Thanks to Guan's suggestion, I visited a psychologist today.
It was incredibly helpful—thank you so much, Guan, and thanks to everyone who supported me.
Yaxi was carefully applying stickers to an idol trading card.
This marked her first collaboration with a talent agency; previously, most of her livestreams and video ads revolved around stationery and creative products.
The agency was generous, and she put extra effort into making it special.
Most of her audience consisted of students aged 15 to 25, including those preparing for graduate school entrance exams, while only about 5% were urban professionals under 30.
In the past, knowing she was young and inexperienced, Yaxi always spoke cautiously during livestreams to avoid saying anything inappropriate.
A heartfelt confession two months ago opened up new opportunities for her. Although she lost a third of her followers, the remaining ones became even more loyal. Since then, she began sharing snippets of her daily life, listening to her fans' troubles, and spreading positivity whenever possible.
However, due to poor soundproofing in her room, she usually spoke softly, fearing that Chen Ling might overhear something suspicious.
As a result, in the eyes of her fans, she was a girl with a soothing voice—quiet and gentle.
Guan was the nickname for the fan group administrator.
Yaxi remembered how the wealthy sister's original username used to be a chaotic mix of symbols, quite non-mainstream.
It wasn't until she became the fan group admin that she changed it to "Did Guan Dance Today?"
The comments erupted with excitement.
Using tweezers, Yaxi placed a red spider lily sticker onto the idol card.
The vibrant petals gave the idol an eerie yet enchanting look.
This aesthetic appealed to a niche audience, and only such uniquely styled idols would collaborate with lesser-known streamers like her, whose income relied entirely on fan donations.
She spoke earnestly: "I've only tried it once, so it's hard to confirm the real effects in such a short time. I'll work hard to complete the treatment cycle and then share my experience with everyone."
The chat exploded with cheers.
At that moment, there was a knock at the door, which Yaxi ignored.
Occasionally, Chen Ling would visit her at night, always knocking like this.
Usually, he knocked three times, and if she didn't respond within five seconds, he would leave.
The viewers were accustomed to it:
"—It's your nephew again, haha."
"—Why does he knock so often? Is he in love with his aunt?"
"—Kid, do your homework and stop bothering the adults."
Under Yaxi's guidance, they had come to believe that Chen Ling was her eight-year-old nephew, temporarily staying at her place.
But this time, after the knocking stopped, there was no pause.
Patiently, Chen Ling continued knocking repeatedly.
"—Sister, go check on your nephew."
"—Yeah, taking care of a kid isn't easy."
"Did Guan Dance Today," who had just entered the livestream five minutes earlier and sent a gift bomb, also said:
"—Go quickly and come back soon. We'll wait for you."
She could have messaged Chen Ling to tell him to stop.
But he didn't have a phone…
She almost suspected that Chen Ling refused to let her buy him one just so he could smoothly give her orders at times like this.
Tonight, he had been sulking with a smile, and Yaxi had casually coaxed him a few times, but Chen Ling only grew more stubborn and refused to speak.
What did he want now?
She couldn't let the knocking continue as background noise and awkwardly keep streaming.
Since the phone camera was focused on the desk, it should be fine.
"I'm really sorry. It must be my nephew, scared to sleep alone. He's timid," Yaxi apologized.
"I'll be back in five minutes."
She left the table, inadvertently brushing her finger against the tripod.
The tripod was stable but slippery.
With a light touch, it tilted slightly by 30 degrees. The camera happened to catch a corner of the wall where Chen Ling's photos were hung.
The chat exploded.
"—Oh no, girls, a man!"
"—Holy crap, he's so handsome. Is he the streamer's new crush? Does anyone know him? Please tell me!"
"—Ahhh, I've never seen him before. Is he a regular guy?"
"—He's wearing a school uniform. Looks like a casual phone photo."
"—Shocking my whole family, is her boyfriend?"
"—He's like a fairy prince. Sister, you're good at reeling them in!"
Unaware of the chaos in the livestream, Yaxi walked toward the door.
Chen Ling spoke quickly.
As soon as the door cracked open, Yaxi heard him calmly call her name.
"Yaxi, you finally opened the door," he said.
Yaxi quickly closed the door.
The sound of the door closing was like the final bomb, igniting the frenzy in the livestream.
"—Girls, this is too much. A man's voice!"
"—A man, a real man is here. What nephew? The streamer lied!"
"—There's a man in the photo, and there's a man in the house."
"—Major investigation: Is it the same man? Is he the nephew who's staying over?"
"—Sister, how do you attract men? I'm a senior in college and still single!"
Meanwhile, Yaxi was on high alert, fully focused on Chen Ling in front of her.
She remembered the last time he came, he flirted while applying medicine and asked about her past crushes.
She had countered his moves, but after falling asleep, he had sneaked in at night.
"Five minutes, then I'm going back in," Yaxi said firmly.
Chen Ling didn't agree or disagree.
Instead, he directly showed her the bag in his hand. It contained the sleeping pills she had just picked up today.
She had placed them in a medicine box, and perhaps Chen Ling had found them while tidying up.
Chen Ling looked extremely grave, as if interrogating her:
"Which hospital did you visit today? Who prescribed these pills?"
Chen Ling rarely wore such an expression. Yaxi sensed something was wrong:
"What's the issue?"
He took out a small pill bottle from the bag, poured out a pill, and held it up to her nose:
"Smell this."
Yaxi leaned in and sniffed lightly, then looked up at him, puzzled:
"Besides the medicine smell, there's a faint fruity scent."
"Exactly. The fruity scent is meant to mask the underlying odor. Smell it again."
In matters like this, Yaxi instinctively followed Chen Ling's lead.
She closed her eyes and sniffed carefully:
"Hmm… there's a sharp smell," she frowned, "like something from a lab, acidic… hydrochloric acid?"
She wasn't entirely sure.
The smell was sharp, and you wouldn't notice it unless you paid close attention.
Since Chen Ling said the fruity scent was a cover, this smell… must be some inappropriate chemical that had him so worried.
"What I'm about to say is crucial. You don't have to believe me, but you absolutely cannot take this medicine," Chen Ling said.
"This sharp smell comes from a chemical compound called 'Herong,' derived from the wild herb of the same name and recently discovered.
Consuming Herong can be highly addictive, especially for children and the elderly.
Long-term use of this drug can cause hallucinations, blindness, and severe neurological damage."