Saturday.

After waking up, Lin Lin started pondering what to do today.

After much thought, the only thing she did was open her streaming app and post an announcement: "Going live tonight at 8 PM." Nothing else came to mind.

"Oh, right! When the debut stream task ended, didn’t the system gift me 20,000 yuan as startup funds?"

A sudden idea struck her—she needed better streaming gear. Everything she had was too basic; without powerful software, her streams would barely function.

For future growth, with a heavy heart, she decided to invest the full 20,000 yuan into her streaming career.

And so…

*Bang!*

Lin Lin kicked her younger brother’s door open again.

Uh…

Lin Yu glanced toward the doorway with a troubled expression and sighed.

"Hey, what’s with that face…?"

Lin Lin muttered to herself, strolled in, plopped onto Lin Yu’s bed, crossed her legs, and made herself right at home.

Lin Yu sighed again. "Sigh…"

"Uh…"

Lin Lin’s lips twitched. *Does he really dislike seeing me that much?*

"Look at you—always gloomy! You’re practically molding from sadness at home! Do you *hate* seeing me?"

"I just find you hard to deal with."

"You…!"

Two black lines flashed across Lin Lin’s face. She cleared her throat twice to ease the awkwardness.

"Hey, little bro, wanna go out with your big bro—oops, *big sis*? We’ll grab some stuff~"

"You just want me to carry your bags again!"

"Uh…"

Lin Lin coughed awkwardly, then shook her head fast. "Nope! I just wanna hang out with my dear little brother. C’mon, it’s been ages since we went out together!"

Lin Yu froze, then turned slowly, eyes wide with faux pity. "Don’t you have friends?"

"…"

Tears welled in Lin Lin’s eyes. She collapsed onto the bed, wailing: "Broken! Totally broken! If you don’t come with me today, I’ll throw a tantrum! Waaah—!"

Watching her roll around—seriously threatening his neatly made bedsheets—Lin Yu jumped up to stop her.

"Waaah… so what if I don’t have friends?! I’m just trying to mend our sibling bond!"

Seeing the tear-streaked girl, Lin Yu softened. He sighed. "Where to?"

"The computer mall…"

Lin Lin wiped her tears, looked up, and gazed at him pitifully.

"The computer mall?"

Lin Yu frowned. *Since when do girls go there instead of clothing stores?*

"What for?"

"Ah…" Lin Lin scratched her head shyly. "Kinda hard to explain… I need peripherals. Online shopping feels risky. In-store’s pricier but clearer…"

"You… need peripherals? Wait—I heard you shouting in your room Monday. What *were* you doing?"

His suspicious gaze swept over her. Lin Lin shivered involuntarily.

*Why do I feel like I’m committing a crime?! I’m just a streamer! Why’s it so embarrassing for family to know?!*

She shook her head hard. *Nope. Can’t stay. Can’t use him as a pack mule—he’ll interrogate me!*

"Ahahaha! Wait—I just remembered I have a friend! You keep gaming. Bye, see ya, peace~!"

She dashed off like the wind, leaving Lin Yu staring after her, suspicion etched on his face.

*Shouting alone in her room… now suddenly buying peripherals? What is she up to…?*

…

Lin Lin stood outside, phone in hand, face clouded with worry.

Great. Zero backup now.

Carry everything home alone? Ugh.

Well… she was already here. Might as well shop.

She entered the computer mall and scanned her list.

Microphone…

"Hey miss! Looking for a mic? Check the K301 pro model—works with any sound card, stylish, even pink!"

"Uh… mostly for singing and chatting on stream. Any streamer-focused ones? Looks don’t matter."

"Oh! Follow me—this one’s perfect~"

At the audio peripherals shop, Lin Lin followed the clerk around.

"How’s this?" She pointed at a branded mic.

"Solid. But add 200 yuan for the Pro version—way better!"

"Then I’ll take the Pro!" Lin Lin declared firmly.

*Pfft. I’ve got 20K. Money’s no object.*

"Well, at this price, add 300 more for a premium foreign-brand mic—crisper sound, better noise cancellation!"

"Ah… just 300? Uh, okay…"

"Add another 200 for our brand-new model. Last year’s version’s outdated, see?"

"Uh… new model? Maybe… add it?"

"Actually, just a *little* more and you could also—"

…

Finally, Lin Lin stepped out clutching a 3,000+ yuan mic, a high-end USB sound card, and top-notch Bluetooth headphones.

T-too scary.

If she hadn’t held firm on skipping the desktop, the clerk would’ve pushed a 10K+ sound card *and* dragged her next door to build a DIY rig.

Good grief—her budget started at *1,000*.

After all that upselling, the once-plentiful 20,000 yuan suddenly felt… fragile.

*"Start with a 3K budget at the mall, walk out with four Titans…"*

With tears in her eyes, she bought a crisp webcam, mechanical keyboard, gaming mouse, and heaps of extras…

Lin Lin had never felt this extravagant.

Bags piled high.

Couldn’t move.

Help! So heavy!

She stood frozen, clutching shopping bags.

HELP! How… how do I get this home?!

Freaking out, sighing in despair, she lifted her head—

Suddenly—

She caught sight of a figure nearby.

Gao…

Gao Liang?!