Trouble

Spurred on by his parents, Zhao Xiaojun decided to go all out and went online using his real name.

The title is eye-catching, but the content is even more shocking.

The video begins with a brief introduction of the speaker: a recent college graduate with a strong sense of justice who returned to his hometown and discovered a group of scammers ripping off elderly patients. He then took matters into his own hands, gathering evidence to expose the scam to the public.

Then comes the real highlight: a real-life shot of the production line for Rejuvenation Valley Pharmaceutical's latest product, Isatis Root Lung-Clearing Oral Solution.

The production process was so rudimentary it was laughable.

The process control is riddled with loopholes.

Quality inspection is practically non-existent.

Zhao Xiaojun also invested heavily, putting all his savings into the project.

There haven't been any major celebrity divorces or cheating scandals lately.

Zhao Xiaojun's video went viral and trended on social media.

The first to arrive were those who were critics of traditional medicine.

"I can't take it anymore, it's Banlangen again."

"We're saved! It's Isatis root!"

"What era are we living in? Still using Banlangen (Isatis root)? Don't these scammers know how to keep up with the times?"

"You don't understand. Isatis root has high brand recognition, which makes it easy to accurately target users."

Then there are various pharmacy students and professionals.

"This is outrageous. This production process isn't even enough to produce animal feed, let alone oral liquids."

"Indeed, insufficient dissolution and incomplete filtration resulted in flaws in sterilization."

"If you were to produce Banlangen milk tea, I'd be willing to try it. But if you were to produce some kind of lung-clearing oral liquid, I wouldn't even dare to smell it; who knows what kind of cutting-edge technology it involves?"

"Haha, that reminds me of the time they added ibuprofen to herbal tea."

What truly ignited the buzz was the participation of numerous online celebrity doctors.

They have a large following, and their professional recognition and authority are high.

"Pneumoconiosis is a recognized incurable disease. Its pathogenesis involves irreversible fibrosis, and there are currently no effective treatments."

"Isatis root is at best a placebo; it has absolutely no effect on clearing the lungs, let alone curing pneumoconiosis."

Regarding the effectiveness of traditional medicine, I recommend reading the following papers.

The vast majority of casual observers are not qualified to participate in such professional discussions.

However, Zhao Xiaojun's video also intentionally included many points that could be explored.

For example, the fraud park mentioned in the title looks quite alarming, yet it's somewhat inexplicable.

Stone Ridge is not a lawless place; how could there be a fraud industrial park there?!

Although the internet is always chasing traffic, trending topics fade very quickly.

But the internet always remembers.

Previously released videos related to Supreme Mystery Sub-Courtyard and Hua Chunning have resurfaced.

However, only a year has passed, and it seems that the people using the internet have completely changed.

"Looking for the girl's account."

"I don't understand. Someone cured a few patients for free, and netizens are insisting that they cure all the patients. Isn't this blatant moral blackmail?!"

"So the medicine that young lady used back then, which is now Isatis Root Lung-Clearing Oral Solution, was indeed effective?"

"I don't understand. The young lady didn't seem to have done anything wrong."

"Indeed, the biggest black mark is the failure to help someone in distress, which is a form of moral blackmail from netizens. The second biggest black mark is that the elderly woman died at Supreme Mystery Sub-Courtyard, and the official announcement stated that the cause of death was not caused by external force, so strictly speaking, it has nothing to do with her."

This is to exonerate Supreme Mystery Sub-Courtyard and Hua Chunning.

Zhao Xiaojun became a little anxious.

Some people in Stone Ridge County also posted videos to express their support.

The prestige that Li Jiabao gained from hiring high-salary employees is beginning to materialize.

Several family members of pneumoconiosis patients who recovered a year ago also shared their medical examination information to clear the name of Supreme Mystery Sub-Courtyard and Hua Chunning.

However, the huge flow of traffic has also attracted many unusual species.

Moms obsessed with self-taught traditional medicine and self-proclaimed masters of Chinese studies selling courses all posted videos to ride the wave of popularity, along with other entertainers trying to find amusement in the middle, creating a chaotic mess.

Fortunately, a popular online doctor posted a video with very sharp arguments.

"Suppose you discover a miracle drug that can cure terminal illnesses. What would you do?"

A: Register patents, publish papers, win the Nobel Prize, start a company and earn hundreds of billions—achieving great success and leaving a lasting mark on history.

"B: He lived under an assumed name, practiced medicine illegally, ran a small workshop, produced substandard health products, cheated and swindled people, and ended up in jail."

Please make your choice!

Public opinion reversed again in an instant.

Countless humorous people flooded the comments section with comments like, "Of course, I'd choose BBBBBB!"

Zhao Xiaojun finally breathed a sigh of relief, still basking in the joy of the explosive growth in views and followers, when he heard a loud knocking on the door and his parents' urgent voices. "Xiaojun, open the door! Quickly delete the video!"

Li Jiabao's world has collapsed yet again.

I've only had a few good days, and now I'm trending again.

The last public opinion storm turned him into a defaulter.

This is clearly more serious; surely I'm not going to go to jail!

Li Jiabao once again experienced the fickleness of human relationships; his home, which had been bustling with guests, became deserted again.

Even his ex-wife, who had repeatedly come to discuss remarriage, has disappeared without a trace.

Li Jiabao couldn't care less about that now and immediately contacted Duanmu Ren: "County Chief Duanmu, something terrible has happened! We're trending again!"

Duanmu Ren had received the news, but he didn't panic. "What nonsense are you talking about? When did I become a trending topic?"

Li Jiabao was stunned upon hearing this, and thought to himself, "Oh no!"

Everyone says that Duanmu the Old Thief is ruthless and vicious. Would he really sacrifice a pawn to save the king and make me take the blame?!

Li Jiabao wasn't stupid either, and said in a deep voice, "I want to see Cheng Xuan!"

Duanmu Ren knew Li Jiabao was scared, so he quickly reassured him, "Don't make a fuss. I'm watching this; the sky won't fall."

Li Jiabao, however, was somewhat skeptical of Duanmu Ren, and asked suspiciously, "Since you were watching, why didn't you delete the video and remove it from the trending topics?"

Duanmu Ren couldn't help but chuckle self-deprecatingly upon hearing this.

That's really overestimating themselves.

How could a bureau chief in an inland city possibly have the authority to order a major company in Beijing to delete videos and remove trending topics?!

Even at the provincial level, there are layers of approvals and complicated procedures.

"Don't worry, trending on social media isn't necessarily a bad thing." Duanmu Ren sighed and continued to reassure them, "The real key is whether Isatis Root Lung-Clearing Oral Solution is effective. If it is, all the doubts will be irrelevant, and it might even improve Rejuvenation Valley Pharmaceutical's reputation."

"Everything I've done has been approved by the sect leader."

"You may not believe me, but don't you believe the sect leader?!"

Li Jiabao listened in silence and sighed.

Now that things have come to this, we have no choice but to believe.

After hanging up the phone, Li Jiabao couldn't resist opening a short video app.

Overall, public opinion is still overwhelmingly in favor of the government.

Even though many locals in Stone Ridge posted videos in support, it was a drop in the ocean compared to the overwhelming amount of traffic and was quickly drowned out.

Now let's look at the real culprit, Shi Stone Ridge Xiaojun, whose fan base has skyrocketed and who has become a major internet celebrity.

I was scrolling through videos in frustration when I heard a knock on the door.

At a time like this, who would dare to come knocking?

"Coming!" Li Jiabao got up and opened the door.

There were three strangers standing outside the door; judging from their appearance and demeanor, they should be a family of three.

"Mr. Li..." The middle-aged man standing in front looked flustered and embarrassed. "We're here to apologize! Xiao Jun's indiscriminate posting of the video has caused you trouble."