The First Livestream, Part 2

Chu Yunxiu’s gaze swept over Zhao Pei’s deliberately sorrowful face. She didn’t miss the fleeting glimmer of mischief in Zhao Pei’s eyes, but she chose not to comment. Instead, she gave a slight nod.

“Sure,” she replied. “Send me a photo of the person you wish to summon.”

Zhao Pei paused for a moment before responding, “Wait a second.”

She then stepped away from the camera. A short while later, she returned, holding a photograph in her hand.

The photo depicted a man wearing a white shirt, his frame slender, his features refined and elegant. He smiled at the camera with a composed and scholarly demeanour.

Zhao Pei brought the photo closer to the camera and sighed deeply, lowering her eyes in feigned sorrow. “This is my boyfriend. He passed away recently. Host, can you summon his soul for me?”

The comments poured in:

[He passed away? RIP.]
[The deceased have departed. Take care of yourself, miss, and don’t grieve too much.]
[This reminds me of that saying: The ghosts you fear are the loved ones someone else yearns for.]

Catching sight of the last comment, Zhao Pei reflexively raised the photo a little higher, concealing the twitching corners of her mouth to avoid giving herself away.

Loved ones? Pfft. The truth was far from her sombre tale. The man in the photo wasn’t her deceased boyfriend—he was her very much alive ex-boyfriend, whom she had broken up with just three days ago. She’d even fished this photo out of her bedroom trashcan moments earlier.

Her intention? To test the host and expose any fraud. Once the host followed her narrative and slipped up, she’d unmask the charade and deliver a lesson: people these days aren’t so easily fooled.

Though disgusted by the over-sentimental “loved ones” comment, Zhao Pei was determined to see her act through. She had chosen this play, and she’d stick to it.

However, Chu Yunxiu’s gaze flicked briefly over the man’s face in the photograph. Her elegant brows furrowed slightly. “I’ve said before, I only summon spirits of the deceased. The person in this photo is still alive. Don’t joke about such matters.”

Zhao Pei’s eyes widened in shock, mirroring the disbelief of the audience.

[What? He’s not dead?!]
[Whoa, could it be he faked his death for some reason and didn’t tell his girlfriend?]
[Um, someone’s been watching too many dramas. Your imagination is wild.]
[Wait, her reaction doesn’t seem like a relief. Could the problem lie with her?]

Some viewers were surprisingly perceptive.

This thought flitted through Zhao Pei’s mind as she mulled over her response. After a moment, she nodded. “That’s right—he’s not dead. I was just testing you, Host. By the way, how did you know my brother wasn’t dead?”

But Chu Yunxiu merely gave her a calm look and pierced through yet another layer of her deception. “Your brother? Isn’t he the ex-boyfriend you broke up with three days ago?”

Zhao Pei’s jaw dropped, her eyes wide in utter disbelief.

The audience, still reeling from the first twist, was blindsided by this second revelation. Yet most of them assumed it was part of a pre-arranged script and flooded the chat with enthusiasm.

[666! Her acting skills put most celebrities to shame. I almost believed her. Is she a theatre major?]
[Amazing! The traps just keep stacking. I’m loving this scheming and drama queen persona!]
[The host’s serene and mysterious aura as a mystical master is equally brilliant. I’m hooked on this script!]

As the back-and-forth between Chu Yunxiu and Zhao Pei unfolded, the number of viewers in the livestream steadily climbed, surpassing 150, with the popularity score hitting 400.

But of all the astonished people, none were more shocked than Zhao Pei herself. What the hell?! How did the host know this? Not just that the man in the photo wasn’t her brother but her ex-boyfriend(I don’t know why the author wrote it like this when Zhao Pei revealed the person in the photo was her boyfriend when she first showed the picture), but even the exact timing of their breakup?

If she weren’t directly involved, she might’ve believed this was all part of a scripted performance.

But how could the host possibly know all of this? Did she investigate her? And if so, how could she have predicted Zhao Pei would join the live stream at this specific time, click the raffle, and win? All of this had been random…

As chaotic thoughts raced through her mind, they converged on a single, unsettling conclusion: Maybe the host really does have some abilities.

An overwhelming wave of disbelief and confusion crashed over Zhao Pei, leaving her momentarily speechless. Did I go too far earlier? Is the host angry with me?

Feeling a pang of guilt, she quickly apologized, her tone sincere and rapid. “Master, I’m so sorry for my earlier rudeness. Please forgive me. I didn’t mean any harm; I just didn’t know how to handle this… situation…”

Her voice trailed off, becoming slightly stammered.

Chu Yunxiu, however, remained utterly unbothered. She raised a hand to indicate that no apology was necessary. Her tone was as composed as ever. “It’s fine. It’s natural not to believe at first and to test me. No harm done.”

Relieved by the host’s calm response, Zhao Pei exhaled deeply. Then she heard Chu Yunxiu ask, “So, who exactly do you wish to summon?”

The question left Zhao Pei at a loss.

Earlier, she had claimed to want a summoning purely to expose the host. She had no actual deceased loved one she wished to see—her family and close friends were all alive. But now, realizing the host might genuinely possess some extraordinary skills, she was reluctant to waste the opportunity.

Her gaze darted around uncertainly before she hesitated and asked, “Um, Master, I actually don’t have anyone I want to summon right now. Could I… switch to a fortune-telling instead?”

To be fair, her request was rather fickle. Yet Chu Yunxiu showed no irritation. She nodded slightly and replied, “That’s fine.”

[As expected, summoning a soul is impossible, so it’s much easier to just switch the request to fortune-telling.]
[Normally, after a girl just broke up, she’s probably asking about her love life—either about her ex or future relationships.]

Zhao Pei glanced at the comments, then thought for a moment before responding. “Actually, I’m not really interested in asking about romance. I want to know about my future career. Is that okay?”

[So she’s going for the “career over love” route? Hurt by love, now focusing on her career?]
[Wait, didn’t the host say she doesn’t predict the future? This whole script is fun, but it’s got some bugs. It could use a little polish.]

Seeing the comments, Zhao Pei paused and suddenly slapped her forehead, looking embarrassed. “Sorry, I forgot the rules of the master for a moment.”

Just as Zhao Pei was hesitating over what to ask next, there was a sudden knock at the door.

She instinctively looked up and called out, “Who’s there?”

“A delivery,” came a muffled voice from outside. It sounded vaguely familiar, though it was hard to place.

Zhao Pei, perhaps recognizing the voice of a regular delivery person, didn’t think much of it. “Just leave it on the ground, I’ll pick it up in a moment.”

[The girl’s got good safety awareness.]
[Why isn’t the delivery person calling?]

Noticing the comments, Zhao Pei quickly explained, “To avoid spam calls, I’ve set all unknown numbers to blacklist. So, deliveries usually just come with a note to leave the food outside.”

A moment later, a voice replied, “Okay, I’ve left it on the ground.” Then the sound of footsteps faded as the delivery person left.

Once she heard the footsteps retreat, Zhao Pei stood up and went to grab the delivery. Seeing her favourite food, she instinctively smiled.

However, Chu Yunxiu, who had been sipping her warm water from a thermos, noticed the prominent “Zhou Ji” branding on the food packaging. A hint of contemplation crossed her face. Without warning, she spoke, her calm voice breaking the silence.

“If you haven’t decided on a question, how about I give you a direction?”

“Huh?” Zhao Pei’s gaze shifted from the food back to Chu Yunxiu. Realizing she didn’t really have anything in mind to ask, she smiled and nodded. “Sure, what direction?”

Chu Yunxiu put down her water cup and, in the most serene tone, said something that stunned Zhao Pei. “Do you want to know how your ex-boyfriend plans to get revenge on you, now that you two have broken up?”

Zhao Pei’s smile froze instantly, and the audience immediately grew intrigued.

[Gossip about love and revenge? I love this! Bring on more!]
[Ex-boyfriend seeking revenge? I knew it! She must have done something wrong to him! Maybe she cheated!]
[Ex-boyfriend: I’m gonna make this thing turn green (scratches head).]

As the comments streamed past, Zhao Pei furrowed her brow, disbelief was written across her face. “Revenge?”

She blinked rapidly, seemingly to brush off the unsettling thought, and snapped back defensively, “I didn’t cheat! Stop spreading rumours. Actually, my ex and I broke up peacefully!”

She pursed her lips and continued, “Before we started dating, he was always quite gentle and polite. I liked that type of guy, so I confessed to him, and we had a passionate period. But later, I realized he was very controlling. Sometimes when I went out with my girlfriends, he’d ask me all sorts of questions, controlling what I did, and who I hung out with. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I broke up with him. At first, he didn’t agree, but after a few heart-to-heart talks, he accepted it calmly… Why would he want revenge on me?”

“I’m not a criminal, so I don’t know what he’s thinking, but I can tell you what he did.” Chu Yunxiu looked up, locking eyes with Zhao Pei. “Your ex-boyfriend is a chemistry PhD student. Three days ago, the day you broke up, he secretly took a small packet of [chemical substance] from his lab. And just half an hour ago, he bought your favourite Zhou Ji braised pork rice, injected the [chemical substance] into the dish, then changed into a delivery uniform and came to your apartment.”

Zhao Pei gasped, instinctively dropping the takeout box as if it had burned her hand. “No… No, it couldn’t be. This can’t be real. My ex really is a chemistry PhD student. I do love Zhou Ji’s braised pork rice on weekends. He knows this habit of mine…”

Zhao Pei quickly covered her mouth but then realized what she was doing and rushed to the bathroom, washing her hands and mouth in a panic, even gagging a little as she rinsed her mouth out, terrified that she might have ingested some toxic substance.

The moment Chu Yunxiu’s words were spoken, the live stream chat exploded.

[What the hell? This is insane! Poisoned food? Murder plot?]
[What a crazy ex-boyfriend! His character is already established before he even shows up! I’m so hyped for this!]
[This script is incredible! Both of them are acting so well! I’m definitely following this! Gonna share with my friends too!]
[Their acting is so good, I almost believed it was real! Is the next part going to be about revenge on the ex? I’m all in for this, I love stories about revenge on jerk exes!]
[Wait, this is acting? I thought it was real! If this is real, you need to call the police! This is murder!]

After a while, Zhao Pei finally emerged from the bathroom, looking a little pale. As she opened her mouth to speak, there was another sudden knock at the door…

(End of Chapter)