SG 52

When Grandma and Chu Baiyan came downstairs, Yan Anqing was making 3D decorations on the plate in his hands. He looked up once, then continued shaping the clay. He didn’t know anything about the conversation that had just taken place upstairs.

“I talked with Xiao Chu, and we decided to close the shop for today.” Grandma walked over and patted Yan Anqing’s head.

“I need to finish this plate. There’s another batch going into the kiln today.” Yan Anqing didn’t want to change the plan he already set.

Grandma didn’t insist. “Then talk it over with Xiao Chu. I’ll head back.”

Before leaving, Chu Baiyan took a bedsheet from the upstairs closet and taped it to the glass door frame of the shop with wide tape.

“This will do for today. People outside won’t see in. I’ll come back in the afternoon to pick you up.”

At lunchtime, Chu Baiyan checked the views on the clarification video. Even though many people liked, commented, and shared it, the results were still bad.

Other coworkers also said they had asked friends to repost the video, but even the best one only got a few thousand likes and shares. The influencer’s video had hundreds of thousands, so they couldn’t compare at all.

“It’s too hard for regular people to defend themselves online unless someone big speaks up,” a female coworker sighed. She had been ready to “slap back,” but after all that effort, she found the influencer didn’t even have a scratch. Seeing how arrogant that shop-review influencer acted made her furious.

Her words made Chu Baiyan realize something. Getting noticed by a big influencer was rare, but he could reach out himself. He opened Douyin and searched “Starfish Pottery.” There were many videos from kind reviewers who had visited before.

He wrote what he wanted to say in his notes, edited it carefully a few times, and attached the link to the clarification video. Then he sent private messages one by one to several influencers with big followings who had bought things from the shop before.

After sending two messages, he saw a reply pop up. It wasn’t from a big influencer but from the first customer who had uploaded a clarification video.

A few days ago, Chu Baiyan had sent him a message to thank him and said he was a friend of the shop owner. That customer might not have checked his inbox earlier and just happened to reply now.

The message said it was no problem, and that he had already seen the clarification video on Chu Baiyan’s profile. He asked, “Are you the guy who defended the shop owner that day?”

“Yes.” Chu Baiyan typed back.

“Has the situation gotten any better? My video didn’t get much reach.” Xia Zhifei hadn’t expected him to be online. He asked about it. He wasn’t good with video apps and didn’t turn on notifications, so he only opened his inbox by accident today. There were a bunch of messages insulting him, calling him a paid supporter.

When he deleted those, he found the thank-you message by chance. He opened the sender’s profile, saw the clarification video, and guessed from the camera angle and quality that it came from the shop’s surveillance footage.

The message said the sender was a friend of the owner. Xia Zhifei remembered the guy who had fought back that day and followed him.

“The situation isn’t good. My friends and I posted videos too, but they didn’t get much reach either. Every day, people come by to take photos and film. It’s affecting the owner a lot. We’ll close the shop for a few days starting tomorrow.” Chu Baiyan explained the current situation to him.

After reading that, Xia Zhifei felt mixed emotions. He couldn’t understand why the victim had to shut down the shop while the aggressor was completely fine and even gained fans.

“That influencer is disgusting. He relies on his fanbase and reach, and he even sends fans to search for clarification videos and accuse me of being a paid account. My video is complete. Anyone with a brain can tell who’s twisting the facts.”

After reading the reply, Chu Baiyan gave a helpless smile. “Thank you for helping us clarify things. It’s the biggest kindness we’ve felt these days. The truth may come late, but it won’t be missing.”

“I’m contacting other kind reviewers now to see if anyone’s willing to repost and help. It’s too hard for regular people to get big reach.”

In the afternoon, after the performance ended and they got back, Yan Anqing had finished everything for the day and was resting upstairs. Chu Baiyan packed more clothes for him and put them together with the tablet on the bed.

Before leaving, Yan Anqing checked all the water tanks and equipment to make sure everything worked, and he said goodbye to the starfishes one by one.

“Don’t worry. Even if the shop’s closed, we can still come by every morning and say good morning to the starfishes.” Chu Baiyan spoke to comfort him when he saw how reluctant he was to leave.

Inside the neighborhood, the sunset light filtered through the tree branches, scattering small glimmers. The warm light wasn’t harsh. Yan Anqing tilted his head up and squinted slightly, feeling the wind on his face. He realized he hadn’t stood outside at this hour in a long time. He was in a good mood.

In the elevator, there was already a couple who had gone in first. The girl held a bag of freshly roasted chestnuts. As the elevator went up, she peeled one and fed the golden kernel to her boyfriend.

When the elevator stopped on the twentieth floor, Chu Baiyan opened the door, brought in their things, and went to the fridge to prepare dinner.

Yan Anqing came over, looked at the fridge, and suddenly said, “Roasted chestnuts.”

“You want roasted chestnuts?” Chu Baiyan asked as he held the fridge door.

“Yes.” Yan Anqing nodded.

“Let’s go then. We won’t cook tonight. We’ll eat outside.” Chu Baiyan closed the fridge.

When Yan Anqing sat in the passenger seat and Chu Baiyan was about to start the car, he realized he didn’t know where to buy roasted chestnuts. He quickly opened the navigation app and searched for the nearest university. There were always snack stalls near universities.

Following the directions, they soon reached the university entrance. Chu Baiyan parked on the roadside, stepped out, and walked around the car to open the door for Yan Anqing.

“There’s always a food street near a university. Let’s look for it. If we can’t find it, we’ll ask a student.”

“There are too many people.” It was Sunday evening, and students were everywhere looking for food. When Yan Anqing saw the crowd, his interest dropped.

“I’ll hold your hand. We’ll buy the chestnuts and come back right away. Or do you want to stay in the car while I buy them?” Chu Baiyan offered two options.

Yan Anqing didn’t like the idea of staying alone. He got out of the car. “Together.” Then he took Chu Baiyan’s hand.

Among the students walking by, some held paper bags labeled “Sugar Roasted Chestnuts.” Chu Baiyan looked around and quickly spotted the stall. He took Yan Anqing there. The chestnuts were still steaming, glowing under the light.

“Boss, what’s the difference between these two kinds?” Chu Baiyan asked, looking at the two piles.

“The small ones are wild chestnuts, sweeter but harder to peel. The big ones are regular chestnuts, fuller and easier to eat,” the vendor explained while cutting slits in the shells.

“Ten yuan for each kind.” After saying that, Chu Baiyan leaned toward Yan Anqing and said quietly, “Chestnuts fill you up fast. If you eat too many, you won’t want dinner. Now we know where to get them. Next time you want some, I’ll come buy them.”

The vendor put the roasted chestnuts into paper bags. They were still hot to the touch. Chu Baiyan asked for a plastic bag and put both paper bags inside. Yan Anqing took one chestnut out. It was so hot that he kept tossing it between his hands but didn’t throw it away.

Chu Baiyan thought he was too eager to eat and was about to tell him to wait. Before he could say anything, the chestnut that Yan Anqing had finally peeled was already in his mouth.