Chapter 41

Chapter 41

Ji Wei had a bad feeling and continued to pay trolls to badmouth Shennong Star, but he didn’t expect that the trolls’ comments were too uniform and had already been spotted by observant internet users.

With Li Xinxin’s testimony and a professional professor backing it up, the narrative the trolls worked hard to create was starting to reverse.

Though the rumors hadn’t disappeared, more people were speaking up in support.

At this moment, Ji Wei felt a vague sense of unease.

He chalked it up to the situation not going his way and didn’t pay it much attention.

He told the trolls to change their rhetoric, to be less blatant, and after a while, the situation improved, steadying the public narrative.

[I bet the Shennong Star Lord is just buying PR. As soon as something happens on Shennong Star, bloggers post test reports. What a coincidence!]

[Give me a break! The Shennong Star Lord is too scared to live-stream the tests. What else is there to say?]

Seeing the new troll posts and the increasingly heated comment section, Ji Wei felt better.

Trust is hard to build but easy to break with a few doubts.

Even if some people are defending Shennong Star, its reputation is hard to fix, as doubt always lingers in people’s minds.

Besides, Ji Wei doubted the Lord could manage the surplus vegetables. People can wait, but veggies don’t stay fresh forever.

Not even a miracle could save Shennong Star!

However, not long after, Ji Wei was breaking out in a cold sweat.

Someone unexpected also chimed in to back Shennong Star.

[Miss Yun: Shennong Star, my classmate’s place, has great veggies.]

Below was a picture of a fancy table full of food with a random plate of sweet potatoes.

It was obviously the Yun family having a meal. No one was in the shot, but you could tell everyone was happily munching on sweet potatoes.

Miss Yun was Yun Shuang.

The Yun family, the galaxy’s top nobles, would never fake a photo or take money to back someone.

So Yun Shuang was clearly speaking up for Shennong Star on her own. This freaked Ji Wei out.

He could manage the first two supporters, but barely—one had only knowledge, the other only influence.

But the Yun family was different; they were the galaxy’s first noble family, with both wealth and power.

They’d always worked closely with the royal family. Who would dare cross them?

Ji Wei had done his homework, though. The Shennong Star Lord might share the Yun surname, but she had no ties to the Yun family.

She was just a poor girl from a backwater planet, able to study on the capital planet thanks to the Qin family’s support.

Even the Qin family had publicly criticized Shennong Star. So why would the Yun family, with no connection to her, speak up for Shennong Star?

It couldn’t just be some vague classmate bond! If being Yun Shuang’s classmate meant gaining the Yun family’s favor, half the galaxy would be fighting to attend her school.

Now, Ji Wei didn’t have time to overthink the details. He just wanted to know if this was the Yun family head’s doing.

Compared to the fancy title of the Yun family's Young Lady, Ji Wei was more scared of upsetting the Yun family's leader.

Soon, his network informed him that the head of the Yun family wasn’t paying attention to this matter.

Ji Wei breathed a sigh of relief.

He always thought Shennong Star couldn’t possibly have the Yun family’s support! He couldn’t believe the Shennong Star Lord got so lucky to win the Yun family’s Young Lady’s favor!

Yun Shuang’s words not only sent the Ji Clan into a frenzy but also almost brought down the Starnet, roasting the haters to a crisp.

Yun Wan’s fans jumped at the chance for a strong comeback, and public opinion quickly shifted, turning into a full-on celebration of Shennong Star.

[Shennong Star is great, the sweet potatoes smell amazing, the cabbage is just perfect, the haters can’t get any and are whining in frustration, noisy! Noisy!]

[Check out this rice grain—white, plump, soft, sticky, with a sweet, fragrant scent. You want a bite? Tough luck!]

[Finally, I feel like I belong in this world. I’m munching on the same veggies as the bigwigs, cheering for the same star!]

The online comments had reversed, something Yun Wan hadn’t expected.

She was just having a regular day and hadn’t even stepped in yet, but suddenly it seemed like the issue was resolved.

It was like training for a marathon only to have the race called off.

She felt a little off!

Is the Ji Clan that weak? What else do they have planned? She hadn’t even shown up yet!

Yun Wan wasn’t sure if the Ji Clan had more tricks, but she thanked Yun Shuang and promised her some sour and spicy noodles, then got a congrats message from Ji Lian.

[Lord, with this kind of clout, keeping it from your partners and making me lose sleep—isn’t that a bit unfair?]

[Honestly, I didn’t see it coming either…]

[Hehe, awesome. You won’t believe it—those two deals that bailed are now begging to work with me again! Hmph, trying to screw me over and still want to work together? In your dreams!]

[That’s awesome.]

[Lord, next time, don’t stress me out like this!]

[…Alright…Actually, Yun Shuang and I aren’t that close.]

[Not close? Oh, I see, I see. I won’t talk about your relationship with her. You’re just classmates, no one will try to cozy up to you, don’t worry!]

[…]

Yun Wan slapped her forehead.

They really weren’t close! She wasn’t joking!

But in this situation, it was hard to explain.

She didn’t mind, but she was worried it might cause trouble for Yun Shuang.

She had kindly spoken up for her, and she didn’t want it to lead to a bunch of issues.

…

After Ji Lian sent his message, he also received a message from his only partner, Chef Wang.

[Hey, kid! Why didn’t you bring this up sooner? If you'd mentioned the Yun Family earlier, you wouldn’t have had to beg and plead to win me over, right? Can’t blame me for hesitating—running this place isn’t easy. My clientele is the upper crust, and pissing off the Ji Clan isn’t worth it. For one, we rely on Ji's Fresh for supplies, and they carry weight in high society!]

[Uncle Wang, it’s fine, I understand. You stuck to the deal in the end, so no harm done.]

[What did the other two have to say?]

[What else could they say? They said they’d do me a solid and keep working with me, but I’m not taking that risk. Who knows when they’ll flip-flop again!]

Ji Lian remembered how the other two partners blew up after he turned them down, calling him a kid and saying he shouldn’t get cocky just because of his Yun Family ties. They didn’t put money in, so why would they give a damn about his business?

They even claimed Shennong Star’s produce wasn’t all that. With all the competition, the Ji Clan’s still the big player, backed by the elite. Shennong Star’s just a backwater—no way it can compete.

Their sour grapes routine cracked Ji Lian up.

Anyone who’s tried Shennong Star’s produce knows better.

Ji Lian’s no pushover—he dug in his heels and refused to work with them again.

Truth is, if he caved, Ji Lian would just get screwed. They’d walk all over him and flip-flop whenever it suited them. They’re just getting started and can’t afford to look weak.

Now, they can piggyback on the Yun Family’s rep to build their own cred. Everyone’ll wonder about their Yun Family ties, and they won’t have trouble finding partners.

Compared to Ji Lian’s two partners who wanted to cooperate but couldn’t swallow their pride to apologize, netizens expressed their regret more directly by flooding into Yun Wan’s live stream to plead.

[Host, host, I’m kneeling in apology, love me one more time, I want to eat veggies, staying silent is my sin!]

[Do I still have a chance if I returned the goods?]

[Host, look at me, I’m a loyal fan, please give me a front-row veggie purchase number!]

[No way? You really believe Shennong Star’s vegetables are fine? The power of capital is terrifying!]

[I worked so hard to grab those sweet potatoes! Finally got them, and now they’re all gone! Who’s spreading these rumors?!]

[This is just Shennong Star’s smokescreen, afraid to do tests, how much did they spend to pull strings?!]

[Host, sell another batch of veggies! Many people haven’t had a chance to eat them!]

[I noticed the host’s vegetable field has expanded! The day when everyone can eat Shennong Star’s veggies is near, I’m so looking forward to it!]

[Shennong Star’s vegetables are problematic! Are you all out of your minds?]

[Why are there so many fools in the comments? No one’s paying attention to you, and you still don’t get the hint? Looking for a scolding?!]

[Ignore them, let them amuse themselves, keyboard warriors only have their keyboards!]

[By the way... if I help the lord curse the haters, can the lord release me from the blacklist?]

[Agree with the above.]

"Releasing is possible, but cursing isn’t necessary. However, there are other conditions," Yun Wan said leisurely, holding a large green watering can.

[What conditions? Lord, please tell us!]

[Tell us, tell us!]

"Those who didn’t participate in malicious comments about Shennong Star and have made significant contributions to Shennong Star, I can release them from the blacklist. After all, you were all deceived by bad people."

Yun Wan smiled brightly at the live stream audience.

The scattered sunlight bathed her silhouette in a radiant glow, making her seem like she was glowing all over.

A simple girl, a world far from the mundane, a clean and pure smile.

Netizens who had previously returned the products and turned against her now wanted to slap themselves twice.

Were they out of their minds at the time?

Look at the host! That’s not the face or eyes of someone bad.

So pure, like a fairy who had descended to the mortal world.

Even though they hadn’t supported Shennong Star before, the host was willing to release them from the blacklist!

Guilt and their love for Shennong Star’s vegetables blinded the audience, making Yun Wan seem like a beautiful, kind-hearted celestial being.

Now, everything she does seems right and good.

Even her request to contribute to Shennong Star seems reasonable.

They never stopped to think why, as consumers, there are shopping thresholds—and these aren’t low. Only after meeting them can they spend money.

Nowadays, those who take your money act like they’re the bosses!

But the audience isn’t angry at all; instead, they’re grateful and eagerly ask how they can contribute.

[Host, can contributing to the GDP count? I’m great at spending!]

[The comment above is spot on!]

[Do you really not need help cursing the haters? I feel like I can’t do much else!]

"For example, contributions can include mobilizing your networks to find out who’s behind the slander against Shennong Star."

[Great idea! A chance to redeem ourselves!]

[No problem! I’ll start by asking Gourmet Jia.]

"Thank you all for your help! And please, be polite when investigating!"

[Oh my! The host is so kind! I was so blind to doubt her before. She even reminded me to be polite!]

[Thankfully, the host wasn’t affected. If something had happened to her, I’d feel guilty for life!]

Yun Wan watched the fans’ remorse and apologies with a faint smile, staring straight into the camera as if she were looking at someone through it.

Ji Clan, you’re not the only ones who can use public opinion!

Now, the spear of public opinion is aimed at you. Can you handle it?