Chapter 17

Sure enough, when Chi Ximin said those words, she noticed that her brother's expression changed.

When Gu Yubai heard Chi Ximin say that someone had hit on Yu Xia and even wanted to buy her a drink, his brows furrowed deeply. He thought of how Yu Xia had pounced on him at the bar earlier. Could this person who was looking for Yu Xia also be so inconsiderate, deliberately throwing himself at her?

Coupled with his preconceived notions about bars—he already had a bad impression of them—his feelings worsened, and he felt that what he was imagining was very likely to happen, causing his eyebrows to furrow even deeper.

Thinking of this, he raised his head, his eyes sweeping over Chi Ximin, his lips pressed tightly together, not saying a word, but his expression clearly wanted her to continue speaking.

A strange feeling suddenly arose in Chi Ximin's heart.

It wasn't fear, but a novel, subtle feeling of having guessed correctly.

It seems she's caught her brother red-handed?

She felt as if there was an invisible thread suspending her brother, a feeling of being able to control other people's psychological trajectory.

It's a bit strange.

So, Chi Ximin cleared her throat, glanced at her brother, followed his movements with her gaze, and then very casually emphasized again:

"He's quite handsome and a gentleman. When he asked Sister Yu Xia if she was willing, he spoke softly."

"What's so handsome about him? What kind of good people are people from bars?" Gu Yubai's expression was displeased, and his tone sounded somewhat exasperated.

Unexpectedly, her brother was so easily provoked. It was rare to see her brother so angry, and Chi Ximin found it somewhat amusing. She pursed her lips.

Gu Yubai grew angrier the more he thought about it. He couldn't understand what was so handsome about the people in the bar. They called themselves gentlemen, but it was obviously just an act to pick up girls. It was so fake.

Feeling like a fire was burning inside him with nowhere to vent, Gu Yubai directed his anger at the grinning Chi Ximin.

"Judging from your tone, you actually admire them? You've been associating with those shady characters, haven't you?" Gu Yubai narrowed his eyes.

"No, no!" Chi Ximin hadn't even had a chance to appreciate her brother's furious expression when, for some reason, the battle suddenly turned against her. Upon hearing this, she immediately tried to clear her name.

Realizing she had gone too far and stepped on someone's Achilles' heel, Chi Ximin quickly added the most crucial sentence: "Sister Yu Xia also rejected him."

Gu Yubai paused, his mouth, which was about to speak, remained silent for a moment. He looked at Chi Ximin, his expression unchanged, though not as frightening as before. However, he still seemed dissatisfied and was clearly waiting for her to say the next sentence.

Chi Ximin was sweating profusely from being stared at. She deeply regretted her foolish decision to provoke her brother. She frantically searched her mind for anything else she could say to make her brother happy.

Got it!

"Sister Yu Xia also said that guy was an idiot! She glared at him and made him run away." Chi Ximin, desperate to survive, finally recalled Yu Xia's words from the crack in the crowd, and didn't forget to add, "Sister Yu Xia also said that guy's acting was bad, and said that he was no good, yes! Sister Yu Xia said he was no good!"

Chi Ximin was incredibly determined, and as she spoke, she carefully observed her brother's expression.

Upon hearing the last sentence, Gu Yubai's expression softened.

Hmm, it seems the young streamer thought the same as him, and wasn't easily misled or deceived. She still has her own judgment, which eased Gu Yubai's mind considerably.

Once Gu Yubai calmed down, his expression wasn't as heavy as before; instead, a hint of smugness appeared on his face.

He knew that the young streamer was just like him.

Seeing the unconscious smile playing on Gu Yubai's lips, Chi Ximin stood to the side and tentatively called out to him, "Brother?"

Will I be able to serve my full sentence and be released?

It seems like it should be possible...

Hearing the sound, Gu Yubai snapped out of his daze and noticed that Chi Ximin was still beside him. He coughed, his expression returning to its usual seriousness, and looked at Chi Ximin like a parent, saying, "Don't go to those shady places next time. What kind of behavior is that?"

After saying that, he felt that his words were ambiguous. The junior anchor also went to the bar, so saying that seemed to insult the junior anchor as well.

Gu Yubai paused for a moment, then said, "It's not that I don't want you to go. Now that you're an adult, it's not like you can't go to those places like before. Don't go without saying a word like you did today. Don't think I don't know what you're up to. Next time you want to go, you have to tell me in advance. If you do it again like today, see if I let your second aunt come and settle accounts with you."

Upon hearing this, Chi Ximin knew the matter was over and immediately raised her hands to promise, "I promise it will never happen again!"

“Next time I go, I’ll go with Sister Yu Xia, and I’ll have you pick me up!” Chi Ximin said.

"That's acceptable," Gu Yubai raised an eyebrow.

"Alright, alright, go on up." Gu Yubai waved his hand, letting her go.

"Okay, brother." Chi Ximin slipped away without stopping.

If not now, when? She'd finally gotten her brother to agree to let her go; if she'd been any slower, he might have turned around and come back for more.

—

Yu Xia is very unfortunate.

She was so dejected that she didn't feel like taking the bus, but there were no buses running at that point anyway, so whether she was dejected or not, the outcome would be the same.

Tang Chi had a performance to attend and needed to rehearse with his theater troupe the next day, so he stayed at the hotel booked by the troupe and called a car to take Yu Xia home alone.

When Yu Xia got home, she was still feeling miserable. She even started to regret why she had been so impulsive, so impulsive, and so impulsive in trying to strike up that conversation. Now that things had turned out this way, did she feel any better?

How can we continue our cooperation? Should we even meet with them?

Pinching the client's pectoral muscles—besides her, probably no other lunatic in the world would do something like that.

At that time, she just happened to see the guy in the middle who was quite handsome. She had never seen his type in the bar before. Tang Chi and the others were talking about flirting, and she just happened to take a liking to him. Then, by some coincidence, she had the idea to demonstrate for them. And then, by some coincidence, a foot suddenly appeared out of nowhere. And then, by some coincidence, this person was the client she had met a few days ago.

It was precisely because of these exact numbers that such an awkward situation arose two hours ago.

Yu Xia sometimes wondered if God was playing a trick on her. She had never taken the initiative to strike up a conversation in a bar before, so why did she have this impulse for the first time today, and why did her client happen to run into it?

If they bumped into each other, so be it. Why did some evil foot have to stick out from some unknown corner and trip her up?

So many perfect options, but what if there were just one "but"?

What if she had just glanced at it one more time?

Why should one impulsive act come at such a heavy price?

Did she do something wrong?

All she wanted to do was talk to the handsome guy, what was wrong with that? In over twenty years, she'd been to bars so many times, and this was the only time she'd ever had the thought of striking up a conversation, only to end up in such a miserable state.

There's a real sense of helplessness, like an honest person who diligently attends so many classes without being called on, only to be called on the first time they do something wrong and skip a class.

Yu Xia didn't know how to describe it. She felt unlucky and pitiful. She buried her head in the pillow and frantically pounded it.

Oh no! How am I supposed to face anyone now?

Just as Yu Xia was pounding her chest in frustration and despair, her phone suddenly rang.

With a whoosh, she lifted her head off the pillow. Because her head had rolled around haphazardly on the pillow twice, two strands of hair stood up on her forehead when she lifted it.

Yu Xia casually rummaged around for a bit, picked up her phone from the bedside, swiped it open, and the moment she saw this profile picture, Yu Xia shuddered. She almost thought the client was coming to settle scores with her, and her heart skipped a beat.

【Bai and Bye】: No live stream today?

Looking at the profile picture, Yu Xia felt a strange sensation, as if she were confessing to the person involved and seeking leniency.

She stared at the portrait and for the first time realized that her own drawing could actually produce such a horrifying idea.

Realizing that it was posted by one of her fellow fans, Yu Xia suppressed her guilty conscience and typed a reply.

【Summer】: No broadcast today, I need to heal my fragile heart ㄒoㄒ

【Bai and Bye】：?

Yu Xia then briefly told him about her tragic experience.

After she finished speaking, the person on the other end also expressed their feelings.

【Bai and Bye】: Maybe he doesn't mind...

【Summer】: How could I not care? Wouldn't you mind if someone randomly pinched your pectoral muscles? ㄒoㄒ

At this moment, Gu Yubai held his phone, saw this sentence, and didn't know what to say.

That's him.

If this happened to someone else, he would definitely be angry.

However, since this person was a small-time streamer, he thought about it and decided to let it go. It wasn't a big deal. Besides, the streamer had said that she was tripped by someone, and it wasn't intentional. So what if she was touched?

Before he could even type a message to the young streamer that he really didn't mind, a message popped up on his phone, leaving him speechless.

【Summer】: However, his pectoral muscles are indeed very nice to touch. They feel hard yet a little soft, and have a great feel to them.

Gu Yubai: "..."

Yu Xia had no idea that the person opposite her was the person in question, and was happily sharing her feelings with them. Since things were already as they were, and there was no going back, she could only try to find some solace in the situation.

And since we've already touched it and suffered so much, it would be a waste not to share it.

After a while, a message came from the other end, which seemed a bit complicated, but Yu Xia didn't notice.

【Bai and Bye】: ...You've touched other people's too?

【Summer】: No, I only touched him. Is this my last meal before my execution?

【Summer】: Oh well, at least I got to eat such a good last meal. I might as well die. It's better than getting covered in pork.

Yu Xia comforted herself in this way.

However, the other side's focus was a bit off.

【Bai and Bye】: You think his pectoral muscles are pretty good?

Yu Xia didn't know why he asked this, but she still answered honestly about her fellow fan.

【Summer】: Yeah, that's really good. It's the only consolation I've found for my social death.

When Gu Yubai saw this sentence, he raised his eyebrows and unconsciously curled his lips into a smile, revealing a pleasure that he himself did not notice.

Before he could even type, the young streamer sent another message.

Yu Xia didn't notice the pause on the other end of the line, lost in her own sorrow.

[Summer]: But I'd rather not have this kind of "blessing." Don't you also think I'm unlucky? I feel like I can't face anyone in Beicheng anymore. That's my client... I'm going to die...

Upon seeing this sentence, Gu Yubai's expression suddenly froze. How did it suddenly get to the topic of death? Is it that serious?

Didn't he say he didn't mind? And didn't he say at the bar that it wasn't the streamer's business? Why is the streamer still so upset?

Never mind, let's comfort the little streamer first.

With that thought in mind, he replied to the message.

The message was simple, just two words, representing his comfort to Yu Xia.

【Bai and Bye】: Don't die.

Yu Xia: "..."

Uh... she's not really going to die.

That's just what I was saying... She doesn't want to die yet.

However, based on her understanding of fellow fans, this should be considered a form of comfort.

The way they offered comfort was a bit hardcore.

However, seemingly feeling that the previous comforting message wasn't enough, Gu Yubai frowned, thought for a while, and then sent another message, which he thought would ease the little streamer's sadness.

【Bai and Bye】: Maybe he was happy that you touched him too?

Uh... would anyone be offended and still be happy about being offended?

Her partner tried everything to comfort her, even saying things that disregarded the facts; it must have been really difficult for him.

However, Yu Xia did not disappoint the comforter and replied to the message.

【Summer】: Thank you for your comfort.

This time, the person who shared the same opinion replied quite quickly, and seemed very worried about whether what she had just said was true, so they emphasized it again.

【Bai and Bye】: You're welcome. It's good to be alive.

...

【Summer】: Okay.