Chapter 4

Chapter 4

“There shouldn’t be any rookie streamers among us, right?”

Qiao Yu hadn’t noticed when the Landlord had vanished. He looked toward the Suit Man who had broken the silence, only to realize that the other six people-including the thin, small boy-were all staring at him with looks of wary suspicion.

Damn, this bullshit Live Stream Room actually discriminates against newcomers?

Qiao Yu was utterly speechless. Before he could even think of how to respond, a slightly pudgy male streamer curled his lip in a cold sneer. “Aren’t you asking the obvious? This guy didn’t appear with the rest of us. He’s clearly a rookie streamer.”

“I just hope he doesn’t drag us down.”

Someone muttered the remark, and then the group dispersed on a sour note, each heading back to their respective rooms.

Soon, only Qiao Yu and the timid-looking small boy remained in the hallway.

The boy seemed grateful to Qiao Yu for letting him pick his room first, as his attitude was quite friendly. “Um, this is my second time being pulled into a Live Stream Room. My ID is Man-Eating Crocodile.”

You? A Man-Eating Crocodile?

Looking at that face, Qiao Yu really couldn’t bring himself to associate it with such a domineering name. His mouth twitched involuntarily. “What’s your real name?”

The small boy hesitated for a moment, looking conflicted. “It’s not that I don’t want to tell you, but it’s best not to reveal your real identity in the Live Stream Room.”

“Why?”

“Because it’s easy to make enemies for all sorts of reasons while streaming in an Instance. If someone with bad intentions finds out who you are in the real world, they might come after you for revenge. It’s better to be cautious. If you think my ID is too long, you can just call me Crocodile.”

Qiao Yu nodded, feeling a secret sense of relief. It was a good thing his name was so common that he hadn’t been able to register it.

“By the way, what’s your ID?”

Qiao Yu replied, “I’m Your Dad.”

In the next second, ‘Crocodile’s’ face turned pale, his expression shifting to one of humiliated anger. “How can you talk to me like that! And here I thought you were a decent person and shared information with you. No good deed goes unpunished, hmph!”

With that, Man-Eating Crocodile slammed the door and retreated into his room.

-Pfft!

-Sorry, I really couldn’t hold it in, teehee~

This dog-shit Live Stream Room screwed me over again!

Glaring at the bullet screen filled with “hahaha,” Qiao Yu walked into Room 4005 with a long face.

Room 4005 was an air-conditioned unit. Although the room was small, it had everything one could need.

There was a TV, a refrigerator, a sofa, a kitchen, and a bathroom. For Qiao Yu alone, it didn’t feel cramped at all.

As he poked around the room, he suddenly remembered something. He turned to the bullet screen and asked with a serious expression, “By the way, family, I just paid a thousand yuan in rent. Will I get it back after the Instance ends?”

The scattered comments on the bullet screen vanished instantly, falling into a brief silence.

After a long while, two comments scrolled up.

-Who’s your family? Don’t act like we’re so close.

-The streamer still has the heart to worry about that thousand yuan? You should worry about yourself first.

Qiao Yu didn’t get the answer he wanted and felt quite distressed.

Was that thousand yuan just going down the drain?

Dammit! No way…

Bzzzt, bzzzt, bzzzt…

The television suddenly turned on without warning. Sister Sadako, dressed in white, stood by a withered well and slowly raised her head.

-Here it comes, here it comes.

-It couldn’t even wait to make a move, I’m so excited~

-Scream, run for your life, though it won’t do any good.

Just as the viewers in the Live Stream Room held their breath in anticipation of what would happen next, Qiao Yu walked forward with a look of deep sorrow and calmly pulled the TV plug.

A silence-an eerie, heavy silence-began to spread through the Live Stream Room once more.

“A thousand yuan… that was a whole thousand yuan.”
Qiao Yu walked into the bathroom like a wandering ghost. He reached for the faucet and started splashing water on his face without even looking.

In the next second, a viscous sensation smeared across his skin. Qiao Yu instinctively looked up into the mirror.

He saw a young man in the reflection staring back at him blankly, his entire face covered in blood.

Qiao Yu: “…”

How was he getting dirtier the more he washed?

“Damn it! I haven’t even gotten an explanation for that thousand-dollar issue, and now I can’t even get my face clean!”

A surge of nameless fury rose in Qiao Yu’s heart. Ignoring the faucet that was still gushing red liquid, he threw a punch straight at it.

Ow, ow, ow!

Qiao Yu clutched the back of his hand, grimacing in pain. Fortunately, the bloody water in the faucet cleared up after the strike.

Qiao Yu took a deep breath, cupped some fresh water, and only started washing his face after double-checking it several times.

– Isn’t it just a thousand dollars? Is the streamer losing his mind?

– Pfft, this guy really values money over his life~

– This streamer’s style is so bizarre that it actually drew me back in.

– Me too. I was about to leave, but somehow I ran back to see what happens next.

– Look at the top right corner. A newcomer’s Live Stream Room actually broke five hundred in ‘ghost’ count on the first day. So weird, there’s nothing special about this streamer… Holy crap!

– …

– Isn’t it just a thousand dollars? I’ll make it up to the streamer.

[System Message: Viewer *** has tipped streamer I’m Your Dad 10 Gold Coins]

– Step aside, I’ve got plenty of Gold Coins. I’ll cover it.

[System Message: Viewer *** has tipped streamer I’m Your Dad 15 Gold Coins]

– I finally understand what ‘White Moonlight’ means. This visual impact is too much. Don’t fight me for him, I’m going to stan this streamer like crazy! (Sa Beining on oxygen.jpg)

…

The bullet chat flipped in an instant. The viewers, who had been full of malice just a moment ago, changed their tune immediately and began generously throwing money around.

On the screen appeared a clean-cut youth with skin as white as snow and a refined, beautiful face. He exuded an air of indifferent purity, seemingly detached from the world.

However, before anyone could recover from their awe, Qiao Yu broke character.

“Daddies! You guys must be my long-lost biological fathers!”

– Streamer, you’re so good-looking, don’t be like this. Where is your dignity?

Qiao Yu’s face was the picture of touched emotion. “Are you kidding? How can someone give up money for the sake of dignity?”

– …Heaven gave him a beautiful face but forgot to include the instruction manual.

– The streamer looks so good, he must taste delicious too, jie-jie-jie~

– Is the person above a Starving Ghost? All you think about is eating!

Just as Qiao Yu was experiencing a mix of love and hate for his audience, a short, sharp scream came from outside the door. It was high-pitched, sounding like it came from a woman.

Qiao Yu looked puzzled, as the other six streamers were all male.

After a moment of thought, he curiously leaned toward the peephole to check. The hallway was a mess. A large hand had grabbed the communal mop standing in the corner and was swinging it wildly, as if beating someone.

This was followed by a series of painful cries and pleas: “Stop hitting me, there’s really no more money in the house… Ah!”

In the next second, a rough, violent male voice let out a grunt. “You bitch, you think I don’t know where you’ve hidden the money?”

Then, the tall man disappeared from the peephole’s view, revealing a disheveled figure.

A woman in a red dress was half-lying on the floor. Her fair arms were covered in patches of blue and purple-bruises everywhere.

Qiao Yu let out a soft “ah” of realization. “So those weren’t livor mortis spots…”

They were bruises!