Chapter 31

However, after saying this, he noticed Captain Wang's expression was very strange, and he was looking at the two unfamiliar young men beside him.

He had seen them when he walked in, but hadn't paid much attention.

Now, looking again.

"Hiss~~ eh~~ why does this young man look a bit familiar."

(Seeking data!).

No. 25 and No. 51 have withdrawn from the competition, the production team held an emergency meeting overnight!

Fang Yang smiled awkwardly: "Bureau Chief Chen, if I'm not mistaken, uh... I should be that young man you're talking about!"

Cameraman: "...."

Captain Wang, lying on the bed, burst out laughing.

It was rare to see such a serious person laugh so joyfully.

Bureau Chief Chen was so embarrassed he could have dug a hole to hide in.

"Ah... well... our great hero of Xihai City, that's perfect. This money is for you then. But you can consider my suggestion from earlier."

Fang Yang hurriedly took the money, just about to politely decline, when he heard movement at the door again.

The group turned to look, and it was actually the Party Secretary of Xihai City arriving with reporters. Fang Yang had seen him that afternoon.

He, too, seemed like a different person, greeting them with a smile, hurrying to Captain Wang's bedside, and grabbing his hand.

"Captain Wang, congratulations on successfully solving the case. On behalf of the people of Xihai City, I thank you. Also, I've already discussed it with your Chief; it won't be long before I'll have to call you Bureau Chief Wang!"

Bureau Chief Chen, standing nearby, immediately smiled and offered his congratulations: "Then I'll congratulate Bureau Chief Wang in advance too!"

Captain Wang felt uncomfortable being praised by two leaders and could only smile awkwardly and act humble.

Immediately after, the Mayor thought for a moment and said: "By the way, where is Fang Yang, the one who solved the case with you? We must keep such talent in Xihai City at all costs. Don't let anyone else poach him."

Bureau Chief Chen pointed awkwardly at Fang Yang: "He's right next to you!"

"Ah?" The Mayor turned around and saw Fang Yang standing there, smiling at him brightly.

He immediately stood up, walked over, and shook Fang Yang's hand: "Young man, on behalf of the people of Xihai City, I thank you for your selfless contribution. I wonder if you're free tomorrow noon? I'd like to invite you to a home-cooked meal."

You have to know that the Mayor had several reporters following him at the time; regardless of his true intentions, he had to keep up appearances.

"Ah?" Now it was Fang Yang's turn to be stunned. The Mayor was inviting him to dinner at his home.

He didn't want to go at all. He'd have to be respectful and constrained for the sake of a meal—that was practically insane!

Looking at the Mayor's sincere eyes, Fang Yang said a bit shyly: "Um, Mayor... let's skip the meal... can I just take the cash equivalent instead!"

Cameraman: "..."

Captain Wang: "...."

Bureau Chief Chen: "..."

Mayor: "!!!"

The netizens in the live stream burst out laughing at this scene.

【Popularity】 +1+1+1+1.

【Popularity】 +1+1+1+1....

——"Awesome. The Mayor invites him to dinner, and he asks for the cash equivalent. This is the biggest joke I've seen all year. I'm laughing, but I also want to cry."

——"Damn, he's showing off again. I just want to ask, aren't you tired of showing off every single day?"

——"Mayor: My mentality has collapsed. I invite someone to dinner, and he asks me for money."

——"Bureau Chief Chen: Holy crap! Holy crap! I feel much more balanced now."

——"Don't you guys think it's very strange? He digs it up, he solves the case, and in the end, he gets all the benefits. And the murderer has the same name as him. It's terrifying when you think about it."

——"To the person above, someone like you couldn't afford a four-course meal in your whole life. Is it that hard to admit someone else is capable?"

The Mayor was so choked by Fang Yang's words that he couldn't recover for a long time. It was the first time he'd ever been rejected when inviting someone to dinner.

This was his home-cooked meal, which was much higher class than eating at a hotel.

It was also meant to prove how much he valued him.

But as it turned out, the person didn't want to eat; he wanted the cash equivalent.

It was as if he treated him like a walking ATM.

To ease the awkwardness, Captain Wang hurriedly said: "Mayor, you don't know, Fang Yang is currently participating in a live-streamed program and can't get away, that's why he asked for the cash equivalent."

With an out, the Mayor immediately understood: "Oh~~ I see. Well then, how about this, on behalf of Xihai City, I'll reward you with 20,000."

Hearing this, Fang Yang's eyes lit up: "Thank you, Mayor! The Mayor is truly a good person. If I have the chance, I'll definitely treat you to a meal!"

Everyone: "...."

Cameraman: "Taking your money to treat you to a meal, is this move even allowed? As expected of my brother!"

The Mayor could only smile awkwardly: "Young people today, their thinking is just so unconventional. You are a pillar of the country. Alright, I have other matters to attend to. I'll have someone send the money to you in a while."

Everyone nodded and saw the Mayor off.

Only Fang Yang was the most enthusiastic, his voice the loudest as he sent him off.

"Take care, Mayor! I'll be waiting right here!"

The Mayor's face twitched, and he couldn't help but quicken his pace to get away from this strange place as soon as possible.

That evening, the Mayor really did send 20,000 in cash. After saying goodbye to Captain Wang, Fang Yang took the cameraman for a big meal and returned to the hotel.

He was exhausted from the day's events. The two didn't even shower; they just collapsed on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.

That night, the management of "Ace Workplace Talent" held an emergency meeting.

The manager sat at the head of the table, looked at the dozen or so supervisors below, cleared his throat, and said seriously: "The ratings for the program over the past two days have far exceeded our budget. I believe everyone knows the reason for this."

"I called you all here today to discuss the 120,000 in prize money that contestant No. 26 received after solving this case. Whether it should count towards his competition assets is something you can all express your opinions on."

As soon as the manager finished speaking, there was a buzz of discussion below. Not long after, the first supervisor stood up.

"I don't think it should count. When the program was scheduled, it was agreed that they would earn money based on their profession. He couldn't have earned this money with an excavator. Even yesterday's 4,500 shouldn't be counted; otherwise, it's too unfair to the other contestants."

"I don't see it that way. Whether it's yesterday's 4,500 or today's 120,000, it's all compensation he received as a result of his job as an excavator operator. At the very least, he didn't go off to do another job. Besides, what is fairness? Was it fair when we drew lots for professions at the beginning? If No. 26 didn't know how to operate an excavator, who would have given him fairness?"

"Supervisor Zhang makes a very good point. Absolute fairness doesn't exist, and he didn't break any rules. He earned the money with his own skills, so there's no reason not to count it. However, it's only the second day and he already has over 100,000. I estimate that many people won't earn 120,000 even by the end of the competition. Should we consider deducting some? Otherwise, the other contestants won't have a chance at all."

"How do you deduct it? If you ask me, there are only two choices: either don't count it at all, or count it all. I personally lean towards counting it all. Of course, this might make our program a one-man show. Everyone will just run off to watch No. 26."

After listening to the discussion below, the manager couldn't help but sigh.

"While you were talking, I thought of a problem. He's earned 120,000 in just two days, and there are over a hundred days left. Even if we don't count his money today, what's the point? What if he earns another few hundred thousand tomorrow? Are we not going to count it every single day? The audience's spit alone will drown us by then."

As soon as these words were spoken, there was silence below.

That's right, even if it's not counted, what can they do?

If he can earn 120,000 in two days, there's no guarantee he won't earn more later.

It must be said that Fang Yang really gave them an unsolvable problem.

In the end, the meeting broke up in a confused manner. The conclusion was: just let him be!

Not long after, the official website of "Ace Workplace Talent" announced two pieces of information.

1. The 120,000 from contestant No. 26's case-solving and the Mayor's reward will all be counted as assets.

The comment section below was full of praise.

——"This is what a program should look like. Unlike some programs that blindly suppress the excellent and want to keep everyone balanced—how is that even possible?"

——"Must give a like. I personally support No. 26 winning the championship directly. No need to compete anymore, it's meaningless."

——"To the person above, I don't support your view. If he wins directly, where are we going to watch such an exciting live stream? Don't you want to know what he's going to dig up tomorrow?"

——"Ever since I watched the live stream for two days, I've been lying in bed at night wondering what he'll dig up tomorrow. Could it be an alien?"

——"If you ask me, he should fly to the moon, use a shovel to dig up the island of the little days, and then have it fall from mid-air and kill everyone."

——"No. 51 actually withdrew. I saw him working as a waiter yesterday and he seemed quite happy. What happened?"

——"To the person above, you must not have watched No. 26's live stream. Actually, he has self-awareness. It's better to withdraw early to avoid being tortured for half a year and then suffering a blow."

(Seeking data!).

26, The collapsed boss, a new construction unit!