“I’ve been banned,” Luo Yu said, pointing to himself. “How can I keep streaming?”

He cast a puzzled glance at Wen Li, but his attention quickly shifted to the extravagant bed in the room. He circled around it, inspecting it. “Where did you even find such an over-the-top bed?”

“Got it from the City A museum under the guise of a sleep research project.”

Wen Li entered the room and closed the door with a “click.”

Now, it was just Wen Li, Luo Yu, and a vintage, oversized bed that took up most of the space.

“It was a relic the museum acquired decades ago. They didn’t anticipate that the bed would now look like a mere novelty item. They found it too unsightly for display, so they gave it to me for research.”

Luo Yu had only intended to sit on the edge, but he sank right into the mattress.

It was even softer than his bed at home!

“I put on fresh sheets and bedding just today,” Wen Li said, watching Luo Yu’s every move. Seeing how pleased he was with the bed, Wen Li sat down right beside him, his voice as soft as the mattress.

His dark-rimmed glasses hid his gaze, but he looked at Luo Yu intently.

“Do you like it?”

Luo Yu felt slightly nervous under Wen Li’s stare and subtly shifted to the side.

“Yes, I do. But liking it won’t let me stream with it. Besides, wouldn’t streaming expose this location?”

“I can set you up with a new account.”

Wen Li interrupted.

“There’s a Ph.D. in Computer Science from A University here who can help you register a new streaming account under a virtual identity and set it to appear as an external IP. Neither the platform nor the Union could track us down.”

“You just start the stream with a new account, and I’ll take care of posting the link.”

“With your popularity, even without signing with a platform or having any promotion, a massive audience will come to watch.”

Wen Li seemed to have a meticulous plan in mind.

But Luo Yu didn’t understand.

“As soon as I appear, the platform will monitor me again. They’ll just keep banning accounts—what’s the point?”

Wen Li shook his head. “That makeshift team won’t react that quickly. They need to report to the Union, then wait for the Union’s decision before taking action. Meanwhile, we can get a lot done.”

His tone grew urgent.

“If the stream gets banned, we’ll just switch accounts. If the platform restricts our login, we’ll switch to a different platform. These things aren’t the issues.”

“The only question is, Luo, are you willing to do this?”

Wen Li seemed genuinely anxious.

Luo Yu, who had only just relaxed at the lively pajama gathering, suddenly felt tense again.

He was already in danger from the Union for streaming himself sleeping. From any angle, stopping seemed like the safest choice.

Wouldn’t continuing to stream only make things more dangerous?

“As long as you stream, countless people will follow. Your influence now far exceeds anything any of us imagined.”

Wen Li’s voice suddenly became lower.

“As long as you listen to me, you are the most important person to our organization. Everyone will protect you, keeping you from harm.”

Suddenly, Luo Yu understood.

Wen Li wasn’t discussing this with him.

He was clearly threatening him!

If streaming meant he’d be safe, didn’t that imply that if he refused, he’d be in danger?

After all, he already knew too many secrets.

“Stream? Of course, I’ll stream.”

Luo Yu gave a compliant smile, his eyes curving.

“Tell me exactly how you want me to stream! However you want it done, I’ll follow your instructions!”

A wise man knows when to adapt! He’d just sleep for those hundred days and be done with it!

Wen Li lifted his hand, patting Luo Yu on the back of his head, and ruffled his hair.

“I knew you’d listen.”

He leaned forward, close to Luo Yu’s ear, and whispered:

“I want you to stream and sell bedding products.”

Luo Yu’s eyelid twitched, momentarily forgetting to dodge. “Who’s providing the stock, handling shipping? Who’ll be customer service and deal with returns?”

He had looked into the logistics of product streaming before. It was too much hassle, which was why he’d chosen to be a simple looks-based streamer.

Wen Li replied, “Everything’s already set up. We have secret partnerships with factories across the district, producing bedding items on the down-low. Originally, they were just for internal use, but now it’s time to sell them to the public.”

“I need your influence to sell off this entire batch of goods.”

He sighed.

“Luo, you might have noticed that the reason your recent streams haven’t stirred public interest in sleep as much as the last one is because sleeping has a high cost barrier—people can’t experience it themselves.”

Luo Yu: …

Was it possible he hadn’t even tried to inspire everyone?

Was he really the only one doing a historical stream?

Wen Li continued, “Mattresses, sheets, blankets, pillows… All of these items are sold at ten times the production cost on the market, which makes them unaffordable for most people. This blocks everyone from developing an interest in sleep.”

“Only when everyone tries to sleep will they realize just how amazing it is! And only then will the stable system established by anti-sleep medication begin to crumble.”

“You and I, together, will ignite the greatest uprising in thirty years!”

Wen Li’s voice was almost frenzied, and Luo Yu fought to keep calm, asking steadily:

“Will I get a cut?”

“That’s all you care about?”

Wen Li laughed.

“The purpose of selling beds isn’t to make a profit. I’ll price them close to cost, though there will be a small profit. After deducting the costs, all net earnings will go to you. How about that?”

“Deal!” Luo Yu exhaled slowly.

He just wanted to live in peace.

Since he had to stream anyway… the Union had frozen his 500,000, so wasn’t it fair to earn it back by opposing them to fund his survival?

“When do I start?”

“Tonight.”

Wen Li stood up.

“I’ll request time off for you from Professor Tao. Hand over your ID card—I’ll clock in and get your meds for you. All you need to do is stream here.”

Luo Yu felt he had no other choice and nodded.

Wen Li walked to the door. “From now on, this is your streaming room and bedroom. No one will disturb you. If you’re hungry, go grab something from the kitchen.”

Luo Yu forced a smile. “Thanks!”

Wen Li gave him a long look, with an unreadable expression in his eyes, before closing the door.

Once Wen Li left, Luo Yu relaxed and lay back on the soft bedding.

He stretched with a lazy yawn.

Was this… house arrest?

Whatever the future held, right now he had food, drink, and a safe place to sleep. It was the best life he could ask for in this world.

— Meanwhile, in the garden a hundred meters away from the complex.

Song Lingyuan’s assistant, Li Rui, sat on the swing, swaying and wearing a baseball cap.

Through his earpiece, various squad members reported in: “No sign of the target at the school.” “No sign of the target in the complex.”

“Where could a college student possibly go?” Li Rui felt sweat trickle down as evening approached.

If they couldn’t find him by day’s end, wouldn’t it be even harder at night?

Ten minutes earlier, the President had messaged him impatiently: [Did you find the person I asked you to find?]

How could he reply?

Li Rui urged the Union’s dispatched teams once more, only to receive another message from his boss: [If you can’t find him, return. Stop slacking off outside.]

Li Rui: …

He slipped off the swing and left.

Several hours later, night had deepened.

Luo Yu, freshly showered, dried his hair halfway and changed into silver silk pajamas. He set his phone up in the middle of the opulent vintage bed, logging into the account Wen Li had given him.

The IP showed District D, a location on the other side of the planet.

Because the platform didn’t promote unsigned accounts, when Luo Yu went live, there wasn’t a single viewer.

He sent the stream link to Wen Li, who replied with an “OK” gesture.

Luo Yu set the phone down and began looking over a catalog of bedding products.

Just as he turned the first page, he noticed the chat exploding with comments. Surprised, he looked up.

【Ahhh, I thought I wouldn’t get to see him tonight】

【Why did the streamer switch accounts quietly?】

【Not only did he switch accounts, he switched beds! Wow, what a luxurious bed】

“You guys got here so fast,” Luo Yu said, smiling. “Yes, I switched beds. Good observation.”

【Of course we look closely at beautiful people!】

【I kept refreshing for updates after the streamer’s account got banned! I actually found it!】

【Why was the streamer’s account banned?】

“I don’t know either.”

Luo Yu lowered his gaze, and his normally bright, puppy-like eyes looked pitiful in the dim yellow light.

“It just got banned all of a sudden. When I saw that message, I didn’t feel like streaming again…”

【Dogs are worse than stars, just banning accounts left and right every day】

【Did the streamer get reported by some envious person because his popularity is too high? I saw so many streams today imitating the streamer’s previous sleep routine!】

【Please don’t quit streaming, wife! If I can’t see you sleep live, how am I supposed to get through this long night?】

“I was actually thinking of quitting, but I prepared a surprise for everyone over the past few days that I haven’t delivered yet.”

Luo Yu spoke softly, his words carrying a sense of vulnerability yet resilience, like a little flower that truly felt betrayed.

“So, I’m back.”

【What surprise?】

……

At the headquarters of the International Human Progress Association.

After receiving his boss’s message, Li Rui quickly drove back to the headquarters building. At the door of the president’s office, he tidied his appearance and carefully knocked before poking his head in.

“President, I’m back.”

Song Lingyuan, seated behind her desk and dealing with some documents, slowly looked up at him, squinting her deep blue eyes.

“Where is the person I asked you to find?”

Li Rui’s heart sank, and sweat poured down his face.

“Well, um, he… he’s disappeared. I couldn’t find him at the school or in his apartment complex. Please give me another day…”

Suddenly, Li Rui’s phone rang!

Just as he was about to hang up, he glanced at the caller ID and excitedly pointed to the phone, saying to the president, “I have a lead! I have a lead!” He quickly answered the call.

“Hurry, what’s the situation? Where is he? You haven’t found him, but he switched accounts and started streaming again? You can’t trace the IP address either?”

Li Rui shouted into the phone for a while, then quickly looked back at Song Lingyuan.

“President, he’s streaming again! I’ll get the platform to ban his account right now!”

“Streaming what, and you want to ban him just like that?”

Song Lingyuan raised his head impatiently, giving him a cold look.

“Send me the streaming address. I will personally review the content of the stream.”