Page Forty-Eight Strategic Weapons
“Why are you speaking so ambiguously? What exactly do you want to say!”
Líng Shàojié’s vague words made me scratch my head in frustration.
“Strange, why does Lingmeng’s mind seem to be inconsistent?”
She sighed over my intelligence and then looked at Lǐn Huā.
“Lǐn Huā, shouldn’t you understand what I’m trying to say?”
Lǐn Huā replied, “Of course, you’ve explained it so clearly.”
“Right! Even though I’ve said it so clearly, Lingmeng still doesn’t get it.”
What’s going on here? This atmosphere where only I can’t keep up… .jpg
“Master, explain to me what the heck ‘nuclear weapons’ mean?”
“In simple terms, it’s about making the other side recognize the power gap, making them realize that any rash action might result in devastating retaliation, which is what we call a secondary nuclear strike… In simpler terms that even Kǎi-Chan could understand, this kind of underhanded live streaming union only oppresses small streamers without backing, so if we show them a powerful backer, wouldn’t that solve everything?
In short, it’s about showcasing strength.”
“I understand your point, but how do we do that? Yǐjī is determined not to sign with an agency, so who can support them in this situation?”
“No, no, Kǎi-Chan, your thinking hasn’t changed yet. Since they use that street performance video as a benchmark, the one they will eventually find is Sister Tāo, who possesses the ‘nuclear weapon.'”
Sister Tāo’s backing is the entire Lóng family, renowned in the education sector, a long-standing scholarly lineage.
“If they really have their eyes on Sister Tāo, then her background should be thoroughly investigated. To still send threatening messages shows they don’t care about the Lóng family at all, considering that in their eyes, a group of local teachers can’t stop them.”
“Really? If they think like that, it means they’re too shortsighted. The Lóng family isn’t just some small fry.”
I understood Lǐn Huā’s meaning.
The Lóng family itself doesn’t engage in business or politics, but they have nurtured many merchants and politicians, and there’s no rule against their children forming such connections.
Like Lǎo Yán’s father, Yán Sītiān, that hairy-legged uncle who dotes on his daughter (?), is obviously an excellent investor. Similar situations aren’t rare. Now, the old patriarch of the Lóng family is particularly indulgent towards Sister Tāo, even discarding his own unremarkable son. If someone hurts Sister Tāo, the entire family would retaliate…
No, wait.
Someone capable of controlling a live streaming union wouldn’t be so foolish.
“Perhaps because they have thoroughly investigated Sister Tāo’s identity, they act recklessly.”
“What do you mean?”
Hey, this time I was faster than Lǐn Huā.
I explained, “Sister Tāo is part of the Lóng family, but her past experiences are stains the family can’t erase. Once the news of Lóng Hào abandoning his wife and child spreads, the family’s high reputation will be tarnished. Even if Yǐjī is expelled from the family, it won’t change the facts.”
Lǐn Huā frowned in thought.
“Can they investigate such secret matters?”
Líng Shàojié shrugged. “It’s not much of a secret, right? If I can investigate it, others can too… The Lóng family has been searching for their lost child, though it wasn’t broadcasted, the news spread widely. It’s easily accessible information. Digging deeper would reveal more.”
The old patriarch of the Lóng family is quite principled. To make amends for Lóng Hào’s youthful mistakes, he would spread unfavorable information about the family to find Sister Tāo and her mother, but this decision led to the current consequences…
Lǐn Huā relaxed her brow and exhaled.
She said, “So, I started paying attention to Sister Tāo because of that message. Although many know, it’s still not something to be discussed openly.”
“If Yǐjī continues to stream, they will publicly expose Sister Tāo’s identity, likely slandering her as a bastard child, spreading gossip that the public loves. With envy and resentment, if this negative trend picks up, the impact on the live streaming room is predictable… Whether she streams or not, it will be a huge blow to her.”
If we don’t take action and let the situation unfold, it’s a losing game.
“I’ll call Sister Tāo first and ask you to think of a solution.”
Lǐn Huā nodded, and I sat down on the bench at the bus stop, dialing Sister Tāo’s number. It connected unusually fast, as if waiting for my call.
“Young Lingmèng, didn’t I tell you not to contact me until the end of the month?”
She started with complaints.
“And you too?”
“Of course, you’ve been helping me secretly. I took this bet seriously… So, what’s up?”
“Something troublesome happened with Yǐjī. We speculate this might affect you and the Lóng family.”
“…Okay, how so?”
Her tone on the phone was unexpectedly calm. If she were ‘Yānyǔ,’ she must have already learned about the matter from the fan group, perhaps anticipating her own predicament.
But I still explained.
“Yǐjī’s popularity rose quickly and might have caught the attention of a live streaming union that oppresses smaller streamers. They not only sent trolls to her live stream but also used photos to human flesh search her, sending private messages threatening her to stop streaming or face offline retaliation.”
“…Then what? Don’t you report it?”
“Reporting wouldn’t help since there’s no evidence.”
Private messaging threats are likely done by anonymous accounts. Even if reported, nothing would be found without evidence, and the other party wouldn’t admit it anyway.
Ultimately, we don’t even know their identity.
“Oh, but what does this have to do with me? Young Lingmèng, haven’t you understood my point? No matter what difficulties arise, I won’t sympathize with her. If my demands aren’t met by the end of the month, there’s no need for us to meet.”
Sister Tāo displayed a nonchalant indifference, but how sincere this coldness is remains unknown.
I continued explaining, “Yǐjī staying indoors prevents her from being discovered, but you’re different because you look like her. Therefore, we speculate that the information human flesh searched is mostly about you.”
Plus, Yǐjī usually streams from late afternoon to midnight, coinciding with school dismissal times.
Sister Tāo remained silent for a while.
“So she stopped streaming?”
“Yeah, out of concern for you.”
“Concern for me? There’s nothing to worry about. I’ll protect myself and inform Grandpa.”
This involves the Lóng family’s reputation, so Sister Tāo still plans to tell the old patriarch.
“Don’t take this lightly, Sister Tāo!”
Her indifferent tone made me anxious.
“I’ll be fine. Let her continue streaming; by the end of the month, it’ll be too late to regret it.”
