Chapter 8

Shui Wuyuan V: [Who I am, you'll find out soon enough. You'll remember me deeply. And in the future, you'll come to me on your own to stage an accident.]

[!!!!]

[Holy shit, holy shit, holy shit! What kind of cocky, domineering, and slickly handsome

CEO

big-shot reply was this?!]

[Move aside, let me translate: Immortal Pretty Boy! You have successfully caught my attention!]

[Oh my god, I'm dying laughing. I thought I was about to see Trash-Talk King bombard some trash again—at the very least, something cold and domineering like "Heh," or "Tch," or "Don't come near me." But who can tell me whether this was a clapback or... some other strange kind of remark? Why did it feel so subtle?]

[Subtle +1. This wasn't at all like the big shot's clapbacks I imagined. The little celebrities who staged accidents before never got replies longer than four characters. But "remember me deeply," "come find me on your own"—how did this become...]

[What's so subtle about that? It's easy to explain! Wasn't it just "struck by lust at first sight"? Dog head.]

[Shocking! Could Immortal Pretty Boy's face even conquer Trash-Talk King?! Oh my god, the more I thought about it, the more it seemed entirely possible!]

[Domineering clapback-king CEO × aloof little immortal pretty boy collecting trash! I'll ship this CP first as a show of respect! Why did this suddenly feel so damn satisfying, hahaha!]

[The person above is dreaming. Boss Water, eternal King of Singles, accepts no rebuttal!]

In any case, because of those two early-morning videos and Shui Wuyuan's reply, Weibo's trending searches had turned into a chaotic melon-munching entertainment plaza. Every melon-eating onlooker was passionately and frantically digging for more gossip. Since He Qinglan, the Immortal Pretty Boy collecting trash, was at the center of the discussion, netizens wanted to uncover more information about him.

Thus, Bicheng's streamers, who would stop at nothing for popularity and traffic, as well as some young people simply looking to ride the wave, all grabbed their phones and cameras and rushed toward the Qinglan River like sharks that had smelled blood—

They all knew He Qinglan's approximate location. After all, Zhang Feng and Tiantian had specifically said that morning that the place where he collected trash was the dirtiest stretch of the entire Qinglan River. Never mind anything else—so long as they casually filmed a few shots, or found some excuse to strike up a conversation with this Immortal Pretty Boy whose popularity had exploded, their traffic and follower counts would immediately soar!

These people didn't care whether their actions would cause trouble for He Qinglan, nor did they care whether he allowed them to film him. They just charged ahead. At worst, they could say a few nice words or offer an apology afterward.

As long as they got the popularity and traffic, they would profit!

Thus, the River God, who had been earnestly collecting trash, soon noticed sneaky, furtive figures appearing along the once-quiet riverbank. What they all had in common was that they were holding phones and cameras, filming him.

And as time passed, more and more people held up phones and cameras to film him. Several of them had even thrown shame to the winds and were practically following him around to shoot.

They asked him questions while filming:

"Little brother, why are you collecting trash here? Are you an environmental enthusiast?"

"Immortal Pretty Boy, can you take a photo with me? Afterward, I'll help you collect trash!"

"Hey, handsome, why are you turning away? I just got my angle and camera set up, and lots of people are watching! Come on, brother, say hello to everyone, then shout '666' for the bros!"

As he spoke, the last one—a dark, burly young man wearing an earring—reached out, wanting to sling an arm around He Qinglan's neck and put on an overly familiar, buddy-buddy act. But before his hand could reach its target, his foot inexplicably slipped! With a curse, he went face-first into the ground, landing in the mud like a dog gnawing rotten sludge.

The latest-model phone in his hand also flew from his grip. After smashing viciously against the ground three times, it went plop...

Straight into the shallow Qinglan River, whose water was nevertheless more than enough to cover the phone completely.

"My new phone—I only bought it yesterday!!" The dark, burly male streamer immediately wailed. Combined with the mud all over him, the sight was truly painful to the eyes.

The River God, who loved beautiful things, gave him a thoroughly disdainful glance, then directly turned away—out of sight, out of mind.

The dark, burly streamer did provide some amusement for the other streamers nearby, but after enjoying the spectacle, they went right back to pestering He Qinglan.

Even the River God, who had no desire whatsoever to pay attention to these mortals, furrowed his brow after being followed and filmed like this.

Inside the fruit-can jar, Black Carp was already itching to make a move. So long as its lord gave it a look, it would give every stupid mortal still standing a grand gift package of slipping feet!

However, the River God was still overly merciful and stopped Black Carp.

He Qinglan looked at the streamers following him. "You can film me, but if you're making money through me, you should give something in return."

"I don't need you to pay me. Since you're here, collect trash with me. Each person gets one bag of trash, and when you're done, sort it into piles. Once you finish, you can take photos with me. Otherwise..."

The handsome young man in the camera did not finish what he was about to say. Yet merely the faintest smile on his face made the streamers present and the viewers watching the livestream inexplicably feel a little... intimidated.

"Protecting the environment is everyone's responsibility. Right?"

"Otherwise, even the River God won't be able to stand watching. He'll get angry."

Author's note:

He Qinglan: Collect one bag of trash for every photo, or your phones will be gone.

Black Carp: Heh! Ptui! Black-mud spitting foot-slip technique!

Shui Wuyuan: Just wait, I'm coming right over! I'll make you remember me ♂ deeply! Heh!

Chapter 8

The young man's words silenced everyone present for a moment, as though they had all been simultaneously intimidated.

But that intimidation was not particularly strong. It quickly faded, and someone soon let out a disdainful laugh. Others with sharper instincts did not laugh, but their eyes still held a measure of disapproval.

They were internet celebrities who could earn tens of thousands a month when their traffic was high. No matter how many fans they had, those fans praised and flattered them. How could people like them collect trash? It was simply ridiculous.

"Little brother~ How about you take a photo with me first, interact with everyone in my livestream, and then I'll help you collect trash?" Anyway, once the livestream interaction had drawn enough popularity, she could just pick up two or three plastic bottles and leave.