Chapter Sixty-Eight: Whether Human or Ghost, All Are Performing

"Suo... Ha?"
The audience member connected in the stream was utterly baffled.
"That's right," Bai Qingming replied with a slight smile. "Think about it—if you win, you won't have to pay anything. Even if you lose, at least it's you who lost yourself and your mother; either way, you can't lose, right?"
"Thank you, streamer, for the tip. I'm off to sell my assets and make a bet!"
After Bai Qingming's explanation, the viewer saw the light. The plan sounded a bit childish at first, but on reflection, it actually made some sense.
"Brother, do you need help? I'm known as the Black Jack Lover, twenty-one is my game. My name is Cheng Ren, but you can call me Brother Ren or Lover Ren. Nice to meet you!"
"Did the brother above wander onto the wrong set? This isn't the Casino God crew."
"Wait a second, guys, I just thought of something. If a rich kid goes all in and loses, what if he loses his dad too?"
"Wouldn't that be even better? A family should stick together, neat and tidy."
"Slick!"
"Hurry up, whose turn is next?"
The other viewers in the live-stream room fired off comments.
Clearly, everyone was enjoying themselves.
After all, the point of watching streams is entertainment, and this guy could stir up the crowd with just a few playful remarks; even singing a random song could make him go viral.
Compared to other streamers with their repetitive content, Bai Qingming's broadcasts always felt fresh, leaving the audience satisfied.
Because of this, everyone was enthusiastic.
"Forget the next caller—let's just have everyone send their questions into the chat, no restrictions."
To keep things simple, Bai Qingming said this.
No sooner had he finished than the chat exploded with messages.
Silly viewer: "Streamer, I paid twenty bucks for my haircut, but when I took my dog, the shop charged me a hundred. I feel like the barber disrespected me. Can I argue with them?"
Bai Qingming: "Argue? A dog can eat shit, can you?"
Silly viewer: "What if I can?"
Bai Qingming: "Then you'll pay a hundred, too."
Silly viewer: "Streamer, do you think it's possible that oxygen is a slow-acting poison that takes seventy to a hundred years to kill humans?"
Bai Qingming: "Breathe it or not, it's up to you."
Silly viewer: "Streamer, I just ate out, and a Porsche owner said I blocked his way. He got out and beat me up. What should I do?"
Bai Qingming: "Did you fight back?"
Silly viewer: "I didn't dare..."
Bai Qingming: "Here's what. I know a salesperson at a BMW dealership. Add me later, and I'll introduce you. Get ready to buy a car—think about which model you want."

Silly viewer: "Streamer, if you could, would you go back to high school, meet yourself on the field with one minute until the bell, what would you say?"
Bai Qingming: "Is the threshold for time travel so high now? I never went to high school, will middle school do?"
...
Questions continued to pour in, and Bai Qingming answered each one patiently and seriously.
His responses left the viewers exclaiming in admiration—they'd never seen anyone so clever.
Ask him how he views the current popularity of "bootlickers," and he'd tell you to look with your eyes, and if you're tired, close them and rest.
Ask what to do if you won five million in the lottery, and your wife's brother insists you pay two and a half million for a house for him, and if you refuse, your wife threatens divorce—what then?
He simply replied with four words: "Double the joy!"
Not a single question could stump Bai Qingming throughout the stream.
The audience was thoroughly impressed.
"Streamer, can you stop being so funny? Your stream makes me laugh so loudly, my neighbors have reported me several times."
"That's nothing. I watch your stream during evening study, and laugh so hard my teacher caught me—my phone's been confiscated several times, all the latest models."
"Several? And all the latest? Brother, you're rich!"
"Rich my ass. Luckily, I'm clever. Every time my phone gets confiscated, I hand in my desk mate's instead."
"Doesn't your desk mate beat you up?"
"Why worry? Like Sun Wukong said in 'Journey to the West,' 'Brother, I'm messing around with you, you should smile, I'm giving you face, you better take it.'"
"Speaking of literature, I still prefer the line from 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' when Guan Yu defeated Hua Xiong, 'Beautiful tattoos, applause for the man of society.'"
"I can't agree. I think the line Emperor Qianlong said, 'One street, north and south—ask around, who's the boss?' is even more domineering."
"Qianlong said that? Surely it was Qin Shi Huang. Don't fool me, I haven't read much!"
"Everyone's showing off!"
For some reason, the viewers in the stream started talking about literature.
Clearly, they were all book lovers.
"That's it for tonight's stream—the happy times are always brief. Good night, everyone!"
He finished, brushed off his robe, and hid his fame and identity.
Seeing the time was right, Bai Qingming ended the stream at lightning speed as always.
He glanced at his earnings—just in tips alone, he'd made over three hundred thousand tonight. Not bad, not bad.
Satisfied, Bai Qingming stood up and stretched.
He went to the living room, thinking to find something to eat, and could vaguely hear sounds from Dummy Girl's room.
"Brother, brother, buy me this. Will your girlfriend be mad if she finds out?"
"Brother, try a bite."
"Ah, brother! If your girlfriend knows we're sharing the same lollipop, will she beat me up?"

"Your girlfriend is scary, not like me—I just feel sorry for you, brother~"
This old woman was obviously addicted to Douyin, and was streaming, imitating the 'green tea' voice.
And to be fair, she really nailed it.
Thinking this, Bai Qingming sat on the sofa and picked up the phone he'd left on the coffee table.
Upon opening it, he saw someone had transferred ten thousand yuan to his Alipay account.
Not only that, there were several unread messages and missed calls, all sent during his stream.
His phone had been left in the living room, so he hadn't noticed.
Bai Qingming was intrigued—who would send him money for no reason?
He opened Alipay and saw the transfer came from a stranger's account, someone he definitely didn't know.
He checked the messages and found, coincidentally, the sender's number was almost identical to his own, differing only by the last digit.
The messages read:
"Hello, my family transferred money to me, but it accidentally went to your account. Please return it immediately."
"Are you there?"
"What do you mean? Ignoring me?"
"Are you refusing to return the money?"
"Could you at least have some decency? This money isn't yours!"
"Do you dare to say something?"
"Damn you, return the money! If you don't, your whole family dies, and watch out for getting run over!"
From polite at first to furious and cursing his family, all within less than thirty minutes.
Bai Qingming swore he really hadn't seen the messages until just now.
Still, he found the attitude of the sender quite unpleasant.
At that moment, the phone rang again.
Bai Qingming answered, and a woman's voice immediately sounded from the other end.
"I'm warning you—return the money within five minutes, or I'll call the police."
"The police?"
Bai Qingming had intended to explain that ten thousand yuan was nothing to him, but hearing her tone and words, he decided not to say another word. "Fine, I'll return the money right now."
With that, Bai Qingming hung up, opened the Alipay recharge page on his phone.
...