CHAPTER 24: CHAPTER 24 GRADUALLY CIVILIZATION

Xia Liang certainly didn’t keep everyone in suspense, typing out his reply in the blink of an eye.

"Support? Of course, I’ll support you!"

"Success!" Seeing this, Susu leaped up in excitement. In her experience, once she reached this step, the success rate was eighty percent. Her strategy was undoubtedly a good one. She had set several small traps. First, since he had already agreed, most people wouldn’t go back on their word. Second, she leveraged a man’s sympathy; who wouldn’t want to help such a positive and optimistic young woman? Third, and most crucially, was her persona. With a supposed long-distance boyfriend overseas, perhaps buying a single package of tea was all it would take to reunite them, right?

Now that she had him hooked, Susu dropped the act. She bared her fangs, ready to take a big bite out of Xia Liang’s wallet. She tapped the voice message icon, and that cloyingly sweet voice played again.

"Then, brother, could you be my first customer? Grandpa says his tea is sorted into medium, high, and premium grades, priced at 8 cents, 10 cents, and 20 cents respectively. This is my first time helping him sell tea, and since it’s with your support, could I sell it to you at the cost price of 6 cents? Consider it a little confidence boost for me."

On the other end, Xia Liang raised an eyebrow after listening to the message. His live stream chat was already in an uproar.

[Damn it, she’s a scammer after all. What a waste of such a nice voice.]

[Whoa, the user above has some unique taste. Am I the only one who feels like my ears are being scratched by a cat?]

[+1, but I’m still curious what the Anchor is going to do.]

[Yeah, is the Anchor going to send money?]

[No way. The Anchor said he wouldn’t give her a single cent.]

[But if he doesn’t pay, she’ll probably just give up.]

[Anchor, just buy a bag of tea to lure the scammer over!]

...

"Trying to reel in your catch so soon? In that case, I won’t hold back either."

Ignoring the flood of comments from his audience, Xia Liang started typing as he spoke.

"Since I promised to support Susu, I’ll naturally buy the most expensive one. Are you looking down on me?"

Xia Liang had barely sent the message when, just two seconds later, another voice message from Susu arrived.

"Brother Xia! You’re too good to me! Thank you so much! So, you want the premium-grade tea at 20 cents per pound?"

Hearing this, the audience in the live stream grew confused.

[Looks like the Anchor is really going to buy it.]

[You have to risk the bait to catch the fish, after all.]

[As long as the Anchor can lure him over here, he’ll get the money back.]

[The Anchor must have another plan. I’m sure he won’t actually pay.]

...

Amid the audience’s speculation, Xia Liang replied to Susu, and the two began their next exchange.

"It’s priced per pound?"

Xia Liang’s response surprised Susu. She had expected him, a rich heir, to pay without a second thought, not caring about such a small amount. Still, she replied patiently.

"Yes, but if brother buys a lot, Susu can ask Grandpa for a little discount."

Her tone was full of feigned consideration for him. Xia Liang’s next reply made the corners of Susu’s mouth curl into a triumphant smirk.

"No need for that. I thought it was priced by the ounce. That’s way too cheap. Give me ten pounds."

Another fool has fallen for it!

Wiping the smile from her face, Susu said sweetly, "Brother Xia, you’re taking such good care of me. I’ll thank you on Grandpa’s behalf. Just send me the address, Brother Xia, and then you can transfer the money to me through the payment app! My number is 181... For ten pounds, that’s 2 points in total. Susu will take the liberty of giving you a discount. Let’s make it just one point and eighty-eight cents, for good luck."

After sending the voice message, Susu stared intently at the screen, waiting for Xia Liang to make the transfer.

However, Xia Liang, sitting in front of the camera, showed no intention of sending any money.

[Is the Anchor not going to transfer the money?]

[Is he giving up?]

[Forget it, let’s all go. The Anchor is just playing us for fools.]

[Yeah, right. He wants to lure someone over without paying up. Come on, big bro, even if you’re fishing, you still have to buy a rod and put some bait on the hook.]

[I’m out, I’m out...]

...

"Who says you need bait to fish? Haven’t you ever heard of Jiang Taigong? Sorry, but today, I’m not using any bait. I’m going to use a straight hook and reel this fish right in!"

Having said that, Xia Liang began typing a message to Susu.

"Sorry Susu, I forgot I don’t have any money right now."

After sending the message, Xia Liang waited. As expected, Susu was stunned by his words.

??? What’s with this guy? Isn’t he a rich heir? Why? He can’t even spare a single point? Is he tricking me?

Feeling a bit suspicious, Susu sent another voice message.

"Brother Xia, didn’t you say you were a rich heir? You even showed off so much money just now. You’re not just making up an excuse because you don’t want to support me, are you?"

Hearing Susu’s skeptical tone didn’t faze Xia Liang in the slightest as he began weaving his next lie.

"How could that be? Of course, I want to support you, but... my dad froze all my bank accounts today. Every single one. All I have left is the pocket change you saw."

As he spoke, Xia Liang filmed another video, taking five Jade Coins out of his bag.

This slick move got the live stream chat buzzing again. After all, the one Yuan he had tipped earlier was just a number on a screen.

But what Xia Liang held in his hands was a tangible five Yuan.

[What kind of family does the Anchor come from? He just carries five Yuan around in his pocket like it’s nothing?]

[I bow down to the Anchor! Five Yuan for pocket money! Where I’m from, you can get a wife for just 50 cents.]

[That’s nothing! You should have seen when the Anchor opened his drawer this morning! Man, calling it dazzling would be an understatement.]

[I agree! There were dozens of coins, and not a single one was worth less than 50 cents!]

[Say no more. I’ve got plenty of material for my dreams tonight.]

"Ah?"

Seeing the five Jade Coins in Xia Liang’s hands, Susu couldn’t help but gulp. It took her a moment to compose herself, leaving her a bit stunned. She had clearly never encountered a response like this before. To satisfy her curiosity, she could only ask weakly, "Then... why did Brother Xia’s dad freeze his cards?"

This time, Xia Liang didn’t type. He sent a voice message.

"Sigh. My dad said I’m not getting any younger and that I should settle down instead of just staying home playing games all day. He arranged a blind date for me today, but I didn’t like the woman, so we parted on bad terms. My dad got angry and told me he’d only unfreeze my accounts when I bring a girlfriend home."

A shut-in! A rich heir! Being pressured by his family to marry!

Instantly piecing together these three useful bits of information, Susu conjured up a scenario in her mind.

A chubby rich heir, unable to bear the scorn of his social circle, could only lock himself away at home, numbing himself day and night with video games.