OFR – Chapter 92 Return.

Haiqing, who was in an apartment in Longyun City, looked at the message on QQ and replied, “Last night, Money God unexpectedly visited the live stream rooms of Xiaoyue and Awen around midnight. He mentioned wanting to meet with Cold Hero.”

“Who is Money God? If it’s just about meeting up, why not wait until Cold Hero is available?” Mi Xuan’s reply left Haiqing speechless. It was clear she didn’t understand much about the live-streaming world.

Money God was a well-known figure on Douyu TV, even more famous than Cold Hero himself, and a top-level supporter with an influential presence. Regular viewers who followed major streamers knew of him well. Seeing Mi Xuan’s naive response, Haiqing decided not to explain further. “Alright then, please let me know when Cold Hero gets back in touch,” he replied.

“Okay, I will,” Mi Xuan agreed and closed the chat window.

Despite Haiqing’s best efforts to rest, he couldn’t quite shake off the surreal memory from last night. Watching Xiaoyue and Awen’s streams while gaming, Haiqing had been utterly surprised when Money God and a group of more than ten emperor-ranked members from the Yuwan Alliance arrived in the chat. The sight had stunned Haiqing and the streamers, rendering them speechless, much like when they had previously encountered Cold Hero.

However, the Yuwan Alliance group hadn’t done much aside from gifting 100 rockets and suggesting a meeting with Cold Hero before leaving. Still, Haiqing couldn’t help but worry about the purpose of Money God’s sudden interest in Cold Hero. He sincerely hoped no conflicts would arise, as Cold Hero seemed outmatched if faced with the entire Yuwan Alliance.

“Forget it. No point overthinking. We’ll deal with it once we make contact,” Haiqing muttered, shaking his head. Exhausted from a sleepless night, he yawned and headed to his bedroom to catch up on some rest.

Meanwhile, outside, the snow was still falling, only easing up around 3 PM.

On the Xuzhou to Guangyun highway, road crews had already begun spreading de-icing agents. Mu Bai and Qian Yiwen, now wide awake, learned that the snowy weather might persist over the next couple of days. After discussing it, they decided to cut their trip short and head back.

“Ah, let’s just go back. The traffic officers said we can return via the highway now,” Qian Yiwen sighed. She had been looking forward to this rare getaway from Nanjing, only to be met with disappointment due to the heavy snow.

“Alright, let’s head back then. With the roads clear, we should be home by 7 or 8 PM,” Mu Bai nodded, starting the car. Despite visiting some notable sights in Xuzhou, he hadn’t found the experience fulfilling. All it brought him was a sense of fatigue, making him realize he preferred staying home.

His ideal life involved lounging at home, shopping online for rare plants and animals, tending to a future farm and fishery, and maybe even playing pay-to-win games to pass the time. Compared to traveling, that sounded far more appealing.

“By the way, Mr. Cool Mu, I won’t tell anyone your secret. You can trust me,” Qian Yiwen suddenly said earnestly, bringing Mu Bai out of his thoughts.

He raised an eyebrow. “What secret? What do you think you know about me?”

“Aren’t you a stone-gambling expert and, well, that mysterious Cold Hero? If that’s not a secret, I don’t know what is.”

Mu Bai chuckled. “Alright, let’s call it a small secret then. Didn’t realize you were this considerate. Hey, let me know when you start your new book. I’ll come support you.”

Qian Yiwen beamed. “Will do! Thanks a bunch, my dear Mr. Cool Mu.”

As they chatted, the evening settled in. Qian Yiwen snacked on treats she had pulled from the back seat, while Mu Bai drove steadily along the now-clear highway. By 7 PM, they reached Nanjing. After dropping Qian Yiwen off at Nanjing University, Mu Bai drove to his residence at Shui Mo Lin Ju.

He parked in the underground garage and, at 8 PM, was finally back in his apartment. Collapsing onto his comfy sofa, he felt truly relaxed for the first time in days. The journey had been all driving or walking, never as pleasant as just lounging at home.

Just as he was about to take a warm shower, his phone rang. Checking the screen, Mu Bai saw a call from a Wuhan number. “This must be from Douyu,” he thought, remembering he hadn’t saved the number from his last conversation with Zhao Zhi.

Picking up, he was greeted by Zhao Zhi’s eager voice. “Cold Hero, sorry to disturb you. This is Douyu’s manager, Zhao Zhi.”

“What is it?” Mu Bai asked, his tone calm but curious.

Douyu’s desire to leverage him against the platform’s major streaming clans was obvious and made him wary. While he didn’t take the situation lightly, he knew he lacked the power to confront Douyu head-on, especially now that it had grown into a multi-billion-dollar company with Tencent’s backing. For now, he chose to quietly bide his time and complete system-assigned tasks.

Interrupting his thoughts, Zhao Zhi continued, “Well, Cold Hero, I mentioned to Little Star that we’d transfer 70% of the gift value you sent her. But she turned around and sent back over a hundred thousand yuan, asking that it be anonymously gifted to you. I wasn’t sure what to make of it, so I decided to inform you. Oh, and today I noticed that Little Star has deleted her streaming account. Only a status update about focusing on exam prep remains.”

Mu Bai frowned. “So you’re saying Little Star has left Douyu?”

“Yes, that appears to be the case. But rest assured, she wasn’t bullied or anything like that. As for why she left, I’m not sure. And about that money…?”

“Just credit it to my Douyu account,” Mu Bai instructed, and Zhao Zhi responded gratefully.

After ending the call, Mu Bai pondered why Wang Yuwei, his old classmate, had left Douyu and returned the money. Logging into Douyu, he checked her page and found a simple update about preparing for exams. The comments were filled with frustration:

“Wow, Little Star, Cold Hero gave you such a big boost, and now you just vanish like this? So capricious!”

“Is the streamer underage or something?”

“I miss her already. It’s been days since her last stream.”

“Same here. Douyu finally had a great streamer, and she’s gone. So disappointing.”

Mu Bai sighed. Although he was slightly annoyed at her previous online antics, he appreciated her integrity in returning the money. “Well, maybe she really is preparing for exams,” he mused, shaking his head.

Putting the matter aside, he grabbed his bathrobe and headed for a hot shower, ready to wash away the weariness of the day. The night outside had grown deep, and it was already past 8 PM.