Chapter 193

Page Forty-Nine

Long-Awaited Dad

After hanging up on Sister Tāo, I dialed AJ back.

“There’s no problem. If Sister Tāo knows about it, then she must have taken precautions. Since she said not to worry, there’s nothing to be concerned about.”

She appeared more at ease than I was regarding the possibility of Sister Tāo being targeted.

I asked, “So you guys are planning to continue the live stream?”

“Of course, after all, we still need to meet the twenty thousand viewer requirement. Whether for the fans or just to see her, we have to keep streaming.”

I couldn’t bring myself to tell them to stop, so I replied, “Understood, let me know if anything comes up.”

Líng Shàojié took the next bus back.

Before leaving, she gathered some information about the live stream union that had been causing trouble. She said she would tell me the results tomorrow.

Lín Huā originally planned to hold my hand and walk along the riverbank under the night sky back to the village. She said it would be more romantic…

But as soon as we got off the river embankment, the harsh north wind hit us hard. The thin clothes we were wearing couldn’t shield us from the cold. Lín Huā shivered and curled up in my arms, then immediately regretted it, dragging me onto the highway to hail a taxi.

“Oh my god, it’s so cold! (Shivering)”

Although the wind by the riverbank was strong, I wasn’t that cold. With the laptop material not separating, the clothing that Cherry Sauce transformed was extremely warm, even suitable for playing sumo with polar bears in the Arctic.

But Lín Huā was different. This young lady often sacrificed warmth for style, wearing only a sweater and shirt under a single-layer autumn coat. How could she withstand the piercing cold of winter nights?

“You’re impossible. Remember to wear more clothes next time.”

I took off my coat and draped it over her, but she protested with spirit, “No way! A bulky, unattractive coat doesn’t suit a beautiful girl like me! Sometimes sacrifices must be made… Hachoo!!”

Sometimes she can be unexpectedly foolish.

——————

[20:19]

“We’re back.”

Lín Huā was quite cold. She quickly kicked off her shoes, rubbed her arms, and ran inside. I closed the door and put her shoes on the shoe rack, only to find her standing呆呆 in the living room doorway.

“Hmm? What now?” I asked.

The lights in the living room were still on, probably because Mom and Little Qínglán hadn’t gone upstairs yet.

“Lín Huā and Língmèng! Welcome back!”

Little Qínglán greeted me.

“Hey, don’t call me sister… huh, Old Dad?”

No wonder Lín Huā was stunned. For some reason, Mom had changed back. The middle-aged man with a scruffy beard was sitting on the couch holding Little Qínglán, watching the eight o’clock golden hour TV show together.

Noticing my strange look, Old Dad awkwardly explained, “Cough! Today is Thursday, according to the rules we set before, I should be home as a man. So after coming back this afternoon, I changed back… Don’t be so playful, kid!”

Excited, Little Qínglán tried to sit on Old Dad’s neck, treating his return as a celebration. She kept snuggling up to him and even had a terrible expression.

Seeing this, I couldn’t help but shout, “What are you doing?”

I quickly walked over, lifted her under the armpits, and pulled her away from Old Dad. But she stood on the couch, assumed a boxing stance, and punched my chest with a straight punch.

“Hey, fake boobs monster! Don’t disturb my time with Uncle Chang!”

This kid is too much!

Though it didn’t hurt, my anger rose. I turned to Old Dad and asked, “Where are Miss Fànnī and the others?”

Old Dad laughed bitterly, “Oh, Xiao Wū insisted on staying here, so they left after changing clothes. I have to go to work tomorrow, so I’ll pick her up early in the morning and drop her off in the evening.”

Indeed, she couldn’t go to work like this.

I continued, “Can we send her away by calling her now?”

As soon as I said this, Little Qínglán threw herself into my chest, looking pitiful, “Sister Língmèng, don’t send me back!”

Sometimes it’s hard to tell if her actions are due to cunning or mental regression.

“Phew, feels better.”

Lín Huā squinted and brought two cups of hot cocoa from the kitchen.

She said, “Isn’t it cute how Little Qínglán is smaller? Don’t be so hostile, she won’t eat Uncle now, right?”

That might be true. Turning into a child without restraint, it seems the punishment Old Lady gave wasn’t severe enough.

Handing Bear Qínglán to Lín Huā, I turned the laptop on the coffee table to find the live stream address for Sister Yǐjī.

Pressing enter, I told Lín Huā, “I’ll check on Sister Yǐjī first. You can go take a shower.”

But Old Dad asked, “What happened to that streamer?”

“She was threatened through private messages. The photos leaked yesterday were doxxed, and it seems they found out where she is. They say they’ll expose her identity if she doesn’t keep streaming, and they’re planning offline coercion. It’s unclear whether it’s real, but it’s very troublesome.”

Despite that, Sister Yǐjī’s live stream seemed relaxed. There were no trolls in the chat, though she wasn’t collaborating with Sister Fēiyuè. Her viewership was much lower than yesterday but still higher than when she was streaming alone.

“Do live stream unions specifically target small broadcasters who don’t join them? Isn’t the platform supposed to regulate this?”

Old Dad frowned and asked. After finishing her hot cocoa, Lín Huā licked her lips, stood up, and answered, “Uncle, you’re too naive. Small broadcasters don’t make as much money as the unions. Unless things get out of hand, platforms turn a blind eye… I’m going to take a shower.”

For the platform, it’s a practical reason. Live stream unions bring significant profits, while small broadcasters are expendable.

Before going upstairs, Lín Huā threw the laptop material coat on the couch, and Cherry’s head popped out from it.

Her soul returned to the avatar.

“This head says, I have an idea about that nuclear weapon!”

“Nuclear weapon? Are you researching something dangerous?”

Naive Old Dad was not only puzzled but also panicked.

“How could we? It means having a card that makes the other side wary and hesitant to act rashly… How do we do that?”

“Based on your previous analysis, this streamer union thinks Long Tāo’s existence is a weakness for the Long family… Hey! You little brat!”

Cherry was still coming out, but Bear Qínglán playfully pressed her head back into the coat. Old Dad hurriedly picked her up.

“What do you think gives them such confidence?”

“We discussed this earlier. Once word gets out about abandoning one’s wife, the Long family’s reputation will be ruined.”

Influenced by the older generation, most members of the Long family are involved in teaching, education, or literary professions, fitting their scholarly background. These intellectuals place great importance on moral integrity. Long Huáng’s past mistakes were severe enough to damage the family’s foundation.

“Yeah, I agree with you.”

Cherry fully crawled out of the sofa and suggested, “But if the Long family exposes this themselves, the other side won’t have any targets to attack, right?”