[Wish Fulfillment: V me five hundred thousand bucks (Chen Nian, whose exceptional abilities have aroused suspicion, finds himself embroiled in a high-level gang power transition. Realizing he's become a scapegoat, Chen Nian secretly vows to Mazu and Master Fox: Whoever helps him survive this ordeal, once he's back in the game, he will be the best, and the helper will be the second best!)]
"Wow, seriously, wow!"
"You, buddy, back at the bar ogling others' behinds, forgot all about Master Fox, but now stuck in jail, you remember me?"
Upon seeing the wish list, Ansheng's face froze with a hint of happiness, a slight twitch at the corner of his mouth.
The details of the wish list roughly revealed Chen Nian's recent situation.
Due to his rapid wealth accumulation and extravagant spending, frequenting various upscale locales, he unwittingly attracted some gang members, seemingly forming a small group with a battlefield medic.
But due to gang power struggles, he was framed by his boss for tax evasion and ended up in prison.
"You didn't clue me in when you had the dunces, now you've got your comeuppance, right?" Ansheng quipped.
That guy Chen Nian... probably never suffered such a big loss in his life, right?
Regarding Chen Nian, during his time ascending to RPG Emperor, Ansheng inquired about his family in the village.
His dad made money contracting tea fields early on, and after the lease expired, invested millions in tea field-related infrastructure in Changxi Town; now he basically waits for dividends every year.
His mother seems to be some kind of head nurse or something, with quite an extensive network, they say.
Though Chen Nian wasn't born with a silver spoon in his mouth,
he certainly wasn't lacking either, never having suffered losses growing up; the only setback was investing heavily without any traffic.
Hmm... that time being falsely accused of filming doesn't count; Chen Nian beat the guy silly, and those lickspittles got it bad too.
He was also suspended from school for reflection, which led to him becoming a Chinese immigrant to America, a nice loser.
"Seeing as I've had your mom's boiled eggs, Master Fox will throw you a line, but whether it works, Ansheng can't guarantee..."
Ansheng shook his head; even with Chen Nian in America, their connections and money were useless, having no influence over there.
Better let Lin Ying lend a hand and hire a good lawyer to get Chen Nian deported!
It's better to be deported for illegal entry and go to jail than to stay in America becoming a cream puff.
"Xiaolan! Look at the camera here."
While Ansheng pondered Chen Nian's situation, Yu Xueqing, sitting at the tea stall, called out to him:
"Say hello to the uncles and aunties in the stream! Today, we're bringing the viewers along to watch a tea competition."
"Ying!"
Ansheng looked towards the stream, noticing that Ah Qing's account had garnered about three thousand followers over time, and since it was the weekend, over a hundred people were watching.
Ansheng adjusted his position, crouching on the table and scanning it, then froze, looking at Ah Qing: "Where's the tea? Where's our tea?"
On the tea stall's table, aside from the teaware, there was no trace of any tea-related items.
Ansheng was utterly perplexed, looking toward Ah Qing, who was live streaming.
"Master, master~ aren't we hunting? Foxy doesn't see any bait! Are you... planning to bare-handedly pry open the prey's crown?"
The little fox's puzzled whimper translated into a questioning phrase echoing in Yu Xueqing's mind.
"The tea is with Dad, but we're not talking tea on the stream today."
Yu Xueqing appeared a bit displeased, glancing at Mo Yiqing beside her, speaking with slight defiance:
"Momo said... we'd starve selling tea, better to switch to pet influencer with fewer followers."
She said, since it's all about selling, we might as well stream interesting stuff to attract more followers; the chances of selling tea increase."
Focusing on tea culture in a niche category attracts a dedicated audience interested in that.
But tea culture, primarily targeting a young audience platform, is inherently niche.
So, tell me, is it your tea that's delightful, or my three yuan iced red tea?
Especially after seeing Ah Qing's paycheck, Mo Yiqing suggested trying a different approach.
Forget about categories; those willing to tip in your stream appear mostly for the little fox, plus you have natural advantages as a pet influencer.
Really, skip the tea culture stream, go next door to the fishing folks, using your animal communication to summon a school of fish, utterly mocking them.
I guarantee, with my own chest, it'll be a hit!
Mo Yiqing suggested Ah Qing give it a shot, offering to tip anew to fluff her popularity.
Ah Qing was somewhat persuaded.
Her restless personality found sitting primly at the tea table daily agonizing; given a choice, she'd rather be in the mountains or by a pond playing."
"Are we switching... to selling fox charm?"
Ansheng stared blankly at Ah Qing, then thoughtfully said, "If it's fox charm on sale, we're friends and all, but we'll need to renegotiate salary distribution!"
"After all... hey hey hey?"
Before Ansheng could finish his semiserious joke, Ah Qing whisked him up.
Ah Qing placed Ansheng on her shoulder, signaling the little fox to rest its hind legs on her messenger bag.
A single-seat lift of the fourteen-pound little fox didn't bother Yu Xueqing, who with her three-bowl-of-rice-a-meal frame might not excel elsewhere, but her strength left Ansheng dumbfounded.
"Go give it a try! I'll watch the tea stall for you!" Mo Yiqing looked at Ah Qing, smiling, and waved.
"Mm!"
Ah Qing nodded heavily, hugging her good friend lightly before leaving, feeling somewhat sentimental.
Though she didn't board at school during high school,
Ah Qing had heard all sorts of odd boarding student tales, and even public illicit parties happening.
In college, she had no specific expectations for her roommates, just hoped to encounter some normal people.
After three years of living together,
time proved her roommates were not just normal but also warm-hearted.
Rich, generous, and kind Momo.
Fun-loving and cheerful Lingren.
Tang You, cyber gunslinging master.
"Xiaolan! Try this!" Escaped from the Tea Master's prim Yu Xueqing wandered at the venue, engaging with anything intriguing.
Ah Qing took a disposable spoon from the tea stall, lightly sipped their Anxi Tieguanyin.
After tasting, Ah Qing naturally blew it cool, then offered it to Ansheng to try.
"Pleh—"
After trying it once, Ansheng stuck out his tongue and grumbled, "Bleh! Selling tea without the fire reduction, tastes like soot and alkali!"
"Our Master Fox doesn't approve!"
Ah Qing ruffled the little fox, beaming at the live stream's audience, confidently saying.
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