40: Take a gamble

Meanwhile, inside Room 1705 of Wanda Apartment.

Su Ning was curled up on the bed, hugging her knees, her face somewhat pale.

On her phone screen, she had just received a bank SMS notification—the total limit on her Ping An Credit Card, after swiping this 5,000, had plummeted from the original 10,000 to 3,000, with the available balance now a glaring -7,000.

This was her last credit card that could still swipe out some money, after robbing Peter to pay Paul and paying the rent.

Su Ning bit her lower lip hard, almost drawing blood.

Over the past few days, she had repeatedly studied her chat history with "Brother Ye."

She realized that this big brother had been indifferent to her from the start, with the only two instances of active enthusiasm occurring after she sent gifts.

A bold guess quietly formed in her heart:

This Brother Ye might not be any of the three conventional types Sister Zhi Xia had analyzed, but a fourth type—an extremely reluctant-to-owe-favors "reciprocating" big brother.

His personality might naturally be aloof, disliking insincere maintenance.

The reason he generously swiped 3,500 last time wasn't because he was "moved" by her, but because he felt uneasy about accepting her 1,000-yuan gift, so he "returned the favor" by swiping gifts, deliberately giving more to draw a clear line.

Following this logic, since he accepted the hazelnuts and that blush-inducing "gift" from a few days ago, he would most likely come to the Friday Hall Battle to swipe some gifts as repayment.

But how much he would repay was hard to say.

After all, the hazelnuts weren't valuable, and that lingerie... if he really were the "pure-hearted big brother" Zhi Xia described, he shouldn't have been so cold to her these past few days.

So, the repayment amount was likely not high.

This 5,000 yuan... was her final bet!

If she lost the bet, or if he only swiped 5,000 or even less, after deducting platform and guild shares, she would still lose money... That might really prove that she, Su Ning, wasn't cut out for eating the livestreamer's rice.

She quietly opened her social media feed, looking at several female classmates showing off new designer bags, five-star hotel afternoon teas, various luxury jewelry... They smiled so brightly, living such dazzling lives.

Su Ning sighed softly, a wave of immense disappointment and confusion washing over her.

"Everyone... seems to have taken that path. I've held out for four years, rejected so many hints and overtures... Am I really too foolish?"

She whispered to herself, "Clearly, I'm prettier than them. If I had also... wouldn't I have long stopped worrying about money, not squeezed into this tiny rented room, counting credit card days every day?"

Once this thought emerged, it spread wildly in her heart like weeds.

This Hall Battle was less about betting on how much Brother Ye would swipe in gifts, and more about her betting on whether to take that step herself.

If it still didn't work out, then fate was probably telling her: Su Ning, stop being so high-minded, accept reality.

Just as her mind was in turmoil, her phone screen suddenly lit up—a new WeChat message!

Her heart raced, and she quickly tapped to open it.

Brother Ye: 【Good taste, I really like it.】

Just seven short words, but they loosened Su Ning's taut nerves by more than half!

He accepted the money and was very satisfied! This was a positive signal!

She hurriedly typed: Then, big brother, can you help me with the Hall Battle tomorrow... Halfway through, she hesitated, pursed her lips, and deleted that line that seemed too eager and utilitarian.

Can't ask directly! Must go along with his temperament!

Yao Yao: 【Glad big brother likes it~ I also have my eye on another super nice pair of shoes I want to give you, but they're a bit expensive, I don't have enough money. I'll send them to you once I save up enough, okay~】

Brother Ye: 【Oh? Send a look】

Su Ning was taken aback, quickly opened JD.com, searched for men's sneakers, and directly filtered the price to 4,000-10,000 yuan.

She glanced around randomly, picked a pair of 9,400-yuan Balenciaga sneakers, and sent the link over.

Brother Ye: 【Whoa damn!】

Su Ning's heart tightened, and she quickly asked: 【What's wrong, big brother? Don't you like this style?】

Brother Ye: 【Nothing nothing! It's really fucking nice! I super like it!】

Seeing this reply full of "straight guy" surprise, Su Ning scratched her head and continued pushing forward as planned:

Yao Yao: 【If big brother likes it, I'll send it to you once I save up enough money~ (working hard to save money.jpg)】

After sending the message, she held her breath, waiting nervously.

Success or failure hinged on this moment, just waiting to see if he would bring up the Hall Battle himself... Brother Ye: 【By the way, I've been busy these past few days and didn't get a chance to ask, what time is your Hall Battle tomorrow?】

Su Ning almost jumped up excitedly from the bed!

Brother Ye really asked proactively! The hardest first step had succeeded!

He really was that inexplicable "reciprocating" big brother!

Yao Yao: 【It starts at 8 p.m. and ends at 9 p.m.~ Big brother, are you coming?】

Brother Ye: 【Alright, OK, I'll be there on time.】

Seeing this promise, Su Ning's hanging heart finally settled more than halfway.

Next, it all depended on how much Brother Ye would swipe!

Just as she was about to use the excuse "the room needs to tally" to ask how much he planned to swipe, another message popped up from the other side.

Brother Ye: 【Heh, baby, don't worry, I definitely won't let you down tomorrow.】

Seeing this line, Su Ning felt as if injected with a shot of adrenaline, directly jumped off the bed, and excitedly spun around the room!

The subtext of this sentence was too obvious!

Not only would he come! Not only would he swipe! But the amount he would spend would definitely be worthy of her 5,000-yuan "investment"!

A wave of immense joy and relief surged in her heart, dispersing all her previous gloom and wavering.

This time!

It seemed she had really bet right!