168: Chapter 168 The live stream exploded as soon as Li Li arrived.

The door opened.

Xiao Chai was the first to rush out.

It sniffed the floor twice, tail wagging rapidly, and pounced directly onto the newcomer's legs.

Li Li stood outside the door.

His backpack hung on his right shoulder, a thin jacket worn over his training uniform, and the gauze on his left wrist had not yet been removed. His hair was windswept, and the scent of the Fire Station kitchen still lingered on him.

He looked down.

"Hello, I missed you too. Let go, my leg is numb."

Xiao Chai didn't let go.

Xiao Qian stood up from beside Jiang Rumu's feet, walked to the door, rubbed against Li Li's shoe, and then went back to lie down on its own.

Two dogs.

One charged, the other checked in.

The number of viewers in the livestream began to jump.

Thirty million.

Forty million.

The barrage comments were scrolling so fast the screen became blurry.

[ Li Li!!! ]

[ He really came!!! ]

[ Li Li is with Mu!!! ]

[ I've been camping here since four, totally worth it ]

[ Training uniform! Just came from the Fire Station, right? ]

[ The gauze isn't off yet, don't make my heart ache ]

[ Xiao Chai pounced faster than I could ]

Cen Ye sprang up from the sofa and rushed to the door in a few strides.

"Brother Li!"

Li Li was tangled up by Xiao Chai's legs and almost stumbled.

"Brother Ye."

Cen Ye threw an arm around his shoulder.

"Damn it, you finally came! I thought you'd bailed on us!"

Li Li peeled Xiao Chai off his leg.

"There were a lot of emergency calls; it was already six o'clock by the time I got back to the station."

Cen Ye stepped back half a pace and looked him up and down.

"Alright, you've lost weight."

"Been busy."

Cen Ye leaned in a bit closer.

"Where's Shen Jue? Where's Qi Wanyin? Didn't they come with you?"

"Just me. They're still over at Brave Blue Friends."

Cen Ye paused for two seconds and shoved his hands back into his pockets.

"Oh."

Han Xubai held his cup, his voice not loud.

"Hard to say if it's because of Shen Jue, or because of Qi Wanyin."

Cen Ye turned his head.

"What did you just say?"

"I said you're very excited."

"I'm excited that Brother Li is here."

"Hmm." Han Xubai pushed up his glasses, "Your pitch went up half a degree when you asked about the second name."

"Are your ears a digital recorder?"

"Professional habit. In court, changes in tone are very valuable."

Cen Ye pointed at him.

"You'd better keep that professional habit to yourself."

The others in the living room greeted him one after another.

Fang Ruowei stood up and clasped her hands together.

"Li Li! Finally saw you again!"

Leaning head, small steps, bowing.

Standard procedure.

Li Li nodded.

"Teacher Fang."

Yin Ruoying sat on the single sofa, twisting the cap of a water bottle.

"You're here?"

"Yeah."

Han Xubai raised his cup.

"Brother Li, your room is set. Single room on the second floor, the one by the stairs."

Wen Tang immediately stood up.

"Right, that room was specifically saved for you. Shall I take you up to see it?"

Just as she finished speaking.

Jiang Rumu stood up.

"Follow me."

Three words.

Wen Tang's foot had already stepped out half a pace.

She couldn't pull it back.

Her hand was also extended in mid-air.

The barrage went crazy on the spot.

[ Wen Tang: Who am I, where am I, what do I do with my hand ]

[ Queen Jiang takes over directly ]

[ This isn't leading the way, this is asserting dominance ]

[ Little Deer just reached out and got intercepted ]

Cen Ye almost spat out the water in his mouth.

Wen Tang pulled her hand back, sat down, and adjusted her skirt.

The smile was still there.

But that half-step had already been intercepted.

Li Li followed Jiang Rumu upstairs.

The lights in the second-floor hallway were on.

Jiang Rumu stopped in front of the second door and pushed it open.

A single room.

A bed, a wardrobe, a small table, and a window facing the backyard.

No bathroom.

Li Li scanned the room.

"It's fine. The Fire Station is about the same."

He tossed his backpack onto the bed, took out his phone, and connected to the door lock fingerprint entry program.

He pressed his right thumb onto it.

Beep.

Entry successful.

"Done."

He turned to leave.

Jiang Rumu didn't move.

She tilted her chin, gesturing to the room next door.

"Come record one for my room too."

Li Li stopped in his tracks.

He looked at her first, then at the camera on the ceiling of the hallway.

The red light was on.

It was live streaming.

"That doesn't seem appropriate."

The livestream completely exploded.

[ Recording fingerprints??? ]

[ Jiang Rumu, do you know you're live streaming! ]

[ I can't, I really can't ]

[ Can Li Li open Jiang Rumu's door from now on? ]

[ Li Li is with Mu, confirmed ]

[ Production Team, don't cut away! Whoever cuts away won't have a partner ]

Jiang Rumu leaned against the doorframe, arms crossed.

"Your room doesn't have a bathroom."

She pointed to her own door.

"It's troublesome to go downstairs in the middle of the night, and you'll disturb others. Use mine."

Li Li didn't respond.

Jiang Rumu added.

"There are no cameras in the bathroom. I'll be dressed properly when I'm in the room."

She paused.

"What are you thinking about?"

Li Li's ears turned red.

From the tips of his ears to the roots of his neck.

Damn.

He had survived shelling in Dubai and landed F18s on aircraft carriers.

Now he was sunk by a single "What are you thinking about?"

The barrage went even crazier.

[ He's blushing! ]

[ Li Li, aren't you the unflappable guy? ]

[ Unfazed on the battlefield, but broken by one sentence from Jiang Rumu ]

[ One word from the Queen, and the Firefighter fails to cool down ]

[ I'm saving this part a hundred times ]

Li Li cleared his throat and walked to Jiang Rumu's door.

The fingerprint entry panel was lit up.

He pressed his thumb onto it.

Beep.

Entry successful.

The whole process took less than five seconds.

Yet the number of viewers in the livestream jumped again.

[ He recorded it! He really recorded it! ]

[ This door deserves a medal today ]

[ Production Team, pay the door lock ]

[ Forget the bathroom, I'm even jealous of the door frame now ]

The two went downstairs.

In the living room, the other five sat neatly.

Cen Ye held a toothpick in his mouth, struggling to hold back.

Han Xubai pushed up his glasses, holding his cup for a long time without drinking.

Fang Ruowei had a standard smile, fingers resting on the rim of her cup.

Yin Ruoying was scrolling through her phone, not looking up.

Wen Tang sat in the corner, very quiet.

No one asked.

But the atmosphere of "we all saw it" was already laid out on the table.

Li Li sat on the sofa.

"Let's go eat. I'm hungry."

The Production Team's commercial vehicle was parked at the door.

The seven of them didn't bring the dogs and left directly.

The Cantonese restaurant was in Nanshan District.

The private room was large, the round table covered with a white tablecloth, and in front of each seat was a mobile phone fixed on a stand, facing the guests directly.

Seven livestreams were running simultaneously.

The dishes were served quickly.

Poached chicken, steamed lobster with garlic, soy sauce fried noodles, steamed grouper, roast goose platter with char siu, typhoon shelter crab, and congee.

Cen Ye raised his chopsticks and made a gesture to his camera.

"Dear viewers, the Production Team is treating us tonight; this is probably the most expensive meal I've had recently."

Han Xubai also faced the camera.

"Hello everyone, Lawyer Han isn't talking about law today; let's talk about the intellectual property rights of this plate of poached chicken!"

Cen Ye tapped the table.

"Shut up."

Fang Ruowei smiled at the camera.

"I'm very happy to be eating with friends today. The meat of this steamed grouper is very tender; if you all come to Pengcheng, you should try Cantonese cuisine."

Yin Ruoying picked up her wine glass and turned half a body position.

Her jawline, collarbone, and earrings were all in the shot.

"Cheers."

Wen Tang picked up food while replying to the barrage.

"Yes, this cardigan is from the link in the last livestream, and today's goose-yellow hairband is the same style..."

Jiang Rumu sat to Li Li's left.

She occasionally replied to a couple of barrage comments, not overly enthusiastic, but not awkward either.

Everyone was performing.

Only Li Li.

He was eating.

He picked up three pieces of poached chicken, dipped them in ginger-scallion oil, and stuffed them into his mouth.

Rolled up a large chopstick-full of fried noodles.

Peeled the lobster, dipped the meat in garlic.

Tore off a piece of roast goose.

Downed two bowls of congee.

No introduction.

No interaction.

No smiling for the audience.

Just eating.

The number of viewers in his personal livestream began to rise.

Three million.

Five million.

Eight million.

Ten million.

The audience on Cen Ye's side ran away.

The audience on Han Xubai's side dropped too.

Fang Ruowei was halfway through talking when the barrage was all scrolling:

[ What is Li Li eating? ]

[ Give Brother Li a close-up ]

[ Why does he look so delicious when he eats? ]

Yin Ruoying sat to Li Li's right and glanced at the phone in front of him.

The number was still rising.

She moved a little closer to him.

"How can you still attract so many people just by eating?"

Li Li still had half a piece of roast goose in his mouth.

"You should eat too. Eat big bites, eat more."

Yin Ruoying's chopsticks stopped.

She was a female celebrity.

How big a bite to take in front of the camera, how many times to chew, which way to tilt her face—it all had to be controlled.

Eat big bites?

She put down her chopsticks and leaned back in her chair.

Forget it.

Wen Tang listened.

She looked at the number of viewers in her own livestream, then at Li Li's screen.

Two seconds later, she picked up a piece of typhoon shelter crab and stuffed it directly into her mouth.

Chewed.

Picked up more roast goose.

Continued chewing.

"This crab is really good... the garlic flavor is strong... everyone should try it if you come to Pengcheng..."

The number of viewers in her livestream really rose.

Four hundred thousand.

Six hundred thousand.

Seven hundred thousand.

Wen Tang ate even more seriously.

Cen Ye watched in a daze.

"Brother Li, stop teaching her. If you keep teaching her, this table of food won't be enough."

Han Xubai added.

"From a legal perspective, this counts as a technology transfer. Little Deer should pay a licensing fee."

Wen Tang had shrimp stuffed in her mouth and couldn't speak, so she could only glare at him.

The round table laughed again.

Li Li finally slowed down.

He pushed the congee bowl away and grabbed a tissue to wipe his hands.

Tonight's meal basically made up for the calories owed at the Fire Station.

Suddenly, rapid footsteps came from outside the private room.

One step.

Two steps.

Someone shouted something outside, but the sound was blocked by the door and couldn't be heard clearly.

The tissue in Li Li's hand paused for half a second.

The next moment.

Boom.

A loud noise exploded from outside the room.

The whole wall was shaking.

Water from the teacups spilled out.

The dishes on the table jumped.

Fang Ruowei's chopsticks fell to the floor.

The shrimp in Wen Tang's mouth almost sprayed out.

Everyone stopped simultaneously.

Li Li put down the tissue and turned to look at the room door.

His right hand was already blocking in front of Jiang Rumu.