Chapter 71: Chapter 69: Begin Your Sob Story

Zhang Jiuyang couldn’t remember how long he’d been dead. He only remembered that when he came to, he was wandering like a lost soul across a sunless wasteland, surrounded by listless spirits.

Zhang Jiuyang assumed this was the underworld, the same place he’d heard about as a child—where people go after they die.

Yet, despite walking for a long time, he had encountered no cities—only other vacant souls.

There was no Three Lives Stone, no Yellow Springs Road, no Naihe Bridge, and no Meng Po Soup.

He didn’t even see any Other Shore Flowers, much less the Yin Cha.

There was nothing.

This made Zhang Jiuyang wonder, ’Is this really the underworld?’

’Is this the road to Hell?’

’Or have the times changed, and they just call it something else now?’

Zhang Jiuyang kept walking, following the horde of listless souls. He felt no hunger, yet his impatience and loneliness grew with every step.

Then one day, he suddenly discovered that the Copper Coin he’d been clutching when he died—the same one that had been hanging around his neck this whole time—was gone!

And then, he found he could send dreams to his son!

A few days later, he received a hundred million from his son!

At first, he thought his son was a fool. ’Can you even use a bill with such a huge denomination?’

But it seemed this place was also changing, revealing itself bit by bit to Zhang Jiuyang. He encountered a group of people who were as lucid as he was... ah, no, not people. Souls.

Gradually, he met more and more of them, and a miniature society began to take shape around him.

That one hundred million had really made him the leader of a small team.

Winning people over was second nature to Zhang Jiuyang, especially when dealing with these souls, who might even be damaged or incomplete. After all he’d been through in life, handling things here was child’s play.

The thatched hut his team had built was now the largest one for miles around!

His people had also encountered souls from other regions, and through them, they were learning more and more about this world.

This place was the underworld, yet it wasn’t. In any case, it seemed to be a world ripe for conquest.

Zhang Jiuyang figured he ought to send his son a few more dreams.

*

Wen Ying woke up at six in the morning and went through her usual routine: workout, breakfast, and washing up.

By the time she finished, it was already ten-thirty in the morning—the perfect time to start her stream.

"System, let’s do the lottery! I’ve got reputation value to burn!"

[...]

’I wonder who raised this stingy Host.’

As the massive, glittering golden prize wheel appeared before her, Wen Ying felt her luck turning!

She even pulled out her phone, opened the music app, and put on a cheesy "Good Luck" song. Moving to the rhythm of the BGM, she reached out her hand!

Everything was in place. All she had to do was hit the jackpot!

Stop!

Wen Ying watched as the thick needle on the prize wheel landed on—"Need some whitening pills? If not, you can trade them for Good Luck Pills at a 70% discount, ’kay~"

’This snarky tone... why does it sound so much like that troll of a system?’

’Since when did paid prize draws have these kinds of bullshit mechanics?’

’It’s obviously doing this because it knows I can draw my own Good Luck Talismans!’

"Of course I’ll take them. A thousand reputation value for one whitening pill? Not bad at all."

"Thank you for your patronage."

"Better luck next time."

"The future is full of promise."

The next three spins sent Wen Ying’s mood plummeting to rock bottom.

[Congratulations, Host, on winning one whitening pill for four thousand reputation value!]

"Don’t think I can’t tell you’re gloating just because you’re holding back your laughter!" ’I’ve seen shameless trolls before, but never a system this shameless!’

[Apologies, Host! I was not laughing. I am a professional! Unless I absolutely can’t hold it in! (BEEP—Deleted)]

Wen Ying ignored the system and went live. Eighteen thousand people instantly flooded into her stream!

[Welcome, Doctor Wen, to the treatment stream!]

[Welcome, Doctor Wen, to the treatment stream!]

[Welcome, Doctor Wen, to the treatment stream!]

[Doctor Wen hasn’t streamed in two days! Did the news have to remind you that you’re a streamer?]

[Your resident King of Stating the Obvious, just dropping in! I’m curious, what’s Doctor Wen’s main gig? Doctor or streamer?]

[Can’t wait to see today’s lucky patient! Got my pen and paper ready! It’s not copyright infringement if I use this as material for my novel, right?]

"Same as always, we’ll go straight to the call-in," Wen Ying said, watching the viewer count climb past fifty thousand. "If the patient who won the slot last time wants to connect, speak up now, and I’ll hold your spot. But if we finish two calls this session, you’ll have to be bumped to the next one~"

After Wen Ying spoke, [Younan Pinming], the patient who had won the call-in slot last time, didn’t show up.

The person she connected with was a young man who looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six, with the username [Give the Whole World to You].

He was clean-cut and of average height, the kind of guy you’d call handsome for a regular person, and he had a bit of a sunny disposition.

He was clearly surprised to be connected, but his expression quickly shifted to one of self-deprecation as he looked at the stream and its hundred-thousand-plus viewers. With a look of both dejection and mockery, he said, "I can’t believe I’m this lucky. I thought my luck was already rock bottom."

[World Bro, you nailed it! We’d be happy to give you a little more of that ’good luck’!]

[We can give you the whole world, no problem!]

[Is this the first patient to call himself lucky after getting on the line? He knows what’s up!]

[So guys can be the ’naive and sweet’ type too? He’s pretty good-looking, though. With a little makeup, he could probably pass for a teen idol, right? He shouldn’t have trouble finding a girlfriend, so why is someone so young ’sick’?]

Seeing the chat buzzing about him, [Give the Whole World to You] felt very Satisfied, even experiencing a thrill of excitement!

’With a hundred thousand people on my side, couldn’t I become famous overnight?’

"Welcome, patient [Give the Whole World to You], to my live-stream clinic. Before you tell your story, don’t forget to pay up~"

Hearing this, [Give the Whole World to You] immediately sent a gift worth one thousand.

’Compared to the revenge I have planned, a thousand is nothing!’

"Thank you for the welcome, Doctor Wen," [Give the Whole World to You] said, his face a mask of sorrow as he stared into the camera. "My story is quite simple, really. I’m just a heartbroken man who got dumped."

"Let me share my experience first. That should make it easier for Doctor Wen to accurately diagnose my psychological condition."

It seemed he was still playing the part of a considerate, caring boyfriend.

[OMG! A guy this nice gets dumped? Must’ve been a gold digger!]

[Dude, that’s rough! Your ex must have terrible taste not to choose a great guy like you! Was it because you were too poor?]

[You guys don’t know anything and you’re already attacking the woman? You’re the definition of keyboard warriors. What can one person’s side of the story prove on its own?]

[First impressions don’t lie, do they? This guy looks like a good boyfriend, and he’s not bad-looking. He was definitely dumped over money! Ninety-nine percent of breakups these days are about money!]

[World Bro! Time to start playing the victim! Whoops, I mean, tell us the tragic tale of how you were abandoned~]

"My girlfriend and I had been together for over four years. We met in college and stayed together after graduation. We recently started discussing marriage, so we went ahead and got our certificate first."