Chapter 229

"Dad?"

Ling Yue couldn't help but exclaim in surprise; not to mention her, the netizens watching the live stream felt dazed and confused.

【Dad? What dad? What does the streamer mean? Could it be…… the seagull is the older sister's dad? Hahaha, don't joke!】

【Streamer, quickly translate its words, I'm about to die of anxiety 【scratching ears and cheeks】】

Even if the netizens often watch the livestream and have experienced all kinds of bizarre events, they couldn't guess the truth for a moment, but they knew one thing——

【The streamer will definitely think of a way!】

【The streamer will surely find the truth! 【peaceful】】

Suddenly, Ling Yue, who had high hopes placed on her: ……

She furrowed her brows, thought for a few seconds, then lifted her gaze to the seagull and suddenly said: "The seagull just said it's the dad of You Su Huo Shao."

In an instant, the comments on the live stream screen piled up, stagnating for a few seconds; after a while, all kinds of speculation and gossip ran rampant.

The vast majority showed intense curiosity; even the inquirer, shocked, covered their mouth and immediately denied: "But I have a dad! My dad is still alive and well!"

Then what's going on?

To be frank, when Ling Yue first heard the seagull speak, her initial reaction was like that time with Grandpa Ye Xiu Lan—wondering if a human soul resided in the seagull's body; but after careful examination, she finally confirmed it was indeed a real seagull.

Unlike the other seagulls circling nearby, this seagull had a snarky mouth yet was very smart; just looking at its size, it was noticeably larger than its peers, and checking its panel, it was already twenty years old!

You know, a seagull's lifespan is normally only twenty-four years; it's already considered elderly, so why would it pick on a little girl?

Ling Yue couldn't figure it out, so she stopped trying; the seagull was still here, right? She directly asked: "She has a dad, so why do you claim to be her dad?"

The seagull wearing a little heart tilted its head, immediately looked at the inquirer, and with an old‑fashioned air said: "Who said humans can only have two dads?"

"You human kid, your memory is really terrible!"

Regarding the inquirer, the seagull immediately expressed condemnation, slowly telling Ling Yue: "Eighteen years ago, when she was just a tiny little kid, she came to the seaside and paid homage to me as her dad!"

The seagull proudly spread its wings and said wistfully: "I guess I'm her godfather; she even kowtowed to me—how could her memory be so bad that she forgot?"

It seemed to have solved a big mystery: "I said why she's so afraid of me—turns out she forgot, even forgetting her dad; she's really ungrateful!"

It flapped its wings in accusation, while another seagull circling nearby landed far off to the side and nodded: "I can testify to this! Our boss waits here every year for this human girl to come!"

Another seagull flattered: "Our boss truly lives up to being the boss!"

In our seagull flock, only the boss has a goddaughter.

Hearing this, Ling Yue already had some insight.

She translated it faithfully; the little question marks on the inquirer's head were like tiny mushrooms popping up one after another.

You Su Huo Shao miss: "What? My godfather?!"

She looked devastated, while her friend Dai Lin Na, seeing the translation, almost had her eyes pop out, speaking in broken Chinese: "Dear An Ni, you've taken a seagull as a godfather?! Oh, maybe it could be a godmother."

In foreign countries, there is also a custom of adopting godparents, and they usually hold solemn ceremonies; they are typically called godfather and godmother.

You Su Huo Shao shook her head like a rattle drum: "No, no, no, Dai Lin Na, there must be some misunderstanding here! Why don't I know anything about it? I have no memory whatsoever!" She said, pounding her head, making sure again: "I've never had amnesia!"

She said firmly, asking her friend Dai Lin Na for help: "Lend me your phone, I want to call my dad!"

As a friend who grew up together, Dai Lin Na naturally wouldn't refuse her, readily pulling out her phone.

In the live stream, the netizens who heard the translation were like a drop of cold water splashing into a boiling oil pot—they all exploded!

【Holy crap, what kind of operation is this? Recognizing a bird as a godfather—what kind of human does this?!】

【Surely she got it wrong; the miss herself said she has no impression!】

【To be frank, I also have a godfather and godmother, but mine are both people!】

【Um, I think I know a little bit……】

【??? Upstairs, what nonsense are you spouting!】

Ling Yue didn't pay much attention to the chat in the live stream; her gaze fell on You Su Huo Shao, and the sweet‑looking girl had hardly hung up when the video call was already connected.

To everyone's surprise, the video showed the father with a big belly, wearing a chef's hat; at first he was a bit surprised, then he looked kindly at his daughter and said: "Daughter? What's wrong?"

You Su Huo Shao now just wants to know exactly what's going on!

She directly recounted what had just happened, turned the camera to frame herself together with the seagull wearing a little heart, and then asked in disbelief: "Dad, explain clearly—do you know it or not? Why does it say it's my godfather?"

"I don't have a godfather!" she exclaimed, tugging at her hair in frustration: "How could I possibly recognize a bird as my godfather?!"

"Big Red Heart!"

No one expected that, upon seeing the seagull, the big‑bellied father would become unprecedentedly excited, his face flushing as he loudly called the seagull's name.

The confident You Su Huo Shao's face stiffened—what?

The seagull wearing a little heart flapped its wings; You Su Huo Shao made a perfect appearance, staggering as she steadied herself, and saw the big seagull nuzzle up to the camera, crying out happily: "My old buddy! How'd you get so fat?!"

The father on the other end of the video shook the screen with his excitement; despite the man and seagull speaking different languages, it in no way hindered their emotional exchange.

The inquirer's father kept explaining: "……This year I was temporarily transferred back home and didn't have time to come with An Ni to find you, Big Red Heart—please don't be angry; when I go abroad I'll look you up to catch up, bringing your favorite things!"

They communicated as if no one else were around; the inquirer looked bewildered, and in the live stream there were still over a hundred million people just as bewildered as she.

You Su Huo Shao was completely at a loss, she hesitantly and tremblingly asked: "Dad?"

The father finally noticed her and said: "An Ni, why are you just standing there? Hurry up and pay New Year's respects to your godfather—your godfather is what will keep you safe and sound as you grow up!"

You Su Huo Shao, that is An Ni, her mind hadn't reacted yet, but her body, triggered by the keyword, knelt down proficiently; under the gaze of countless people in the live stream and on the beach, she dropped to both knees and bowed three times toward the seagull.

The only thing she was grateful for was that the ground was soft, so it didn't make a loud thumping sound.

But once the whole process was over, she was completely dazed, feeling both ashamed and indignant. Even covering her mouth, her hoarse voice would still come out: "Dad, why didn't you tell me sooner?!"

She was so proficient because her father had been bringing her here to kowtow since she could remember; she never knew why, and even if she asked, her father remained stern, making her think it was some ancestral ritual she couldn't refuse.

Who would have known, it was her father bringing her to pay New Year's respects to her godfather!

The seagull Big Red Heart spread its wings, just like every year before, and called out cheerfully: "Hey, good goddaughter of my godfather!"

This call simultaneously drew the gazes of countless foreigners nearby: "Oh, God, quick look—it's a mysterious Chinese ritual!"

The surrounded An Ni: I really want to escape, but I can't get away π_π

In the livestream, most of the netizens almost popped their eyes out; some people, trembling, raised their hands to speak—

Actually, this isn't unusual where I'm from.

When I was young and frail, I took the big pagoda tree at the village entrance as my godfather! And honestly, I really did get better slowly; now I'm lively and healthy!

My godfather is a dog; I just got home for the holiday and fed it a basin of meat. (covering mouth, crying). JPG

My godfather is a stone on my hometown's mountain; when I was little, I often slept on my godfather, sitting obediently.. JPG

In China, godfathers and godmothers bless every child to grow up safe and healthy!

Some foreigners mixed in among them saw these comments and exclaimed, "Magic! This is mysterious Eastern magic!"

Annie had previously knelt down on the spot, offering her thanks for the year, and was also teased by the mischievous netizens.

【Heh, the ritual is complete!】

【←_←】

【How can you upstairs send a voice message!】

The truth came to light; Annie felt like crying but had no tears, and she weakly said, "But I really didn't know."

Her father, hearing his words on the other end of the phone, slapped his thigh: "I remember now."

He scratched his head, and for some reason Annie seemed to see a hint of embarrassment on him: "It's not that when you were little, I brought you abroad with your mom, not knowing what happened, you kept getting sick, your grandfather had the idea of letting me find you a godfather, and at the time the big red heart was a seagull I often fed, a foreign bird, so I had you call it your godfather—that's how it was back then——"

"You had a fever back then, dazed from it, you probably forgot yourself." He said with a simple smile.

Annie: «⊙﹏⊙»

She wore a look of horror, almost covering her face, cosplaying the famous painting *The Scream*, "Ahhh, how could I have such a careless dad!"

The seagull nearby, hearing the explanation, nodded and called out: "Now you believe me, I'm your dad!"

Suddenly, it took off, its claws brushing the flaky, crumbling oil-soaked pastry, and with its small, black, bean‑sized eyes it gestured to her.

Annie, dazed, didn't know how to react: "Godfather?"

The seagull looked at Ling Yue, its sharp beak wide open, almost showing the pink little tongue inside, and it shouted: "Hungry! Hungry! Humans, quickly tell her, the godfather is hungry!"

Ling Yue almost couldn't help laughing, she told the consultant its meaning, and the latter foolishly pulled out a fragrant, soft big loaf of bread.

The big red heart seagull remained motionless.

The seagull won't eat, why?

This is the bread she specially prepared, the tastiest in all of New York!

Watching the whole process, the father on the other end saw his unreliable daughter and got so worked up he slipped into Tianjin dialect: "Hey, that's not right, your seagull dad loves oil‑soaked fried dough!"

Consultant Annie: "What?"

Not just her, even the netizens in the livestream were stunned—foreign seagull likes Tianjin fried dough?

Then came a screen full of hahas; it's unclear whether it's because the seagull loves fried dough or because of the dad's pure Tianjin accent. It sounded like listening to a crosstalk routine.

Annie wondered if she was hallucinating, until her dad repeated it; she picked up the oil‑soaked fried dough, held it with both hands, and respectfully offered it: "Then, godfather, would you like to eat?"

Seagull godfather: "Du du du!"

It got angry and turned into a woodpecker, pecking her little head!

Annie held it up for a while, but the seagull godfather wouldn't open its beak, and the anxious dad beside her said: "Come on, break it open for it!"

Annie: "Sorry, I was hasty!"

The big red heart seagull immediately hovered beside the consultant, opened its beak, and said: "What are you staring at? Feed me!"

Seeing its urging motion, Annie quickly broke it and tossed it upward; the big red heart seagull immediately lunged, its beak opening and closing, eating with practiced ease.

In the nearby video, the seagull's flapping wings sounded, mixed with the dad's cheerful tone: "Hey, beat it, love this bite!"

【I can't take it, I'm gonna die laughing!】

【My Chinese cuisine doesn't just conquer foreigners' stomachs, it even conquers foreign birds! 【pat belly】【proud】】

In front of the camera, within a ten‑meter radius of the eating big red heart seagull, not a single other seagull dared approach; after finishing, it smacked its lips and said: "Exactly, that's the flavor!"

After eating, it stood on the railing, flapped its wings, and declared solemnly: "From now on, if you follow me, no seagull on the beach will dare to poop on you; if anyone bullies you, just go to your godfather!"

Its plump chest was patted until it made a thumping sound.

The anthropomorphic actions shocked the netizens, and even funnier were its words—even the translator Ling Yue, when mentioning them, couldn't help but have the corners of her mouth rise.

Annie's face flushed with embarrassment, her eyes darting around, "Is there a crack in the ground? Quick, let me dig in!"

What's more unexpected is that the foreigners nearby also imitated her motion and threw food, but the effect was obviously poor, because they lacked a cheering seagull godfather, and what they fed wasn't the fried potato chips that other seagulls love.

Annie was pondering when that foreigner walked over, earnestly asking: "Can I buy your food?"

Annie stared blankly, mouth open: "Ah?"

"This must be great Chinese sorcery! The seagull deity will bless every Chinese person!"

Beside her, Daelina heard this, suddenly stopped writing and kept nodding; Annie then noticed that her notebook actually read: "Mysterious Eastern sorcery! My good friend is a hidden Eastern immortal!"

Annie: "Come on, someone bury me!"

At the same time, that devout foreigner continued asking her: "Can I buy your miraculous Chinese food?"

Annie: crawling all over the ground. JPG

She tried to explain to him, but he didn't believe her; Annie reached out, sincere: "Look, I really don't know any sorcery!"

Just as she finished speaking, the big red heart seagull nimbly perched on her arm, turned its head: "Hey, lass?"

Annie: "……"

That foreigner: "……"

He stared wide‑eyed, thumbs up: "OMG, Chinese kung fu! Chinese sorcery!"

The netizens who already understood what was going on laughed until their mouths were about to split.

【Consultant, just admit it quickly, stop making excuses!】

Annie covered her face, her mind replaying over and over: "Or just kill me!"

Of course, this thought only flickered in her mind; Annie had resolved her years-long doubt, she linked arms with her best friend, preparing to go home, and the seagull Big Red Heart flapped its wings to bid farewell to her goddaughter: "Come visit your goddad more often to play."

The enthusiasm was so great it left people at a loss.

Ling Yue laughed as she translated that sentence.

After hearing it, Annie opened her mouth, her throat tightened—this was the sign she was about to speak.

However, the seagull Big Red Heart suddenly flapped its wings and leapt; in the blink of an eye it rushed into the circling flock of seagulls, blended in, yet also disappeared.

In front of the screen, many viewers wondered, where did the seagull fly off to?

Suddenly, the seagulls in formation parted like Moses parting the sea, making way; the seagull Big Red Heart, with a wingspan over a meter long, flew over proudly and confidently, seemingly holding something in its beak.

The distance was too great; all that could be seen was a twinkling sparkle.

It let out a sharp cry, opened its beak wide, and a string of things fell from the sky: "This is the eighteenth-birthday gift Dad sent you!"

Annie instinctively reached out, catching it; her palm felt a sheet of icy cold. She lowered her head, and upon seeing the full appearance, she widened her eyes in shock.

A string of more than a dozen blood-red rubies, each the size of a pigeon egg, formed a necklace that lay quietly on the snow-white palm, the silver chain set with sparkling diamonds one by one.

The seagull Big Red Heart shook its body, sending droplets of seawater from its wet feathers flying: "I heard you humans love this kind of twinkling thing; I picked it up from the sea—do you like it?"

After it spoke, even if its face were covered in dense fuzz, the anticipation and pride welling up could not be held back.

After Ling Yue translated, at that moment, countless viewers in front of the screen covered their mouths and burst into tears.

【Seagull Dad, do you still need a daughter? One who can run, jump, and make fried dough twists?】

【Thanks for the invitation, I'm in the countryside, squatting in front of my dog godfather, asking if it could bring me some mountain delicacies, and it actually took a dump right in front of me!】

【What evil thoughts could a little dog have? It just wants to tell you not to daydream.】

【What evil thoughts could I have? I just want a seagull dad who gives gemstone necklaces.】

Before the camera, Dai Lin Na flushed with excitement, exclaiming incredulously, and also celebrating for her friend.

Because abroad, individual rights outweigh collective interests, and anything obtained through legal channels belongs to the recipient; thus this ruby necklace wholly belongs to Annie herself.

Afterward, riding this wave of popularity, she gained a modest following online, though Annie didn't care much; her parents had emigrated over a decade earlier, and over the years they had built a sizable business, locally quite well-known, and she herself could be considered a pretty, rich, beautiful young lady.

This necklace was merely the icing on the cake.

What made her happiest was still resolving her years-long confusion; although she now had an extra seagull dad, it didn't seem like a bad thing.

The girl thanked her warmly; if Ling Yue hadn't already disabled the tipping function, she would have probably tipped several moons on the spot, but now she could only express thanks verbally.

Ling Yue softly declined: "No need to thank me; just treat it well from now on—this is what you owe it."

Some customs are not without reason.

The consultee Annie had previously been frail and sickly, but later became healthy; part of that was borrowing the seagull's fortune, so naturally she also had to bear the karmic consequences.

Annie froze for a moment, and Ling Yue had already burst into laughter.

In an instant, the viewers before the screen somehow felt a sudden chill rise from their hearts.

Those who knew a bit immediately thought of Ling Yue's previous abilities, involuntarily sucking in a breath of cold air: "【The streamer's meaning...... could acknowledging a godparent really be related to the occult?!】"

【On our side, someone acknowledged a godparent; things started well, but then they died unexpectedly, wife and children scattered, and some say it was due to borrowed fortune leading to family ruin—is that really true, streamer?】

【Hiss, what's borrowed fortune? I can't understand it.】

Ling Yue gave no clear answer, smiled mysteriously, and continued: "Actually, such things are not easily encountered by ordinary people; she says it's the occult, more precisely a kind of witchcraft, requiring someone with Daoist cultivation to perform it, plus the calculation of one's birth characters."

"Just like before, acknowledging a dog or a stone as godfather/godmother—dogs are utmost yang, able to ward off yin evil; stones have hard fate, parents hope their children will live to a hundred, and most of these are beautiful hopes."

【... Well, mostly, but there's also a part that's really true, right?】

Ling Yue coughed lightly; some things are better left unspoken, knowing them in your heart is enough—why speak them out? Moreover, given the domestic situation, among ten so-called masters, twelve are frauds; the odds of encountering a truly capable master are lower than winning the lottery.

Before closing the stream, Ling Yue gave one final reminder: "Ordinary people don't need fortune-telling; don't casually reveal your birth characters to outsiders."

Many viewers immediately declared they would absolutely not tell anyone else! I will guard this secret!

Moreover, someone scratched their head and said—

【What are birth characters? I don't even know how to look at them (>_<)]

Ling Yue laughed happily: "This is best; it's a good baby."

【Ah ah ah, streamer, don't say more—I'm about to melt!】

【Covering face (/v＼*)】

At the same time, Dai Lin Na, who had watched the whole program, bit her lip, her lip color turning pale; she tightly embraced her girlfriend, her hands and feet cold as ice.

China really does have witchcraft!

As for their family's recent situation—

She suddenly had an inspiration and asked her good friend Annie: "Is she a Chinese master?"

Annie nodded without hesitation: "Of course!"

"I've been following her stream for a long time; I recommended it to you earlier, you said your family believes in God, has a church, and doesn't trust Chinese heavenly masters, so I could only follow it myself..." She muttered, noticing her oddness, and asked two questions: "What's wrong with you? Could it be—"

Dai Lin Na's heart nearly jumped to her throat, her eyes darting away, not daring to look at her friend, until Annie spoke: "You're curious, too—you want to watch the master's stream?"

Dai Lin Na: "...... Yes, that's right!"

Annie flickered a hint of darkness in her eyes, fleeting, she warmly embraced her friend's arm, grinning: "I have the full set of the master's streams at my house; come to my place, and we'll watch together!"

"Sure."

Dai Lin Na breathed a deep sigh of relief, thinking Annie was still too naive. However, she didn't know that Annie had already seen through her thoughts and also realized that Dai Lin Na's family had recently suffered severe business losses.

She simply chose not to expose it.

If her family were well‑off and wealthy, making her a petite rich lady, then Dailina's family is a conglomerate; her father commands the American pride, the ten‑thousand‑ton liner Goddess, and she herself is also a young lady of wealth, worth more than thousands and hundreds of her families.

If it weren't for the affection of growing up together, she probably couldn't even get close to Dailina's estate.

She suddenly became so attentive; it would be strange if her odd attitude didn't draw notice. Annie's thoughts raced back and forth, and she acted as if she hadn't noticed.

The more people know a secret, the faster they die!

That sentence suddenly popped into her head, and Annie burst out laughing.

Ah-choo!

In the room, Ling Yue, who was on someone's mind, sneezed violently, threw away the tissue, and lifted her head to meet Jun Jun's concerned eyes.

She touched her face, wondering if she'd been in the room too long, her face feeling hot.

"What are you looking at?" Ling Yue gathered her thoughts, slightly lifted her head, saw the young man maintaining his previous expression, and couldn't help but chide him.

Jun Jun's mind was a muddled mess, his gaze darting, he stammered: "I, I was thinking the spiritual fruit in the shed has ripened—do you want some?"

Ling Yue immediately shot him a withering glance: "Of course I want to eat!"

As for her slightly racing heartbeat, Ling Yue shook her head—who doesn't like a beautiful, good-looking person simply standing there, a picture of absolute beauty?

Time passed in a flash.

That day, Ling Yue was at home when the phone on the table suddenly rang; Jun Jun was peeling fruit, glanced at the note: "Wang Chen?"

Those words made Ling Yue straighten her back with a jerk, a scorching light flashing in her eyes: "Oh, the plan has begun."

Plan? What plan?

Jun Jun burned with curiosity; after she hung up, he had already risen and picked up Ling Yue's coat, casually asking: "What plan is it?"

The sky was almost dark—why did she still have to go out? What did Wang Chen want her to do outside?

The young man's Adam's apple bobbed; in just a few seconds, his heart was nearly filled with doubts, each one pressing in, making his heart feel like it was being clawed by a cat.

Ling Yue gave a mysterious smile, staring at him without blinking, making his ears burn; she then leaned in, and despite being shorter, her faint breath brushed his ear: "You—guess?"

Jun Jun: "…"

He didn't guess; he wanted to follow her directly.

Out of the corner of her eye she caught the young man's smug, handsome face; Ling Yue smiled until her cheeks ached, and only when the car reached the residential complex did it stop in front of a unit building.

As Ling Yue stepped out of the car, Wang Chen came forward to meet her, several subordinates behind him, his expression stern, his eyes resolute.

Ling Yue asked him: "Is everything ready?"

Wang Chen said with a smile: "I guarantee, absolutely no problem!"

Ling Yue smiled at her; Jun Jun found it glaring, Yueyue smiled at him too brightly, and he immediately shifted his steps subtly.

Only then did Wang Chen notice that beside her stood a quite handsome, beautiful young man, and he immediately felt a rivalry.

"Miss Ling, is this your boyfriend? He's really handsome!"

Ling Yue hadn't answered yet when Jun Jun immediately denied: "I'm not…"

Wang Chen: "←_←"

Not now, but what about later?

That lovesick sour smell reminded him of his former self—once, who wasn't a fresh-faced youth with budding feelings? Later, though, the years wore him down, drying him into a slab of cured meat.

Ling Yue gave him a sideways glance, instantly grasping his meaning: "Not yet, but that just means it's not certain for the future, right?"

She opened her mouth but ended up saying nothing, and there wasn't even time to speak; the alarm device's instrument shrieked sharply, and several people stared at each other.

Ling Yue slowly curled the corner of her mouth, and it began.

Wang Chen reacted fastest, signaling a few subordinates, and said directly: "Quick, let's charge up!",,.