บท 51: 51
When the two returned to Yicheng, Pei Yujang found an experimental incubator and brought that piece of material with her.
Yu Zhiwan took it from Pei Yujang that evening without mentioning where she was going, and Pei Yujang didn't ask, respecting her privacy.
The next day was Friday, and Pei Yujang went to the company to clock in and report. While there, she also did a live stream. Her follower count had been skyrocketing, but this was her first official live stream inside the Yuelong company, where she gave her audience a tour and then settled in her office.
"I'll be recording a lifestyle vlog in the next couple of days and will post it on all platforms."
Almost every influencer posts content like this to retain their fans, and Pei Yujang, though not very adept at it, decided she needed to catch up. She was quite nervous during her first live stream but gradually grew more confident. Now, she could easily handle topics without constantly monitoring the comments, and her popularity often surged to the top ranks in both the beauty and appearance categories. Just her face alone could attract a significant number of fans.
Since her job had changed, Zhao Manlin no longer worked in the same office with her. Being alone, Pei Yujang didn't plan to make the live stream too short. Since the audience enjoyed it, she leisurely chatted about her daily life, even putting on some light makeup today.
Pei Yujang's makeup skills had improved, especially her eye makeup, which was now much better than before. Today, she had done a fresh, light look, enhancing her features, using Yuelong's newly launched lipstick. Many viewers were asking about the shade.
"It's shade 488, Mermaid Princess. This one has more shimmer, looks great on camera, and is suitable for photoshoots or gatherings—not a very everyday color."
Unlike other streamers who affectionately call their audience "sweeties" and constantly promote products with a countdown, Pei Yujang rarely directly promoted anything during her streams. She simply answered questions and directed people to Yuelong's official online store for purchases.
This unique live-streaming style was what drew many to her streams, as they didn't have to endure endless advertisements. They could directly ask about things they were interested in, and Pei Yujang would answer almost every question unless it was something she couldn't discuss.
"What will the vlog be about? That's a secret for now. We have a dedicated editor, so you should be able to see it in two or three days."
As the number of viewers increased, Pei Yujang smiled at the camera, but suddenly, a large avatar popped up on the screen.
[You have been selected for the "River Star" promotion screen preliminary slot. Streamer [Lemon Lime] invites you to a PK. Do you accept?]
A bright countdown appeared below, with only 8 seconds remaining when Pei Yujang noticed it. After a moment of hesitation, only 5 seconds remained.
Pei Yujang wasn't very familiar with this streaming platform and had no idea there were live competitions or PK matches. At the last second, she closed the popup. But the other party persistently sent another PK invitation.
[It's Lemon Lime; he loves challenging people to PK, especially newcomers.]
[Fish Sauce, go for it! PK with him. He's not that hard to beat, and winning could get you a spot in the qualifying rounds and a chance to be featured on the promotion screen.]
[Streamer, hurry up! I want to see the PK.]
[Can we stop the drama? She doesn't even have a first-level badge. What's the moderator doing? Can't they ban her?]
As more viewers flooded into the live stream, the comments became overwhelming. When Pei Yujang earned a recommended spot, her viewership usually spiked, so she didn't realize that fans of another streamer had invaded her live stream.
Seeing that this "Lemon Lime" person kept inviting her to a PK and had sent a third request after she declined twice, Pei Yujang decided to accept.
The screen split in two, and on the other side appeared a young man wearing a headset.
Pei Yujang had assumed that someone with the name "Lemon Lime" would be a girl, so she was slightly surprised to see a male streamer.
Lemon Lime was dressed in an exaggerated pink outfit, something akin to a Lolita style. With his small frame, he didn't look as awkward as a burly man in women's clothing would, but it was still far from appealing.
He was wearing a Hello Kitty-adorned dress, complete with filters, makeup, and a curly blonde wig, which made him look out of place.
Pei Yujang could see his chat, which was flooded with viewers calling him "wife."
She was momentarily stunned.
While she understood the concept of "cross-dressers," everyone has different preferences, and Pei Yujang didn't care about how others dressed. But his voice made her shudder.
"Sis~ Why did it take you so long to come and PK with me?"
Pei Yujang had heard that some Omegas had naturally sweet and soft voices. But this man was deliberately pitching his voice, making it sound strained and unpleasant, like a thin wire that could easily snap.
It was the first time Pei Yujang had heard someone speak like this. It wasn't endearing; it was nauseating. Yet, this man seemed oblivious, continuing to buzz in her ear.
"Is this your first time playing PK, sis? Do you want to sing or dance? There are penalties if you lose, but you also get rewards if you win."
Realizing this person had dragged her into this pointless activity, Pei Yujang almost rolled her eyes.
But since she couldn't find a way to exit, and it seemed she couldn't easily leave once the PK started, she reluctantly asked:
"Besides those two, is there anything else?"
She wasn't good at singing or dancing, though she could manage a military-style punch, but wasn't sure if it would be allowed on the stream.
"Sure, anything goes! Let me explain the PK rules. We'll compete for 15 minutes, and whoever receives the most gifts wins."
After the man explained, Pei Yujang was about to mention that she hadn't enabled the gift feature, but then she noticed that the platform had forcibly enabled it. Now, her fans were eager to participate.
Unable to find a way out, Pei Yujang felt irritated. She hadn't started the live stream to receive gifts, and if she had known PK was such a hassle, she would have logged off immediately.
"Since you don't know, I'll go first, okay? If you lose, there's a penalty~"
This man was an Omega, but he was the most repulsive Omega Pei Yujang had ever encountered. His singing voice was equally strained, and he constantly tugged at the Hello Kitty on his chest, making Pei Yujang shudder.
Since coming to this world, Pei Yujang had seen many fashion styles, but this one was mostly worn by little girls, and even they rarely had such large Hello Kitty designs on their clothes after the age of ten.
Unable to exit mid-way or simply shut down the stream, Pei Yujang felt her ears being tortured, regretting her decision to join the PK.
Until there was a knock at the door.
Weary, Pei Yujang called out, "Come in."
"You know, the idea you mentioned earlier could work, but it's a bit tricky to implement. I'll discuss it with you when I get out—"
The crisp sound of high heels on the floor successfully interrupted the wailing in the live stream, and Pei Yujang turned her head, feeling a sense of relief, as she saw the complex expressions on Zhao Manlin and Yu Zhiwan's faces.
To be polite, Pei Yujang had muted her mic while the man was singing. Zhao Manlin didn't know that but knew Pei Yujang was streaming, so she moved to a spot out of the camera's view and whispered:
"Little Pei, when did you start liking this kind of thing?"
Pei Yujang: "..."
She didn't, really.
With Yu Zhiwan standing nearby, Pei Yujang's heart tightened. She didn't mind Zhao Manlin's misunderstanding; after all, they were unlikely to become friends.
Just as she was about to explain, she saw Yu Zhiwan lightly squeeze Zhao Manlin's wrist, causing Zhao Manlin to stifle a smile.
Since arriving in this world, Pei Yujang had noticed that Zhao Manlin wasn't particularly friendly toward her, probably due to the lasting impression the original host had left on her. This was the first time Pei Yujang realized that Zhao Manlin might be capable of joking with her.
She was a bit flustered, but Yu Zhiwan quickly broke the awkwardness by softly asking:
"What's going on?"
Yu Zhiwan's question unleashed Pei Yujang's urge to vent. She quickly asked Zhao Manlin if she needed anything, and upon hearing she didn't, she hastily dismissed her, not realizing how inconsistent her behavior was.
Zhao Manlin muttered something with "dog" in it, but Pei Yujang only caught the last word and didn't mind.
The woman reached out and tilted the camera away, leaning closer to the wheelchair with a slightly aggrieved tone:
"When I started the live stream, this popup suddenly appeared, and this guy insisted on dragging me into his live stream for a PK…"
Yu Zhiwan tried to steady her breathing.
Yu Zhiwan was quite tall, and since she was in a wheelchair, she had to bend down slightly to talk to her. However, they didn't face each other directly, as that would be too intimate and uncomfortable.
As a result, Pei Yujang's neckline was in Yu Zhiwan's view.
Yuelong's office was always comfortably warm in winter and cool in summer, with the company never skimping on heating or air conditioning costs. Not to mention, Pei Yujang's office had the best conditions.
During today's live stream, Pei Yujang wore a vest under a knitted cardigan. It was warm enough that she felt slightly hot, and if not for propriety, she might have taken off the cardigan.
Pei Yujang only dressed casually when alone or in front of Yu Zhiwan, who she considered blind, as she was relatively conservative by nature.
She had grown up on the battlefield and had never experienced much romance, nor would she think of flaunting her charms in front of the opposite sex, despite her favorable conditions.
There was something Yu Zhiwan had never told Pei Yujang.
Her eyes had healed.
Yu Zhiwan had come to Xiangcheng to treat her eyes, and her encounter with Boss Ji at the airport was related to that. Boss Ji had extensive connections in Xiangcheng and helped her find an eye hospital.
Yu Zhiwan's mother had arranged for her eyes to be treated in such a way that it would appear as though she was temporarily blind, a condition that couldn't be easily diagnosed, rather than being blind from birth. Under Xiangcheng's superior medical care, her vision had largely returned, though it was still not perfect.
This was a result of carefully planned surgeries, and Yu Zhiwan had originally intended to tell Pei Yujang the truth. But on the day when Pei Yujang had knelt and wept on her lap, something in Yu Zhiwan's heart softened.
Yu Zhiwan had never considered herself someone who easily softened.
Even when Liu Huanran had taken her to that abandoned factory, and she realized the woman's intent to harm her, Yu Zhiwan had been prepared to disable her.
But things took a turn, and Yu Zhiwan decided to go along with the situation, curious to see how Pei Yujang would try to shift the blame.
That day, Pei Yujang had been drunk, and after being knocked out by Yu Zhiwan, she hadn't even realized what had happened, thinking she had just passed out.
Of course, Yu Zhiwan had cleaned up her own tracks. Since discovering that Pei Yujang was not the original host, she had been cautious, trying to uncover Pei Yujang's true identity.
But at times, this fool could be quite endearing.
So, Yu Zhiwan hadn't had the heart to "recover."
Yu Zhiwan sometimes wondered if Pei Yujang would still be so eager to help her if she were not a disabled and blind Omega but a normal person.
Pei Yujang had also helped Chen Lulu, but only to a point. After ensuring she was out of danger, Pei Yujang didn't engage in unnecessary interactions.
It was clear that Chen Lulu liked Pei Yujang, but this steel-hearted Beta was harder to woo than any celebrity in the entertainment industry who liked to build a persona.
Yu Zhiwan felt that only by remaining blind could she evoke all of Pei Yujang's sympathy, making her lower her guard and genuinely connect with her. If she were a fully capable, normal person, it would be much harder to earn Pei Yujang's trust.
When faced with the choice of "telling the truth but risking estrangement" or "continuing to deceive," Yu Zhiwan had no hesitation in choosing to deceive Pei Yujang.
Perhaps she was never a good person, even when dealing with her savior.
At this moment, Pei Yujang was completely unguarded, exposing large patches of her pale skin. A bit lower, and Yu Zhiwan could see the gentle curves.
The black, fitted vest outlined the smooth lines of Pei Yujang's body. Yu Zhiwan had always known that Pei Yujang had a good figure, but now she realized that Pei Yujang's height, body, and face were flawless. Any more or less would make her less appealing.
Yu Zhiwan didn't always keep her eyes closed. Even when she could barely see before, she would sometimes open them. As a result, Pei Yujang had grown accustomed to seeing her with her eyes open, revealing her clear, beautiful pupils.
But Pei Yujang didn't know she was currently presenting herself to Yu Zhiwan. Yu Zhiwan's throat felt dry, and after a moment, she silently averted her gaze.
The two didn't talk for long, and when the man finally finished his song and called her over, Pei Yujang quickly turned the sound back on.
This cross-dressing streamer had a decent following due to his unusual content, and his fans were quite zealous, with many flooding into Pei Yujang's stream.
Seeing her step away, they assumed she had gone to get a voice card and immediately mocked her.
[Our Lemon Lime always sings without a voice card, using only his natural voice. Streamer, please don't cheat.]
Pei Yujang glanced at the comments and replied, "I don't have one of those."
Lemon Lime's fans were sending a lot of gifts, and Pei Yujang wasn't sure if she could match them, but she didn't really care. She had been too busy venting with Yu Zhiwan earlier to think about what she should perform.
She wasn't much of a singer and had never studied it, but she was confident she could sing better than this exaggerated guy.
Pei Yujang was planning to sing something random and log off, but Yu Zhiwan noticed the comments, where some fans were boasting and sending small planes.
The small plane was a unique gift on this platform, where after sending it, your comment would be enlarged and fly across the streamer's screen, making it instantly visible. It wasn't expensive, only costing 5 yuan, and was usually used for flaming.
Most experienced streamers had this feature disabled, but Pei Yujang, having never enabled the gift option, didn't know what it was for and just saw Lemon Lime's fans taunting her.
Some even used pinyin to spell out insults, taking advantage of platform loopholes. The moderators were trying to ban them, but there were too many accounts to keep up with.
Pei Yujang said, "Maybe I'll just sing a random song and log off afterward."
Yu Zhiwan raised an eyebrow. "Is he even worthy of hearing you sing?"
She spoke loud enough for Lemon Lime and his fans to hear on the other side.
Yu Zhiwan slowly wheeled herself into the frame, avoiding the screen to not have her eyes burned by the other streamer. She had already heard the PK rules from Pei Yujang's complaints and opened her phone to log into her only bookmarked stream.
[Zhimaru]has gifted you 1,000 deepwater torpedoes!
Deepwater torpedoes were the platform's most valuable gift, worth 100 yuan each. As the notification chimed in, the Omega's gentle voice spoke beside her:
"Whatever he received, I'll double it for you."
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