At that moment, a friend request popped up on Ling Yun's WeChat.
The note attached to it conspicuously read, "Douyin Official Operations—Su Yao."
Ling Yun raised an eyebrow and tapped Accept.
"Hello, Mr. Ling Yun. I'm Su Yao, the person in charge of Douyin's operations. You can just call me Xiao Yao."
The message arrived quickly, and her tone was respectful.
"Miss Su, is something wrong?" Ling Yun asked, somewhat surprised that the official account had suddenly contacted him.
"It's like this." Su Yao's reply came almost instantly. "The rate at which your followers are growing... is simply astonishing! After evaluating the situation, the platform's upper management believes that the contract we previously offered is completely inadequate for your current value and potential. We'd like to provide you with an entirely new exclusive contract—the highest-tier contract on the platform."
Her words were suffused with urgency.
Ling Yun understood. Douyin had been frightened by the three million followers he had gained overnight and was worried that hungry competitors would poach him.
"Sure. Let's discuss the details."
Ling Yun's reply was concise.
Over the next half hour, Su Yao demonstrated the platform's enormous sincerity.
On top of the already astronomical signing fee, they added another 200 million! The gift-revenue split was directly adjusted to an unprecedented ninety-one-to-ten ratio, with Ling Yun taking ninety percent.
His annual salary also skyrocketed from a symbolic two million to 100 million.
His required streaming time was reduced from the original 120 hours per month to just 30 hours.
Looking at the key terms in the draft contract sent to his screen, even Ling Yun, who had been mentally prepared, couldn't help feeling shaken.
They were practically sparing no expense to tie him firmly to Douyin's war chariot.
"They're really willing to bleed for this... Are they willing to lose money just to keep him?"
He mused inwardly. Still, only a fool would refuse free money, and Ling Yun promptly completed the electronic signing.
At Douyin headquarters, the operations director, who had been watching the progress the entire time, let out a long breath when the notification "Contract Signed Successfully" appeared. A relieved smile spread across his face.
The terrifying surge in followers during the early hours, especially the possibility that his followers might surpass ten million before tonight's livestream, had left them both delighted and afraid.
They were delighted that a phenomenon-level streamer was about to emerge on the platform. They were afraid that, if a competitor intercepted him... this top-tier contract had to be signed before anyone else could contact Ling Yun!
"Wonderful, Mr. Ling! The contract is effective immediately, and the signing fee will be transferred to your Alipay this afternoon.
"If you need anything from the platform in the future, please contact me anytime. I'll be available around the clock to serve you!
"I wish you a successful livestream and a happy life!" Su Yao's message carried the lightness of someone who had completed her mission.
Once the contract was settled, Ling Yun finally remembered to check the earnings from last night's livestream.
He opened the Douyin Creator Center, and the earnings details appeared: 1,128,456.78 yuan! In just one night!
"In my previous life, I worked myself to the bone for an entire lifetime and never even got close. Now, I've earned a million overnight..."
He shook his head, closed the page, and decided not to withdraw the money for now. With the higher split in his new contract, withdrawing it now would mean losing hundreds of thousands. It wasn't worth it.
His gaze swept over the time on his phone: 7:55! He shot to his feet, hurriedly threw on his coat, rushed into the bathroom to roughly wipe his face, grabbed his phone, and dashed downstairs.
The moment he stepped out of the building, the familiar black Maybach was already parked quietly by the roadside.
Jiang Yingqing was leaning against the car door, her eyes repeatedly sweeping toward the entrance. When she saw Ling Yun, her eyes lit up, and she waved while calling, "Brother Ling Yun! Over here!"
"Sorry, I'm not late, am I? Have you been waiting long?" Ling Yun asked apologetically as he hurried over.
"No, I just arrived too." Jiang Yingqing opened the car door and gestured for him to get in, her smile bright. "This is Uncle Zhang."
"Hello, Uncle Zhang." Ling Yun nodded to the steady middle-aged driver in the driver's seat.
"Hello, Mr. Ling." Uncle Zhang returned the greeting and smoothly started the car.
"By the way..." In the car, Ling Yun seemed to remember something, and the corner of his mouth curled into a smile. "That 'Yun Zhong Ri Qing' last night... That's quite an unusual name, isn't it?"
"Ahem!" Jiang Yingqing's fair cheeks instantly flushed red, and her eyes darted away. "That... I just typed it at random! It was only a name recommended by the system! Don't read too much into it!"
Her voice was transparently defensive.
Seeing her embarrassed expression, Ling Yun stopped teasing her, though the amusement in his eyes deepened.
Jiang Yingqing quickly changed the subject, her tone turning serious. "Let's talk about the important matter, Brother Ling Yun. When we go rock climbing later, could you... watch me climb first? Free soloing is too dangerous. There's no protection at all, and one mistake means..." She left the sentence unfinished, but her meaning was clear.
"Don't worry." Ling Yun's voice was steady. "I've learned the basics, and I know my limits. If I really can't do it, I won't force myself. My life belongs to me." He paused, then looked at Jiang Yingqing's face and added, "You need to be especially careful too. Qingmang Mountain... I've heard it isn't peaceful."
He decided to warn Jiang Yingqing to be careful while climbing later. In his previous life, he hadn't known how Jiang Yingqing died; he only knew that it had been an accidental death.
Seeing his firm attitude—and that he genuinely seemed to understand some of the ropes—Jiang Yingqing stopped trying to dissuade him. She merely lifted her chin confidently. "I'm an experienced climber! Safety first. Just watch me!"
The car soon arrived at the foot of Qingmang Mountain.
The mountain was just as its name suggested: rugged and steep, with strange rocks jutting out everywhere. Vegetation stubbornly grew between the cracks in the stone, giving off a primitive, wild aura.
The air seemed to carry a faint, fishy scent of plants and earth. Rumors of venomous snakes added an invisible pressure to the mountain.
The two of them changed into the professional climbing shoes Jiang Yingqing had brought and carefully checked their chalk bags.
Jiang Yingqing deftly tied her long hair into a high ponytail, revealing her smooth forehead and focused eyes.
She walked up to a nearly vertical cliff face and reached out to knock on a slightly protruding piece of weathered rock. It made a dull, knocking sound.
"Watch closely!" She turned around and flashed Ling Yun a challenging smile.
Ling Yun didn't respond. His eyes remained fixed on Jiang Yingqing, while he cautiously surveyed the surrounding terrain and the cracks in the cliff. The vague reports from his previous life about her accidental death had always hung over his heart like a dark cloud.
What exactly had happened? He desperately needed to find the answer and stop it.
Jiang Yingqing's smile faded. She took a deep breath, then gripped the holds with both hands as precisely as iron pincers. She pushed off with her toes, and her entire body instantly left the ground, beginning to move upward like an agile mountain goat.
Her movements were smooth and powerful. Every grip and every shift in her center of gravity appeared practiced and confident.
Ling Yun followed close behind. His movements looked casual, yet every step landed precisely on the most stable footholds, and his speed was not the slightest bit slower.
"Wow! Brother Ling Yun, you've hidden your abilities well!"
When they reached a small platform, Jiang Yingqing turned around. Looking at Ling Yun, who had easily caught up below, her eyes were filled with surprise. "This is no beginner. You're clearly really good!"
"Focus. Don't get distracted!"
Ling Yun reminded her in a low voice, his sharp gaze sweeping over the place where she had set her foot.
Jiang Yingqing stuck out her tongue, immediately gathering her thoughts as she continued upward.
Ling Yun remained highly vigilant, devoting most of his attention to Jiang Yingqing and preparing at any moment to deal with a possible emergency.
The higher they climbed, the stronger the mountain wind became.
At some point, thick leaden-gray clouds had gathered in the sky. The gale whipped sand and gravel against the cliff face with a mournful howl. Large raindrops began to fall sporadically.
"This is bad! It's about to pour!"
Jiang Yingqing's voice was distorted by the wind as she sped up her climb. "We need to find somewhere to shelter from the rain! The cliff will become slippery in wet weather. It'll be far too dangerous!"
The wind and rain made the rocks cold and slick, and visibility was also falling.
He followed closely behind Jiang Yingqing and called out loudly, "Steady! Don't rush!"
The two of them struggled upward. Just as Jiang Yingqing reached for a deeper crack above that resembled a small hole, trying to use it for leverage—
"Hiss—!"
A venomous snake, blackish-green from head to tail with a triangular head, suddenly thrust half its body out of the shadowy crack. Its scarlet tongue nearly touched Jiang Yingqing's fingers!
Its cold, vertical pupils gleamed with viciousness!
"Ah—!" The unexpected shock made Jiang Yingqing scream, every hair on her body standing on end!
Distraction was the greatest taboo in rock climbing, especially when faced with the deadly fright of a venomous creature!
At the instant her mind was thrown into turmoil and she instinctively tried to pull her hand back, a powerful crosswind suddenly swept past!
"Look out!" Ling Yun's roar was torn apart by the howling wind.
Jiang Yingqing lost her balance. Her foot slipped, and the hand gripping the rock also lost its strength from the shock and the wet surface!
Her entire body came free of the cliff like a kite with its string cut, plunging straight toward the bottomless abyss below!
Before you continue