[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner":3,"chapter-i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-chapter-36":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"chinese","I'm Not Crazy—This Is the Emperor's Banner",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},2291376,4480,"Chapter 36: Internet Celebrity","i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-chapter-36",36,"\u003Cp>In Shen Siyuan’s memory, Zhang Haibo’s home was a red-brick tile house—not dilapidated, but certainly old.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Built probably in the 70s or 80s, many bricks and tiles had cracked, and shady spots were covered in moss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The brick walls, worn by wind and sun, were pitted with tiny holes, and in spring, many bees loved to crawl into them.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So Shen Siyuan and his friends would cover the holes with IV bottles, poke a straw inside, and when the bees flew out, they’d land in the bottles—they could catch many in a single day.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>They used IV bottles because their wide bellies and narrow mouths made it hard for bees to escape once inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But all that was childhood nostalgia; now before Shen Siyuan stood a Western-style villa.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A genuine European-style villa, newly built, clearly not long ago.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Looks like Zhang Haibo really made it.” Shen Siyuan sighed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your family isn’t poor either—perfectly matched.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aunt Qi grabbed his arm and pulled him inside, as if she’d known the place forever.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Auntie, are you home?” Aunt Qi called out loudly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A short, dark-skinned middle-aged woman stepped out, followed by a girl, equally short, no taller than one meter sixty.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But her figure was full—curves where they should be, hips lifted, face delicate and flawless, seemingly without a single flaw—but upon closer look, thick foundation masked every imperfection.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was pretty, but the heavy makeup made it impossible to see her real face.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Cui Xiang, you’re here!” the woman greeted warmly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Auntie, hello,” Shen Siyuan said quickly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The woman was Zhang Haibo’s mother—he knew her well.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“This is Siyuan? You’ve grown so much! Let Auntie take a good look.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Haibo’s mother ignored Aunt Qi, grabbing Shen Siyuan’s hand to examine him closely.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Auntie, we haven’t seen each other in years—you haven’t changed a bit.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Nonsense, I’ve aged a lot,” she said, though her face beamed with joy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more she looked at Shen Siyuan, the more satisfied she became—tall, fair, clean-cut, eyes bright and sharp, and someone she knew well—she was very pleased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But her approval wasn’t enough; her daughter had to approve too.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She turned to her daughter standing behind her and waved her over. “What are you standing there for? Come here—let Aunt Qi introduce you two.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need for an introduction,” Aunt Qi laughed. “Look at how your sister’s acting—you two already know each other.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Haibo’s mother nodded. “This boy was classmates with our Haibo. He used to come over all the time as a kid—so mischievous. When you mentioned him, I remembered right away…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was about to introduce her daughter stepping forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mom, no need—you know I know Shen Datou.” She covered her mouth and giggled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When Shen Siyuan was a child, his head was noticeably larger than others’, hence the nickname.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But no one had called him that in years.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yet now, back home, first his uncle, and now Zhang Shengnan right here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, Zhang Shengnan was the girl’s name.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You two know each other? Wonderful!” Zhang Shengnan’s mother beamed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Auntie, we’re way too familiar—I remember her chasing me two miles with a stick covered in shit. I still remember it vividly, haha…” Shen Siyuan burst out laughing.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shengnan shot him a furious glare—he was ruining her reputation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You little brat…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shengnan’s mother glared at her daughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Her daughter’s name was perfectly fitting—she’d been a tomboy since childhood, so she didn’t doubt Shen Siyuan for a second.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mom, that’s not true—don’t listen to him.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shengnan instinctively wrinkled her nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shengnan’s mother instantly knew Shen Siyuan wasn’t lying—when Zhang Shengnan lied, she always wrinkled her nose.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Aunt Qi, let the kids talk on their own—we adults shouldn’t interfere.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Aunt Qi pulled her aside—today was for matchmaking, not for disciplining her daughter.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Stay for lunch?” Zhang Shengnan’s mother added casually.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She was just going through the motions.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No need to trouble you…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As they spoke, they walked inside, leaving only Shen Siyuan and Zhang Shengnan standing there.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Happy now?” Zhang Shengnan grumbled.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why’d you call me Shen Datou?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isn’t that your name? I didn’t give you the nickname—I’m just stating facts.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’m stating facts too.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pfft~ You’re a grown man, so petty,” Zhang Shengnan scoffed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan didn’t want to argue further—he’d chat a bit, fulfill the obligation, and give his mother a report.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So he changed the subject: “Didn’t your brother come back?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I heard he got rich—what business is he in in Yē City?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Are you here to date me or my brother? Why keep asking about him?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Alright, tell me about yourself—did you just graduate from university?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mm…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shengnan didn’t hide anything—she told Shen Siyuan everything plainly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, hiding wouldn’t help—anyone could find out this information.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shengnan and her brother Zhang Haibo were both poor students—Zhang Haibo didn’t even pass college entrance exams and went to Yē City to make his fortune.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shengnan did slightly better—she got into Qionghai Normal College, a second-tier university, majoring in elementary education—a field where graduation meant unemployment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So what are you planning to do?” Shen Siyuan asked curiously.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Since her brother was successful, she’d probably head to Yē City to join him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I signed with an MCN company—I create short video content. Do you have Douyin? Follow me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan, of course, had Douyin—he scrolled it constantly during work breaks.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Zhang Shengnan’s Douyin handle was 【Zhang Dali】—she had eighty thousand followers.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan clicked on a random video—and gasped.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There she was, dressed as a maid, crushing aluminum cans with her bare hands…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan stared at her in shock.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>She immediately raised both arms into a strongman pose, growling: “What are you staring at? I’ll punch you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing her like that, Shen Siyuan almost laughed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He hadn’t expected this tiny girl to be both violent and comedic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you think I’ll go viral?” Zhang Shengnan asked.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You might get small fame, but big fame? Unlikely,” Shen Siyuan said after thinking.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Why?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Because you have no real substance—hard for people to remember you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You don’t know anything.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Clearly, Shen Siyuan’s words annoyed Zhang Shengnan.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>On Douyin, girls who just shake their asses get millions of followers—what substance do they have?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Fine, Shen Siyuan was left speechless.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Actually, they were getting along fairly well—they had childhood ties.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But clearly, Zhang Shengnan didn’t want to date or marry yet—right now, all she wanted was to go viral, become a big internet celebrity.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan understood, so they exchanged contact info, didn’t stay for lunch, and left straight home—Aunt Qi had vanished already.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Seeing her son return, his mother Huang Huijuan rushed over, beaming.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How was the girl? Did she like you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No—we’re not compatible,” Shen Siyuan said.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Huang Huijuan’s smile vanished instantly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You haven’t even spent time together—how do you know you’re incompatible?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan pulled out his phone and opened Zhang Shengnan’s Douyin for her.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Isn’t that great? Strong arms mean good health—your kids will be tough, and you won’t have to worry about her abusing you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Mom, what are you saying? She won’t abuse me—I’m the one who’s scared!” Shen Siyuan groaned.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Pfft! Useless! What good are you? You’ve made me happy for nothing—go back to Binhai right away. I can’t stand seeing you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His mother turned away, face full of disgust, and walked back inside.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Shen Siyuan: …\u003C\u002Fp>",1221,"2026-06-20T03:53:08.657Z",1,"Qwen3-Next 80B","b034baa94f3e0dff752a9663a4d1be0b4d3a5093e021b30acc0c2aa4d1e92976","i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-chapter-37","i-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-chapter-35",623,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fi-m-not-crazy-this-is-the-emperor-s-banner-cover.jpg"]