God is Being Pampered by the Group - Chapter 28

Chapter 28: The Black Cat’s Use

The black cat had recently discovered a problem or rather, a curiosity regarding the things around it. It suddenly felt that Guan Zhou, who had always been at odds with it, seemed to have become much more tolerant.

One must know that previously, whenever the cat wanted to get close to its master, it would feel a faint chill run down its spine. Upon turning its head, it would invariably see Guan Zhou staring at it intently, a dangerous glint in his eyes that seemed to say: “Did you wash yourself clean?”

Yet now, that feeling seemed to have vanished, making the black cat feel quite unaccustomed to the change.

Until, taking advantage of the moment Bai Yan entered the bathroom to shower, a shadow suddenly fell over the black cat. Guan Zhou had crouched down in front of it, staring at it, and spoke:

“How large is the range of your sense of smell?”

Black Cat: “??”

Though confused, it was clear Guan Zhou was asking from how far away it could scent others of its kind.

The black cat thought for a moment and answered honestly: “I’m not sure, meow.”

In truth, the black cat’s survival up to this point was largely thanks to its keen sense of smell. Before encountering powerful creatures, it could rely on its nose to avoid them in advance. But the cat didn’t quite understand the mechanics; it was like an instinct for seeking fortune and avoiding disaster.

Now, Guan Zhou was digging out this ability and making it more concrete.

Guan Zhou said: “Using our place as the center, sense the entire residential complex. Can your sense of smell cover all of it?”

The black cat did as told, but after a moment, it shook its head.

“It’s too big.”

Guan Zhou was not discouraged and asked next: “Where is the limit?”

A look of contemplation appeared on the black cat’s human-like face, and then it said: “Where the biggest tree is.”

Guan Zhou thought about it. The greenery in the residential area was quite good, and there was a small park in the back. The large tree the black cat mentioned should be the banyan tree in that park. He heard that the banyan tree had existed since before the complex was built and had been preserved until now.

Guan Zhou roughly estimated the distance from the banyan tree to this building. It wasn’t actually that far, about two hundred meters. In other words, this cat demon’s olfactory range was at most two hundred meters.

Guan Zhou was a bit disdainful, but there was nothing to be done. Two hundred meters it was.

Looking at the black cat, Guan Zhou spoke again: “Listen well, I’m not asking this for no reason. In the future, when you stay by Bai Yan’s side, you must pay attention at all times. Once another demon enters your range, you know what to do, right?”

As soon as these words were out, the black cat immediately understood Guan Zhou’s intent. It straightened its body, its human-like face showing a serious expression.

“I will protect the Master’s safety!”

Guan Zhou: “…”

He slapped the black cat down directly. He didn’t know if this cat demon had watched too many “Chunibyo” TV dramas or what. Guan Zhou said speechlessly:

“While those words are correct, my meaning is that as soon as another demon enters your range, you must become alert and notify me. If I’m not around, immediately lead Bai Yan away from there. Do you understand?”

The black cat nodded blankly. “I understand.”

Guan Zhou had given this deep thought. He hadn’t expected the cat demon to have this kind of use. Hearing what it said about the restaurant, it was clear that while they were talking to those two demons, the cat had already been able to scent and see them. This meant that the rat spirit’s ability was ineffective against the cat demon.

Since that was the case, having it stay by Bai Yan’s side to act as an early warning system was quite good, preventing other demons from approaching Bai Yan silently.

Furthermore, regarding Zuo Chengyi and Qi Yue, those two non-human demons after seeing their unscientific abilities in the restaurant, who knew what other strange skills they might have?

Although he didn’t fully trust this cat demon, Guan Zhou could see that its affection for Bai Yan was not fake.

…

Two days passed after this incident, and Bai Yan continued his journey of livestreaming games.

In the livestream room, the number of viewers was stable at around a thousand, which could be described as neither hot nor cold. Although Guan Zhou’s reckless banning had made a name for the channel in the newcomer zone, just as most had pessimistically predicted, many viewers were attracted in, but very few stayed.

After all, most viewers couldn’t stand the way the moderator “Brother Zhou” allowed no room for even a grain of sand. Additionally, the UP-loader’s “trash-tier” skills might have been novel at first, but after watching for a long time, it was just the same thing with nothing new.

Thus, after the initial explosion of popularity in the first two days, the heat of Bai Yan’s livestream room gradually began to cool down.

Regarding this phenomenon, unlike Luo Miaoxi’s regret she had hoped Bai Yan could become an overnight sensation on the platform Guan Zhou was quite satisfied. Especially looking at the bullet chat in the room, it was exceptionally harmonious and beautiful.

As for the viewers affectionately calling him “Iron-Faced Impartial Brother Zhou,” Guan Zhou wasn’t angry at all. It truly matched a certain viewer’s comment:

“Overbearing Brother Zhou: You can flame me, but you absolutely cannot flame the streamer!”

The viewers had already tested the bottom line of this overbearing Brother Zhou clearly. As long as one didn’t say bad things about the streamer, everything was negotiable.

However, compared to the “Zen-like” livestreaming of Bai Yan and Guan Zhou, Luo Miaoxi was quite anxious seeing half of the newcomer exposure time pass. It was as if she were frustrated that “iron couldn’t turn into steel,” or perhaps a psychological feeling that her favorite idol shouldn’t be this obscure.

Turning around, Luo Miaoxi contacted Yang Xinran. The two girls launched into a fierce discussion behind the scenes regarding this matter. Luo Miaoxi had not kept Bai Yan’s livestreaming a secret from Yang Xinran.

Furthermore, Yang Xinran managed Bai Yan’s photos on the Xigua (Watermelon) website and was Bai Yan’s number-one loyal fan. Naturally, she attached great importance to the silver-haired beauty’s livestreaming career.

After the two girls discussed for a long time, Yang Xinran looked at her account which had nearly ten million followers and suddenly had a brainwave, thinking of a good solution.

“Otherwise, let’s announce it.”

Luo Miaoxi: “? What?”

Yang Xinran: “You know I specifically manage Bai Yan’s photos on my Xigua account. Right now, most of the fans are attracted by Bai Yan’s peerless looks and are crying out for food in the comments every day…”

Luo Miaoxi: “So…”

Yang Xinran: “So, everyone will definitely support Bai Yan’s livestream.”

Diverting traffic was indeed a very good method. Luo Miaoxi’s eyes lit up, but she immediately thought of a problem.

Luo Miaoxi: “The fans on Xigua follow because of Bai Yan’s beauty. But you know about the livestream; Bai Yan doesn’t show his face and is too lazy to even speak. Not everyone likes watching game streams. I’m afraid once those people realize they can’t see his face and the initial novelty wears off, they won’t pay much attention to the stream anymore.”

Yang Xinran pondered and said: “That is indeed a problem. Perhaps you can try suggesting it to Bai Yan?”

Luo Miaoxi: “…” She was afraid of being kicked out by Guan Zhou.

Yang Xinran added: “But regardless, diverting traffic is a good way. When you mention this, you can bring up the face-revealing thing as well. It doesn’t matter if it succeeds or not.”

The main thing was for them to be happy.

Luo Miaoxi thought about it and nodded: “Okay.”

Thus, on a sunny afternoon, Luo Miaoxi brought up the “traffic diversion” matter with Bai Yan and Guan Zhou.

Luo Miaoxi said: “I discussed it with Yang Xinran. Since the fans on Xigua already know Bai Yan, nearly ten million of them diverting at least a few million in traffic shouldn’t be a problem, right?”

She held up one finger, shaking it side to side, and said solemnly: “And the original purpose of livestreaming was to make money, right? But if there’s no traffic, no attention, and no fans, how can you make money?”

Bai Yan lowered his eyelids, seemingly in thought.

Hearing the word “make money” again, Guan Zhou’s eyes were slightly moved. Therefore, he remained quietly still, letting Bai Yan make the decision himself.

No matter the decision, he would choose to support it and be his solid backing.

Luo Miaoxi gave him a surprised look; she had thought Guan Zhou would voice some opinion. It seemed he still prioritized Bai Yan’s wishes. Luo Miaoxi had not forgotten how touched she felt when Bai Yan first asked “how to make money.”

Under the quiet and expectant gazes of the two, Bai Yan stroked the black cat’s soft fur and then spoke:

“Then let’s do it.”

The purpose of livestreaming was indeed to reduce Guan Zhou’s financial burden. Naturally, the more people watched, the more traffic revenue it would bring. Therefore, Bai Yan did not refuse.

Luo Miaoxi had an excited face and silently made a “peace” sign. Then, remembering something, she coughed and said:

“One more thing. Would you consider a face-cam stream? As a fan benefit or something. After all, everyone is coming from far and wide to support our livestreaming career.”

Fearing Bai Yan would refuse, Luo Miaoxi added: “It doesn’t have to be every day, just whenever you feel like it.”

Guan Zhou had mentioned the face-cam situation before, and at that time it was also up to Bai Yan’s own ideas. So Luo Miaoxi bringing it up again didn’t cause a huge reaction.

Moreover, Luo Miaoxi said it was up to what Bai Yan liked. However, after saying that, she couldn’t help but feel a bit nervous—after all, this was the method to keep those fans permanently! Rather than having them lose interest after the novelty wore off and they never saw the streamer’s face.

For the sake of her silver-haired beauty’s money-making livestream career, Luo Miaoxi felt she was worrying herself to death.

Bai Yan had been indifferent to this from the start and answered calmly: “I’ll see when the time comes.”

In other words, he didn’t completely refuse the face-cam. Luo Miaoxi was already very satisfied and immediately gave a happy smile.

“Great! I’ll tell Yang Xinran right away!”

On the other side, Yang Xinran, having received the message, immediately began to set things in motion.

She scrolled through the photo album on her phone; the screen was full of beautiful photos of Bai Yan. But after thinking, she suddenly gritted her teeth and clicked on a hidden album.

In there were photos she had wheedled out of Luo Miaoxi’s collection. Don’t think she didn’t know even biological sisters had good things they didn’t want to share with others.

Yang Xinran spent a long time picking and finally chose one photo.

It was a tall, slender silhouette of Bai Yan standing under a peach blossom tree, holding the black cat in his arms. Deep red petals drifted in the air, landing on his shoulder. His smooth, silver-white hair swayed with the breeze. On that flawless face, his pale gold eyes seemed to look directly at the camera, delivering a critical hit to the heart.