155: Chapter 155 Just Obey Me

A flash of wariness crossed Director Ma's eyes, then he laughed and said: "It's just a loan to provide streamers with image upgrades! A few minor adjustments, and you'll have more fans and earn more money. Don't worry, it's deducted directly from your income; you don't need to pay cash out of pocket."

Team Leader Zhang Yining pretended to be excited as she flipped through the contract: "Can we really earn that much? I've seen those big streamers all..."

"Of course!" Director Ma patted his chest in assurance, "Xiao Mei, whom we made famous last month, earns this much in a single live stream!"

He held up five fingers.

"Fifty thousand?" Team Leader Zhang Yining widened her eyes.

"Five hundred thousand!" Director Ma said smugly, "She's resting in the back right now; I'll let you meet her in a bit. That girl was incredibly tacky when she first arrived, but now we've given her a full-face makeover, and she's as pretty as a star!"

Xiao Bei feigned interest: "Then what do we need to do?"

"It's very simple," Director Ma lowered his voice, "Just be obedient. You stream whatever we tell you to stream, and you say whatever we tell you to say. The company takes a seventy percent cut of fan tips and a fifty percent cut from product sales."

He added meaningfully, "Special services are calculated separately, with a ninety percent cut."

"What is 'special services'...?" Xiao Bei pretended not to understand.

Director Ma gave an ambiguous smile: "You'll find out eventually. Sign the contract first, and after that, I'll take you to the dormitory."

Xiao Bei hesitated on purpose: "Can I look at the terms again? My friend said contracts need to be checked carefully..."

"Oh, why are you being so wishy-washy, man!" Director Ma's expression changed suddenly, but he forced a smile while suppressing his anger, "Didn't Bai Yunmo tell you the rules here? Opportunities are fleeting, my friend!"

Team Leader Zhang Yining muttered to herself: "If Bai Yunmo knew the rules here, she would have been furious and come here to fight."

Just then, the reception phone rang. Director Ma walked over impatiently to answer it, his expression suddenly becoming respectful: "Yes, yes... the two new ones are signing now... Understood, I will definitely arrange it well..."

While his back was turned, Xiao Bei quickly used the modified phone Bai Yunmo had given him to photograph the key pages of the contract. Team Leader Zhang Yining pretended to touch up her makeup, but in reality, she used a miniature camera hidden in her powder puff to record the room's layout.

"Are you done yet?" Director Ma hung up the phone, his tone noticeably impatient.

"Signed!" Xiao Bei readily signed the name "Director Chen Mo" and gave Team Leader Zhang Yining a look. She also obediently signed her name.

Director Ma felt relieved, snatched the contract away, and locked it in a safe: "Let's go, I'll take you to meet your colleagues."

He led the two of them through the corridor to a large room marked "Rest Area." Pushing the door open, a dozen exhausted faces turned toward them at once. There were men and women, mostly in their early twenties, all with exquisite makeup that couldn't hide the haggard look in their eyes.

"Newcomers," Director Ma clapped his hands, "Director Chen Mo and Zhang Ning. Xiao Mei, come and show them the ropes."

A girl in a pink dress stood up, her smile unnaturally sweet: "Welcome~"

Xiao Bei instantly recognized her as the "spokesperson" from the medical beauty advertisement at the County Government entrance. Up close, it was even more obvious; her double eyelids, apple cheeks, and chin all showed clear signs of artificial work, like an exquisite doll.

"Liu Meiting, our top streamer here," Director Ma introduced, "Share some success stories with the newcomers."

Liu Meiting enthusiastically took Team Leader Zhang Yining's hand: "You have such great skin, sister! It would be even more perfect with a little hyaluronic acid! We have professional doctors here who can do it anytime... Once it's done, you'll look better on camera! And you'll earn more, too!"

Team Leader Zhang Yining fought back her discomfort and pretended to be very excited as she asked for details. Meanwhile, Xiao Bei took the opportunity to observe the room. A skinny boy in the corner was secretly hiding something in his sleeve; seeing Xiao Bei's gaze, he lowered his head in panic.

"Where is the restroom?" Xiao Bei asked suddenly.

Director Ma frowned: "Out the door and turn right. Come back quickly; we're about to have the pre-streaming meeting."

Xiao Bei nodded and left, but in reality, he deliberately slowed his pace to observe. At the end of the corridor was an inconspicuous metal door, clearly different from the wooden doors of the other rooms. The door was equipped with a fingerprint lock and a camera, and a red indicator light flickered eerily above it.

Just as he wanted to get closer to take a look, a sharp shout came from behind him: "What are you doing?"

Xiao Bei turned around to see a tall man in a security guard uniform staring at him warily.

"I'm a newcomer, looking for the restroom." Xiao Bei put on a confused expression, "Did I go the wrong way?"

The security guard's expression softened slightly, and he pointed in the opposite direction: "Over there. You can't enter here; this is the equipment room."

Xiao Bei thanked him and left, but out of the corner of his eye, he caught a sliver of light shining through the gap under the metal door—there was someone inside. Even more eerily, he vaguely heard the sound of faint sobbing.

Returning to the lounge, Team Leader Zhang Yining was being pulled by Liu Meiting to watch a live stream video on her phone. When no one was looking, she quickly gave Xiao Bei a look.

"Alright, meeting time!" Director Ma clapped his hands to gather everyone, "Tonight, we're focusing on the 'Couple Challenge' theme. Same old rules: the bottom three on the gift leaderboard work overtime until 3:00 AM!"

The crowd let out a few groans, but quickly quieted down like a group of well-trained sheep. Xiao Bei noticed a few people secretly exchanging looks of fear.

After the meeting ended, Director Ma called Xiao Bei and Team Leader Zhang Yining aside: "Observe and learn tonight. Xiao Mei has a late-night heart-to-heart live stream; you two follow along and watch. The dormitory is on the fourth floor; go straight back to rest after the stream."

He handed each of them an access card: "Company policy: you cannot enter or leave freely during streaming hours. If you need anything, find security."

Xiao Bei took the card, his heart sinking—this wasn't an access card; it was clearly a tool for imprisonment.

At 11:00 PM, Liu Meiting's live stream began. She sat in a pink boudoir set, smiling sweetly at the camera: "We have two new friends here to observe today, oh! Everyone, welcome Brother Director Chen Mo and Sister Zhang Ning~"

Team Leader Zhang Yining was forced to greet the camera, but her peripheral vision was observing the room. The vanity drawer was half-open, revealing a row of medicine bottles inside, but the labels were too small to read.

Halfway through the stream, Liu Meiting suddenly turned pale, sweat beading on her forehead. She forced a smile: "Babies, please wait a moment; Mei Mei is going to go touch up her makeup~"

She signaled for Team Leader Zhang Yining to follow her to the restroom. Once the door closed, Liu Meiting immediately collapsed onto the floor, trembling as she took a pill from her underwear and swallowed it quickly.

"Are... are you okay?" Team Leader Zhang Yining asked in shock.

Liu Meiting panted, clutching her stomach in pain: "Don't... don't tell Director Ma... I'll be fine soon..."

She struggled to stand up, swaying as she fought through the discomfort, revealing the uneven marks on her abdomen where liposuction had been performed. She looked completely exhausted, as if she had already been hollowed out.

Team Leader Zhang Yining recalled the "Beauty Loan" clause in the contract and suddenly understood. This wasn't a Live Streaming Company at all; it was clearly a criminal den that used debt to control its employees! Forcing people to earn money like crazy and pay off debts like crazy!

Back in the streaming room, Xiao Bei had already keenly noticed the change in Liu Meiting's state. When the camera turned on again, the girl was like a robot with a switch pressed, instantly returning to her vibrant self, with not a trace of the weakness from just a moment ago.