Marry a female star at a bargain price

Arrive at the hospital.

Han Xixi remained remarkably calm on the way, constantly comforting her husband. However, when she saw her daughter, whom she had carried for ten months, lying in a hospital bed with an IV drip in her arm and her face flushed from coughing, her maternal instincts kicked in again. Ignoring the medical staff's eager attempts to see her, she sat on the edge of the bed and burst into tears.

Lin Xiaoxi can't walk yet, but she can sit and crawl, and she can babble some simple syllables.

She was originally being held in her grandmother's arms.

Upon seeing its mother, its two large, round eyes immediately lit up, and it stretched out its arms towards its mother.

The chubby little girl pouted, looking utterly aggrieved, and tried to murmur, "Mom...cough cough cough...Mommy..."

Who could stand this scene?
Lin Xiao's eyes immediately stung and swelled, not to mention Han Xixi, who quickly hugged her daughter, tears streaming down her face.

A number of medical staff had already gathered at the entrance of the VIP single ward.

Liu Liyun, calm and perceptive, quickly closed the door and then helplessly comforted him, "Alright, why are you crying? You're a mother now, why are you so fragile, crying so easily! The baby is fine, the doctor said he'll be able to go home after a week of IV fluids, and he just needs to take good care of himself at home..."

What was meant to be comforting words actually made Han Xixi even more upset.

"You need to have IV fluids for a week? Xiao Chu, you've suffered so much, Mom is so sorry..."

Then she cried even harder.

Liu Liyun was quite helpless, so she simply stopped talking.

After a busy day, all three of them were exhausted, so Liu Liyun invited them out for a meal, leaving time for the newly reunited family of three.

The room felt very cozy when the door was closed.

After Lin Xiaoxi started receiving the IV drip, she felt much better immediately. In addition, after hugging her mother, her spirits quickly recovered, and she soon started giggling again.

Lin Xiao and Han Xixi were relieved.

That night, the couple stayed at the hospital to take care of the patient.

Because it was a high-end private ward in a private hospital, there was plenty of room. After the little girl fell asleep, the couple calmed down on the beds beside her.

“Wife, I have an idea!” Lin Xiao said.

"Hmm, what?" Xixi replied.

"I think... after the village and town merger is completed, I will submit a report to the organization to apply for resignation!"

"Um?!!"

Xi Xi sat up immediately in shock, her eyes wide with astonishment.

After a long pause, she calmly asked, "Why? Is it because Xiao Chu is sick?"

Lin Xiao sighed: "A part."

This answer surprised Han Xixi.

“And what about the other part?” she asked.

“The other part… feels disheartened!” Lin Xiao said earnestly.

Xi Xi was speechless for a moment.

"Wife?"

"Well, I'm listening, go ahead."

Xi Xi's gentle voice relieved Lin Xiao of all his frustration.

He calmly said, "In the past two years of working in rural towns, my mindset has changed a lot compared to before. At the beginning, I was indeed very passionate, full of enthusiasm to take root in the grassroots and serve my hometown. I was particularly dedicated and hardworking in my work... I'm not exaggerating when I say that, am I?"

Xi Xi chuckled softly, "Of course, you've been so focused on your work that you only had time to date me, get married, and have a child..."

Lin Xiao was amused by his wife's words.

In the dark hospital room, their daughter slept soundly, and the couple were gentle with each other.

Lin Xiao continued, "When I was in Chaobai Town, I was quite enthusiastic about my work. Maybe it was because it was my hometown, so I felt very close to it. The leaders and the masses were very understanding of me, and there were no conflicts."

"But when I got to Starlight Town, the feeling completely changed. I don't know if it's related to the change in my status. Before, I was the deputy mayor. If there was a big problem, the mayor would take the blame. I just needed to do my job."

"Now I'm the town mayor, and I'm the tallest person in the entire Starlight Town. I have to take the blame for everything. Plus, my identity is now under scrutiny online, so I have to pay attention to online reviews and negative public opinion while carrying out my duties. The requirements are even higher... I'm really feeling overwhelmed lately!"

Xi Xi nodded: "I understand what you're saying. In the two years since I debuted, I've really experienced what it means to be lonely at the top. As a celebrity, every move you make is easily magnified by netizens, leading to malicious speculation. I'm just a singer and this is the case. As a government official, the moral expectations netizens have for you will only be higher!"

Lin Xiao smiled.

He told his wife these things only to seek understanding and comfort, not to get any good advice from her.

There's no solution to this, or rather, I should just have to bear it.

After all, you've enjoyed the fame and fortune that comes with the traffic, which is a wealth that ordinary people can never achieve in a lifetime. Just be happy about it!

When they were making money and becoming famous, they would endlessly jump around online, shouting "Look here, look here!" But when they were being discussed and cyberbullied, they started saying "I hope everyone respects personal privacy."
This is too classic! Acting like a prostitute while trying to maintain a virtuous image!
Lin Xiao isn't the kind of person who would complain after eating, and he didn't mean to criticize netizens.

Han Xixi understood him, so she asked, "But you understand these things better than I do, and you've often comforted and advised me before. It's not like you'd suddenly want to resign because of this, especially since our reputations have been pretty good lately, and netizens haven't been criticizing you, have they?"

Lin Xiao smiled and said, "The main point is indeed not the trouble of being famous and talked about, but..."

He was too embarrassed to continue.

Xixi understood and asked, "The villagers' attitude?"

Lin Xiao was taken aback. This comforting feeling of "you understand even if I don't say it" instantly flowed through his body, making him feel very comfortable.

"Correct."

He nodded and began to speak, “I originally thought that because I had done so much for the villagers of Xingguang Town, everyone would trust and recognize me. Last time, the villagers joined together to present me and the town with 33 banners, and I also thought that I, as the town mayor, had gained everyone's recognition and had truly been accepted by the villagers.”

"As a result, at the housing selection site for the village-merging project yesterday, all the villagers changed their expressions and treated me like an enemy. Although the instigator was someone from Yaofa Engineering, the villagers were easily provoked, and they all looked like they wanted to devour me... I still remember those looks; it really chilled me to the bone!"

As Lin Xiao spoke, he sighed repeatedly.

Han Xixi didn't know how to comfort him for a moment.

She felt sorry for her husband from the bottom of her heart, and she saw in his eyes all the efforts he had made to develop the economy of Xingguang Town and improve the lives of the villagers.

To put it bluntly...

Lin Xiao decided to take on the role in "Longing for Married Life" for the sake of the development of Xingguang Town, which is why he decided to participate as the town mayor.

Otherwise, he could live off the copyrights to those songs for a lifetime, so why would he bother making a scene?

He doesn't love money, nor does he like being a public figure!

Otherwise, I would have resigned long ago; why would I have waited until now?

When he took on the show "Rebirth", the first few episodes were met with a barrage of criticism, and they all anticipated that it would be met with criticism.

After all, for a civil servant to appear openly in a variety show that focuses on private life is clearly "making money" and "illegally engaging in part-time work." If netizens don't criticize you, who else should they criticize?
Even though he had anticipated all of this, Lin Xiao still accepted the offer, simply because he wanted to use his influence and the show's popularity to bring an epic development opportunity to Starlight Town.

As it turns out, Lin Xiao's decision was very successful.

This year, the town had a bumper harvest of navel oranges, which sold very well. But let's not even talk about that. Xingguang Town, a poor mountain village with a remote location, inconvenient transportation, and ordinary scenery, has now become a well-known tourist destination in the country.

Without Lin Xiao and Han Xixi's reputation, what makes them so special?

Even now, the National Day holiday has long passed, and "Rebirth" has long been finished, but every day, people from other places who have heard of it can still be seen in the town and villages, and the scale is still quite considerable.

The rise of online celebrity tourism has brought considerable benefits to towns and villages.

After all, once people arrive, they need to sleep, drink water, and eat, and all of these cost money.

A bunch of new hotels and guesthouses have opened in the town, and a bunch of farmhouses have been built in the village. Making money from opening a business is one thing, but hiring people after opening a business also provides a lot of jobs, creating a virtuous cycle.

It is no exaggeration to say that all 8,000 permanent residents of the town have benefited directly or indirectly because of Lin Xiao.

They were also very grateful to Mayor Lin, which is why the 33 banners that were the subject of widespread online discussion a while ago became a trending topic.

but now.

The villagers' attitudes changed drastically simply because Mayor Lin implemented the policy of merging villages and towns in accordance with the instructions of higher authorities.

I used to regard him as a benefactor, but now he has become my blood enemy.

There's a saying: "A little kindness is appreciated, but too much kindness breeds resentment."

Xixi felt that the phrase was perfect for her husband and the villagers of Xingguang Town.

Lin Xiao rarely felt so frustrated about work.

So right now, although Xixi understands him and feels sorry for him, she doesn't know how to comfort him.

A moment of silence fell over the ward.

"Wife?" Lin Xiao called out.

"Hmm~"

"I'm done."

Lin Xiao's unspoken message: It's your turn to love me!

Xi Xi said seriously, "Okay, I understand... You should resign!" Lin Xiao: "Huh???"

Xi Xi remained very calm.

"What did you say?"

"You...aren't you going to try to persuade me?" Lin Xiao was shocked.

"Why should I try to persuade you? You're such a decisive person. Why would I need to advise you on something you've already decided on?"

Xi Xi wasn't being sarcastic at all. She laughed and said, "Anyway, your wife is a big star, and she's officially made her comeback now. Even if 80% of her earnings go into the foundation, the rest will be enough to support you and the baby. It's not a big problem!"

Lin Xiao was stunned for a moment, completely at a loss for words, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

He had only complained to get comfort from his wife, but she was so assertive that she silently took on the family responsibilities without offering any advice.

You need to know what Lin Xiao couldn't understand or what frustrating things he had experienced before.

Xi Xi always listened with gentleness and tranquility, and then said many reasonable and considerate things from angles he never thought of.

Lin Xiao felt that his wife absolutely deserved the title of "compassionate confidante".

But now?
This woman didn't say a word, she just focused on earning money to support her family!
Lin Xiao: Wife, you've changed!

But inexplicably, my mood immediately improved a lot.

XiXi (with a smug look): Tell me, did you comfort me or not!

……

Lin Xiao mentioned resigning, but the matter was ultimately left unresolved in the couple's conversation.

The couple's biggest concern right now is their daughter's illness.

Although Xixi was overflowing with maternal love and wanted to stay by her daughter's side forever.

But she has now officially returned to work, and because she has taken on the responsibility of the foundation, she has deliberately added a lot of work to fulfill her promise to primary school students in rural areas of the province, and she is extremely busy now.

The endorsement contract was signed, and various announcements were arranged, making the schedule extremely full.

These schedules cannot be changed arbitrarily just because something comes up at the last minute.

To put it bluntly.

Even if your parents die today, you still have to go on stage tomorrow. Not only do you have to go on stage, but you also have to go on stage with a smile.

This is the professional ethics of an artist.

It sounds cruel, but when you consider that celebrities can earn tens of millions for a single variety show or millions for a single performance, this so-called cruelty is not cruel at all, but rather quite reasonable.

Xixi has to leave early tomorrow morning to catch up on her next engagement.

Therefore, the task of taking care of their daughter fell to Lin Xiao.

Mayor Lin smoothly accepted the heavy responsibility entrusted to him by his wife.

On the one hand, he felt that his daughter's illness was purely caused by staying with him in Mashan County, and as an old father, he felt extremely guilty and heartbroken.

On the other hand, it was because an earthquake unique to Mashan County had begun.

Mayor Han had already taken Lin Xiao's words to heart and agreed readily, but when he learned in the evening that his granddaughter had been misdiagnosed in Mashan County, which had worsened her condition, he became even angrier.

The lawsuit was filed on Saturday.

The special inspection team arrived in Mashan County on Monday.

Extremely efficient.

However, while Lin Xiao could target Yaofa Project, the inspection team couldn't just go to private enterprises. So this time, they went to Mashan County to conduct special inspections of various county-level departments.

Since Yu Yaojun's backer was in the county, most of the projects he undertook were projects led by the county.

So we started by investigating at the county level, and every investigation there turned out to be accurate.

The inspection came suddenly, and County Head Wan Zhilong was completely unprepared. He was practicing Tai Chi in the park at 7:00 a.m. when he received a call from the Municipal Office at 7:30 a.m. saying that the inspection team would arrive at 9:00 a.m. and that he should make the necessary arrangements for the meeting.

Wan Zhilong was completely bewildered, unable to figure out what kind of play this was.

Having worked within the system for so many years, even the most sudden inspections and urgent matters would at least have some prior warning.

But this time, there was none at all.

Wan Zhilong immediately realized that this inspection team might have ill intentions—something big was about to happen in Mashan County.

Monday morning, the county was in complete chaos.

Lin Xiao then informed the three deputy town mayors and asked for two days off to stay home and take care of his daughter.

He said he was asking for leave, but as the top leader, how could the deputy mayor disagree?

Everyone was especially grateful to the mayor, and they all patted their chests and promised to keep a close eye on everything so that the mayor could stay home and take care of his daughter without worry.

The most crucial issue in the town right now is the merger of villages and the consolidation of the town.

However, given what happened at the house selection site last Friday, the town will continue to send teams to various villages to do the work, so there shouldn't be any major problems.

Mayor Lin's dramatic announcement at the scene of donating over 40 million yuan to establish an arts education fund has gone viral online.

Yu Yaofa's attempt to cause trouble backfired, but instead made Lin Xiao famous, who was hailed as a contemporary Buddha and the epitome of goodness.

Although the number of households that decided to select a house on site was not large.

But after what happened on Friday, something interesting happened on Saturday and Sunday.

After the trending topic "Lin Xiao and his wife donated 40 million yuan" was taken down, two related trending topics emerged, titled "Smoke rose from Xingguang Town" and "Villagers of Xingguang Town do not know what is good for them".

The first one is easy to understand. It simply means that Xingguang Town was incredibly lucky to have a superstar and philanthropic mayor who appeared out of nowhere. He not only single-handedly led the town to rapid fame and development, but also donated all the money he earned to develop basic education.

Without Lin Xiao's arrival...

Given Xingguang Town's remote location, it's likely that even after the country declares itself a developed country, they'll still be developing.

The popularity and splendor of Starlight Town today are all thanks to Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao's assignment there was entirely random, without any special consideration.

So, Starlight Town is just lucky. Isn't that like their ancestors' graves emitting auspicious smoke?
The second topic follows directly from the first.

The netizens' meaning is: Your ancestors in Xingguang Town must have kowtowed so hard underground that they were dizzy from all the effort to get this rare and good town mayor, who provides traffic, development, and even real money. But you unworthy descendants don't hurry up and follow Mayor Lin's lead. Instead, you are all fooled by villains and come to the housing selection site to cause trouble and repay kindness with enmity.

Isn't this ungrateful?
Netizens are furious.

Many of the comments were from impoverished areas, and they were so excited in the comments section that they beat their chests and stamped their feet, saying that they left their hometowns to work elsewhere because they had no other options. If such a town mayor were to emerge from their hometowns, they would never leave home and would seize the opportunity to work hard at home.

Of course, these crazy comments from netizens are also based on the popularization of the "merging villages and towns" policy by some knowledgeable netizens.

After explanation, coupled with the rapid urbanization process in the country over the years.

Netizens readily accepted the necessity of merging villages and towns, and naturally felt that these villagers were ungrateful.

The more netizens talked, the angrier they became, and the more intense their insults became.

This topic even trended on social media, remaining popular throughout the weekend.

This is just great.

Previously, Lin Xiao and Han Xixi were the ones who were swept up by public opinion and subjected to endless abuse from netizens.

Now the situation has suddenly reversed.

Mayor Lin single-handedly hijacked the entire town of Xingguang, turning its 8,000 permanent residents and 20,000 registered residents into targets of public criticism—quite a large target indeed.

The topic has become so heated.

Even if Xingguang Town is isolated and the villagers are not highly educated, most of them are still part of the internet community.

So it spreads from online to offline, and then from offline to online again.

It was also during the period when the issue was spreading online that the phrase "ungrateful" was slapped hard and accurately across the faces of all the villagers, especially those who resisted the policy of merging villages and towns.

With the lead of 25 villagers who chose houses on Friday, plus this event over the weekend.

Township officials are confident that if they go down to the villages to do their work again, they will encounter much less resistance than before.

We can take it all down within a month, no problem.

It was already early November.

Although it is already the beginning of winter, the southern regions are still bathed in golden leaves and blazing sunshine.

However, it is no longer the same as the bright summer days.

As the autumn winds grow stronger, winter is approaching, and the mountains are filled with a desolate scene.

It's definitely a good time to settle accounts. (End of Chapter)