Chapter 159: The Crazed Female Fans

After finishing his conversation with Long Zhentian, Su Bai felt profoundly shaken.

It turned out that the Great Xia Empire had reached such a critical juncture.

According to Long Zhentian, the blind worship of foreign artists by some youths in Great Xia had reached an extreme degree. Certain foreign intelligence agencies had precisely targeted this phenomenon, exploiting this blind adoration to steal vital national secrets from Great Xia!

As the base of those infatuated with foreign artists grew larger and larger, it was inevitable that some of them would end up working in crucial positions.

In their hands lay foundational data concerning the livelihood of the entire Great Xia populace.

Perhaps to an ordinary person, this data looked like a mere pile of useless numbers.

However, in the eyes of ill-intentioned agencies, these were crucial pieces of intelligence that could be used to compromise Great Xia's secrets.

This was precisely the reason why certain foreign entities were able to impose economic sanctions on Great Xia!

They had obtained data regarding Great Xia's people's livelihoods.

From that, they could formulate targeted strategies.

Although the relevant authorities had already arrested individuals engaging in such behavior, no one knew how many more remained hidden in the shadows.

It was precisely because of their blind worship of foreign cultures and their casual leaks of livelihood data that originally belonged to Great Xia that foreign nations were able to pile on increasingly severe economic sanctions.

Therefore, to solve this problem, it had to be tackled at its root!

Now, this heavy burden fell upon Su Bai's shoulders.

Su Bai did not know how many others carried the exact same responsibility as he did.

Yet, Su Bai knew that the weight upon him was immense.

And the urgency was extreme.

Although this matter could not be accomplished overnight, the pace had to be accelerated.

He could not simply wait until everything reached an irretrievable point before taking action; by then, it would be far too late!

Upon arriving at Joker's hot pot restaurant, Su Bai was still stunned by the bustling scene before his eyes!

"Old Xue, your side business is impressive! Business is booming like this?"

"In the middle of summer, and there are so many people eating hot pot?"

Hearing Su Bai address him as Old Xue, Joker was visibly startled.

Yet, he reacted immediately, laughing heartily as he slung an arm around Su Bai's shoulder and walked straight inside!

"Hello, everyone!"

"Take a look at who I've invited here today!"

Joker's single shout instantly drew the attention of all the diners.

Most of them had come here tonight largely because of Joker. As the owner, Joker had made appearances here multiple times, so patrons were usually not overly emotional upon seeing him in person.

However, the moment they turned their heads and saw the person standing beside Joker, they instantly erupted in excitement.

" Wow, it's Su Bai!"

"Su Bai, it really is Su Bai!"

At the very same time, countless people whipped out their phones and began taking pictures and recording videos!

Su Bai looked at Joker with a helpless expression.

"You bring me over here to serve as your live advertising billboard without even paying me a single cent for it; you'd better treat me to the most expensive dishes in your shop later!"

Joker chuckled and replied, "No problem at all!"

"Su Bai, you're so handsome!"

"Su Bai, your figure is amazing, way more handsome than in videos!"

"Su Bai, can I take a photo with you?"

"Su Bai, can I get your autograph?"

"Su Bai, can you sing a live rendition of *Fearless*?"

"Su Bai, can you sing *Actor* live together with Old Xue right now?"

......

Everyone talked over one another, shouting all sorts of things!

The enthusiasm at the scene even surpassed the atmosphere on the day of Joker's grand opening.

Seeing that the crowd surging forward consisted mostly of female fans—and since the hot pot restaurant lacked a large security detail—the surrounding female fans pressed closer and closer.

They blocked off the path for the two men completely.

Su Bai watched as one phone after another was thrust forward, practically shoved right up against his face.

While Su Bai possessed the physical capability to push these reaching hands away, doing so was simply not an option.

Once caught on camera and exposed by netizens online, there was no telling how maliciously certain biased media outlets would spin the narrative!

The next second, however, Su Bai felt a jolt of unease.

For someone's wandering hand actually began groping at his body.

This single touch instantly triggered a chain reaction among the rest of the crowd.

In an instant, countless hands reached out toward Su Bai.

Even with Su Bai's extraordinary martial prowess, seeing this scene still made his scalp tingle with dread!

Joker also noticed Su Bai's predicament.

He immediately shouted, "Hey, hey, hey! Can we not get so carried away?"

"Where do you think you're putting your hands?!"

"There are so many female fans here—if you're going to grope someone, grope me, not Su Bai!"

"Can't you see there's another celebrity standing right next to Su Bai?"

"Am I, the great Xue, not handsome enough? Or is my singing not good enough?"

"Can you at least spare a shred of dignity for me in front of the great Xue?"

"Show some appreciation and throw at least a compliment or two my way!"

Hahahaha...

A burst of roaring laughter erupted from the crowd; Old Xue remained as humorous as ever.

Amusing as it was, upon hearing Joker's words, everyone sheepishly withdrew their hands.

Thinking back to that previous moment, it truly made people's faces burn with embarrassment!

They had no idea why they had lost their composure like that; were they still the lofty goddesses they pretended to be in daily life?

Were they still those poised and dignified ladies?

It was just that Su Bai was simply too handsome...

And his physique was truly incredible!!!

Su Bai had no idea what was going through the fans' minds; had he known, his face would surely be covered in black lines of exasperation.

Watching Joker's unique method of diffusing the tension, Su Bai couldn't help but smile.

Truth be told, it was surprisingly effective.

At the very least, not a single hand was reaching out anymore.

While Su Bai did not suffer from claustrophobia or the fear of tightly packed crowds, witnessing that spectacle had genuinely given him a fright!

Could you imagine a scene where your entire field of vision was filled with nothing but hands?

"Old Xue, you're a good man!"

Joker: ...

Had he really just been handed a nice-guy card right here and now?

"Alright, but could everyone quiet down for a moment? With all of you chattering over each other all at once, poor Su Bai can't even get a word in to greet everyone properly."

In an instant, the entire hot pot restaurant fell into a pin-drop silence.

"Hello, everyone!"

"Old Xue invited me over for a bite to eat today, but I honestly never expected there to be so many people!"

"Things got a bit overwhelming!"

"I am truly delighted by everyone's affection!"

"However, getting autographs and taking group photos might not be very practical right here and now, simply because there are too many of you and no open space!"

"However, I can sing a song for everyone!"

"Later on, you can all stay seated at your tables to eat while I sing right here in the shop, how does that sound?"

"When I walk near your tables, you can snap a few pictures, and I'll do my best to interact with everyone. How about it?"

Wow, wow, wow...

A wave of cheers erupted across the venue.

"Everyone go back to eating for now. Old Xue and I are going to set up the sound equipment, and we'll give you all a surprise shortly!"

With that, amidst the reluctant and lingering gazes of the crowd, he followed Old Xue back into his office!

Su Bai said with lingering fear, "Oh my god, the passion of the fans is a bit too much to handle!"

Joker rolled his eyes. "Are you flexing on me right now?"

"If I had your level of popularity right now, I'd wake up laughing in my dreams!"

Su Bai retorted, "Aren't you afraid of dreaming about a scene where countless hands reach out to grope you?"

Upon hearing this, Joker shuddered violently...