He fiercely criticized the Manchu scholar clique and the twelve emperors of the Qing Dynasty.

Zhao Shuyao leaned back in the dark wood chair that was standard at the Hanting Hotel, watching the number of online users slowly climb up from a dozen to over a dozen in the upper left corner of the screen.

He changed into a gray cotton pajama set, the collar slightly open, giving him a relaxed air. The light captured by the camera was somewhat warm, illuminating his sharply defined face.

"Did you enter the wrong channel?" Zhao Shuyao looked at the teasing comment scrolling across the screen, a smile that was extremely friendly.

He pulled his chair forward, leaned closer to the screen, lowered his voice, and said seriously into the microphone, "To the friend who asked if this is the 'Looks' section, I want to solemnly remind you that the 'History' section and the 'Looks' section are not mutually exclusive."

"You can't deprive me of my right to popularize history just because I'm a little bit handsome. That's a classic case of appearance discrimination."

This shameless boast instantly enlivened the previously quiet comment section.

[Damn, I've never seen such a shameless person!]

[Tokyo University History Department idler, so your idleness means you're so idle you look in the mirror!]

Zhao Shuyao looked at the scrolling comments and let out a low laugh: "Alright, enough joking. Good evening, everyone. It's because you all missed me so much that I just finished eating and went straight to broadcasting for you."

As soon as he finished speaking, a comment with a level indicator floated past in eye-catching yellow font.

"Dude, something's off about this background. The white walls, the natural wood headboard, and that incredibly unoriginal bedside lamp... this looks like a Hanting Hotel!"

"No doubt about it, this decor is definitely from a Hanting Hotel. Something's up? Booking a room so late at night, should we let the person inside come out and meet everyone?"

As soon as this comment appeared, the rhythm of the live stream was instantly swayed, and the screen was filled with words like "Those who know, know" and "checking out".

Instead of panicking, Zhao Shuyao stared at the ID with great interest for two seconds.

"This user, 'Midnight Watchman,'" Zhao Shuyao tapped his fingers lightly on the table, his tone laced with mockery, "You have a good eye. You can even recognize the standard features of a budget hotel at a glance. But how do you know so much about hotel decor? You even remember the style of the wall lamps so clearly..."

Zhao Shuyao leaned back, crossed his arms, and looked at me with a knowing and humorous expression: "Looks like you've been there quite often. Tell me honestly, how many bad things have you done here in the prime of your life? It's during the internet cleanup period now, and your experience makes me wonder about the frequency of your crimes."

The barrage was instantly flooded with comments like "counter-attack" and "the streamer turned the tables," and the "night watchman" also sent a series of ellipses to indicate his surrender.

Seeing that things were going well, Zhao Shuyao waved his hand with a smile and brought the topic back on track: "Alright, I won't chat with you guys anymore. I'm in Suzhou now, and I'm going to attend a creator salon event on the platform tomorrow. I'm just sitting in a hotel all night, and I'm just killing time, so I thought I'd do a live stream and chat with everyone for a bit."

He picked up his mug and took a sip of cold water: "I wonder if any of you would be willing to take a little time to chat with this lonely soul far from home?"

The screen immediately filled with responses, and many people started sending small gifts. Zhao Shuyao's eyes swept across the scrolling list and accurately caught a few familiar IDs.

"Hey, 'Chang'an Guest' and 'Knife in the Wind', you're both here." Zhao Shuyao greeted them familiarly, as if he had met an old neighbor at the street corner. "I didn't expect to see a few familiar faces in the middle of the night. Hello everyone, you can chat on the public screen for a while, follow each other or something. I'm going to the bathroom for a smoke, I'll be back in five minutes."

After saying that, without waiting for his viewers to stop him, he got up, pulled out a chair, took a lighter and a cigarette case from his desk, and walked out of the camera's field of vision.

In the live stream, only an empty chair and the standard background of Hanting Hotel remained.

……

At the same time. In the old city of Suzhou, at the Gu family's residence.

Gu Nanxi didn't take a shower as she had said. She took off her light gray cardigan, changed into a set of loungewear, sat cross-legged on the single sofa by the window in her bedroom, holding her phone with the screen lit up, showing Zhao Shuyao's live stream.

As she watched Zhao Shuyao effortlessly banter with his viewers on screen, a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips. This man possessed a certain magic; no matter how much class pressure he faced during the day, it seemed to dissipate effortlessly in his presence.

"Click".

The bedroom door was pushed open without knocking.

Gu's mother walked in carrying a plate of sliced ​​fruit, her face still bearing that well-maintained yet stubborn expression. She placed the fruit plate on the coffee table next to Gu Nanxi and then sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Nanxi." Gu's mother frowned slightly as she looked at the phone in her daughter's hand, clearly guessing what she was looking at. But instead of snatching it from her, she adjusted her tone and spoke again earnestly, "You silly girl, why are you getting more and more stubborn? We were just saying all that in the living room, weren't we doing it for your own good?"

Gu Nanxi turned off her phone, placed it face down on her lap, and looked up at her mother: "Mom, do you think that unless he gets a degree from a prestigious university and works for a big company, or doesn't have a ready-made wedding house, as you and Dad expect, his future is bleak?"

"This isn't just my opinion, this is reality." Gu's mother placed her hands on her knees, her tone carrying an undeniable air of someone who had been through it all. "Nanxi, don't blame me for being blunt. You're young now and think that love can sustain you, but life is about facing the mundane realities of daily life every day you open your eyes."

Gu's mother sighed, trying to evoke her daughter's empathy: "Think about it, even if he makes a splash online now, how long can that last? Things online are unpredictable. Today they'll praise you, tomorrow they'll trample you. He has no foundation, no background. If he falls from grace, who will help him? When that time comes, you'll suffer the hardship along with him."

Gu's mother reached out to hold Gu Nanxi's hand: "We've been through it all, we've seen too many ups and downs. We just don't want you to have to haggle with him over the monthly mortgage payments or the children's tutoring fees, and to let your feelings fade away."

Gu Nanxi did not dodge her mother's hand, but her eyes were unusually clear and firm.

"Mom, I understand what you're saying." Gu Nanxi's voice was calm, without any argument, but it revealed a clear-headed coldness. "But have you ever thought that times have changed? The sense of security that you and Dad built up back then through hard work and connections is now being shattered in a different way."

She gently tapped the phone lying face down on her lap with her finger: "You think he has no foundation? But his understanding and insight into society are his greatest foundation. You saw it at the dinner table today; he's not the kind of person who would back down because of others' suppression. He knows very well what he wants."

"So what?" Gu's mother said dismissively. "Arrogance won't put food on the table."

"This isn't arrogance, it's confidence." Gu Nanxi interrupted her mother. "Mom, you're always afraid of falling down the social ladder, always trying to measure everything by material things. But what I value more is that when I'm with him, I feel like a living, breathing person, not a bargaining chip with a predetermined value. Please stop trying to persuade me, I know what I'm doing."

Looking at her daughter's resolute eyes, Gu's mother knew she couldn't persuade her tonight. She shook her head and stood up: "It's up to you. But I'll leave it at that: once the novelty wears off, you'll understand what I meant today."

The bedroom door closed again. Gu Nanxi took a deep breath, picked up her phone again, and turned on the screen.

……

Zhao Shuyao stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray next to the sink, turned on the tap, scooped up some cold water and washed his face, water droplets dripping down his resolute jawline.

He grabbed a towel to wipe his hands, pushed open the bathroom door, and walked back to his desk.

As soon as he pulled out a chair and sat down, Zhao Shuyao keenly sensed the unusual atmosphere in the live stream room; the number of online viewers in the upper right corner had already exceeded one hundred.

I stared intently at the scrolling comments on the left.

The lighthearted and joking topics have long since disappeared, replaced by a barrage of heated questions, all delivered with remarkably uniform rhetoric.

[Finally dared to show your face? I thought you'd run away like a coward!]

[You spend all day online cultivating this aloof, cultured persona, and then what? The Tianyin Foundation kindly invited you to do charity work, and you actually refused?]

[You make your own money, you're so stingy! What right do you have to lecture others about history?]

[These hypocrites, packaged by capital, should get out of Bilibili!]

[Please explain the situation with Tianyin. If you don't explain, I'll unfollow!]

Zhao Shuyao's gaze lingered on the aggressive comments for two seconds; he was all too familiar with this kind of PR matrix tactic. The capital side had just finished a meeting yesterday, and the press release had just been issued.

Today, online trolls precisely targeted his newly opened live stream to stir up trouble, attempting to completely dismantle the positive persona he had previously built by labeling him as "cold-blooded" and "uninterested in public welfare."

For most bloggers, the first reaction to such a sudden barrage of insults would be panic. They would either stammer out a defense or simply end the broadcast out of guilt.

But Zhao Shuyao did not.

He leaned forward, rested his elbows on the table, and crossed his hands under his chin. Instead of being angry, he gave a cold, stern, and mischievous smile.

"Okay." Zhao Shuyao spoke into the microphone, his voice calm and even. "I was just taking a leak when so many friends came in with missions. I'm really flattered."

This undisguised sarcasm momentarily silenced the barrage of insults in the live chat.

"Seeing how much everyone cares about me and the Tianyin Foundation," Zhao Shuyao sat up straight, reached out and opened the live stream backend interface, his movements extremely decisive.

"Then I won't talk about anything else today. Let's get straight to the point. Since you have so many questions, typing is too slow and you'll easily get your message ignored."

Zhao Shuyao raised his head and looked directly at the camera.

"I've made up my mind. I'm activating the live chat feature now." Zhao Shuyao's voice was firm and authoritative, carrying a domineering air about him. "I'll randomly select six people to come on mic. If you have any questions, complaints, or even anything you want to say to me, just ask them now!"

These words stunned not only the online trolls but also the die-hard fans who were initially confused.

"Don't worry." Zhao Shuyao leaned back in his chair, spreading his hands. "I don't have many other virtues, but I like to tell the truth. If you dare to ask, I dare to answer. There will be absolutely no hiding or lying. Today, let's get this straight and square!"

The moment the live stream channel opened, the application list in the background exploded.

Zhao Shuyao didn't even look at the information of those IDs. He just randomly clicked on the list a few times, like opening a blind box.

"Ding, ding, ding..."

Several notification beeps sounded in succession. Soon, six audio microphone icons appeared on the right side of the screen.

"Alright, all six of you are on the microphone." Zhao Shuyao picked up the cup on the table, took a sip of water to moisten his throat, and said like a judge in charge of the trial bench, "The rules are simple: whoever has a question, come one by one."

As soon as the microphone was connected, before Zhao Shuyao could even call out names, the indicator light on microphone number one began flashing impatiently.

A male voice, clearly angry and somewhat shrill, came from the speakers.

"Teacher Zhao, since you've asked us to, then I won't hold back!" The tone of the person on microphone number one was aggressive, clearly carrying a strong preconceived notion of emotion. "It's all over the internet right now, saying that the Tianyin Foundation contacted you, wanting to invite you to participate in a charity fundraising project to help out-of-school children in remote areas, but you arrogantly refused!"

"I just want to ask you, why aren't you participating? Or rather, do you genuinely not care about charity at all, and only want to make money for yourself?!"

The moment this question was raised, it was like a drop of cold water being poured into a frying pan of oil. The indicator lights on microphones number two and four started flashing wildly, and the sounds inside became noisy and chaotic.

"That's right, you have to give us an explanation!"

"What right does someone like you have to be a public figure!"

"Stop." Zhao Shuyao didn't raise his voice, but that single word carried an undeniable sense of authority.

He raised his hand and pressed it down: "Everyone, please don't rush. As I said, we'll take it one at a time. Since we're on the microphone, let's line up in order. Don't worry, I won't run away. I will answer all your questions seriously."