157: Chapter 157 Lowering One's Stature

Xiao Bei listened to the training mechanically, his mind entirely on Su Yun.

During lunch, the newcomers were taken to a room to eat together. Xiao Bei finally found an opportunity and pretended to bump into Su Yun accidentally as she walked past.

"Sorry." He whispered, quickly slipping a crumpled piece of paper into her palm.

Ten minutes later, in the women's restroom, Su Yun unfolded the note: [Leave immediately, it's dangerous. Meet at the fourth-floor corner fire escape at 8:00 PM.]

She sneered and flushed the note down the toilet. Xiao Bei was always like this, treating her as a weakling in need of protection. Little did he know she had made full preparations before going undercover—a micro-camera sewn into her underwear, a tracker in her heel, and even her lipstick was a specially made stun gun.

The afternoon's "talent training" was even more interesting. The girls changed into "stepmother dresses" to learn dancing, while the boys had to show off their abs or perform "domineering CEO" scenes.

"Attention all newcomers! We must start broadcasting tonight!" Director Ma clapped his hands at the training room door, his greasy face wearing an uncompromising smile. "We can't waste the peak traffic hours!"

Team Leader Zhang Yining secretly glanced at the clock on the wall—7:40 PM, only twenty minutes left until the meeting between Xiao Bei and Su Yun at the fire escape. She turned to look at Xiao Bei, noticing his jawline was tightly clenched, and his fingers were unconsciously tapping a rhythmic code on the table.

"Xiao... Director Chen Mo," she almost let it slip, quickly correcting herself, "Do we really have to broadcast tonight?"

Xiao Bei took a deep breath, his gaze sweeping over the menacing security guards in the room: "It seems we have no choice."

Director Ma had already walked up to them, holding two phones in his hand: "You two just use one account; couples are trending right now."

He narrowed his eyes, examining Xiao Bei: "But Director Chen Mo, your expression is like you're heading to the execution ground. You can't be like that during the broadcast."

Team Leader Zhang Yining quickly grabbed Xiao Bei's arm and said coquettishly: "Don't mind him, Brother Ma. My Director Chen Mo is just shy facing the camera for the first time~ I'll guide him!"

Director Ma laughed heartily, patting Xiao Bei's shoulder with his greasy hand: "What's there to be shy about for a grown man! Remember, be generous and open; that's what the audience loves to see!"

He lowered his voice and tapped Xiao Bei's abs: "Especially those female viewers... you know what I mean."

Xiao Bei resisted the urge to shake off that hand and forced a smile: "I will... try my best."

"Alright, we won't have a unified dinner. Lunch boxes will be distributed to each broadcast room. Eat quickly; we start in half an hour!"

Director Ma turned and shouted to the others: "The top three on the gift leaderboard today get a bonus, the bottom three broadcast all night!"

Team Leader Zhang Yining pulled Xiao Bei to the broadcast room assigned to them—a small room decorated like a bedroom, just like a real home for a young couple. As soon as the door closed, she immediately checked every corner of the room.

"Air conditioning vent, bedside lamp, curtain rod..." she counted quietly, "At least three cameras."

Xiao Bei nodded, his gaze falling on the broadcast phone on the vanity: "We need to find a way to neither expose our identities nor actually do as they ask."

"Xiao Bei, you're unable to put down your pride, aren't you?" Team Leader Zhang Yining suddenly teased, her eyes flashing with cunning light, "It's truly hard for a dignified Deputy County Magistrate to act cute and fawn over a mobile phone."

Xiao Bei glared at her helplessly: "You certainly adapted quickly."

"It's an occupational disease. I was in the drama club in college; reading a script and telling stories to a phone is even simpler."

Team Leader Zhang Yining picked up the phone and adjusted the angle: "How about this: you sit in the back as a background prop, and I'll do the main broadcasting. You show your face occasionally; maintaining an air of mystery is actually more attractive."

Xiao Bei checked his watch—7:56 PM. He had to find an excuse to leave and meet Su Yun.

"I'm going to the restroom; I'll be back soon."

Team Leader Zhang Yining blinked knowingly: "Don't take too long; Director Ma said latecomers get docked pay~"

In the corridor, Xiao Bei pretended to walk casually toward the restroom, and after confirming no one was watching, he quickly turned toward the fourth-floor fire escape.

Pushing open the heavy door, the stuffy air rushed toward him. On the fire escape platform, a slender figure was already waiting there.

"Are you crazy?" Xiao Bei grabbed Su Yun's wrist, his voice extremely low, "Do you know what kind of place this is?"

Su Yun shook off his hand, her eyes shining startlingly bright in the moonlight: "Of course I know. So many young people in the county are suddenly getting plastic surgery, even having to borrow money to do it. Those who can't pay it back either go crazy borrowing more money or run here to become streamers. Six out of ten people are in debt to this company."

She pulled a micro-camera from her underwear, "You have your job, and I am also doing my job."

"This isn't a normal investigation!" Xiao Bei gritted his teeth, "They have a metal door and even mentioned the boss would come to inspect the goods personally... Do you understand how dangerous this is?"

"So you men should be the ones to play the hero?" Su Yun asked Xiao Bei calmly, "As journalists, we know better than you how deep the waters are here. Besides, I didn't actually get plastic surgery. I pretended to go for a consultation and then said I didn't have money, so they said I could do streaming to earn money and then get the surgery. They don't even know who I really am. I will protect myself..."

Suddenly, chaotic footsteps and shouting came from downstairs. Both held their breath and looked down through the iron railings—a few security guards were carrying a curled-up figure and walking by hurriedly.

"It's that mukbang streamer who broadcasts for twelve hours straight..." Su Yun whispered, "I saw him being forced to eat another round this afternoon! The platform doesn't allow one account to stream continuously, so they exploited the loophole by applying for several accounts. They wear different wigs and mostly show the mouth area, making it look like different people on different accounts, but it's actually all him!"

Xiao Bei clenched his fists: "That's despicable!"

Su Yun grabbed him, "I've already taken photos of their 'examination room'. It's basically just a crude operating room where unlicensed doctors are performing micro-plastic surgeries, and they can't even maintain a sterile environment."

A painful groan came from the distance, followed by Director Ma's irritable roar: "Useless! How many times do I have to say you need to stick to the medicine! Why send him to the hospital? Get Dr. Wang to handle it! If you keep screaming, I'll dock your whole month's salary!"

Xiao Bei's face turned livid: "They don't intend to send him to the hospital..."

"Gastric perforation—if they don't send him to the hospital, he'll die." Su Yun's voice began to tremble.

Just then, the fire escape door was suddenly pushed open, and a security guard poked his head out: "Who's there?"

Xiao Bei reacted extremely quickly, pulling Su Yun into his arms and using his body to block her face: "Brother, can you give us some privacy?" He said in a deliberately frivolous tone.

The security guard shone his flashlight and sneered: "You have the mood for this before the broadcast? Director Ma is furious; hurry back!"

"Right away, right away."