53: Chapter 53 V Company's Counterattack
Lin Feng looked at the news that V World's daily active users had exceeded fifty million for three seconds, then tucked his phone back into his pocket.
Margaret, who was next to him, asked, "You're not going to look anymore?"
Lin Feng said, "I'm done reading."
Margaret asked, "And then what?"
Lin Feng stood up, brushed off his pants, and walked toward the church.
"Then I'll just go back to doing what I was doing."
But V Company didn't think so.
Three days later, the first news story came out.
The headline was very polite:
[Expert Questions: Sustainability of "Xinfeng Town Model" in Doubt]
The content was also very polite—it quoted several "economic experts" who said that the vertical farm's costs were too high, that "Soul Massage" could not be replicated, and that the town's renovation relied entirely on Lin Feng pouring his own money into it; once he withdrew his funding, everything would collapse.
Lin Feng was squatting at the restaurant entrance when he scrolled past this, and he laughed.
Alex, who was next to him, leaned over to look, his face turning green.
"Boss, they're insulting you."
Lin Feng nodded, "I see."
Alex asked, "Aren't you angry?"
Lin Feng said, "Not angry. They're right."
Alex was stunned.
Lin Feng continued, "I am indeed pouring money into it. The farm's costs are indeed high. 'Soul Massage' is indeed not easy to replicate."
He looked at Alex and said earnestly,
"But they missed one thing."
Alex asked, "What thing?"
Lin Feng pointed to the people talking inside the church:
"These people would come even without money."
The next day, the second news story came out.
This time, it wasn't polite.
The headline was direct:
[Exclusive Investigation: Xinfeng Town's "Myth of Happiness" Is a Carefully Planned Marketing Campaign]
The content claimed that Lin Feng was a "representative of Chinese capital," that Xinfeng Town was "using Americans' money to buy Americans' land and buy over Americans' hearts," and that he had "unknown forces" supporting him from behind the scenes.
Lin Feng scrolled past this one and still laughed.
This time, George was next to him.
George asked, "What are you laughing at?"
Lin Feng said, "Laughing at how fake their story is."
George stared at him for three seconds, then asked,
"Do you really have someone behind you?"
Lin Feng shook his head, "No. Just me."
George asked again, "Then where did you get the money?"
Lin Feng thought for a moment and said,
"The system gave it to me."
George didn't understand, but he didn't ask again.
On the third day, the news started appearing on television.
Of course, not on JOY TV—it was on another channel.
A host looked into the camera with a serious expression:
"The Xinfeng Town phenomenon is something we should be wary of. A foreigner using his own methods to change our towns and influence our hearts. Is this really okay?"
The screen cut to a "specialist" on Wall Street—another one, younger, not Robert:
"He is spreading a dangerous ideology. Happiness should not be commercialized. And it certainly shouldn't be commercialized by a Chinese person."
Lin Feng was squatting at the restaurant entrance, watching the TV, biting his straw until it was flat.
Margaret walked over and squatted beside him.
"They're getting more and more excessive."
Lin Feng nodded.
Margaret asked, "What do you plan to do?"
Lin Feng thought for a moment and said,
"Wait."
Margaret was stunned, "Wait for what?"
Lin Feng pointed to the expert on TV:
"Wait for him to finish talking."
On the fourth day, the situation escalated.
People from the state government arrived.
Three black SUVs stopped at the entrance of the town.
Several people in suits got out, looking serious, saying they wanted to "inspect" the farm's operating qualifications.
Chris took them around for a tour, and when they came back up, their expressions had changed.
Not serious—but confused.
One of them asked Chris, "Does this farm of yours really not make money?"
Chris said, "It does. But not much. Most of it is distributed to the workers."
That person asked again, "Then what is it for?"
Chris thought for a moment and said,
"For their smiles."
The person fell silent.
When leaving, he handed Chris a business card:
"If you have any problems, call me."
On the fifth day, people from the tax bureau came.
They said they had received a report that Xinfeng Town had "tax issues."
Lin Feng called Yuki over.
Yuki handed over a stack of documents—as thick as a book.
The tax bureau official flipped through it for half an hour, then looked up with a complicated expression.
"Your accounts are even clearer than the ones we keep at our office."
Yuki didn't speak, but the corners of her mouth curled up slightly.
When that person left, he said one thing to Lin Feng:
"Mr. Lin, someone wants to make things difficult for you."
Lin Feng nodded, "I know."
On the sixth day, people from the immigration bureau came.
They said they wanted to check Lin Feng's visa status.
Lin Feng handed over his passport.
The official flipped through it, frowning, "You have an investment visa? What did you invest in?"
Lin Feng pointed to the entire town.
The person was stunned.
A younger agent nearby whispered, "Boss, this town... really was invested in by him."
The person was silent for three seconds, then returned the passport.
When leaving, he looked back at Lin Feng:
"Someone reported you. Be careful."
That night, the seven of them gathered in the church again.
Alex spoke first, "Boss, four groups of people have come in five days. This isn't a coincidence."
Rachel was second, "They're testing us. Today it's the immigration bureau, tomorrow it might be the FBI."
Tony frowned, "They want to force you to leave."
Jenny asked, "What should we do?"
Everyone looked at Lin Feng.
Lin Feng was squatting in front of the altar, chewing on his straw, silent for a long time.
Then he stood up.
"Do you know why they're in such a rush?"
No one answered.
Lin Feng said, "Because 370 million people watched our livestream."
He pointed out the window:
"Those people can't sleep, not because we did something wrong. It's because we did something right."
He looked at the seven people in front of him, enunciating every word:
"What they fear is not me, a Chinese person. What they fear is you Americans living your lives well on your own, no longer needing them."
The church went quiet.
Then George stood up and walked over to Lin Feng.
"Lin Feng, I've been mining coal for forty-five years. I've never been afraid of anyone in my life."
He looked at Lin Feng and said earnestly,
"Don't be afraid either."
Lin Feng stared at him for three seconds.
Then he laughed.
"I'm not afraid. I'm just hungry."
[Chapter 53 End]