A live stream that dramatically transformed a depressed schoolgirl shocked netizens across the count

Chapter 100: Fake Retreat Order, Brother Lang's Bizarre Tactics

As the final Bai folk tune faded, three gong sounds echoed across the square.

The dance world keeps turning.

Shen Qingci took the last two steps to the beat of the drum, her indigo skirt brushing against the bluestone.

She raised her hand and twirled around with the girl beside her. The blue and white cloth knot on her wrist fluttered in the wind, revealing the old marks under the sandalwood beads. She no longer hid them in her sleeve.

Bai Weiwei pulled her away from the dance circle.

"Student Shen, don't go yet, settle your tuition."

Shen Qingci hadn't caught her breath yet, a few strands of hair sticking to her forehead. The girl held the camellia at her waist and looked up at her.

"You only taught me two steps."

"Taking two steps is a skill in itself." Bai Weiwei moved closer to her. "I'll give you a flower cake, it's not expensive, is it?"

Su Niannian rushed over, lifting her skirt, and the silver tassels under her hat were wrapped around her earrings again.

"I deserve at least half the credit for her being able to jump those two steps correctly. I'll share half the pie with her."

Ye Xingyu reached out to untie the tassel for her.

"You were shouting louder than a gong from behind. They were already being very polite by not pulling you up to lead the singing."

Su Niannian turned her face to the side.

"Ye Xingyu, whose side are you really on?"

"Help your ears. Shake them a couple more times, and the earrings will come off with the hat."

Bai Weiwei bent over and laughed.

Shen Qingci lowered her head and straightened the hem of her skirt. She tried to suppress her smile twice, but it eventually turned up.

She turned her head and looked towards the outside of the crowd.

Chen Lang stood under the colorful flag, dressed in a black windbreaker, standing out from the indigo and crimson crowd.

He had one hand in his overalls pocket and the other holding his phone, the camera steadily pointed at her.

Shen Qingci stopped in her tracks.

How long have you been filming?

Chen Lang pressed save.

"When a certain top student lifted his left foot, unsure where to put his right foot."

"Deleted."

"The photos have already been taken, and I haven't received the money yet, so how can I delete them?"

"How much do you want to charge?"

"It depends on how good this top student's attitude is."

Shen Qingci stared at him for two seconds, then reached out her hand.

"Let me see it first."

Chen Lang raised his arm, leaving her unable to reach it.

"You just told me to delete it, and now you want to see it again?"

"Let me see how well you've photographed it."

"Got it. Look first, then bargain, and take it away without paying a penny."

"Isn't this what you usually do?"

Chen Lang raised an eyebrow.

"You learn very quickly; it wasn't a waste of time to bring you out here."

Shen Qingci didn't reach out again. She tucked the camellia back into her belt and followed Bai Weiwei toward the edge of the square.

After taking a few steps, she turned her head back.

"Don't post anything ugly."

"Don't worry." Chen Lang put away his phone. "If the photos are bad, I'd be too embarrassed to take the money."

Shen Qingci turned her face back, and the morning light fell into her ear.

On the other side of the altar, Zhou Henian put the fire back into the bronze plate.

The old man's Bai ethnic sacrificial robe was neatly buttoned up, with a square outline protruding from the front of the fabric.

The wooden cane tapped on the stone steps, one sound with each step.

At the entrance of the bluestone alley, the scarred man held down his collar.

"The item is still on the old man; he hasn't taken it out."

A processed male voice came through the headphones.

"Keep an eye on where he goes."

"Block the north entrance at the stone bridge, and guard the rear in the narrow alley. Once the goods are in Gu Qingshang's hands, take action, subdue the person first, then switch vehicles and leave."

The scarred man scanned the square.

"What should we do about Chen Lang?"

"The third group is keeping an eye on him."

"He saw us a long time ago."

There was a two-second pause in the channel.

"With so many people in the square, he wouldn't dare to do anything reckless."

The scarred man licked his teeth, reached into his camera bag with his right hand, and gripped the gun handle.

"Okay, got it."

A dozen meters away, Chen Lang bit into the last piece of sugar painting.

He looked down at his phone.

Titan has completed the channel replication, and all thirteen enemy communication devices have been connected to the terminal. The locations of the three groups of people at the stone bridge, narrow alley, and parking spot have been marked on the map.

Chen Lang retrieved the scarred man's voice recording from half a minute ago and fed the tone, pauses, and breathing frequency into the model.

Twelve seconds later, a new voice message was generated.

He pressed send.

The scarred man's voice came through the enemy channel.

"More village police have been deployed, and there are also plainclothes officers at the west entrance. Groups two and three, retreat to the east orchard first, check license plates, and wait for my message."

Someone on the stone bridge asked, "What's the password?"

The terminal extracts the verification content from previous communication records.

The synthesized voice announced four numbers.

There was a response in the channel very quickly.

"Group Two received."

"Group three received."

"The people at the parking lot have also left."

The crowd outside the square began to move.

The two men selling flower wreaths dropped some change and left across the stone bridge.

The three people in the narrow alley squeezed into the crowd of tourists, while others near the parking spot pulled down their hat brims and hurried toward the orchard to the east.

The red dots on the map move one after another.

The twelve red dots retreated to the outside of the village, leaving five behind the old ancestral hall.

Chen Lang looked up.

The scarred man remained where he was.

He slung his camera bag over his shoulder and made two hand gestures to his companions behind the stage.

Chen Lang put away his phone.

These five people ignored the evacuation order and were clearly up to their own purposes.

Three men and one woman squeezed in from the side. The four of them held up stabilizers, fill lights, and microphone poles, with live broadcast signs hanging around their necks, their shoes stepping over the flower branches that the villagers had laid out on the ground.

The man in the lead turned the camera toward Shen Qingci.

"Hey everyone, look over here! What do you think of this ordinary girl? If you think she's pretty, leave a comment with your rating!"

As soon as the camera zoomed in, a hand pressed down on the stabilizer.

The scene flips to the ground, leaving only two bluestones and a pair of high-top boots.

Chen Lang stood in front of the camera.

"Turn it off."

The man pulled back twice, but the stabilizer didn't budge.

"What's it to you if I take some photos in public?"

"You can take pictures of the road, you can take pictures of the colorful flags, and you can even take pictures of your own face."

Chen Lang glanced at the live-streaming sign on his chest. "The camera's practically glued to her face. Did you even ask her?"

"I have over 100,000 followers, filming her is just bringing her traffic. So many people want to get into my live stream but can't."

Chen Lang glanced down at the screen.

The live stream showed 872 people online.

"Out of over 100,000 followers, only 800 showed up."

He released the stabilizer. "Your fans are all pretty busy today."

The man opened his mouth, and the two people standing behind him quickly stuffed their spare phones into their sleeves.

Chen Lang took a step forward, blocking their view of the altar.

"When the village has a festival, you come here to take pictures of the elderly and young women, using other people as material to make a living."

"Turn off the equipment, go to the outer circle."

The man straightened his chest.

"I'm not closing it, what can you do about it?"

Chen Lang took out his phone, on which were listed the account holder, past records of illegal live streaming, and screenshots of evidence taken from the villagers he had just filmed.

"Complain to the platform, collect evidence regarding portrait rights, and then file a case with the village police."

Which one would you like to choose?

Chen Lang glanced at him.

"If you find it troublesome, just do it all yourself. I'll save you time."

The man stared at the screen, his Adam's apple bobbing.

Turn off the fill light.

The microphone boom retracts.

The live stream on the stabilizer was also moved to the background.

Chen Lang stepped aside.

"Watch where you're going."

"The flower branches on the ground were laid out by the village children, so don't trample them."

The four of them left along the outer edge of the square, never raising their cameras again.

Zhou Henian witnessed this scene from the altar.

The old man loosened his grip on the wooden cane, and his gaze passed over Chen Lang, landing on Gu Qingshang.

Gu Qingshang stood twenty steps away from the stone steps, his hands tucked into his sleeves.

Since the start of the ceremony, she has not approached Zhou Henian, nor has she sent anyone to inquire about the paper bag and account book.

The last elderly singer stepped down from the altar.

Zhou Henian handed the wooden cane to Zhou Lan, stepped down the stone steps, and stopped in front of Gu Qingshang.

"You've kept your composure today."

Gu Qingshang met his gaze.

"You said we shouldn't disturb the ceremony, so I naturally have to do as you say."

Zhou Henian nodded.

"Come with me."

He turned and walked toward the side of the stage.

Zhou Lan helped the elderly woman, with Gu Qingshang following behind. Bai Weiwei pulled Shen Qingci back, while Su Niannian and Ye Xingyu flanked them.

Chen Lang walked at the back of the group.

Shen Qingci took a few steps, then turned back to look for him.

Chen Lang raised his chin forward.

"Watch where you're going, I'm following you."

She looked away and continued walking forward.

Behind the stage is a narrow alleyway made of bluestone, with courtyard walls on both sides blocking the view of the square. The sound of drums can be heard through the walls, along with the laughter of children chasing each other.

The side building of the old ancestral hall is located at the end of the alley.

Several pieces of plaster had fallen off the wall, and an unlocked brass buckle hung on the wooden door.

Several bundles of dry firewood were piled up beside the door, with a space about half a person's width behind them.

Zhou Henian walked into the side room.

Gu Qingshang and the others followed them inside.

Chen Lang stopped at the corner of the alley.

The bluestone pavement reflected the sunlight, casting five shadows on the wall.

The soles of his shoes scraped against the stone slabs as the scarred man walked around the stage. The zipper of his camera bag was already open, and he hid his right hand inside the bag, the back of his hand against the bulging compartment.

The other four people scattered to the alley entrance, blocking the retreat route.

One person held the stun gun, while the other pulled out the restraints.

The man leaning against the wall had his short blade pressed against the inside of his forearm, while the burly man at the back reached into his coat, a retractable baton slung across his waist.

The scarred man lowered his voice.

"Brother, let's talk in private."

Chen Lang turned around and leaned against the hospital wall.

"You may use my passage."

"Let's skip the talk."

The scarred man clenched his back teeth.

"Open the door and let Gu Qingshang out."

"Does she owe you money?"

"Stop asking questions, this has nothing to do with you."

Chen Lang's gaze swept over the five people.

"Stun gun, restraint straps, short blade."

He gestured with his chin toward the waist of the last person.