156: Chapter 156 Dual Control

"Thank you, 'Brother Who Loves Beauty,' for the rocket!"

She blew a kiss to the camera, "Meimei loves you all the most~"

It was two in the morning, and the live stream finally ended. Liu Meiting, like a puppet drained of all strength, slumped directly into her chair.

Director Ma came in to check the data and nodded with satisfaction: "Not bad, continue tomorrow."

He turned to Xiao Bei and Team Leader Zhang Yining: "How about it, have you learned? I'll arrange a test stream for you tomorrow."

On the way back to the dormitory, Xiao Bei deliberately lagged a few steps behind and whispered to Team Leader Zhang Yining: "Did you see that? There's a blind spot in the surveillance on the fourth-floor corridor, and the bathroom window might be openable."

Team Leader Zhang Yining nodded imperceptibly: "Liu Meiting showed me her 'Beauty Loan' bill—100,000 for rhinoplasty, 80,000 for double eyelid surgery, 200,000 for full-body liposuction... She had already earned enough, but with compound interest, it has now rolled up to over a million and is still growing. She will never be able to pay it off in her lifetime."

"That's why she doesn't dare to run away."

Xiao Bei's eyes were gloomy, "Physically and psychologically, she is under dual control."

The dormitory was better than imagined, a four-person room, but currently only the two of them were staying there. Once the door was closed, Team Leader Zhang Yining immediately checked the room and, sure enough, found a camera in the air conditioning vent.

"Don't look around," Xiao Bei reminded her with lip-reading, "Chat normally."

The two pretended to discuss their live streaming experiences excitedly, while Xiao Bei typed on his phone to show Team Leader Zhang Yining: "There's likely something going on behind the metal door."

Team Leader Zhang Yining nodded and typed a reply: "Liu Meiting said 'new goods' are arriving tomorrow, likely new applicants."

Xiao Bei's eyes sharpened. Time was tighter than imagined. He thought of Chen Zhiming, thought of those missing young people, and thought of Old Chen's worried gaze.

Outside the window, the night in Hongxiang Town was like ink. A few lonely lights flickered in the distance, like the faint distress signals of those trapped.

At seven in the morning, Team Leader Zhang Yining was awakened by a faint vibration. She squinted at the opposite bed—Xiao Bei was already up, pretending to fix his hair in front of the air conditioning vent, while actually using his body to block the camera and quickly operating his phone.

Team Leader Zhang Yining stretched; the two had come to apply under the guise of being a couple, and besides, the dormitories here didn't segregate by gender at all. Fortunately, the two shared a pure, revolutionary friendship.

Team Leader Zhang Yining tiptoed over and saw Xiao Bei typing in his notes: "There is a fire escape outside the bathroom window, but there are security guards patrolling the third floor."

Team Leader Zhang Yining nodded, pointed to her phone, and made a "dual-system" gesture. Before going to bed last night, she had quietly set her phone to dual-system mode—the surface was an ordinary social media account for Zhang Ning, while the hidden system could actually connect to external networks. This was a specially made phone provided by Bai Yunmo, and ordinary signal jammers were ineffective against it.

"I'll go test the signal," she whispered breathlessly.

Xiao Bei frowned and shook his head, pointing at the door—there were shadows moving under the door crack; someone was clearly monitoring them from outside. He continued typing: "Wait until breakfast time, when there are many people and eyes."

Team Leader Zhang Yining understood and deliberately yawned loudly: "Oh my, this bed makes my waist ache!"

At the same time, she quickly typed on her phone: "Last night, I discovered a plea for help sent by Chen Mo. His high school female classmate had debt from plastic surgery, was forced to borrow from the Beauty Loan and other loan systems, and later attempted suicide because she couldn't pay it back, but was saved."

Xiao Bei's pupils constricted. This was exactly the chain of evidence they were looking for—creating appearance anxiety to attract young people, making them borrow money if they didn't have enough, and when they couldn't pay it back, they were forced into a desperate situation or compelled to sign with the Live Streaming Company to work as permanent beasts of burden, live streaming to pay off the debt.

Suddenly, messy footsteps and a woman's sobbing came from outside. Xiao Bei signaled Team Leader Zhang Yining to stay quiet, while he leaned against the door to listen.

"...Send this batch directly to the inner zone... The boss said... Check the individuals to see if they have any venereal diseases... Personally inspect the goods..." The intermittent conversation drifted in.

Just as Team Leader Zhang Yining wanted to say something, a piercing broadcast sound suddenly rang out: "All newcomers, gather in the first-floor lobby! Latecomers will be docked pay!"

Xiao Bei quickly deleted the records on his phone and whispered: "We are ordinary people here to apply, don't show any flaws."

More than twenty young people had already gathered in the lobby, all looking bewildered. Director Ma stood at the front desk, and next to him, several "doctors" in white coats were walking inside; it seemed they were the ones responsible for the physical examinations.

"We also need a simple physical check for newcomers, a routine medical exam, to ensure you are healthy enough to handle the work." Director Ma called out leisurely, "Those who have signed the contract go to the left, those who haven't signed yet wait on the right."

Xiao Bei noticed that while they were just having their blood drawn simply, several young people were forcefully taken by security guards to the right corridor for an in-depth physical exam—the exact direction leading to that metal door.

"Next!" a female nurse shouted.

Team Leader Zhang Yining stepped forward, but suddenly her body stiffened—on the screen behind the nurse, there was Su Yun's photo! She quickly looked at Xiao Bei and found that he had also noticed it; his jawline instantly tightened.

"What are you looking at?" the nurse urged impatiently.

Team Leader Zhang Yining had no choice but to cooperate with the blood draw first; after returning to the queue, she immediately leaned close to Xiao Bei: "How could she—"

"Don't speak." Xiao Bei interrupted her, his eyes fixed firmly on the entrance.

The next moment, the glass door was pushed open. Su Yun walked in wearing a simple white T-shirt and jeans, her black hair tied in a ponytail, with no makeup on her face, yet she still shone brightly in the crowd. She scanned the lobby, and her gaze froze the moment she saw Xiao Bei.

Xiao Bei's fingers unconsciously dug into his palms. Su Yun—his girlfriend, the chief reporter of the county TV station—why would she appear in this den of demons?

Director Ma had already walked up to greet her: "Ms. Su, right? Our boss specifically instructed that we especially welcome high-achieving talents like you!"

Su Yun quickly adjusted her expression, revealing a professional smile: "Thank you, I would like to understand the job content first."

"No rush, no rush," Director Ma enthusiastically led her towards the physical examination area, "Just in time to do a simple check together, and then I will take you on a tour."

Xiao Bei's gaze pierced Su Yun like a knife, but she turned a blind eye and calmly rolled up her sleeves to let the nurse draw her blood. The moment the needle pierced her skin, the way she slightly frowned caused a sharp pain in Xiao Bei's chest.

After the physical examination, the newcomers were divided into several groups and taken to different areas. Xiao Bei and Team Leader Zhang Yining were assigned to "Scenario Live Streaming Training," while Su Yun and the other beautiful women were called away separately, under the guise of "Special Training for High-End Talent."

"Is she crazy?" Taking advantage of the moment the trainer turned around, Team Leader Zhang Yining said urgently, "Doesn't she know how dangerous this place is?"

Xiao Bei's face was livid: "Of course she knows. This is exactly what she wants—first-hand information, an exclusive report."

He knew Su Yun too well; for the truth, she could ignore everything else.

The training content was nauseating—how to act spoiled to ask for gifts, how to make hints, and there was even a special "crying scene tutorial," teaching streamers to fabricate tragic life stories in live streaming rooms decorated like rural homes to elicit sympathy. Fortunately, Xiao Bei and Team Leader Zhang Yining were mainly demonstrating things between couples, although the script was somewhat values-destroying. ...