Chapter 52: Chapter 52: The System Starts Upgrading

Zhu Ya, who had been leaning against her mother and basking in her affection, tensed up for a moment when she heard those words.

Seeing her daughter’s silent, nervous state, Mrs. Zhu sighed inwardly. ’My daughter is all grown up. Eventually, she’ll fall in love with someone and start her own family.’

"Xiao Ya, your dad and I both want you to be happy. For us, your happiness is our greatest happiness. Actually, I’ve always been able to tell that you like your brother. You’re always clinging to him. After all, I was young once, too. Even though your dad is busy with work, he has always taken matters concerning you very seriously, so we actually noticed this a long time ago. It’s just that back then, your brother didn’t know he wasn’t our biological son. But now that this has happened, we can’t pretend it didn’t. Your dad and I have thought it over. If you’re both willing, then we’ll give you our blessing."

Tears soaked Mrs. Zhu’s sleeve. Zhu Ya couldn’t hold back and hugged her mother tightly. "Mom, thank you. Thank you both."

For so many years, she had endured immense inner turmoil.

It wasn’t that she didn’t understand anything, but some barriers were impossible to break. Now, however, everything seemed different.

Her parents loved her and supported her. As long as her brother was also willing, they could be together.

They didn’t even care what other people thought.

This was a kind of happiness Zhu Ya had never dreamed of. Her mind was now filled with visions of a bright and happy future.

"Mom, do you and Dad really not care about what others will think?" Zhu Ya asked after calming down.

"Of course we care. But in this life, the most important thing is for our family to be happy. As long as you are wealthy or powerful enough, no one will dare to point fingers at you to your face. Your dad works so hard precisely to give you that kind of support."

This was perhaps the happiest day of Zhu Ya’s life.

She had never imagined her parents would be so open-minded. She’d never imagined they worked so hard just so she could live without being subjected to gossip.

It was a scene of maternal love and filial devotion.

Later, Zhu Ya told her mother about Wen Ying. When Mrs. Zhu heard about a psychologist doing livestreams, she also thought it was just a gimmick for internet fame. But as she listened further, her expression grew serious.

「—」

#ForeignExchangeStudentArrestUncoversCrimeRing#

#CoupleArrestedAgainInProstitutionCase#

#HumanTraffickingCaseDefendantSentenced#

#TransnationalScammerDiesBySuicideInPrison#

The topics were trending high. Many of her long-time fans were directing people to Wen Ying’s stream. Just as Wen Ying was about to end her broadcast, she was stunned to see her live viewer count shoot up!

It shot past 800,000!

[Wow! So many new people? Doctor Wen is really blowing up! Is she about to become one of the platform’s top streamers?]

[800,000 concurrent viewers, and they’re all real people! Are you sure she’s just *about* to become one? Do any of the other top streamers even have 800,000 real viewers? Heh.]

[I feel like Doctor Wen is about to become the platform’s top streamer, right? These numbers are just unbeatable!]

Meanwhile, the operations director of the Shark Platform was calling a meeting with his managers. The director, wearing glasses and holding a printout of the backend data, asked, "What’s going on with this Doctor Wen’s stream? The data shows an abnormal spike. Has anyone looked into it? According to her profile, she’s a complete newbie, right?"

"Director, this streamer must be using bots to inflate her numbers! We should issue a warning. I took a look, and her stream is a bit edgy, bordering on old-fashioned superstition! We absolutely can’t let this slide!"

"This streamer is beautiful, but she’s on the most basic contract, which is about to expire soon. I’ve been following her stream. Her content is very interesting, which is how she attracted hundreds of thousands of viewers. Based on my analysis, this sudden popularity is probably legitimate."

"I’ve watched her too. She’s a bit uncanny, but the data is real and valid. Her viewer count goes up every time she streams! I recommend we offer her an upgraded contract! She’s trended several times and brought in a ton of traffic. Director, look! Several of the current top twenty trending topics are related to her!"

The one who spoke was named Zhao Yu. Zhao Yu had started following Wen Ying’s stream by chance. As a platform employee, he was more than a little thrilled to discover such a promising talent.

As everyone knew, junior managers like them relied on commissions to make a living. If a streamer under his management blew up, his commission would be several times higher than anyone else’s!

"Everyone else can go. Zhao Yu, stay behind."

People filed out of the conference room until only the two of them remained. "Zhao Yu, tell me more about this Wen Ying."

Zhao Yu knew his chance had come. He spoke enthusiastically for an entire hour.

"Are you saying you believe in all this metaphysical stuff?"

"Director, whether we believe it or not, she calls herself a doctor, so we can just treat her as a psychologist. As long as our traffic goes up and she doesn’t violate any rules, isn’t that enough? What I’m worried about now is other platforms trying to poach her. What if this Doctor Wen decides to jump ship?"

"Then how about you take charge of contacting her and signing her to a top-tier streamer contract?"

Zhao Yu looked at the director sheepishly. "Actually, I’ve tried contacting her. I’ve sent her many private messages, but I haven’t gotten a reply. I’ve also tried calling, but no one ever picks up."

The director frowned and was silent for a few minutes. "Alright, how about this: you go on a business trip and secure this contract. If she’s not Satisfied with any part of it, you can call me anytime. Understand?"

Zhao Yu was overjoyed. He immediately applied for the business trip and started arranging his travel plans.

After returning to his office, the director opened Wen Ying’s stream. Doctor Wen had already signed off, but there were still over a hundred thousand people in her channel. That was absurd!

[Did Doctor Wen not see the trending topics? Why would she end the stream at a time like this? Does she not want to make money?]

[The user above must be new, right? Does our Doctor Wen need to rely on trending topics to make money?]

[A psychologist like Doctor Wen? I bet all those rich and powerful people are dying to pay for a consultation. Which of those great families doesn’t have its share of hidden schemes and power struggles?]

At that moment, Wen Ying was in a bit of a daze. She had never imagined that her reputation value could break 600,000 in such a short time!

’Six hundred thousand reputation value!’

That meant at least 600,000 people had believed in her during that period.

[Host, would you like to upgrade?]

"Upgrade, upgrade, upgrade!"

[System upgrade countdown initiating: 3... 2... 1. The system will be undergoing maintenance for three days. Good luck, Host~]

Wen Ying recalled the system saying she would get a new Skill after upgrading and would also be able to see all 20 slots on the prize wheel. In that case, a little waiting time was nothing.

These three days would be a perfect chance to get some rest.

The next morning, there was another knock on the clinic door, accompanied by Uncle Zhang’s urgent voice. "Little Ying, are you up yet? Your aunt and I brought you breakfast."

Wen Ying, who had already been up and exercising in the courtyard for an hour, opened the door. "Uncle Zhang, Auntie, you’re both glowing. Has something wonderful happened?"

Wen Ying didn’t stand on ceremony, taking the breakfast from their hands and starting to eat.

"I knew we couldn’t hide anything from you, you clever girl. Here’s what happened."