Chapter 9: The Exchange Space!

I didn't expect this user, "Heavenly King Covers the Earthly Tiger," to be up so early.

Considering they were all "gods of wealth" helping her extend her life, Bai Ruyu didn't stop the club in her hand. She looked up and said indifferently, "It’s already been divided."

[Heavenly King Covers the Earthly Tiger: Ah!! Is the streamer answering me?]
[Rabbit Tooth: ??? What kind of livestream did I accidentally wander into?]

After tossing out that one line, Bai Ruyu ignored the viewers in the chat. She continued beating the person on the ground for another ten minutes until their groans grew increasingly faint.

She let out a cold snort. "Tell your mother, if she comes looking for trouble again, don't blame me for being heartless. We’ll all head to the magistrate's office and have a real talk about it!"

Bai Xiu'an was dazed and covered in blood. In his squinted eyes, there was nothing but deep, venomous resentment.

"An'er?!" A shrill cry echoed as Zhang Shi came stumbling over. She threw herself beside Bai Xiu'an, her hands trembling as she saw his bloodied state, completely at a loss.

"You've come at the right time. You haven't forgotten what I said yesterday, have you?" Bai Ruyu asked calmly, her expression indifferent upon seeing her.

"I... I haven't forgotten..." Zhang Shi lowered her eyes to hide her hatred, biting her lip as she answered.

[Heavenly King Covers the Earthly Tiger: Holy cow! This old woman was so sharp-tongued yesterday; why does she seem like a different person now? What on earth happened?]
[Rabbit Tooth: My guess is she must have been caught in a trap by the female lead.]
[Liu'er is the Flashiest: I can't believe she started a stream in secret? Good thing I set a notification.]

Knowing the kind of vicious person Zhang Shi was, Bai Ruyu knew exactly what she was thinking. Both of them were well aware of why Bai Xiu'an had shown up here today.

"The hundred taels you promised to pay must be delivered before noon. Otherwise, we’ll see each other at the magistrate's office after midday."

Zhang Shi looked up in shock. "W-what? Didn't we agree to pay it off after the harvest? How can you be so untrustworthy!"

Bai Ruyu chuckled. "If you honor your word, I will honor mine! Unfortunately, Bai Xiu'an appeared here today."

She threw the blood-stained club beside Bai Xiu'an and walked back toward the courtyard without looking back. As she closed the door, she flashed a standard, polite smile. "Remember, before noon! Otherwise..."

Zhang Shi’s roar erupted from the gate: "You heartless wretch, you’re trying to drive us to our deaths!"

Bai Ruyu remained unmoved, her smile never faltering. She was not a kind-hearted person. Her experiences from childhood in her past life would never allow her to be one.

"Sister Yu, you..."

Seeing the bloodstains on her sleeve and hearing Old Lady Zhang’s cries, Jiang Shi looked at her daughter, who was still wearing a smile. She suddenly felt that this daughter was a stranger, which filled her with unease.

"Mother, I’m fine. I didn't sleep well last night, so I’m going to go rest."

"Alright, go ahead. Mother will go boil some porridge for you."

Suppressing her inner doubts, Jiang Shi replied with a soft, doting tone. Bai Ruyu didn't miss the flicker of suspicion in her mother's eyes, but she just nodded and didn't say anything more.

Back in her room, seeing that the follower count had risen to 1,000, she sat on the bed in a daze.

[Liu'er is the Flashiest: Is the streamer tired?]
[Rabbit Tooth: Miss Streamer, are you acting out an emo vibe?]
[Yearning for Country Life: Let the gifts flow! Her acting is top-notch, it’s just like the real thing!]

Bai Ruyu...

Seeing the viewers' comments and the screen full of gifts, her brief melancholy vanished. Whatever! Whether she gets discovered or whether she is the original owner doesn't matter much to her. If she can survive, she survives; if not, so be it.

[Mianyang Puff: Streamer, are you playing some kind of large-scale live-action roleplay? What’s the historical background and the plot here?]

Seeing a familiar username, Bai Ruyu raised an eyebrow. This was the first viewer who had ever sent her a gift.

"I can only say the setting is fictional—it’s not any historical dynasty. Everything is unknown, and it would be boring if I just told you." Bai Ruyu was exceptionally patient and gentle with the fan who had sent her first gift.

[Mianyang Puff: Wow, wow, wow! The streamer replied to me! You look so young, are you a minor? What’s your character setting? Can you tell us in secret?]

"Uh, I might have a baby face, but I’m an adult. My character is a worker who transmigrated into the body of a village idiot—though, of course, I’ve regained my senses now." Bai Ruyu started making things up as she went along. Her current body was only thirteen, but she had already grown to about 167 centimeters, making her the "giant fool" of the village. It seemed the people of Wushan Village were generally on the shorter side, with her father and mother being the exceptions—her father was about 180cm, and her mother was about 165cm.

[Heavenly King Covers the Earthly Tiger: So the streamer has a baby face!]
[Young Master Isn't Short of Money: What are you implying, guy above?]

Realizing that the viewers were already chatting among themselves without her needing to speak, Bai Ruyu interjected every now and then. Time slipped away without her noticing.

She glanced at the time on her watch and waved at the livestream. "Time to end the broadcast. The streamer needs to go eat! See you all tomorrow!"

[Rabbit Tooth: Ah? You're only streaming for two hours, miss?]
[Heavenly King Covers the Earthly Tiger: The streamer actually gave a heads-up this time?!]