Chapter 164: Everyone’s a Hooligan

Chapter 164 -136: Everyone’s a Hooligan

You had to admit, Xiao Ran’s emotional intelligence was on point. With just a single sentence, he effortlessly lifted the girl’s spirits.

After all, this was the one thing she cared about more than anything!

The girl quickly took out her phone and opened her creator dashboard.

Instantly, her beautiful almond-shaped eyes widened in astonishment, and her fair, delicate face was a picture of utter disbelief.

“Oh my god, so many gifts!!!!”

Her earnings from gifts in just one night had already reached over nine thousand yuan!!!

That was more than the total gift earnings she had received over the past three years combined!

And that didn’t even include the platform’s direct payout for the stream. A quick calculation told her she’d probably made over ten thousand yuan from this one stream. This was just too exhilarating!!!!

Overcome with excitement, the girl’s bright eyes sparkled even more, and her voice trembled. “Xiao Ran… does this mean we’re a hit?”

‘I’ve made it!’

The joy of her dream coming true made her so thrilled and excited that her head felt a little dizzy.

Watching the excited girl, Xiao Ran nodded dotingly.

“That’s right. From now on, you’re a real influencer.”

‘Honestly, these numbers are really good. If she can keep this up, Yan Xici might just become a major streamer.’

Xiao Ran was happy for her, too.

Hearing about such explosive numbers, Xu Cheng and Zhang Chuan couldn’t help but feel overjoyed as well.

Xu Cheng rubbed his hands together, an excited look on his face, and raised his glass to everyone at the table.

“Come on, let me propose a toast. To Xici’s streaming career becoming more and more successful, and to Ranzi’s new book being a bestseller!”

Zhang Chuan stood up too. “Yes, yes, yes, yes! It’s like the old saying goes: don’t forget us when you’re rich and famous!”

‘Our brothers have to do better and better!’

Xiao Ran looked at the two of them with a smile. “I’ll take you up on those good wishes. But Xici can’t drink, so I’ll drink for her.”

With that, he raised his glass, ready to down it in one go.

Seeing this, Xu Cheng quickly stopped him. “Oh no, you don’t! It’s not like Xici can’t drink. She’s a grown woman now. Besides, on such a great day, how could she not have a little something!”

“Yeah, Ranzi, you’re being unreasonable,” Zhang Chuan chimed in. “Her very first stream made it to the trending page. She has to celebrate, right?”

This made Yan Xici feel a bit awkward. She quickly stood up, and though her expression was a little shy, her eyes were filled with excitement.

“My two big brothers are right. Today is the first time in my life I’ve made it to the trending page, and I believe there will be many more opportunities to come!” With that, she raised her glass with both hands and looked at Xu Cheng gratefully. “Thank you, Brother Xu Cheng, for giving me this chance!”

Her words made Xu Cheng’s face blossom into a wide smile. “So young, and already such a smooth talker! It would truly be a waste if you didn’t become a streamer!”

He then poured himself some more wine. “As the old saying goes, a full glass shows a sincere heart. I thank you and Xiao Ran for stepping up to help this time, and I wish you a future with no limits!”

‘He meant every word. A girl so polite and willing to help—he truly believed she would make it big one day!’

“Then just have a little!” Xiao Ran said, looking at Yan Xici with concern. After he spoke, the four of them clinked their glasses together again.

In the laid-back farmhouse restaurant, the group chatted and laughed, the atmosphere incredibly lively.

Zhang Chuan suggested, “How about we play a round of Truth or Dare?”

The game might have been played to death, but you couldn’t deny it was still fun!

Hearing this, Xu Cheng was all for it. “Alright, come on, come on, let’s use a spoon! Whoever it points to, goes!”

With that, he took the spoon from his place setting and put it on the table.

Yan Xici’s eyes widened as she watched everyone curiously. ‘To be honest, I’ve played Truth or Dare before, but this is the first time I’ve ever played it at a dinner with drinks.’

“Are you ready?” Xu Cheng asked, looking at the others with a mock-serious expression.

“Ready!” Li Yuan was the first to raise her hand.

Xiao Ran and Zhang Chuan nodded in agreement. “Let’s start!”

At that, Xu Cheng pinched the spoon between two fingers, gave it a hard spin, and the white spoon whirled a few times on the glass tabletop before the handle came to a stop, pointing at Li Yuan.

Xu Cheng jutted his chin at her. “Truth or Dare?”

Li Yuan glanced uncertainly at Zhang Chuan as her mind started racing.

‘If I pick Truth, they’ll definitely ask if I like Zhang Chuan. She actually thought Zhang Chuan was a decent guy, but after meeting Xiao Ran, she suddenly felt that maybe her previous social circle hadn’t been good enough. If she could meet more men like Xiao Ran and find one who was just as successful, that would be her best option! So, the Truth option was clearly not for her.’

After a moment’s hesitation, she said, “I choose Dare!”

“Alright, then kiss Zhang Chuan!” Xu Cheng said with a laugh.

Don’t be fooled by Xu Cheng’s carefree exterior; he was actually quite shrewd, especially when it came to interpersonal relationships.

‘This girl was worried that he and Zhang Chuan were losing money on gifts at first. Then, after finding out Xiao Ran was an author and his book was being adapted, she was pulling out chairs and pouring water for everyone. Her attitude did a complete 180. Who knew what she was scheming! If she was trying to latch onto Xiao Ran, it wouldn’t just cause trouble for Xiao Ran and Yan Xici, it would definitely make things awkward for Zhang Chuan, too. After thinking it over, he decided he had to push them together tonight, no matter what it took! After all, Zhang Chuan was the one who brought her!’

The moment the words were out, Li Yuan looked at Zhang Chuan with an embarrassed expression.

“Th-that’s not a good idea…”

Seeing Li Yuan’s unwillingness, Zhang Chuan quickly said, “Hey, uh, forget it, man. Pick another one. We’re not at that stage yet.”

‘To be honest, he didn’t think they were at that stage either.’

Zhang Chuan had never been in a relationship and was a relatively honest and simple guy.

Xu Cheng couldn’t help but roll his eyes at him. ‘Useless idiot! I’m handing him the opportunity on a silver platter, and he still doesn’t want it!!!’

Li Yuan, quick on the uptake, immediately grabbed her glass. “How about this? I’ll take a drink as a penalty!”

Yan Xici took advantage of the lull to open WeChat, but the moment she saw a message from her mom, her whole mood soured.

The smile that had just been playing at the corners of her eyes vanished, and she drooped like a wilted flower.

‘What is going on? How did my sister see my stream again? No wonder she called me! So is Mom calling to condemn me now? But I haven’t done anything wrong! Being a streamer has always been my dream, and it’s the most suitable job for me.’

Xiao Ran, who had been about to join in on the teasing, noticed something was wrong with the girl. He leaned closer and asked with concern, “What’s wrong?”

Yan Xici handed her phone to Xiao Ran with a pained expression, her voice full of helplessness. “Here, look.”

‘This is such a headache. Why is it so hard to just focus on building a career? I just do one stream and my sister sees it, and then she runs and tattles to Mom!’

After reading the message on the phone, Xiao Ran first froze for a moment, then stood up, took Yan Xici by the hand, and started to lead her out.

Seeing this, the girl looked at him, confused. “What are you doing?”

“Going to the restroom!”