Chapter 169

The girl quickly reacted, red blood threads in her eyes: "I want to find the carrot."

She said, pulling out a photo showing her hugging two small animals on either side—a calico cat and a white lop-eared rabbit, snuggling affectionately in her arms, her face lit with a big smile, behind her a pink peach blossom forest, fragrant and varied in depth.

Now the viewers in the live chat got excited—this photo, isn't it exactly the artwork of the artist they follow, Pianpian? As earlier viewers mentioned, the carrot series and the kitten series are both her pets, spawning merchandise like bookmarks and tape, making her a well-known IP.

Mainly because her two little pets are just too meme-worthy; they started in the serial comic of Big Eyes, later published, even adapted into comics and animation.

She sold many copyrights.

Thus, Pianpian can also be considered somewhat famous.

As for the two little animals, they each gained a fanbase due to their respective traits.

Her carrot is a social butterfly rabbit, social skills maxed out—even when going to the pet hospital for a check-up, she can gather a bunch of little followers.

On the other hand, the calico cat Mimi follows the rabbit boss in a silly way, occasionally doing something foolish that makes people burst out laughing.

So many fans, hearing that the carrot went missing, were deeply worried—

【The carrot actually got lost?!】

【What I feared most has happened—Pianpian's carrot is so mischievous, don't let anyone snatch it away.】

【Hehehe, Pianpian's carrot is so fat; if someone made it into a hot pot stew……that would be too fragrant!】

【For a moment I couldn't tell whether the upstairs was joking or just naturally disgusting, but anyone who's followed Pianpian's comics knows the carrot and Mimi have always been with her, from her quitting her job to full-time creation; to Pianpian, they're family!】

【Good heavens, why are there such vicious people? The carrot will surely be found—Pianpian, don't be sad.】

Aside from a few nasty comments, most were comforting, yet once people fall into panic, they instinctively amplify those dark thoughts.

Pianpian stared at the speculations, her mind even more tangled, and she finally couldn't help but burst into tears, sobbing: "I also hope the carrot can be found."

"The carrot has been with me for years; though it's mischievous, it's never left my side. When I get home, I always put it in its cage, but the day before yesterday I came home and found the cage open—it was gone, so I rushed to look for it."

Now, recalling the chaotic scene back then, she still can't describe it, only remembering that moment—her mind felt like it was about to explode, and she felt like she'd gone crazy.

Her head was full of the carrot; she searched for two days, even went to the police, but an ordinary lop-eared rabbit doesn't meet the threshold for a case, and her parents urged her, "What's a rabbit? If a livestock animal is lost, it's lost."

They'll never know what the carrot truly means to Pianpian.

Ling Yue listened to her weeping, brows knotted tight, then suddenly recalled: "You said besides the carrot, you also have a calico cat? From the incident's start until now, has it stayed beside the carrot?"

Pianpian, eyes red, shook her head: "I don't know."

"Because the carrot is mischievous, I kept it at home, and……" She seemed to think of something, paused, skipped the topic, and continued: "My little Mimi isn't caged; she's free-range, but I can guarantee she's always been at home!"

Hearing this, Ling Yue felt assured and said: "Can you now take me to see Mimi?"

Upon hearing that, Pianpian's eyes lit up, and the live chat viewers also got excited.

【I get it—the streamer wants to ask Mimi if it's okay? Pianpian insists the carrot was lost at home, Mimi's always been there, so she'd surely know what happened then!】

【Wuwuwu this is great—Pianpian, don't worry, the streamer will surely get the answer from her】

, luckily the streamer can talk to animals; otherwise the carrot would surely stay missing!】

【Great, Pianpian go find Mimi quickly—the carrot surely has a lead!】

Pianpian excitedly stood up, clenched her fists, no longer the sorrow from before, she looked at the camera urgently: "Streamer, I'm going right now!"

At that moment, everyone realized how tiny this room was—when Pianpian sat they didn't notice, but when she stood up her head was almost touching the ceiling, oh no, to be precise, the concrete slab.

This room doesn't even have a dropped ceiling!

The viewers were practically popping their eyes out, constantly asking her.

【Pianpian, I remember you sold several copyrights and even got an animation adaptation—how can your place be so shabby?】

【Heavens, can this place even be lived in? Pianpian, don't wrong yourself—are you renting this place? It's even smaller than our storage room!】

【Wrong, I followed Pianpian's Big Eyes account—you aren't you living in a big house in Yunnan with a little garden? Where is this?】

Pianpian looked at the comments, fell silent.

In the end, her longtime die‑hard fan put it plainly: 【I know, it's Pianpian's family! Pianpian said before she'd go home for a while to handle some matters.】

【But these conditions are just too poor!】

Many viewers didn't understand, even started arguing, while the person herself, Pianpian, stayed silent.

She serializes short comics online, sharing warm little stories; in her pen, even a roadside flower or a drifting cloud in the sky become vivid and warm. Yet who would know what kind of family she was born into?

Thinking of this, Pianpian almost couldn't catch her breath.

She stared at the empty, low ceiling and said something hard to imagine: From childhood to now, she's always lived in this storage‑room‑turned‑room, and this return is also because her family needs money.

Pianpian forced a smile: "Everyone, let's not talk about this—I'll first go find Mimi and ask where the carrot is."

As she stepped out of the room, she smelled a strong sesame aroma; a woman in a flower‑patterned apron came out of the kitchen, carefully holding a basin of bright red meat dish: "Honey, son, time to eat!"

Pianpian couldn't tell what it was, only knowing that when the woman saw her, she jerked back half a step, the smile on her face vanished instantly, and she gave Pianpian a fierce glare: "You dead girl, how dare you come out without a word? You scared me!"

Pianpian had no reaction, as if she'd grown used to it; she looked into the woman's eyes and felt no warmth at all.

On the contrary, the little boy at the table, about twelve or thirteen, grinned at her: "Today's food smells great, shame you can't have it, Mom, I want meat, don't let her eat! Hehehe!"

He said, making a face at Pianpian, a big kid—exactly the age when cats dislike dogs—and Mom even echoed: "Pianpian, this meat I made especially for your little brother; you can't eat it, your brother's health is weak, he needs it to grow strong."

This formed a stark contrast to her just now harsh treatment of Pianpian.

At once, the viewers hearing this were about to explode with anger.

【What the hell kind of people are these?! I finally get why Pianpian doesn't speak—she's landed with this family, just terrible luck for eight lifetimes!】

【I'm like a little knife scraping my butt, eyes opened—what the hell are these people, so biased!】

【Good heavens, good heavens, good heavens, look at his height and build—his thighs are thicker than Pianpian's! This counts as weak? You'd better hurry and donate those eyes!】

【Don't mind him, Pianpian—a bear‑spawned brat from a bear‑parent, later you'll get what's coming to you!】

Pianpian said nothing, silently holding her phone, searching the room; finally, in the living room's display shelf she found the cat, and the camera captured the calico cat.

Seeing it, Pianpian's fans were shocked—this is the original of the kitten series, that silly little Mimi.

But now it's abnormally curled into a fluffy little ball, trembling, as if frightened.

Pianpian's heart jumped; seeing the bundle of jasmine lilies inserted in the shelf beside it, her face turned paper‑white, her voice slightly distorted: "Cats can't touch jasmine lilies—who put those here? It'll die."

People who keep cats all know that fragrant lily and the vast majority of ornamental plants cause irreversible harm to cats, so since she got a cat, her home has had nothing but cat grass and no other plants.

Mom jumped in fright: "You're going to die, what's one beast? Just die!"

Pianpian walked over in just a couple of steps; the mud figurine still had a bit of spirit, and moreover, she could leave the family and go out, naturally having her own backbone.

This time, they really hit her bottom line; Pianpian clenched her fists, angrily staring at them: "What beast? This is my cat, I treat it like family—how can you compare it to that?"

She directly picked up Little Kitty, then spoke of the lop-eared rabbit Carrot: "Once I find Carrot, I'll leave immediately and never set foot here again!"

She spoke with such conviction that the family at the dining table fell silent, stared at her in shock, and then reacted with a mix of surprise and anger.

Dad even more directly shouted: "Your wings are hardened, you can earn money, and you dare say that? I should have just thrown you into the river to drown!"

Pianpian gave a bitter laugh; if she could, she would rather not have been born!

She was utterly disappointed, no longer wanting to talk to these people, after comforting the frightened Little Kitty, she asked Ling Yue: "Host, Little Kitty is here; can you ask it where Carrot is?"

She didn't notice while speaking; upon hearing those words, Little Kitty's pupils dilated sharply, obviously it had witnessed some terrifying scene. The fluffy ball trembled with fear, this already being a mild stress reaction.

Ling Yue furrowed her brows, before she could speak, she heard the cat softly whimper: "Scared… Little Kitty is so scared… don't touch me… don't touch Little Kitty!"

That taut string snapped completely.

Little Kitty suddenly flashed its claws; by the time Ling Yue noticed, it had already let out a shrill howl, one claw raking Pianpian's arm, drawing blood on the spot.

It itself jumped onto the wardrobe in fear: "Don't ask me, don't ask me, Carrot died! Carrot died!"

The frightened cat panted, its tail swaying, even laying its ears back like airplane wings, its big eyes staring all around, indicating it had fallen into full alertness.

A pair of wide-open cat eyes stared fixedly at the dining table.

On the other end of the screen, Ling Yue heard this and was completely stunned.

The livestream's netizens jumped in fright, and then, due to the sudden situation, became even more anxious.

【What on earth is happening? Host, say something!】

【Why is Little Kitty like this? Seeing it scared me, it seems to be having a stress reaction!】

【Good heavens, it couldn't be Carrot… ptoo ptoo ptoo, no taboos, no taboos! Definitely not!】

【Host? Host? What exactly did Little Kitty say?! How did it get so scared?!】

Pianpian was even more so; for some reason, she suddenly had an ominous premonition, desperately trying to reassure herself: "No way, impossible, Carrot is so smart and adorable."

After a moment, she covered her wound and hoarsely asked Ling Yue: "Did Little Kitty say anything? Where is Carrot?"

"I will definitely find Carrot, even if I have to lose everything I won't hesitate; if I can't find Carrot, I will absolutely not give up!"

She muttered, and her parents, hearing her words, instantly changed expression: "What Carrot? It's just a rabbit! It ran away ages ago—why are you looking for it?"

Pianpian suddenly turned her head, her sharp gaze like a honed dagger: "Is it you guys?"

Pianpian had always harbored suspicions, just keeping them buried in her mind: "Could it be them? Did they take her Carrot?"

Pianpian knew her parents didn't like her keeping pets.

Well, they just call them beasts with every word; if it weren't for them deceiving her, Mother fell ill, she wouldn't even come back.

At this moment, Pianpian stared dead‑eyed at Xiao Pangzi, her expression grim; no matter how arrogant and domineering he was, he was only a teenager, and he let out a terrified yelp, hiding behind his mom, crying out: 'Mom, Mom she scared me! Beat her to death!'

The woman shouted angrily on the spot: 'You little brat, do you want to die? Your brother is so young, what could he possibly know?'

Suddenly, she changed the subject, pushing the freshly fried fragrant meat dish forward: 'Come over, sit down.'

Pianpian looked at her doubtfully, motionless.

Mom knows she owes you, but you also need to understand her difficulties; she's doing this for your own good—you only have this one younger brother, and when you grow old and run into anything, you'll have to rely entirely on him.

Xiao Pangzi heard this, wrinkled his nose in disgust and said: 'Who would help her? Let someone beat her to death!'

Pianpian said nothing; hearing this, the online viewers outright scoffed—if someone else had said it, they might have agreed a little.

But given this family situation and Xiao Pangzi's attitude, is it really the younger brother helping her? Or is she helping the younger brother?

【This Xiao Pangzi is no good at all—don't believe her nonsense!】

【Wow, Pianpian, listen up—Xiao Pangzi is definitely not reliable!】

The mother who was brainwashing didn't realize her every move was being livestreamed; as she spoke, she suddenly picked up a chopstick of meat and put it in the bowl. Seeing this, Xiao Pangzi immediately objected, wailing: 'This is my meat! Mine!'

Mom slapped him, then looked at her daughter: 'Pianpian, eat the meat.'

Pianpian froze, not knowing what she was about to do, when suddenly Ling Yue's voice came: 'Don't eat.'

In fact, Ling Yue was also hesitant; she looked at the screen, the room was clearly warm, yet a chill seemed to wrap around her legs.

Bone‑deep cold.

Ling Yue didn't want to think too badly of it, her fingernails tapping the table one by one, but her heart sank straight down: 'The carrot you're looking for should be right here.'

Pianpian was greatly surprised, and she looked at her parents even more suspiciously; her thought coincided with the online viewers'—the parents wanted to use the carrot as leverage to make her spend money.

She began to hesitate.

At the same time, the mother who heard the voice jumped: 'What sound?'

Pianpian: 'I'm on the phone with a friend—did you hide the carrot? Don't you know how important the carrot is to me?'

Her question made both of their faces instantly darken; the mother glared at her reproachfully: 'What carrot? You treat a beast as your father or mother—do you still have any regard for me and your father?'

Pianpian let out a derisive chuckle; her firm attitude left them utterly helpless.

At that moment, the brother beside her laughed: 'She definitely has no regard for Mom and Dad—she's just a white‑eyed wolf. I heard from my classmates she draws comics and makes money, even bought a big house and put out an animation, she's filthy rich!'

The brother felt extremely wronged; hearing this, the mother grew even more furious, panting as she glared at her.

He added fuel to the fire: 'I don't even dare tell my classmates she's my sister—I ask for anything and she won't give it to me! Plus those two rabbits and cat, they've got loads of fans online!'

'I'm still her biological brother—what has she given me? Selfish jerk! White‑eyed wolf!'

This truly is shameless; he never mentions the shameful things he's done, and since birth he's never treated Pianpian as a sister.

For a long time before she left home, she was nothing more than the other side's servant, summoned at will and ordered around.

She came to herself, coldly staring at them, and asked over and over: 'Where is the carrot? Where on earth is the carrot?!'

'You're not after my money, are you? Fine—give me the carrot, or I'll immediately make a will, donating all my money to poor children, and you won't get a cent!'

She knows well how to strike a snake at its vital point.

At that point, she grabs people's soft ribs and in one bite lays bare their hidden thoughts.

Sure enough, the mother's face instantly drained of color; she stared at her in shock, as if seeing her for the first time, trembling with anger: "What nonsense are you spouting? What donated? What did you donate?!"

After she screamed out her frustration, the door was violently kicked shut, a rough voice coming through the security door: "What's all the noise? Let people rest!"

The mother was like a balloon inflated to the limit, pricked by a needle tip, bursting apart, yet instantly deflated.

She slumped into a seat, beginning to play the affection card: "Be good, eat your meal first; we'll talk after you finish."

Be good.

Suddenly hearing that nickname, Pianpian felt a bit dazed; she instinctively sat down, meeting her brother's resentful gaze—when had she ever received even a moment of parental favoritism?

Suddenly, a bowl was pushed toward her by her mother, containing several pieces of meat, red and glistening with oil, but she had no appetite, and the wound on her arm rendered her completely unable to move.

Pianpian: "Where is my carrot?"

Her brother suddenly snatched it away, grinning at her, his eyes full of malice barely concealed: "The carrot is right in front of you!"

He took a bite of the meat: "The carrot is also in my mouth." Recently, encoding has been severe, giving us more motivation, updating faster; please trouble yourself to turn off the mode with a small gesture. Thanks:,,.