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

The square table in the Bai family courtyard was filled with bowls and plates.

The charcoal fire at the bottom of the iron pot was burning brightly, the broth was boiling, and the golden chicken pieces were pushed against the edge of the pot by the bubbles.

Su Niannian approached with a bowl of chilled papaya salad, flicked her wrist, and swung the blue and white tie-dyed cloth strips behind her, before the porcelain plate landed steadily on the table.

"Who took the chicken leg?"

Chen Lang bit his chopsticks, with a half-eaten chicken wing pressed on the bone plate in front of him.

"Don't look at me, I'll provide evidence when I eat."

Bai Weiwei pressed down with her wrist, picked up a whole chicken leg with her bamboo chopsticks, and put it into Shen Qingci's bowl.

"The evidence is here."

Shen Qingci lowered her gaze, staring at the steaming chicken leg in the bowl, her chopsticks hovering in mid-air.

"I didn't put it in."

"You've been checking data all afternoon, so you need to eat more for dinner." Bai Weiwei scooped up a spoonful of mushrooms and placed it next to the chicken leg. "This piece is yours. If anyone has any objections, let them come to me."

Su Niannian put down the porcelain plate containing the papaya shreds, pulled out a rattan chair, and sat down.

"No one objects. Chen Lang, take the chicken necks out of the pot and stop stirring the meat at the bottom with the spoon."

"I'll check if everyone's food is cooked through."

"You'll eat one piece at a time after you check it?"

Laughter erupted under the grape trellis. Ye Xingyu, holding half a bowl of soup, listened to Su Niannian scolding Chen Lang, a slight smile playing on her lips.

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Gu Qingshang stepped out from under the eaves, carrying a pot of freshly boiled hot tea, and placed it on the corner of the table.

"The mushrooms are cooked through and ready to eat. Niannian, don't tap them with your chopsticks, or the broth will splash onto the table."

Su Niannian withdrew her hand, turned her chopsticks, and picked up a piece of chicken for Ye Xingyu.

"Let's not talk about contracts or the night game today, let's eat first."

Ye Xingyu lowered her head and took a bite. The broth soaked into the meat, and the aroma of mushrooms rose with the steam. She chewed slowly, but the food in her bowl piled higher and higher.

Shen Qingci put down a piece of mushroom, and Bai Weiwei's soup spoon followed suit.

"Are you feeding me or building a tower?" Chen Lang leaned back in his chair, holding his bowl. "Build one for me too."

Su Niannian handed over the empty soup spoon.

"Do it yourself."

Just as Chen Lang dipped the soup spoon into the broth, his phone, which was resting on the corner of the table, vibrated.

The screen lights up, and the caller ID shows: A Biao.

The sound of bamboo chopsticks clattering against the porcelain bowl came to an abrupt end.

Su Niannian bit down hard with her teeth, breaking the candy stick in her mouth, the crunching sound of the pieces echoing in her mouth.

"He still dares to hit me?"

Ye Xingyu put down her chopsticks and picked up her phone with her right hand. Her thumb hovered above the green answer button, her chest heaving more, and her breath caught in her throat.

Gu Qingshang turned and stepped into the main room, her footsteps echoing back as she walked. She placed the voice recorder, a copy of the brokerage contract, and the draft notice of objection to performance prepared by her lawyer next to the teapot, her chin raised.

"Turn on speakerphone."

Ye Xingyu pressed the button.

Ah Biao urged in a low voice.

"Xingyu, the deadline for the list is 8 PM. Young Master Long asked me to ask you one last time: the passenger seat is still reserved for you tomorrow night. You have to cooperate with the company's schedule, right?"

The broth in the pot covered the mushroom slices, and the steam hitting the lid made a clattering sound.

Ye Xingyu placed the chopsticks horizontally along the rim of the bowl and covered the pages of the contract copy with her left palm.

Ah Biao paused for two seconds, then his voice amplified through the speaker:

"Once the race is over, everything that happened before can be put behind you. The company will give you new shows and endorsements, and your exposure won't be lacking. It's not too late for you to come back now."

Su Niannian kicked away the pebbles under the table.

The pebbles rolled over the blue bricks and hit the base of the wall.

Ye Xingyu sat up straight, her back detached from the back of the rattan chair.

"I acknowledge that the contract has not been terminated."

The sound of chair legs dragging on the floor came from the other end of the phone.

"Good to know. The company assigns you work, what right do you have to refuse?"

Ye Xingyu opened the contract, and there were red and blue labels that Gu Qingshang had made at the bottom of the page.

"The agency contract covers performances, promotions, and commercial shoots. Night racing as a co-driver is a high-risk activity, requiring me to sign an informed consent form independently. You need to provide race permits, vehicle inspections, rescue plans, risk assessments, and adequate insurance in advance."

She swiped her finger and pushed the notice of objection to the phone.

Neither I nor my lawyer have received a single one of these materials.

Ah Biao chuckled.

"Is it really worth scrutinizing the contract terms just because someone sits in the passenger seat and films a few videos?"

"A race on a mountain road at a speed of 200 kilometers per hour is not considered ordinary filming. The general authorization in the contract cannot replace my individual consent to high-risk projects."

Ye Xingyu gripped her phone tightly, her knuckles pressing against the table.

"My lawyer has sent a notice of objection to Xingyao's performance. The paperwork is incomplete, the insurance is missing, and I will not sign the event voluntary agreement. I refuse to participate in this arrangement."

A dull thud came from the other end of the phone, like a hand slamming on a table.

"Ye Xingyu, haven't you made enough of a scene?"

Ah Biao's voice broke through the static in the receiver.

"The company is out there finding resources and negotiating gigs for you, and you've already learned to hire lawyers to pressure them. Why don't other artists cause you so much trouble?"

Bai Weiwei gripped the handle and lifted the boiling teapot off the table. Shen Qingci closed the sugar jar, her gaze fixed on the glowing screen.

Ye Xingyu's palm was still pressing down on the contract.

"Being a co-driver in a race is a high-risk activity, and I have the right to refuse."

"Young Master Long was willing to take you into the car to give you screen time," Ah Biao chuckled dryly. "Do you think everyone gets this opportunity? The company is spending money to promote you, and you won't even cooperate with this little bit of work. You expect someone to give you resources in the future?"

Ye Xingyu did not respond.

Ah Biao's heavy breathing filled the receiver, and his speech quickened.

"I'm doing this for your own good, don't be ungrateful. Now that you're back, Young Master Long will pretend nothing happened. But once you've completely offended the company and Young Master Long, don't come crying to me saying the company has blacklisted you when you have no shows or endorsements."

"Where can you go after leaving Star Shine? Who in the industry would dare hire an artist who disobeys orders and constantly calls in lawyers?"

Gu Qingshang pressed his fingertip against the edge of the recorder and pushed it half an inch closer to the phone.

Ye Xingyu raised her head, her gaze sweeping over the rising steam and across the people around the table.

Whether I stay in this industry or not is my decision.

She paused for a moment, her tone remaining straight.

"I'll handle contract disputes. I'll cooperate with legal work within the scope of the contract, and I won't shirk my responsibilities. But if you ask me to risk my life to film a promotional video for Xiao Yunlong, I won't sign the contract or get on the bus."

There was no sound from Ah Biao's side; only the static of electricity could be heard from the speaker.

A few seconds later, he spoke:

"Young Master Long doesn't have time to nitpick over words. If you don't get on board today, the company won't be going to coax you back later."

"Have Xingyao's lawyer contact my lawyer."

Ye Xingyu pushed the voice recorder next to her phone.

"You continue to contact Uncle Su and Aunt Su, send people to follow me and my friends, and put pressure on me with announcements, endorsements, and industry resources. This recording will be handed over to the police and the court along with the chat logs."

"Ye Xingyu, you—"

She pressed the red hang-up button with her fingertips.

The screen went out, but the iron pot was still steaming. The broth rolled around the edge of the pot, pushing the mushroom slices into the gaps between the chicken pieces.

Su Niannian spat out the candy stick and slammed her hand on the table.

"That's more like it. Just because you give someone food doesn't mean they can act like they're the head of the household. The contract hasn't been terminated, but you can't just tie someone up and put them in a car."

Ye Xingyu lowered her head to organize the documents. The pages were knocked askew twice, so Su Niannian reached out and pressed down the stack of contracts, straightening the pages.

"Leave it there, the food will get cold."

Ye Xingyu pursed her lips, her eyelashes glistening with moisture. She stuffed the contract into the file folder and picked up the porcelain bowl again.

Gu Qingshang pressed the save button on the voice recorder.

"Archive all documents, including the denial notice, call recordings, and the list of security materials not submitted by the other party. Reissue the no-harassment notice tonight."

She pulled out the dispute resolution page from the contract and put it into a transparent folder.

"The contract termination process will continue. We'll negotiate if we can, and if we need to sue, we'll sue. Nobody can force you to get on this bus tonight."

Chen Lang scooped a chicken leg from the bottom of the pot and threw it into Ye Xingyu's bowl.

"President Gu has given his instructions, and Boss Su has set the tone. Now we'll enforce the dining table rules."

Ye Xingyu stared at the chicken leg in the bowl.

"What rule?"

"Hot dishes are not kept overnight, and those who leave leftovers wash the pots."

Su Niannian picked up a soup spoon and tapped it on the edge of Chen Lang's bowl.

"Who made the rules?"

Chen Lang wrapped his arm around the porcelain bowl.

"Just decided."

Bai Weiwei added half a spoonful of soup to Ye Xingyu's bowl.

"Don't listen to him. Leave the leftovers for him; he's been looking for chicken legs for ages."

Shen Qingci took the chicken wing from Chen Lang's bowl and placed it next to Ye Xingyu's bowl.

"And this too."

Chen Lang looked down at the bottom of the bowl, where only mushrooms remained.

"Shen, you've gone astray."

Shen Qingci lowered his head and ate his rice.

"I learned it from my master."

Laughter returned to the table.

Ye Xingyu took a bite of the chicken, her tense shoulders and back gradually relaxed, and her phone, which was placed face down on the file bag, did not light up again.