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

Sunlight filters through the tie-dyed fabric, casting dappled shadows on the bluestone slabs.

Chen Lang turned off his phone and put it in his pocket, then casually snatched the empty orange juice bottle that Shen Qingci was clutching.

The plastic bottle traced an arc in mid-air before accurately landing in a metal trash can two meters away.

Chen Lang gestured with his chin toward the alley entrance.

"Come on, I'll take you to a place with lots of people."

The "Thug Black Knight" was parked in the shadows at the alley entrance.

The matte black liquid metal body has no extra paint, and the armor ridges reflect a cool blue arc of light.

The car stood there, like a lurking metal behemoth.

The couple passing by suddenly stopped in their tracks.

The boy stared at the skull-shaped hydrogen-powered pulse engine hood on the front of the car, his Adam's apple bobbing.

The girl tugged at his sleeve, but he didn't move. He managed to utter a single sentence.

"What kind of monster is this?"

The Bai ethnic grandmother selling hand drums had her reading glasses slip down to the tip of her nose, staring blankly at the black machine that was even bigger than her stall.

Three college students riding shared electric bikes slammed on the brakes, leaving white marks on the cobblestones with their tires.

One of them stared wide-eyed.

"Fully carbon fiber unibody molding? Look at that rear wheel, it's made with aerospace-grade liquid forging. One of those wheels could buy a top-of-the-line BMW, Mercedes-Benz, or Audi."

The other one swallowed hard.

"This fluid dynamics structure has no serial number that can be found; it's a top-secret prototype!"

All eyes turned to them.

Chen Lang straddled the car seat with his long legs.

The iris scanner scanned the pupil, the instrument panel lit up with a cold blue light, and a deep AI electronic voice echoed.

"The Black Knight System has been awakened. Welcome back, Master."

A few gasps of surprise came from the crowd.

Chen Lang ignored the stares, picked up the carbon fiber helmet from the passenger seat with one hand, and put it on Shen Qingci's head.

He brushed his fingertips across her slightly cool earlobe, tucking a few stray hairs into the helmet lining.

Shen Qingci did not dodge.

The latch locks in place.

She climbed onto the back seat and wrapped her arms around Chen Lang's waist.

His palms were pressed against the sun-dried cotton T-shirt, revealing the firm, solid muscles beneath, and his body heat flowed through them with each breath.

When the hydrogen-electric pulse system starts, there is no roar of a traditional locomotive, only a low-frequency resonance.

The rearview mirror of the shared electric scooter next to me trembled slightly.

The locomotive smoothly drove out of the narrow alley and onto the open coastal road, where its speed suddenly increased.

The wind rushed in through the gaps in the helmet, and the street scenes on both sides of the road rushed past.

Shen Qingci tightened her arms and rested her chin on Chen Lang's shoulder blade.

The scent of mint shower gel mixed with the aroma of sun-dried cotton shut out the surrounding noise and traffic.

Seven minutes later, the motorcycle stopped in the parking lot outside the S-curve of Erhai Lake.

The sea breeze carries moisture, and the waves lap against the shore.

The coastal boardwalk was crowded with people.

Sun umbrellas stretched as far as the eye could see, selfie sticks were everywhere, and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares mingled with the chatter of tourists.

Chen Lang braced himself on one foot and turned off the engine.

Several motorcycle owners who were smoking in the corner saw the car, forgot about their cigarettes, and immediately surrounded it.

A middle-aged man in cycling gear circled the bike halfway around, then squatted down by the rear wheel, staring at the texture on the rim for a long time.

"Hey bro, what's the brand of this car?"

Chen Lang took off his helmet and hung it on the handlebars.

"No brand."

The middle-aged man was stunned.

"I've been into cars for twenty years, and I've really seen a lot."

Chen Lang didn't reply, but looked at the silver floating sphere in mid-air.

"Turn on the live stream."

The levitating ball's indicator light illuminated, and it silently ascended into the air.

The number of online users soared, quickly surpassing 100,000.

[Good afternoon, Lang Ge! I've watched that video from the Manshan Cafe eighty times! That line, "Treat people as human beings first," just knocked me off my feet!]

[Where's Qingci? Turn the camera around! Let me see the school beauty's stunning bare face after blow-drying her hair!]

[Wait a minute! Is that the S-curve of Erhai Lake in the background? The most popular Instagrammable spot in Dali? Is Lang Ge taking a socially awkward person out to cause a scene?!]

Shen Qingci took off her helmet, and her long hair fell down.

A dense crowd came into view.

The anchor holding a ring light, the photographer with a camera, the tour group crowded by the railing, countless unfamiliar faces and intersecting gazes loomed over me.

She stopped in her tracks, her fingers unconsciously twisting the hem of her clothes until her knuckles turned white.

Go back and hide.

The thought had barely crossed my mind when the words I'd spoken that morning in the suite echoed in my ears.

"I want to try going to a crowded beach, without hiding or taking a detour."

Shen Qingci took a deep breath and loosened the hem of her clothes.

My palms were covered in cold sweat.

She took a step and stepped onto the anti-corrosion wooden planks of the boardwalk.

Her knees were trembling slightly, but she gritted her teeth and didn't stop.

Chen Lang stood with his hands in his pockets, half a step behind her.

He didn't rush her or offer a hand to help her; he simply walked slowly on her side.

Children running towards Shen Qingci, tourists backing away with selfie sticks, and middle-aged women walking side by side—whenever the flow of people was about to brush against Shen Qingci, Chen Lang's tall figure would always stand silently in the middle.

By slightly turning one's shoulder or taking a step to block the flow of people, one can disperse the crowd.

Shen Qingci walked forward stiffly.

She kept her head down, feeling that there was always a half-arm-width gap around her, and no one touched her.

The camera on the levitating ball synchronized this scene onto the screen.

[Look at Lang Ge's positioning! He's always blocking the flow of customers from the outside!]

He seemed nonchalant, but he was actually paying close attention to passersby. Just now, a selfie stick almost poked Qingci, but he blocked it with his shoulder.

Without uttering a single wasted word, they kept the crowd at bay by half a meter – the sense of security was incredible.

He didn't even help her up; he just stayed by her side and let her face it alone.

Some of the tourists recognized them.

"It's Chen Lang! The one who saved people this morning!"

"Take a picture!"

Several cell phones were raised, and a few passersby excitedly crowded around, the crowd showing signs of closing in.

Shen Qingci shrugged, her fingers, which had just loosened, dug back into her palms, her breathing becoming erratic.

She turned her head, instinctively trying to find a way out, but met Chen Lang's eyes.

Chen Lang was looking at her with a lazy smile on his lips.

He didn't speak, but simply raised his chin slightly, his eyes revealing a matter-of-fact certainty.

That look made Shen Qingci pause for a moment.

Her taut knuckles slowly relaxed, she withdrew her gaze, looked back at the crowd in front of her, and her back gradually straightened.

The crowd gathered around.

When Chen Lang stood there, his nonchalant yet unapproachable aura caused the onlookers to instinctively stop a few steps away.

At that moment, several boys carrying DSLR cameras squeezed in from the opposite direction.

The leader, wearing black-rimmed glasses, ignored Chen Lang and strode to block Shen Qingci's path.

"Hi, can I add you on WeChat?"

"I'd like to take some photos of you. It's a purely commercial shoot, charged by the hour!"

Shen Qingci stopped in her tracks.

She didn't dodge or take a detour; she simply looked up at the other person.

"No, thank you."

The sound wasn't loud, but it was very steady.

The man with the black-rimmed glasses paused for a moment, then reluctantly took half a step forward, the DSLR lens about to be shoved at him.

"It's really just a photoshoot! You're amazing! I've contributed to magazines before, I'm sure I could..."

Chen Lang took a long stride and stood directly between the two.

With his hands still in his pockets, he glanced down at the man with the black-rimmed glasses.

He didn't speak, but his eyes carried a warning.

The black earring in her left ear dazzled in the sunlight.

The person with the black-rimmed glasses met his gaze, and the rest of the words got stuck in their throat.

He felt the undisguised pressure emanating from the other person, gave a dry laugh, and involuntarily took a step back.

"Um, excuse me."

He pulled his companion along, and the group slunk away into the crowd.

The live stream chat was flooded with comments.

[Ha! That's hilarious! Brother Lang didn't say a word, he just skinned the guy alive with his eyes!]

[What the hell is this commercial photoshoot offer? Dude, take a look in the mirror first and see if you're even worthy! Daring to hit on someone in front of your own father, you really have a death wish!]

[Brother Lang's killer gaze completely shut that guy down for thirty seconds! Sweating buckets, bro!]

[Qin Feng (Ignorant and Incompetent): Holy crap! That possessive look! That's the death stare a male lion gives a lioness when a wild dog approaches! Master, I've taken notes, don't block me!]