On the other end of the line, Mother Zhang stared at the phone, both shocked and furious. A flicker of unease passed through Zhang Na's heart.
"What's wrong, Mom?"
Mother Zhang was so angry her teeth itched with frustration.
"That damn Liu Ruo! He actually said he doesn't want to get married anymore, and he's demanding that we return his betrothal money."
"What? What?"
Zhang Na turned pale with shock, hastily grabbing her mother's hand, her face a mask of urgency.
"Mom, he doesn't want me anymore, and he wants the betrothal money back. What are we going to do?"
Mother Zhang immediately shot Zhang Na a glare.
"You're asking me? Who am I supposed to ask? Figure it out yourself. You've spent quite a bit of that betrothal money yourself. That LV bag of yours cost 3 points."
"Mom… What if we can't pay it back?" Zhang Na looked at her mother with worry.
"We'll go to jail…"
In an instant, Zhang Na's face went ashen with fear.
"Mom, I don't want to go to jail! Let's call Liu Ruo. I'll marry him; I don't want the TV anymore."
"That's the only choice we have."
Seeing her mother nod, Zhang Na frantically dialed the number.
"Sorry, the number you have dialed is currently switched off..."
"Mom… his phone is off."
Their eyes met, and they both saw the sheer panic in each other's expressions. They had used up nearly all the betrothal money. To come up with it now, they would have to sell the house.
Just as the two were at a loss, Zhang Na's phone rang, bringing a glimmer of hope.
"I knew it! I knew Liu Ruo couldn't bear to leave me…"
However, before she could finish, she realized the incoming call was from an unknown number. After a moment's hesitation, Zhang Na answered the phone, only to hear words that made her heart sink.
"Hello, Miss Zhang Na. I am the lawyer retained by Mr. Liu Ruo…"
***
Meanwhile, Xia Liang's livestream was bustling with excitement.
[Congratulations to Brother Liu on his successful liberation.]
[Congratulations to Brother Liu for escaping the tomb of marriage!]
[Congratulations to the Anchor for successfully breaking up a couple!]
[Congratulations to the Anchor on achieving the title: Break-up Maniac.]
[Most people try to get couples back together, not break them up. Is the Anchor just jealous because he wasn't allowed to date in high school?]
…
Reading these bullet comments, a look of exasperation crossed Xia Liang's face, the joy of completing his task thoroughly dissipated.
"Are you all serious? Do I break couples up? I prevented an unhappy marriage! Isn't that right, Brother Liu?"
Now completely relaxed, Liu Ruo stifled a laugh and nodded.
"Yes, yes, of course!"
The old saying goes it's better to tear down ten temples than to ruin a single marriage. Yet here was Xia Liang, on his very first day of solving relationship problems, and he had already broken up a couple on the verge of marriage.
And so, Xia Liang earned himself the title of "Break-up Maniac".
Fortunately, no one else came forward for relationship counseling, so Xia Liang ended the broadcast.
Average online viewers: 561.
Gift revenue: 10.8 fen.
The numbers gave Xia Liang a headache. If it hadn't been for the hidden task that had unexpectedly triggered today, he would have been tempted to tell his viewers, "Don't send me gifts. Are you looking down on me or something?"
Shaking his head, Xia Liang eagerly claimed his task reward.
[Ding—Hidden task reward issued: Qingjiu Central Villa is ready for the host to claim. Work Points have been credited to your balance. The Gene Potion is available for extraction.]
"Extract!"
Without hesitation, Xia Liang extracted the item. It was a tube of green liquid in a test tube.
Drinking it, he found it tasted like a sweet orange soda.
As the Gene Potion settled in his stomach, a foul stench suddenly assaulted his senses. Black substances began seeping out from the surface of his skin.
"RETCH!"
Xia Liang scrambled to the bathroom.
Half an hour and countless rinses later, the foul stench was finally gone. When Xia Liang looked in the mirror, his own reflection startled him.
Is this still me?
He had always been handsome, but his short stature was an enduring frustration for him. He had drunk gallons of milk to no avail. But now…
In the mirror, his once underdeveloped, 5'7" frame had miraculously stretched to six feet tall.
His skin had become much fairer, and most importantly, the scars from his days of hard labor had vanished. In their place was a chiseled eight-pack.
Xia Liang couldn't help but nod in satisfaction.
A body like this is truly worthy of a rich man like me!
After indulging in some self-admiration, Xia Liang finally went to bed. He didn't wake up until noon the next day. He went out for a meal and only returned to his apartment in the evening.
Back in his apartment, Xia Liang started his usual livestream. Since it was already night, most people were off work or had finished school. In the blink of an eye, thousands of viewers flooded into his stream, and the bullet chat began to scroll by at a dizzying pace.
[The Break-up Maniac is finally online!]
[Which couple are we breaking up today?]
[Is the Anchor going to teach us how to flirt again today?]
[Want to see the Anchor in action!]
[+1!]
Xia Liang rolled his eyes. Just then, the WeChat on his phone, which he had set aside, suddenly chimed with a DING-DONG. He opened it and saw that a girl named "Susu" had sent him a friend request.
Xia Liang frowned. After a moment's thought, he accepted the request from this "Susu" girl. Barely a second after he accepted, a message came through.
Susu: Hello, I saw you on my recommended contacts list. My name is Susu. Do we know each other?
Reading the clichéd opening line, Xia Liang stroked his chin and typed a reply.
"I don't believe so."
Susu: I saw you in my recommended contacts and thought you were a friend, so I added you. It seems I was mistaken.
She replied barely a second after he sent his message. Xia Liang narrowed his eyes, sensing something was off.
"My dear viewers, it seems I've stumbled upon something interesting here."
As he spoke, his fingers flew across his keyboard.
"No problem, miss. The fact that we've met is fate. Beautiful women add me all the time. I can't help it, I'm just too handsome! /smug emoji/"
Susu: We certainly do seem to be fated. If you don't mind, can we be friends? /cute emoji/
Meanwhile, in the livestream, the audience was perplexed by Xia Liang's strange monologue.
[What's up with the Anchor?]
[Is he falling in love? I heard the WeChat notification.]
[Oh no! I wanted to go after the Anchor myself! What do I do?]
[Boo-hoo... My Anchor, are you really leaving me like this?]
…
Seeing the comments, Xia Liang chuckled.
"Friends, a girl just added me on my phone. Being this handsome is truly a burden."
With that, he turned the camera around to face his phone screen, allowing his viewers to see the chat. There wasn't much text, and the audience quickly read through it.
[!! Our Casanova Anchor! You're finally making your move, aren't you?]
[The day has finally come! It's been eighteen days since the last practical demonstration. Is the Anchor finally going for round two?]
[Grabbing my popcorn to watch how the Anchor shamelessly pesters his way to the beauty's heart!]