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

Bai Weiwei hugged the copper kettle, laughing as she leaned on Ye Xingyu's shoulder. Su Niannian tapped her knee with a spatula, urging Chen Lang to hand in his answer sheet.

Ye Xingyu pushed the Red Heart Nine beads in front of Shen Qingci. Shen Qingci lowered her head and completely untied the rope on the sandalwood beads. The beads rolled half a circle and she straightened them one by one.

This string of beads had been with her for many years. She never took it off when she took a bath or slept, and she even covered it with long sleeves in the summer. Every time Zhao Yulan checked her wrists, she would press the beads down in advance.

She covered the marks with wooden beads, which remained on the table tonight; she didn't put them back on.

"Before, I wanted to find a place where no one knew me and stop here."

She raised her wrist; the old marks remained under the lantern, no longer able to decide tomorrow for her.

"Now, I want to learn to cook, go to the market, make friends, eat things I've never eaten before, and try buying my own clothes without looking at Zhao Yulan's color list."

"I want to sleep past 6:10 in the morning, and when I wake up I won't be in a hurry to check the time. I want to watch a movie that doesn't have any exam focus, and read a book that doesn't require me to write a book report."

"I want to buy an ugly bracelet from a roadside vendor, and they won't give me a refund if I buy the wrong one."

She spoke slowly, and for each item she mentioned, Bai Weiwei would count it off on one finger for her.

"I also want to learn to ride a bicycle, go to the night market, eat at street stalls, cut potatoes to the same thickness, and also try to see what happens if they are not cut evenly."

Chen Lang cautioned, "It will cook unevenly."

Shen Qingci looked at him: "Then stir-fry it for a little longer."

"There has been progress."

"If the food is burnt, you can remake it; if you take the wrong road, you can come back; even if your grades aren't perfect, life goes on."

She opened her hands, catching the light falling from the lantern in her palms: "I want to know, just how much can an ordinary person's eighteenth year hold?"

Bai Weiwei held her hand: "Rao Sanling counts as one thing, you promised to come to my house to pick plums, you can't forget that."

Su Niannian picked up the spatula: "Come with me to hit the sandbag, that'll count as one thing. Once you've mastered it, next time someone blocks the door, you take the left side and I'll take the right."

Ye Xingyu said, "She's just learned to leave herself a way out, so don't arrange any fights yet."

"To improve physical health."

"That's the same explanation you gave for banging on the door last time."

Ye Xingyu pointed to the red heart nine: "Making another batch of fresh flower cakes tomorrow will count as one item. Try to turn the buns you made today into cakes tomorrow."

Gu Qingshang opened the memo and added a new arrangement: "Reserve one back seat spot on the Cangshan Highway. I will provide the protective gear. The route needs to be scouted in advance."

Su Niannian looked at her: "Who are you arranging the back seats for?"

"I will ride, and Shen Qingci will sit."

"When did you become allowed to ride Chen Lang's bike?"

Gu Qingshang picked up his teacup: "Find Cheng Shouzhou within three months; he has agreed to lend you the car."

"Then find the person first."

I'm looking for it.

Shen Qingci looked at them one by one. Bai Weiwei's palm covered the back of her hand, and blue and white tie-dyed strips of cloth hung down from her wrist.

Su Niannian's spatula stood beside her leg, its wooden handle stained with oil from dinner. Ye Xingyu's work phone sat on the table; Wang Rui hadn't called again.

In Gu Qingshang's memo, line after line, he wrote about tomorrows that have not yet happened.

Finally, she looked at Chen Lang. The live stream with 160,000 viewers was still scrolling. The floating ball was above the stone table. There was no Jiangcheng Bridge in the shot, no schedule nailed to the wall, and no twenty-three urging messages. There was only a table of hot tea and five people who had reserved a seat for her.

"I want to continue following him and see the world."

The spade card landed on the table. Chen Lang stood up, walked around the charcoal stove, and took the tea that Shen Qingci had just drunk. Bai Weiwei picked up the teapot, and he took half a cup of fresh tea and added two grains of roasted rice.

He pushed the hot tea back to Shen Qingci's side, a hint of nonchalant smile playing on his lips: "You can come along."

Shen Qingci looked up at him.

"Let me make it clear first: Chen's Travel Group does not offer returns, and there are no standard answers regarding whether or not goods are received during the trip."

"Then what do you collect?"

"I've taken your feedback." Chen Lang leaned over and rested his head on the edge of the table, looking at her through the steaming tea. "You can choose where you want to go. Stop when you're tired, and I'll take you back if you go the wrong way."

After he finished speaking, he raised his hand and tapped the sandalwood beads on the table. The beads clinked together and made a crisp sound: "Wear this if you want, leave it if you don't. It's just a string of beads; it can't control where you go."

Shen Qingci looked down at the sandalwood beads that had been with her for many years.

Chen Lang withdrew his hand, picked up the spade card again, and said casually, "Your eighteenth birthday is the opening act. Write your own program."

Shen Qingci held the hot tea cup in her hands, the warmth of the cup touching her palms.

She looked at Chen Lang for a few seconds and nodded. This time, no one wrote down the time for her on paper, and no timer urged her to answer.

"And the first stop?" Bai Weiwei pressed.

Shen Qingci turned to the girls around the table: "Tomorrow, let's help Xingyu organize the evidence."

Ye Xingyu froze, the roasted rice in the cup hitting the side of the cup. She lowered her head, her thumb rubbing against the rim of the cup, and after a few seconds she looked up: "Qingci, thank you."

She reached out and grasped Shen Qingci's hand, pressing her palm tightly against his: "But there's no need to rush this. The original contract is still in Young Master Long's hands, and Xingyao will be working overnight to prepare their story. If we rush over tonight and fail to get the materials, we'll remind them to transfer the documents."

Gu Qingshang nodded: "First, secure the existing evidence and make backups in multiple locations. The lawyer will send the letter tomorrow morning; the order cannot be reversed."

She handed over the memo, which listed five file directories, three backup methods, and the date for sending the lawyer's letter.

Ye Xingyu looked at the sandalwood beads that Shen Qingci had taken off his wrist: "I've been stuck with that contract for three or four years. Waiting one more night won't change the outcome."

She pushed the nine of hearts back into the deck and moved the hot tea in front of Shen Qingci forward: "Tonight you chose your own path, and now it's just the six of us sitting here drinking tea. The tea's getting cold."

Ye Xingyu took a sip of tea, leaned her shoulder against Shen Qingci, and the two chair legs bumped together: "Organize the evidence piece by piece, settle the accounts one by one, the lawyer will come tomorrow morning, and the emails won't get away."

She raised her cup and touched the rim of the cup in Shen Qingci's hand: "Let's drink tea first, play cards, and laugh our fill before we go to sleep."

Shen Qingci looked at their clasped hands and nodded, "Okay."

There was only one word: "not received," and "I will complete it on time."

Su Niannian sat up straight, holding a spatula: "I'll be in charge of scanning."

Gu Qingshang pressed down on her wrist: "The scanner doesn't need a spatula."

"I'll be in charge of overseeing it."

"You'll block the paper feed."

"Then I'll be in charge of deterring the scanner and making it more efficient."

Bai Weiwei smiled as she added two new pieces of charcoal to the stove. Flames broke through the stove opening, illuminating the teacups in front of everyone, and also the sandalwood beads that had not been put back on their wrists.

Chen Lang sat back down next to Shen Qingci.

[Target detected to have completed deep self-reconstruction]

The control chain of one's family of origin has deviated from the core understanding.

[The goal has been established with an independent future plan]

[The goal is to encourage proactive participation in peer rescue efforts, leading to a positive expansion of social connections.]

[Shen Qingci's overall healing progress: 73% → 75%]

[Side quest "Echoes in the Ruins" enters Phase Two]

[Stage Goal: Assist Ye Xingyu in terminating the control contract and recovering the account and creative rights]

The light screen lingered in front of Chen Lang for a few seconds before receding into the depths of his consciousness. He didn't look at the rewards section. Shen Qingci was discussing with Bai Weiwei what to wear for Rao Sanling, while Su Niannian insisted on preparing wristbands for her.

Gu Qingshang began calculating the dimensions of the protective gear needed for the rear passengers on the Cangshan Highway. Ye Xingyu sat between them, her work phone right beside her, and didn't bother to check it.

The charcoal stove burned brightly, the copper kettle gurgled with the sound of water, and the croaking of frogs outside the courtyard wall blended together. Bai Weiwei gathered up the old playing cards on the stone table, washed them again, and wiped the cards in her palms, making a rustling sound.

Chen Lang leaned back in his rattan chair and tapped the table with a spade card.

"Star Language requests a one-night truce, unanimously approved."

Su Niannian raised her hand: "I haven't voted yet."

"Your spatula represents your vote."

"What did it throw?"

"Agreed, and request an extra meal."

Bai Weiwei placed the shuffled cards on the table: "Let's continue, next player."

She grabbed the deck of cards, flipped over the top card, a ten of hearts, and turned the card towards Gu Qingshang. Gu Qingshang glanced at the card and put down his teacup.

Her phone lit up, displaying an unsent written commitment letter with a three-month deadline at the bottom, followed by her signed name.

Bai Weiwei, unaware of the screen, smiled and pushed the red heart ten over, "Boss Gu, it's your turn to answer."

Gu Qingshang turned off his phone and pressed his finger against the corner of the Ten of Hearts card: "Ask away."

Ye Xingyu looked at her. When asked this question earlier, Gu Qingshang had been sitting at the table helping everyone analyze the contract and organize the evidence, without mentioning herself at all. Now, the card had fallen in front of her.

Ye Xingyu asked, "Boss Gu, tell me something you're really afraid of."

The bougainvillea was pushed over the wall by the night wind, its leaves brushing against the edge of the tiles. Gu Qingshang did not exercise his right to refuse to answer.

She looked up, past the people around the table, and at the helmet leaning against the courtyard wall. Underneath the helmet was a yellowed missing person notice with only one name on it: Cheng Shouzhou.

Gu Qingshang said, "I'm afraid that after three months, Grandpa won't be able to wait for me to bring the person back."