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

As soon as the two turned onto the winding mountain path, a soft beep sounded in Chen Lang's earphones.

[A related target has been spotted at the entrance ahead, filming tourists heading up the mountain.]

A dozen or so steps away, a man wearing a transparent raincoat stood next to the ticket board, his phone held horizontally in front of his chest.

As tourists passed by, he would step half a step to the inside of the railing, but his camera would always be pointed at the path leading up the mountain.

When the phone scanned Shen Qingci's silver flower crown, it paused for half a second.

Chen Lang stepped onto a step, his shoulders and back blocking the camera.

"They're watching our clothes."

Shen Qingci slowed her pace and shifted her gaze to the guide sign on the right.

Several routes, including residential alleys, convenience markets, and security checkpoints, can lead to the outside of the city wall.

Someone was walking downstairs with an umbrella, and another tourist stopped to take pictures. The umbrella ribs collided, leaving only a narrow gap in the middle of the steps.

"Move to the side first."

She stepped half a step away from the edge of the veranda and lowered her voice.

"There are people watching from the front, and those behind are catching up quickly. It's so crowded here, if a commotion breaks out, no one else will have anywhere to go."

Chen Lang tilted his head: "Shall we take a detour?"

"Hmm, let's go up from another entrance."

She pointed to the convenience market.

"The checkpoint is just across the market, and you can also get to the city wall from the road next to it."

Chen Lang checked the street map transmitted back by Titan and then closed the edge of his umbrella.

"Alright, lead the way."

The two turned to the right, and the man in the raincoat's phone spun around, its lens obscured by the raised black umbrella.

Chen Lang touched the headphones.

"Send this person's photo and location to the officer who received the call this morning."

[Sent.]

Turning around the eaves, Shen Qingci added another sentence.

"There's a stall in the market that sells glutinous rice balls."

Chen Lang looked at her.

"That's what the auntie at noon said," she said, looking straight ahead. "Freshly fried, with peanuts inside."

"That explains why you remember it so clearly."

"I remember the way too."

"Okay, lead the way to buy food, so we can do both without delay."

Shen Qingci brushed aside the silver chain on her cheek: "If you don't want to eat, then forget it."

"Eat it, I didn't say I wouldn't eat it. Don't skip mine."

He raised the umbrella to avoid the silver floral crown on her head.

At the end of the alley, several stalls are set up along the outer wall of the market, and people delivering vegetables are stacking empty baskets onto their vehicles, leaving a passageway leading directly to the main entrance.

The oil sizzled in the pan, and a few pieces of glutinous rice balls floated to the surface. They were then scooped into a bamboo sieve with a strainer, and the aroma of peanuts wafted outside the shed with the steam.

Shen Qingci slowed her pace.

Chen Lang glanced at the oil pan: "Is this the place? Want to try some?"

"We've come this far."

She walked up to the stall.

"Auntie, one serving, please."

The stall owner picked up bamboo tongs: "It's fresh out of the pot, sit down and blow on it, don't rush to bite it."

The low tables under the awning allow you to see the way you came, and there's a passageway to the side for people to pass through. It's only a few steps from the main entrance of the market.

Shen Qingci gathered her skirt and sat down, leaving the seat facing the street corner for Chen Lang.

He leaned the umbrella against the outside of the table.

"It's fine to sit here; anyone who comes by can see me."

"Okay, keep an eye on it."

"Eat without worry, it won't run away."

The stall owner brought over four pieces of glutinous rice balls and added a small dish of pickled radish.

"If you get tired of sweets, this is a good match."

"Thank you, Auntie."

Shen Qingci picked up the bamboo skewer and stopped when it touched the pastry.

Hot oil seeped through the edges of the oiled paper, and the hem of the skirt hung down to the knees, about to touch the puddles on the ground.

She pulled her skirt back and straightened her back.

Can you just eat whatever you find on the street?

What kind of person sits on the street dressed like that?

The words Zhao Yulan had once said came to mind again.

Shen Qingci pursed her lips, pressing a small indentation into the pastry with a bamboo skewer.

Another bamboo skewer was extended from the side, and it picked up the largest piece from the plate.

Click.

Chen Lang bit into the pastry, and the hot filling inside burned his mouth, so he quickly blew on it twice.

Shen Qingci turned to look at him.

"You've already forgotten what your aunt just said?"

Chen Lang swallowed the food and then stared at the plate again.

"It smells so good, I couldn't resist."

"Eat slowly, no one's going to steal it."

"Then you should eat too. If you keep poking with the skewers like that, it'll all be mine in a bit."

The bamboo skewer reached for the second piece, but Shen Qingci pulled the plate in front of her.

"Wait a minute, I haven't eaten yet."

"Just leave me two pieces."

"You took the biggest one, and you still want two more?"

Chen Lang looked at the empty desktop.

"Okay, you can choose the rest first."

Shen Qingci picked up a piece, blew on it to cool it down, and bit off a small corner.

The flaky pastry crumbs between your teeth, the sticky glutinous rice inside is soft and chewy, and the crushed peanuts mixed with the sweet filling stick to your lips.

She wiped it off with a tissue and took another bite.

Chen Lang pulled out a piece of paper and placed it next to her hand, folding the oily edge of the paper inward to prevent it from staining her cuffs.

After finishing half of the food, Shen Qingci turned to the stall owner.

"Auntie, pack another one to take away."

Chen Lang raised an eyebrow: "How was it? It wasn't a wasted trip, was it?"

"Mmm, it tastes best when it's hot."

"How about another one? We can eat it here. It'll get soggy if we take it home."

Shen Qingci glanced at his bamboo skewers.

"You haven't even finished this one, and you're already thinking about the next one."

"I didn't dare to reach out until you gave the order."

Shen Qingci pursed her lips and pushed the plate towards the center.

"Eat it, or you'll blame me if it gets cold."

Chen Lang extended his bamboo skewer, and this time it wasn't stopped.

The levitating ball rested under the shed, and the live stream only captured the table and the area below the shoulders of the two people, keeping the signs, street scenes, and vendors out of the frame.

The time-lapse video was pushed out, and the screen quickly filled with comments.

[I just started eating and I already want to take some home, this place must be really delicious!]

Her movement to protect the plate was incredibly fast.

[Wandering God, you've never put that bamboo skewer down!]

Although she told him to wait, she still pushed the plate back.

Chen Lang picked up a slice of pickled radish, but before he could bring it to his mouth, his gaze stopped at the street corner.

A man walked by carrying a black plastic bag. He wore a dark gray coat and rolled-up trousers. The bag was blown against the back of his hand by the wind.

As he passed the second stall, he stopped and said a few words to the owner, gesturing with his hand near the pillar of the stall.

As soon as the person left, a piece of red cloth appeared on the pillar.

Under the table, Shen Qingci nudged Chen Lang with the tip of her shoe.

"The second house on the left, that person tied a piece of cloth to the pillar."

"I saw it."

Chen Lang put down the pickled radish, and his phone had already brought up the wide-angle view saved by the floating ball.

The same man had stopped by the pillar on the way they came.

Three similar new features have been discovered; their locations have been marked.

The red cloth was wrapped twice, leaving two ends, one long and one short. The long end hung down, while the short end was tucked under the rope knot, facing the fork in the road.

Shen Qingci turned to the stall owner.

"Auntie, what are these red cloths on the pillar for?"

The stall owner peeked out.

"That guy just said he was leading a tour group. He asked if I could borrow this pillar to leave a mark so that the rest of the group could find the meeting point."

She tapped the strainer against the edge of the pot.

"I even asked him, 'Aren't they all waving flags now?' He didn't even specify which regiment he was from."

Chen Lang saved the screenshot, lowering his voice.

"Leave it there for now, don't touch it."

"Okay, let's wait for the others to come over."

Shen Qingci opened the notebook and pointed out the location of three shed pillars next to the price of glutinous rice balls.

The man in the baseball cap quickly appeared in the path, his camera already in his bag, his wet shirt clinging to his trouser legs.

He walked to the first canopy pillar, glanced down at the red cloth, and waved behind him.

The man in the windproof suit approached from the other side, and the two walked along the passage between the sheds, stopping again at the second pillar.

Shen Qingci's pen stopped on the paper.

Chen Lang turned his phone around and handed her the marked directions.

The last one points to the east, where the passageway leads around to the front of the market.

"It really is a road sign left for them," Chen Lang said.

Shen Qingci traced the route on the map and looked up at the main gate.

The public security camera at the entrance faces the street, and the security checkpoint is diagonally in front of it.

"They wanted to go around to the front and wait for us. Let's go through the main gate and go straight to the duty station."

She moved the pen back to the last pillar.

"Before you leave, turn this piece of cloth around."

Chen Lang looked at her.

"At the last fork in the road, turning left will lead you around, while turning right leads to the garbage dump. The delivery guy came out from that side; the iron gate inside is locked."

"Let them go in and take a look around?"

"Okay. Could you check inside for me first to see if there's anyone there?"

She glanced toward the open passageway.

"Just let them make a wasted trip, don't block other people from getting to work."

Chen Lang looked toward that fork in the road.

"Okay, we won't touch the door. If they go to the wrong place, they can come back out on their own."

The levitating ball rises to the edge of the canopy, and the view inside the passageway is transmitted back to the screen.

The iron gate was locked, and there were several covered buckets next to it. There was standing water on the ground, and no one was between the entrance and the gate.

[The footage has been archived; relevant segments have been moved to private recordings and will not be streamed live.]