106: Chapter 106 Live Broadcast! Dorami Makes a Stunning Appearance

The entire internet was in an uproar.

Countless people flooded the official website of Guanghui Technology to leave comments.

Some even began spontaneously organizing donations, just to "resurrect" that hero, Doraemon, who had smiled amidst the flames.

Far from the clamor, on the balcony of the old Lu family residence.

Lu Li looked at the encrypted number on his phone screen and casually closed the glass door.

The cold wind was shut out; inside, there was the laughter of family, while outside, the sky was less than clear.

"Mr. Lu."

On the other end of the line, the voice of the Ministry of State Security liaison was steady and powerful.

"Did you find it?"

Lu Li's tone was flat as he rested his elbows on the railing, looking at the bare branches downstairs.

"The evidence is conclusive."

There was a hint of suppressed anger in the other person's voice: "Chairman Fan Jianguo of Tianqiong Interactive Entertainment instructed the public relations department to hire internet trolls, maliciously edit footage, and spread rumors across the entire internet. According to the criminal law, this is the crime of damaging commercial reputation, and the circumstances are particularly serious."

"As long as you nod, we can close the net within ten minutes, and he will be sentenced to at least a few years."

Lu Li listened, his lips curling into an amused arc.

Only a few years?

That's letting him off too easily.

For an old fox who has fought in the business world his entire life, going to jail is not the most terrifying thing.

The most terrifying thing is having nothing left.

It is watching his own commercial empire, which he is so proud of, being slowly devoured and collapsing in the very field he excels at.

"Don't touch him yet."

Lu Li's voice was very soft, dissipating as soon as the wind blew.

"Mr. Lu?" The other person was clearly taken aback.

"Let him jump."

Lu Li took a cigarette from his pocket and lit it slowly: "When a mad dog is cornered, its bite hurts. But if you let him think he still has a chance, he will stake everything he has."

"I want him to spit out everything the Fan Family has accumulated over generations."

"I want the name Tianqiong Interactive Entertainment to become a cautionary tale on the internet."

There was a silence on the other end of the line for a full five seconds.

Afterward, a respectful response came through: "Understood. We will monitor the Fan Family around the clock to ensure there are no slip-ups."

He hung up the phone.

Lu Li stubbed out the cigarette in the ashtray and chewed a piece of gum, because Su Qingxue did not like the smell of smoke.

The Ministry of State Security was being so polite to him naturally because the military-grade Robot was about to be launched.

They even let Lu Li decide the name.

He had been very hesitant lately; what should he call this Robot?

Xingtian?

Or... Qingtian?

Terminator would be pretty cool too, though the implication isn't great, even though this world doesn't have that movie.

He looked at the balcony again, at the New Year's goods sent by his workplace.

That's right, they were sent by the National Intelligent Robot Research Institute.

They had even already paid him two months' salary.

When Mom and Dad heard about it, they were both shocked. He was now a bona fide vice-ministerial level official; although it was just the benefits, it was still vice-ministerial.

However, Second Aunt and his younger aunt didn't know yet that he had become a civil servant.

Lu Li smiled and turned to push open the balcony door.

A wave of warmth hit his face.

In the living room, the original atmosphere of sadness had dissipated, replaced by an emotion called "nervousness."

Second Aunt Lu Guang was standing in front of the mirror, frantically adjusting her collar, her face flushed red.

"Xiao Li, this... is it time for the livestream?"

Second Aunt's voice was trembling: "Tens of millions of people on the internet are going to watch? Oh my god, is my hair too messy? Should I go change into a red outfit to be more festive?"

His cousin Yang Yueru was also at a loss, holding a handful of melon seeds, not knowing whether to put them down or keep holding them.

"Cousin, I... I'm nervous."

His cousin Wang Peng, usually a social butterfly, was also chickening out at this moment, hugging his phone and shrinking into the corner of the sofa: "Should we write a script? What if I say the wrong thing and bring bad publicity to the company?"

Even his usually steady adoptive father Lu Jianjun was silently buttoning the top button of his Zhongshan suit, standing with his back straight, as if waiting for inspection.

Seeing his whole family acting as if they were facing a formidable enemy, Lu Li couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Relax."

Lu Li walked over, plopped down in the center of the sofa, and casually put his arm around Su Qingxue's shoulder.

"We're just chatting and eating leftovers."

"The more authentic we are, the more the audience will love watching."

Su Qingxue was peeling an Apple, the long peel continuous and unbroken.

She looked up at Lu Li, her eyes shifting: "Is everything arranged?"

"Yeah."

Lu Li took the peeled Apple from her hand and took a big bite: "Let's get started."

...

The first day of the Lunar New Year, 8:00 PM.

The emotions on the internet had built up to the brink of eruption.

The father of the rescued girl, Yueyue, also started a livestream. The girl's babyish, pleading voice saying "Please, I beg you" tugged at the heartstrings of every netizen.

[Guanghui Technology, come out and help your little fan!]

[Come out and speak! Can you fix it or not!]

[We want Doraemon back!]

Just then.

The livestream room of the official Guanghui Technology account lit up.

There was no cool opening animation.

There was no host in a suit and tie.

The screen flashed, and a glass coffee table piled high with leftover New Year's Eve dinner appeared.

Braised pork, steamed pork ribs with rice flour, and a big basin of steaming hot dumplings.

The camera panned to the left.

Lu Li was wearing that gray hoodie that had been washed until it was a bit faded, sprawled on the sofa with no regard for his image, still eating ribs.

"Burp~"

A clear, full burp traveled through the microphone and across the entire internet.

The comments, which had been scrolling non-stop, suddenly paused for a second of silence.

Immediately after, question marks flooded the screen.

[??????]

[I already took off my pants... no, I mean, I already pulled out my knife, and you show me this?]

[Is this really the home of the billionaire Lu Li and Su Qingxue? Isn't this just like my cousin who comes home for the New Year and just lies around?]

[Although, but... this image quality is so clear. What equipment was used to film this?]

Lu Li waved at the camera, smiling heartlessly.

"Happy New Year, everyone."

"Nothing big, just inviting everyone to have a virtual meal together and chat about the next step for Guanghui Technology."

As he said that, he snapped his fingers.

"Show us your talent."

The camera turned.

A figure wearing a floral apron turned around.

It had a round yellow body with a bright red bow tied on top of its head.

Its two round hands were holding sliced watermelon, and the sound of the drive shafts in its feet was very soft.

When it passed by Mother Lu, it even stopped.

Using its yellow arm, it very gently pulled up the old lady's shawl that had slipped down.

"Auntie, be careful not to catch a cold."

The crisp, sweet electronic voice carried a sense of cleverness.

Meanwhile, in the corner of the living room.

Two other blue Doraemons were working in perfect sync, sweeping the floor. When they encountered a power strip on the ground, they would automatically lift their feet to step over it and even straighten out the cord.

[Holy crap! A female Doraemon?!]