DLRC – Chapter 30 Did I Offend Him?

Although that was the case, Yu Wei still felt quite a bit of pressure in her heart. After all, not all the comments were positive—there were still plenty of fact-checkers and people just there for the buzz.

She cleared her throat lightly, pulling everyone’s attention back. She didn’t even know which alley she had wandered to, now standing at its entrance. Behind her, rows of residential apartment buildings stood tall in the breeze.

“Last time I found a place to live thanks to the help of friends in the livestream room. Today, I want to look for a storefront—does anyone have recommendations?” She thought for a moment and added, “Even better if it’s in a location that will become the city center a few decades from now!”

How could she pass up a chance to get rich quick?

The viewers picked up on her cue and began discussing in the chat. Many of them had lived in Lucheng and offered analysis of the city’s layout and geography. You had to admit, the power of a crowd was strong—through their chatter, Yu Wei gleaned a lot of useful information.

【Isn’t it obvious? The area around Central Elementary School. If you buy a property nearby, it’ll definitely be in a school district later. That school is the best in Lucheng!】

【Wait, didn’t the streamer say she was looking for a storefront? Aren’t you confused? She’s not buying a house.】

【Isn’t her home on Changqing Road? That area’s pretty good. Why not look near home? If I remember right, Changqing Road will be considered the city center in the future too.】

【As someone born and raised in Lucheng, I think if the streamer wants to open a dessert shop, the best spot is near a school—tons of foot traffic. And kids can’t resist sweets; they’ll definitely pester adults to buy. You’ll make a fortune, streamer!】

【Agree with the one above. No matter the era, schools always mean big crowds.】

Yu Wei fell into thoughtful silence and thanked everyone repeatedly.

“Thank you! Thanks to everyone for the suggestions. Actually, if the dessert shop turns out to be profitable, I really do want to buy a house near a school. It’d be quite convenient to open a shop there too.”

Most importantly, buying now would be a huge bargain. Property prices these days were nothing—maybe just a thousand or two per unit, certainly not more. Dirt-cheap, practically a steal.

With her mood soaring alongside the influx of gifts in the stream, Yu Wei beamed with joy and got ready to head to the next street. She also planned to check if there was a flower-and-bird market nearby—she wanted to buy a few potted plants to take home.

After all, she wasn’t short on money anymore…

【Wait a second—can the streamer actually receive the gifts we send her?】

【Yeah, if she can’t cash them out, wouldn’t all our gifts be for nothing?】

Just as Yu Wei was basking in the good vibes, she caught sight of these comments, and the stream’s gift rate visibly dropped by half.

What a terrifying plot twist—don’t misunderstand!

Yu Wei quickly explained, “No no no, I can receive your gifts—all of them! And all the money can be converted into 1980s cash. So I really want to thank everyone who’s sent gifts to Fish Tail these past few days. The food on our table is all thanks to you. Without it, my son and I would have been…”

【Ah, so that’s it! This must be your time-travel golden finger!】

【Streamer, if I send you a candy gift, that’s like a month’s rent for you, right? Easy peasy—we’ll support you!】

【Exactly! Even just a little bit from us is enough to cover your weekly food bill!】

【Wow, I suddenly feel so powerful!】

Since prices in the 1980s were so low, even if fans took turns sending her a candy gift once a day, Yu Wei would live a very easy life. The “sponsor” feeling surged instantly.

Every viewer now felt like a big boss. Supporting little streamer Yu Wei? A matter of minutes!

However…

Yu Wei said helplessly, “I truly appreciate everyone’s kindness, but in order to convert the balance into 1980s cash, I have to move the decimal point one place forward. And I split it 50-50 with the platform. So if you send me one candy gift, what I actually get is…”

“Fifty cents.”

Her words stirred up another wave of reactions—the comment section exploded again.

【No way, so much for sponsoring her!】

【Streamer’s life is really tough】

【So all the flowers on screen were just false prosperity?!】

【Poor streamer, hang in there】

【Don’t cry, streamer—get up and take us shopping again!】

Chatting with her silly viewers lifted Yu Wei’s spirits. Laughing as they talked, she walked and soon found herself past Gutong Road and in a place called Siyuan Street.

The area was a bit remote, and she wasn’t sure how she’d ended up here.

It was all residential buildings. The narrow alleys and streets had few trees and looked bleak. A few birds chirped as they flew overhead. Yu Wei was about to turn and leave when a blur of motion shot past her.

“Hiss—”

Before she could react, someone with incredible speed and strength slammed into her, sending her sprawling to the ground. Pain shot through her arm like needles—sharp and deep into the bone. Then someone yanked hard on the cloth bag slung over her shoulder, and she was dragged down onto the concrete.

She instinctively tried to pull the bag back, but the tall, thin man struck her arm with a hard blow. Her grip went slack instantly. She could only watch helplessly as her cloth bag was snatched away.

A crisp sound rang in her ears.

Her phone had fallen—landing hard on the cement. The shattering noise made her whole body tremble.

Yu Wei couldn’t even care about the pain in her palms and knees, let alone the stolen bag. Behind her, two pairs of hurried footsteps grew fainter and fainter. She picked up her phone, gently brushing off the dust on the screen, and tears welled up in her eyes.

Oh god, please no—please let the phone be okay!

There were still several thousand yuan in it. Even converted to 1980s currency, it would be several hundred. If the phone was broken, that would be a real tragedy—she had nowhere to get it fixed.

However, when she unlocked the screen, the flood of caring messages from fans brought tears to her eyes in a different way.

The phone was fine. Not a scratch. Despite falling screen-down on hard concrete, it wasn’t damaged at all—just a bit dirty. It was… tough!

【Damn! Damn! Streamer, streamer!】

【Holy crap—! Streamer, what happened?!】

【Streamer, are you okay?!】

【Are you hurt? Did someone run into you?】

【Oh my god, everything was fine just now—scared me to death…】

【Ah, Little Fish Tail, are you okay?!】

【Damn, damn, was that guy just now trying to rob the streamer?!】

She finally let out a heavy breath and tried to tell everyone she was okay, but the words caught in her throat as if something were stuck there, leaving her hoarse and unable to speak.

Yu Wei hadn’t even gotten up yet when the pain in her knee began to spread through every limb and bone in her body. Her palms stung from the rough scrape, and her whole body trembled uncontrollably.

Her heavy breathing hung in the air. Bracing herself, Yu Wei slowly stood up, stuffed her phone into her pocket, and switched the camera to rear view. Now, all the viewers could see was the area in front of her thighs.

Once she was barely steady on her feet, Yu Wei bent down to rub her sore knee. But just then, she heard a sharp howl from the man who had attempted to rob her in broad daylight. Footsteps echoed leisurely from the entrance of the alley.

She frowned, took two steps back while hunched over, and suddenly saw a pair of black leather shoes stop in front of her toes. A white cloth bag appeared in her field of vision, swaying slightly as it dangled from someone’s fingertip.

She quickly looked up and tried to straighten up, but having squatted too long, her head spun and she stumbled back a couple of steps before regaining her balance.

Standing in front of her was a tall, strikingly handsome man. Looking up, she saw his tall, well-proportioned figure—definitely over 1.8 meters—and oddly familiar, somehow.

They studied each other. Yu Wei quickly took the cloth bag hanging from his finger. The part of the bag he had held was still faintly warm. Without saying anything, she quietly slung it over her left shoulder.

“…Thank you, comrade!”

Yu Wei’s gratitude was sincere. She looked into the man’s deep, unreadable eyes, unable to make them out clearly due to the backlight, but they seemed to ripple with subtle undercurrents.

He didn’t speak. His gaze was intense, but his expression was calm and impassive. Yu Wei felt a little uneasy under his stare and earnestly thanked him again.

Still, he said nothing. His striking brows furrowed downward, and his thin lips pressed into a firm line. A shallow indentation appeared between his brows, adding a subtle charm to his otherwise cool demeanor.

His piercing gaze stayed fixed on her, then, without warning, he turned and walked away. Yu Wei was slightly stunned, staring at the man’s tall, upright back, when a vague image suddenly flashed through her mind.

Wait a second… That back, that height… wasn’t he the drunk guy she ran into the other night?!

She cursed herself inwardly—how could she forget a face that handsome?

Without thinking, Yu Wei followed him.

Her phone swayed in her pocket as she moved. The man had long legs and a brisk stride. Yu Wei wiped the sweat off her forehead and jogged to catch up.

“Comrade, thank you again for just now!”

After finally catching up, Yu Wei expressed her thanks again. She could only see his sharply defined profile under the sunlight. His lips were still pressed tight, and he looked a bit stern—anyone else might think she had somehow offended him.

She adjusted the bag that had slipped to her elbow back onto her shoulder, then lifted her damp hair off her shoulder and rolled up the sleeves of her shirt to let some air in—accidentally revealing a long stretch of fair, slender arm.

When she finished rolling up her sleeves and looked up, her eyes met his. Their gazes crossed in the air. Yu Wei suppressed the unnerving feeling of being stared at and added, “There were valuables in my bag—thank you for getting it back for me.”

Most of the cash she had just withdrawn was in that cloth bag. Next time, she’d definitely carry it more discreetly to avoid being targeted again.

He walked quite fast. Yu Wei slowed her pace to catch her breath, then reached into her bag and pulled out a few yuan notes: “Comrade, here, please take this as a token of my appreciation.”

At this distance, he could faintly smell the subtle fragrance on her. At the thought of this, the man’s brows furrowed even deeper. He finally opened his mouth coldly: “No need.”

Yu Wei was momentarily stunned to hear him speak at last. What caught her attention was that his accent didn’t sound southern—it actually had a bit of a northern lilt.

“Oh, well…”

She gave an awkward smile. Her eyes met his again. He froze for half a second, then strode forward with such speed and purpose that she couldn’t catch up.

Yu Wei was already hurt from her fall earlier, and there was no way she could match that pace. Even if she could, she was too exhausted. She could only stand back, slowing her steps and watching the man in the suit walk farther and farther away—until he disappeared at the end of the street.

“What a weirdo,” she muttered.

It’s not like she was going to eat him. Why the rush?