Chapter 43: Don't Cry, Little Sister, Brother Will Carry You; Little Yan Secretly Watches Yishu's Livestream

The moment the words left her mouth, the landlady’s phone buzzed again.

"Darling, hold on a second, Mommy has to take this call!"

She hung up the first call and answered the new one.

"Playing mahjong again?"

"I’m into video games now, I don't care for mahjong anymore!"

"What? Ten bucks a round?"

"I’m in, I’m in, definitely playing!"

"Just don't come crying to me when you lose your money later!"

After hanging up, the landlady turned her large eyes toward Li Yishu, her long lashes fluttering as if they were catching the light.

"Auntie, why are you looking at me like that?" Li Yishu asked, puzzled.

The landlady smiled slightly, revealing two small dimples at the corners of her mouth. "You’re really good at video games, aren't you?"

"I guess so," Li Yishu replied. "I mostly just do knife runs."

"Don't be so modest," she said. "I’ve heard all about it—how you play games to help your girlfriend earn money for a car."

"A hero doesn't dwell on past glories," Li Yishu said, waving his hand dismissively. He held nothing but contempt for "simping" behavior.

The landlady shook her head, turned to pick up her teacup, and said, "Tell me, why are there so many CS (Campers) in *Delta Force*? Three shield-toting jerks bullied my daughter, bankrupted her account, and got her fired from her escort job. I think she’s depressed."

"You should really comfort your daughter, Auntie," Li Yishu said, raising his own teacup.

"You’re a streamer and you're so good at making money with knife runs," she continued. "Why don't you take her under your wing?"

"Pfft!" Li Yishu spat a mouthful of tea onto the floor.

The landlady’s daughter was the "Red Wolf" girl they had bullied in Puba just moments ago. The thought of him "taking her under his wing" to play games was a scenario Li Yishu couldn't even bring himself to imagine.

"What’s wrong with you?" the landlady asked. "Afraid your girlfriend will get jealous?"

"Please," Li Yishu scoffed. "Her grave is already three feet deep. Jealousy? Is she even worth it?"

"It won't be for free," the landlady said. "Big sister will pay you."

"How much?" Li Yishu asked.

She didn't answer but opened WeChat instead. Li Yishu’s phone buzzed; he checked it and saw eight hundred yuan had arrived.

"Deal!" he said decisively.

"Keep her company for the night," the landlady added. "If she’s happy, I’ll give you another eight hundred."

"No problem," Li Yishu promised. "I’ll definitely make sure your daughter is happy and entertained!"

"It's a promise, then!" she said. "I’m off to play mahjong!"

"Don't worry, Auntie. You can rest easy—I’ll take great care of your daughter!"

Hearing this, the landlady stood up and headed back to her bedroom.

***

"I’m changing clothes to head out," she called out. "I’ll have my daughter add you in a bit. Don't mention that I paid you!"

"Understood, Auntie. Next time you change, remember to close the door first!" Li Yishu kindly reminded her.

"Get lost!" the landlady roared, covering herself with her yoga pants as she stooped to slam the door shut.

"Goodbye!" Li Yishu waved at the bedroom door before heading out.

Once back in his own place, he ordered a serving of dumplings and a beer. The delivery arrived shortly, and Li Yishu filled his stomach while enjoying his meal and a cigarette.

*Ding-dong!* The WeChat icon on his computer flashed. He immediately sat down in front of the screen.

He opened the app to see a profile picture of a girl with long hair. After accepting the request, the person immediately sent a message: "Li Yishu, I’m your girlfriend’s best friend!"

"Get lost!" Li Yishu replied with those two words, and while the other person was still typing, he blocked them.

Just then, another request popped up. The avatar was a cute young girl, and the nickname was "Old Wang Never Gets Enough 0v0."

As soon as he accepted, she sent a message.

Li Yishu: "Are you Auntie Wang’s daughter?"

"I am!" she replied immediately.

Li Yishu: "What should I call you, little sister?"

"My name is Wang Yuyao!"

Li Yishu: "Nice to meet you, Yuyao. I’m Yishu, a *Delta Force* streamer. I’ll be livestreaming while we play later!"

Wang Yuyao replied: "That’s fine, as long as you can help me earn Hafu Coins!"

Li Yishu: "I can, absolutely! Get on the game and send me your ID!"

She sent her ID moments later. Li Yishu logged into his game account and started his stream. The first to enter the room was his long-time fan, Brother Wei. Other fans soon followed, and within moments, there were several hundred viewers.

Brother Wei: "I have to say, watching you three play is just hilarious!"

Corporal Xiao Xiao Guai: "Corporal Xiao Xiao Guai reporting for duty to Sergeant Li Yishu!"

Arigato: "Brother Shu, are you going to 'body-snatch' people tonight? I love watching you do that!"

Corporal Xiao Yan: "Little Yishu, are you live-streaming a sewer cleaning mission tonight?"

Hua Luo Feng Qi: "Wait a minute, why does that handle above look so familiar?"

***

Soon, a notification appeared: "Black Ze has entered the stream."

Black Ze gifted a Carnival x1!

Corporal Xiao Yan gifted a Heart-Rabbit x3!

Li Yishu said, "Thanks for the Carnival, Sergeant! And thanks for the Heart-Rabbits, Xiao Yan!"

Black Ze: "Little Yishu, go for it! I’m rooting for you!"

Xiao Yan: "I’m going to sleep with the Sergeant now, you get some sleep soon too!"

Li Yishu hurried to reply, "Got it, goodnight, Sergeant! Goodnight, Xiao Yan!"

With that, his top two donors, Black Ze and Xiao Yan, left the stream.

Only then did Li Yishu say, "Brothers, I’ve taken on a big job tonight. I’m going to help a girl earn some Hafu Coins!"

As soon as he said this, Xiao Yan, sitting in front of her computer, turned to Black Ze. "Sergeant, little Yishu is taking a girl out behind our backs! Isn't that going too far?"

Black Ze looked back at her. "Didn't you say you were going to sleep?"

"How could I sleep?" Xiao Yan retorted. "He stole my Red Card, he helped that 'Chicken Feather' Auntie clean sewers, and now he’s helping some girl earn coins? I’m so annoyed! What if this girl is actually Chicken Feather Auntie’s daughter?"

Black Ze said, "You just want to secretly watch his stream, don't you?"

"Sergeant, I bet you want to too!" Xiao Yan said. "How about we use our alt accounts to watch?"

"Fine by me," Black Ze agreed.

Xiao Yan immediately logged out of her main account and switched to her alt, "Sergeant Xiao Yan’s Fan," and jumped straight into Li Yishu’s stream.

By now, Li Yishu and Wang Yuyao had entered the squad lobby.

"Hello, brother!" Wang Yuyao said, her voice tinged with a sob.

Li Yishu asked, "Why are you still crying, Yuyao?"

"Wuu wuu wuu!" Wang Yuyao cried. "Those three beasts... they made me so angry I couldn't sleep!"

"It’s just a game," Li Yishu said. "Don't take it to heart."

Wang Yuyao continued, "Think about it! I was wearing high-tier gear, carrying dual pistols, and leading a client to Puba to fight. Three shield-toting jerks ran right at us, not only 'body-snatched' me but fed my client’s loot box to the crocodiles! I tried to chase them, but the three villains surrounded me with shields so I couldn't move, and then they let the crocodiles bite me to death!"

Li Yishu said, "That’s too cruel. The gaming environment is ruined by scumbags like that. Don't cry, little sister, your brother will help you earn those Hafu Coins back!"

"Wuu wuu wuu!" Wang Yuyao sobbed. "I’d only been doing escort jobs for three days, and my client fired me! My account is bankrupt!"

Li Yishu said, "Don't worry, I’ll take you to earn some coins!"

The chat in the stream exploded.

Brother Wei: "Wait a minute? Why does the name 'Yuyao' sound so familiar?"

Zhai Zhai Wants to Play Ball: "Isn't this the 'Red Wolf' girl those three bullies picked on in the last match?"

Sergeant’s Fan: "I’m dying of laughter! How did these two end up together?"

Never Drinks Beer (Already Ate Poop): "No way... it seems like this Yuyao girl hasn't realized who Li Yishu is yet!"

Sergeant Xiao Yan’s Fan: "Ridiculous! How can someone call themselves a 'beast' just to pick up a girl?!"