Chapter 41: She’s Not That Kind of Person

Chapter 41: Chapter 41: She’s Not That Kind of Person

It was well past opening time, but Nan Zhi, the owner of the fried rice stall, was still nowhere in sight.

The customers who had been waiting there since early morning were getting incredibly anxious:

"She’s not coming, is she? I traveled two hours to get here!"

"It’s over, it’s over. I don’t think I’ll get to eat fried rice today. My whole world is turning dark..."

"All the ingredients are laid out here. Maybe the owner just stepped away for a bit?"

"No, haven’t you guys seen the news online?"

"The news?"

"Isn’t the owner a celebrity who’s here filming a variety show? I heard one of the other cast members accused her of abusing her own kid!"

"What? The owner is a celebrity?"

"...Dude, did your village just get internet?"

"..."

In the long line, Xiao Qian anxiously scrolled through her phone.

She was looking at the trending topics on Weibo. The top three spots on the main list were all related to the same incident—

#NanZhiAbusesSon [EXPLODING]#

#FuChaoNanZhiRecording [EXPLODING]#

#CubObservationDiary [EXPLODING]#

Besides these three topics, each branded with a dark-red-to-purple "EXPLODING" tag.

Further down the trending list were related hashtags like #InsiderLeaksNanZhiHasBadTemper# and #NanZhisSonsParentage#, which were also being discussed by a substantial number of people.

The show’s viewers were in a heated debate.

But they weren’t the only ones; the general public online, major influencers, well-known lawyers, and education experts had all joined the conversation.

No one could have predicted that the thing to make the show truly blow up and go mainstream would be the Nan Zhi abuse scandal!

Now, over ninety percent of people were furiously condemning Nan Zhi.

They had also dug up all her past dirt—acting like a diva despite being a minor celebrity, being unprofessional, lying, chasing clout—trying to prove from every angle that Nan Zhi was a total scumbag.

So it was no surprise that she would do something like abuse her child!

For instance, when Xiao Qian opened the comment section of any random Weibo post, it was filled with things like:

[It’s an open-and-shut case! Nan Zhi is such trash!]

[I never really liked her kid, I thought he was too gloomy. But now that I think about it, no wonder he’s gloomy if his own mother has been abusing him all this time!]

[Why is there no test to become a parent? A vile mother like Nan Zhi is no different from a murderer! I demand the authorities step in, take her son away, and revoke her custody rights!]

[The death penalty! She deserves the death penalty!]

[It’s a joke that Nan Zhi is still allowed to make money in showbiz! First, get her kicked off the show! Then she needs to leave the industry for good!]

[And to think I was genuinely moved by her and her son’s struggles... What a waste of my feelings! It’s like I threw my sincerity to the dogs!]

...

And these were the relatively civilized comments.

There were also long tirades of unspeakably vile insults, along with malicious edits of Nan Zhi’s photos, like photoshopping them into funeral portraits with wreaths.

Of course, under normal circumstances, this would be considered cyberbullying.

But when the hammer came down on Nan Zhi, everyone saw it as delivering righteous justice.

Countless people were clapping and cheering it on.

But reading all this, Xiao Qian’s heart was in turmoil.

She quickly scrolled past the unbearable text and images, finally managing to find a few scattered, rational comments amidst the overwhelming flood of hate:

[It’s just one recording, not hard evidence. Let’s not be so quick to convict her.]

[Right? Couldn’t Fu Chao have just made a mistake?]

[Let the bullets fly a little longer.]

...

’That’s right!’

’There’s no real evidence, so why is everyone assuming Boss Nan is guilty?’

Xiao Qian thought indignantly.

"Xiao Qian!"

Xiao Qian turned around to see her friend returning from a phone call and asked:

"Feifei, how did it go? Is your uncle still coming?"

Feifei hesitated for a moment before shaking her head.

"My dad said my uncle had something come up last minute, so he’s not coming."

Xiao Qian was instantly disappointed and said dejectedly:

"Don’t tell me your uncle believed those online rumors and that’s why he’s not coming for the fried rice."

Xiao Qian knew that the "uncle" Feifei mentioned was the famous food critic, Zhu Jin.

A couple of days ago, she had stumbled upon Zhu Jin’s review online and had smugly shared it with Feifei to prove what good taste she had, and just how incredible her beloved Golden Egg Fried Rice was.

Feifei had then told her with a mischievous grin that Xiao Qian was actually partly to thank for the great food critic, Mr. Zhu, getting to try the fried rice in the first place.

She then explained her family’s connection to Zhu Jin and how she had taken the fried rice home for him to try.

Xiao Qian was both surprised and delighted.

She had pestered Feifei, insisting she bring the famous critic to the stall in person a few times to give more good reviews.

...She was just like a die-hard "career fan" worrying over their favorite idol’s success!

The memory of Feifei readily agreeing and Xiao Qian cheering with joy was still fresh in her mind.

But now, things at the fried rice stall were completely different.

Even whether the stall would continue to operate in the future was up in the air.

Xiao Qian was utterly dejected and said to Feifei,

"I’ve met the owner a few times, and she’s really not that kind of person! Please, try to convince your uncle again!"

"It’s not up to me."

Feifei had her own doubts about the rumors, too.

Just then.

Someone in the crowd suddenly shouted:

"The show put out a clarification! They said the abuse allegations are false!"

An uproar went through the crowd in the line:

"Really? I knew it! The owner isn’t that kind of person!"

"I can finally eat my fried rice with a clear conscience!"

"Yeah, I was actually hesitating about whether to buy fried rice from an abuser! This is great!"

"..."

Unlike a moment ago, the buzz of conversation in the crowd was quite loud now.

The lady from the grilled sausage stall next door happened to overhear and chimed in with a question.

Someone immediately explained the whole situation to her.

Before asking:

"Ma’am, do you think the owner is that kind of person?"

"Of course not!"

The lady denied it without a moment’s hesitation.

Then, to the crowd’s surprised delight, the lady declared confidently:

"Xiao Nan is wonderful to her son! Just a little while ago, someone was bullying the kid, and she grabbed a kitchen cleaver and went to settle the score! I saw the whole thing. Xiao Nan is fiercely protective of her Cub! There’s no way she’d hit her own child!"

The group of customers-turned-onlookers grew very excited, chiming in one after another:

"Exactly! The official announcement said Fu Chao misunderstood. It said the bruises on the kid were from a fight with someone else... It all lines up!"

"I saw Fu Chao’s team put out a statement explaining it, too! It really was just a big misunderstanding!"

"That’s such a relief. You have no idea how scared I was!"

"So, the owner should be back to open the stall tonight, right?"

Hearing this, the sausage lady nodded with certainty.

"She definitely will!"

In the crowd, Xiao Qian and Feifei were beaming.

Like many others, they stood on their tiptoes, scanning the area for any sign of the owner, Nan Zhi.

Their patience paid off. The long-awaited Nan Zhi finally appeared in their line of sight.

Immediately, someone shouted joyfully:

"The owner is here!"

"The Golden Egg Fried Rice is here!"

It wasn’t clear who shouted that second part.

A burst of laughter rippled through the crowd.

Holding Nan Yi’s hand, Nan Zhi parted the crowd and approached at a calm, unhurried pace.

The night was dim, but she seemed to carry a serene radiance, as if she hadn’t been touched in the slightest by the vicious rumors.