In the livestream room, ten rocket effects bloomed simultaneously.
Qing Li’s gaze instantly cleared up: “Thanks for the rockets, bro.”
Audience: 【……】
Damn it, why does it feel like we just got played!
As the popularity value broke 100,000, the system’s notification sound followed.
—: Ding, popularity value 50,000 reached, unlocking a hint.
Hint 2: She’s right by your side, watching you!
—: Ding, popularity value 100,000 reached, unlocking a hint.
Hint 3: Do not make any promises.
Qing Li steadied herself and secretly memorized the hints.
The smoke in the room dissipated, and the lights returned to normal, as if nothing had happened.
“Sorry about that, Dr. Chu, I accidentally got caught just now!”
Qing Li smoothed down the stray hair on top of her head, looking embarrassed.
The other party was cunning. The entire hotel was shrouded in yin energy, making it impossible to locate the source. Even knowing that she was nearby, they still couldn’t see her.
From the moment they stepped into the hotel, she had been shadowing them.
Chu Ci’s expression remained indifferent. He raised his hand to remove his bloodstained white coat and said with some disappointment, “What a pity.”
Qing Li raised an eyebrow. “Then let’s continue.”
She gave Chu Ci a quick once-over, scanning him up and down. Although he wasn’t human, his figure wasn’t bad, and his looks weren’t bad either. If something were to happen, she wouldn’t really lose out.
Having made up her mind, the corners of Qing Li’s mouth curled into a sly grin. She grabbed a pair of handcuffs and a little whip from the sofa, approaching Chu Ci with a mischievous smile.
“Dr. Chu, which one do you prefer?”
Chu Ci took a step back: “…”
Qing Li advanced, speaking leisurely: “Or do you… want both?”
At the same time, a commotion erupted in the room next door.
The sounds of intense activity threatened to shake the bed to pieces, accompanied by a woman’s unrestrained screams.
【Holy sht, the neighbors are wild!】
【Gifts are flooding in next door—those guys are insane!】
【This livestream is something else. They never even censor anything.】
【C’mon, village girl, don’t chicken out. Hurry up and take down Dr. Chu! Look at the neighbors—they’re fast as hell.】
Just as this last comment was sent, the sounds next door abruptly stopped.
Qing Li’s lips twitched. “Looks like the neighbors really are fast!”
No wonder his name is Ma Yue—truly the fastest man of our time, there’s no one else like him.
Even the audience in the livestream room was speechless.
【They were praising how fast he is in that area, not this one!】
【Embarrassing as hell, lowering the average duration for all men.】
【This guy’s so bad, even the female ghost would reject him.】
【Trash. Expel him from the ranks of men!】
“Dr. Chu, you’re not that fast too, are you?” Qing Li suddenly shifted the conversation, staring straight at Chu Ci.
Chu Ci’s ears quietly turned red. He replied, “I’m not that fast.”
“I don’t think your words count; we’d have to test it to know,” Qing Li said, a mischievous smile appearing on her face.
Chu Ci knew she was deliberately teasing him. Lowering his gaze, he replied with a faint smile, “Testing is fine, but I charge a fee.”
Money—Qing Li’s weak spot.
Sure enough, as soon as she heard the words “charge a fee”, Qing Li’s expression immediately changed.
She tossed the little whip back onto the sofa with disinterest, curling her lips. “Charging for it changes the nature of the act.”
Her master had once said: “We cultivators can scam, deceive, and indulge in pleasures, but we shall never coexist with ‘prostitution, gambling, and drugs.’”
If it’s something consensual between two people, that’s fine. But if money is involved—well, then it’s solicitation.
Of course, she’d never admit she just couldn’t bear to spend the money.
Seeing Qing Li toss the props aside, the livestream audience erupted in frustration.
【What’s the big deal? You don’t want to spend money? We’ll pay for it!】
【I’m willing to fund this.】
【Count me in.】
【+ ID card number.】
【Crowdfunding so the village girl can “solicit” Dr. Chu.】
Chu Ci’s fingers rested on the button of his collarbone, undoing the first button as he smiled faintly. “Are you sure you don’t want to try?”
Qing Li rolled her eyes. “Forget it. I’m afraid that during the trial, I might break your thing, and then you’d come after me for compensation.”
After all, the man in front of her had literally been stitched together with surgical thread. Who knew if that part was secure or not?
This statement carried too much information, and the audience couldn’t quite follow.
Chu Ci chuckled lightly and continued unbuttoning his shirt.
At the same time, the livestream screen suddenly went black. The viewers could see and hear nothing.
The man removed his shirt. On his skin, countless dense surgical sutures crisscrossed his body. At the connections of his flesh, faint traces of blood even seeped out.
“As you can see, my body is indeed stitched together. I am neither human nor ghost. In fact, even I don’t know what I am,” Chu Ci said with a smile.
In the eyes of both humans and ghosts, he was an anomaly.
Qing Li froze for a moment, surprised that Chu Ci would directly confess this to her.
The faint bitterness in his smile was almost imperceptible, but it made Qing Li’s heart tighten. Thinking that her earlier words might have hurt his transplanted little heart, Qing Li felt guilty and was about to apologize…
Chu Ci continued, “Don’t worry. Although I’m stitched together, everything that should be there is there—I won’t break so easily.”
“…”
To hell with apologizing.
Seeing Qing Li’s face flush red, Chu Ci—finally having the upper hand—felt inexplicably pleased. He placed his shirt on the back of the sofa and turned to head toward the bathroom.
From Qing Li’s perspective, she could see the man’s broad shoulders, narrow waist, and the shallow dimples at the base of his spine.
“This man… he’s definitely seducing me,” Qing Li muttered quietly. As the sound of water echoed from the bathroom, she recited the Tranquility Sutra in her mind.
— Liking men is the beginning of all misfortune.
— Men are the source of all suffering.
— Spending money on men leads to a lifetime of poverty.
— Good-looking men are poison.
…
The livestream feed returned to normal.
【What the hell happened? Why did the screen go black?】
【Damn it! What did I miss?!】
【Look at Dr. Chu’s shirt on the sofa. Did something… happen during the blackout?】
【No way! It’s been only two minutes. I refuse to believe Dr. Chu is that fast.】
【The village girl’s clothes are perfectly intact. Clearly, nothing happened.】
【But why is the village girl sitting there with her eyes closed, muttering to herself?】
Someone turned the volume up to maximum and finally heard what Qing Li was mumbling.
“Ugh, I really want to mess with a man.”
“Ugh, maybe I should spend a little money?”
“Ugh, or I could knock him out and get it for free.”
Audience: 【……】
Sure enough, their village girl had completely strayed off the path of righteousness!
—
In the neighboring room.
Ma Yue lay sprawled on the bed, drenched in sweat and panting heavily. He cursed under his breath, “Damn it, I swear this has never happened before!”
Huang Lina adjusted her disheveled clothes, her face full of disdain. “Useless is useless, don’t make excuses. You said if I cooperated with you, we’d get gifts in the livestream. And what happened? You really are a ‘three-second man.’”