novelraw Chapter 140 : Gentle, Modest, Frugal, and Yielding
Chapter 140 : Gentle, Modest, Frugal, and Yielding
Chapter 140: Gentle, Modest, Frugal, and Yielding
Five hundred yuan — that truly was an astonishing number. To think that when the Rushuang Empress first sent him back to school, she had even spent eight hundred. That money he hadn’t touched to this day, planning to use it when he got the chance to “exchange gifts.” What he thought would be an insult turned out to mean that Sichuan Girl was only worth five hundred.
At this moment, Lin Mo was in the kitchen, heating up his Chinese medicine while recounting how he had just been “approached” at the library.
“Tsk, tsk, tsk, Old Mo, that woman isn’t simple. Good thing your little head didn’t take control of your big one and make you agree right away, or you’d regret it now.”
Sichuan Girl, holding his phone, was scrolling through the girl’s social feed on the sofa, clicking her tongue in amazement.
“What do you mean? You think there’s some kind of trap?” Lin Mo asked curiously, carrying his Chinese medicine out of the kitchen.
He wasn’t someone in the self-media circle, so he naturally didn’t understand the tricks involved. Rejecting that girl was nothing more than his lack of interest in becoming an internet celebrity.
As for her “beauty trap,” he didn’t care in the slightest — in fact, it even made him want to laugh. Because if two people came together for profit, what could they possibly be called — lovers?
Feelings were feelings, and business was business. Once those two got mixed together, it easily became an illegal transaction.
“For now, it doesn’t look like there’s any trap. After all, she didn’t ask you to sign any contract. At most, she just wants to ride on your popularity and make you do some free promotion for her.
You’re trending online right now — getting some couple buzz with you without paying a single appearance fee means she’s earning without risk. At the very least, she’ll get a boost in traffic.
Look, you two haven’t even done anything yet, and her social feed and short video account already posted your photos and clips.” Sichuan Girl handed him the phone, shaking her head with a smirk.
Lin Mo took the phone and looked. Sure enough, the girl’s feed already had his photos — even her Douyin account featured a compilation of his pictures from the library earlier. Checking the timestamp, the post had been up for less than five minutes. Pretty fast action indeed.
“Wait, where’d you even get her Douyin handle from?” Lin Mo asked, a bit surprised.
Sichuan Girl puffed up her chest confidently. “Of course I asked for it with your phone just now. She gave it up quite happily.”
Lin Mo: “...”
Seeing his speechless expression, Sichuan Girl continued, “Don’t overthink it. She just wants to freeload some attention off you. As for the talk about becoming a couple — that’s all just bait. Her whole brand is the ‘pure campus beauty’ image, and her videos are all dancing or single-college-girl daily vlogs. How could she publicly announce a relationship online?
Even if you agreed, at most, she’d just appear in some collabs with you — no mention of being a couple. Netizens could speculate all they want, but she’d never admit it. And once your popularity drops, she’ll cut ties instantly.
Not a single cent spent, yet she gets a huge wave of traffic. Way harsher than that stupid MC company I just met — at least they offered me 500 yuan.”
Hearing that, Lin Mo shook his head. Although Sichuan Girl’s analysis might not be entirely correct, he had to admit, it was pretty plausible.
“I didn’t have that kind of thought anyway. If I really wanted someone to appear on camera with me, couldn’t I just ask you? Or should I just pass you her WeChat? You can give it a try.” Lin Mo suggested.
Sichuan Girl quickly shook her head. “No thanks. I’m keeping my identity a secret for now. I’d advise you to delete her right away too, or that woman might even leak your chat logs for the sake of views.
Online, people will do anything for traffic — better be careful.”
Hearing that, Lin Mo nodded. He might not work in internet circles, but he’d seen plenty of online drama wars and chat log exposés.
“Oh, right — what about Zhao Tingting’s WeChat? Should we delete that too?” Lin Mo asked casually as he deleted Xia An’an.
Sichuan Girl: “???”
“What? You still had her added? I deleted her ages ago! Those stupid MC companies aren’t even worth a spot in my contacts list.”
Lin Mo: “...”
As expected of you, Li Shiya — always so decisive, never caring what others think.
“By the way, haven’t you thought about joining a company? That might actually help you. At least you wouldn’t have to handle all the editing and post-production yourself.” Lin Mo asked.
Sichuan Girl’s account had plenty of fans and earned decently, but she had to handle everything herself — which was exhausting. Recently, Wang Chu had been helping her a bit, which eased the burden, but that clearly wasn’t sustainable.
She could either join a solid company or start her own team and be the boss herself. A professional company could also land more sponsorships — and bring in more money.
“No need. Most self-media companies these days are trash. Their contracts are full of traps. I’m afraid if I signed one, I wouldn’t even keep ownership of my own account.
Besides, I’m not some internet star built up by their packaging — what use do I have for them? Worst case, I just work a bit harder myself. At least I stay free.”
Sichuan Girl’s attitude was laid-back. Though her account was her hard work, her already good family background meant she had nothing to worry about. If it came down to it, she could always just quit and live off her parents.
Seeing this, Lin Mo didn’t press further. She was a professional — surely she had her own plans. He lifted his Chinese medicine and drank it down in one gulp. His facial features twisted instantly from the bitterness.
At that moment, Sichuan Girl suddenly appeared with a bowl of bright red spicy hot pot, sighing as she spoke:
“Ah, people change with the times. Cross the right river, take off the right shoes. Wear underwear that fits your butt size. Now that I’m in Jiangning, all I can eat is this kind of spicy hot pot.
Back home, when we ate authentic Sichuan-Chongqing spicy hot pot, there were rules — you had to learn to be gentle, modest, frugal, and yielding, especially that word ‘yielding.’
For example, if I’m eating spicy hot pot and someone I don’t know sits beside me, I still have to offer some — ‘Want a few bites?’
Whether they can handle the spice or not, they must accept, or else it’s an insult.
Mr. Lin, want a few bites?”
Saying that, Sichuan Girl pushed the spicy hot pot toward him, holding her chopsticks with her fingers and pointing them at him.
Lin Mo: “???”
“Are you sick? Why would I give you face? Who do you think you are, Ding Lianshan? I’m drinking Chinese medicine! No spicy food, got it?
By the way, where’s Wang Chu? Don’t tell me he’s still asleep? We’re visiting the teacher this afternoon, remember? You two said you wanted to get your bodies adjusted too. We should buy some gifts later — can’t show up empty-handed.”
At that, Sichuan Girl’s face lit up with visible joy, but she still kept her posture. She loosened her fingers, letting the chopsticks fall onto the table, and said in a gratified tone:
“What a talent! If you’d come half an hour earlier, we could’ve gone together. What a pity, Mr. Lin — you came too late. Forget later, you might not even see Wang Chu this afternoon.”
A vein popped on Lin Mo’s forehead. He raised his hand, launching a “Jiamusi Big Swing,” triggering the Mantis passive skill Isolated and Helpless: “Speak human words! Stop acting like some grandmaster!”
Sichuan Girl’s eyes cleared instantly. “Uh… the Class Monitor called him away.”
Lin Mo: “...”