Chapter Thirty-One: The Little Sister I Got for Cheap

"Are you... Cheng Ziyan?" Cheng Ziqiu asked tentatively.

In the original owner's memories, there seemed to be a younger sister like this, though their relationship did not appear to be very good.

Cheng Ziyan nodded, sparing no words as she uttered a single syllable.

"Mm."

"Come on in." Cheng Ziqiu stepped aside to let her enter the house.

Cheng Ziyan dragged her suitcase into the room, her gaze sweeping over the table full of pig trotter remnants, and she frowned slightly.

"You..."

Just as she started to speak, Cheng Ziqiu cut her off.

"Hungry? Let me go cook you a bowl of noodles."

With that, Cheng Ziqiu turned and headed into the kitchen. He had no desire to waste words with this young girl. In his previous life, he had been all alone, and having a sister suddenly appear in this life left him feeling quite unaccustomed to the situation.

Cheng Ziyan said nothing more and walked straight to a bedroom door. She twisted the handle, found it locked, and turned back to look at Cheng Ziqiu.

"Key."

"Oh, the room is locked." Cheng Ziqiu poked his head out from the kitchen. "Hold on, let me find it."

After rummaging through cabinets and drawers, he finally found the key. Cheng Ziyan took it, opened the door, walked inside, and slammed it shut with a loud "bang."

Cheng Ziqiu: "..."

This girl really wasn't standing on ceremony! Oh well, it didn't matter; he wasn't looking to get close to her anyway. In this life, he just wanted to enjoy his existence. As for sibling bonds? Could you eat that?

Cheng Ziqiu cooked two bowls of noodles. He wolfed down one himself, then set the other at Cheng Ziyan’s door and knocked.

"Noodles are ready, come out and eat."

Having said that, he returned to his room to continue enjoying his "imperial feast." After a good while, the door finally opened. Cheng Ziyan came out carrying the bowl and ate in silence. Cheng Ziqiu took a secret peek at her and noticed that the girl ate quite elegantly. Unlike him, who devoured his food like a starving ghost reincarnated.

Once finished, Cheng Ziyan retreated to her room without a word and closed the door again. Cheng Ziqiu shrugged.

***

The girl was truly a woman of few words. But that was fine; it saved him the trouble of having to make conversation. Cheng Ziqiu yawned and stretched. With a full stomach, he felt comfortable, and sleepiness began to set in. He sauntered back to his room, collapsed onto the bed, and was fast asleep in no time.

...

The next morning, Cheng Ziqiu was jolted awake by the shrill sound of his alarm. He sat up abruptly, feeling dizzy and heavy-headed; the aftereffects of last night's drinking had not yet worn off. He had been so happy yesterday that he’d had a few too many, and now his stomach was aching dully.

"Damn it, this pathetic body can't handle liquor at all."

Cheng Ziqiu climbed out of bed, grumbling, and checked his phone to find it was nearly eight o'clock.

"Oh crap! I'm going to be late!"

He jolted, fully awake now. Today was his first day as the company's lead streamer. If he were late on his very first day, wouldn't his title of "lead" become a joke?

He threw on a random set of clothes and rushed into the bathroom, only to be startled by his haggard reflection.

"If the fans in the stream see me looking like this, I’ll lose followers by the truckload!"

Cheng Ziqiu hurriedly brushed his teeth, washed his face, and used hair gel to style his hair. At least he looked like a human being now. He grabbed his phone and, just as he was about to head out, reflexively glanced at his cheap sister's room. The door was tightly shut, and there wasn't a sound.

Cheng Ziqiu called out to the closed door, "I'm heading to work!"

The room remained silent, with no response. Cheng Ziqiu curled his lip, muttering to himself, "This girl is really a closed book."

He didn't pay it any mind and left.

...

He sprinted all the way to the company and nearly collided with Chen Churan, who was walking toward him. Chen Churan was wearing a sharp professional suit today that accentuated her graceful figure, and Cheng Ziqiu nearly forgot that he was almost late.

"You're finally here! Get to the streaming room, they're waiting for you!"

Chen Churan grabbed Cheng Ziqiu and dragged him into the studio without a word. Inside, the staff was working frantically. Various pieces of equipment were buzzing, and the atmosphere was tense. Seeing Cheng Ziqiu enter, the director immediately signaled "OK" to him, indicating he should prepare quickly.

Cheng Ziqiu took a deep breath, adjusted his state of mind, and sat down in front of the camera.

"Hey everyone, sorry to keep you waiting! Your Brother Qiu is here!"

As soon as the broadcast started, the popularity of the stream soared, and the screen was flooded with dense waves of comments.

[Brother Qiu is awesome! Finally waiting for you to go live!]

[Brother Qiu, what treasure are you going to appraise today? Is it another priceless antique?]

[Holy crap! Who is this streamer? So handsome! Is he new? Never seen him before!]

[To the guy above, you must be new, right? Brother Qiu is our platform's lead treasure appraisal streamer! Don't you know the rules?]

Just then, a user with the ID "Old Wang of the Tang Dynasty" sent a connection request in the top right corner of the screen.

"Old Wang of the Tang Dynasty? That name is interesting." Cheng Ziqiu’s lips curled into a slight smile. "Connect!"

The video connected, and a greasy-faced middle-aged man appeared on screen. He was carefully holding a bronze goblet, his face beaming with a fawning smile.

"Brother Qiu, hello! I'm your loyal fan! I finally have the chance to connect with you today, I'm so excited!" The man rubbed his hands together, stuttering in his excitement.

Cheng Ziqiu smiled faintly. "Hello, Old Wang. This treasure of yours looks interesting. Why don't you tell everyone about its history?"

"Oh, sure thing!" Hearing this, Old Wang perked up and began to talk incessantly. "This is a family heirloom passed down for generations. It came down from my great-grandfather..."

Old Wang told his story vividly. From how his great-grandfather acquired the treasure to how it survived wars and various disasters, finally reaching his hands—it was practically a history of his family's rise and fall. The audience in the chat was listening with great interest, and the comments became lively.

[Old Wang tells a great story, he could write a novel!]

[This bronze goblet looks really nice, could it be a national treasure?]

[Brother Qiu, hurry up and take a look, how much is this thing worth?]

Only after Old Wang finished did Cheng Ziqiu speak slowly.

"Old Wang, this treasure of yours is a bronze goblet from the Western Zhou Dynasty. It is undoubtedly genuine."

As soon as these words were spoken, the chat exploded!

[Holy crap! Western Zhou? That must be worth a fortune!]

[Old Wang is about to get rich!]

[Brother Qiu is a legend! He saw it at a glance!]

Special effects from gifts flooded the entire screen.