Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Before opening his mouth, Huang Xin went to get Shen Dongqing's take first.

"So this is why you followed me here?" Shen Dongqing suddenly recalled Huang Xin's excited expression earlier. He'd thought it was weird back then, but now it was clear the guy wasn't hyped about the cops.

The fans and viewers in the livestream heard all that and started picturing it, their eyes lighting up. They wished they could swap places with Huang Xin right then and there.

Seeing Shen Dongqing wasn't answering, some viewers started throwing tips to push him into saying yes.

Shen Dongqing wasn't even looking at his phone, but he could hear the tips coming through his earpiece. He glanced at his phone and saw fans and viewers dying to see the drama unfold.

"Do whatever you want, then." Shen Dongqing said, sounding resigned. "But keep your distance. His hands are cuffed, but his feet are still free."

Shen Dongqing was genuinely scared the thief might snap and kick Huang Xin, even if it meant adding more time to his sentence.

Huang Xin grinned, took the advice, and jogged over to the thief, the Flying Camera right on his tail—which also gave the fans what they wanted.

The thief hated Shen Dongqing most for nabbing him, but Huang Xin had racked up some hate too. When he saw Huang Xin coming, the thief snorted.

"Do you know why you were caught so quickly?"

The thief didn't want to give Huang Xin the time of day, but the second those words hit, he couldn't stop himself from looking.

Getting caught stealing wasn't the embarrassing part—getting caught this fast was. He couldn't figure out what went wrong.

Seeing the thief's curious look, Huang Xin couldn't help shaking his head, like a teacher dealing with a clueless student. He pointed at the Flying Camera next to him. "You know what this is?"

"A camera." The thief glared at him. Did this guy think he was stupid enough not to recognize a camera?

"Don't act like I don't know—this thing's for livestreaming." The thief added, showing off what he knew. He'd watched streams before, so he wasn't totally clueless about the gear.

"Then you know it's got GPS tracking?" Huang Xin countered. "And it never turned off. The whole time you were checking it out, you were live."

The thief froze, rooted to the spot.

The camera had GPS. So that's why he got caught so fast. But before he could even start kicking himself, Huang Xin's next words wiped his mind blank.

He flashed back to himself holding the camera up, checking it out, and his vision went black.

If the cop hadn't been holding him, the thief would've dropped to his knees.

The thief was drowning in regret, cursing himself for being so greedy and impulsive. If he'd known what this thing could do, he never would've stolen it, let alone sat there messing with it.

Thinking about how the viewers had watched him make a fool of himself, how they'd laugh at him, how other thieves would talk—his body went limp and he passed out.

Huang Xin hadn't expected a few words to knock the guy out cold.

Zhao Rong first thought the thief was faking it to dodge reality, but a quick check showed he was really out cold. Worried it might be something serious, he gave him a careful once-over and found it was just a plain faint—nothing bad. Only then did he relax.

"Officer, I just said a few things. That's... that's not gonna be a problem, right?" Huang Xin asked nervously.

"You'd better keep your mouth shut. If something goes wrong, he might pin it on you." Zhao Rong was annoyed. He hadn't stopped Huang Xin when he walked over—who knew the thief would take it so hard?

Thinking back on what Huang Xin had said, Zhao Rong could kind of get why the thief lost it like that.

"Once he's awake, don't say another word." Zhao Rong said.

Huang Xin nodded, all obedient. He'd had a whole speech ready, but now he didn't dare open his mouth.

He didn't dare talk, but the viewers sure did.

"For real, a few sentences and he's fainting?"

"Dude runs like a track star when stealing, but turns into a fragile flower when the cops grab him. Can't even rate it."

"He knew he embarrassed himself in front of everyone and couldn't take the heat."

"With nerves that weak, he still goes out stealing? Who gave him the guts?"

"I'm dying laughing. How did it even get this—"

After a bit, the thief came to. Huang Xin had already put plenty of distance between them and was chatting with Shen Dongqing.

Huang Xin was asking what Shen Dongqing had planned for the rest of the day. Figured that after a run-in with a thief, Shen Dongqing would probably call it quits on streaming, which meant he could borrow the Flying Camera.

But Shen Dongqing's answer threw him off.

"I'm still streaming, obviously." Shen Dongqing said. "I told my fans I'd stream all day, and it's only been a little over an hour."

"But won't the police station thing take forever?" Huang Xin was confused.

"Might take a while for you, but not for me."

Huang Xin didn't get it until they got to the station. He was barely halfway through his statement when Shen Dongqing walked out. That's when it clicked.

But as a witness, he should've had way less to answer than Shen Dongqing. How was Shen Dongqing already done?

Any other case and Shen Dongqing might not have been so quick. But a theft with the guy caught? He could do that statement in his sleep.

Shen Dongqing turned and saw Huang Xin staring at him with puppy-dog eyes, like he was scared Shen Dongqing would bolt.

Shen Dongqing smiled, shot Huang Xin a text, and turned to leave.

Huang Xin almost yelled as Shen Dongqing walked off. Luckily, his phone buzzed—someone had texted him. He couldn't exactly pull out his phone in the interrogation room, but judging by the timing, it had to be from Shen Dongqing.

Huang Xin relaxed a little and got even more eager to wrap up his statement and get out.

Luckily, they didn't need much from him. The officer just had one more question.

"How'd you and Shen Dongqing end up waiting for the thief there?" The cop was genuinely curious. If Shen Dongqing hadn't been there, the thief might've gotten away.

Even with a clear HD shot of the thief's masked face, it would've made things way more complicated.

That got Huang Xin all fired up again.

"Officer, you have no idea—when I saw you guys chasing the thief, Brother Shen was scoping out the area. He said the guy was quick on his feet and figured you might not catch him right away. You guys had the west alley blocked off, so he couldn't go that way. And on the north-south streets, there was no way he'd outrun an e-bike on foot. So that alley was probably his way out, and he went to wait at the corner."

"Even if he was wrong, it was just a few extra steps. I was worried he couldn't handle the guy alone, so I went with him."

...

Taking the fans' advice, Shen Dongqing grabbed a bunch of snacks at a nearby supermarket. He stopped by a bakery on the way and picked up some bread for his main meal—snacks were fine for cravings, but they didn't really fill you up.

When Shen Dongqing got to the bus stop they'd agreed on, a car pulled up after a bit. Looked like it was trying to park, but the driver's skills were rough.

The car wasn't going fast, but Shen Dongqing still moved aside. With driving like that, he was worried the guy might hit the gas instead of the brake—better safe than sorry.

The window rolled down, revealing a familiar face.

"Brother Shen, I'm here. Hope you didn't wait too long. Taking the bus to Mingshan Wetland Park would mean going the long way around—might as well ride with me." Huang Xin grinned, showing a row of gleaming white teeth.

"This is a new car, right?" Shen Dongqing glanced at the oversized "novice driver" sticker on the rear, noticing the body was still free of scratches. Given the driving skills Huang Xin had shown, it was unlikely the car would stay scratch-free after extended use.

"Yeah, just bought it a couple of days ago," Huang Xin replied.

Shen Dongqing silently added to himself: *And the driver's license was just as new.*

"I think I'll take the bus to the wetland park instead. I get carsick in cars."

Shen Dongqing wasn't just making excuses. He did get carsick, and how bad it got depended on the driver's skill. A smooth driver wouldn't make it too bad, but if the driver was jerky on the gas and brakes, he'd feel like throwing up.

That was typical of novice drivers.

"Oh, then wait for me—I'll go park the car." Huang Xin hadn't expected Shen Dongqing to get carsick and immediately dropped the idea of driving there.

This was also his first time driving on actual roads, and he wasn't too familiar with the route. If Shen Dongqing needed his help, he could grit his teeth and drive over, but without that pressure, he wasn't too eager to drive either.

Luckily, there was a residential area nearby with parking spots, but the spaces weren't in great positions. Huang Xin struggled for a long time but couldn't get it parked.

Shen Dongqing watched from a distance, unable to bear it any longer. He also didn't dare let Huang Xin take any longer—if they missed the bus, he couldn't just get on first and leave Huang Xin to catch the next one.

Seeing Shen Dongqing approach, Huang Xin's face turned red, and he insisted stubbornly, "Brother Shen, this spot is really tricky to park in."

"I'll talk, and you follow my directions to park," Shen Dongqing said.

"Brother Shen, you know how to park? Can you park it for me?" Huang Xin asked excitedly.

"I don't have a driver's license." Shen Dongqing's words crushed Huang Xin's hopes, leaving him no choice but to follow Shen Dongqing's directions.

The livestream viewers were shocked.

"Wait, streamer, you don't have a license and you dare direct someone to park? And that guy—he doesn't have a license, and you actually listen to his commands?"

"One dares to say it, the other dares to do it—I respect their guts."

The comments were still going wild, with some even wondering if Shen Dongqing would be on the hook if the car got scratched following his instructions, when Huang Xin successfully parked the car.

Getting out of the car, Huang Xin looked back at the parked vehicle, then at Shen Dongqing, his mind a bit confused. Which one of them actually had a license?

Shen Dongqing didn't have a license, so how was he so good at parking?!

"Brother Shen, you don't even have a license, so how are you so good at parking?" Back at the bus stop, Huang Xin couldn't help asking.

The livestream fans were curious about this too.

"I've read a lot of driving materials and know all the steps," Shen Dongqing replied.

Shen Dongqing wasn't exactly lying—he'd done this before he went to driving school, which was why he'd also picked up parking quickly during practice.

"Brother Shen, you must be the kind of student driving instructors love," Huang Xin said admiringly.

He'd tormented his instructor for a long time and failed the test a few times. When he finally got his license, the instructor had practically thrown a party when he kicked him out.

Speaking of which, Shen Dongqing figured he should get a license too. Whether or not he'd buy a car later, having a license would be more convenient.

Shen Dongqing immediately added this to his daily schedule, planning to find a driving school to sign up for right after the stream. The sooner he got his license, the better.

As for which driving school to choose, Shen Dongqing decided to ask his online connections.

"Any locals from Ningchuan in here? Does anyone have a driving school to recommend?"

"Streamer, you move fast—you just said you didn't have a license, and now you're already thinking about getting one?"

"Yes, yes, yes! I'm from Ningchuan. I recommend Ping'an Driving School. The instructors there have good attitudes, and some don't even smoke. You won't have to deal with cigarette smoke while learning—it makes the whole experience way better."

"What? Instructors who don't smoke? You're so lucky learning to drive. When I went, all the instructors smoked—I was practically soaked in smoke. Getting in the car meant dealing with both carsickness and the stench. It was miserable."

"Hidden gem driving school—bookmarked!"

There were quite a few Ningchuan locals in Shen Dongqing's stream, and some mentioned other schools, but looking through the suggestions, Shen Dongqing found that Ping'an Driving School was recommended the most, with especially high praise.

Many viewers in the livestream saw how highly Ningchuan locals regarded Ping'an Driving School and were envious, venting about their own driving school experiences—instructors with bad attitudes, and some who'd treat you worse if you didn't bring gifts.

...

The bus going straight to Mingshan Wetland Park arrived soon. Shen Dongqing led Huang Xin on, swiped his bus card, and headed to the back seats.

Shen Dongqing looked around. Maybe because it was the weekend, there were quite a few families with kids on the bus, along with groups of guys and girls who seemed to be friends. Almost everyone carried a bag and had a bag of snacks in hand.

"Why did you even bring water? Don't they sell it at the park entrance?" One guy was rummaging through a bag, pulling out several bottles of water, and complained in shock.

"The ones at the park entrance are small bottles that cost three yuan each. Mine are big bottles—four times the capacity for only seven yuan. Isn't the money you save better spent on some grilled sausages?" His companion replied, clearly proud of his money-saving trick.

"Then you're still losing. You should've filled a bottle with tap water—costs nothing." The guy said helplessly, having only meant to make a casual comment, not expecting an immediate response.

"Good idea! I'll do that next time and use the money for something else."

The companion's eyes widened, and he couldn't help lightly punching the guy. The two laughed and messed around.

Shen Dongqing unconsciously smiled. He'd had his own money-saving tricks for going out as a teen—bring whatever you could from home, and use the leftover money to buy more of what you wanted.

Although the snacks were meant for the park, the group of guys couldn't resist digging in shortly after the bus started moving.

Spicy strips had a bit of a smell, but since they were sitting by the window, the breeze blew the smell away. Still, the smell was pretty appetite-inducing.

Shen Dongqing caught the smell and felt a bit tempted. Besides, since they were heading out for fun, it was the perfect time for a little snack.

A little girl sitting nearby watched the guys eating, swallowed hard, turned to her mom, and asked timidly, "Mom, I want to eat that!" She pointed at the big spicy sheet one of the guys was holding.

The young woman glanced at the snack the guy was eating, pulled an apple out of her bag, and said, "That's too spicy—kids can't have that. Let's eat an apple instead."

"If she wants to eat it, just buy her some. What's the big deal? I ate that stuff as a kid and was fine." The dad looked up from his phone.

The little girl had already reached for the apple, but hearing this, she pulled her hand back and looked at her mom expectantly.

"No, you can't eat that. Remember last time you ate outside snacks and got a stomachache? You had to get shots for days. Eat this and you'll end up back at the doctor's office." The woman frowned, trying to scare her off.

Hearing this, even the middle schooler who'd been about to share snacks with the little girl pulled his hand back. Nope, not risking it—if they gave the kid a stomach issue, they couldn't live with that.

The little girl said nothing, silently took the apple, and started nibbling on it. But clearly, she didn't like apples much—after chewing for a while, the apple only had a tiny bite mark.

Since the little girl's family was seated in front of Shen Dongqing, the Flying Camera didn't catch them, but their conversation was inevitably picked up on audio.

"Judging by the voice, she's around five or six. Eating a spicy strip shouldn't be a big deal, right? As long as she doesn't eat too many?"

"Maybe she just has a weak stomach. Spicy strips are heavy on oil and salt and are harsh on the stomach. Kids these days are raised more delicately—can't compare to how it was back in the day."

"But apples really can taste awful—no wait, there are good ones, but apple aroma is a liar. Some smell great, but when you bite in, it's like chewing wood pulp. It's so hard to pick a good one."

"That dad's pretty progressive, but it seems like he's not really the one calling the shots."

Progressive?

Shen Dongqing glanced at the girl's father sitting in the seat ahead, who was already back on his phone. He said his piece and that was it, no follow-through, leaving Shen Dongqing feeling vaguely uneasy.

This reminded Shen Dongqing of bosses he'd had at work—the ones who only paid lip service. When you actually tried to get something done, you were on your own; they gave you nothing.

A boss like that, you could call them sneaky. But a dad who talks a good game to his daughter but never actually does anything just feels wrong.

Viewers in the livestream might think he cares about his daughter but just doesn't have the final say, but Shen Dongqing could tell the guy was just going through the motions. The mom, strict as she was, seemed to actually care more about her daughter.

That said, the daughter didn't seem all that close to her mom, and the mom, for all her wanting to be closer, seemed kind of distant too, like they hadn't spent much time together.

As for the dad, Shen Dongqing looked at him and shook his head—those two seemed even less familiar with each other.

After all, the girl would rather stick by her not-so-close mom than go near her dad.

The little girl seemed to notice Shen Dongqing staring and looked over. Seeing a handsome older guy watching her, she instinctively grabbed her mom's leg and hid, then peeked up shyly.

Shen Dongqing smiled at her, and she couldn't help smiling back, then shyly took a bite of her apple.

The woman noticed her daughter's reaction and looked over too, a bit wary, but relaxed a little when she saw Shen Dongqing.

Sure, you can't judge a book by its cover, but Shen Dongqing really didn't look like trouble, especially with a friend next to him glued to his phone—clearly college kids out having fun.

College kids—basically the definition of harmless.

"Shen-ge, what are you looking at?" Huang Xin, who'd been on his phone since getting on, finally looked up and followed Shen Dongqing's gaze, but didn't see anything off.

"Nothing." Shen Dongqing wasn't about to share his guesses out loud; it was just a hunch.

"Shen-ge, I just watched your stream clips. Think we'll run into another thief on this trip?" Huang Xin asked curiously.

He'd gone through Shen Dongqing's account earlier and found a recap of his streams, and learned Shen Dongqing had caught thieves plenty of times before. Today's pickpocketing incident was nothing compared to those.

"No." Shen Dongqing shook his head. Thieves pick their routes too. From his experience riding buses, routes with lots of stops tended to have more thieves.

This bus goes straight to Mingshan Wetland Park, so thieves wouldn't find many good targets, and with so few passengers, stealing would be way too easy to spot. Not worth the risk coming here.

The driver clearly knew this route, timing the lights perfectly and driving so smoothly you barely felt any braking.

After a while, Huang Xin finally got why Shen Dongqing took the bus—it was way smoother than driving himself. Other than the wait, there were no downsides.

Huang Xin wanted to keep scrolling but couldn't find anything interesting. He yawned, glanced at Shen Dongqing next to him, felt totally safe, and dozed off.

Shen Dongqing was quietly chatting with fans when he noticed Huang Xin had dozed off. He shook his head helplessly, tucked the phone still in Huang Xin's hand into his pocket, and went back to talking.

After chatting with fans for a bit, Shen Dongqing felt it was good practice for his social skills.

In person, his conversational skills were weaker, but behind a screen, even with his face on camera, he could chat naturally.

Fans in the stream also enjoyed chatting with Shen Dongqing. They'd watched a lot of streams and talked to all kinds of hosts, but those hosts always had an angle—either trying to please, grab attention, or force a meme—so casual chats felt more like performances than actual conversations.

Shen Dongqing, honestly, sometimes his streams were thrilling enough with plenty of buzz, but after the excitement, calm was needed. Chatting casually like an online friend felt relaxing instead.

Especially since Shen Dongqing's voice was clear and warm, pleasant to listen to.

That was also why, even without exciting content and just casual talk, the livestream's popularity didn't drop much.

...

Xiao Ze, after finishing work, opened his phone during a break and saw the livestream notification. He noticed Shen Dongqing had started streaming shortly after hanging up, with a period of particularly high popularity.

Thinking about what Shen Dongqing had streamed before, Xiao Ze clicked in and quickly found the relevant information.

Shen Dongqing had encountered a thief yet again, but this time not on a bus—it was in a bustling square.

Xiao Ze shook his head helplessly. He was both surprised and not surprised by this.

But unlike before, this thief actually managed to steal something from Shen Dongqing—a flight camera worth fifty thousand yuan.

Xiao Ze frowned slightly, but soon saw news of the thief being caught and the camera recovered.

Xiao Ze entered the livestream to check on Shen Dongqing's state and saw him resting his chin on his hand, chatting with fans, completely unaffected by the incident.

Xiao Ze watched for a while and was about to close the stream when he noticed another figure on the screen.

The person was sitting next to Shen Dongqing and seemed to know him, given how close they were.

Xiao Ze quickly identified a suspect—the passerby who had accompanied Shen Dongqing to file the report before. It seemed he was also heading to Mingshan Wetland Park with Shen Dongqing.

The bus suddenly jolted, and Huang Xin's body swayed with it, wobbling left and right before leaning right. Shen Dongqing steadied his head with one hand to keep him from falling onto him.

This jolt woke Huang Xin up. He blinked groggily, saw Shen Dongqing holding him, and instinctively muttered "Shen-ge" before his barely open eyes closed again, clearly wanting to go back to sleep.

"Don't sleep yet; we're almost there," Shen Dongqing reminded him.

"Brother Xiao, what's on your mind?" Du Wei passed by, noticed Xiao Ze's serious expression, and asked casually.

"Nothing." Xiao Ze turned off his phone, saw his own frowning reflection, clearly not pleased.

But what was he unhappy about?

Xiao Ze thought for a long time without figuring it out, and soon got a case notification, so he set the matter aside.

...

Despite the bus driver's skillful driving, Shen Dongqing barely felt any motion sickness, but stepping off the bus and back onto solid ground, he still let out a long breath.

People really feel better with their feet on the ground, Shen Dongqing concluded.

Huang Xin, on the other hand, felt no discomfort—he'd slept through the ride and got off feeling refreshed.

Spotting a snack shop nearby, Huang Xin told Shen Dongqing to wait there, dashed over, and returned with a big armful of snacks and drinks.

Shen Dongqing noticed the young woman with her daughter also coming out of the shop, carrying a small bag of snacks.

"Mom?" The little girl looked at the snacks with sparkling eyes but didn't dare ask, only looking at her mom with hesitant anticipation.

Shu Xueyu looked at the anticipation in her daughter's eyes and handed over a small pack of spicy strips.

It was one she'd carefully picked out in the shop—low in additives, mild spice, small portion, and from a reputable brand, so the quality should be somewhat reliable.

"You wanted spicy strips, but you can only have this tiny bit," Shu Xueyu said.

The little girl happily took the spicy strips, her face flushing with excitement, and after a moment looked up at Shu Xueyu and whispered, "Thank you, Mom."

"I'm your mother, there's nothing to thank me for," Shu Xueyu said, ruffling her hair. "Can you tear it open? Do you want Mommy to help?"

"I can do it." The little girl said, grabbing the bag and carefully tearing it open before eating happily.

"Every time she gets sick, you always say it's because I didn't feed her right. Now you're feeding her this junk food—if she gets sick later, don't blame me for not taking care of her." The father suddenly said snidely.

Shu Xueyu's face went cold. She wanted to argue, but seeing her daughter tense up, she took a deep breath and held back her anger.

"Zhou Ming, we're out with Niuniu. Don't make me fight with you."

Zhou Ming pursed his lips, about to say something else, when he suddenly spotted the camera hovering near Shen Dongqing and shouted, "What are you filming?" He moved like he was going to swat the camera.

But the flying camera dodged with machine-like agility, and Shen Dongqing blocked him too.

"I'm a streamer, and I'm live right now—I wasn't filming you." Unless he was catching a thief, Shen Dongqing's camera was usually pointed at himself.

"Hey, hey, don't mess around. This camera costs fifty grand—if you break it, you're paying for it," Huang Xin added.

Hearing that number, and seeing Shen Dongqing and Huang Xin's cold expressions—like they weren't to be messed with—Zhou Ming hesitated and pulled his hand back.

"Don't stream near us—who knows if you're secretly filming me," Zhou Ming said stubbornly.

Shu Xueyu frowned. She didn't think Shen Dongqing was like that, but she glanced at her daughter and stayed quiet. Her daughter was still young, and she didn't want her on camera.

Huang Xin got pissed. What did he mean, secretly filming? But just as he was about to speak, Shen Dongqing stopped him.

"Let's go somewhere else." Shen Dongqing wasn't backing down out of fear—he just didn't want to ruin the little girl's day out.

He could tell this might be one of the rare times the little girl got to go out with both her parents. She was eating her spicy strips and looking around curiously, but during his standoff with Zhou Ming, she hadn't touched her snack, watching nervously—it was kind of pitiful.

A little girl who didn't feel secure.

Huang Xin didn't get it, but he followed Shen Dongqing anyway.

After walking a bit, Huang Xin couldn't help asking. When he heard Shen Dongqing's explanation, he was stunned—he'd completely forgotten about the kid.

"She wasn't scared, was she?" Huang Xin felt guilty, trying to remember, but he'd been so focused on Zhou Ming that he couldn't recall the little girl's expression.

"It's fine, just a little tense. Now that we're gone, she'll probably be okay. Her mom will comfort her—don't worry," Shen Dongqing said.

Huang Xin let out a long breath. He needed to watch what he said around kids from now on—no being too harsh.

"I always thought streamers were cold and tough, but I didn't expect him to be so gentle with kids."

"Tough on thieves, soft with kids."

"Wait, the streamer smiled really warmly on the bus earlier—was he smiling at that kid?"

"I screenshotted it—that was the softest smile he's ever had on stream."

"I'm curious, can I see it?"

"Streamer, can you smile at me? I'm a baby under 300 months old."

Shen Dongqing saw that last comment and actually laughed, his earlier irritation completely gone. He and Huang Xin walked around the wetland park.

There were quite a few people in the park, and many had brought snacks. Luckily, the park had plenty of trash bins, visitors were well-behaved, and the cleaners did their job—there was hardly any litter on the ground.

The lotus flowers in the pond were blooming, and lots of people were boating and taking photos. Shen Dongqing thought he wouldn't be interested, but seeing the pond full of lotus blossoms, he went over to ask about renting a boat.

The fee wasn't bad, and the staff also offered costumes and makeup services. But Shen Dongqing looked at the clothes and shook his head.

The staff member was about to push him, but seeing Shen Dongqing's face, she shut her mouth. This guy was handsome—he'd shine even without fancy clothes.

The staff member turned all her unsold enthusiasm on Huang Xin, who was pretty interested. He reluctantly changed into a traditional outfit and put on a wig.

Since he'd changed clothes, he needed makeup to go with it. After the whole process, Huang Xin was a bit tired, but the makeup looked great. When Huang Xin walked out, he really looked like an ancient nobleman out for a stroll.

The viewers hadn't thought traditional clothes would look that good, so they hadn't pushed when Shen Dongqing declined. But seeing Huang Xin's transformation, and then looking at Shen Dongqing...

"Maybe the streamer should wear traditional clothes too—I want to see."

"Want to see +1"

"+2"

"+3"

...

Shen Dongqing glanced at the comments and saw fans spamming, clearly curious about him in traditional clothes.

Shen Dongqing tried to fulfill fan requests whenever possible. Seeing so many fans begging to see, he turned to ask the staff.

When she heard Shen Dongqing wanted to change outfits, the staff member got excited. But she remembered his earlier hesitation and asked quietly, "Sir, were you worried about something? Maybe we can help."

"Do you have any clothes that fewer people have worn?" Shen Dongqing asked.

The staff member suddenly got it—this handsome guy had a thing about cleanliness. She thought for a moment, remembered a particular outfit, ran into the costume area, and came back holding a set.

Compared to other loose traditional outfits, this one was rarely worn. Most traditional clothes flattered the figure, hiding flaws unless someone was really overweight. But this one was more form-fitting—any flaw in your build would show.

Most male visitors just wanted good photos and didn't have great bodies. As for female visitors, they had good figures but weren't tall enough, so they rarely wore it either. So the outfit just sat there unused.

Shen Dongqing noticed the outfit was pretty new, not like it had been worn much. He took it, went inside to change, then headed to the makeup room next door.

"Man, with looks like yours, you could be a star—you'd definitely make it big." The makeup artist studied Shen Dongqing's face and let out a sigh.

"What kind of makeup do you want?" she asked.

"Your call—I don't know much about it," Shen Dongqing said, leaving it to her.

"Alright, this outfit calls for a cool, sharp look. Just wait." The makeup artist was skilled, but working at a tourist spot, she rarely got to show it off. Meeting a genuinely handsome guy, she was eager to use all her skills.

Maybe because she'd had practice, the makeup artist worked quickly and finished in no time.

"Done. Take a look."

Shen Dongqing opened his eyes and saw a calm, sharp-edged face in the mirror—especially when he picked up the prop sword the artist had prepared, he looked like a fierce swordsman.

"Handsome guy, could I take a few photos for promotion? Just to put on the photo wall by the entrance. If you agree, your and your friend's fees are free." The staff member from outside had come in at some point, and seeing Shen Dongqing, she was stunned, only speaking after a moment.

Their business made money two ways: renting boats and renting costumes with makeup. Unfortunately, few chose the latter, so the shop didn't make much. But if they could use Shen Dongqing's look for advertising, business might pick up.

It was hot out, and many people were boating on the pond. If they could make money from costumes and makeup, life would be much easier.

Shen Dongqing thought it over and agreed, but with one condition: the photo had to include his streaming account.

That was an easy request for the staff to agree to.

Shen Dongqing walked out and found Huang Xin already on the boat splashing water playfully. He couldn't help shaking his head, wondering if Huang Xin had ever been lied to in his life, otherwise why would he act so much like a kid.

"Shen..." Huang Xin turned around and froze when he saw Shen Dongqing.

The Flying Camera had been hovering next to Huang Xin, but as soon as Shen Dongqing came out, it smartly zipped over to him.

This is what the livestream viewers saw—the camera getting closer and closer to Shen Dongqing, his handsome face drawing nearer and nearer.

"I thought I'd already gotten used to the streamer's looks, but now I realize I was wrong. It's been ages since I licked the screen—let me do it again."

"Every time I see the streamer showing off his looks, I feel like I'm watching a beauty streamer."

"You're all staring at his face, but am I the only one who noticed those legs for days? That body is way too good."

"Seeing this outfit makes me realize how bad the streamer's style is. That amazing body was completely hidden by his clothes."

"The streamer's deadpan face is cute."

"I'm already laid out, waiting for the streamer to come over."

"I'm a local from Ningchuan. I wasn't interested in Mingshan Wetland Park before, but now I kind of want to go see it."

"Same here. If I dressed up all cute, I can't even imagine how amazing the photos would be."

Everyone around was drawn to him. Even though they knew Shen Dongqing was already good-looking, seeing the effect of his ancient costume, many people crowded around to ask about the prices for renting costumes and getting makeup done.

Shen Dongqing glanced back and noticed Shu Xueyu and Zhou Ming had also arrived. Shu Xueyu was holding her daughter's hand. She looked a little taken aback when she saw Shen Dongqing, but her gaze quickly shifted to the photo wall, clearly wanting to take pictures there.

As for Zhou Ming...

Shen Dongqing frowned slightly. The other guy seemed to be put off by him—no, not by him, but by his camera.

Shen Dongqing could feel the guy's gaze keep drifting to the camera, as if he was worried about something.

Something was off!

Although he didn't sense any danger from Zhou Ming, Shen Dongqing's alarm bells were already going off. He stared intently at Zhou Ming, and when Zhou Ming met his gaze, he awkwardly took a step back, automatically avoiding his gaze.

Before the other guy could do anything else, Shen Dongqing looked away, walked over to the staff member, and posed for the photos.

Realizing what he had just done, Zhou Ming was mortified. He didn't know why, but being looked at like that by Shen Dongqing made his heart race with panic.