Chapter Seventy-Six: Shall We Play Together?

"Jia Jia, you and I are friends, but my friends aren't considered your friends yet, so there's no need to help for free," Lu Wenchuan explained.

Sang Yijia responded with a quiet acknowledgment, finding the whole situation rather odd.

The viewers in the livestream were thoroughly entertained.

[I get what Brother Lu means now. Helping me is free, but helping my friends isn't; that'll cost money—extra, in fact.]
[This is hilarious.]
[I quietly light a candle for Brother Lu's friends.]
[Sang Yijia is probably thinking, 'A friend's friend is a friend,' but here you say they're not?]
[Hahahaha, this is too funny.]
[Such a unique perspective—I love it.]

Wei Heng, still watching the stream, was left bewildered by Lu Wenchuan's logic. After a moment of realization, he smiled and glanced at Qi Bin with a touch of sympathy in his eyes.

Qi Bin was oblivious, his brow furrowed as he calculated how much money it would take to convince Wild to join the team.

Meanwhile, Lan Qing, growing increasingly uneasy after Shen Jin left, took out her phone. She first muted all sounds and then opened Sang Yijia's livestream. She saw Sang Yijia standing alone by the window, talking on the phone, but Lu Wenchuan was nowhere to be seen. Lan Qing's brows knitted tightly.

"Where's Lu Wenchuan?" Lan Qing wondered, frowning. "Who is Sang Yijia calling?" Could it be Shen Jin?

The more she thought about it, the more unsettled she felt. She wanted to call Shen Jin and ask him to come back.

But pride wouldn't allow her.

Lan Qing stared intently at Sang Yijia in the livestream, desperate to know whom she was speaking with. But livestreams lacked subtitles, and with the sound off, there was no way to hear what was being said.

She glanced at the camera, then down at the microphone, and suddenly had an idea. Putting her phone down, she stretched lazily and yawned. "Feeling sleepy."

"Good afternoon, everyone," Lan Qing waved at the camera, then turned off the microphone, switched off the camera, lay on the big bed, and turned the volume up, hoping to catch Sang Yijia's conversation.

But just as she did, Sang Yijia ended the call.

Lan Qing gripped her phone tightly, grinding her teeth in frustration, suspecting Sang Yijia had done it on purpose. But with Sang Yijia right there in front of her, Lan Qing was certain she was unaware she was being watched.

"Who was she talking to?" Lan Qing raked her fingers through her hair in annoyance, then lay back. Her hand brushed against a button, and she pressed it without thinking.

Suddenly, the bed began to move, rising and falling, imitating certain motions.

Lan Qing quickly realized what was happening, and her cheeks flushed a delicate pink.

——

After the call ended, Sang Yijia stared at the fifty thousand yuan already transferred to her WeChat account, lost in thought.

She then messaged Sang Qiwen on WeChat, wanting to know how much a headhunter typically charges for successfully placing someone at another company.

Sang Qiwen must have been free, as he replied quickly.

[It depends on the value of the person.]
[But the referral fee is usually twenty to thirty percent of the candidate's annual salary.]

Sang Yijia sat silently for a moment. No wonder Lu Wenchuan said fifty thousand was very little. Duan Yuqing must earn over a million a year, being a two-time world champion.

At the same time, Sang Yijia wondered why she hadn't become a headhunter herself.

Sang Qiwen, after waiting a while and receiving no reply, grew curious about her sudden question and called her directly.

Sang Yijia saw his name on the screen and, without a moment's hesitation, answered, "Big brother."

[Big brother? Big brother finally online!]
[Can we hear his voice?]
[So curious!]
[Some people said Zhuang Fei and Zhang Mingyang were Sang Yijia's brothers before, but now her real brother is making an appearance?]
[What? Someone said Zhuang Fei and Zhang Mingyang are her brothers? That's just ridiculous.]
[Exactly! Three people, three different surnames—what were they thinking?]

Sang Qiwen had only watched the first day of the livestream; since then, he'd been too busy and wasn't aware of the recent events, so he called to find out.

"Little sister, why were you asking about that?"

Sang Yijia explained briefly.

Sang Qiwen fell silent. If he'd known her dating show boyfriend was Lu Wenchuan, he would never have let her participate. But the contract was signed and days had passed, and knowing his little sister's stubborn nature, he could only rub his temples in frustration. "If the referral is successful, make sure to clarify things with Lu Wenchuan."

"Business is business. What should be paid must be paid."

Sang Yijia caught his meaning, her brows drawing together slightly. "Alright, I'll do as you say."

"Good. Get some rest this afternoon," Sang Qiwen checked the time. "Don't push yourself if you're tired."

"The family can afford you."

Sang Yijia's eyes curved into a bright smile. "Got it, brother. You rest too, don't overwork yourself."

After the call, Sang Yijia glanced at Yan Ningsi's message, raised her brows slightly, and logged into the game.

In the game, Yan Ningsi and Duan Yuqing had just finished a match.

Duan Yuqing saw Sang Yijia online and pulled her into the room. "Jia Jia, are you going to play or take a nap?"

"Just one match," Sang Yijia thought. Since she was already online, if she refused, Yan Ningsi would definitely say, "You came all this way, how could you not play?"

Soon, Bian He finished and joined the room. Seeing four people and hearing the voices, he noticed Lu Wenchuan wasn't there and raised an eyebrow. "Yijia, why not invite Brother Lu?"

"With five of us, we don't need anyone from outside—it's perfect," Bian He said.

"Exactly," Yan Ningsi nodded eagerly. "With Wild here, we'll definitely win."

At the mention, Yan Ningsi grew excited. "Jia Jia, did you know?"

"Wild just carried me to a pentakill—MVP of the match, and I got five assists!" In just one game, Duan Yuqing had become the goddess in Yan Ningsi's heart.

"Yes, yes," Sang Yijia replied twice. "I'll ask Lu Wenchuan if he wants to join us."

She paused, then added, "But I doubt he'll come."

"No problem. If he joins, we play together; if not, that's fine," Yan Ningsi replied.

Bian He agreed, though he thought to himself that as long as Sang Yijia asked, Lu Wenchuan would definitely come.

"Alright," Sang Yijia switched to another screen, wanting to call, but couldn't do so within the game, so she exited to make the call.

"I'll step out for a moment, be right back," Sang Yijia said, then left the game interface and called Lu Wenchuan. She felt a strange sensation she couldn't quite name.

The call quickly connected.

"What's up?" Lu Wenchuan's deep voice sounded in her ear, and Sang Yijia almost seemed to catch the scent of pine that belonged to him in the air, lost in thought for a moment.