Chapter 178

Big…… host hello.

Her voice gentle, appearance gorgeous, just sitting there made people unable to look away, a pair of peach-blossom eyes full of charm, even somewhat frivolous.

The netizens who had guessed she was a cute little sister were all stunned, laughing to death—aside from the gender matching, everything else was wrong.

The background behind her looked extraordinarily luxurious; even though she herself was rather plain and wore no jewelry, it still made her seem radiant.

【The inquirer, Miss, is so pretty!】

【Add one!】

【Miss, what are you consulting about? Bring over my little stool 【squat squat squat】】

The woman's eyes flickered slightly, her affectionate, charming peach-blossom eyes showing a hint of helplessness, then she reacted: 'Wangcai, come over.'

As her voice fell, a half‑person‑tall light‑yellow countryside dog walked over, wagging its head and tail; one glance at its fur and eyes showed it was not young.

I'm Mama's little treasure hugged the dog into her arms; at this moment on the screen, many people began to guess what Miss wanted to consult.

But many more were guessing her wealth; after all, a glance at the furnishings behind her left the netizens with only one thought: 'So expensive, so expensive!'

Even industry insiders recognized that the cabinets and such behind her were all precious Thus Item: Yellow flower pear wood.

On the screen filled with discussion, probably only Ling Yue could stay calm; her gaze swept deeply over the girl's appearance, her brow unconsciously tightening slightly—such a physiognomy…

The girl's family was poor, her love life thin; she herself actually had no great luck, the only outstanding thing being her indirect wealth—but—

Ling Yue pondered for a moment, but still said nothing.

On the contrary, the girl kept chattering about her story with the dog, saying Wangcai was a puppy her mother brought back when she was in junior high, accompanying her since childhood, and now fourteen years old.

A group of netizens were dazzled by her sweet smile, many echoing her, completely forgetting the purpose of this livestream, as someone timidly reminded in two sentences——

【Sisters, we didn't come to watch the host consult, did we? Aren't we going off‑topic?】

【To be honest, I also think……】

【……but, what's consulting compared to the Miss being pretty? Besides, she's not introducing her dog's story now? Let the host learn more!】

【Sniff sniff sniff, Miss is really good‑looking, rich and beautiful 【sniff】【sniff】】

The person who spoke earlier suddenly fell silent; she realized this bunch were all big perverts, big appearance‑obsessed fans, seeing a pretty Miss, they just wanted to stall for time.

But some, like this netizen, began to suspect.

【Uh…… isn't the inquirer too leisurely? Being picked by the host surely means she has something going on, why is she so idle?】

【I don't know, host come ask, I've already started looking forward!】

Ling Yue shared this thought; she gave a light cough, interrupting the girl's words, and under the latter's guilty gaze asked, 'May I ask what you wish to consult?'

The dog Wangcai in her arms suddenly heard the sound, instantly opening its eyes alertly, limbs tensing, one leg seeming weak.

If Ling Yue hadn't observed carefully, she might not have noticed.

Old dog Wangcai: 'Who, who's speaking? Don't think you can bully my master again!'

That sentence made Ling Yue instantly suspicious; looking again at 'I'm Mama's little treasure', the latter's eyes pleaded: 'Host.'

Ling Yue didn't know how to describe her feeling: 'Please speak.'

'I want to have my fortune told; I'm not here to consult about the dog, sorry, I know you have other abilities—could you help me cast a hexagram? I have money, I have lots and lots of money!'

'Master, please help me!' At this point everyone realized that her earlier greeting was actually her almost saying 'master.'

She said this, and tears streamed down uncontrollably.

On the other side of the screen, those who heard this were stunned; this was probably the first inquirer to do so.

【Umm…… I don't remember wrong, our host is a pet‑consulting livestream, right? Sisters, what are you thinking?】

【I almost forgot, our host does have other abilities, but why would the host help you? Miss, being pretty doesn't justify moral blackmail.】

【Or, host, could you take a look for her?】

【Miss looking like that seems so pitiful; fortune‑telling probably isn't a big deal, right?】

Ling Yue frowned tightly, then glanced at the girl: 'Sorry, possibly——'

Before the refusal could leave her lips, a thud came from the screen; the plain‑clothed girl knelt directly: 'Host, I beg you, let me kowtow! Have me do anything you want, host, please… please…'

This act made Ling Yue dislike her even more; she was never someone who could be threatened, whether by real threats or veiled moral blackmail, and besides, her own standing was improper.

Ling Yue gave a cold laugh: 'But I look at your physiognomy—is that money really yours?'

【What does that mean?】

【Ah this, is my IQ not enough? Why can't I understand a single word the host says!】

【I seem to have guessed a little, but…… my goddess filter ah ah ah! 【pain】【frantic】】

Ling Yue tapped the tabletop, already too lazy to continue; she merely spared the woman a modicum of face by not exposing it outright.

But she never expected that, after being stunned, 'I'm Mama's little treasure' would be overjoyed.

She didn't even bother to wipe her tears: 'Master, you knew all along?'

'I know I was wrong, but my mother is innocent; Master, you needn't consider me—I'm willing to pay any price, bear any consequence myself—but my mother can't, she's still so young, because of me she's never enjoyed any blessing.'

'Master! Master I beg you! Please save her!'

Ling Yue startled—did she also know? Did she also understand? Just now it was only a simple physiognomy reading; Ling Yue sat upright, pursed her lips, then said: 'Raise your head and look at the screen.'

The woman instantly overjoyed, hastily wiped her tears, daring not to say another word.

At this moment in the livestream, countless people were stunned by this sudden development, not understanding why Ling Yue would act this way, while another group kept guessing the woman's identity.

【What exactly does she do? Why would the host say that?】

【Holy cow, but is the Miss's wealth possibly ill‑gotten? Otherwise the host wouldn't have acted that way before.】

【Hehehe, frankly, she's so pretty and rich—she must be a kept mistress!】

【!!! What lecherous guy upstairs, get out!】

After such speculation was voiced, many people's first reaction was to rebuttal, mainly because the comment was truly disgusting—'pretty and rich, must be a mistress!'

Can't a girl earn money honestly through her own efforts?!

Many people immediately cursed back, while others were more in agreement; the screen was filled with a bloody uproar, the noise never ceasing.

Ling Yue paid it no heed; she looked at the woman's face, then let out a soft sigh, and immediately after, she saw everything of the woman's past.

That was a dim shantytown where most residents were poor lower-class; teenage girls in faded uniforms walked home with heads bowed, almost hunchbacked, amidst barely perceptible scrutiny.

"This must be Old Zhou's daughter, right? She's grown up, isn't she? So tall!"

"Hehehe, how could that be? She's just the child his wife brought along, only twelve or thirteen; I hear she's pretty decent-looking, it's just that the clothes are too small."

"Look at her figure—she doesn't look twelve or thirteen at all, does she?"

"Old Zhou's really lucky—it's like a buy-one-get-one-free deal."

Those lewd, disgusting remarks flooded her mind all at once, and the girl involuntarily quickened her pace, like a bird hurrying back to its nest.

"Mom?" she said in a low, soft voice, timid to the point of being almost servile; the silent room gave no reply, until she heard a heavy breathing.

She instinctively ran toward the room, but someone grabbed her from behind by the back; an overwhelming stench of alcohol, like fermented mud, filled her lungs: "Let go of me! Let go of me!"

Her voice was sharp and piercing, like a drawn saber; to the drunken man's ears it sounded more like a wild coquettish whine, while his lecherous, greedy gaze lingered on her, as if wanting to burn holes all over her body.

"Dad! Dad, don't do this, Dad, let me go……"

The man's rough large hand clenched her jaw tightly; seeing her face full of fear with tears streaming, he couldn't help but laugh heartily: "What dad? Who's your dad?"

"You're just the oil bottle your mother brought along—if I hadn't been supporting you two, you'd both be dead already!"

"Watching you grow day by day makes me itch uncontrollably… this skin is so tender……"

He said that, then grabbed her and hauled her into the room; the thin wooden door shut with a bang.

"Help! Help!"

"What are you shouting for? From now on you'll call me husband, just like your mother does!"

All her resistance, against a man who'd done hard labor for years, was like a kitten's playful whine; in the dimly flickering room, the girl's desperate, tear-filled gaze fell on his back, her mouth covered, she could make no sound.

A pair of large, watery eyes had never before been opened so wide, as round as they were now.

Crystal-clear tears condensed on her eyes.

Suddenly she screamed: "Mom! Mom, save me!"

The drunken lecher gave a lascivious grin, about to say something more, when—bang! —the woman wielding a flat pan struck him hard on the back of the head, over and over, until he showed no further movement.

The man's convulsing body lay atop her; the girl felt as if she had died once, as drops of foul-smelling blood fell on her, and the next moment the hulking man was lifted off her like a mountain.

The woman carrying the scent of soapberry held her tightly: "Ling Ling, Ling Ling, are you all right? Ling Ling, where did he touch you, did he……"

"Mom……"

She burst into loud sobs, burying herself in her mother's embrace; after she realized what had happened, her first words were: "Mom, it was me, I killed him."

She had only this one relative left, and upon hearing those words, her mother burst into tears like rain.

"I was wrong! I was wrong!" She shouldn't have sought such a man just for reputation; the only consolation was that she and he were merely partners in living together, and her precious daughter had not truly been insulted by that scoundrel.

In the dim light of the room, only her whitening temples could be seen, and the girl's face, eighty percent like hers, was blown by wind and frost, leaving only traces of aging, yet one could still see how beautiful she had been in her youth.

The mother and daughter, trembling with fear, repeatedly confirmed the girl was unharmed, then she called the police; the incident spread like wildfire through the small county, rumors flying everywhere, but fortunately many more people stood on their side.

The man didn't die either, but fell into a coma; because of various pieces of evidence, they were ultimately acquitted and released.

But even this small county was no longer a place they could stay.

She was anxious and uneasy, not knowing where the road ahead lay, yet she never imagined her mother would directly bring her to the big city.

They dared not live under bridges, dare not go to parks, and avoided any places where vagrants gathered.

Her mother began taking her to pick through trash and sell scrap; a bottle fetched five cents, those were the hardest days of her memory, yet compared to before, she would rather live this way.

Later, thanks to bit-by-bit savings, her mother opened a small food stall, sent her to school, life improved day by day, she grew ever more beautiful; countless admirers from childhood to adulthood were all rejected by her, for she only wanted to stay with her mother.

Mother was mixing batter when the girl came home from school; in their cramped rented apartment, she hugged her from behind: "Mom, Mom, the teacher praised me, saying I have a chance to get into a good university; when I start working, I'll buy a big house and live with you!"

Saying that, she rubbed her cheek against her mother's.

"Silly girl, don't rub, don't rub, don't hinder my work—hurry up and do your homework!"

"I've already finished my homework; I'll help you work!"

She skillfully picked vegetables and strung them; under the warm yellow glow of the incandescent lamp, the mother and daughter's shadows fell on the floor, one standing, one sitting, especially harmonious.

Thus it continued until the college entrance exam ended; she received the long-awaited admission notice, happily hugged her mother, and chattered on about her plans.

"What graduation trip? Mom, I'll go with you to buy fried skewers and sell pancakes; I've already made the plan—you take the east side, I'll take the west, we'll sell separately, and I'm sure I'll outsell you!"

"Silly girl." As she wiped her apron, she suddenly stalled, a hint of pain surfacing in her eyes, her breath even becoming sluggish.

The enthusiastic girl didn't notice, nor did she know, that to support her, her mother worked almost day and night, laboring, even selling blood.

Their days kept getting better, but the mother's health kept deteriorating.

Finally one day, she collapsed right beside the food stall; upon hearing the news, it felt as if she heard a boom and the sky had collapsed.

The doctor sighed and told her: "It's cancer, discovered too late; you need immediate surgery, followed by chemotherapy and various treatments……"

He looked at the girl with pity, spoke a number that sounded to her like a distant voice from another world.

She handed over most of the loose change in her pocket, the family's bank card, and years of savings.

At that moment, her mother stroked her head and said: "I always knew my daughter would make it to college; this is the saved money for your tuition and living expenses."

"My daughter is truly amazing."

"Patient's family? Patient's family?"

In an instant she snapped to: "Here! Take it all! Doctor, you must save my mom, I beg you! I'll definitely get the money!"

As she ran out, passing the ward, in the dripping ward she saw her mother deathly pale, lying on the bed without a trace of color.

Her heart clenched repeatedly; Mom, don't abandon me, don't abandon me……:,,