Chapter 27: 168 Extraordinary Girls Speak Out for Su Bai

After the creator known as Shen Qiansan posted his video, several more appeared in succession.

“Hello everyone, I am a girl who was deceived by the popular influencer Gao Sai under the XX Group,” one began. “Over there, I endured hellish torment and was on the verge of despair.”
“If it weren’t for Officer Liu Lei leading the Daxia police and descending like a miracle, I don’t know how much longer I could have held on.”
“When I heard Officer Liu Lei say his arrival was inspired by a song called ‘Lone Brave’ by a deliveryman named Su Bai…”
“I searched for ‘Lone Brave’ and saw everything its creator, Su Bai, has recently experienced!”
“I choose to believe in Su Bai, and I want to speak up for him!”
“Behind me stand the 168 compatriots from Daxia who were rescued with me!”
“I beg all the people of our nation to treat the hero who saved us with kindness—please!”

Then, all 168 rescued compatriots bowed deeply to the camera, holding their posture for a full minute before slowly rising.
Every face was etched with earnest pleading.
Those who have not experienced utter despair cannot grasp the true value of freedom.
Nor can they possess such profound gratitude.
They know all too well how hard-won their liberty is.
They are deeply thankful to those who saved them, whether it was the armed police directly or Su Bai, the creator of ‘Lone Brave,’ who helped indirectly.
When they saw others speaking up for Su Bai, they, too, went to find all the videos about him.
They felt they ought to do something for their benefactor.
And so, this scene was born.
It was entirely spontaneous.
No one had incited them.

Watching these once-youthful girls, now so haggard, countless netizens across the country felt their hearts ache.
They knew that if XX Group had not been brought down, who could possibly imagine what would have become of these girls?
At the same time, they came to understand why these rescued victims would make such a video for Su Bai.

At that very moment, in a hospital in the city, Yang Mengke was watching the screen and weeping uncontrollably.
“Brother, they are all wonderful girls!”
“They’re the best!”
“But why, why must fate be so cruel to them?”
“Why make them bear suffering no one their age should endure?”
“They’re so heartbreakingly lovely!”

Su Bai, too, was deeply moved by these girls.
He had never expected that they would rise up of their own accord to speak for him.
He himself hadn’t imagined that singing a single song would spark such a chain reaction.
Back then, his only goal in performing that song had been to obtain medicine for little Ke.

He never could have foreseen that now he would become the focus of so many people’s attention.
Even after being reborn, he had considered himself an ordinary man.
Now, all that was happening around him felt unreal, dreamlike.

Meanwhile, Liu Ruotong looked at her mother, Ji Jingxian, with utmost seriousness.
“Mom, do you believe in Su Bai now?”
“Officer Liu is speaking for him, countless netizens are speaking for him—even those 168 rescued compatriots are speaking for him.”
“How can someone like this be treated so unfairly?”
“Is it really true that if you have money and power, you can do whatever you want?”
“If our society continues down this path, what will it become?”
“Can you even imagine, Mom?”

Ji Jingxian looked at her daughter and suddenly smiled, as if surprised such words could come from her own child.
She tapped Liu Ruotong gently on the head.
“You, you—I know exactly what you’re thinking. You just want me to help him, don’t you?”
“But, Ruotong, what I can do is only this: to make sure the national media focuses on the talent competition taking place in two days.”
“I can ensure the competition is held under relatively fair conditions!”
“No one will be shown favoritism!”

Liu Ruotong nodded excitedly, hugged her mother, and kissed her cheek.
She knew this was enough.
She believed in her idol Su Bai’s strength.
Her only fear was that, during the talent competition in two days, someone might pull strings behind the scenes.
After all, Su Bai was just an ordinary man from humble origins.
The event would undoubtedly be organized by Xu Mingkun’s side.
Whether it was the venue or the selection of staff, everything would be under Xu Mingkun’s control.
With so much room for manipulation, some tricks could be orchestrated so flawlessly that no one would notice.
If Su Bai’s performance fell short, he would be subjected to vicious online attacks.
Liu Ruotong dared not imagine it.

Though she was young, Liu Ruotong understood that the higher one is lifted, the harder the fall.
She feared that the group led by Huisi Capital was watching the online spectacle with glee, waiting for the drama to unfold.
But with the central media involved, they wouldn’t dare act so brazenly.

She also knew her mother’s close friend was the chief editor of the national news division.
That was why she had counted on her mother from the start.
But Liu Ruotong hadn’t expected Officer Liu Lei’s award ceremony to be broadcast live online at just this moment—
It was as if fate itself had intervened.

Otherwise, she had been planning to find another way to introduce her mother to Su Bai’s story.
And if all else failed, she would have resorted to shameless pleading,
No matter what, she would have insisted her mother help, just once.
But now, it seemed, there was no need!

Thus, Liu Ruotong’s spirits soared.

In her third-floor bedroom, Ji Jingxian dialed her best friend’s number.
“Hello, Lan, are you busy?”
In the chief editor’s office at the Beijing Central News TV station, Yu Lan, dressed in a crimson suit, looked at her phone in surprise at the incoming call.
She was swamped, but still picked up—she didn’t have many close friends, and this was one of them.
“Jian, it’s been so long since you called! I’ve missed you. I’ve been wanting to visit you in Shanghai, but the station’s been so busy.”
“Lan, I need a favor.”
“See? I was just mumbling to myself, you never call unless you need something. What is it? You never call during work hours unless it’s important.”

Ji Jingxian didn’t waste words. “You know the name Su Bai that’s all over the internet right now?”
Su Bai? Of course Yu Lan knew—she’d already had her team keep a close eye on the story.
With that much attention, it was impossible not to.
But she hadn’t expected Su Bai to be connected to her old friend.

“Of course I know—someone with that much heat, how could I not? Why? You fancy the young man? I don’t know him, so I can’t set you up!”
Yu Lan laughed at her own joke. Usually so serious, she couldn’t help but tease her friend a little, realizing she hadn’t laughed like this in a long time.

“Oh, get lost! If your colleagues heard you, you’d be in trouble…”
“My daughter, Tong. She’s become obsessed with him. You know, ever since her brother passed, she’s been depressed.”
“She says she sees something of her brother in Su Bai, probably because of that song ‘Lone Brave.’”
“In any case, here’s the thing: two days from now, he’s supposed to have a talent showdown with the popular star Xu Mingkun.”
“Tong wants me to ask you—could your news team get involved, just to ensure it’s fair and just?”
“Lan, you know, with so much attention, if it comes out later that someone tampered with the process, the fallout will be enormous.”

Hearing this, Yu Lan set aside her playful tone and became serious.
“Jian, don’t worry. We were already discussing whether to get involved. Something with this much heat, and so much controversy—especially when it concerns the contest for the Palace Museum’s theme song—if there’s any suggestion of fraud, the consequences would be severe.”
“No need to discuss further. It’s settled! And I’ll collect on a favor next time I come to Shanghai—you’ll have to cook for me yourself!”

After hanging up, Ji Jingxian smiled in satisfaction.
She had no doubts about how Yu Lan would intervene.
She knew that if Yu Lan promised it, it would be done beautifully.