize he hadn’t coughed once in all that time, and his throat no longer felt irritated.

"Sister Wang! Sister Wang! My throat is better! I’m not coughing anymore!"

Hearing this, Wang Xiaoxiao rushed over. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, it’s been over ten minutes. I haven’t coughed a single time, and my throat doesn’t feel nearly as bad."

"That’s great! Let’s go test it out right now."

Chen Yi sang two songs and discovered that not only was his voice healed, but it even felt a little stronger.

"This Medicinal Tea is a miracle! I can’t believe it works this well!"

Yu Hui said, "Sister Wang, I asked around while I was there. This Medicinal Tea doesn’t just treat coughs; it’s also good for your lungs."

"They also have these amazing Jade Grapes that can relieve fatigue, improve your complexion, and boost your overall health. Unfortunately, you can’t buy them right now."

Hearing about "improving your complexion," Wang Xiaoxiao’s eyes lit up. ’There’s something that good? I’ll have to keep an eye on it.’

Chen Yi said, "It would be amazing if I could drink this Medicinal Tea regularly. It’s a huge benefit for singers like us."

"Brother Chen, that’s difficult. The Medicinal Tea has purchase limits, and tons of people line up to buy it every day."

"I only managed to get this batch by going to the owner personally."

"But they’ve also produced a more effective pill. It’s a type of traditional medicine that’s easier to store, but it hasn’t been approved yet."

Sister Wang said, "I’ll call the company in a bit and see if we can sign a supply contract with them."

’Since they’re selling the Medicinal Tea as a beverage, it must be harmless. Otherwise, it never would have gotten approved in the first place.’

’As for the more effective pills, we’ll just have to wait for the approval to come through before buying a batch.’

’Honestly, though, she was more interested in trying the Jade Grapes to see if they really could improve her complexion.’

Later, when Chen Yi met with the guest performers for the concert, everyone asked if his cough had gotten better.

Chen Yi’s company had actually leaked the news to mentally prepare the fans in case he couldn’t perform.

"It’s all better. I drank a miraculous Medicinal Tea that had an immediate effect on my cough. I’m completely cured."

To prove he was really better, he even sang a few lines a cappella.

"What kind of Medicinal Tea is that miraculous?"

"Yeah, where can you buy it?"

They were all singers and had dealt with coughs before. If a medicine like that existed, they’d never have to worry about coughing again.

"It’s from a small village called Lin Xian Village. The Medicinal Tea is hard to get. There’s a daily limit, and I hear a lot of people line up to try and snap it up."

The others made a mental note of Lin Xian Village, planning to have someone look into it later. The difficulty of purchasing it wasn’t an issue for them; at worst, they’d just have to spend a little more money.

Meanwhile, online, the trolls Chen Yong had hired began to make their move.

They began spamming the comment sections of news articles about Lin Xian Village’s healing Medicinal Tea, claiming the village had an even better pill that they were keeping secret.

They stirred up trouble, claiming that Lin Xian Village could mass-produce the Medicinal Tea but was using artificial scarcity and purchase limits as a marketing gimmick, completely ignoring the needs of patients.

At first, these comments didn’t attract much attention. Then someone posted a video saying they had gone to Lin Xian Village five times and failed to buy the Medicinal Tea on every occasion.

After that, more and more people started sharing their own experiences of going to Lin Xian Village and being unable to buy the Medicinal Tea.

As the number of complaints grew, the hired trolls saw their opportunity and started pushing this angle hard.

Seeing the topic gain traction online, Chen Yong paid a patient who wanted to buy the Medicinal Tea, gave them one of the pills, and had them film a video.

The video’s content was simple. It mainly described the pill’s effects and claimed that Lin Xian Village had plenty of these pills but was refusing to sell them.

You could only say some people’s minds work in mysterious ways. He had never once considered the question: even if Lin Xian Village could produce an unlimited supply of Medicinal Tea, why would they ever cooperate with him?

Or perhaps, after taking advantage of Chen Yi’s fame so many times in the past, Chen Yong had started to believe he was actually a big shot.

The online controversy hadn’t even fully erupted yet when Hu Xia got word of it. She assumed it was those pharmaceutical companies up to their old tricks again.

Ever since Zhou Jun had informed her that the medicine approval issues were resolved, the pharmaceutical companies hadn’t bothered her.

’These guys are so predictable, always resorting to manipulating public opinion online.’

After a moment’s thought, she posted an explanatory announcement on her account: "Due to certain special circumstances, the supply of Lin Xian Village’s Medicinal Tea is limited each day."

"As for the Clearing Heat and Stopping Cough Pills, they are still pending regulatory approval and cannot be sold to the public at this time. We ask for your understanding."

Soon, her followers saw the announcement.

Some of her followers who didn’t particularly need the Medicinal Tea were a little confused. ’Why post this announcement?’

Then they discovered that people online were actually raising a fuss over the limited quantity of the Medicinal Tea.

They couldn’t understand the logic. ’It’s their product; what does it have to do with anyone else how much they decide to sell?’

"What special circumstances? You’re just using artificial scarcity because you don’t want to sell to us!"

"And what about those pills? You’ve obviously made them, so why aren’t you selling them? Stop making excuses! Everyone, let’s complain to the relevant authorities and make them lift the sales limit on the Medicinal Tea!"

"Yes, yes, yes! Let’s report them to the drug administration! Make them give us an explanation. Why would they restrict a miracle cure for coughs?"

"..."

Sometimes, events spiral out of control no matter how much one tries to rein them in.

The hired trolls had fanned the flames, and the genuinely desperate patients they had incited were not so easily controlled.

When some netizens saw that the drug administration hadn’t approved the medicine, they turned their anger directly on the agency. A portion of them went straight to the administration’s official social media account to vent their fury.

By the time the trolls realized they had lost control of the narrative, it was already too late to stop it.

Of course, there were also plenty of netizens who had never heard of Lin Xian Village’s Medicinal Tea. When they saw the trending topic, they were baffled. ’Why are all these people freaking out?’

Then, following the trail of comments, they quickly found Hu Xia’s account and discovered the existence of this miraculous drink called Medicinal Tea.

It was said to be an instant cure for coughs. Upon seeing the name "Clearing Heat and Stopping Cough Pills," people who needed such a remedy also began flooding the drug administration’s account with comments.

They demanded that the approval for this medicine be expedited. The Medicinal Tea, once known only to a small number of patients, instantly went viral.

The drug administration was in a foul mood. They had been innocently attacked by netizens, and it had snowballed into a public relations crisis. Who could they even complain to?

They assumed Lin Xian Village was behind it all. The lower-level staff immediately reported the situation to their superiors, and the matter spiraled completely out of control.