Chapter 36: Live Broadcast Begins

Chapter 36: Live Broadcast Begins

Good netizens turned their attention, waiting quietly for his response, still smiling tenderly with a hint of anticipation in their eyes.

Though Chen Moubai didn't quite understand the situation, it was clear that this was the time to shower praise. His mind began racing at breakneck speed as he attempted to think rationally.

The merits of Caishen - firstly, he is wealthy; secondly, he is wealthy. To sum up, he is wealthy.

"..."

"It's like this."

Putting aside his wealth momentarily, Chen Moubai's thoughts raced, as he began formulating his words earnestly. "President Huo is very capable."

Being capable refers to being exceptionally adept at making money.

"He's also very generous." An increase of eighty thousand in salary at once makes him a good boss.

"He's also nice to people." Though Chen Moubai hadn't experienced much of this himself, he knew it was the right thing to say nonetheless.

At the very least, he was good to his first love, which shouldn't count as a lie.

Some people could praise their good neighbors without a second thought, lavishing hyperbolic compliments that were nonetheless restricted to their neighbors' virtues.

Although it didn't show on his face, Master Chen had struggled somewhat when praising Cais Shen. The three sentences above were the full extent of his mental exertions.

These three sentences seemed enough.

The Good Net-friend's smile widened. "He's not as good as you think. He has many flaws too."

Chen Moubai wasn't much concerned with the shortcomings of his patron deity, the God of Wealth.

To a genuine wage slave, no matter how many flaws a boss may have, as long as there's the merit of potential raises, the God of Wealth will always be his ideal superior.

Zhang Ling glanced at the expression on the opposite person's face and already had an inkling of their thoughts. Unconsciously, she ran her hand through her hair that hung by her side, letting out a slight smile.

In the courtyard, birds were singing, and footsteps echoed in the distance.

It was Uncle Wang, the butler, coming into the yard, announcing that the young miss had already descended downstairs and was looking for them.

The courtyard chat came to an end, and with the caregiver pushing her, Zhang Ling returned to the building.

Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs, Huo Qing was already waiting at the door. When they got close, she greeted them, calling out "Brother Bai," and twirled around while lifting her dress, saying, "Isn't it pretty?"

She wore a long skirt; it had rained yesterday, so going to the courtyard would have meant getting mud on it, thus she waited here instead.

Brother Bai nodded in agreement, saying it was beautiful.

The Fortuneteller Sister laughed with her eyes and brows curved into a smile, and together they all returned to the large living room on the first floor that they frequently used.

Some Fortunetellers were busy with work in the study, others were happily chatting downstairs, accompanied by fruit platters and slices, creating a harmonious atmosphere as if they were a family of three.

After dealing with the sudden work that appeared, when Huochuan rubbed his temples and walked out of the study, the first thing he heard was laughter from downstairs.

Most prominent among them was Huo Qing's laughter, which was utterly unrestrained.

There were some who wore elegant long dresses, yet that didn't prevent them from laughing wildly, slapping their thighs loudly.

"…"

The man descending from upstairs rubbed his temples once more.

In the midst of their chatter, those seated in the living room, munching on fruit from a platter, still had an orange segment in their mouths, their cheeks puffed out. They hastily swallowed and called out a greeting.

Huochuan glanced down, his gaze pausing momentarily on the head of black hair before nodding slightly.

With the time being roughly right and everyone present, the butler took it upon himself to arrange for the chauffeur.

The driver pulled the car up to the front gate, where two vehicles were parked side by side. Doors opened, and several people climbed aboard.

Zhang Ling, seated in her wheelchair, was pushed to the doorway by a caregiver and waved as the vehicles departed.

Those inside the cars turned around, reciprocating with a wave and a smile.

As the two cars left one after the other, disappearing completely from sight, the estate fell silent once again.

The butler, looking down, said, "Madam, the humidity outside is quite heavy; let's go back inside."

Zhang Ling retracted her gaze and nodded slightly.

From the mid-mountain to the city, the sky gradually darkened.

Crimson clouds spread across the horizon, orange hues surging through the layers of clouds. The last bit of light caught on the strands of hair by the window, tinting the black hair with a red sheen as the wind played with it.

Huo Qing, who managed to take the seat next to Chen Erbai before her own brother could, wasted no time in pulling out her phone for a series of snaps.

Turning at the sound, the subject of the photos vaguely saw the silhouette of his money-making partner in the person sitting beside him.

That morning, someone had done the same, snapping away at him.

As the light dimmed, the goddess of fortune, Huo Qing, happily put her phone away after admiring her masterpiece for a few more moments. She said, "I'll send you the photos."

Then she looked up and asked, "Can I send one to Madam Zhang?"

She enjoyed referring to her own mother as Madam Zhang.

With just a few photos, Master Chen didn't mind at all. With a nod, he promptly forwarded the received photos to his good neighbor and money-making partner.

The good neighbor was likely still working, not responding immediately. However, his money-making partner responded swiftly, quickly receiving the photos and adding them to his collection.

The banquet was held in a grand hotel for the birthday of someone surnamed Zhang, who happened to be the father of Zhang Wenxuan.

Before getting out of the car, Huo Qing, with evident concern, gave Chen Bai a heads-up. She explained that Zhang Wenxuan was his father's late-life son and only child, thus he was spoiled and developed a bad temper, not to mention an unserious attitude towards life. If Zhang Wenxuan spoke rudely during the event, she advised Chen Bai to ignore him and leave any issues for her brother to handle.

Her words were bluntly honest, but fortunately, the God of Wealth (her brother) had been pushed into another vehicle by his own sister, thus missing out on her candid remarks.

Just as they mentioned Zhang Wenxuan, a somewhat familiar face appeared right after they got out of the car.

Zhang Wenxuan stood at the entrance of the banquet hall greeting guests, unusually not wearing his flashy shirts but instead opting for a relatively normal suit.

However, his tie still stubbornly chose to stand out with its floral pattern, subtly displaying his unique style.

Remembering his salary of 200,000 yuan, Chen Bai didn't rush off immediately after getting out of the car. Instead, he waited until his good boss was ready before moving forward.

The God of Wealth's sister seemed genuinely at odds with Zhang Wenxuan. When the two stood together, one could sense the atmosphere around them shift visibly.

Being polite, the God of Wealth's sister refrained from saying more, while Zhang Wenxuan chose to tolerate the situation since this was his friend's sister. The two people, wearing forced smiles, exchanged brief greetings before quickly parting ways.

As their figures separated, Zhang Wenxuan caught sight of the person standing slightly behind, smiling faintly.

The hair color had changed, and he was wearing a shirt, which gave off a different vibe than before, but he still recognized that face.

Recognizing him at first sight, his expression visibly shifted as he blurted out, "Didn't you say you were unavailable when I invited you?"

His voice wavered with surprise.

Unlike Zhang's astonishment, the composed man standing firm didn't let his expression falter, his faint smile unchanged as he replied, "Circumstances have just taken an unexpected turn."

Zhang glanced between the two men beside him, suddenly enlightened. Rubbing his face, he exclaimed, "Well, looks like I asked the wrong person to come along."

He intended to find a way to prompt these two individuals, never expecting that he would turn out to be the outsider in this situation.

Chen Moubai felt that it wasn't quite so.

It has little to do with individuals; primarily, it's Fortune God who bestows the wealth.

But Fortune God remained standing beside him, opting not to vocalize his thoughts and instead responding with a smile.

Where a relationship is close, formalities are kept to a minimum. Zhang waved them in with a casual gesture, inviting them to enter ahead of him.

At the high-society gathering, the banquet hall was filled with the scent of fine perfumes and silks, exuding an air of wealth everywhere.

Chen Bai vaguely recalled this plot point, but his mind, as straightforward as a diode, didn't retain the details clearly.

According to the original storyline, this should be the first dinner party that the injured God of Fortune attended after leaving the hospital, honoring Zhang—what was his name?—with his presence.

The supporting character brother also came along, not particularly favored by Zhang—what was his name?—yet eager to integrate into this circle. He did something, which only resulted in him being even less favored.

Master Chen had no intention of forcefully integrating into this circle.

In other words, it is unlikely that any employee would be particularly interested in cultivating a relationship with ABC, the friend of the client.

Master Chen opted to stay by Fortune God's side, indulging in fine food and drink.

Fortune God engaged in conversation as he sipped his grape juice. When Fortune God and the person delved into work-related matters, he politely excused himself, moving quietly and efficiently to devour the petit fours.

The hotel's head chef is indeed skilled; the freshly baked cookies are crisp and fragrant, delicately flavored without being cloying.

Midway through the evening banquet, Zhang Something, who had been serving as a pageboy welcoming guests for the better part of the day, finally brought his duties to an end, thus concluding his temporary career as a greeter.

Spotting that his friend was still engrossed in conversation, he approached the man who was chatting merrily with the chef wearing a hat in the corner, seizing the opportunity to introduce him to several other friends who were on good terms with both him and Huochuan.

These friends had been aware of the person who arrived with Huochuan and Huo Qing since the beginning.

Being close friends, they were well-informed about Huochuan's affairs and Huo Qing's stance on such matters. Precisely because of their knowledge, they were even more surprised that Miss Huo did not display any displeasure towards the change of company this time.

Moreover, they were taken aback that Zhang Wenxuan, who shared Huo Qing's disapproval of the people around Huochuan, would actually take the initiative to introduce this individual to them.

Exchanging glances, they all saw a similar look of surprise in each other's eyes.

This time, it seemed different from the previous occasions.

When Zhang Wenxuan introduced him, he simply said, "I'd like to introduce a friend."

Though they couldn't quite grasp the situation, they all politely greeted each other out of respect.

Master Chen also courteously acknowledged ABC, a friend of Cai Shen (the God of Wealth).

Up to this point, everything was proceeding normally, at least both parties were maintaining a restrained and courteous demeanor.

Until out of politeness, they engaged in some light-hearted chatter.

Light-hearted chatter turned into an escalating obsession, transforming courteous exchanges into a gathering for gossip. They found a spot to sit down, and Zhang—whatever his name was—talked himself hoarse, his wine glass exchanged hands multiple times.

Unlike Huochuan, who had ascended to the position of a tycoon at a young age, they still had their fathers looking over them. They didn't have to schmooze; they could simply indulge in good food and fun, capable of delving into deep discussions on any topic in any corner.

A natural-born social butterfly injected fresh vitality into this chatty clique.

Unfortunately, halfway through their chat, Zhang—whatever his name was—was hauled away by his father to give a speech, while Huo Qing took the social butterfly with her, leading to the disbandment of their chatter group.

Huo Qing took the social butterfly to meet her friends. Though she said "meet," in reality, they had already crossed paths at the previous engagement party, and pictures could still be found.

The ever-helpful Chen Erbai took it upon himself to snap a few photos of his friends.

"…"

As they all huddled around, heads bowed to examine the photos, a profound silence descended upon the friends, plunging them into contemplation about life itself.

In the end, it was Huo Qing who lifted her head, using the most delicate tone she could muster: "Brother Bai, you... have a natural talent for being an artist."

No matter how unflattering the photo, it was one taken by Erbai himself. She preserved the image through tears, layering it with encryption, and said, "From now on, I'll be the one taking your pictures."

The few friends nearby nodded in agreement. In the end, they entrusted someone else to take a group photo for them.

The banquet felt neither too long nor too short. After wandering around the hall for some time, Chen Moubai finally returned to Cai Shen's side, who had finished his business with others. He set about diligently earning his 200,000 yuan.

Diligently meant following Cai Shen around, sipping his own grape juice, occasionally greeting people, and helping Cai Shen carry on conversations.

Born with an endless stream of words, he would never let any conversation drop. Those who came to converse with CEO Huo experienced an uninterrupted dialogue, leaving in high spirits with even broader smiles on their faces.

Zhang, who had given his speech, along with a few other close but perhaps less reputable friends, observed from a distance. They whispered, "He seems completely different from those other people, doesn't he?"

His friends nodded in agreement, objectively noting that he did indeed appear more reliable than their own group. They planned to wait until his current conversation ended to inquire further.

However, after waiting for a while, they never got the chance to speak to him.

As the night grew late and the crowd began to disperse, within the first moments of the dispersal – just the blink of an eye – the person they were watching vanished. All that remained was the slow-moving tide of people exiting the banquet hall.

Chen Bai's shift was over.

Having left punctually after the God of Fortune informed him that his work was done, not working an extra minute.

With his return fare reimbursed, he indulged in a taxi ride, boarding it right outside the hotel for a seamless transition.

When he arrived earlier, the sky was still bright; now, it had completely darkened, verging on the dead of night.

Driving from the city to the outskirts, the wind blew in through the window. Leaning back in the rear seat, he tilted his phone to scroll through his contacts list, surprised to find that he had mysteriously added quite a few people that evening.

As he was trying to match the names in his contacts with the faces he'd seen that night, a notification popped up at the top of his phone screen.

After a busy day, Master Chen shifted his position and leaned against the seat, tapping open the message.

It was from his money-making buddy, informing him that "The Road of Ordinary" had premiered that day, and the official Weibo account had tagged him. She had already helped by sharing the post, suggesting he take a look if he had time.

Lifting his cap slightly, Master Chen responded to the message and clicked on the link his partner had sent, taking a glance.

He hadn't paid much attention before, but it turned out that "The Road of Ordinary" was premiering officially that very day.

Judging by the airing time, when the episode aired, he would likely still have been munching on pastries in the banquet hall.

In the comment section, someone kindly directed me to A Huai's official debut in Episode 5, even thoughtfully including a link.

Clicking the link, my phone automatically redirected to the fifth episode of the drama on the video streaming app.

A friendly reminder popped up.

"You're not a VIP yet. Enjoy more exclusive content as a VIP~"

"..."

The person in the backseat put down their phone and closed their eyes in peace.

By the time they returned to the film city, it was already late at night.

After their excursion, Pink-haired had become Black-haired. The former Pink-haired, after taking a shower, sent their routine message to their good neighbor before settling into a peaceful sleep.

While some slept soundly, others were sobbing uncontrollably in front of their TV screens deep into the night.

"Ordinary Path," which premiered at the beginning of the month, came to its conclusion near the end of the month. Apart from the storylines of the male and female leads, the most heart-wrenching arc belonged to A Huai's.

In the original novel, many readers had already shed bitter tears when A Huai died by the sea, vowing never to weep again over his demise.

Yet, on the day the oceanic scenes unfolded, they cried just as fiercely as before, proving that some promises are made to be broken.

The production team had been meticulous in their efforts, recreating the settings described in the novel with painstaking detail. This fidelity to the source material only served to amplify the emotional impact, eliciting even louder sobs from the audience.

"Blast it all, my dear A Huai! How can I possibly go on without you!"

"I should have read the book, sniffle, sniffle! People kept warning not to fall for A Huai, I thought he might turn evil, but this is something else entirely! I was completely unprepared, sniffle, sniffle"

"Good news: It's incredibly faithful to the book; Bad news: It's incredibly faithful to the book."

"When reading the book, I felt the sting once. I thought my heart was unbreakable, that it could withstand any further blows, but here I am, feeling the pain anew, sniffle, sniffle."

During the last two days of "The Road of Common Folk," Chen Bai couldn't help but notice that his diligent assistant and his third male friend often appeared with red-rimmed eyes, looking more haggard than he did after his late-night shifts.

Out of concern for his friends, he inquired, only to learn that they too were caught up in binge-watching the series.

Workers everywhere find ways to entertain themselves and unwind, but judging by their appearance, it seemed that relaxation wasn't what they'd achieved. They looked as if they had cried, and not just a little – their sorrow was palpable.

Erbai, the kind-hearted Chen Erbai refrained from pointing out or inquiring about the drama watched, to avoid reopening old wounds and causing further distress.

He returned to the hotel early that day, changing back into his own clothes by six in the afternoon. He parted ways with his red-eyed companion, heading to his room.

Last month's streaming duration was successfully completed on the very last day, cutting it close. As the end of this month approached, Master Chen found himself perpetually on the path to making up for lost time.

True to his word, he promised the audience in the live stream to start at seven-thirty sharp. Before going live, however, he first met up with his money-making partner.

The money-making partner had been away from the film set these past few days, occupied with other matters. This time, he returned bearing the fruits of his laborious endeavors.

Upon entering the living room of her apartment, Gao Qian downed two large gulps of water before settling onto the sofa and handing over two scripts.

Chen Bai accepted them, scanning through one of the scripts briefly.

"This time, I've got two scripts for you to choose from. If neither appeals to you, we'll just have to wait a bit longer."

Taking advantage of his focus on the scripts, she continued, "One is a fantasy drama, the character somewhat resembles your current role as Si Yang. The other is a high school campus drama, which is the one in your hand right now; both roles are the second male lead."

With only about a month left until the current production wraps up, it was time to start preparing for what comes next.

—Second male lead is good, there's no pressure to carry the ratings, but playing a high school student might not be fitting.

"At my age," Chen Moubai slowly put down the script in his hands and said, "playing a high school student would be somewhat sacrilegious."

"..."

The agent was momentarily unsure which was more nerve-wracking: his age or the sacrilegious comment.

"You in a school uniform thrown into a crowd of students would look more like a high school student than they do," she rubbed her temples and said, "today's high school students are more mature than you."

Suddenly being outmatched by high school students, Chen Bai replied, "Alright."

He continued to slowly put down the script and said, "I just saw that there seems to be a basketball match, considering my old back..."

Agent concise and to the point: "The campus drama offer is roughly 300,000 more than the fantasy drama after rounding off."

"..."

The script that was slowly being put down was now firmly held in his hands again. Master Chen, with his not-so-good back, took another careful look at the script and continued from where he left off: "...my old back should be able to manage with some exercise."

My apologies, old waist.

The agent had anticipated this reaction from her client. She continued, "According to them, if you agree, the role is yours. You'd still have to go through a nominal audition for the record."

Despite his usual misfortune, this individual had a knack for making money, always landing roles in well-funded productions with substantial guarantees, and they were always good parts.

Recalling something, the agent added, "There were endorsement offers and other performance invitations, but I turned them down."

She justified her decision, explaining, "The pay wasn't significant, and it would have interfered with future opportunities to make big bucks."

Leave the professional matters to the professionals. Chen Bai nodded, indicating his understanding.

The agent smiled and said, "Now I have a clear direction. I'll update you when there's progress, probably around the time students start their summer vacation, that's when we'll join the production team."

She had just returned to the hotel with other tasks at hand, so she didn't linger any longer after discussing business, promptly taking her leave.

As the agent departed precisely at seven o'clock, the room was once again left in solitude with only Chen Bai present. With no other engagements, he retreated to the bedroom, turned on his computer, and casually pushed back the chair to sit down, going live slightly earlier than usual.

His fellow streamer, Qingzhou, happened to also be starting his broadcast at the same time, and the two of them smoothly connected for a joint stream session.

"Once upon a time, I took it for granted that Bai Porridge would stream every day, not cherishing it enough. Now, I finally understand the preciousness of every second. Woe is me."

"It's been ages since you two finally got to connect on the mic."

"Erbai, how long will you be streaming today? It really matters to this fragile college student!"

"It's been too long since we've seen you, Erbai. Show us your skills with an all-nighter, just a brief one."

"Just the other day you were streaming," Chen Erbai debunked the exaggerated remarks in the chat, "until midnight. I have to wake up early tomorrow, though."

The computer entered the game interface, and before starting the game, Qing Zhou promptly called for a pause, saying he needed to step away to check on the porridge cooking in the pot.

A very homely line, as the chat suggested, his comrade was even wearing an apron it seemed.

His comrade moved quickly to check on the porridge, returning half a minute later. He explained, "My sister was watching TV today... yeah, she got a bit too into it, didn't feel like cooking, so she came over for a meal."

As he said this, another howl echoed from outside the door, audible even through the headphones.

"Blindly guessing at an ordinary path, A Huai logs off, today's Weibo is filled with tears."

"Ordinary Road +1, my friend has nearly turned our dorm into the Water Curtain Cave with his tears; it’s been transformed into the Flower and Fruit Mountain."

"Hahaha, turns out even Sister Zhou follows Ordinary Road."

"Erbai sounds so much like A Huai, I couldn’t help but start tearing up as soon as I entered the live stream."

Chen Bai, propping his cheek with one hand and moving the mouse with the other, pretended not to see the barrage of comments, skipping over the topic. As usual, he asked, "Where do you want to go this time?"

His buddy suggested they give the desert map a try.

Neither of them had changed out of their tender, rosy skins yet. Chen Moubai found that this seemed more suitable for playing baiting games, and many people inexplicably pegged him as a poor player, leaving him completely undefended.

As a match was about to begin, he thought the topic had passed, so he glanced at the barrage comments again. Unexpectedly, his eyes caught a few messages that had quickly scrolled by amidst the mass of comments.

"I wonder if Chen Yibai watches 'The Ordinary Path'. I'm curious how he feels watching it himself."

"Hahaha, he probably doesn't watch it since he doesn't have a video site VIP (not kidding)."

"True, the eight yuan and ninety-one cents has really stuck with him. His Weibo membership is likely paid for by the company."

"How could that be possible, just a 15 yuan membership! Chen Yibai shouldn't be stopped by 15 yuan."

Chen Yibai: "…"

Silently, Chen Yibai wiped his face, feeling for the first time that he didn't need his dynamic vision to be that sharp.