“Mom, Dad, I’ve got something to do. I’m heading back to my room to eat first.”
With that, Jiang Chi carried his bowl, added several more spoonfuls of dishes, and hurried back to his room, leaving Chen Mengrou and Jiang Yushu sitting at the dining table.
The two of them watched their son’s retreating figure, then exchanged a glance, both silently sharing the same helplessness reflected in each other’s eyes.
Jiang Chi returned to his room and found the computer already on. The screen showed a livestream room, but the camera was not focused on the streamer’s face. Instead, it zoomed in on a pair of delicate hands that were busily typing away at the keyboard.
“Snatch the Dragon! Snatch the Dragon!”
“Top lane, stop jungling! The base is about to be pushed!”
“Marco Polo, follow me up! Watch me control Daji!”
Jiang Chi set his bowl down on the desk and fixed his gaze unwaveringly on those hands, the corners of his mouth curling into a faint smile.
【Chi Dragon Baby Loves Bathing donates 100 Moonlight Pearls!】
【Chi Dragon Baby Loves Bathing donates 100 Moonlight Pearls!】
【Chi Dragon Baby Loves Bathing donates 100 Moonlight Pearls!】
……
Meanwhile, in a rented room, Ji Yuennian’s lips twitched as he watched the top donor’s gift notifications flooding the screen once again. He couldn’t understand why this top donor seemed to have a misplaced nerve—at every livestream, not only enthusiastically supporting him but also giving endless donations.
Ji Yuennian had privately messaged the donor multiple times, clarifying that he was neither Nantong nor interested in being kept by the old Nantong.
However…
Seeing the four to five thousand worth of donations, Ji Yuennian’s tone softened somewhat: “Thanks to the top donor for the generous gifts, thank you, Chi Baby. Just to clarify again, I am male, I’m attracted to females, and have no intention of going against societal norms.”
【Chi Dragon Baby Loves Bathing: I know, I know, I’m the same—only like the opposite sex. Sending love, muah JPG】
【Eh! Streamer and top donor, stop showing off your love, I’m already full recently, about to overflow.】
【Exactly, exactly, no women in heart means the sword is naturally divine. Bao Yue, hurry over and snatch the dragon!】
【Bao Yue little idiot, Hu Hansan is suspiciously back again!】
【By the way, who’s the girl, Bao Yue or the top donor?】
【It should be Bao Yue, those fair and tender hands, I’ve only seen that on women before.】
“…….”
Jiang Chi hastily shoveled a few bites of rice into his mouth, devouring it ravenously, then quickly maneuvered the mouse to kick out several disruptive users from the chat.
His girl should be protected by him alone.
But… why did he keep emphasizing that he was male?
Jiang Chi’s deep blue eyes shifted slightly as he recalled a casual chat with Ji Qingchan at school sometime before: “Actually, I quite wish I were a boy.”
Maybe Qingchan really thought that way—after all, in this society, in certain respects, women do not hold as many advantages as men.
Or perhaps, in this cruel world of the internet, everyone needs a mask—especially streamers, who must endure insults but also enjoy praise.
But no matter what, his girl would be guarded by him. No one could tear them apart!
With that thought, the boy’s eyes narrowed, a cold smile tugging at the corner of his lips. His fingers flew over the keyboard, erasing all discordant voices.
The girl he liked was not someone these people could insult!
When this summer break came, he would lock Ji Qingchan away. From now on, his Qingchan would belong to him alone!!
……
At the same time, in the living room, Jiang’s parents had just finished dinner and cleaned up the dishes. Sitting on the sofa, they were worrying about their precious son’s future love life.
“Yushu, do we really have to tell Chi? Shouldn’t we double-check again? What if… what if it’s just a system error?” Chen Mengrou tried to persuade him once more.
Their Chi’s heart was now completely hung on the girl called ‘Ji Qingchan.’ As a mother, she could clearly see that.
But to suddenly tell him that Ji Qingchan didn’t even exist, that the girl might have other motives for approaching him,
and for his first love to be deceived by a bad woman—Chen Mengrou worried about how deeply emotional Chi might react when he found out. The more affectionate the person, the more extreme their reactions could be.
“We already checked, more than ten times. Not only at our school, but I also used connections to check other schools. There really is no one named Ji Qingchan.”
Jiang Yushu gently took his wife’s fair wrist and spoke softly to comfort her: “Don’t worry, Mengrou, Chi is our son. He won’t be knocked down by such a setback.”
“And since this is only a registration issue, we can invite ‘Chan Chan’ out. If she’s genuine, even if she has no registration, it’s okay—we can pay for her to retake the year.”
Hearing her husband’s words, Chen Mengrou’s worried expression eased a little. She leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed softly: “When should we tell Chi the truth?”
“As soon as he comes out of his room, we tell him. The longer we delay, the trickier it becomes. We have to cut it cleanly and quickly!” Jiang Yushu patted his wife’s back, a look of determination flashing in his eyes.
……
“Finally done.”
After finishing a game, Ji Yuennian stepped down from his gaming chair, stretched his limbs, and let out a long breath before turning to check his earnings.
4,000.36. Almost all of that came from the top donor, “Chi Dragon Baby Loves Bathing.”
Uh… no exaggeration—it was basically the entire 4,000.
Ji Yuennian was also rather confused recently.
Could it be that old Nantong really had a thing for him? Not only enthusiastically supporting but also showering him with donations like crazy—was this an attempt to woo him?
Ding!
Just then, a notification ping from his computer pulled him back.
Ji Yuennian looked up. It was a message in a streamer group he joined when he first started. The group owner was tagging all members.
A soft, petite, easily toppled white silk loli: “All members, recently the Wanqing City police busted an illegal detention case at a suburban villa. The victim was a streamer who rose to small fame two years ago called ‘Song Shu Cute.’ When found, she had lost her mind, like a walking corpse, and has been sent to the hospital for treatment.”
“I sincerely remind everyone here—accepting small gifts or donations during livestreams is fine, but please think twice before meeting anyone offline!!”
“Because you can never predict whether the person you meet is a wolfish rich woman or a greasy, creepy middle-aged or elderly man!!”
“Remember!”
“Unregulated streaming, offline meetings lead to tears!!”
Reading the group message, Ji Yuennian couldn’t help but mutter inwardly about whether he should find a reason to kick that person out.
However, what Ji Yuennian didn’t know was that at this very moment, in another corner of the city, a young man’s heart was churning wildly—no, it was like a massive meteor smashing into the center of the Pacific Ocean, stirring up towering waves!
“What?!”
“That’s impossible!!”