"Ahh..." She hurriedly covered her collar, her cheeks flushing. This action instantly jumped the number of viewers from 47 to 213.
Twenty minutes into the livestream, Xi Wanrong began acting out a "talking to her boyfriend" scene. She held her phone to her ear, deliberately turning on speakerphone so the audience could hear a muffled male voice:
"You have to work overtime again?" Her voice suddenly became tearful. "But today is our three-month anniversary..."
The barrage immediately boiled over:
"That stingy boyfriend again?"
"I think I only gave her one lipstick every three months."
Xi Wanrong bit her lower lip, her fingers unconsciously curling the ends of her hair: "It's okay... I'll just eat instant noodles..." A tear was about to fall and hung on her eyelashes, sparkling under the fill light.
At this moment, she "happened" to turn the phone screen towards the camera, and on the chat history that was lit, someone marked "husband" sent a message: "I'm accompanying the boss to a social event tonight, I'll transfer 50 to you for yourself."
In fact, this was a message from her fake account. The barrage of comments exploded instantly, and the gift special effects flooded the entire screen.
Seeing a user named "Xinghe" giving away three rockets, Xi Wanrong immediately adjusted her strategy. She grabbed a tissue to "wipe away tears," but in reality, she was taking the opportunity to glance at the preferences of wealthy users recorded on her tablet.
"Actually, he wasn't like this before..." Her voice softened as she pulled out a carefully prepared prop from a drawer—a yellowed photo. "This was our first date, and he saved for three months to take me to the amusement park..."
In the photo, she is smiling like a flower, and the background is deliberately blurred so that the time cannot be seen clearly.
"My sister is so stupid" and "Break up with this kind of man quickly" the barrage of comments scrolled wildly.
Xi Wanrong suddenly leaned in close to the camera, her moist eyes looking directly at it. This angle allowed the audience to clearly see her trembling eyelashes: "Do my family members say I should break up?"
Tip amounts peaked at this moment, and the screen was flooded with various gift effects. Hidden under the table, her left hand quietly ticked a stopwatch—this "emotional consultation" session was best kept within three and a half minutes to stimulate spending.
"Ah, it's already eleven..." She suddenly looked at the clock in panic, "I have to go to class tomorrow morning..." She deliberately pushed her textbook towards the camera, "Finally, let me show you my notes..."
The densely packed comments in the margins were actually forged yesterday using three different colored pens. Before leaving the broadcast, she "inadvertently" revealed a bruise on her wrist—a fake makeup she'd applied this morning using eyeshadow and concealer.
"Thank you for your concern, my family. I will be strong..." She smiled with red eyes, her finger hovering over the button to end the live broadcast but hesitant to press it. This action attracted another wave of gifts.
In the last three seconds, she suddenly lowered her voice: "Actually, I found out something... tomorrow night at eight o'clock..." The live broadcast was cut off before she finished speaking, leaving the audience with endless imagination.
The moment the camera was turned off, Xi Wanrong's sweet expression instantly disappeared. She roughly pulled off her hair tie and stared at the background data:
Peak views: 23,000
Total reward amount: 48,762 yuan
New followers: 5,893
She clicked on the homepage of "Xinghe," the CEO of a tech company. After taking a screenshot and saving the information, she sent a private message to the ID: "Thank you, brother, for the rocket tonight. I want to thank you in person every evening~"
Xi Wanrong had just sent the private message when the sound of a key turning suddenly came from the door lock of the rental house.
She reflexively locked her phone, the calculating expression on her face instantly disappearing, replaced by one of exhaustion and grievance. The door gently opened, and Zhao Pingchi stood there, clutching a bag of steaming wontons. The plastic bag was covered in water droplets, which dripped down his fingers.
He was soaked, his hair stuck to his forehead, his T-shirt was wet and stuck to his body, and there were spots of mud on his shoulders and cuffs, as if he had run too fast and fallen.
"You... are back?" Xi Wanrong's voice softened a little, but her eyes unconsciously glanced at the wontons in his hand.
Zhao Pingchi walked in silently without saying a word and placed the wontons on the table. The water stains on the plastic bag had spread a small wet mark on the table.
"Eat it while it's hot." He spoke in a low voice, as if he was afraid of disturbing something.
Xi Wanrong stared at the bowl of wontons and suddenly felt a little annoyed.
"Didn't I tell you not to bother me tonight?" she said, her tone deliberately complaining. "I'm live streaming. I'm very busy."
Zhao Pingchi looked up at her, his gaze so calm that it made her feel uneasy.
"You have a weak stomach, you can't go hungry." He paused, then added, "Is the live broadcast going well?"
Xi Wanrong scoffed, casually opened her phone, and showed off the data on the backend. "Of course it went well. I made over 40,000 tonight."
Zhao Pingchi's gaze stayed on her screen for a second, then quickly moved away.
"Yeah." He nodded, turning to towel his hair, his voice muffled by the fabric. "That's good."
Xi Wanrong stared at his back and suddenly felt a tightness in her chest.
"Hey," she kicked the table leg, "why don't you ask me how I make money?"
Zhao Pingchi paused for a moment, then continued to dry his hair, his voice calm: "Just say what you want to say."
Xi Wanrong bit her lip and suddenly felt bored.
She lowered her head to unwrap the wontons, and the hot steam hit her face, making her eyes sore.
"...Did you fall?" She stared at the mud stains on his trouser legs and said in a harsh tone.
Zhao Pingchi glanced down and twitched his lips nonchalantly: "I was running too fast and didn't pay attention."
Xi Wanrong tightened her grip on the plastic spoon.
She knew that the wonton shop was three blocks away and should have closed by now unless he begged the owner to make it for him right away.
She scooped up a wonton, took a bite, and the delicious soup overflowed in her mouth.
"...It's okay." She muttered without looking up.
Zhao Pingchi stood behind her, watching her lower her head to eat wontons, the corners of his mouth raised slightly, then quickly flattened.
"I'm going to take a shower." He said softly and turned into the bathroom.
Xi Wanrong listened to the sound of water and suddenly felt that the wontons in her mouth had no taste.
She glanced down at her phone. Xinghe had already replied: "Tomorrow night at 7:00, Hyatt Hotel, Room 2808."
She stared at the message, then looked in the direction of the bathroom, and suddenly bit the wonton in her mouth hard.
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