Chapter 215

Page Seventy Arrangements!

[20:30]

[Low-Rent Apartment Room 202]

We arrived at the low-rent apartment. As we climbed the stairs, AJ came out from 201 room just as she was carrying a bowl of noodles. It seemed she had cooked dinner for Sister Yǐjī herself.

When we met, she narrowed her alluring peach blossom eyes and greeted me, “Oh~ Lingmeng came empty-handed?”

…I couldn’t help but feel there was more to her words. Did she want me to bring back some takeout?

“We’ll check on your situation… Why didn’t you order takeout today?”

“Hehe, I haven’t received any work lately, and the income from the live streaming room hasn’t been credited yet. I have to save up during this period.”

Although the taste wasn’t great, the toppings were only bamboo shoots and pork strips, the fact that AJ personally cooked was already a big improvement.

Even Lǐnhuā remarked, “You’ve become much more sensible without Tāo around. Was it because Tāo spoiled you too much before?”

AJ stuck out her tongue without responding. She placed the tray on the fire extinguisher box at the stairway and took out the key from her pocket to open the door of Room 202. The room was dark, with only the recording studio inside lit up.

AJ turned on the bedroom light and placed the tray on the small table next to the bed. She then made a gesture of eating through the glass of the recording studio towards Sister Yǐjī.

Afterwards, the live streaming room went into host absence mode.

“You came to ask about the Glorious Family, right?”

Sister Yǐjī asked while eating her noodles.

“Yeah, AJ should have already told you the plan. I’ve also informed Sister Tāo. Just keep broadcasting, aiming for those twenty thousand viewers.”

Sister Yǐjī’s live streaming room had a rapid increase in popularity. Although the Donkey Fight Platform was tough ground for virtual hosts, it was also an uncharted blue sea. Once the environment stabilized, her popularity would continue to grow.

The only obstacle was these live streaming unions trying to monopolize the market.

Sister Yǐjī replied, “We’ve told our story and documented it in our updates. If the Glorious Family insists on exposing my identity, they can match it with the story. But… there might be danger for Táo.”

“Danger?”

AJ explained, “We’ve been receiving threatening messages non-stop, and they even sent us photos of Táo. Of course, those were taken secretly.”

She opened her phone to show us the private chat messages, the photos sent via fake accounts, and the threatening content.

Lǐnhuā leaned against Sister Yǐjī’s wardrobe, propping her chin up with her hand and asked, “There’s something I wanted to ask while watching the live stream. Was the ‘model friend’ in the background story added by you or Sister Yǐjī? Honestly, that part seems redundant and could cause trouble, especially since you’re not just Sister Yǐjī’s friend.”

“She’s also Tāo’s ‘friend.'”

During the time Táo was being targeted, AJ’s personal safety could also be used as a threat.

Sister Yǐjī silently pointed at AJ, who scratched her head and smiled sheepishly.

“Oh, I can’t hide anything from you, Lady Lǐnhuā? Yes, I asked Sister Yǐjī to add that.”

Lǐnhuā angrily scolded, “Idiot! Since they’ve been sending so many threats, shouldn’t you know the consequences of doing that? What’s the point of getting yourself into trouble!”

“I know it’s dangerous, but it might relieve some pressure for Táo. After all, I can’t let her face them alone.”

I sighed and said, “Sister A, think about it. Táo has security forces protecting her at school and walks home with Shēnguang. She rarely goes out alone, so there’s no way she’d be in danger… And what about you? You always go out alone, looking for part-time jobs and modeling. If someone lures you with a fake job offer, would you go or not? Frankly, you’re full of vulnerabilities!”

She retorted, “I’m not that naive. I’ll take care of myself!”

“I advise you to be more careful.”

After finishing her noodles, Sister Yǐjī put down the bowl and returned to the recording studio to continue broadcasting. AJ cleaned up the dishes and suggested, “This might disturb Sister Yǐjī. Why don’t we go to my place instead?”

“Sure, it’s perfect for discussing this matter in detail.”

Room 201 was still in a shabby state, but there was a nearly brand-new laptop on the table. This was surprising, given that the configuration looked quite high-end and wasn’t something AJ could afford.

“Huh? Sister A, you can afford a computer?”

It was pink and quite girlish.

AJ replied while washing the dishes, “That’s not mine! It’s borrowed from my neighbor, Bā Hé Mèi. She needs to manage Sister Yǐjī’s fan group and guard against troublemakers in the live streaming room. Without extra computers, it wouldn’t work.”

As a witch from the Research Institute, Bā Hé Mèi was quite wealthy. Though I didn’t know the exact amount, from her usual attire and spending habits, her salary was generous enough to lend AJ a computer without issue.

Xiǎo Lěi turned on the laptop without permission.

“So there really are a lot of threatening private messages that aren’t stopped by reporting them to the platform?”

“It’s useless. For those people, blocking their fake accounts doesn’t do much.”

AJ brought over several golden sweet oranges and laid out fruit knives with sheaths on the table, gesturing for us to cut them ourselves. What kind of hospitality was this? It was late November, and oranges were in season, making them relatively cheap. This was the best she could offer now.

Holding an orange in her hand, AJ looked at the laptop screen and said, “There must be people within the Glorious Family targeting hosts like Sister Yǐjī. With just the two of us, it’s hard to deal with organized troublemakers.”

Lǐnhuā asked, “They target more than just you. Is there any way to organize other small hosts to stand up for their rights?”

“We have no say in front of the platform, and many small hosts end up being absorbed by them. It’s not very trustworthy.”

While we were talking in Room 201, Cherry Sauce’s extended tentacle had already burrowed underground, bypassing the elevator and entering the underground Research Institute.

—”Oh! Indeed here!”—

Zǐjiàng, who usually stayed here on weekends, was still studying alone in the research library, delving into spells.

—”Are you ready? I’m establishing a temporary mental connection right now.”—

There wasn’t much to prepare, right?

The black tentacle wrapped around Zǐjiàng’s delicate wrist. After a series of busy dial tones, my consciousness linked up with Zǐjiàng’s.

“Woah~ Zǐjiàng, can you hear me?”

“Mmm?”

The sudden mental link caused confusion on the other side.

“This is Xiǎo Kǎi. I’m upstairs in Room 201, contacting you through the Cherry Sauce hotline.”

“Through this line? That startled me. Is there something you can’t say in person?”

“Indeed, there is. I need to ask you for a huge favor!”

“…Speak.”

Eating the oranges sliced by Xiǎo Lěi, I relayed the plan to Zǐjiàng through mental communication.

“Do you really want me to handle such an important plan?”

“As the leader of this operation, you need coordination skills, strategy, and connections. After much thought, I believe no one else is better suited than you. Also, I trust you. Can you help me?”

“You treat me like a tool, don’t you? Besides, where do I have any connections left?”

“I know, so I hope you can negotiate with Sister Miāomiāo, Xiàlù, and some members of the student council without my knowledge. Of course, the Research Institute’s people will help too.”

There was silence on the other end. Zǐjiàng was in deep hesitation.

After all, the people I asked her to contact had participated in the battle to dismantle Rōshēngmén. They were practically mortal enemies, especially Sister Miāomiāo, who never showed good face towards Zǐjiàng due to matters involving Sānjiē.

Zǐjiàng finally asked after a long pause, “…Do I have to find them alone?”

“I know you have issues with them, but the Rōshēngmén incident is in the past. It’s not an irreconcilable conflict. This operation needs many hands. Even if it’s for my sake, everyone will cooperate with you. Please help!”

Another moment of silence.

“…I need a prepayment.”

Zǐjiàng murmured on the other end.

“Tomorrow, I need you to spare a day to accompany me, but differently! This time, you can’t bring anyone else!”

—”Zǐjiàng came online.”—

Zǐjiàng’s request left me puzzled. One day was no problem, but the underlying meaning was what troubled me.

…Can I bear more?

“Of course, this isn’t a payment, right?”

But I agreed anyway, despite feeling a bit guilty. I needed to confirm the whereabouts of the mysterious girl A, who is also my mother, as soon as possible.

“Even if it’s not a payment, it’s fine to call me when you want to go out.”

Zǐjiàng said, “Forget it! I know you. You wouldn’t come see me unless you had something to ask for help.”

…It seemed to be true.

“Sorry, I’m a bit busy…”

She laughed uncommonly, and the joy was transmitted clearly through the mental link, making me suffer.

“Hehehe~ Then I’ll start preparing. If your information is correct, we can act next week, right? Rest assured, I won’t tell you anything until it’s done. Consider it a surprise!”

Just because I agreed, she felt happy. Clearly, it was just the lingering effect of Cupid’s arrow…

I reminded myself that there were people who liked me besides Xiǎo Lěi and Lǐnhuā.

Cherry Sauce retracted its tentacles, and the mental link between Zǐjiàng and I was severed, but the emotions conveyed remained.

“Chairman?”

Xiǎo Lěi held a peeled orange segment in front of my mouth, her fingernail touching my lips. Seeing I didn’t respond, she softly called out.

“No worries… Just spacing out a bit.”