CHAPTER 55: CHAPTER 55 BOOTLICKER BOOTLICKER

[Holy crap! This guy’s a legend! What a speech! You’d have to have gone through some serious trials to be able to say something like that.]

[Damn! That was such a flex, my scalp is tingling!]

[Bro! This is the first time I’ve ever seen someone proudly admit to being a Bootlicker.]

[What’s wrong with being a Bootlicker? At least he managed to get his goddess!]

***

The barrage of comments continued to scroll by. Tian Gou obviously saw them, his face filled with disdain.

"I’m talking about all of you. You’ve never seen a real Bootlicker, so you dismiss all of us as worthless. The truth is, you wouldn’t even recognize a real one if you saw him."

As he said this, Tian Gou proudly patted his chest.

GULP!

Watching Tian Gou, Xia Liang subconsciously swallowed. To be honest, Tian Gou’s speech had startled him. A vein on his forehead throbbed incessantly. He had a feeling he was about to encounter a major task today.

Tian Gou continued, but this time he didn’t launch into another speech about Bootlickers. Instead, he began to recount his own experience of pursuing his goddess.

"I met her in the spring five years ago. Throughout these five years, I’ve always played the supporting male lead in her love life, while she was always the star. I was rejected countless times during that period, but I always believed it was a test she had set for me, and that I just had to persevere."

Hearing this, the people in the livestream chat couldn’t hold back any longer.

[Bro! Tell me, when you see the girl you like dating someone else, doesn’t it break your heart?]

[Yeah! I was the same way. I was a Bootlicker for a while, but seeing her with another guy hurt so much that I had to give up.]

[Ah! Looks like everyone here has a story.]

[Damn! If it’s not working out, just let her go. Doesn’t it hurt, clinging on like that?]

***

Even Xia Liang was filled with curiosity this time and couldn’t help but ask, "The comments are right, bro. Doesn’t this hurt you?"

"Of course it hurts!"

For a moment, a flicker of emotion finally stirred in Tian Gou’s heart, but it was quickly suppressed.

"But then I thought about it. All those other guys were just a revolving door, but I was different. I was always by her side. So, I made my peace with it. After all, a man’s got to let some things go."

***

[What the hell! You’re a true genius! How can you rationalize it like that?]

[Brother Tian Gou! You should really go see a doctor. You’ve got to treat an illness, you can’t just let it fester.]

[Oh, heavens! Please just strike him down with a bolt of lightning!]

[You’re a total disgrace to all men!]

***

However, these scathing comments had zero effect on Tian Gou. He simply continued.

"Over those five years, I watched her enter the Ru Jia Hotel across the street with 48 different men. Even though my heart was bleeding, I genuinely wished for her happiness every single time. I saw the joyful smile on her face as she walked into the room with some handsome guy.

"And even when she came to me the next day, crying her eyes out and listing all the crimes of that scumbag, I was the one who willingly paid for her medicine, or even her surgeries."

***

[...]

[I... I don’t even know what to say anymore.]

[48 guys! Bro, you’re either a saint or insane!]

[Bro, you’re a god! A true god!]

[Bro, I kneel before you!]

[You have reached the absolute peak of Bootlicking!]

[That woman is not worth any of this!]

[Bro! Even I feel this is a total waste for you!]

***

HUFF...

Even Xia Liang, who possessed the System, felt his emotions surge and couldn’t calm down for a long time.

Meanwhile, Tian Gou, who had been lost in his memories, instantly bristled at the comments. "What do you people understand?! This is love! This is selflessness! I do it so she can be happy, and so she saves her tears for me. I’m willing to wait, willing to do anything for her! The pain of my bleeding heart vanishes when I see her tears. See? After all, a man’s got to let some things go."

Hearing Tian Gou’s declaration, everyone was too stunned to even argue.

[What the hell kind of ’man’ are you talking about?! And what the hell are you ’letting go’ of?!]

[The only thing you’re letting go of is your damn dignity!]

[Do your parents know you act like this? Do they know what their future daughter-in-law is like?]

[If I had a son like this, I would’ve strangled him at birth!]

***

Clearly, the comments were water off a duck’s back. As long as they didn’t involve his goddess, they had no effect on Tian Gou. He continued his story.

"Finally, a few days ago, she led me to the front desk of the Ru Jia Hotel. I remember she was wearing sexy black stockings that day. Overjoyed, I paid for the room with the king-sized bed and led her up the stairs by the wrist..."

Tian Gou hadn’t finished speaking when the live chat exploded again.

[Did you finally get to score?]

[You finally succeeded?!]

[The heavens do have eyes! It’s finally your turn!]

[Oh, Lord! Did you finally take pity on him?!]

***

But the sighs of relief were short-lived. Tian Gou shook his head, and a terrible thought flashed through everyone’s mind. Sure enough, he continued.

"Then, I watched as she called another handsome guy over. I watched the two of them walk into the room, and I quietly closed the door behind them..."

Just as he finished that sentence, a sound interrupted him.

PFFT! BANG! BANG! BANG!

Everyone’s eyes turned to Xia Liang. He had just spat out a mouthful of water and was now repeatedly punching the wall with his fist.

After a long moment, Xia Liang took a deep breath. "I’m fine. I can handle it. You, continue!"

Seeing this, Tian Gou glanced at Xia Liang with a puzzled expression, but he didn’t ask any questions and just continued.

"That was the closest I had ever been to her; usually, I just waited downstairs. The next day, she came out, hugged me, and said she was tired and wanted to find an honest man to marry. She told me that for the past few years, while it looked like she was dating other men, she was actually testing my dedication. And I had passed her final test! As she said this, she started crying. I knew they were tears of deep emotion. So, we decided to get married next week."

As he reached this part of the story, Tian Gou’s face beamed with a blissful smile, while everyone listening let out a collective sigh.

Is this insane, epic saga finally over?

[I bow down! That is a true Bootlicker! The rest of us are unworthy!]

[The model Bootlicker! This is the true master of the craft!]

[Whoever said Bootlickers end up with nothing? Stand up! Let Brother Tian slap you in the face!]

[Don’t call him a Bootlicker anymore, call him a cuckold! How can a person even tolerate this?!]

***

Seeing these comments, Tian Gou scoffed again. "What do you all understand? As a man, I may have sacrificed a few things, but in the end, I’m the one who gets to marry her. After all, a man’s got to let some things go..."