Chapter 13 Fever: "Desperate for Fame"
"I've already made an agreement with them this time. In order to make money, I can only finish editing it." Shu Qing promised, "I promise you, I will never make videos of you pairing up with other little monsters again, and there will be no more little female snakes."
The little snake demon remained silent for a moment, then finally flicked its tail and swam back onto her shoulder, affectionately nuzzling its head against hers.
Sigh, the little monsters are not hard to coax at all, but communication is a big problem.
"Hey, is it possible for a little monster like you to learn to talk?" Shu Qing casually rubbed it a couple of times and asked on a whim, "It would be so much more convenient if you could talk, with barrier-free communication... saving me from having to ask Jiu Su every time, which would only make me owe more and more, and it would be hard to clean up the mess later."
She quickly dismissed her own opinion, "Forget it, it's a physiological limitation. You don't even have vocal cords, so I can't make such an unreasonable request of you. I'll just hope the Supermarket Management Bureau can develop a communication device someday..."
The little snake demon opened its mouth, then closed it again, silently coiling itself around her shoulder without making a sound.
Shu Qing played with the little snake for a while, then started designing new video storyboards—she needed to update frequently to maintain popularity, and besides, she had other plans in mind and wanted to earn more money.
She had a few ideas she hadn't had time to work on yet, so she drew them one by one, completely absorbed in the process, until the little snake demon gently nibbled at her finger, which made her realize that it was dinnertime.
"Little foodie." She affectionately pinched its head with her fingers. "Okay, I'll order takeout."
She clicked on the Hidden Town Japanese restaurant she had recommended to Jiu Su and ordered a batch of takeout: sashimi, sushi, and sweet shrimp. Both the snake and she were completely satisfied with the meal.
Shu Qing and Miss Qi sent a joint video on time, but didn't rush to look at the data; she let it settle in the background for a while.
She finished the storyboard she hadn't completed before dinner, and then started browsing rental apps on her phone.
"The rent here expires at the end of next month, and I won't renew it then," Shu Qing muttered to the little snake demon. "I think this neighborhood is nice; it's in the suburbs, so there are relatively fewer people, and it's close to Chiffon Studio."
"I think the young lady is a nice person. I wonder if she would be willing to cooperate with me long-term..."
She muttered to herself as she browsed around the Chiffon Photography Studio, collecting a collection of garden villas, and then, with audacious boldness, a collection of townhouses.
“Once I’ve established myself, I’ll rent a small courtyard to live in,” Shu Qing said. “I’ll plant a short tree in the courtyard. By then, you’ll definitely be much bigger than you are now, and you can take a nap in the tree. I’ll also plant some flowers and plants, and maybe some vegetables… but I can only grow mint, chili peppers, and things like that. Uh, can you eat spicy food? You probably can’t.”
The little snake demon gently rubbed her face. He could eat anything—even if she fed him another poison, he would be willing to swallow it whole.
"Ah Shu!" Just then, Shu Qing's phone pinged. It was a message from the demanding client. "Ahhhhhh!"
Eight consecutive "Ahhh!" screams pierced through the screen, so loud that Shu Qing was almost dropping her phone. She slowly typed out a question mark.
Qi Yun, the sugar daddy's girlfriend: "We're in the top ten!"
Sponsor Qi Yun: "The promotion was worth it!"
Sponsor Qi Yun: "My Niannian and your Xiaohong's new CP is also a hit, waaaaaah!"
Shu Qing chuckled dryly and closed the chat box, hoping the little snake demon hadn't noticed Qi Yun's mention of a "new CP".
She also opened a short video app herself—Miss Qi had exceptionally high standards; the "ranking list" she mentioned wasn't the kind of regional ranking list that Shu Qing usually looked at, but the overall ranking list on the homepage.
Right now, the video they jointly released is floating on the homepage, it seems that Miss Qi Yun did indeed buy a lot of promotion.
Shu Qing didn't bother to read the comments. After Qi Yun mentioned it, she could tell that there were quite a few people shipping the couple in the comments section, which her little monster probably wouldn't like. So she took a screenshot of the private message notification that was pushed to her homepage, blurred the video title and her ID, and posted it to her Moments as a memento.
It was even specially marked as "A business order from our dear sponsor sister".
She hummed a song as she went to take a shower and wash up. She lit a scented candle, lay down on the bed, turned on the projector, and started watching a TV series. She felt that this was much better than working in a big factory. In the past, she would never have dared to imagine being able to go to bed at 11 o'clock. Being able to get off work was already a good thing.
After watching an episode of the show, she opened her WeChat Moments and, sure enough, found a group of former colleagues still working overtime, leaving a long line of comments under her post saying "Don't forget us."
Shu Qing felt a pang of sympathy and offered a string of words of comfort before comfortably turning over and going to sleep while hugging her little snake.
She could faintly hear discordant noises from next door. She thought, once she moved, all her worries would be gone!
The next day, Shu Qing was awakened by the little snake demon biting her. It was lying on her chest, biting her collarbone, and its red eyes showed a rare hint of anxiety.
"Is Little Red hungry? Even if you are, you can't bite me. I'm not a spare rib."
Shu Qing asked it jokingly. She sat up, suddenly feeling dizzy and her heart was racing. She touched her forehead, wondering, "Do I have a fever?"
"No way," she muttered. "I haven't caught a cold or overworked myself. Am I just destined to be busy? I'm fine when I'm busy, but I'm not good when I'm idle?"
She lay down again, wondering if she should take her temperature. However, she had always followed her mother's advice to "strengthen her muscles and bones and soothe her mind" since she was a child. Although she was too busy to exercise after starting work, she had found a magic touch that made her rarely sick. There wasn't even any medicine in her place.
Shu Qing took out her phone and selected home delivery of medicine. The little snake demon climbed onto her head, its entire body shrouded in pure white, chilling energy; clearly, it was preparing to use itself to magically cool her down.
Shu Qing felt a cool sensation on her head, deeply moved, but that didn't stop her from bursting into laughter. "When people have a fever, they wear an ice pack, and I'm wearing a snake? Okay, thank you for providing brand-new filming material. In a few months, you can be used as an air conditioner."
The little snake demon's rare act of kindness was mocked, and a fierce hiss came from five centimeters vertically between her eyebrows.
"Okay, okay, baby, I know you're concerned about me." Shu Qing quickly reassured it, afraid it might bite her nose. She then pondered, "That's strange. I just posted a video yesterday, and it went viral. I should be at my most energetic... Has my cheat code failed me? Or is it that because I took someone else's job this time, all the benefits went to the client?"
She opened the short video app with a puzzled look in her eyes, and her gaze immediately fell on the comments section in the background.
"This is terrifying... the little monkey is almost scared to death!"
"Heh, it's obvious they're forced to work."
"Hahaha, this is hilarious! To package slow reaction as a superpower to read the past—this is the most refreshing and unconventional whitewash I've ever seen."
"They're desperate for fame."
"If I remember correctly, this content creator was saved by Xiao Hong before, right? How novel! I've seen snakes bite farmers before, but this is the first time I've seen a farmer bite a snake."
"They're not even the same species, why are you trying to create a couple pairing?"
Even her short public service announcement video was flooded with similar comments:
"Does anyone know how this monkey became disabled?"
"Even monsters can be tortured?"
"I've already reported it to the traffic management bureau. You're welcome. The reporting link is here."
In just one night, the video's tone completely reversed, with the screen filled with accusations that she forced monsters to perform and abused them for publicity.
Miss Qi Yun was probably still asleep and didn't see the commotion. The entire comment section was filled with mockery and angry remarks, and almost no one spoke up for them.
No… there are still some. Shu Qing swiped her finger down and saw Jiu Su in the comments section.
Jiu Su said, "The two monsters were not abused. Judging from their scales, fur, and spirit, they were well cared for. The little monkey Niannian did indeed lose control of its demonic power due to human breeding, which is why it seemed slow to react. But this has nothing to do with the owner or the person who filmed the video."
"Insulting the person who filmed the video only demonstrates your questionable intelligence and has no other meaning."
Of course, this comment was quickly drowned out by a deluge of negative comments.
Jiu Su was still arguing vehemently, but soon someone hacked into the backend, blatantly posted his only follower and only two comments, and concluded: this person is simply a poorly acting schizophrenic version of the content creator.
Then came a barrage of ridicule and insults, and no matter how reasonable and well-founded Jiu Su's arguments were, it was all in vain.
Shu Qing's gaze remained fixed on the posted screenshot. It wasn't until the delivery call came in that she answered the phone, absentmindedly replying, "Leave it at the door."
She put down her phone, closed her eyes, and began to gather the strength to get up and pick up her takeout. The little snake demon slithered off her body, then returned a moment later, nestling back against her to continue cooling her down.
"Sweetie," a few minutes later, Shu Qing weakly reached for the little snake, "I'll go get it..."
The little snake licked her forehead. Shu Qing opened her eyes and found that the takeout bag had been dragged onto the bedside table.
Well, the little monster is quite caring... though it's hard to imagine how it managed to drag in a takeout bag five times its size.
Shu Qing found it interesting and subconsciously began to imagine new material in her mind. Three seconds later, she lowered her eyes and forcibly cut off her thoughts.
After taking my temperature, it was 39.1 degrees Celsius, which is a bit serious.
She took an ibuprofen tablet, cuddled the little snake demon, and prepared to sleep soundly until the end. Just before falling asleep, she hesitated slightly, but still opened her messaging app.
Jiu Su did indeed leave her a message. He didn't blame her for misusing the information he gave him or causing him trouble. Instead, he replied to her message asking him to have dinner: "Okay. Let's meet at this Japanese restaurant at six o'clock tonight."
"When you're with the person who asked you to film the video, bring her monkey, but don't bring your snake."
Shu Qing quickly replied, "Okay."
By 6 PM, her fever reducer should have taken effect. This kind of public relations crisis needs to be addressed as soon as possible; it can't be allowed to fester endlessly, otherwise her account might be ruined.
She left a message for Qi Yun, closed her eyes, and tried to get some sleep to recharge. The phone screen dimmed, as if shutting out all the sharp words and commotion.
However, in places unseen by her, the pure aura that enveloped her had already been tainted by dark impurities.
The little snake demon coiled between her eyebrows, repeatedly trying to absorb the impurities into its body. However, the black energy dispersed and regrouped endlessly, always proving to be a drop in the ocean.
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