"Actually, I really like drinking milk too. It's good for growth," Jiang Chengcheng said, her lips twitching as she forced herself to keep the conversation going.
"Yeah, forget that brat, forget that milk. Only 'Forget-the-Brat Milk' can ease your sorrows," the smoky voice on the phone continued. "Do you smoke?"
Jiang Chengcheng shook her head.
She hated men who smoked.
What they inhaled was smoke, but what they swallowed down was bitterness and grievances. Only those without scars didn’t crave cigarettes.
The smoky voice on the phone went on, speaking leisurely.
Jiang Chengcheng felt a vein pop on her forehead.
For a young guy, why did he radiate such an old-school try-hard vibe?
"Well, you enjoy your smoking then. Good luck!"
With that, she hung up.
"Ugh! What a waste of 500 bucks! How can someone so handsome sound so cringey?!"
After calming herself, Jiang Chengcheng checked the time.
Time to go live!
---
At the school gate, Ding Renfeng exhaled a thick cloud of cigar smoke, frowning slightly with a melancholic sigh. "She hung up again!"
Beside him, Yaoji stared eagerly, eyes practically glowing. "Bro Feng, how many is that now?"
Ding Renfeng shook his head, unable to suppress the joy in his eyes despite his sigh. "No idea. Boss took my Tianxun QR Code—no clue what he did, but suddenly I’ve got over a hundred new contacts, all women."
He was living the Boss’s dream!
"Holy crap! Bro Feng, hook me up!" Yaoji’s eyes gleamed with envy.
Ding Renfeng refused righteously. "I’m the Boss’s designated after-sales specialist. This is my job and duty! If I take the money, I’ve gotta uphold my integrity."
"Bullshit!"
Yaoji rolled his eyes.
Looks like unless Ding Renfeng got a girlfriend, he had no chance of taking over.
"Where’s the Boss? Bro Feng, what do you think they’re doing?" Yaoji asked curiously.
A crowd of students waited eagerly outside.
Since the Boss hadn’t given the word, they couldn’t start selling.
Ding Renfeng puffed his cigar calmly. "What else would a man and woman do? Don’t ask about the Boss’s business."
---
"Brother Black Chicken~"
"Thank you for the tractor gift, love you! Mwah!"
Jiang Chengcheng smoothly chatted up her top donor.
This livestream was one she’d prepared carefully for.
She’d deliberately removed her makeup to show her audience the full process of a girl’s makeup routine.
For many men, makeup was still a mysterious, uncharted territory.
"Let me show you the foundation I use—this one is seriously amazing, like, next-level. Let me tell you—"
As she demonstrated her makeup application, a flood of star-studded comments suddenly filled the chat.
"No way, with all that makeup on, you looked fine. But now? Damn, this is catfishing."
"Fr, she’s ugly. Her skin’s terrible—yellow and dull!"
"Ew, what did I even follow? She’s got pimples too? Unfollowing!"
"Peace out, trash face. Wasting my time!"
The barrage of comments stunned Jiang Chengcheng.
Tears welled up, threatening to spill.
Her bare face wasn’t even bad!
Just because she wasn’t wearing makeup, they had to attack her like this?
She almost shut down the stream.
Then, Brother Black Chicken sent a question:
"Big Orange, what’s that mud on your desk for?"
Jiang Chengcheng swallowed her tears and quickly picked up the jade-colored jar she’d tossed aside earlier.
"This… this is Jade Beauty Cream. I bought it at the school gate. It’s supposed to be good for skincare—you apply it on your face."
"No way, you’re putting that gross stuff on your face?"
"Hardcore! Love it, switching to a new persona?"
"Ugly-girl-gone-wild is a vibe. Go full comedy from now on."
The chat grew livelier.
Because Jiang Chengcheng was live-demoing her makeup, the algorithm started pushing her stream to beauty-related audiences, bringing in more female viewers.
Soon, the chat became a battlefield between men and women.
"Y’all incels ever seen a real woman before? If your girlfriends looked like this bare-faced, you’d be dreaming!"
"Pfft. Bros, let’s raid this fatty above! She’s from Zhanhe County—let’s dox her!"
"Drop dead, trash men. Who’s your ‘bro’? Take your hand outta your pants and stand up straight before talking to me!"
"Big talk behind a screen, huh? Say it to my face!"
The chat drowned in a sea of asterisks.
Jiang Chengcheng was at a loss.
"Big Orange, have you actually used this stuff?" Brother Black Chicken asked again.
Jiang Chengcheng froze.
No way would she smear this on her face.
Her looks were her livelihood!
"If someone sends me a rocket, I’ll put it on my face," she joked.
On DouShou Live, a "rocket" cost 1,000 yuan—no small amount. She’d rarely seen them.
Then, Brother Black Chicken fired one off—a dazzling explosion of effects across her screen.
Another followed.
Whoosh—rockets streaked through her livestream nonstop.
Jiang Chengcheng gaped. Four people had sent rockets at once!
"Four already! Quit stalling—put it on!"
"Yeah, what’s the worry? Your bare face ain’t winning awards anyway. If it ruins your skin, just wear more makeup!"
"Um, sis, sorry in advance… but I’m dying to know if this stuff works. You won’t hate me, right?"
Jiang Chengcheng was trapped.
Her hand trembled as she held the Jade Beauty Cream.
Was she really going to do this?
But with thousands watching—her viewer count had skyrocketed to 8,000—she had no choice.
Her reputation was already taking hits for going bare-faced. If she backed out now, her influencer career would be over.
"Alright, I’ll try it. Don’t laugh, okay?"
Pale-faced, she unscrewed the jar with shaky hands.
The chat erupted.
"Look, she’s actually using that mud! That color looks toxic."
"LMAO, I’m invested now."
Jiang Chengcheng reassured herself—when she bought it, they said it was skincare. How bad could it be?
Probably wouldn’t ruin her face… probably.
She dipped her fingers in and began spreading the cream, working it across her cheeks.
"See? I’m really doing it."
Her heart pounded, but she forced a smile.
The "mud" wasn’t just an ugly color—it had a faint stench too.
Worst of all was the texture—sticky, gloopy, stretching into strings between her fingers like sludge!
Terrified but putting on a brave face, she kept engaging with her audience.
Thanks to this bizarre "mask," her livestream hit 30,000 viewers—an all-time high.
After a few minutes, she touched her face.
"It’s dried now. Time to take it off—let’s see the results."
Holding her breath, she peeled off the hardened mask.
The moment her face was revealed, the entire stream exploded.