151: I must wash today! - 1

3:00 PM, Unit 1602, Building 7, Jindi Shangfeng.

Su Ning, who had just finished her stream, curled her lip as she stared at the 12-point score under the "Yao Yao" avatar on the screen.

She had been on shift for six hours, and her throat was practically smoking, yet she had only received 1.2 yuan in gifts. After the cut, only a pitiful fifty cents remained for her.

Was it awkward? It certainly was.

Ever since the "Million sound waves" carnival on Christmas Eve ended, these single-digit scores had become her daily norm.

However, even though her data was abysmal, she still received the "Number One Sister" treatment with a full-mic send-off when she went offline.

This false prosperity could only be maintained for nine more days.

The hall had already issued a notice today: on Saturday, January 10th, there would be a Hall Battle.

The task list had been sent out. The tasks for the other Girls were mostly between 1,000 and 2,000. Zhi Xia and Minnie were higher, with Zhi Xia at 3,000 and Minnie at 4,000.

As for her, "Yao Yao," the task was—10,000.

This number was actually a front, just something the hall filled in randomly to keep up appearances.

Zhi Xia had privately let her in on the secret, hoping she could pull in 50,000 yuan in this Hall Battle, which meant hitting data of over 500,000 sound waves.

The reason they didn't write 50,000 directly was for fear that the gap between her and the other hosts would be too large, making it look too deliberate—as if they were treating "Brother Ye" like a sucker to be fleeced for all he was worth. So, they openly marked a seemingly unreachable 10,000, which was actually just the starting price.

Su Ning glanced at her chat box with Zhi Xia again. Looking at the message "Sister Yao Yao, it all depends on you," she couldn't help but sigh.

She shook her head and started packing her streaming equipment, stuffing the sound card and computer into her backpack. Then she dragged out her already packed suitcase and piled everything in the living room.

"Xiao Su, finished your stream?"

"Yep, just finished. Let's go, Sister Wanxing, let's start our new life!"

"Alright, let's go."

Lin Wanxing smiled. "By the way, I just got a text from the courier. The stuff I bought yesterday is at the Hive locker. We can pick it up on the way."

"Okay!"

The two of them dragged their suitcases to the Hive locker at the community entrance to pick up the large pile of daily necessities and snacks they ordered on JD.com yesterday. Then, laden with bags and packages, they walked toward Building 2.

Standing at the door of 1601, Lin Wanxing glanced at her roommate, who had suddenly become full of fighting spirit. She took a deep breath and entered the password Jiang Ye had given her yesterday into the electronic door lock.

————

In the bedroom, Jiang Ye heard the movement at the door. An enthusiastic smile instantly spread across his face, and he hurried out to greet them.

"Oh! You're here! Welcome, welcome! A very warm welcome! Why so much stuff? You should've told me in advance, I would've picked you up!"

As he spoke, he turned to take two pairs of slippers from the shoe cabinet and eagerly placed them at their feet. "Quick, change your shoes, change your shoes. Don't be polite, just treat it like your own home!"

Seeing him so enthusiastic, Su Ning's heart immediately blossomed with joy.

It seemed that moving here was definitely the right move!

At the rate of "Brother Ye's" warmth, forget nine days—he might be won over in two or three days, turning back into that clingy "Good Brother"!

She giggled and waved her hand, fishing out a pair of slippers from her large bag:

"No need, no need, Big Brother. We brought our own slip... pers... ?"

Su Ning's voice trailed off. She suddenly noticed that Brother Ye, who had been all smiles and fiery enthusiasm just a moment ago, had his mouth curl downward the moment she took out her own slippers, a flash of annoyance crossing his face.

Although it was only for an instant, she still caught it.

Su Ning scratched her head, feeling a bit bewildered.

Turning back to see that Lin Wanxing had also taken out and put on slippers from her own bag, she didn't think much more of it. After changing her shoes, she excitedly dragged her suitcase into the room she had chosen yesterday and began to unpack.

"..."

Jiang Ye watched the backs of the two Girls, clicked his tongue speechlessly, bent down to pick up the pair of slippers he had pre-cracked two eggs into, and sullenly tossed them into the nearby trash can.

Sigh, a bad start! They actually brought their own slippers? Who are they guarding against! Dammit!

————

Before long, the two Girls had efficiently tidied their rooms and made their beds, returning to the living room one after the other.

Jiang Ye was holding the remote, absentmindedly clicking through the TV, the images on the screen switching rapidly.

Lin Wanxing walked over, her gaze sweeping over the brand-new, fluffy, light-colored rug in front of the sofa. She was slightly taken aback:

"Eh? Jiang Ye, why is there an extra rug here? It didn't seem to be here yesterday."

"Oh, this..."

Jiang Ye answered as if he didn't care, his eyes still fixed on the TV. "I just bought it at noon. I figured Girls get cold feet easily, so if you sit on the sofa to watch TV, it'll be warmer with your feet on the rug."

Su Ning's heart instantly warmed, and she gave a sweet smile. "Big Brother, you're so thoughtful!"

With that, she obligingly kicked off her slippers and stepped onto it barefoot, intending to feel the warmth.

As soon as her soles touched the rug's surface, she let out a soft "Huh?" The sensation from the bottom of her feet wasn't the expected soft warmth, but rather... a bit crumbly?

Jiang Ye immediately turned his head in concern. "What is it? What's wrong?"

Su Ning lifted her foot in confusion—the bottom of her white sock was stained with some pale yellow bits that looked like cookie crumbs.

She didn't know whether to laugh or cry as she tapped her foot over the trash can. "Big Brother, were you sitting here eating cookies? If you have a rug, you have to be careful; it's very hard to clean crumbs out of this kind of material."

Lin Wanxing also leaned in to look and nodded in agreement. She turned to the balcony, grabbed a broom and dustpan, and knelt down to carefully clean the crumbs off the rug.

Jiang Ye: "..." (No, what kind of decent person wears socks at home?)

His expression froze for a moment, then he let out two dry laughs. "Haha, maybe, I didn't notice. I'll be careful next time, next time."

After the cleaning was done, Lin Wanxing and Su Ning sat on the sofa together.

Although they called it a shared rental between friends, it was, after all, the first day of their formal cohabitation, and they weren't actually that familiar with each other.

The two looked at each other, not knowing what to talk about, and the atmosphere was a bit awkward for a moment.

Jiang Ye glanced at them, turned down the TV volume, and smiled to break the silence:

"Look at you two, don't be so stiff. Relax, do whatever you need to do, just treat it like your own home. Be casual."

Lin Wanxing gave an "mm" and tried to find a topic: "Um... should I order some food? Shall we have dinner together?"

"Wanxing, you really don't need to be so tense."

Jiang Ye saw her discomfort and waved his hand. "Eat if you want to, don't if you don't. Or if you want to eat in your own room, that's fine too. There aren't that many rules; just do whatever makes you comfortable."

Su Ning blinked, taking the opportunity to lay the groundwork for her "work":

"Oh right, Big Brother, usually during the day when Sister Wanxing goes to work, I'll eat in my room at noon. I have to stream all day."

"Streaming? You're a streamer? What do you stream?"

"Just voice streaming—chatting, singing, that kind of thing. But I'll watch my volume; it won't be very loud."

"Oh, voice streaming."

Jiang Ye nodded with a smile, continuing to pull the topic back to "relaxing." "See, I told you, just treat this place as your home. What's there to report about having a meal?"

He saw that although the two Girls nodded, their sitting postures were still somewhat rigid, and he couldn't help but sigh:

"Looking at you like this, you haven't blended in at all. No, I have to help you. Here, listen to me. Let's do a simple ritual to accelerate your sense of belonging to this 'home'."

With that, Jiang Ye took a deep breath and shouted with full vigor, "This is my own home!"

His voice was loud, echoing back and forth in the living room.

After shouting, he raised an eyebrow at the two bewildered Girls. "See that? A sense of ritual! Shout it out, and psychologically accept that this place belongs to you first. Otherwise, it'll be awkward for you to live here, and it'll be hard for me to watch."

Lin Wanxing didn't know whether to laugh or cry. "Jiang Ye, what kind of... operation is this?"

"A little psychology trick!"

Jiang Ye looked serious. "Xiao Su, you go first!"

Although Su Ning felt this behavior was a bit chuunibyou, in the spirit of "pleasing Brother Ye," she still stood up giggling. Mimicking Jiang Ye's manner, she put her hands on her hips and shouted loudly:

"This is my own home!"

Her voice wasn't as loud as Jiang Ye's, but her momentum was sufficient.

Lin Wanxing: "..."

She helplessly covered her forehead. Under the burning gaze of the two, she had no choice but to stand up as well and shout somewhat awkwardly:

"This is my own home..."

Truth be told, after shouting that out, although it felt silly, that sense of being a newcomer in a strange place and the tension in her heart really seemed to dissipate quite a bit.