"Xia Mo, what are you doing here? Who are these people?"
"They're my fans! You bastard, why did you cheat on me? What did I ever do to you?"
"You've only got yourself to blame. We've known each other for so long, but you wouldn't even let me touch you. How were you anything like a girlfriend? You acted like someone I had to worship! But I really do love you. Please give me another chance!"
Xia Mo said nothing, seemingly considering it, but her five fans were furious and afraid she would soften.
"Love, my fucking ass! You were sleeping around, and you still have the nerve to talk about love after getting caught in bed? I'll beat you to death, you little shit!"
"Mo Mo, don't believe his bullshit. If he loved you, he wouldn't cheat! He's only after your body and your money!"
"Exactly! Don't go soft on him. We'll beat him up for you!"
"Fuck, stop hitting me! Help! Mo Mo, save me! Get them under control! We've known each other so long. My feelings for you are real!"
"Real, my fucking ass!"
The female streamer wrapped herself in the sheet and covered her face, trembling and crying in sheer panic and terror.
She could feel her career slipping away.
Everything descended into utter chaos.
The livestream chat was also buzzing with discussion.
Xiao Yu, however, wasn't having such an easy time.
Those fleeting two seconds of footage alone had earned him a warning from the platform!
He had reason to suspect that, if he hadn't just signed his second contract, and if the platform's boss or staff hadn't been watching, his livestream might have been banned again.
Sure enough.
"Xia Mo's livestream suddenly shut down. She probably got banned!"
"Holy shit, they're that strict? It was only two seconds!"
"Master Xiao's stream seems fine, though?"
Xiao Yu hurriedly said, "I got a warning from the platform too. Miss Xia Mo, please disconnect for now. What happens next is your private business, and broadcasting it online wouldn't be appropriate."
Xia Mo choked out, "Thank you for helping me see that scumbag for who he really is, Master Xiao. I'll disconnect now."
"Poor Mo Mo. I was laughing at her misfortune just now, but seeing her crying like that broke my heart!"
"That boyfriend of hers is such a piece of shit. He had such a pretty, innocent girlfriend and still went chasing other women. He deserved it."
"Well, I'd always suspected Mo Mo had already slept with her boyfriend. Now that I know she's still a virgin, I'm honestly overjoyed."
"Haha, it's funny, heartbreaking, satisfying, and upsetting all at once. What a roller coaster!"
Xiao Yu said, "All right, let's hurry and move on to the next person. I don't want to be streaming until midnight!"
"Let's welcome our next lucky winner!"
"Hey, 'lucky winner' doesn't seem quite right. Mo Mo wasn't exactly lucky."
"She found out her boyfriend was a scumbag and cut him off for good. Tomorrow, she can come back and have Master Xiao find her true love. Isn't that lucky enough?"
"Exactly! She's unbelievably lucky!"
"Master Xiao, please tell me about my love life!"
"I'd like a reading on my financial prospects!"
"I'd like to know about my future. Which university can I get into? Master Xiao, please help me change my fate. I want to get into a Project 985 university!"
"Next, let's welcome our sixth Livestream Viewer."
The video call connected.
A middle-aged man in his forties appeared, his face weathered by hardship.
As before, the Livestream Viewers in the livestream started chatting below.
"Blind guess: this guy wants a reading on his finances!"
"Middle-aged people usually don't ask about romance anymore. It's all money and careers. Young women care more about love!"
"He might want to ask about his child's future!"
Xiao Yu said, "Mr. Cao Yuan, what would you like a reading on?"
"Seeing Master Xiao casually call a complete stranger by name somehow feels perfectly normal!"
"Lmao, I'm already used to it!"
"I've posted this hundreds of times, but I still want to say it: hubby, you're so handsome! Kisses, hubby! Hubby, you're the GOAT!"
Cao Yuan took a deep breath and said, his face full of hope, "Master Xiao, I happened to see your livestream on the homepage after work today. I didn't believe in fortune-telling. When the gift lottery started, I only joined because so many people were competing for a spot. I gritted my teeth and spent over two thousand yuan, figuring the worst that could happen was getting scammed."
"I'm just a migrant laborer. Two thousand yuan is enough to cover my expenses for a whole month. Even just now, I still had a little doubt. I didn't fully trust you."
"But then you said my name so naturally, so casually. Now I'm incredibly, incredibly glad I won a reading!"
Xiao Yu nodded, waiting for him to continue.
Cao Yuan said, "Actually, although money is tight, I have a wife and children. I'm not as well-off as some, but I'm doing better than others, and I can watch livestreams after work."
"But since heaven let me meet you and even win a reading, I feel like it's giving me a sign."
"So I'd like to know what happened to my first child, who was abducted by human traffickers all those years ago."
Xiao Yu straightened slightly and asked solemnly, "Mr. Cao, do you have a photo?"
"No. I used to have a baby picture, but it's been twenty years, and we've moved so many times. It's really gone. I'm sorry. If it's too difficult..."
"Don't worry. Let me try first."
The Livestream Viewers in the livestream were all shocked.
"Oh my god! Human traffickers?"
"The mood suddenly got so heavy!"
"Same here. That sent a shiver through me. My child was just born, and that's the word I fear most."
"Look, everyone! Master Xiao's brows are all scrunched up. This is the first time I've seen him sweating so much!"
"Is the reading really difficult?"
"No shit! Isn't that obvious? It happened twenty years ago, and there's not even a photo. This is harder than finding martial arts master Jin Hong's young girlfriend."
"You can do it, Master Xiao!"
"You can do it, hubby!"
"My heart aches for him. I'm going to send my darling some revealing black-stocking photos!"
"Everyone, stop posting horny comments. Don't disturb Master Xiao's reading. Can't you see how serious this is?"
"Exactly. Shut up and stop causing trouble!"
"Phew..."
Xiao Yu opened his eyes and wiped away his sweat.
The fourth level of Qi Refining was nowhere near enough after all.
This was pushing him too hard.
"I'm very sorry. I wasn't able to find the answer you wanted, Mr. Cao, but..."
Cao Yuan's heart sank.
If even someone as extraordinary as Master Xiao couldn't work it out, did that mean he truly would never see his eldest daughter again?
A bitter smile crept onto his lips.
"It's all right, Master Xiao. It's been so many years. I've long since accepted it, and my life is good now. It was just a spur-of-the-moment idea to ask for a reading."
Xiao Yu said, "Hold on, I wasn't finished. Although I couldn't find any crucial information, I did uncover a few clues... Mr. Cao, your missing child was a daughter, wasn't she? Cao Xiaoya? She was five at the time?"
Cao Yuan exclaimed excitedly, "Yes! Yes, that's right! My daughter! She was five! Her name was Cao Xiaoya!"
Xiao Yu said, "The scene I saw showed a young woman, perhaps thirty, holding a little girl's hand. The girl was Cao Xiaoya. She was happily eating a lollipop, and then the woman called her 'Xiao Ya.' That's all I was able to see. I'm sorry."
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