Page Seventy-Six
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Cherry Sauce’s dango from the main body spat out a jewel, and Sister Zǐ put it into a metal box, quickly closing the lid, only then did she relax.
“This way it’s safe. This box can shield most of the magical effects. Even if this jewel is a divine creation, it won’t be able to exert any effect within this box.”
As expected of Sister Zǐ, she was as cautious as a researcher should be.
“Wait! Didn’t you say you were going to return it to her?”
“Mmm, I’ll give you the box along with it.”
Sister Zǐ handed the box to Yòu Zi, but the box seemed to have some special mechanism. Yòu Zi’s little paws struggled in vain, and even with the strength of a pet mink, it couldn’t carry the box away. So, it soon gave up trying and rolled on its back on the coffee table, kicking its legs in frustration.
“Hmph! That’s too sneaky! Humans are really cunning!”
“You little one, running away isn’t an option. You’ll have to follow us until we find the mysterious girl A… Ouch!”
Sister Zǐ tried to grab Yòu Zi by the neck fur again, but this time, Yòu Zi nearly bit her hand.
“Don’t touch me, I hate deceitful humans!”
Sister Zǐ pursed her lips, realizing she was disliked.
But Yòu Zi didn’t resist much against Sister Shān, who held her. That wasn’t entirely accurate either.
Held by Sister Shān, Yòu Zi remained still, completely tense. After a long while, she said, “What’s with this fierce-looking little girl? It feels like I’m being stared at by a snake!”
She was intimidated by Sister Shān’s three white eyes. However, such words could be hurtful to Sister Shān, who released Yòu Zi and started fiddling with her bangs.
“Don’t say that.”
With a black tentacle, Cherry Sauce tapped Yòu Zi’s little head, scolding her. Yet, I felt a distant pull drawing my consciousness towards something…
—
“Chairman, why are you suddenly spacing out?”
Regaining my senses, Xiǎo Lěi reached out and touched my forehead. Only then did I realize I had returned to my body and regained control.
“Oh? Nothing.”
Lǐn Huā was flipping through her phone on Sister Yǐjī’s bed. On the small table next to the bed was a laptop, and AJ was rapidly typing on the keyboard. Sister Yǐjī was still live-streaming, while Xiàlù was fiddling with the guitar in the corner… Surprisingly, she actually knew how to play the guitar?
Come to think of it, there was indeed a recording studio in her music store.
No one noticed my earlier anomaly. It seemed the mysterious old lady’s acting skills had fooled them all. No one even noticed when I was replaced, which was quite terrifying.
“The person helping us is indeed Miss Queen.”
It seemed they had reached a conclusion. AJ turned the notebook on the table towards me, and I leaned in to take a closer look. It was the personal page of virtual streamer Queen, who had posted multiple calls for support for Dragon Palace Princess Yǐjī. Each post had hundreds or even thousands of replies, from fans or other streamers alike. The data was still growing, indicating Queen’s popularity as a streamer.
AJ explained, “She also exposed many dark secrets of the Glorious Family, including strict gambling contracts, chat records from water army groups, evidence of hiring thugs to threaten people, and so on. Her actions were decisive, no wonder they panicked.”
The people of the Glorious Family probably never imagined that such an unknown little streamer, with no backing, would turn out to be so formidable behind the scenes.
“Why would the queen, who is always after profit, suddenly help us so generously?”
I suspect she might use this to negotiate terms with me later.
AJ replied, “I don’t know much about Queen as an information broker, but as a veteran in the virtual streaming industry, she has always been supportive of Sister Yǐjī, occasionally sending gifts during her streams. I believe she genuinely means well.”
Is this the duality of human nature?
Perhaps, aside from her role as an information broker, she’s not actually difficult to get along with.
—”Hey! Xiao Kai, are you okay?”—
Cherry Sauce transmitted from the commercial area.
—”Looks like everything is fine. I have a theory I want to verify. We’ll come over right away. Wait for us at the low-rent apartment.”—
She sounded very excited but didn’t tell me what it was about.
“Oh right, has the indicator for Sister Yǐjī been met?”
Upon Lǐn Huā’s question, AJ buried herself in confirming Sister Yǐjī’s achievements.
“Yes,人气on three live platforms broke twenty million! At its peak, it even exceeded a million! Revenue from the live stream also exceeded quite a lot…”
She raised five fingers.
“…so much more!”
Seeing her so delighted, I guessed it was more than just五千, so I asked, “Is it over fifty thousand?”
“Yes! But most of it was today’s income. We were worried about the indicators a few days ago, but we accomplished it so easily.”
AJ’s face blossomed like a flower, whether from joy at completing the indicators or from the substantial amount of money, or both.
Though enviable, I said, “Although ten thousand is no small sum, it’s less than I imagined. Sister Yǐjī created a sensation today, she’s riding the wave and should soar higher.”
Xiàlù, holding the guitar, approached. As a child of a wealthy merchant family, she wanted to share her thoughts, “Sister Lingmeng, don’t rush. It’s only been two hours since the broadcast started. There will surely be online media interviews later. This wave hasn’t passed yet… We’ll see if she can seize this opportunity. If she becomes famous because of this, our night market will attract tourists, right?”
Why did it end up involving the food street?
And what kind of holy site is she talking about?
Sister Yǐjī took off her headphones, looking exhausted as she left the recording studio… Her steps were unsteady, clearly worn out.
Lǐn Huā didn’t hold back her praise.
“Sister Yǐjī did a great job today!”
“No, it’s all your doing. I merely told the truth in the live stream. By myself, I wouldn’t have achieved anything.”
She bowed towards us, expressing gratitude.
A contradictory figure, Sister Yǐjī still struggles with self-deprecation, but from her smile, she seemed quite satisfied with today’s results…
Having directly defeated the opponent, how could she not be?
AJ poured Sister Yǐjī a cup of hot tea, and the latter sat down at the small table to rest.
Lǐn Huā clapped her hands, “Good! Since the task is completed, I’ll go and invite Tāo Jiàng now!”
“Ah? Now?”
Hearing Lǐn Huā, Sister Yǐjī seemed hesitant.
AJ said, “Hey, can’t you give them some time to prepare?”
Xiǎo Lěi popped up, “We’ve waited this long, what preparation? What if Táo Jiàng changes her mind? Don’t overthink things, just go with the flow! Sometimes big moves work wonders!”
This clumsy statement made sense—overthinking complicates things.
“I understand. Then I’ll ask Xiǎo Lěi to contact her,” Sister Yǐjī seemed to have made up her mind.
“Good! I’ll go order a big meal and then call Tāo Jiàng!”
Lǐn Huā was excited, hoping she hadn’t mixed up the sequence.
“Wow! A big meal!”
Xiǎo Lěi suggested, “Why don’t you go order now, and have Sister Yǐjī personally call Tāo Jiàng?”
“Ai? Me?”
Surprised by Xiǎo Lěi’s suggestion, Sister Yǐjī received support from Lǐn Huā.
“Lěi Jìng makes sense. Let Sister Yǐjī handle this! If you can’t even muster the courage to call her, how will you speak to Tāo Jiàng when you meet her?”
“Will Tāo Jiàng hang up on Sister Yǐjī if she calls?”
In response to my question, Lǐn Huā shrugged.
“In that case, let someone else make the call. Having accomplished such a difficult request, she shouldn’t refuse without feeling guilty.”
Sister Yǐjī still found it challenging.
Seeing this, AJ stepped forward, “If necessary, I’ll do it. It’s been a while since I talked to Táo Jiàng, I’m a bit excited too.”
Seeing someone take on the burden, Sister Yǐjī nodded vigorously.
Lǐn Huā couldn’t help but comment, “Sister A is too biased towards her!”
“It’s fine! All our efforts are for this day. I believe Sister Yǐjī can face Táo Jiàng, so let me bear this responsibility for now,” AJ appeared indifferent.
This person is… spoiling her… no, her mother-in-law… no, she’s a crazy mother-in-law?
Not only AJ, even Sister Yǐjī looked at AJ strangely. Although they had known each other for a short time, their interactions were unusually close. AJ even handled Sister Yǐjī’s meals, making people curious about their current relationship.
To avoid disturbing the call, Lǐn Huā and AJ both took their phones out of room 202.
—”Are we eating? Then we’ll wait here for you?”—
Cherry Sauce said, adding,
—”Let Lǐn Huā pick a restaurant that allows pets.”—
Was she planning to bring Yòu Zi along?
Before AJ and the others returned, Sister Yǐjī stood up after finishing her tea.
“I’ve rested enough. I’ll go back to the live stream.”
Xiǎo Lěi: “You’re going to stream even as you leave?”
“Yes, at least I need to reassure my waiting fans before I leave.”
When mentioning her fans, Sister Yǐjī couldn’t help but smile.
That smile was rare, bright, and warm, making me feel her mood.
I followed up, “Sister Yǐjī, when you were a singer, did you have this many… fans?”
“Not nearly as many.”
“If you value these fans so much now, why didn’t you value the ones back then?”
My words were almost harsh to Sister Yǐjī.
She stood at the door of the recording studio, facing away from me.
“I understand what you mean. I won’t forget, I owe her everything.”
“When you meet Táo Jiàng later, I hope you can clarify these things with her, seek her forgiveness, and face your own mistakes.”
“I know… Thank you.”
