The Eerie Live Stream

Before her rebirth, Bai Wanwan and her grandfather had relied on this very trade for their livelihood. However, the funeral supplies she sold in her past life were never priced so exorbitantly. Moreover, the concept of live-streaming sales was entirely unheard of. After all, in this particular line of work, discretion was always paramount. For the living, even a daytime encounter could feel ominous, so to conduct such a business late at night—and via live-stream, no less—was truly baffling.

Bai Wanwan mused that the price of a hundred yuan per paper ingot likely signaled a live stream designed for abstract, attention-grabbing antics. Given Bai Wanwan’s striking beauty, simply sitting still would be enough to captivate hearts with her delicate, gentle, and utterly pitiable aura. If such an appearance were paired with live-stream content featuring a contrasting theme, it wasn’t entirely inconceivable that it could draw in a host of ‘otaku’.

Indeed, a beautiful girl live-streaming the sale of funeral supplies late at night was both compelling and utterly surreal. What’s more, the prices of these items were astronomically high. Paper ingots, which in her previous life Bai Wanwan had sold for a mere twenty yuan a sack, now commanded a staggering one hundred yuan for a single piece.

‘A hundred yuan for one… he could simply rob you, yet he insists on offering a paper ingot in return.’

“This live-stream company boss is truly something else.”

Snapping her phone shut, Bai Wanwan emerged from the warmth of her covers, extending a slender, jade-white arm to retrieve the charger resting on the table.

Watching her phone’s battery rapidly dwindle, Bai Wanwan let out an involuntary sigh.

She possessed no professional live-streaming equipment, not even a simple ring light. Her phone, moreover, required a constant connection to its charger simply to run the live-streaming application. The abysmal conditions of her rented room further ensured that the broadcast quality would be far from ideal.

Bai Wanwan harbored no illusions of actually selling these items. Her sole aim was to secure the guaranteed base salary of a hundred yuan. This sum, combined with her meager savings, would be just enough to purchase essential daily necessities and begin steering her life back onto a stable course. As for the three hundred million debt, Bai Wanwan would certainly repay it if she were capable, but in her current state of destitution, she was utterly helpless.

With these thoughts, Bai Wanwan rose from her bed. Her fair, well-formed feet tentatively explored the cold concrete floor for a moment. Her delicate, smooth toes, once adorned with sparkling red nail polish, now showed signs of neglect, with half of the vibrant color already chipped away.

Each time Bai Wanwan’s feet met the icy concrete, they would instinctively curl.

After a considerable search, she finally located her bunny cotton slippers, which had been haphazardly kicked beneath the bed.

Slipping into her small slippers, she hurried into the cramped bathroom. There, she used the half-shattered mirror to meticulously examine her reflection. Despite her disheveled appearance, she remained strikingly beautiful.

However, with a live stream looming, she resolved to make herself presentable.

She began by squeezing a small amount of shampoo from a sachet to wash her hair, the icy tap water sending shivers across her scalp.

A peculiar sense of injustice welled up within Bai Wanwan, perhaps a lingering sentiment from the original host, who had been coddled since birth. Yet, these were her current circumstances, and Bai Wanwan found herself powerless to change them.

After a quick wash, Bai Wanwan gazed at her reflection in the mirror. Though utterly devoid of makeup, her face was undeniably captivating, possessing a beauty capable of toppling kingdoms. Anyone who beheld her would inevitably exclaim internally, ‘How stunning!’ Regrettably, such a face was hardly an asset in her current state of destitution.

Bai Wanwan quickly tidied her cluttered rental room, clearing a relatively clean and orderly corner to serve as her live-streaming space.

Her cracked-screen phone stood as her sole piece of live-streaming equipment.

By the time all was done, it was nearly half past ten. Given Bai Wanwan’s fragile constitution, the simple act of tidying had indeed consumed a considerable amount of time.

Realizing she had nothing else pressing to do, she decided to start the live stream early to familiarize herself with the process. Once the broadcast concluded and she received her payment, Bai Wanwan’s first priority would be to eat. Naturally, pre-packaged meals were entirely out of the question; consuming them again would surely poison her before starvation could claim her. Moreover, cooking for herself was demonstrably healthier, more nutritious, and far more economical.

With these calculations in mind, Bai Wanwan launched the live-streaming application.

The dim lighting of the room, coupled with the mediocre front-facing camera, cast Bai Wanwan in a somewhat pallid glow. It undeniably lent the scene an eerie, almost otherworldly atmosphere.

‘This kind of live stream is far too surreal. If someone were to stumble upon it by accident, wouldn’t their very soul be scared out of them?’

Bai Wanwan couldn’t help but let out a self-deprecating chuckle. Still, the hundred-yuan base salary came with no stringent demands; as long as she successfully completed the broadcast, it was sufficient. Consequently, she had no intention of actively ‘performing.’ Her plan was simply to sit before her phone and respond to any comments that might appear. Indeed, if no one watched, it would be even better; earning money simply by sitting there? Who wouldn’t adore such a job?

Bai Wanwan cast a glance at the product link accompanying the live stream and immediately shook her head in disbelief.

‘Purely handmade paper ingots, one hundred yuan. Purely handmade paper effigies of a boy and girl, three thousand yuan. Purely handmade paper villa, thirty thousand… per square meter?’

“This is absurd,” she muttered. “Who would actually buy these things?”

As Bai Wanwan scrutinized the display images within the product link, her brows furrowed progressively deeper. Not only was the folding technique of the paper ingots reminiscent of counterfeit money, but the paper effigies of the boy and girl were riddled with imperfections. And the most expensive item, the paper villa? Even a ghost residing within it would surely grumble about drafts seeping in from every direction.

“Hmph,” she sighed, “these items don’t just deceive the living; they’d even fool ghosts.”

Shaking her head, Bai Wanwan closed the product link.

At that moment, whether due to a platform boost or simply Bai Wanwan’s undeniable beauty, a steady stream of over a dozen viewers began to trickle into her live room. Almost without exception, they were all disparaging her stream as ‘eerie,’ yet, equally without exception, they were showering her with compliments on her striking good looks.

[Streamer, can’t you dance? Why is this so creepy?]

[Holy cow, what is this selling? Is this a robbery?]

[Was it folded by the beautiful girl herself? If so, I’ll buy one to burn for my brother.]

[Wifey, wifey, you’re so pretty, show us your V!!]

As a scattering of comments drifted across the screen, Bai Wanwan found herself at a loss for a response, managing only an awkward smile.

“Actually,” she offered, “I can also read fortunes through facial features.”

Bai Wanwan realized that merely offering a dry, awkward smile wouldn’t suffice. The person who had hired her had explicitly stated that she would receive a share not only from the sales of funeral items but also from any other revenue generated by the live stream. Given this, she decided to tap into her unique skills: she would read fortunes, offer pleasantries, and perhaps earn a few gift yuan—ten or eight at a time.

[Streamer, can you help me read my face?]

[Streamer, streamer, I don’t need you to read my face; I just need to video call you, and we can stare at each other for a few minutes.]

The comments showed a flicker of interest, yet not a single person seemed willing to pay; they were all merely indulging in playful banter.

[Can you help me look first?]

A striking red comment drifted across the screen, swiftly followed by a gift of fifty yuan. Yet, after all the various commissions were deducted, Bai Wanwan would only pocket five yuan from that amount.

Still, five yuan was five yuan; it was enough to buy two packs of instant noodles.

“Certainly, let’s start a video call,” she responded. “Given your generosity, your facial features must surely denote a person of great fortune and prosperity.”

Her grandfather had taught her, during her studies of physiognomy, that it was always wise to utter pleasantries first, regardless of the situation. Unless a person’s features were truly egregious, offering compliments served both to invite good fortune and to cultivate positive karma for herself. Furthermore, should she ever discern something unsettling or ‘unclean’ in someone’s countenance, such innocuous remarks could allow her to feign ignorance and avert potential danger.

In short order, the video call connected.

What greeted Bai Wanwan’s eyes was an exquisite beauty, captivating to her very core. The woman’s stunning red hair accentuated her cool, haughty demeanor, and a single glance was enough to make one’s heart skip a beat.

[Holy cow, a beautiful big-wavy red-haired older sister!]

[Sister, you’re so domineering, can you date me?]

[The pure black long-haired girl and the gorgeous, domineering red-haired ‘older sister’ with big waves—I’m done for.]

[This isn’t a script, is it?]

Yet, as Bai Wanwan gazed upon the beauty before her, her expression grew increasingly solemn. For, by all accounts of physiognomy, this ‘older sister’ ought to have been deceased for several decades!