The director thought the planned trending topic wouldn't take off.
After several rounds of discussion, a social news story instead topped the trending list.
The news reported that a Japanese trading company had acquired a firm called Micro Light Pharmaceutical Company. This enterprise had donated to disaster-stricken areas multiple times but remained relatively unknown until now entering the public eye.
Most critically, Micro Light Pharmaceutical had already completed the acquisition process.
[Does anyone not know? Traditional Chinese medicine sells well abroad, but the distributors are all foreign trading companies, while the herbs are bought from us at low prices. Chinese medicine is practically being renamed.]
[Ah! I'm so angry, why does this always happen! This is clearly our own traditional cultural heritage, yet it's always taken away by others, utilized, and then widely promoted...]
[This pharmaceutical company's backbone is too soft, isn't it? They sold out just like that?]
[Brother, this is business, do you know what they mean by 'the business world is a battlefield'? What good would come from refusing to sell? Should the whole company go without food and drink, relying on you to work for free out of love?]
There was a flurry of online arguments, with various viewpoints, but overall, the incident left many netizens feeling quite frustrated.
At this point, a netizen started a thread:
"120 million for a low-price acquisition? Think that's surprising? There's even lower! It's practically pure freeloading!"
This post quickly gained more attention amidst the unfolding events.
[This is outrageous, I can't believe it. One million! They only paid one million for the acquisition! Can this kind of acquisition really be approved?]
[What do these foreign investors take us for? Do they still think we're as gullible as we were twenty years ago?]
[Uh, actually, we've always been easy to bully. You just haven't been paying attention. Many brands have been suppressed to the point of collapse and eventually had to be acquired by foreign capital at low prices.]
[What? Is that true?]
[To be honest, how is this acquisition contract any different from the Treaty of Shimonoseki back then?]
As netizens grew increasingly angry, Dou Dawei received a call from Sheng Yuxiao.
"Now, go online, register an account, and make an announcement," Sheng Yuxiao said concisely on the other end.
Dou Dawei hurriedly complied.
So, amidst the chaos, a newly registered account named "Thousand Gold Pharmaceutical Official" posted a Weibo message: [Everyone, don't worry, we haven't been acquired.]
Many curious netizens quickly flocked to the comments.
[Thousand Gold Pharmaceutical? Never heard of it]
[It's that local pharmaceutical company that was offered one million, it's been around for many years, is it really unable to continue operating?]
[Looking at the IP address above, your area doesn't seem very economically developed.]
[Oh, Thousand Gold Pharmaceutical, I recently saw their job postings on a recruitment website. Last year, locals said their factory was about to collapse, but they've somehow held on until now and are still hiring on a large scale. Did they perhaps secure an investment? But who would invest in a factory that clearly seems to be failing?]
[This pharmaceutical company has several really impressive formulas! All of us locals know about it, but unfortunately, it hasn't been doing well since the old chairman passed away]
Dou Dawei clutched his phone tightly, watching the eager discussions of netizens as the account's follower count soared and it was propelled onto the trending list.
This was the highest level of attention this small pharmaceutical company from an economically underdeveloped region had ever received.
He patiently waited for the right moment, and when netizens demanded proof of identity, he posted the business license and his own photo.
As more and more netizens asked if some industrial tycoon had seen the news and invested out of unwillingness to let a traditional enterprise fall into such a dire situation, Dou Dawei recorded a video.
"Yes, we did indeed secure a large investment. It was before the news broke, when I was at my wit's end. You might not believe it, but it's like something out of a movie - it was an accident, a coincidence... I was funded by an underage rich second-generation."
When this video was released, combined with the IP address, the company's location, and Dou Dawei's key phrases like "accident," "coincidence," and "underage rich second-generation," someone finally pieced it together—
[Oh my god, could it be that Sheng Yuxiao invested?]
Many netizens hadn't watched "Exchange Lives" and weren't familiar with the country's wealthy individuals, so they asked who Sheng Yuxiao was.
Helpful netizens began to explain in the comments.
[He's the crown prince of Sheng Corporation, who went to South Province to film a show. This pharmaceutical company is also in South Province. I suggest you rewatch the highlights of the third episode. The show mentioned that Sheng Yuxiao followed Li Xiaoya's choice and invested in some unknown project. Oh right, Li Xiaoya is a child from a mountain village in South Province. Sheng Yuxiao really listens to her.]
[Everything matches up! So the company Sheng invested in was this pharmaceutical company! I watched the entire live broadcast of the show that day! It was indeed before the news came out! Which means that at that time, Young Master Sheng had no idea the incident would gain so much attention, he just invested purely.]
[The investment was decided by Li Xiaoya. At the time, everyone thought it was absurd to let a child make the decision, but now looking back, this is simply a wonderful coincidence, the most beautiful destiny! Li Xiaoya is from South Province, and with just one word, she saved a local company! And preserved our integrity!]
[Aww, that's great news, this perfectly soothes the netizens' concerns. I'm going to watch that show right away]
Dou Dawei's pharmaceutical company was pushed onto the trending list, and the residual heat also benefited the "Exchange Lives" production team.
Suddenly, everyone was asking about Sheng Yuxiao's background, who Li Xiaoya was, and why Sheng Yuxiao listened to her.
Many people, driven by immense curiosity, started to watch the show's replay.
The director had no idea what had happened, waking up to find his show had inexplicably become even more popular.
He approached Li Xiaoya and Sheng Yuxiao, unable to hold back: "Look, look at what they're saying online. This show is really interesting, bringing more opportunities to poor and backward areas. Although the camera only focuses on the exchange participants, the actual significance radiates to all the local people. ...They're even praising the director as a great benefactor!"
The director could barely contain his excitement, his mouth spreading into a grin: "No one has ever praised me like this before."
And now, not only had they gained fame, but money was also pouring in along with the rising view counts and ratings!
"I have a premonition that our viewership ratings will skyrocket to new heights. Not every netizen can be sick and need to buy medicine at the hospital. They have nowhere else to pour out their emotions except into our show!" The executive producer grew increasingly excited as he spoke.
Sheng Yuxiao merely responded with a simple "Oh."
Then he turned to Li Xiaoya and said, "You see, the choice you made was right. Absolutely right. You saved a company, rescued a man who was on the brink of bankruptcy and might have jumped off a building, you've created more job opportunities for countless local residents, and you've brought joy to innumerable netizens."
