Chapter 27

Knowing that Butler Li always obeyed Miss Ji’s orders the most, Bai Manruo sighed helplessly and picked up her bowl to finish the porridge.

Seeing her finish it all, Butler Li—who could now give a satisfactory report to the Young Mistress—finally allowed a sliver of a smile to break across her usually expressionless face.

Having woken up too early today, Bai Manruo was just about to head back to her room for a nap when she received an email. She opened it curiously; it was from Grandma Liu’s family. The original owner wasn’t close to them, so why were they suddenly contacting her?

She opened an attachment containing Grandma Liu’s past bank transfer records, each entry clearly detailed. After looking through them, Bai Manruo understood: these people knew Grandma Liu had been secretly helping her pay off debts, and now they were coming to her for the money.

But they certainly had some nerve—they were asking for five million??

If she hadn’t just cleared all her debts yesterday, she might have actually been scammed by them. This interest rate was more absurd than an actual loan shark’s…

However, some of the records looked suspicious. To figure out exactly how much she owed, she needed to find the original recipient of those payments.

Reluctantly, Bai Manruo pulled Zhao Min out unauthorized copyof her blacklist and, after a few seconds of hesitation, sent a friend request. In less than a minute, it was accepted.

Bai Manruo briefly explained the situation and asked for a favor. The person on the other end instantly sent a dozen messages filled with suggestive banter, none of them getting to the point. Bai Manruo scrolled down with a frown until she finally saw a serious response.

Zhao Min: 【Small problem. But you have to buy me dinner. I’ll set the time and place.】

Bai Manruo replied “Okay” without hesitation, figuring she’d worry about whether she could actually leave the castle later.

Five minutes later, the transfer details arrived, with the amount precise to two decimal places. The principal plus interest only totaled 800,000 yuan. Bai Manruo laughed out of sheer anger looking at the email from the family; they really dared to open their mouths that wide.

Though 800,000 was far less than five million, she currently only had a double-digit balance in her card. After thinking for a while, she forwarded Zhao Min’s data to the family’s email and told them she would pay them back within two weeks.

As for how to conjure 800,000 yuan out of thin air in two weeks… Bai Manruo looked at her pitiful bank balance. If push came to shove, she’d have to borrow from the boss, but that was a last resort.

She opened her social media and scrolled through her DMs, hoping a director or a show would have reached out. Instead, it was nothing but fan confessions.

Wait, Bai Manruo smacked her forehead. She currently had no agency and no agent; even if people wanted to find her, they had no way to contact her. Since no work was coming ​unauthorized copy​to her, she had to go to the work. Her previous show only found her because she trended and the director saw her “heat.”

A brilliant idea flashed through her mind: Livestreaming! If she streamed, maybe a director would notice her. Plus, her fans had been dying for a stream. The more “heat” and viewers she had, the better her chances.

Even though her waist was still hurt, she’d be fine as long as she sat still. She didn’t need fancy equipment; one person and a phone would do.

Since the boss wouldn’t be back until evening, it was the perfect time for a trial run. If the engagement was high, she’d stick with this method.

Action followed thought. She cleared the coffee table, propped her phone up on it, and carefully sat on the carpet while bracing her waist. The screen framed her upper body perfectly. Before starting, she recalled how other people chatted in their streams. Then, she put on a sweet, slow song and gently tapped “Start Livestream.”

“Wife!”

“Wife!”

“WIFE!”

“Wife!”

Seeing the synchronized “Wife” comments flooding the room, Bai Manruo looked a bit stunned. She gave a polite smile: “Thank you for the love~”

“AAAAHHH! She’s actually streaming!”

“Caught a fresh wife!”

“So sudden! I’m so happy!!!”

Bai Manruo watched the scrolling comments. Before she could even finish reading one to answer, a new wave of text would drown it out. The viewer count shot up, breaking 200,000 in less than ten minutes.

She was delighted. She hadn’t expected so many people to tune in. Had she known, she would have prepared better—though currently, her back injury forced her to stay perfectly still.

“The beauty isn’t talking, she’s just looking at us quietly. I can’t take it!”

Bai Manruo leaned closer to the screen, reading the comment aloud. She raised an eyebrow, then suddenly leaned even closer. Her distinct eyelashes lowered [unauthorized copy]as her captivating black eyes stared directly into the camera.

The sight was breathtakingly beautiful. The viewers were stunned; the scrolling comments actually paused for a few seconds. Once they snapped out of the trance, the chat went wild.

“So beautiful~”

“I almost forgot to breathe just now.”

“Pro-tip: everyone remember to breathe freely.”

Bai Manruo chuckled at the comments. She glanced at the heat rankings in the top left; in just half an hour, she had soared to number one. It was past 8:00 PM; she could probably stream for another thirty minutes.

As she chatted with them, she suddenly noticed the discussion in the chat drifting off-topic.

“Have you guys noticed? I just searched it—the background of this stream is a famous painting!!”

“People in the entertainment industry really aren’t simple~~~”

“I noticed too! Now I’m even more curious about her identity.”

“Ancient bracelet on the show, now extinct masterpieces in the background. What is her background, really?”

“And where she lives looks so luxurious!”

“Plus one to the above.”

What famous painting? Bai Manruo turned around to look at the pictures hanging behind her. They had always been in the living room, but she hadn’t paid much attention. She thought they were just ordinary art; she didn’t realize they were so precious!

She had been careless. She should have streamed in her room; otherwise, she’d be causing more trouble for the boss.

Bai Manruo gave a light cough, thought for a second, and then replied with a straight face: “I’m just an eighteenth-tier actress, what luxury villa? This background is actually a 3D stereoscopic backdrop I bought.”

“The paintings look real, don’t [bailiantales.com]they? High-quality replicas, only 9.90 yuan. If you want them, I’ll share the link with you.”

Hearing this, the viewers thought about it—it made sense. If those paintings were real, they wouldn’t be just hanging casually on a wall. Besides, the only person who could own so many extinct masterpieces would be a museum director.

Seeing they were convinced, Bai Manruo finally breathed a sigh of relief. Fearing more “accidents” if she stayed on, she prepared to end the stream.

The viewers flooded the screen: “Just a little longer!”

Bai Manruo gave a gentle smile, promising to stream longer next time once she was better prepared. She was just waving goodbye to her fans when the door suddenly opened. A cool, magnetic voice rang out:

“What are you doing?”

Ji Yingqing, having just arrived home, stood at the door changing her shoes. She looked up at the person on the sofa.

Panic-stricken, Bai Manruo didn’t have time to turn off the stream. She instinctively slammed her phone face-down on the table and forced a smile: “Miss Ji, you’re home early today!”