Chapter 93: There Are Always Petty Villains Seeking to Harm Me

The person in charge of Cat Paw Live, upon seeing the person in charge of Wang Wang Live, immediately stepped forward to greet them with great warmth—

The kind of greeting involving slapping shoulders and draping arms around necks!

"Old Qian, long time no see. I recall you were previously responsible for Wang Wang's indoor livestreams. Why are you out here today? Were you reassigned to outdoor broadcasts?"

"Old Zhong, seeing how successfully you've been handling outdoor streams, the company simply dispatched me over to manage the outdoor division."

Old Zhong glanced at the facilities surrounding him, then surveyed the area filled entirely with nursing homes, and asked, "Don't tell me Wang Wang is also jumping into public welfare and charity?"

Old Qian grinned and said, "As expected of you; you guessed correctly. Wang Wang Live is officially entering the realm of public welfare and charity, preparing to invite the March Sky boy band to serve as our charity ambassadors!"

"Heh, is that so? How come I haven't received any news? Perhaps communication hasn't been smooth?"

"Regarding internal company communications, I'm not entirely clear either; only my superiors know a bit more."

"I'm somewhat surprised that Wang Wang is also following suit with outdoor broadcasts. Didn't your CEO previously state a firm commitment to maintaining an indoor entertainment-focused strategy?"

"People's ideas change anytime. Moreover, the Wang Wang family is vast and prosperous; outdoor livestreaming is just something we're casually dabbling in. Surely Cat Paw isn't treating outdoor broadcasts as its main business venture? That would show rather narrow vision..."

The two persons in charge traded barbs while chatting and laughing lively.

If Jin Li and the others hadn't overheard their conversation, one might have mistaken them for close buddies!

The persons in charge escorted their respective artists away, heading toward the designated nursing homes.

As they parted ways, Gu Cheng specifically asked Jin Li, "How do you plan to get back tonight?"

Jin Li replied, "Little Chen will come to pick me up."

Gu Cheng said, "Have Little Chen join us in our vehicle. There are some ideas regarding the group variety show that I'd like to discuss with you."

Jin Li answered without a second thought, "Sure!"

Upon entering the nursing home,

Jin Li communicated briefly with the Cat Paw representative before starting the livestream.

Netizens who followed Jin Li immediately entered the livestream room, along with many passersby, fans, and the diligent friends who came daily to learn.

[Subconsciously thought I'd wandered into the wrong place; it's actually an outdoor broadcast today. *dazed face*.jpg]

[Finally not studying? Has Pear Baby decided to take a break?]

[Laughing until crying, so this is a scheduled event! I actually thought Pear Baby was taking a vacation!]

Jin Li greeted the netizens in the livestream room; the special effects had already been set to the public welfare broadcast theme.

"Today's broadcast is a public welfare livestream. Accompanied by Cat Paw Live, I am stepping into the twilight years of the elderly. I ask everyone to pay more attention and show greater care for the elderly."

She paused slightly, then spoke softly, "They accompanied us through our youthful years; now we must accompany them through their final journey."

Jin Li's voice was very soft, yet somehow it pierced straight into the hearts of the netizens.

[Tears starting to well up]

[Missing my grandpa, grandma, maternal grandpa, and maternal grandma; I'm calling them today!]

[Everyone, please don't disdain the elderly; they are simply old! Birth, aging, sickness, and death are processes every person must inevitably experience...]

At that same moment, over at Wang Wang Live,

As soon as the March Sky boy band began broadcasting, Wang Wang Live sent a push notification to all users across the entire platform, simultaneously activating the massive weapon known as [SMS Push Notification].

Many people, prompted by the website's notifications, flooded into the March Sky livestream room.

Compared to the harmonious comment section on Jin Li's side, the March Sky livestream room was chaotic.

[Public welfare broadcast? Wang Wang has lowered its standards, actually competing with Cat Paw!]

[My idol is so handsome; the outfit he's wearing today looks great!]

[This environment seems a bit familiar; isn't it exactly the same as Jin Li's location? Could you possibly be broadcasting from the same place?]

As soon as this comment appeared, the fans of March Sky rushed to investigate.

The result was indeed affirmative!

Consequently, the style of the livestream comments shifted abruptly, turning into fans condemning Wang Wang Live for lacking sincerity, actually arranging them to be in the same location as Jin Li.

How could Jin Li possibly be mentioned in the same breath as our brothers?

Just two words: Unworthy!

While the comment section on the March Sky side descended into chaos, Jin Li's broadcast had already gotten onto the right track.

Before conducting the public welfare broadcast, Cat Paw, following Jin Li's requirements, had asked the elderly in advance: Do you want to appear on television? Can you appear on television? Do you wish to appear on television?

Those willing to appear publicly online would be featured on the livestream.

For those unable to appear on camera, an audio recording would suffice; everything was negotiable.

This public welfare livestream was conducted primarily in an interview format, allowing everyone to understand the stories of the elderly.

Therefore, within this broadcast, dialogue took center stage.

Jin Li would not film specific details regarding the nursing home's environment or facilities, as these were largely similar everywhere anyway.

Surrounding this nursing home were several others; if one facility performed poorly, the others would soon know, and customers would subsequently choose not to place their elderly relatives there.

Relying on mutual supervision among peers, the equipment and environment across this cluster of nursing home buildings were quite acceptable.

Jin Li looked at the elderly sitting in the courtyard basking in the sun.

The elderly had their eyes slightly closed, sitting in reclining chairs, appearing somewhat leisurely and content.

At this moment, her mobile phone had already been handed over to a Cat Paw Live staff member, who held it to conduct the filming.

Since it was called a mobile phone livestream, it should be conducted using a mobile phone.

Cat Paw never engaged in deception in this aspect, restoring the most authentic livestream scene.

Following the procedure,

Jin Li was supposed to randomly select an elderly person and ask about their story, but the moment her eyes met the gaze of an elderly person looking over, she suddenly didn't want to do that anymore.

What kind of gaze was that?

Mediocre, boring, numb, and merely getting by.

But even as they looked at people, a hint of longing would appear in their eyes, as if retaining a trace of childhood innocence.

Jin Li could feel that these elders longed to spend time with her, wishing she would stay a while longer instead of leaving after just a brief stop.

She suddenly turned to ask the staff member, "Does the nursing home carry out any care and support activities? Does anyone come to visit them every month?"

The staff member, holding up a mobile phone, first froze, inwardly exclaiming how close a call that was, before replying outwardly, "Yes, volunteers come every month."

Fortunately, he had researched this aspect a few days ago; otherwise, he would have been completely clueless right now!

Jin Li asked, "What kind of people come to volunteer? What about the elders' relatives?"

The Mao Zhua employee replied, "People from the community come regularly, and nearby middle school students visit as well. As for family—"

He paused, appearing somewhat hesitant, "I'm not entirely sure, but very few probably come."

It was a simple logic: if visits were frequent, there would be no need to send them to a nursing home; they could just be taken back home.

Precisely because family cannot visit often, they place their relatives in nursing homes for others to care for on their behalf.

After pondering for a moment, Jin Li walked to the center of the courtyard, smiled at the elders, and said, "Grandpas and Grandmas, how about I do your makeup for you?"

"Makeup?"

One grandma spoke slowly, a flicker of memory crossing her face as she shook her head, "No makeup. I'm already old; no more makeup. You young people should wear it."

Jin Li shook her head, "The elderly can wear makeup too. Even at seventy, eighty, ninety, or a hundred years old, we can all become exquisite little old men and little old ladies."

She stepped forward a few paces to encourage them, "It's been a long time since you wore makeup, hasn't it? Come and try. Who says the elderly can't wear makeup? In a while, we'll put on beautiful makeup, take beautiful photos, and then beautifully tell our own stories."

The grandmas looked at each other, feeling that this young person was quite interesting.

As for the grandpas, they watched the scene with amusement. Those with wives encouraged their spouses to give it a try.

Those without wives also joined the fun, egging them on without fear of causing trouble.

However, the next second, Jin Li said with a smile in her eyes, "None of you can escape; Grandpas need to wear makeup too!"

[Hahaha, the expression on Grandpa's face instantly froze!]

[Grandpa: How did eating melon seeds turn into being the melon itself?]

[Grandpa is anxious, he's really anxious, shaking his head even more vigorously than Grandma!]

Jin Li said calmly and steadily, "Rest assured, we won't apply makeup recklessly. If you really don't want it, we'll just trim your eyebrows and hair; we won't do anything rash."

After she made this decision with great energy, the Mao Zhua Live staff immediately called a makeup artist, asking them to bring some cosmetics suitable for the elderly.

"For the elderly?" The makeup artist was bewildered. "There are no cosmetics for the elderly sold on the market?"

The staff member said urgently, "Then just use the baby ones for them! Who isn't a baby at heart?"

The makeup artist looked utterly serious and said, "You are right!"

At the same time, the staff member called the upper management of Mao Zhua Live to report the unexpected developments in the livestream.

The one who answered the phone was Zhong Wenkun, also known as Old Zhong.

He had just stepped away for a moment, mainly to keep an eye on Wang Wang and see exactly where they were conducting their livestream.

Zhong Wenkun felt this was no coincidence.

The company had only just signed the contract with Jin Li yesterday, yet Wang Wang received the news yesterday as well, even temporarily bringing over the March Sky boy band to challenge Jin Li.

There must be a traitor within the company!

Someone is always out to harm Mao Zhua.jpg!

Zhong Wenkun thought to himself that once today's livestream ended and they returned to the company, he must hold a proper meeting and launch an internal self-inspection campaign.

They would fire all the traitors!

When he heard his phone ring, his brow twitched, and he quickly answered it.

"Hello?"

"You're saying all this was Jin Li's impromptu idea? Since it was her idea, then follow her plan!" Zhong Wenkun said with absolute decisiveness.

In the realm of charity livestreaming, Mao Zhua was actually less sharp than she was.

Before Jin Li became the charity ambassador, Mao Zhua had conducted outdoor fruit sales livestreams and even promoted slogans about aiding farmers.

But the results were minimal.

Some people simply possess that kind of talent.

When others did it, the outcome was half-dead.

When Jin Li did it, it was like a dying person's final surge of energy; that extinguished small universe directly roared back to life, burning fiercely.

Therefore, this time, Zhong Wenkun chose to trust Jin Li.

Besides, even if he objected, it would be useless!

The livestream had already started; he couldn't possibly run over to argue with Jin Li and insist she follow the script.

Wouldn't that just make a fool of themselves for everyone to see?

He wasn't that stupid!

At the same moment.

Over at the March Sky boy band, the livestream encountered a slight problem.

It wasn't an issue with the comments in the livestream room, but rather that the March Sky boy band couldn't handle the elders here.

Upon hearing they were to be interviewed and appear on television, the elders shook their heads one after another, their faces full of refusal.

"Appear on what television? My children don't even come to see me; they are busy with work every day. Even if I appear on TV, they won't see me!"

"I am a very shy person; I have never been on television before, and I don't want to this time either. Just let me pass away peacefully."

"The internet is something you young people know how to handle; I don't understand it. A few days ago, I heard a news report saying a young girl was cyberbullied and then jumped into a river. What if I get cyberbullied?"

The members of March Sky looked at each other, unsure of how to persuade them.

Meanwhile, in the livestream room, a large crowd of onlookers arrived, wave after wave of comments sweeping away the fans' excessive praise.

[Hahaha, it's obvious Wang Wang Live didn't communicate well with the elders. You have to agree with the elders who are willing to appear on TV before they will cooperate!]

To be honest, though the old man was advanced in years, his heart remained young, and his thoughts were quite up-to-date.

"Grandma, don't be afraid; if you get cyberbullied, I'll stand behind you, waving flags and cheering, to help you cyberbully them back!"

In the end, it was Chen Lin, the fool with fool's luck, who was the first to break through an elder's defenses.

After chatting with one of the elders for a long time, Chen Lin finally asked, "Grandpa, give me a straight answer: what must I do for you to agree to an interview?"

The grandpa faced away from the camera; the livestream could only capture his back, not his face.

Although his voice was hoarse, his words carried immense strength and vitality.

"You look quite like my dear grandson; tell you what, if you can find my grandson for me, I will accept your interview."

Chen Lin grew anxious; he had to complete the interview today, yet it was already afternoon—how could he possibly find the man's grandson now!

Even if they managed to contact the grandson, whether the grandson could actually come was another matter entirely.

Even under the most favorable circumstances, by any calculation, the grandson wouldn't be able to arrive until tomorrow.

A sudden impulse struck Chen Lin, and he blurted out, "Grandpa, can I be your grandson instead?"

[Hahaha, I'm dying of laughter; is Chen Lin trying to laugh me to death so he can inherit my Huabei and Baitiao debts?]

[Chen Lin: Adopting a grandpa on the spot! (Righteously indignant)]

[Others just can't compare; everyone should learn from Comrade Chen Lin, who went all out just for an announcement!]

Yan Xingdong, Luo Yi, and Gu Cheng exchanged glances, each revealing a trace of helplessness.

Adopting a grandpa on the spot was something they could not do, but fulfilling the elder's wish was something they could at least attempt.

And so.

Netizens who arrived one after another discovered that in the March Sky Boy Group's charity livestream, not a single elder's face had been captured; viewers only saw the boy group running all over Mandajie—

Carrying things for the elders, rubbing their backs, cooking for them, singing for them...

Meanwhile, over with Jin Li, the interviews were already underway.

Face-to-face communication felt too rigid and not relaxed enough; Jin Li wanted the elders to have a better experience during the interviews.

So, while applying makeup for them, she listened to them recount their stories.

The first elder Jin Li helped with makeup was a grandpa.

Since the grandpa explicitly stated he didn't want powder, she merely trimmed his eyebrows and tidied his hair.

Jin Li asked, "Do you remember anything from your childhood?"

The grandpa smiled. "I do; though I've forgotten many things, there is one matter I have always remembered."

He began to speak slowly, "When I was young, my family was poor; my father was a porter, specializing in carrying goods for others. He had to rise before dawn to trek from our village to the county town.

On the two market days each month, he would take the items villagers entrusted to him and sell them in the county town.

Once, my father took me along; I held a large bundle of goods in my hands. It was heavy, but I dared not let go.

That day, dawn had not yet broken, and the road was pitch black; if you stretched out your hand, you couldn't even see your own fingers...

My father told me to keep walking straight ahead of him. As we walked, I gradually could no longer hear his voice; I only remembered keeping forward, moving forward."

The grandpa paused. "Many children in our village got lost while traveling night roads; by the time their parents realized it, the children were already lost on some unknown path."

He emphasized specifically, "I nearly got lost myself back then, but then my father called my name. Hearing his voice, I realized I had drifted far off course and fallen well behind.

From that point on, whenever my father took me to the market at night, he would call my name every so often, which is why the memory remains so vivid..."

Jin Li asked a few more questions, which the grandpa answered after some thought; before long, the interview was nearly complete.

Jin Li also finished tidying up the grandpa and took a photograph of him.

Jin Li asked him, "Do you have any wishes, such as wanting to see your children or something?"

The grandpa shook his head. "I want to see them, but only after I die will I be able to; it will be soon, very soon I will be able to see them."

Jin Li's expression grew somewhat heavy.

Only just now had she learned that this grandpa had no living relatives left in the world; even if there were distant kin, he had no way to contact them.

Jin Li suddenly felt that pressing the camera's shutter button was an incredibly heavy act.

Looking at the smiling expression on the grandpa's face in the photo, her eyes stung with acidity.

Jin Li began applying makeup for the second elder.

The second elder was a grandma; her hair had been specially permed into tight wool curls, looking quite fashionable.

When Jin Li asked if she wanted makeup, the grandma readily agreed.

She said, "When I was young, I loved being pretty too, but as I aged, the styles of clothes I liked became old-fashioned, unable to keep up with the youth, so gradually I stopped caring about dressing up."

Jin Li said, "Grandma, don't worry about keeping up with others; just do what you like, and the same applies to dressing up.

Dressing up is meant to make yourself feel good, not to compare with others. Grandma, there's no need to be shy; no one says that just because you've grown old, you lose the right to pursue beauty."

The grandma nodded with a smile. "Yes, yes! That's exactly what I think; that's why I specifically went to get a perm."

She gently touched her hair. "Do you think it looks good?"

Jin Li smiled brightly and said sincerely, "It looks wonderful; better than any curly hair I've ever seen!"

She truly felt it looked good.

This beauty was not merely superficial visual appeal; rather, behind these curls, she saw the grandma's spirit of positive love for life.

This spirit was more beautiful than any outward appearance.

Because of love, there is passion, and thus brilliance.

While Jin Li combed her hair, the grandma brought up matters from her childhood.

"When I was small, before I started school, I helped my parents raise pigs and herd cattle. Later, when I could attend school, every day after class I still had to cut several bags of pigweed to take home and feed the pigs. The happiest days back then were during the New Year, because only then could we eat a little meat.

When I was young and poor with nothing to eat, my stomach would growl, so I would go dig for wild vegetables; I ate so many wild vegetables back then. Later, when I went out to work, I discovered that people in the city bought wild vegetables at high prices, yet I couldn't bear to even look at them."

The grandma shook her head. "I ate too much, and grew too tired of them! The moment I see wild vegetables, I lose my appetite; they bring back bad memories."

Jin Li asked, "Grandma, do you have any wishes?"

Grandma smiled: "At my age, what wish is there left to make? At most, I hope to depart without illness or disaster. I'd rather save that wish for my grandchildren, hoping they all grow up safe and sound."

"Jinbao, Jinbao! Grandpa is leaving soon, hurry back to see Grandpa, Grandpa is going to leave..."

Suddenly, a hoarse shout rang out.

Jin Li looked over and saw an old grandfather waving at the camera while calling out.

Seeing this, the other elders spoke up one after another: "Here he goes again!"

"Guess whether he can trick anyone this time?"

"He's already fooled people twice before; surely he won't get away with it a third time?"

"By doing this, isn't Old Luo afraid his children and grandchildren will stop coming altogether?"

Jin Li asked curiously: "Trick?"

The elderly lady who had just finished her makeup spoke: "Old Luo came up with some crooked scheme from who-knows-where, shouting into the camera so his children and grandchildren could hear him through it.

He claims he's on his last legs and will be gone soon, wanting the kids to come back and see him. His children fell for it twice; the first time, they rushed over in a panic, bringing their whole families.

The second time, only a few came, half-believing, half-doubting.

Today marks his fourth call; yesterday's was the third, but not a single person showed up."

Jin Li asked: "Don't your relatives come to visit you?"

The elderly lady said with a touch of melancholy: "They only return once a year during the New Year; otherwise, we never see them.

We know they're busy striving and struggling out there, so we don't call them often, it's just—"

Grandma sighed and whispered: "We miss them too!"

"My child wanted to take me to live in the city, but I've spent my entire life in the countryside, and my old sisters are here too; I can't get used to city life.

I can't stand those tall buildings there, nor the urbanites' habits; I haggle over every penny when buying vegetables, live frugally, and can't bear to see waste..."

Grandma paused, then continued: "Because of me, my child has quarreled with his wife several times. After thinking it over, I decided to return to the countryside.

Born a country person, I'll die a country person; this is my root, and I can no longer leave this place."

Meanwhile, over with the March Sky boy band.

After fulfilling numerous requests from several elders, finally some of them agreed to appear on camera for the livestream.

Things on their end finally got on track.

Jin Li trimmed the eyebrows and hair of all the elders; those willing got makeup applied, while those unwilling simply washed their faces.

She personally held the camera and took individual portraits of each one.

Yet with every press of the shutter, Jin Li felt the camera in her hands become unbearably heavy.

What virtue or ability did she possess to be worthy of photographing these elders?

What kind of lives lay behind each of those photographs?

"Jin Li? Sister Jin Li? Jin Li!"

Inside the van, Gu Cheng reached out and waved his hand before her eyes.

Jin Li snapped back to reality, meeting his worried gaze.

Gu Cheng asked: "Are you feeling alright? Ever since we got in the car, I've noticed you've been distracted; did something happen?"

Little Chen added at that moment: "Sister Jin Li's demeanor seemed a bit off while taking photos of the elders."

Jin Li shook her head with a smile: "It's nothing."

Seeing Gu Cheng's unconvinced expression, she emphasized again: "Really, it's nothing!"

"I was just pondering some things and got so lost in thought that I barely heard what you were saying."

Noticing Gu Cheng still staring at her, Jin Li simply took out the camera, flipped through the photos taken that afternoon, handed it over, and asked:

"What do you think of these photos I took?"

Gu Cheng flipped through a few and said: "They're quite good; the elders look spirited and are smiling happily."

Jin Li shook her head: "No, but I feel I didn't take them well."

She spoke honestly: "I know nothing about photography; the only two things I can do are tap the center of the screen to focus, then press the shutter.

While photographing them and listening to their stories, I suddenly felt unworthy of capturing them; my utterly unprofessional skills cannot bear the weight of their stories."

Gu Cheng thought for a moment and hit the nail on the head: "You feel you're not worthy?"

Jin Li immediately nodded.

Gu Cheng couldn't help but smile: "So all this time you were troubled, it was over this!"

Jin Li glared at him: "I think this topic is quite serious."

Gu Cheng instantly restrained his laughter, reached out, and gently ruffled her hair, saying earnestly: "Then strive to become someone who is worthy!"

"The Sister Jin Li I know has always worked hard and never admitted defeat. If you feel unworthy, then chase after it and become someone who is worthy."

A glimmer of contemplation passed through Jin Li's eyes.

She lowered her head to look at the camera and asked: "What do you think about photography?"

Gu Cheng: "It's quite good; it can record people's lives and also document the changes of the times."

He took out his phone: "Should I look up the specific subcategories of photography for you?"

Jin Li nodded again: "Yes."

The two of them pointed at the phone screen and began discussing photography.

Meanwhile, the others in the van exchanged glances, none knowing how to interject.

Chen Lin sighed: "At first, I felt I could say a few words, but as the topic grew more profound—photographic expression techniques, methods of visual storytelling, the relationship between photography and society... just listening made me dizzy. Is this the daily conversation of grind-dogs?"

Luo Yi: "Same here; that's why ordinary people can't compare to grind-dogs."

Yan Xingdong cut straight to the point: "Stop making excuses for your own slacking; you guys are capable of grinding too!"

Chen Lin and Luo Yi looked over.

They saw that Yan Xingdong had somehow taken out a musical score; well, he too had started composing.

Luo Yi fell silent for a moment, head bowed as he rummaged through his bag.

Chen Lin suddenly had a bad feeling.

He immediately grabbed Luo Yi's arm. "Brother, don't abandon me! Brother, come, come, let's play a game first, good brother!!"

Luo Yi stared at him, pried his fingers open one by one, pulled the lyric sheet from the bag, and said helplessly:

"Brother, unless you go mad, you cannot succeed! If you don't join the rat race, how can your future be bright?"

Chen Lin nearly sobbed, tears falling. "...Brother, your heart is so cruel!"