Chapter 121

Chapter 121

“I’m really going to lose my mind, this round almost ended in disaster.”

Early in the morning, Xu Tu began complaining excitedly in the cafeteria: “I thought Ah Qi's intelligence was his only useful trait, and I thought no matter what, he couldn’t pawn it. But I didn’t come up with any good options, and from the second night, we were both out on the streets. Forget weapons, we didn’t even have any steamed buns to eat. We were starving the entire time, can you believe it?!”

Although Luo Xi hadn’t slept all night, he didn’t look exhausted. He was cutting steak for Xi Yu while laughing lightly: “Intelligence really isn’t much use. In this instance, physical strength is the most useful. If you pawn your physical strength, it’s really hard to redeem it.”

Bai Qi looked at Xu Tu with frustration: “Didn't I create mechanisms for you? You're fine, aren’t you?”

Xu Tu bit into a meat bun and said, “But I was hungry! By the end, when I saw the corpse zombies, I wanted to eat them!”

Bai Qi felt wronged: “...”

Xu Tu chewed the bun with his mouth full, still gossiping: “I heard one group had bad luck, all the broadcasters turned into corpse zombies, and ended up biting each other. The scene was so chaotic that it actually attracted the audience's attention.”

Xi Yu listened quietly, wearing a peaceful smile.

“You’re so proud now, Little Xi Yu, now you don’t even talk to me.” Xu Tu suddenly scolded.

Xi Yu: “?”

Xu Tu: “Don’t think that because you’re good looking and have 220 liang of beauty, you can stop being my friend!”

Xi Yu laughed softly: “… No, I’m thinking about the banquet.”

Xu Tu had already heard Luo Xi mention it: “Don’t worry about this, every time we interact with natural humans, the company warns the broadcasters about various things. Just follow the process. If some senior executive takes a liking to you, maybe they won’t even let you compete!”

Xi Yu: “How is that possible?”

Xu Tu: “Why not? The company really went big with this ‘Crazy Pawnshop’ instance. As far as I know, there are seven broadcasters in this round who haven’t redeemed their abilities, some even lost limbs. They’ve all applied to withdraw from the competition, and we still don’t know how to handle it—though it might also be something the company arranged on purpose. Anyway, the number of reserves might be higher than before, and the audience is still voting.”

This news made everyone uneasy. Luo Xi furrowed his brows: “The rules should have already been set. I don’t know why they’re doing it this way.”

Xu Tu whispered: “The broadcasters are getting too strong, and they aren’t being reset, so it’s a hassle for the company. Who knows?”

Bai Qi coughed: “Let’s not talk about this. I noticed that the number of security personnel has doubled. Things are tense lately.”

Xu Tu didn’t seem as carefree as she appeared. In fact, she was as confused about the future as anyone else, but she still habitually hid it behind a smile. She curved her lips and didn’t say anything further.

This girl was Xi Yu’s favorite female broadcaster. Suddenly, he felt a bit heartbroken, realizing he couldn’t bear to think too much about their future.

As the competition intensified, Lin Yuze, the “chief manager,” was busy too. He arrived at the Yuntai Building on a special plane the morning of the banquet, but when he heard Xi Yu’s request, he agreed without hesitation to let Xu Tu and Su Ziyan attend the banquet. Meanwhile, Bai Qi, who had more introverted traits, made Luo Xi uneasy. He was worried Bai Qi might say something inappropriate, so he decided to keep him in the dormitory.

The entire process was exactly as Xu Tu had predicted. Just after noon, a dedicated staff came to help the broadcasters change clothes, train, and explain how to behave in front of natural humans at the banquet and what they could or couldn’t do.

Finally, after much waiting, the four were fitted with special wristbands.

The security guard at the door didn’t hide anything, saying directly: “This is a personal monitor, and it has some offensive capability. Lin Yuze trusts you all, so please don’t do anything that might be misunderstood as dangerous.”

Luo Xi smiled: “Of course not, thank you for the reminder.”

He waved his hand and led Xi Yu and the others into the luxurious venue.

The atmosphere at Yuntai was usually orderly and restrained. Although it was one of the most famous “entertainment places” in this era, it didn’t feel like entertainment at all on normal days.

So, when the four broadcasters entered the banquet hall, surrounded by perfume and clinking glasses, they all felt a little out of place.Especially Su Ziyan, the young man, who was wide-eyed with his blue eyes, unable to control himself from looking around.

Xi Yu saw this and couldn't help but press his hand on Su Ziyan's shoulder: "Don't run off, stay with me."

Su Ziyan’s survival could certainly be credited to Xi Yu, so he nodded with a positive attitude: “Alright.”

Xi Yu pressed his lips together and courageously met the various curious gazes.

At this awkward moment, Lin Yuze, still wearing his Tang suit, walked over gracefully. He extended his hand and said, “Welcome.”

The broadcasters shook hands with him one by one.

Lin Yuze smiled: “The competition has had many unexpected problems up until now, but the viewership and the social impact have been better than expected, so tonight is also a small celebration. You’ve all performed well so far, and I hope you continue to excel.”

Since there can only be one champion, the others must either give up or be reset, so such fake encouragement was unnecessary.

However, the broadcasters had grown accustomed to being treated inhumanely, so they naturally wore professional fake smiles.

Only Xi Yu’s expression remained somewhat aloof as he glanced around and said, “A lot of people came tonight.”

“Yeah, they’re all clients and company management, and many sponsors are here as well.” Lin Yuze winked and said mysteriously, “Also, Mr. Xiao Zeya, the chairman of Cyber, and his eldest son, one of the shareholders, will be introduced to you shortly.”

Xi Yu nodded indifferently, his gaze deliberately falling on the table nearby.

Lin Yuze stretched his hand out: “Alright, I still have to greet other guests. Feel free to enjoy yourselves, but if anyone comes to talk to you, don’t forget that you represent the company’s image. Be cautious in your words and actions.”

Luo Xi raised an eyebrow: “We’re aware of that.”

Lin Yuze then left with his assistant.

In a short period of time, Luo Xi had already spotted some familiar faces in the crowd. He silently signaled to Su Ziyan with his lips: “Keep an eye on Xia Zi.”

Su Ziyan, who had been tormented throughout the entire instance, was now skilled at reading lips. He nodded and silently made an “OK” gesture, unfazed. With his extraordinary hearing, he could easily understand whispered conversations even if he stood in the middle of the venue.

Halfway through the evening, Luo Xi deliberately had a few drinks, then took out a tablet and sat on a sofa reading a book. In reality, he had secretly activated a program he had written earlier, working on hacking into the network the venue provided for the guests to study the people casting votes for the candidates.

As a broadcaster, although his popularity was already fairly high, there weren’t many people daring to approach him, likely due to his appearance.

On the other hand, Xi Yu, who was much gentler than before, had become quite popular, constantly chatting with female guests nearby.

Meanwhile, the cheerful Xu Tu was joking around with several bosses, making it hard to tell that she was a tough, cruel, and sorrowful artificial human.

Amid the subtle tensions, Lin Yuze appeared again, accompanied by several unfamiliar men in suits. He enthusiastically said: “Luo Xi, Xi Yu, this is Mr. Xiao Zeya, the eldest son of the chairman, who specially came from the capital to attend tonight’s event.”

The chairman’s son must be the future person in charge of the company, right?

Xi Yu curiously turned his head and saw a graceful, middle-aged man with sharp features and a strong presence.

His brows were thick, and his posture was upright and imposing. He smiled readily and said: “You’ve performed very well, I’ve watched most of the competition.”

Xi Yu shook hands with Xiao Zeya in a daze, feeling a strange sense of familiarity that was hard to describe.

Such memories should not exist—anything that hinted at it could lead to disastrous consequences, so it must be suppressed with all his might.But he didn't expect that this time, the person who lost composure was Luo Xi.

Since the moment Luo Xi saw Xiao Zeya, he had been frozen on the sofa, not standing up. In his already sharp gaze, a wave of indescribable emotions surged.

However, Xiao Zeya's smile did not fade, and he raised an eyebrow in confusion.

Xi Yu moved closer to Luo Xi and placed his hand on his shoulder: “Sorry, he’s had three glasses of red wine, a bit too much.”

“That shouldn’t be the case. With such outstanding physical abilities, his tolerance for alcohol should be good.” Xiao Zeya, with his hands behind his back, examined Luo Xi: “I’ve always thought that you should surpass Mu Yuan to become number one. After all, your story of steadily climbing from an entry-level broadcaster is really inspiring. But why don’t you tidy up your appearance a bit? Natural humans are always quite superficial, and handsome people are more popular.”

Luo Xi snapped out of his daze and cautiously responded to Xiao Zeya’s somewhat impolite comment: “Cloud Tower coins are difficult to accumulate, so it’s not worth spending on appearance.”

Xiao Zeya curved his lips: “Is that so? But I heard you don’t spend much, and recently you spent all your money just to buy a cat?”

Luo Xi shrugged: “Life is priceless. Besides, Xi Yu likes it. I think it’s worth it.”

Xi Yu felt tense about their conversation but couldn’t recall if Xiao Zeya had appeared in his past.

Fortunately, at that moment, Lin Yuze stepped in, complimented Luo Xi for a few things, and took Xiao Zeya to greet other guests.

Luo Xi swayed slightly on the spot and was once again supported by Xi Yu.

There was a trace of confusion and surprise in his expression as he whispered, “I keep feeling like… I’ve seen him before.”

Xi Yu, a bit worried, didn't dare to engage much in the conversation. He forced a smile and said, “The chairman’s son, he’s definitely a famous person. It’s not surprising if he appears in our information database. Someone like him really has it all, born with everything. Unlike us…”

Luo Xi finally returned to normal after Xi Yu’s awkward attempt at small talk. Realizing that all actions and words were being monitored, he gently placed his arm around Xi Yu’s shoulder and smiled: “But as long as we work hard, our future won’t necessarily be without hope, right?”

Xi Yu didn’t respond.

By this time, Lin Yuze had already taken Xiao Zeya to the group with Xia Zi.

Su Ziyan, who had been busy eating pudding, suddenly stopped, looking surprised as he gazed at Xiao Zeya.