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

The stone steps at the entrance to the ancient city were covered with dark blue moss, and the shops on both sides had removed their door panels, the wooden door bearings creaking.

The ginger candy vendor set up an oilcloth awning, and the rice paste in the large iron pot bubbled and boiled.

Several tourists crowded along the riverbank, their phone cameras tracking the mist on the river's surface.

As Chen Lang and Shen Qingci stepped over the threshold of the city gate, a cacophony of voices rose up behind them.

"The God of Waves is over here!"

"Qingci, wait!"

The crowd along the riverbank had not dispersed, and several tourists followed them through the city gate.

The joggers tried to block them with their arms outstretched, but their shouts were quickly drowned out by sharper yells.

The crowd spread out from the entrance, raising their phones one after another. Some were live-streaming, some were filming the two people's backs and adding it to group chats, and others were shouting to ask for directions to the guesthouse.

A vegetable delivery tricycle drove in from the alley entrance, its front blocked by the crowd, and the bamboo baskets in the back shook violently twice.

The delivery man called out to pass, but no one paid any attention.

The young anchor squeezed to the front, pointing the selfie stick directly at Shen Qingci.

"Qingci, look up at the camera! Are you guys going to Hongqiao today? 100,000 people in my live stream are waiting!"

Shen Qingci moved half a step to the side, the selfie stick following her closely, the lens only an arm's length away from her face.

She raised her hand, gripped the pole, and pushed back with all her might.

"Keep your distance."

The anchor's face tightened.

"Everyone's here to see you."

"See, I don't need to stick it on my face."

"You came to the city precisely to gain exposure."

"I will disclose what I want to disclose."

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd behind him began to push and shove.

"Don't block my way, let me take the picture first!"

"Push forward!"

"Wandering God, turn around!"

The riverbank passage was squeezed into a narrow gap. The vegetable delivery man gripped the handlebars tightly, the front wheel stuck in the crack between the stones, and the vegetables in the truck bed were squeezed and tilted to one side.

Chen Lang stepped forward.

[The God-level Emotional Domain has been activated.]

The current regional order is fluctuating less.

The noisy crowd suddenly fell silent.

The phone, held high, froze in mid-air. Someone opened their mouth, but the words they were about to say got stuck in their throat, and they involuntarily took a half step back.

Chen Lang walked to the tricycle and held onto the edge of the cargo bed with one hand.

"Uncle, you go first."

The delivery man pedaled hard, and the wheel pulled out of the crack in the stone.

Chen Lang stepped aside.

Shen Qingci immediately walked to the other side and pointed to the base of the wall.

"Personnel should stand on the right, and lanes should be left on the left."

The morning runners shouted in response.

"Pull over! Don't block the traffic!"

The people in the front row took the lead in retreating, and the crowd behind followed suit, moving towards the wall.

The two-meter-wide passage was cleared again, and the tricycle smoothly drove into the alley.

The uncle turned around and called out his thanks, and Chen Lang raised his hand in response.

Undeterred, the young anchor seized the opportunity to point the camera at Shen Qingci again.

"Now you can tell me, right? Where are you planning to stay?"

Chen Lang reached out and pressed down on the selfie stick with his five fingers.

"The second rule has already been stated."

"This is an interview."

"Interviews must be conducted with the consent of the interviewee."

"I didn't touch her."

"The camera is already right up to her face."

The anchor's hand froze in mid-air, trying to pull it back, but the pole remained motionless.

Shen Qingci stared at his phone screen. In the picture, her eyes, eyebrows, and stray hairs by her ears were all magnified, and even the texture of the notebook cover was clearly captured.

She reached out and covered the camera lens.

"Turn it off."

The anchor stuck his neck out and didn't move.

"This is my live stream room."

"Then delete me from the live stream."

"What gives you the right—"

Shen Qingci held up her phone; the recording interface was flashing.

"I reminded you to keep your distance, but you continued filming. I will hand over this audio to the police and the platform."

The anchor's lips curled downwards, a female tourist next to him whispered a dissuasion, and another person put away their phone.

The anchor looked around, but ultimately didn't dare to confront them directly and shifted the camera elsewhere.

Chen Lang stepped to the side, blocking Shen Qingci's view, his gaze sweeping across the entire room.

"Thirdly, real-time location will not be released."

Someone in the crowd muttered to themselves.

"Isn't this a tourist area? Everyone knows you're in the ancient city."

"The scenic area and the accommodation location are two different things."

"Then can I send it to the city gate?"

"We'll send it after we leave."

Chen Lang turned to all the people holding up their phones.

"If you want to take photos, you can go to the open space in front and take a group photo. Don't include residents' house numbers or the back doors of shops, and don't put your real-time location on the live stream."

Someone asked.

"How long will you be staying there?"

"We'll leave after we're done filming."

"Can we have breakfast together?"

"You eat yours, we'll eat ours."

"Is it still possible to bump into each other?"

"Fenghuang Ancient Town is quite large, so there are many opportunities to bump into someone, but I only managed to follow them once."

Laughter erupted from the crowd.

The tense atmosphere dissipated.

Shen Qingci picked up a discarded wooden sign next to the stone steps, drew a horizontal line on the back with a pen, and stood the sign against the wall.

"The photo area is here. Please do not block the entrance, alleyways, or shop fronts. Friends who are jogging in the morning, please help remind the people behind you to turn off location services."

The morning runners immediately raised their phones and did the same.

A girl wearing a white hat walked up to Shen Qingci and offered to watch the line. Shen Qingci thanked her and reminded her to go back after taking the picture.

The group photo began to move in an orderly fashion. Chen Lang stood at the edge of the open space, controlling the shooting distance, while Shen Qingci kept an eye on the entrance and alleyway.

Some people lined up, some left, and some lowered their phones and then stuck them back against the wall.

The young anchor remained on the outside, his phone camera held low, moving back and forth only towards the city gate, the camp, and the two side roads.

Chen Lang's communication headset switched to low-frequency electronic sounds.

[The malfunctioning device is continuously being logged.]

The device has not uploaded its real-time location.

Shen Qingci turned her head to look at Chen Lang, her eyes probing.

Chen Lang shook his head slightly.

Shen Qingci withdrew her gaze, no longer paying attention to the camera in the corner.

At the end of the group photo, the jogger handed his phone to the girl in the white hat.

The shutter clicked repeatedly. Shen Qingci stood beside Chen Lang, neither leaning back nor avoiding the camera.

After taking the photo, she nodded to the girl in thanks.

The girl put her phone away and spoke softly.

"Qingci, you sounded just like a captain when you were speaking."

Shen Qingci looked down at the black line on the wooden sign.

"Someone always has to speak first."

Chen Lang continued the conversation.

"She used to be good at planning routes, now she's starting to plan crowds."

Shen Qingci glared at him.

"Don't give me any new jobs."

"Then let's call him the temporary person in charge."

"I won't accept that either."

"Article 7 of the contract stipulates that the temporary person in charge will receive a bonus."

"What kind of extra meal?"

Ginger candy.

The iron pot at the ginger candy stall ahead was bubbling and steaming. The stall owner used a wooden spatula to lift a piece of glistening syrup, cut it into small pieces, and put it into a brown paper bag.

Shen Qingci glanced at it a few more times, and Chen Lang strode over to buy a bag.

The stall owner recognized the two people, and stopped the knife in his hand in mid-air to ask if they wanted to be repackaged.

Shen Qingci approached.

Pack one portion.

Chen Lang turned to look at her.

"Don't you dislike sweets?"

I ate all the nougat my friend gave me.

"Is this an application to expand the scope of desserts?"

"This is the travel arrangement."

The stall owner handed over the hot ginger candy with a hearty laugh.

Chen Lang scanned the QR code to pay.

Shen Qingci pinched the edge of the paper bag and took out a piece of ginger candy.

The candy, infused with the spiciness of ginger juice, is sweet at first bite, then the heat rushes down the tongue and into the throat after you bite into it.

She frowned, then took out another piece and put it in her mouth.

Chen Lang looked at her.

"This is the second one."

"We can't waste it."

"Article 5 of the contract?"

"Added at the last minute."

"Who taught you that?"

Shen Qingci put the paper bag into her backpack and zipped it up.

"I learned it from you."

The two walked along the bluestone path by the river.

The tourists behind them dispersed, and the joggers waved to them.

The girl sent the group photo to the group chat, precisely cropping out the camp and road outside the city gate from the edges of the photo.

The phone that never participated in the group photo sat in the shadows on the street corner, its lens fixed on the two people's backs.

[The equipment has completed a short recording.]

The holder mingled with the tourists.

[Identity not yet confirmed.]

Chen Lang didn't stop walking, nor did he even turn his head.

Shen Qingci walked a dozen meters away and suddenly spoke.

"You were able to stop that person directly just now."

"able."

"Why didn't you stop them?"

"Because he only filmed the exit, he didn't do anything or block the road. If we arrest him now, the people at the scene will think that we are treating all the filmers as potential enemies."

Shen Qingci's hands were bulging with veins as he gripped the backpack strap.

"So you're letting him come along?"

"Let him leave his own trail."

You can always find a reason.

"We still need to leave you a normal travel route."

Shen Qingci stopped in her tracks.

A gentle breeze rippled across the river, and a small wooden boat was moored at the bank, the boatman bending down to untie the mooring rope.

Shen Qingci looked down at the uneven bluestone under her feet.

"If I change my itinerary because of them, Zhao Yulan's people will feel like they've won."

"right."

"I don't want them to win."

"Then let's keep going."

Chen Lang stood next to her without urging her to hurry.

Shen Qingci raised her head, her gaze passing over the river and looking into the depths of the ancient city.

Shop doors were removed piece by piece, steam rose from breakfast stalls, and local residents carried their shopping baskets through the narrow alleys.

She loosened the backpack strap and stepped forward.

"Keep going."

Chen Lang smiled and followed her.

Behind them, at the street corner, the phone screen lit up, and a message was sent.

"The objective remains unchanged: to enter the city; we have already entered the riverside area."

A encrypted number from the other side of the strait quickly sent a reply.

"Follow her and confirm the route in her journal."