158: Chapter 158 Betraying One's Own

Xiao Bei forced a smile, and only after the security guard closed the door did he let go of Su Yun.

"You must leave. You have to go tonight."

Su Yun straightened her clothes and shook her head stubbornly.

"I haven't captured the core evidence yet. As for the area behind that metal door, I suspect they are..."

"Su Yun!"

Xiao Bei squeezed her name out through gritted teeth.

"This isn't an undercover investigation for a TV station! They might kill you if things go wrong!"

"That's exactly why it needs to be exposed!"

A stubborn light flashed in Su Yun's eyes.

"Do you think you're the only one who cares about those victims? Many of the interns at our station have had cosmetic procedures. To look good on camera, they didn't hesitate to take out Beauty Loans behind their families' backs!"

This sentence hit Xiao Bei like a heavy hammer. He finally understood a little why Su Yun was so persistent.

A commotion broke out downstairs again, mixed with Director Ma's roars and the sound of breaking glass. Time was running out.

"Eight-thirty,"

Xiao Bei said quickly.

"The window in the fourth-floor bathroom can be opened, and there's a fire escape outside. If the situation changes, that's your only escape route."

Su Yun wanted to say something more, but Xiao Bei had already turned to leave.

"The live stream is about to start. If I don't go back, it will arouse suspicion. Remember, eight-thirty. You must leave!"

Returning to the live streaming room, Team Leader Zhang Yining was practicing her expressions in front of her phone. Seeing Xiao Bei, she immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"That was almost a disaster! Director Ma just came to check on us, and I told him you had diarrhea."

Xiao Bei wiped his face, struggling to calm his breathing.

"Let's start. The sooner it ends, the better."

Team Leader Zhang Yining nodded and pressed the live stream button. Instantly, her expression shifted from nervous to sweet and charming.

"Hello everyone~ I'm the new streamer Zhang Ning, and this is my boyfriend, Director Chen Mo~"

Xiao Bei sat stiffly in the back, trying hard to look like someone who was "taciturn but dotes on his girlfriend." Team Leader Zhang Yining performed brilliantly, one moment acting coquettish to ask for gifts, the next telling love stories from the script, and even improvising a song.

"Brother Chen Mo, the fans want to see you smile~"

Team Leader Zhang Yining suddenly turned around, her eyes filled with pleading.

Xiao Bei felt a wave of nausea, but he had no choice but to force a smile at the camera. The comment section immediately flooded with a wave of gifts and comments like "So handsome" and "The ice mountain has melted."

Halfway through the live stream, rapid footsteps and shouting suddenly came from outside the door. Team Leader Zhang Yining reacted quickly, immediately saying in a coquettish tone,

"Oh my, it's so noisy outside, I'm so scared~ Brother Chen Mo, go check it out~"

Xiao Bei understood and stood up, walked to the door, and opened it a crack—in the hallway, several security guards were dragging that mukbang streamer toward the elevator, and the streamer's body was covered in vomit and blood. Director Ma followed behind, holding a phone and shouting,

"...How many times do I have to tell you to take your medicine on time! What's a gastric perforation? Doctor Wang can just stitch it up! Can you afford to pay for the lost live stream time?"

Xiao Bei gently closed the door and returned to the camera with a dark expression. Team Leader Zhang Yining read the situation in his eyes and immediately changed the subject.

"Alright, alright, let's continue with our story~ Once, Director Chen Mo prepared a surprise for me..."

The two-hour live stream finally ended, and Team Leader Zhang Yining's throat was almost hoarse. The moment she turned off the camera, she collapsed into her chair like a deflated balloon.

"Oh my god, I feel like I've never been this tired in my life... I thought being a streamer was the easiest way to make money, just talking to a phone..."

Xiao Bei checked his watch—eight-forty. Su Yun should have left as planned. He had just breathed a sigh of relief when the door was suddenly pushed open, and Director Ma walked in with a smile plastered on his face.

"Good performance! Especially Zhang Ning, you're a natural at this!"

He handed over a tablet.

"Look, seventh on the debut gift leaderboard! At this rate, you'll be able to pay off the basic training fees in three months!"

"Tr... training fees?"

Team Leader Zhang Yining was stunned.

Director Ma looked surprised.

"It's clearly written in the contract: new recruit training, venue usage, equipment rental, a total of 150,000. But don't worry,"

He patted Team Leader Zhang Yining's shoulder affectionately,

"with your conditions, you'll be able to earn enough for the 'upgrade package' very soon."

Xiao Bei stood up abruptly.

"What upgrade package?"

"Just a little fine-tuning,"

Director Ma's eyes roamed over Team Leader Zhang Yining's face.

"Open the corners of the eyes, bridge the nose, and I guarantee the gifts will double! We have professional doctors here, safe and painless~"

Team Leader Zhang Yining instinctively covered her face, and Xiao Bei blocked her.

"We don't need it."

Director Ma's smile froze for a moment, then immediately returned.

"Don't be in such a rush to refuse. Look at Xiao Mei and you'll understand..."

He suddenly lowered his voice.

"Or, are you more interested in the 'Special Team'? The income there is ten times what it is here..."

Xiao Bei's fists clenched at his sides. Just as the atmosphere became tense, a piercing alarm suddenly sounded outside.

"What's going on?"

Director Ma turned around in annoyance.

A security guard ran over in a panic.

"Director Ma, a mukbang streamer escaped from the fourth floor! They also stole documents from the inner area!"

Director Ma's face instantly turned ashen. He grabbed the security guard by the collar.

"What did you say? How could that piece of trash have escaped? And stole documents?"

The security guard answered stuttering,

"He... he pretended to faint, and while Doctor Wang wasn't paying attention, he grabbed the medical records and ran... Surveillance saw him heading toward the fourth-floor fire escape..."

"Trash! A bunch of trash!"

Director Ma kicked over a chair in a rage.

"Lock down all exits immediately! Catch that traitor and bring them back to me! If the higher-ups find out the files have been leaked, we'll all be in deep trouble!"

Xiao Bei's heart sank sharply. The fire escape—that was exactly the escape route he had told Su Yun about. She hadn't listened to him; she was still inside!

Director Ma turned to Xiao Bei and Team Leader Zhang Yining, barely managing to squeeze out a ferocious smile.

"Don't be nervous, newcomers, it's just a minor issue. Go get some rest; there are important arrangements for tomorrow."

After saying that, he hurried away with the security guards.

Team Leader Zhang Yining closed the door and immediately lowered her voice.

"Journalist Su didn't leave?"

Xiao Bei's knuckles turned white from clenching his fists.

"How could she... be so willful..."

His gaze swept over the three cameras in the room.

"It looks like tonight won't be quiet."

The alarm sounded throughout the entire night, and hurried footsteps and curses could be heard from the hallway from time to time. At 3:00 AM, Xiao Bei saw through a crack in the door four security guards dragging a bloodied figure toward the elevator—it was that mukbang streamer. His clothes were soaked with blood at the abdomen, and his mouth was stuffed with a rag, only allowing him to emit muffled groans.

It wasn't until dawn that the company restored a surface-level calm. But a strange tension permeated the air, like the quiet before a storm.

At 7:00 AM, the harsh broadcast voice sounded again:

"All newcomers, report to the first-floor lobby immediately! Those who are late will have today's meals cancelled!"