Gu Ting’s eyes darted around, and her expression quickly shifted, bearing a hint of grievance, suppression, and sadness—so sad that sparkles of tears welled up in her eyes. She blinked rapidly to hold back the tears, then grabbed her phone and stepped away from the screen.
However, her suppressed voice still drifted intermittently into the livestream room.
“Brother Chong, the 5 million yuan you lent me was completely swindled away by Li Xingzhou all at once. I really can’t get that much money together in a short time. But I will definitely not default on the debt. I made some money recently, so I’ll give it all to you first. I have more income coming in later, and I promise to repay you the very moment the money arrives. Also, I won an apartment from a prize draw two nights ago, and the transfer of ownership will be done in a few days. I can use all of it to offset the debt. Can you grant me a bit more time for the rest?”
Brother Chong sneered: “Who among those borrowing money from me isn’t having a hard time? If things weren’t hard, would they borrow money? If every single one of them asked me for more time and I agreed out of some burst of kindness, how would I run my business? What would the brothers under me eat? As for an apartment won from a prize draw, how much can it be worth? In the end, won’t you still fail to pay off the bulk of it? Alright, cut the nonsense. The money must be repaid today, otherwise… hehe…” The threat in his voice was thick.
Gu Ting seemed truly anxious, scurrying around like a lost ant: “Brother Chong, I’m already working very hard to earn money, but 5 million yuan isn’t something that can be earned overnight. You have to give me time! If you truly drive me to a dead end, what good does it do you?”
Brother Chong let out a chuckle: “You are still so young; it really would be a bit of a pity if something happened to you. I actually have a method here that can help you clear all the money.”
Gu Ting hurriedly asked: “What method?”
“It can’t be explained in a few words; it’s better to talk in person.” Brother Chong acted mysterious.
As if grasping a life-saving straw, Gu Ting turned her tears into a smile: “Okay, okay, then Brother Chong, come to my company right now. I’ll transfer the money in my account to you first, and the loan contract also needs to be modified. We can talk about the rest slowly.”
Brother Chong agreed, arranging to meet an hour later at a grilled sausage shop a few hundred meters away from the Orange Success building. Why a grilled sausage shop instead of a café? If you can afford coffee, are you still a poor person?
Gu Ting composed her emotions and returned to the livestream room, where the bullet comments had already shifted direction. Some questioned how Gu Ting had suddenly run up a 5 million yuan debt—had she participated in some illegal activity? Like gambling, for instance. Others said Gu Ting was suspected of taking out usurious loans, which was illegal, and the platform should ban her.
There were also those who automatically filled in a drama of a scumbag and a foolish girl, cursing Gu Ting for having a romance brain, leading to a uniform wave of unfollows. Yet, there remained a wave of die-hard fans who didn’t blame Gu Ting for borrowing so much money despite lacking ability, nor for her failure to see people clearly. Instead, they reminded her that the person called Brother Chong just now certainly harbored no good intentions, that pies don’t fall from the sky, and warned the streamer to keep her eyes wide open.
Little Fairy Baba and Three-Good Citizen Ms. Gu’s Number One Fangirl spammed the bullet comments the most, short of crawling through the network cable to hug Gu Ting’s legs and beg her absolutely not to walk into the wolf’s den and ruin her face.
With all kinds of viewers and various bullet comments, the popularity of the livestream room surged wildly, bringing another massive burst of exposure.
Gu Ting took a sip of water, forced a weak smile, and pulled herself together, saying, “Bullet comment teachers, no need to make wild guesses. The 5 million yuan wasn’t actively borrowed by me, and the other party isn’t a loan shark either. Today, the super moderator originally wanted me to share the events that occurred since last night with everyone. Now, let me share an unrelated story with you all first…”
The specific entanglements between the fake Gu Ting, Li Xingzhou, and Brother Chong were unknown to Gu Ting. She could only weave the framework of the story based on her known information, simplifying it. Before long, Gu Ting made the story clear in a few words.
Unsurprisingly, the bullet comments exploded again.
“Deity of Prize Draws, you are muddled!”
“The manager treats you like his own biological sister? He pushed you into a fire pit and you’re still speaking well of him? I guarantee with my feet that this is absolutely a loan shark! The interest is definitely not low!”
“What kind of garbage manager? Knowing full well you have no one to rely on and haven’t worked long, he actively acted as a middleman to help you borrow money. What kind of heart does this guy have? It’s deeper and blacker than the Black Mountain Old Demon!”
“Please, streamer, eat more brains to supplement yourself. What kind of charm does that dead scumbag actually have to make you buy him food, clothes, and luxury goods without a single shred of vigilance, and even get tricked by him into signing for a loan?”
Gu Ting silently pulled out her old phone, found a photo of Li Xingzhou wearing a tank top after working out, and displayed it to everyone.
Internally, Gu Ting was practically dying of laughter: she wanted to make Li Xingzhou’s face spread frantically across the internet, letting everyone know his conduct of living off a woman while swindling money, causing his social death online and making it difficult for him to take a single step in the future!
Two seconds later, however, the direction of the bullet comments underwent a bizarre change: “Not to be like that, but the scumbag’s pectoral muscles actually have something going for them… No, the streamer’s being deceived is somewhat forgivable.”
“Look at this scumbag wearing a tank top, letting sweat flow down to his collarbone without wiping it, and his eyes carry a hook. Who is he seducing? One look tells you he’s not someone who stays behaved at home. Whoever marries this kind of man home is unlucky!”
“Vixen! Male Daji! Stay away from men with this kind of look, otherwise it will bring misfortune!”
“Mom told me: the handsomer a man is, the more he lies. It turns out to be true. The streamer is so pitiful~~~”
“The streamer decisively called the police, showing she has already seen through the scumbag’s true colors and completely let go of this relationship. We women never lack the courage to start over from scratch. Keep it up!”
“Personally, I feel: the streamer is an orphan without parents to help and guide her. For her to rely on working to get into college without going astray is already not easy! Who doesn’t make mistakes? I hope everyone can give such a resilient streamer a bit more tolerance and encouragement, and a bit less blame and verbal abuse. Let’s encourage each other.”
Amidst the numerous bullet comments, a weak post from a netizen named “Dislikes Eating Rice” was mixed in: “Streamer, are you broadcasting a meal tonight? Hungry, want food.”
It quickly vanished into the torrent of bullet comments.
Gu Ting was deeply immersed in the emotion of “I am so damn pitiful” when she looked down and saw a Green Messenger message pop up. She opened it to find it came from Yan Xiu, containing only a few brief words: If you need anything, you can look for me.
Gu Ting, whose thoughts almost went askew: “???”
Reacting to it, was this Leshan Giant Buddha surnamed Yan also watching her stream? Between her and Yan Xiu, one was kind-hearted and charitable, while the other had a bitter destiny and was tight on money… wasn’t this a perfect professional match?
Gu Ting swiftly replied to him with a respect meme, appending the text: The 10 million has been received. Thank you, Big Boss, for the tip.
Yan Xiu: …6
Yan Xiu suffered a setback, and Gu Ting almost couldn’t hold back her laugh. But when she lifted her head to look at the screen, she froze instantly. She saw the gift special effects in the livestream room coming wave after wave, like rain falling from the sky.
Gu Ting hurriedly sat upright and spoke out to stop them: “Everyone, please stop sending gifts. I really don’t need them. The five top-tier weapons I just drew can be sold for nearly 2 million yuan with a turn of my hand. Why would someone who pulls in a million a night still need your tips?”
She felt her money content was severely exceeding the limit today. As the saying goes, a tall tree attracts the wind, so she wanted to play poor using the 5 million debt to prevent everyone from over-imagining her wealth. Yet, it was this group of viewers and netizens who looked unreliable and talked nonsense who were currently comforting her, encouraging her, and even silently spending money to tip and fund her across the network…
Gu Ting’s nose suddenly felt a tiny bit stinging.
However, her moving sentiment didn’t last long. When Gu Ting reminded everyone that she had just pulled in one to two million yuan—this enviable figure—the water users’ sympathy vanished instantly, leaving only hatred for the rich. Many netizens who had tipped cried out in regret.
A beast of burden with a monthly salary of 3,000 yuan going to sympathize with someone who earns one to two million a night—is their brain broken?
It had to be said, Gu Ting surely knew how to attract hatred.
Gu Ting glanced at the backend. Holy cow, in just a short amount of time, fifty to sixty people had actually tipped. The one with the largest amount was Emperor Chang, tipping 10,000, while another with a string of letters for a name actually tipped as much as 50,000. Little Fairy Baba was also on the list, tipping 500… added all together, it was truly a lot.
Instead, Gu Ting felt bad in her heart. Her selling of misery was purely to sell misery, not to beg for tips. She gritted her teeth on the spot and said, “Friends who tipped gifts just now, I accept your kindness, but I haven’t reached a dead end yet. I will return your tips along the original path within 24 hours. Please pay attention to check the payment messages.”
Seeing that the hour was almost up, and neither President Wan nor Manager Wang was around, Gu Ting was like a student left unsupervised by a teacher. She softly said goodnight to the fans and ended the stream, then tiptoed out of the company.
Just as her front foot stepped out of the company, an unfamiliar number called in right on time. Gu Ting watched the road and casually asked, “Who is this?”
The other party remained silent for a few seconds before opening his mouth with a raspy voice: “Giving you one more chance. It’s still not too late to beg me now…”
Gu Ting reacted for a moment before distinguishing that the other party was Lin Yi. For a moment, she was both speechless and tempestuous. Green Messenger had already blocked him, so how was he still lingering like a ghost, annoying people like a piece of dog-skin plaster?
“Lin Yi, I’m saying this for the last time. Beat it as far as you can! Go online and look at the end of the people who kidnapped me. I suggest you use it as a warning.” Having said that, she hung up the phone and blocked this phone number as well.
Not far below the company building, there was a grilled sausage shop. Gu Ting ordered a grilled sausage and sat in the shop to eat. Halfway through, a well-built, bald man wearing a thick gold necklace arrived at the entrance. As he drew near, the first thing Gu Ting noticed was the scar running from his right cheek clean through his right ear, his eyes carrying a ruthless streak that showed at a glance he was not to be messed with.
Gu Ting guessed he was Brother Chong, so she waved with a smile: “Brother Chong, over here.”
The bald man plonked his butt down across from her, his eyes checking Gu Ting up and down in a brazen and loose manner: “Great Beauty Gu, haven’t seen you in three months, you’ve become prettier, and even your aura is different.”
Gu Ting didn’t take the bait. She came here to repay the money, not to be scrutinized, so she got straight to the point: “It’s getting late, let’s get down to business first. Did you bring the contract? I want to look at it first.”
Brother Chong frowned slightly, smiling in a shiftless manner: “What is Great Beauty Gu in such a rush for? Could it be that the beauty has a date?”
Gu Ting stared at him with a half-smile and said, “It seems Brother Chong isn’t in a rush for the money, so let’s talk next time then.” As she spoke, her person had already stood up, making a gesture to leave.
Brother Chong’s frown deepened. He didn’t understand why the woman before him had two faces—she was pitiful and weak when calling tonight, yet meeting now her attitude was cold and hard. Where did she look like someone facing a creditor?
Seeing Gu Ting lifting her foot to leave, Brother Chong thought of the purpose of this trip and could only restrain his loose attitude, saying, “I was just afraid you’d be nervous and exchanged a few pleasantries with you, why leave? Didn’t you want to see the contract? I’ll show it to you right now.”
Gu Ting reseated herself, took the contract, and began browsing. She spent a considerable amount of time before finishing it, and her expression did not look very good. A loan shark was indeed a loan shark; in just three months, the interest actually amounted to a whopping fifty thousand yuan!
If she were still the Gu Ting of a year ago, she definitely wouldn’t be able to repay the money. By then, with interest compounding on interest, this debt would be like a black hole, frantically devouring her everything—time, money, energy, joy, hope, and even the entirety of life…
Her final outcome would be nothing more than two choices: one was death, and the other was endless degradation, corruption, and pain until death.
Whichever path it was, her life was destined to be bumpy, arduous, and painful, like a small insect stuck in a quagmire, the ending long since predetermined, with only itself remaining unaware, still struggling there ridiculously.
Thinking of all this, Gu Ting had already broken out into a cold sweat.
She had only left for a brief year; why had her destiny almost become completely beyond redemption?
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