“I should probably change back into my original clothes, right? This outfit is just way too conspicuous…”
Lin Guanqi was completely ill at ease under the gazes of those around her, and even her voice grew a few notches softer as she spoke.
Ling Xue didn’t think so at all; in her opinion, such a beautiful outfit absolutely deserved to be worn. It was simply a feast for the eyes.
“All right, just wear this outfit! It suits you perfectly. I won’t allow you to change out of it.”
With that, after paying the bill, Ling Xue pulled Lin Guanqi and dashed out the door.
Suddenly, a delicious aroma wafted over, tickling Ling Xue’s nose—it was her favorite street snack.
“Qi’er, wait here for me a moment, I’ll go buy you something to eat!”
After saying this, she ran straight to the snack stall.
Lin Guanqi, meanwhile, looked around at the bustling commercial street. It was truly lively.
But these stares… were really too much…
She found a bench and sat down to wait for Ling Xue.
Within minutes, people who wanted to strike up a conversation quickly formed a circle around her.
No way… Ling Xue, hurry back!
However, none of them dared to actually come up and ask for Lin Guanqi’s contact info—they just hovered not far away, watching.
“Hello, I’m a talent scout from Superstar Interactive Entertainment. I’d like to invite you to join us as a streamer. We can offer you an S-rank contract.”
This was a refined man in a suit—he didn’t seem like someone with ill intentions.
“Superstar Interactive? Isn’t that the biggest guild in the country? With that kind of looks, I guess it’s only natural to get noticed. If she became a top streamer, would the boss’s carnival ever end?”
“My friend streams with that company. She’s got an A-rank contract, and even the A-rank terms are amazing. If it’s S-rank, wouldn’t that be over a million a year?”
“A million? For S-rank contracts, as far as I know, only a handful of people in Superstar Interactive qualify. They judge on three things: looks, personality, and popularity. A million’s just the base salary.”
Lin Guanqi’s mind wavered at the thought of a million a year, but the system quickly crushed her budding idea.
[If the Host wishes to act solo, this system will not interfere, but reserves the right to return the Host to her original world. Please consider carefully.]
All right, all right, wasn’t that just a blatant threat? Whatever, a single full meal is better than none at all—she knew her priorities.
“Fine, fine, I won’t accept. That’s all.”
Lin Guanqi tried to sound tactful as she said, “Sorry, I don’t think I have the talent for that. I’ll pass.”
“No, no, miss, you’re exceptionally talented for streaming. Reaching out to you is the best decision our company could make.”
How was she supposed to respond to this?
With the system unwilling to give her a chance, she had no way to go anyway!
“Let’s leave it at that. If there’s a chance, I’ll definitely join you. Maybe next time!”
The talent scout very much wanted to recruit Lin Guanqi, but he also knew better than to push.
So, he pulled a business card from his suit’s inner pocket.
On it was written: Gold-tier Agent, Zhang Hao.
The sight of the black-gold business card made everyone even more astonished.
“A Gold-tier Agent! That’s no joke!”
“Gold-tier Agent? Is there something special about that, bro?”
“About Gold-tier Agents, let me tell you…”
Gold-tier Agents and regular agents were both agents, but there was a fundamental difference.
Regular agents were just responsible for recruiting streamers, while Gold-tier Agents sought out potential stars, and anyone signed by a Gold-tier Agent started with at least an A-rank contract. That was the distinction.
Once explained, everyone understood.
“So that’s how it is…”
When Ling Xue returned, she saw a crowd gathered around Lin Guanqi and immediately thought they were up to no good, so she rushed to stand in front of Lin Guanqi.
“Qi’er, are you all right? They didn’t do anything to you, did they?”
She stood in front of Lin Guanqi with snacks in hand.
“It’s fine. He just wanted to talk about work. Don’t be so nervous, you’re scaring him.”
Ling Xue sized up Zhang Hao—suit and tie—seemed like she’d misunderstood.
“Sorry, lately there have been a lot of people pestering Qi’er, so I just…”
As for Zhang Hao, worthy of a Gold-tier Agent, he was magnanimous.
“Hahaha, it’s fine, I understand. After all, with such a cute friend, of course there’ll be lots of admirers.”
Right after, Ling Xue split the snack in her hand, giving half to Lin Guanqi.
“This is what I just bought—so delicious! You have to try it.”
Lin Guanqi hadn’t tasted the snacks of this world yet. Would they be any different?
She took a tentative bite, and the flavor of meat and spices exploded on her tongue.
This! It was… unbelievably delicious!
So much better than the gutter oil taste of street food in her previous life!
“Mm! It’s so good!”
“Right? This is my go-to snack when I go out—super tasty! And the owner always has a long line. Good thing we came early today.”
Lin Guanqi finished one skewer after another, not noticing the many people around taking photos of her.
Evening.
Orange light spilled over the streets. The snack carts slowly rolled into place as weary office workers stepped out of their companies, dragging tired bodies.
“Boss, give me some crispy chicken bones.”
There were plenty of students nearby, too—their laughter blended into the sunset.
“Let’s go to the internet café!”
“Aren’t you afraid your dad’s going to catch you?”
And, of course, there were couples.
“Baby, let’s get spicy hotpot from that shop, okay?”
“Mm, sure!”
Seeing pairs of couples, Lin Guanqi suddenly thought of Bai Ningbing—wait, why Bai Ningbing?
Back when he was a guy, he’d never even dated.
His appearance was on the feminine side, lacking a bit of masculinity. Quite a few girls joked he was better as a girlfriend than a boyfriend.
As for romance, he had confessed before, but failed.
“Qi’er? What are you thinking about? It’s getting late, let’s head back.”
“Okay.”
After they’d gone, Bai Ningbing stepped out of the alley, watching their retreating figures.
Her gaze shifted to a couple nearby, and memories surfaced in her mind.
Xu Jiaojiao had also held Bai Ningbing’s hand here.
“Bestie, if you get married one day and I don’t make it through, just come here and look at the sky—I’ll be watching over you!”
“Jiaojiao, I’ve found you, but… you don’t seem to remember me.”
A complicated mix of emotions swirled in Bai Ningbing’s deep, beautiful eyes.
There was sorrow, but also happiness, joy, and relief.
She walked into a jewelry shop—the accessories inside were all affordable luxury.
A butterfly bracelet caught Bai Ningbing’s eye. She felt it would really suit Lin Guanqi, and the key thing—it was a limited-edition pair bracelet (actually for friends).
“Boss, could you please wrap up this one for me?”