Chapter 93: The Battle That Shook the Path to Greatness
On Wednesday night, in the South District, Tong Yao Tavern.
The tavern had set up its tables and chairs early today, and the traffic outside was gradually increasing, signaling the impending rush hour.
Tong Yingying, looking sullen, rested her chin on her hand as she watched Yan Huan bustling around at the bar, then rubbed her forehead and asked,
“What are you doing now?”
At the entrance, Yan Huan turned around in his bartender outfit and smiled,
“Sis Tong, I’ve come up with a plan with Li Ge to save our business, and I want to give it a try.”
“Go on?”
Yan Huan came over with his phone, pointing at the screen as he explained to Tong Yingying,
“This idea is actually inspired by other shops. There are many old immigrants in the South District—it’s chaotic but that means there are a lot of authentic shops, most of them are small and shabby.
“People from other districts rarely come to the South District just to have a meal, so a shop in Dragon Kingdom started offering cross-district delivery service, packing food and delivering it to other areas.”
Tong Yingying yawned, not bothering to look at the explanation on his phone and just studying Yan Huan’s side profile.
Watching him diligently focus on the phone screen, confidently selling his idea to himself.
This guy.
Studying hard at school, busy with student council during the day, then coming home to exercise and do homework at night.
And still so enthusiastic, acting like he isn’t tired at all.
Even the field that trained him seemed weary, yet this ox that plowed it showed no sign of fatigue.
Well, I suppose that’s a good thing.
It shows spirit.
Not entirely a bad thing.
“So once Li Ge gathers his people, we can test this out tonight.”
Yan Huan rambled on, then turned to ask this nominal boss for her opinion.
But when he turned around, he found Tong Yingying staring blankly at him.
“Sis Tong, are you even listening?”
Tong Yingying tore her gaze from his face and glanced at the documents on the table.
After a quick look, she said,
“I roughly understand you want to do online party beverages, right? Prepare some cups, snacks, dice, and send over a cocktail mix.
“Our shop has no rent, and I have direct supply channels for drinks, so even with delivery costs added in, we’ll still have a significant price advantage.”
Yan Huan gave a thumbs up, telling Tong Yingying,
“Sis Tong, you’re exceptionally smart, that’s exactly it. I’ve already prepared everything these days, and Li Ge has brought his classmates on board.”
“Stop buttering me up.”
After saying that, Tong Yingying yawned again and then asked,
“The problem is, how will you get people to order? Channels? Promotion?”
Yan Huan said nothing, but Tian Li, who was setting up a light at the spacious bar, cheerfully chimed in,
“Don’t worry, we’ve thought it all out. First, let’s do an online live stream to test the waters.”
“Live stream?”
Tong Yingying glanced over at the equipment and then back at Yan Huan, appearing slightly uninterested.
Although she originally opened these shops purely for retirement, to serve as a base of operations, she didn’t expect Yan Huan to owe her anything.
After all, pushing him to train every day was quite satisfying.
But seeing this kid so motivated, she didn’t want to throw cold water on his fire.
Having someone care about my wellbeing isn’t a bad thing.
“Do whatever you want, but it feels like a total waste of time.”
“Don’t worry, Sis Tong, it’s guaranteed to earn money.”
“I think so too.”
Yan Huan and Tian Li, who was preparing things in the distance, simultaneously wore confident expressions like “idea kings,” causing Tong Yingying to roll her eyes.
Without drinking today to keep up with their enthusiasm, Tong Yingying could only watch as the two busied themselves.
Preparing for the live stream, checking merchandise, coordinating people.
Before long, night fell.
The clear sky was gradually soaked with bright lights and the sound of crowds.
The South District was bustling now.
In Jinghe District, Sakuraguchi Family.
Sakura Kyoko was writing something with a brush while asking someone behind her,
“Is the news completely reliable?”
Behind her, Nairu lay on Sakura’s bed looking at her phone, nodded, and said,
“Yes, the news from the family says your aunt has been elected the new director of your grandfather’s company, and all your brothers have gone to celebrate with her.”
Sakura Kyoko dipped her ink, signed her name at the end of the almost finished letter, and picked up the seal beside her to stamp it.
“In that case, let’s take good care of my useless cousin. Just in time, her birthday is in a few days.
“The congratulatory letter is ready. Once the ink dries, we’ll pack it up and send it to my aunt.”
After saying that, Sakura Kyoko sighed and put down the brush.
Immediately, her expression shifted from impassive to bright, as if she had thought of something, and said,
“Right! Hosting a party for her would allow me to properly invite the president and the others over to play.
“Well, looks like my cousin is of some use after all!”
Nairu stared at her phone and said,
“Isn’t your mood switching a little too fast, young lady?”
Sakura Kyoko turned around, holding the brush she had been using and said,
“It’s just like how I spent my birthday last January, everyone taking a boat to the lake to watch fireworks.
“And then, in the middle of the lake, they present me with birthday gifts, wishing me a happy birthday~”
Nairu shifted her gaze from the screen for a moment to watch Sakura Kyoko, who was blushing and seemed to drift into daydreams while holding the brush.
Then she mercilessly retorted,
“It’s your cousin’s birthday, not yours. People come to celebrate her, and the gifts are for her too, right?”
Sakura Kyoko’s birthday was on January 1st, and during that time, Yan Huan gifted her a brush—this very one she was now holding.
After that, she switched from using a fountain pen to a brush for writing her personal letters.
“So what? At that time, I can just casually swap whatever I want for the gifts the president gives her. She’s just a child, doesn’t know anything, it’s easy to deceive her.”
Nairu pursed her lips, looking at Sakura Kyoko, feeling like she was staring at an evil parent thinking of “trading 1 dollar for 100 dollars in New Year money.”
“…”
“By the way, why are you staring at your phone the entire time you’re talking to me? What are you even doing?”
“Me?”
Nairu lay on the bed, not even looking at her phone, just busy tapping her finger on the screen,
“I’m sending hearts to your president.”
“Hearts? What does that mean?”
“Come look for yourself.”
“?”
Sakura Kyoko, confused, carefully set down the brush and walked over to her bed.
Nairu sat up and shared her screen with Sakura Kyoko.
The screen showed a tavern with a strikingly handsome young man busy at work.
A male voice outside the screen was explaining the tavern’s home delivery package.
“The president!? How is the president on your phone? Did you secretly take a photo of him?”
Upon hearing this, Nairu’s expression darkened, and she gritted her teeth, replying,
“This is a live stream!! Look at the username below, okay?!”
Sakura Kyoko’s eyes widened, and she quickly snatched the phone from Nairu, staring intently at the live streaming account.
“Tong Yao… that’s the place where the president is working?”
“Mhm. It seems their business is doing okay lately, so they started a live stream to sell drinks online. I just happened to stumble upon it while scrolling through short videos, probably due to the local recommendation mechanism.”
Nairu glanced at the screen and introduced the situation to Sakura Kyoko,
“Yan Huan looks quite eye-catching when he’s serious about his work. The live stream hasn’t had much preparation or growth; earlier, there were only a few people watching, but now there are several hundred.”
Sakura Kyoko held the phone, her eyes flitting between Yan Huan’s busy form on screen.
Nairu smiled and pointed at the screen, saying,
“You can tap the screen to send them hearts. Young lady, why not try it?”
“Eh?”
Sakura Kyoko, blushing slightly, carefully placed her brush down and looked at Nairu.
“Will he be able to see that it’s me sending hearts? Do you think… he might call me to thank me or something?”
Ah, how annoying.
You’re kind of cute like this, Princess Sakura.
If you were like this all the time, it would be great~
After a moment of silence, Nairu shook her head and said,
“He can only see the overall view of the live stream increasing; he won’t know who sent the hearts.”
At these words, Sakura Kyoko’s face fell instantly, and she stopped what she was doing, expressionless as she asked,
“Then what’s the point of this meaningless action? Am I that bored?”
“…”
Please, can you give me back that cute young lady from earlier?
But looking at Yan Huan on screen, Sakura Kyoko stroked her chin and analyzed,
“Speaking of which, the president is live streaming to promote the tavern he works at, so I just need to order to support his business, right?”
As soon as she spoke, Nairu raised both hands in front of her, making a big X.
“No way! You can’t drink. If the family finds out we allow you to drink, we’ll definitely be punished. Then, I’ll be in trouble.”
“…That’s true.”
Sakura Kyoko helplessly glanced at Yan Huan on her phone, feeling as though she was watching a paper figure husband she could never reach.
Below the live stream, many viewers were sending messages,
“Where is this shop? Looks pretty well-decorated.”
“Can it deliver to Linyi Gate?”
“Let that cute young man come over and chat!”
“The streamer is ignoring us; let’s leave.”
No responses came, as Tian Li was busy introducing the drinks while mixing them, so regardless of the comments, no one was replying.
Yet, while Tian Li mixed drinks, he was still chatting about how to order and have drinks delivered.
Sakura Kyoko looked at Yan Huan, bustling about in the video, and sent a message,
“Please let the guy on screen take a break; don’t make him work anymore.”
Once again, there was no response.
Seeing this, Nairu explained to Sakura Kyoko,
“He won’t see the comments unless he’s looking at them.”
“Isn’t there any way around that?”
Sakura Kyoko crossed her arms, looking very displeased, defending Yan Huan,
“This guy just stands at the bar talking, and all he does is shake the drink! Why does the president have to keep running around? It’s not fair!
“I want to buy this tavern! Make this guy wash dishes and run outside every day!”
Nairu covered her face, muttering softly,
“You sure act like a little wife, but if you install a camera to spy on him, that secret will be exposed too.”
However, watching her royal lady’s furious expression wasn’t a good idea. Nairu thought of a plan,
“There is indeed a way to get his attention.”
“What is it?”
“Like this.”
Nairu opened up the gift listing and clicked on a car-shaped gift.
After purchasing some virtual currency, a luxury car effect appeared in the entire live stream.
“What’s this?”
Sakura Kyoko, not understanding these things, watched as Nairu yawned and explained,
“A gift. Each gift has a special notification sound, the more expensive the gift, the louder the sound, thus capturing their attention.
“See? I’m already the number one on the board, so my comments will be highlighted for them.”
Sakura Kyoko blinked a few times, still unsure, but she was focused on the screen.
At the Tong Yao Tavern, while Tian Li was explaining, he heard the exaggerated effect sounds coming from the phone.
He blinked and walked over to the phone, excitedly reading,
“Thank you to ‘My Young Lady is Too Awful’ for sending a luxury car! Thank you to the boss for the gift!!”
In the luxurious house, hearing Tian Li read the username, Sakura Kyoko first froze, then as if belatedly realizing something, she turned to Nairu and asked angrily,
“What kind of stupid username is that?! Am I really that annoying?!”
“Ah hey~”
“What ‘ah hey’ are you talking about?!”
Just as Sakura Kyoko was about to blow up, Nairu quickly changed the topic,
“Hey, it’s all your fault, Young Lady. Since you sent a gift, it caught their attention, so ask him something quickly!
“If you don’t say anything, he’ll just go back to mixing drinks, and that’s a waste of money!”
Sakura Kyoko almost turned dark, but then she quickly returned to normal, looking at Tian Li, who was back at the bar, and commanded Nairu,
“Oh, you quickly send another gift so I can tell him not to let the president work anymore.”
This time it was Nairu who turned dark.
“You should create your own account to send gifts! You are spending my salary here, alright?! With all your money, make an account yourself!!”
“Stingy.”
Sakura Kyoko rolled her eyes at Nairu and quickly ran back to grab her phone.
She didn’t have this short video app on her phone yet, so she had to download it and create a new user.
But that didn’t discourage Sakura Kyoko’s enthusiasm; she lay beside Nairu with her phone, asking,
“Can I request them to let the president chat with me after sending the gift?”
“As long as it’s not too much, it should be fine?”
“Then I want to go to their tavern to blend in.”
Before she finished, Nairu seemed to know beforehand and said,
“No way, you can’t install cameras.”
“…”
Sakura Kyoko’s excited expression froze for a moment, then she brightened up, saying,
“Then I…”
“Visiting Yan Huan’s house is also impossible.”
“…”
Feeling the resentful look from Sakura Kyoko, Nairu, unfazed, raised a finger,
“But you can chat with your Yan Huan! After all, nobody online knows what kind of monster you are, so even if you say some weird things, they won’t know it’s you.”
“Are you teasing me right now?”
“Ah hey~”
Sakura Kyoko couldn’t be bothered with Nairu’s slick tongue since her app was already downloaded.
She registered an account, linked it to her bank account, and even swapped a cartoon cat avatar as the default.
She named it: “Likes Cats.”
Everything was ready, only the east wind was missing!
She searched for the user “Tong Yao” and opened the live stream.
Directly opened the gift section, took a deep breath, pressed the gift that Nairu had sent previously, and added a note,
“Please let the guy in front take a break and come chat.”
Send!!
In Tong Yao Tavern, after Yan Huan thanked the gift from “Likes Cats”.
He glanced at the backend where users were steadily placing orders and turned to call Tian Li to check the backend and prepare for delivery.
But before he could say anything, a clear sound rang from the phone behind him,
“Ding!!”
Yan Huan was slightly taken aback, turned around, and saw the screen filled with effects.
It was a gift from “Leaf.”
His eyelid twitched, and instinctively he began to thank,
“Thank you to ‘Leaf’ for the generous gift—”
“Boom!!”
As he spoke, before finishing, another wave of overwhelming noise and effects burst forth.
It was a gift from “Likes Cats.”
Yan Huan blinked, his throat felt a little dry.
But that simple action was like the horn of something starting to happen.
“Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!”
Another type of gift started erupting in some rhythmic manner, yet it was soon followed by another round of repeated gifts and special effects.
“Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!”
Like two formations with similar lethality but completely different weapons, they were fiercely attacking each other.
At this moment, in the online world.
On the left, a chibi version of Ye Shiyu stood expressionless behind rows of luxurious purple cannons.
She waved her hand lightly towards the distant field and coldly commanded,
“Leave no one behind, fire.”
While on the other side, a chibi version of Sakura Kyoko sat on a red cannon, tightly gripping the cannon and shouting angrily,
“Blast that annoying jerk to bits! Fire!! Fire!!”
As both sides gave the order, the entire battlefield—
Oh no, the entire live stream instantly became a chaotic smoke-filled scene, bursting into flames.
Gods were fighting, and mortals were having a feast, all below munching their snacks.
In the live stream, the onlookers flooded the comments with “Whoa” and “666.”
The entire phone buzzed non-stop, even the customers outside drinking could hear the extravagant effects.
Tian Li ran over in disbelief, staring at the phone screen,
“Damn! What are these two doing?!”
The sound even startled the backstage Tong Yingying; she irritably leaned out, asking,
“What’s going on? What kind of sound is that?”
Running back and forth, Guan Rong also peeked out from the kitchen to ask Tian Li,
“Hey, what’s happening, A Li? What’s wrong?”
Tian Li swallowed hard, glancing at Yan Huan, who was similarly confused, and quickly turned back to Tong Yingying, stating,
“Wow, Sis Tong, this is too ridiculous!! There are two big shots battling it out in the live stream!!
“The conflict is so intense that even the Path to Greatness is getting worn down!!!”
