Chapter 3: Widow (3)

Chapter 3: Widow (3)

Shilong looked confused and poked the system, asking, "What low temperature? What burn? Why is Lu Ran so angry?"

Shilong expressed his confusion three times in a row.

The system remained silent: [...]

9617 didn't want to answer that question and forcefully changed the subject: [Congratulations on the host's first successful escape from a mutant attack. Would you like to start a live broadcast?]

Shilong responded, "Oh? There's a live broadcast too?"

[Yes, once you enter the game, the player can start a live broadcast after successfully escaping from a monster for the first time. The number of viewers in the live broadcast, which represents the popularity of the streamer, is also an important factor for the final evaluation,] explained the system.

Shilong said, "Then let's do it!"

The system paused for a moment and kindly reminded him, [You should change your clothes.]

Shilong slightly looked left and right and hesitantly said, "But, I don't have any clothes here."

He also felt that starting a live broadcast without looking presentable was disrespectful to the viewers. However, the system's mention of the "live popularity value" that affected the evaluation tempted him. He knew he wasn't good at defeating monsters, so he wanted to make up for it by streaming for a longer duration.

Shilong calculated like a shrewd miser, holding his fingers together and said, "Let's do it, stream for a little longer, maybe the popularity value will be higher?"

The system remained silent and silently opened the live broadcast switch.

A transparent panel appeared in front of him, with the current number of viewers displayed in the top right corner: 13,284 people.

Shilong had been hospitalized in the real world for a long time and had never seen so many people talking to him. Curiously, he leaned forward.

The barrage of comments flashed by so quickly that he could hardly read them.

[I heard there's a beauty here, so I quickly clicked to join!]

[Wife...hehe...wife...hehe...wife...hehe...]

Shilong: "..."

Shilong's cheeks turned bright red, and he panickedly said, "What's going on with these barrage comments! 9617, turn off the live broadcast!"

[Baby, once the live broadcast is started, it can't be turned off, hehe]

[You've angered my wife! Shut up, all of you] commented a viewer.

[With such a beautiful streamer to watch, what more do you want? Hurry up and thank the streamer!]

[Thank you, beautiful streamer!]

Shilong: "..."

Shilong was at a loss for words against the barrage comments. He complained to the system, feeling embarrassed and annoyed, "9617, I entered a horror game, not some strange game, right? What are these people... what are they saying?"

[Baby, although I also want to ask the same question, we don't have a category for strange games,] explained by a viewer

After the teasing comments, generous tips started pouring in, and gifts appeared in the livestream room like flowing water.

The tips quickly reached a terrifying value, and the number of viewers continued to increase, surpassing 30,000.

Shilong had never seen so much money before. He didn't care about his blushing face anymore and stared with his mouth wide open, watching the increasing number.

The system reminded him, [All tips can be exchanged for points after the game ends.]

Ah... these were all the wealthy backers helping him clear the game!

Shilong imitated other streamers' words when receiving gifts and obediently said, "Thank you, thank you everyone for the tips."

[Wife isn't angry anymore, give me a kiss, mwah~]

Blushing, Shilong pouted slightly and said, "Mwah."

The barrage comments then descended into a cycle of [Ah ah ah, my wife kissed me, such a cute wife ah ah ah.]

Watching everything unfold, 9617 sighed: [..]

Initially, 9617 was worried that Shilong would't handle the barrage comments well.

It seems that some people are naturally likable and charming.

On the other hand, Lu Ran furrowed his brow as he finished discussing the recent events with his subordinate. The seriousness on his subordinate's face mirrored his own.

The subordinate said, "From what you've said, it seems that some sort of creature parasitized Lu Shen's body, allowing it to briefly control his corpse after his death."

Lu Ran waved his hand dismissively and coldly replied, "That thing has escaped. Take Lu Shen down and perform an autopsy to see if there are any remnants inside his body. We need to determine what exactly it was."

"Yes!" the subordinate responded.

After arranging for Lu Shen, it was now time to deal with Shi Long.

Lu Ran glanced at Shi Long, who was still kneeling beside him in a daze, and asked his assistant in a low voice, "What should we do with Shi Long?"

Not pleased with Lu Ran's response, the assistant replied, "I haven't been thinking about him."

Lu Ran frowned even more and corrected himself with a cough, "Bring him back with us and find him a place... No, arrange for him to stay in the old mansion, right next to my room."

When they mentioned his whereabouts in just a few words, Shi Long quickly stood up and protested, "I'm not going. I want to go back to my own house."

He hadn't forgotten what this person had planned to do to him before the appearance of the creature.

Lu Ran glanced at him and said matter-of-factly, "No, since you're already married to my father, you can't show your face outside anymore."

Shi Long: "???"

He was about to be driven insane by this straight male cancer.

[Why is this person talking to my wife like this? Such a beautiful woman belongs to everyone, shameless!]

[Hmp! Don't let my cute wife suffer from this straight male cancer!]

[Hmmm, he may have cancer, but it's hard to determine if he's straight or not.]

Shi Long couldn't be bothered to talk to Lu Ran anymore. He stood up and walked away with an indifferent expression, using his actions to express his opinion.

Lu Ran's brow furrowed again.

His subordinate looked at the two of them with a bewildered expression, unsure whether or not to stop Shi Long.

"Forget it, let him go," Lu Ran rubbed his forehead and coldly stated, "He's just a captive canary. How could he survive without his owner?"

"Let him go, I want to see how long he can hold out before he comes back begging me."

When the time comes, Lu Ran won't be polite to Shi Long anymore.

(T/N: The term "male cancer" mentioned in the previous text is not a medical term and is used colloquially to describe certain negative qualities or behaviors exhibited by heterosexual men. It is often associated with toxic masculinity, chauvinism, or misogynistic attitudes.)

After leaving the Lu family's memorial hall, Shi Long returned to his small rental house.

Shi Long was starving, so the first thing he did when he got home was order a bowl of rice noodles. After satisfyingly eating until his belly was full, he took a deep breath and began examining his new living space.

As a gold-digging canary, Shi Long hadn't been with Lu Shen for very long before Lu Shen died suddenly. He hadn't managed to gain any of the Lu family's wealth and was still living as a penniless pauper in a cheap rental house.

The items in the rental house were sparse, with the only thing catching Shi Long's attention being an upside-down picture frame.

In the photo, Shi Long was wearing his high school uniform, smiling into the camera with pursed lips.

Beside him was a refined and handsome young man in his early twenties, with a slender figure, meticulously buttoned shirt, a thin wire frame glasses perched on his straight nose, and a gentle and scholarly temperament. His hand rested on Shi Long's shoulder, revealing their intimate relationship.

Shi Long was puzzled. "Who is this person?"

The system replied, "He's your previous boyfriend, whom you left because of poverty."

Shi Long: "…"

Alright, he understood now. He was a gold-digger who loved the rich.

Shi Long carefully put the picture frame back and sincerely said, "Um, Mr. Ex-Boyfriend, I hope my past self didn't leave any psychological scars on you."

After eating and drinking his fill, Shi Long took a comfortable hot shower, his cheeks flushed and his soft hair falling gently on his face, making him look even younger.

He changed into his pajamas, pounced on the soft bed, and rolled around, feeling all his weariness dissipate.

In a moment, the pleasant mood stopped for Shilong as he looked at his bank account balance. Holding his phone, he became serious and worried, realizing that he was facing the biggest crisis since entering the horror game. His bank account balance was only 241.53 yuan!

He knew he was poor, but he didn't expect to be this poor!!!

Shilong exclaimed in distress, "9617, am I going to starve to death before being killed by a monster?"

9617 quickly responded, "No need to worry about that. In order to ensure the smooth development of the storyline, when the host stays in this world for more than seven days, the system will automatically assign a profession to the player."

"Oh, that's smart!" Shilong became happy again and started to swing his legs. "So, what's my profession then?"

The system replied, "Actor."

Shilong became even happier, "That sounds good! Is it because I'm good at acting and good-looking?"

The system replied vaguely, "More or less."

It turned out that besides having a handsome face, Shilong didn't have any other skills. This puzzled the main control system, so it could only assign him this profession.

Shilong was still immersed in his excitement of being an actor and enthusiastically asked, "By the way, do I have any works? I want to see them!"

The system remained quiet for a moment and then said, "No, you are a stand-in actor. Your name won't appear on the big screen."

"Oh," Shilong responded with a bit of disappointment, pursing his lips.

"But tomorrow, you have an audition invitation. If you pass, you can earn some money," the system added.

"Really?!" The thought of having money to eat made Shilong feel motivated again. He scratched his head. "Am I a stunt double? But I don't know martial arts. Will I be rejected in the audition tomorrow?"

"...No, you won't," the system assured.

Shilong was confused, "Huh?"

The system ambiguously said, "This is your area of expertise. You will definitely pass."

"My area of expertise?" Shilong rolled over in bed, acknowledging his lack of talent. "I don't think I have an area of expertise..."

Shilong's curiosity got the best of him, and he kept questioning, "9617, stop keeping me in suspense. What exactly is my job?"

After a few seconds of silence, the system finally gave an answer, "Your profession is... a substitute."

Shilong: "..."

Shilong: "Huh???"