Chapter Twenty-Four: Turning the Tide

A bearded man connected to the livestream, nervously using his phone to pan 360 degrees around his somewhat cluttered living room.

Cheng Ziqiu squinted, observing intently.

"Yo, brother, you keep a cat? The placement of that litter box is bad for feng shui; it’s prone to causing financial loss!" Cheng Ziqiu pointed to a corner of the screen.

The man was taken aback and quickly turned the camera toward the litter box in the corner. "Master, is there really a science to that?"

"Of course there is!" Cheng Ziqiu feigned profound wisdom. "Move that thing to the southeast corner of the balcony, and I guarantee your wealth will pour in!"

The chat in the livestream erupted in laughter.

[This master is really good at bullshitting!]
[The southeast corner? My southeast corner is the bathroom! Am I supposed to put the litter box in the toilet?]
[Hahaha, I’m dying of laughter. This is way more interesting than that old charlatan Han Lishan!]

The man, half-doubting, moved the litter box. Cheng Ziqiu continued to scan the house, finally locking his gaze onto a shelf in the corner covered by a dusty cloth.

"Brother, what’s on that shelf? Take it down and let’s see."

The man moved the item off the shelf and pulled away the cloth, revealing a rusty bronze statue.

"This was left behind by my grandfather. He said it came from an old temple, but I don’t know if it’s real or not."

Cheng Ziqiu saw the extraordinary nature of the statue at a glance, but instead of pointing it out directly, he feigned surprise. "Whoa! Brother, your luck is incredible! This is a Qing Dynasty bronze Buddha. Even if the condition is average, it’s worth at least tens of thousands!"

Upon hearing this, the man became so excited he could barely speak. "R-really? Master, you truly have eyes of fire and pupils of gold!"

"Hurry up and find an expert to appraise it, don't just take my word for it," Cheng Ziqiu said with a smile, secretly feeling smug. This move would surely send his popularity soaring!

Sure enough, once the man’s case was out, the livestream went absolutely wild. More and more people started connecting, hoping Cheng Ziqiu would help them find treasures in their own homes.

A refined young man wearing glasses connected, carefully showing off a collection of various ancient coins. Cheng Ziqiu glanced at them and shook his head. "These are all common items; they aren't worth much."

The young man looked disappointed, but Cheng Ziqiu changed his tone. "However, the thing tucked inside the third book from the left on the second shelf of your bookcase is actually quite interesting."

The young man, half-convinced, took down the book. Opening it, he found a yellowed banknote tucked inside.

"This is... the first series of Renminbi?!" the young man exclaimed.

Cheng Ziqiu smiled slightly. "That’s right. The condition is pretty good, too—it’s worth a fortune!"

The livestream exploded again!

[Holy crap! He could even see that? Does this guy have X-ray vision?!]
[Too godly! I want to connect too!]
[Han Lishan’s side is empty now; everyone ran over here!]

Chen Churan watched the data spiking in the backend, her mouth agape. This Cheng Ziqiu really had some tricks up his sleeve!

Over at Han Lishan’s end, his livestream was deserted. His face was livid, and he gnashed his teeth as he stared at Cheng Ziqiu’s punchable, smiling face on the screen.

"Damn it, this kid is cheating!" Han Lishan roared at his trembling assistant. "Go! Investigate! This kid must have someone behind the scenes! Where did all these shills come from? Where did this kind of blind luck come from?!"

His spit flew like a machine gun. His assistant, Xiao Li, shivered so hard his glasses almost flew off. He nodded and bowed frantically. "Yes, yes, Teacher Han, I’ll go check right now! I’m going!"

He scurried out, feeling miserable. Han Lishan’s temper was getting worse by the day; he didn't know how much longer he could keep working under him.

Meanwhile, Cheng Ziqiu’s livestream remained bustling. Requests to connect poured in like snowflakes, and the special effects from gifts were blinding.

"This elder sister, your jade bracelet... sigh, how should I put this? The craftsmanship is crude and the material is inferior. It’s only worth a few dozen bucks—a street-stall trinket!" Cheng Ziqiu said to a middle-aged woman adorned with jewelry on camera.

The woman’s face turned green when she heard this. "A few dozen bucks? I bought this for over ten thousand! Do you even know what you’re talking about, you little brat?"

"Sister, don't get excited. I’m telling you the truth. Look at this jade; the color is dull and the texture isn't refined enough. It’s clearly a fake." Cheng Ziqiu shook his head with an expression of deep regret.

[Hahaha, I’m dying, ten thousand turned into a few dozen, she got ripped off big time!]
[This master is vicious, picking the expensive ones to call out!]
[Sister, don't believe him, he’s just a fraud!]
[Fraud +1]

Cheng Ziqiu looked at the screen full of "fraud" comments and, far from being angry, laughed even harder.

"My friends, I’m not bullshitting you—this jade bracelet is truly worthless. If you don't believe me, go find an expert to appraise it. If it’s actually worth money, I’ll eat shit on stream!"

His words ignited the atmosphere in the room completely. Gift effects flooded the screen again, with rockets, planes, and sports cars flying non-stop.

Chen Churan watched from the side, feeling both excited and worried. She was excited because Cheng Ziqiu’s livestream results were too good, far exceeding expectations. She was worried because the kid had no filter—if he actually ended up crashing and burning, the consequences would be unthinkable.

Just as Cheng Ziqiu was about to connect with the next lucky viewer, a strange event occurred on Han Lishan’s livestream! A series of super rockets launched into the sky as if they were free, dominating the top of the platform’s gift leaderboard.

[Holy crap! What’s going on? Did a tycoon show up on Teacher Han’s side?]
[Looks like he’s trying to challenge Cheng Ziqiu!]
[Good show coming up!]

Many viewers clicked over to Han Lishan’s livestream, wanting to see who this mysterious big spender was. Han Lishan’s previously livid face instantly cleared, and he looked revitalized. He had thought he was about to lose face, but the situation had taken a turn—someone had actually come to his rescue!

"Thank you, 'Agent of Justice,' for the ten super rockets! Thank you for your generosity!" Han Lishan’s voice trembled with excitement.

Hiding behind the screen, Chen Jianguo sneered at the sight of Han Lishan’s smug, small-minded face. *Cheng Ziqiu, trying to fight me? You’re still too green!*

Chen Churan watched the popularity surge into Han Lishan’s room, her brow furrowed. She felt something was wrong; this timing was too coincidental.

"Ziqiu, be careful. I have a feeling something fishy is going on with Han Lishan," Chen Churan whispered into Cheng Ziqiu’s ear.

Cheng Ziqiu smiled dismissively. "It’s fine. When soldiers come, we use generals to block them; when water comes, we use earth to cover it. I want to see what other tricks he has up his sleeve."

The user "Agent of Justice" continued to spend lavishly, showering the stream with gifts. Planes, rockets, and yachts filled the screen, single-handedly dragging the popularity of Han Lishan’s livestream back up.