Chapter 57 New Toy: Learning from my mistakes, this time I'm going to get a safe one!

Li Jiajun couldn't quite remember how the clamor and revelry in the cafeteria finally ended.

He only knew that he was surrounded by a group of over-excited workers and then, amidst the praises of "Factory Director is awesome," he returned to his office almost like he was sleepwalking.

Then, he slumped into his newly purchased ergonomic boss chair, staring at the ceiling with an expression more bitter than if he had eaten three pounds of coptis root.

His persona had collapsed.

These four words felt like a giant signboard slamming hard against his forehead.

What happened over the next few days made him realize even more deeply the meaning of the saying, "Fame brings trouble just as a fat pig invites slaughter."

After appearing on "News Broadcast," Li Jiajun's leisurely life was completely shattered. The entrance to his toy factory, which used to be so quiet you could hear the birds chirping, suddenly became more bustling than a downtown wet market.

Sitting in his office, he watched the "spectacle" at the gate—which could only be described as a chaotic dance of demons—through the newly installed high-definition surveillance system, his face devoid of expression.

People from all walks of life arrived in an endless stream, practically treating the place as an internet celebrity check-in spot.

The first wave consisted of several black Audis with special license plates. A few steady-looking middle-aged men got out, claiming to be from some "brother organization" and wanting to "study and exchange ideas." Their words were polite, but their eyes kept drifting toward the workshops deep inside the factory. Their eagerness to devour the production line whole could be felt even through the screen.

The second wave was several groups of blonde-haired, blue-eyed "overseas investors" dressed in suits. They spoke broken Chinese and held flashy business proposals, sincerely expressing their hope to inject "the power of capital" to help "Li Family Toy Factory" go global. Li Jiajun's lip twitched as he looked at their professional smiles and undisguised intentions.

'The power of capital? You probably just want to steal my technology and take it back to your home countries, don't you? Do you take me for a fool?'

The third wave was a mix of "monsters and demons." There were influencers carrying phones and streaming equipment, wanting to "uncover the secrets of the legendary military factory," and local tabloid reporters with telephoto lenses trying to interview workers as they finished their shifts. They were everywhere, jumping around and poking into every corner, making Li Jiajun feel like his factory was a monkey mountain at the zoo.

Fortunately, before the Old General left, he had left behind a "great gift"—a professional security team composed of Retired Special Forces soldiers.

Once these big brothers stood at the gate, each with a straight posture and sharp eyes, all the "brother organizations" and "overseas investors" were blocked outside the main gate with the most polite smiles and the firmest stances. Not even a fly could get in.

Li Jiajun looked at the lively scene on the surveillance monitor and let out a deep sigh.

He felt like he was being roasted over a fire; his leisurely life was gone, never to return.

'No, this can't go on,' the thought surfaced in his mind. 'I have to do something to save my crumbling persona!'

So, after "soul-searching," he made a major decision.

He was going to start a livestream and have a good, sincere, heart-to-heart talk with the family.

...

At 8:00 PM, Li Jiajun started the livestream on time.

The title of the livestream was: "Factory Director Xiao Li's Closed-Door Reflection: Regarding Recent Turmoil."

As soon as the broadcast began, hundreds of thousands of Netizens swarmed in, and the bullet chat instantly exploded.

"Main Streamer, you finally showed up! I thought you'd actually been sent to step on a sewing machine!"

"Streamer, come clean. Just how many more things are you hiding from us?"

"You even made it onto 'News Broadcast,' yet you still claim to be an ordinary toy factory? Have you no shame!"

Looking at the screen full of teasing, Li Jiajun cleared his throat, his face adopting an incredibly sorrowful and serious expression. He was about to speak but suddenly felt that a direct explanation would be too weak. He needed a more "sincere" approach.

So, he looked into the camera and said in an extremely innocent tone, with a hint of a bystander's clarity:

"family, let me make a solemn statement. Our Li Family Military Factory... bah! Our Li Family Toy Factory is a legitimate toy factory. This incident was purely an accident; it was actually requisitioned by the authorities. Honestly, I've always wanted to ask them: can't you guys even handle the kind of drones my toy factory produces? Why did you have to requisition ours?"

As soon as these "outrageous" words were spoken, the livestream room instantly fell into a deathly silence.

The bullet chat disappeared for a full three seconds.

Then, with a force ten times more intense than before, it completely erupted.

"??? I think I just heard something incredible!"

"Li Family Military Factory? Streamer, you just confessed, didn't you! You let it slip!"

"Screenshotted! This is the evidence! Main Streamer, you're finished!"

Immediately after, another wave of bullet chat messages flooded in.

"Holy crap! Streamer, you've got some guts! You even dare to throw shade at the authorities?"

"Crazy! The Streamer has gone completely crazy! No one can stop him today!"

"Solemn Statement: The Streamer's remarks only represent his personal views and have nothing to do with the fans in this livestream room! We don't know him!"

"I'm a farmer's son. Who pushed this livestream to my phone?"

"I support the execution of the Streamer!"

"Government, I'm a law-abiding citizen."

Li Jiajun looked at the screen full of bullet chat messages distancing themselves from him and felt speechless. He pretended not to see them and forcibly steered the conversation back.

"So, after deep reflection over the past few days, I've decided!" He slammed the table and announced with determination, "For our next project, we will definitely create an 'absolutely safe, absolutely civilian' toy!"

Hearing this, the Netizens stopped joking and became curious.

"For real? Main Streamer, are you going straight?"

"So, have you thought of what to make?"

Li Jiajun said confidently, "Of course... not. Isn't that why I'm here today to discuss it with the family and brainstorm together?"

The Netizens in the livestream room were floored. If you don't have an idea, why the hell are you acting so confident?

"How about... a remote-controlled racing car?" a Netizen suggested the first plan.

But Li Jiajun immediately rejected it: "No, no. If some criminal gets ahold of it and puts a bomb on it, turning it into a remote-controlled car bomb, that would be a huge sin. Too dangerous. Rejected."

The Netizens were stunned.

"Then... then a water gun should be safe, right? You can play with water in the summer."

Li Jiajun's frown deepened: "Even worse! Ordinary water guns are safe, but I'm the type who pursues the ultimate in everything. Shouldn't the water gun I make have a bit more pressure? What if I accidentally turn it into a high-pressure water jet that can cut through steel plates? Wouldn't it become a weapon in minutes? Rejected! Rejected!"

The livestream room once again fell into an eerie silence.

All the Netizens felt a bit numb. Then, someone suddenly realized something: "Wait, Streamer, is there something wrong with your thought process? Why can you always associate these ordinary toys with such 'criminal' uses?"

"Pfft, yeah, Main Streamer, you're really not right."

"Hahaha, if you hadn't said it, I wouldn't have realized it."

Li Jiajun looked at the bullet chat and was also suddenly stunned.

True... why were his thoughts so "criminal"? The first thing he thought of with a remote-controlled racing car wasn't "Fast and Furious," but a remote-controlled bomb. The first thing he thought of with a water gun wasn't summer cooling, but cutting steel plates.

'I'm clearly a law-abiding citizen...'

He was left speechless, and then he unconsciously spoke his inner thoughts aloud: "Strange, I'm clearly a law-abiding citizen, so why are my thoughts always so criminal? That really is a question worth contemplating."

This self-mockery completely amused the Netizens.

"Hahahaha! Main Streamer is a ruthless guy; he's so ruthless he even roasts himself!"

"Case closed. The Streamer wasn't corrupted; he was born with the potential to be a criminal genius!"

"Main Streamer, take my advice: don't try to think of things yourself. Your brain is too dangerous."

Li Jiajun looked at the bullet chat and nodded in deep agreement, but then he immediately spat in disdain.

What on earth?

He felt like he was being led astray.

He then decided to do a video chat with a fan instead of just communicating through bullet chat. There were too many witty remarks in the chat, and the risk of being led astray was too high.

"Alright, let's do a random video chat!"

As he spoke, he skillfully opened the random video chat function.

Soon, a video request was connected.

On the screen, a young boy about eight or nine years old appeared. He was sitting at a desk with a whole wall of books behind him. The boy was wearing a well-fitting little suit, his hair was combed meticulously, and his chubby baby face wore an expression of feigned maturity as he calmly looked into the camera.

(Don't overthink the livestream rules of this parallel world.)

Li Jiajun blinked. It was actually a child.

His eyes lit up; he felt that asking a child should be absolutely safe.

Children were all very cute and wouldn't pose a risk of going off-track—except for bratty kids, of course.

He looked at the child carefully.

'This kid... doesn't look like a brat. He's like a little adult and seems very sensible,' he thought. 'This is a safe bet!'