Chapter 26

"Congratulations to the streamer for successfully clearing the level. Points are being tallied..."

"Congratulations to the streamer for achieving first place in total points in the [Qingshan No. 1 High School] game instance, and for earning seven achievements. You may choose to view them. View now?"

When she had just finished the newbie instance, Shi Jian didn’t have much experience. Now, she was already a seasoned horror game streamer. Though she still got scared, she no longer got startled by the level-clear notifications.

Shi Jian set aside her emotions and began studying the alert sounds.

No matter what, clearing the level was still something to be happy about—especially clearing it with the highest score. Still, she was a bit dazed by the seven achievements. That many?

Seven.

And this time, she could even choose which ones to view. The achievements in Rose Castle had been shown directly.

Shi Jian had previously heard from Zhang Dong that achievements didn’t have much practical use—more of an honor system. Like the one called [No Dogs or Shi Jian Allowed in the Castle], it wasn’t exactly something to be proud of.

Given that the monsters in Rose Castle were notoriously sore losers, Shi Jian tentatively asked, “Can I remove any achievements that are insulting or passive-aggressive?”

Turned out, she actually could.

The system prompt told Shi Jian, “Three achievements remain.”

Shi Jian: “……”

From seven to three—the grudges of the ghosts in Qingshan No. 1 High School were far deeper than those in Rose Castle.

The three remaining achievements were:

[Qingshan No. 1 High School Belle]

[Little Hua’s Bestie]

[Ultimate Mommy's Girl]

The first one was an honor Shi Jian earned herself. The latter two were odd to her. She had been brand ambassador for many brands before, but this was her first time being a ghost’s best friend. As for "Ultimate Mommy's Girl"—Shi Jian didn’t think there was anything wrong with being a mommy’s girl.

Little Hua hadn’t just called everyone "good friends" and "sisters" for show—she actually gave Shi Jian a gift after she cleared the level.

The sweet, mechanical voice sounded again with two more notifications, then finally went quiet.

"Your bestie Little Hua has gifted you an item. Please check your inventory."

"Upgradeable item [Barbie Pink High Heels] has been upgraded."

Shi Jian let out a surprised "Eh?" She hadn’t expected to actually receive a gift. Figuring out what to do with the broken high heels had been a lingering headache.

And now they’d been upgraded?!

...

Shi Jian was already at the transfer station. The modern shopping-mall-like building was still cozy and bright, and carried a pleasant scent of aromatherapy.

Eager to check out her gift and the high heels, she quickly found a place to sit.

She opened the app on her phone.

In the personal inventory, there was now an extra hair extension labeled: [Little Hua’s Private Ghost Item. This is a hair extension. It’s of good quality and looks just like real hair. Great for adding volume.]

Shi Jian seemed to have discovered something big—so Little Hua had been wearing extensions this whole time?

As a female celebrity with thick, voluminous hair, Shi Jian had no need for extensions, but she still appreciated Little Hua’s kind gesture.

Shi Jian was more interested in the item. Though she’d always disliked the Barbie pink heels—or perhaps even now still hadn’t fully accepted them—she had come to realize their usefulness in Qingshan No. 1 High School.

Whether for speed or attack power, they seemed better than regular weapons. She and Tang Tian had even fretted over how to repair them when they broke.Now that they were upgraded, she probably wouldn’t need to replace them anymore.

Moreover, Shi Jian had a faint sense of anticipation—since the heels were upgraded, maybe they’d actually look nice now?

Turned out, looking nice was out of the question.

Shi Jian stared blankly at the upgraded heels—

They were still emitting that unmissable Barbie pink glow—neon, no less.

But at least there was something to be happy about: they had broken during her fight with the school nurse, and now they were completely restored. Shi Jian didn’t know if it was just her imagination, but the heels seemed a lot sturdier?

It wasn’t just her imagination. When she checked the item description, it had changed too.

The high heels had gone from cheap street-market junk to:

[These are ordinary high heels. The stitching is a bit off, but with careful use, they should last for a quarter. Affordable, perfect for broke young girls.]

Shi Jian had grown tougher—at least now they wouldn’t randomly lose a heel at a critical moment… probably?

A question mark was still needed here.

The upgrade wasn’t just cosmetic either. The heels now gave +5 to agility and +15 to attack.

Shi Jian pulled up her personal page, and her stats had also changed—

Name: Shi Jian

Class: Low-tier Streamer

Points: 51,752

Since entering official instances, her viewer count had definitely gone up. In this run, she racked up over 50,000 points thanks to stunts like “making the school belle ghost cry,” “holding a skull in both hands,” “punching the school nurse,” and “I hit the teacher but I’m still a good student.”

Most of those points came from viewer count and tips.

...

“Damn, that’s insane—over 50,000 points… If I were a viewer, I’d totally tip you too.”

Tang Tian pulled up her own profile and showed it to Shi Jian. “I got over 7,000 points this round—probably just from being around you. I’m treating you to a feast, don’t refuse me.”

After checking her own stats, Shi Jian rejoined Tang Tian. During that time, she also received a message from Zhang Dong.

Zhang Dong told her he had entered a new instance.

Shi Jian wasn’t able to receive outside messages while inside Qingshan No. 1 High, only seeing them once she arrived at the transfer station.

When Tang Tian heard that Shi Jian had racked up over 50,000 points in one go, she was envious—but not jealous. She’d always had a transparent presence, and her stream didn’t have many viewers. Almost all the tips from this round came thanks to Shi Jian.

Tang Tian sighed, “So this is the joy of leeching off a trending female celeb?!”

After this run, Shi Jian went from being her pretty, emotionally strong temp roommate to a golden-legged lucky charm partner in Tang Tian’s eyes.

Standing next to Shi Jian, Tang Tian’s invisibility effect grew stronger—everyone’s attention was on Shi Jian. But her stream’s viewership shot up too. Double payoff, double satisfaction.

Tang Tian was so straightforward about it, and popular celeb Shi Jian was totally fine with letting her “ride the wave.” As for Tang Tian’s offer to treat her to a meal, Shi Jian didn’t act coy either.

Shi Jian thought for a moment. “You treat me to a fancy salad, and I’ll treat you to a spa. Deal?”

The two instantly reached an agreement.With over 50,000 points now in hand, Shi Jian finally no longer had to live so frugally. It felt like she was clutching a huge sum of money as she, together with her new friend Tang Tian, charged headfirst into a world overflowing with material pleasures.

Shi Jian enjoyed the spa service, relaxing with her eyes closed, listening to music, feeling the skilled technique of the beautician, and couldn't help letting out a sigh in her heart.

What is life?

This is life!

She could finally swap out her basic skincare products for more high-end ones. She could now afford a full set of makeup. She could get her nails done, care for her hair… The transfer station had no shortage of places to eat, drink, and have fun—as long as you had points.

Shop, shop, shop!

But when Shi Jian walked past a clothing window again and saw the dress that the elegant lady had worn before hanging inside, her breath hitched—“……”

She couldn’t afford it.

She was still poor.

Shi Jian cast a reluctant glance at the dress, intending to walk away as if nothing had happened. It was okay—just wait a little longer. Next time, she should be able to afford that dress. She’d bring it home.

And maybe even a pair of shoes to match.

Other people’s desire for points came from things like: special medicines, offensive or defensive gear...

Shi Jian’s desire for points came from: dresses, shoes, handbags, cosmetics...

“Bzzz bzzz bzzz——”

A sudden phone vibration sounded. Tang Tian pointed at Shi Jian, “I think it’s yours?”

Shi Jian felt her phone vibrating too. It was indeed coming from her device.

She had never encountered something like this before, so she quickly opened it to check. A notification appeared on her app.

“You have received a live PK invitation. Please check.”

Shi Jian was totally baffled. She turned to Tang Tian and asked, “It says I got a live PK invitation. What does that mean?”

Tang Tian’s expression changed drastically—especially after seeing the opponent had put up 300,000 points for the PK. Her first reaction: “Did you offend someone?”

“Or block someone’s way? Someone not happy with your success?”

Shi Jian: She couldn’t think of anyone she had offended—at least no people. But if it were ghosts, she could probably draft a shortlist.

...

From Tang Tian’s explanation, Shi Jian got the general idea: since in this game environment everyone was a streamer, naturally there weren’t only instance-clearing modes.

Just like how Zhang Dong used to snatch the role of newbie guide in beginner instances, acting as a guide himself—there were also PK battles between streamers.

Tang Tian said, “I’ve never seen or taken part in one myself, but I’ve heard it’s kinda like streamer PKs in the real world. Both parties go into a solo instance, and the outcome is determined by viewer support.”

“Many high-level streamers schedule friendly PKs. Quite a few viewers enjoy this format. In PK instances, even if a streamer dies inside, it won’t affect them in reality.”

To summarize: it’s more for entertainment, unlike serious horror game instances that can get people killed, and it generates good traffic and followers.

Of course, everything has two sides. There’s a cost. The person who challenged Shi Jian put up 300,000 points. If Shi Jian won, she’d get those 300,000 points. But if she lost—she’d have to serve as that person’s servant for a month.

After a string of unpleasant PK incidents, the format gradually shifted to being a way for friendly high-level streamers to collaborate and gain followers. But as long as there were stakes involved, there was no shortage of streamers willing to go all in.Tang Tian didn’t think Shi Jian was the type.

“Be cautious. This clearly isn’t coming from someone with good intentions.”

“You can reject the invitation or just ignore it altogether.”

Shi Jian was well aware this wasn’t a friendly challenge—but the PK livestream would have lots of viewers, no one would die, and there were 300,000 points up for grabs.

So many tempting things stacked together.

Shi Jian confirmed once more, “No one dies, right?”

After receiving Tang Tian’s firm reassurance, she made her decision immediately. Shi Jian’s eyes lit up. “I love PKs the most. Let’s battle, yeah!”

Whether it was red carpets, casting rank, endorsements... as long as Shi Jian was there, no one else could outshine her.

There was once a popular young male idol who PKed Shi Jian in a joint stream—he lost hundreds of thousands of followers that very night, and everyone switched their support to Shi Jian instead.

Shi Jian placed her hand on her phone and, with deliberate flair, typed out a string: pppppppp.