41: I want to watch a movie too.

"Then next time I'll try streaming for three hours," Qin Ya said with a slight pout.

"That's more like it," Yu Heng grinned. "Traffic is built through persistence. But don't push yourself too hard. If you get tired of sitting, you can get up and move around, drink some water, and so on."

"Got it, chatterbox," Qin Ya replied, her voice tinged with impatience.

Qin Lu looked at her daughter's behavior and shook her head gently, though her eyes held an unmistakable tenderness.

She turned to Yu Heng, her tone returning to its previous seriousness. "Yu Heng, since the department approved it, you should hurry with the club recruitment. Otherwise, if you can't get anyone, it'll still be shut down after a while."

"Understood, Counselor," Yu Heng nodded. "I'll start in the next couple of days."

He actually already had a plan in mind; recruitment was just a standard process anyway.

"Mom, I'll go upstairs to pack my things first?" Qin Ya stood up.

"Go on, don't leave anything behind," Qin Lu reminded her.

Qin Ya ran upstairs with a series of thumps, and after a while, she came back down carrying a bag.

She threw on her down jacket and zipped it up to her chin, wrapping herself up like a zongzi.

"Let's go, Mom," she urged.

Qin Lu stood up and smoothed out her skirt. "Then we'll be heading back now."

"Alright, take care, Counselor."

After seeing the mother and daughter out, Yu Heng closed the door and let out a long sigh of relief.

His phone vibrated. It was a message from Bai Xinran: "Boss, I'm feeling much better. I should be able to resume streaming tomorrow."

Yu Heng replied: "No rush, wait until you're fully recovered. Don't collapse halfway through a stream again."

Bai Xinran: "Got it! Oh right, Zhang Yuchen came to see me again today and brought me a cup of milk tea."

Yu Heng stared at the screen, his fingers hovering over the keyboard for a few seconds.

This guy is quite persistent?

He typed: "And then?"

Bai Xinran: "I didn't take it. I always feel he's a bit weird; the way he looks at me isn't right."

Yu Heng raised an eyebrow.

This girl isn't stupid after all.

So she probably knows his intentions too?

He replied: "Haha, alright then. Get some rest. Message me if anything happens."

Bai Xinran: "Got it! Boss, what are you doing today?"

Yu Heng: "Just saw Qin Ya off, now I'm just lounging."

Bai Xinran: "Qin Ya has already started streaming?"

Yu Heng: "Yeah, using a public skin. It's already the second day, and she's already received a Captain."

Bai Xinran: "! That amazing?"

Yu Heng: "Isn't that far behind you?"

Bai Xinran: "That's different, I have a private skin. Don't Virtual Streamers rely on their skins?"

"Alright, you get some good rest. I'm heading out in a bit."

He chatted with Bai Xinran for a few more lines, then glanced at the time. It was almost five o'clock.

Time to get ready to head out.

Six o'clock, school gate.

When Yu Heng arrived, Ning Yutong was already waiting there.

Today she was wearing a milky white sweater paired with a plaid mini-skirt.

She was still wearing those 'bare-leg' leggings and small leather shoes. She looked very soft and cute.

"Have you been waiting long?" Yu Heng walked over.

"No, I just arrived," Ning Yutong said with a beaming smile. "That shop isn't far from here, shall we walk over?"

"Sure."

The two of them walked slowly along the sidewalk.

The evening breeze was a bit chilly, and Ning Yutong leaned a little closer to Yu Heng.

"Yu Heng," she suddenly spoke up, "how is Sister Xinran doing?"

"Much better. She should be able to stream tomorrow," Yu Heng said.

"That's good," Ning Yutong nodded. She hesitated for a moment before adding, "Actually, I chatted with Sister Yueling for a bit today."

Yu Heng looked at her sideways. "What did you talk about?"

"Just a casual chat," Ning Yutong blinked. "Sister Yueling even asked me if you've recruited a new Streamer."

Yu Heng's heart stirred. "What did you say?"

"I said I think so, since I heard you mention it." Ning Yutong tilted her head to look at him. "How many Streamers do you have now?"

"Counting Qin Ya, two," Yu Heng said. "But Qin Ya is just starting out. It's mainly Bai Xinran."

"By the way," Ning Yutong looked up again, "the Film Club has a movie viewing event this weekend. They're showing 'the truman show'. Do you want to come along?"

"'the truman show'?" Yu Heng raised an eyebrow. "Sure, I've got nothing else to do this weekend anyway."

"Then it's a deal!" Ning Yutong happily shook his arm.

They reached the entrance of the hot pot restaurant, which was already quite crowded.

Ning Yutong had booked a table in advance, and the waiter led them to a window seat.

After ordering and while waiting for the broth to boil, Ning Yutong rested her chin on her hand and looked at Yu Heng. "Oh right, about the short videos we talked about earlier, how exactly do we film them?"

"You want to film them now?" Yu Heng asked.

"Yes!" Ning Yutong nodded vigorously. "I think it would be fun to try. Besides, if I can really earn some pocket money, I won't have to keep asking my family for money."

"Haha, it might take a long time to earn money." Yu Heng smiled. "For self-media, the monetization cycle isn't short. It might take three to five months to see progress, though of course, there's a chance of going viral instantly."

"It's okay, I'll just treat it as fun!" Ning Yutong said.

"Alright! For the first video, let's keep it simple," he said. "We'll do a transformation video. You wear ordinary clothes, like what you have on now, and then with a cut of the camera, you switch to a JK uniform or a Lolita dress. We'll pick music with a strong rhythm and time the transformation to the beat."

Ning Yutong thought about it. "That doesn't sound hard, but where would we film it?"

"The Villa I rented would work," Yu Heng said. "The living room has good light and a clean background. Plus, I just bought a camera, so the image quality will be perfect."

"A camera?" Ning Yutong's eyes widened. "Was it expensive?"

"It was alright, just an investment." Yu Heng brushed it off. "If you've decided, we can film this weekend. Since the Film Club activity is in the evening, we can film during the day."

The broth was boiling, the red oil bubbling with a mouth-watering aroma.

Ning Yutong dipped a slice of fatty beef into the pot, then into the sesame oil before putting it in her mouth, squinting her eyes in satisfaction. "So delicious!"

"Yu Heng," Ning Yutong suddenly asked, "do you think people will actually watch if I really make short videos?"

"They will," Yu Heng said certainly. "You're pretty, you have a great figure, and you're good at dancing. These qualities already put you ahead of many people."

Ning Yutong's face reddened slightly. "Don't keep talking about my figure..."

"It's the truth." Yu Heng shrugged. "With a figure like yours, you can't even find many like it in those 'films'."

As soon as Yu Heng said this, he froze for a moment.

He was so used to bickering with Bai Xinran that he had lost track of his boundaries.

He quickly glanced at Ning Yutong.

Ning Yutong was holding a piece of tripe. She bit her lip, and after several seconds, she whispered, "Yu Heng... you really are..."

She dipped the tripe in her oil dish and, after a moment, asked with feigned nonchalance, "Do you guys all like watching those things?"

Yu Heng looked up at her upon hearing this.

The steam from the hot pot swirled around her cheeks, and her eyelashes trembled slightly.

"Not necessarily?" He thought for a moment and added, "But there probably aren't many who haven't seen them. And honestly, plenty of girls watch them too."

"Really?" Ning Yutong's eyes widened. "Girls watch them too?"

"Really." Yu Heng grinned. "There are even films made specifically for girls, called 'Josei-muke'. The plot, the atmosphere, it's all different. The actors are much more handsome than usual. Want me to find a couple for you to watch?"

"I don't want to watch them..." Ning Yutong's face was completely red. "Don't you dare send me any!"

"Alright, I'll stop teasing you." Yu Heng saw her reaction and laughed. "If you ever want to see them, just tell me anytime."

"You said girls watch those films too." Ning Yutong suddenly remembered something. "How do you know?"

"Shen Yueling watches them!" Yu Heng said subconsciously. "Once when Shen Yueling came over to my place, she accidentally clicked on one. We ended up watching the whole thing together. After that, whenever I find a good film, I share it with her."

Hearing this, Ning Yutong's mouth formed an 'O' shape. "You watched one with Yue Ling?"

"Yeah," Yu Heng nodded. "I have."

Ning Yutong was silent for a few seconds, then suddenly asked in a low voice, "So what was Sister Yueling's reaction?"

Yu Heng saw her gossipy little gaze and found it amusing.

This girl had quite a peculiar focus.

"What kind of reaction could there be?" He shrugged. "She was embarrassed at first, but then she got into it."

"Then..." Ning Yutong bit her chopstick and murmured, "I want to watch too..."