Chapter 66: “Is This Some New Special Effect?”

Chapter 66: "Is This Some New Special Effect?"

Zhou Jing stood in place, his eyes meeting the pale gray irises beneath the fluttering strands of hair.

Without warning or superfluous movement, the person who had been slowly closing the distance suddenly lunged forward, the gap between them closing in an instant. Their eyes nearly touched the bridge of the other's nose, and after a fleeting glance at the gray orbs, he reacted swiftly, grasping the arm that was thrown at him.

As Chen Bai's arm was caught, he propped himself up with his elbow, pivoting to deliver a side kick aimed at Zhou Jing's waist, his movements sharp and efficient.

Zhou Jing didn't dodge; instead, he bent his leg and fell to one side, refusing to let go as he pulled the person in front of him down with him. But Chen Bai maintained his balance, flipping over the hand that Zhou Jing held, using this motion to change direction mid-fall.

"Bang—"

A dull thud echoed as Chen Bai lowered his head, one hand supporting himself on the table while the other tightly gripped the collar of the person pinned beneath him. The corner of his lips curled slightly upward as he let out a soft scoff.

"…"

Silence lingered for a long time around them.

When the scene ended, the two people on the table remained quiet.

"?"

As time passed, the director finally realized that the silence was unusually prolonged and peered over.

Then, the young man pressing someone down finally spoke, addressing his partner. "Wait a bit longer."

He chuckled. "I think my back seized up, give me a moment."

Zhou Jing: "…"

Director: "…"

Audience: "?"

"The coolness was about to spill from my mouth, but then, Chen Yibai…"

"I thought he was still in character and couldn't snap out of it, but then, Chen Yibai…"

"From an eighteen-year-old high schooler to an eighty-year-old grandpa in an instant, truly worthy of you, Grandpa Chen."

"Just when I was about to praise him for being impressive, I suddenly don't know what to say [Confused Cat Face.jpg]."

"Chen Yibai is indeed the most handsome when he doesn't speak, my mute groom modern edition (cigarette)."

"Hahaha, even Brother Zhou was rendered speechless."

"Speechless, but not surprised, proving that Yibai's back issues are widely acknowledged (nodding)."

After standing in place for a long while, the resilient Grandpa Chen finally straightened his body, and Zhou Jing, who had been left speechless, also rose to his feet. Though they were silent, he still cared enough to lean over and whisper, "How are you now?"

Grandpa Chen said he was fine.

This was how his body reacted due to lack of regular exercise and prolonged sitting, something he had come to accept and adapt to by now.

Zhou Jing's eyebrows twitched.

Grandpa Chen was relatively healthy, so they continued with the lottery.

The planning team had prepared plenty of slips of paper, but because the actual process took longer than anticipated, they didn't finish before moving on to the next segment after the second round.

The actors present laughed, saying it was a pity. Having survived the only unpredictable part of the event, their smiles were genuine, even if their regret might not have been.

The press conference, filled with unexpected incidents, trended on hot search lists while it was happening, and after its conclusion, several related topics remained prominently displayed.

Grandpa Chen even had two separate hashtags dedicated to him:

#ChenYibaiBackIssues #ChenYibaiMoney

Chen Yibai saw these hashtags after the press conference, in the car on the way back. His thoughtful agent, assuming he wouldn't see them due to his infrequent internet use, specifically showed them to him on her phone.

Lying back in his seat, Grandpa Chen watched the entire segment, ultimately choosing to squint and return the phone as if he hadn't seen anything.

Great, now everyone knew about his back issues.

The agent took back the phone, tapped the screen twice, and casually liked two comments in the section that suggested the person beside him was a friend's brain.

Two likes weren't enough; she scrolled down further and gave a few more comments of the same nature a thumbs up, affirming these netizens' insight into the essence of this individual.

As she scrolled, her movements paused momentarily, and she took a closer look before turning around and saying, "Zhang Wenxuan liked your post."

Although Zhang Wenxuan's family business had nothing to do with the entertainment industry, he enjoyed mingling with celebrities big and small, making him a semi-public figure whose every move attracted attention—even a simple like was noted.

"Who?"

It took Chen Yibai a moment to recall who Zhang Wenxuan was, but once his thoughts caught up, he nodded indifferently. "Probably a slip of the finger."

Alternatively, Zhang Wenxuan might be the type to like whatever he scrolls past.

Given it was just a like, the agent didn't dwell on it, putting away her phone and saying, "Even though you don't have work tomorrow, there's an audition the day after. Try not to stay up late tonight, and the same goes for tomorrow, do your best to prepare."

The audition was for a TV series, a suspense drama, but this time for the lead role. If he succeeded, his path to leading roles would become much smoother.

Chen Yibai raised his hand in assurance. "I definitely won't stay up tonight."

Rarely did he make such a serious declaration about not staying up late, prompting both the agent and the assistant in the front seat to turn around and scrutinize him closely.

The agent raised her eyebrows slightly. "Such heightened awareness this time?"

Chen Yibai smiled modestly. "A friend is coming back early tomorrow morning, I need to sleep early tonight to wake up early."

"..."

Enough, Friend Brain.

The agent regretted asking a question he shouldn't have, while the assistant behind him wore an expression that said, "Just as I thought."

Friend Brain chuckled, pulled out his phone, and started typing a message. He also logged into Chen Erbai's account to announce the approximate streaming time for the next day.

During the breaks in his work, when he was live-streaming, the viewers in the chatroom kept asking about Good Neighbor's return. They repeatedly expressed their wish to be present at the unboxing event. He remembered this, and so, upon returning the next day, he would go live immediately. Tonight, he sent out a notification on social media to keep everyone informed.

He had gotten used to sending these notifications, and as a habit, he added a picture of a dinner he had taken previously from his photo album before posting the update. After setting his alarm, he put his phone away.

The agent caught a glimpse of the alarm time and asked curiously, "Can you really wake up then?"

Chen Yibai nodded confidently. "Of course."

---

Chen Yibai struggled to get out of bed the next morning.

It happened to be overcast, and by morning, the sky hadn't brightened much. The room was dim with the floor-to-ceiling windows open, offering little light.

"Bzzz—"

At eight in the morning, the alarm on the phone beside his bed went off, vibrating along with it. It rang for a long time without any sign of stopping.

Just before the alarm could finish its last few rings and turn off automatically, a hand finally emerged from under the covers.

With a "smack," the alarm was silenced before it could die out on its own.

The person under the covers struggled to move, eventually emerging from the blankets.

Chen Moubai managed to crawl out of bed and head to wash up purely out of habit and the vague memory of his good friend's return today, despite his still somewhat foggy mind.

Before he could drift back to bed, reason prevailed slightly, and he bent down to turn on his computer. Then, he headed to the kitchen to prepare his life-saving water.

Life-saving water referred to black coffee. With black coffee, he could stay awake even if he woke up at four in the morning.

However, after searching through the kitchen almost entirely, he couldn't find what he was looking for. Leaning against the kitchen door, eyes closed, he tried to think. That was when he remembered that he had finished his coffee supply some time ago and chose to order online due to the higher prices at the supermarket.

If he guessed correctly, it might have just been shipped.

"..."

Faced with the choice between going downstairs to buy coffee and tea or relying on his willpower to get through the morning, the clear-headed Chen Moubai decided to tough it out. He poured himself a glass of plain water and returned to his room with the cup, sitting down at the edge of his desk.

Even after washing his face, his vision remained blurry, but it wasn't a problem. He was familiar enough with the computer interface that he could open the streaming software by feel. Once his eyes could focus on the words a bit more clearly, he adjusted the equipment and set the streaming time.

As the stream began, he propped his chin up, holding the mouse in one hand as he clicked into the game. He yawned and said, "Good morning, the blind box opening you've been waiting for is here."

He glanced at his phone and said, "My friend should be back in about ten minutes."

"Erbai, you actually got up! (Although you don't seem fully awake yet) (In any case, applause)"

"So normal! So unfamiliar!"

"The sound didn't record! Is the recording team online yet? (Crying out) (Running around)"

"Erbai looks uncomfortable too, half-asleep"

"Erbai, you! Damn it, if you're not going to date me, don't tempt me, wail! Wail!"

"Erbai, every day listening to this voice, can you really remain straight? [Well-behaved.jpg]"

Following were a series of replies from the recording team, who were already online and ready.

In reality, Chen Erbai couldn't make out the content of the comments clearly. Dazed, he leaned forward to look ahead, only seeing the flickering, blurred squares of text.

He couldn't read static text clearly, let alone dynamic ones.

So, he gave up struggling, letting his hand supporting his cheek slide down until it fell, and he collapsed onto the table. He said, "I'll nap for ten minutes; remember to wake me up when it's time."

As he slumped over, the camera, which had been adjusted to show only the keyboard and mouse on the desk, now captured part of his head.

To be precise, it was the top half of his head, allowing the viewers to see the messy strands of hair standing up and the stubborn cowlick on his crown.

"Even though we can only see the top of his head, based on experience, we can recognize a handsome man! (Fist pump)"

"But wait, how do we wake you up! Cyber wake-up call! Wake up, Chen Erbai! Don't sleep!"

"Judgment complete, he's really not awake (closed eyes)"

Regardless of how much the chat called out, the person lying on the table slept soundly, motionless, enjoying a peaceful slumber.

This light nap wasn't very light at all. The phone placed aside lit up, a call coming in with vibrations, but it failed to rouse the person sleeping like he was in a coma.

"Well, looks like Brother Friend won't be seen today. Let's place bets instead. I bet Erbai will wake up at noon."

"I bet ten o'clock, this sleeping posture isn't comfortable, he won't sleep for too long x"

"Noon plus one. Don't forget, this is Erbai, a man who can sleep like no other."

"A Friend supporter slowly loses hope."

"..."

In the underground parking lot, the dimly lit car was illuminated only by the glow of the phone screen. The ringing continued, reaching the maximum call duration before disconnecting automatically.

Holding the steering wheel with one hand, Xu Sinian hung up the phone and looked at the messages that had been left untouched since several minutes ago.

It seemed he had fallen asleep.

Unbuckling his seatbelt, Chen Bai grabbed the jacket set aside and opened the car door to step out.

Closing the car door, the elevator ascended, stopping at the fifth floor.

Standing before the familiar entrance, he lowered his head to knock on the door.

"Wake up! Erbai, wake up quickly! Someone is knocking on the door! It's Brother Friend here! Your good friend!" (Friend Party shouting with all their might)

"I just wish I could jump through the screen." (Pacing back and forth) (Yelling loudly)

"If you don't wake up, Brother Friend will leave! This is the Brother Friend you've been waiting for a month!"

"Oh no, the knocking sound has stopped."

The room, which had been making slight noises, fell into complete silence. The person slumped over the table remained motionless, only the messy hair swaying gently from the breeze coming from one side.

As the streamer slept soundly, the viewers' hearts, which had been hanging in suspense, finally gave up.

The room was quiet, save for the faint hum of the computer.

Then footsteps were heard.

"Huh? Was there a sound?"

"Was it an illusion? I thought I heard something too."

It wasn't an illusion; the footsteps grew closer and clearer. After the footsteps stopped, a series of sounds followed, like something being placed on the table.

On the side of the live stream, a corner of a bag appeared. Then they heard a voice coming from above:

"I'm back."

The barrage on the computer screen paused for a moment before rapidly scrolling again.

Without being woken by someone, Chen Moubai eventually opened his eyes to a familiar scent that wafted through the air.

Waking up, the world seemed to have changed. His once empty desk was now cluttered with items, and an extra jacket draped over him, still slightly cool to the touch, as if it had just been placed on him.

It smelled like his good neighbor.

"..."

His mind raced, finally realizing what had happened as he sat up abruptly, his messy hair jolting along with him.

Damn, he had fallen asleep.

As soon as he opened his eyes, Chen Moubai felt a sudden shock. The person standing beside him glanced over and smiled, saying, "You're awake."

Chen Moubai tugged at his messy hair, nodded half-lidded eyes, then looked up and asked, "When did you get back?"

"Just two minutes ago," his good neighbor said, rolling up his shirt sleeves halfway and handing over a soy milk with a straw inserted, "Have breakfast first."

After handing over the soy milk, he casually unpacked the other breakfast items he brought. There was porridge and everyone's favorite steamed buns, the source of the scent he had smelled earlier.

Chen Bai took a hearty sip of the soy milk, feeling a sense of transcendence, and leaned back comfortably.

This lean-back brought his gradually clearing eyes to meet the computer screen, where the game interface had been frozen for who knows how long, and the barrage continued to scroll. His rationality slowly returned, and he finally remembered the purpose of his livestream.

Sitting up straight again, he rubbed his hands together like a fly, but ultimately didn't dare touch the mouse, worried about contaminating it with his stinky hands. Instead, he pointed at the screen and said, "Old... Old Comrade, can you help me open this?"

From Old Comrade Xu to simply Old Comrade, even his surname was omitted. Old Comrade Xu placed one hand on the side of the chair, slightly bending over behind the person, his gaze meeting the screen.

Chen Choushou had already adjusted the blind box interface earlier, it was just missing that final click of the mouse.

His good neighbor then moved the mouse.

The live stream, which had only shown the mouse, keyboard, and neatly arranged fragrant breakfast, finally showed a change. A hand appeared on the mouse. Unlike the usual sight of Chen Erbai's slender, pale, cold hand with distinct finger bones and prominent blue veins on the back of the hand, the arm under the rolled-up shirt sleeve displayed smooth muscle lines.

"Brother Friend looks like he could punch away a hundred Erbai's with one hit." (Dead serious)

"Viewers, I'm starting to believe Erbai when he says Brother Friend is a big handsome guy." (Pacing back and forth)

"Lightboat Party defectors, sorry Lightboat! I just made the mistake every fan makes!"

"Brother Friend can come and go as he pleases here, and he remembers to bring breakfast when he comes back from work. If this isn't considered dating, I don't know what is!"

The people in the live stream were excited, and Chen Erbai was also excited, but his excitement was entirely focused on the 288-yuan blind box mega pack.

With the soy milk still in his mouth, he leaned forward slightly and looked at the computer screen.

"Click—"

A single click of the mouse, a light sound, and the blind box mega pack was opened.

Before the item revealed itself, the screen was filled with a dazzling golden glow.

Having opened countless blind boxes over the years, this was the first time Chen Erbai saw a prop with a golden glow. Pausing mid-sip, he said, "Is this some new special effect?"

"The special effect has always been there, you just never opened anything that triggered it." (Patting shoulder)

"One sentence reveals the super-duper stinky hand. Erbai's luck really is out of this world, so pitiful."

"‘Is this some new special effect?’ Erbai, you..."

"Brother Friend is truly lucky!! A one in ten thousand chance! A three-digit blind box instantly becomes four digits."

"Good, this 288 yuan was thankfully not opened by Erbai."

Comrade Old Xu didn't play games and was unfamiliar with this aspect, but he had seen screenshots that game enthusiast Xu Lang accidentally sent to the family group chat before, which featured such golden special effects.

That accidental send was already one or two years ago, far from being "newly released."

After a brief silence, Comrade Old Xu chose to say, "It might be so."

Chen Erbai nodded, finding it plausible. If such a thing truly existed, he wouldn't have been unaware of it after gaming for so long.

Good Neighbor revealed a row of items, all adorned with shimmering gold borders. Due to his daily abstention from in-game purchases, he had lost track of these things, only feeling that they seemed incredibly powerful. The gift pack had already been opened, and Chen Choushou turned around, finally daring to shake hands with Good Neighbor in friendly camaraderie, attempting to absorb some of the aura of a lucky gamer.

He didn't absorb any luck, but Comrade Old Xu noticed how cold his hand was. Xu Sinian lowered his head, acting as a hand warmer by clasping the person's hand and saying, "Remember to put on an extra jacket when you get up next time."

Chen Erbai took a sip of soy milk, nodding repeatedly.

The gift box worth 288 wasn't wasted. Feeling that the audience in the live stream should already be satisfied, he finished the last sip of soy milk, adjusted his earphones with one hand, and said, "So, that's it for today."

Then, he smiled. "I'm going to play with my friends now."

Today's broadcast was solely to fulfill the viewers' desire to see the opening of mystery boxes live. With the mystery boxes opened, he ended the stream without hesitation, retracting his hand, now warmed by Good Neighbor, to reach for the mouse and decisively clicked to end the live stream.

Wrapped in the warmth of his jacket, breakfast was already laid out on the table, so Chen Erbai didn't run to the dining room but ate breakfast right there.

Good Neighbor had already eaten breakfast before returning and didn't go upstairs, sitting here to keep him company and chat.

As they ate and chatted, Chen Bai heard the person beside him ask, seemingly remembering something, "Do you know Zhang Wenxuan?"

Unexpectedly hearing that name come out of Good Neighbor's mouth, he lifted his eyes and honestly nodded. "Yes, I know him. He's a friend of a client; we've met a few times."

Having just heard that name from his money-making partner yesterday, he didn't need to ponder for long this time, recalling it immediately.

Then he asked, "Why did you suddenly ask about him?"

"Nothing."

Good Neighbor said, "I just happened to think of him."

The ordinary working man thus nodded and continued munching on his soup dumpling.

---

In the North District, at a café.

To help deliver a document for the old man above him, Zhang Wenxuan skipped his scheduled meeting and came to the base of Huochuan's busy headquarters building. Halfway through his coffee, he finally saw the man.

The busy man wore a suit, looking every bit the social elite. Sitting down opposite him, he still looked like a big boss, appearing all business.

Having known each other for so many years, Zhang Wenxuan wasn't fazed by this act. Putting down his coffee cup, he handed over the documents on the side and said, "Mr. Huo finally found the time to meet me."

A waiter placed a glass of water on the table and then left.

Huochuan didn't respond to his words, setting his coat aside, taking the documents, and opening them to browse through them right there.

Just delivering documents, Zhang Wenxuan didn't want to be dragged into the suffocating work atmosphere. While the other person read the documents, he pulled out his phone.

Glancing at his phone and then at the person, he twirled the phone in his hand and suddenly asked, "Did you watch the press conference for the TV show Chen Bai acted in yesterday?"

His gaze temporarily leaving the documents, Huochuan slightly turned his eyes to look at him.

"Pity."

Seeing Huochuan's busy man appearance, Zhang Wenxuan knew he definitely hadn't watched it. Shaking his head, he said, "He was quite entertaining."

People buried in work were like this, lacking even the time to watch short videos, which was why he said working was really not for him.

"I know," Huochuan lowered his head to continue flipping through the page of the document and said, "What do you want to say?"

"I knew someone like you wouldn't understand... Wait, you know?"

Not joking, in that instant, Zhang Wenxuan sat up straighter, instantly becoming interested. Curiously, he asked, "What happened to you?"

President Huo remained silent.

No problem if he didn't speak. Using his fastest hand speed, Zhang Wenxuan found the video he had watched yesterday and then handed the phone to Huochuan, saying, "This is what I wanted to say about."

Huochuan lowered his eyes to look.

It was a video clip, very short, less than a minute. In the video, the person wore a school uniform and drew a piece of paper with an expression akin to facing death bravely.

The paper asked him what he liked best.

Everyone thought it was money, and he guessed so too, correctly.

As the video neared its end, he was about to withdraw his gaze when Zhang Wenxuan reached out, "Wait, it's not over yet."

In the video, the person added, "And friends, maybe tied for first."

The friend mentioned was a friend who had visited his home during the New Year and stayed for a few days. When mentioning friends, the person holding the microphone seemed more spirited, the faint aura of death dissipating somewhat. His eyebrows and eyes under his messy hair curved in a smile, bright and clean.

Author's Note:

Zhang Something, a god at stirring the pot.