The Top Star Fell for Me at First Sight After I Transmigrated as a Dog-Like Streamer - Chapter 40

Chapter 40: Driving a Wedge

“Brother, don’t cry! What’s wrong? I’m perfectly fine, aren’t I…?”

When Bai Xun snapped out of it, he was at a loss. What is going on today? First I cry, and now it’s Yu Congyue’s turn.

He instinctively reached out to grab a tissue for him, but the movement tugged at his wound. He couldn’t help but let out a sharp “Hiss!” of pain.

Yu Congyue reached out to hold Bai Xun down. He lowered his head, took a deep breath, and slowly exhaled. He wiped away the teardrops clinging to his eyelashes with the back of his hand, taking a moment to steady himself before looking at Bai Xun again.

“The surveillance in the fire stairs from the 31st to the 37th floor has been spotty. Several cameras were damaged by the sudden typhoon at the beginning of the month. The building management had been putting off repairs due to missing parts, and it wasn’t until yesterday afternoon that the Yu Group’s security team finished replacing them all.” Yu Congyue pursed his lips as he briefly explained the internal investigation results. “Wang Zhiyong was on an assignment in the neighboring city yesterday. The security team’s invoice is still with the administration and hasn’t been submitted, so he didn’t know there were working cameras in the stairwell.”

“Xiaobai, if you ever encounter something like this again, run first…” Yu Congyue gripped his hand, pausing for a few seconds. His eyes held an emotion that Bai Xun couldn’t quite decipher. “…No. I won’t let you encounter something like this again.”

Only then did Bai Xun realize why that man had been so bold under surveillance; it turned out he had suffered from a lag in information.

But the fact that Yu Congyue cared so much about his safety—it would be a lie to say he wasn’t moved. The man had repeatedly provided help and resources, and didn’t even seem to mind the trouble Bai Xun had inadvertently caused. How could Bai Xun not understand the heart behind all of this?

Bai Xun closed his eyes as if making a monumental decision. When he opened them again, his gaze was brighter, carrying a spark of “all-or-nothing” resolve.

He struggled to half-turn his body and gripped Yu Congyue’s hand back, saying seriously: “Brother, actually, I understand everything you’ve done for me…”

Yu Congyue’s expression froze for a split second. He squeezed Bai Xun’s hand in pleasant surprise, but before he could respond, he heard the next few sentences.

“Brother, I know you protect me like family, but you are very important to me too.”

“You are my absolute best brother! Once I’m a bit better, I’ll immediately arrange a new project for you. Don’t worry, Brother, as long as I, Bai Xun, am around, I’ll risk my life—”

Bai Xun was getting fired up talking about his career, especially the part involving Yu Congyue. However, before he could finish, Yu Congyue—whose expression was now a complex mix of emotions—covered his mouth.

He looked at Yu Congyue with confusion. The man was currently covering his own face with one hand, looking like he was contemplating the meaning of life. Bai Xun quickly replayed what he had just said in his head.

Nothing wrong there? Is my loyalty not clear enough? Or was it too cheesy?

His lips felt a bit dry from talking so much, so he naturally stuck out his tongue to moisten them. He hadn’t expected Yu Congyue to pull his hand back as if he’d been electrocuted. Meeting Bai Xun’s bewildered gaze, Yu Congyue opened his mouth, but eventually only offered a dry explanation: “That last part was bad luck.” Then, he sank back into his pensive state.

Bad luck?

Does he mean the part about risking my life?

In truth, Bai Xun really meant it. If Money and Yu Congyue both fell into a river, even though he wasn’t a great swimmer, he would do his absolute best to save him.

Wait… Mermen can swim, right? If I fail to fish him out and he has to save me instead… no, I need a better scenario.

Bai Xun’s thoughts drifted off to some unknown place again. In the process of imagining countless possibilities, his eyelids grew heavy. He let out a yawn, and in a half-asleep haze, he thought he heard Yu Congyue let out a long sigh and mutter something like “Brother, huh?” before he drifted completely into a dream.

…

He didn’t sleep well. Perhaps because his thoughts before bed were too complicated, he had a truly bizarre dream.

In the dream, he was trapped in a strange marsh surrounded by fog. His phone was displaying his short-video homepage. He tried to move but found himself stuck; the muddy, wet earth held his legs in a death grip. The next second, a deluge of comments appeared before his eyes.

[Unfollowed if you stop posting] [Running out of talent? Were the previous videos ghost-written?] [The streamer forgot his roots. Unfollowing!] [Yu Congyue is birds of a feather with this guy. Fans leaving!]

He tried to ignore them, but to his horror, as the negative comments about Yu Congyue increased, a familiar figure appeared in the mud to his right. Yu Congyue was being bound by unknown plants and dragged down. His beautiful scales lost their luster. When he looked up at Bai Xun, his face was pale, yet he forced himself to mouth the words: “I’m fine.”

A cold, mechanical voice echoed from nowhere: “The account, or Yu Congyue?”

He lunged toward Yu Congyue without hesitation. The wet sludge restricted his movement; every struggle tore at his flesh, making him break out in a cold sweat.

A few seconds later, the mechanical voice made the choice for him: “Timeout. Defaulting to the nearest option.”

Amidst a flurry of digital gift effects, he watched through the gaps of the “comment wall” as Yu Congyue was dragged into the abyss. Except for a few scales floating on the surface, there was no trace left.

“What kind of bullsh*The system allows you to choose for me… Ow, my leg, hiss…”

Bai Xun sat bolt upright in bed, fueled by desperation and fury. The sudden movement yanked his wounds, making him grimace for quite a while before he recovered. He looked at the clock; it was only 7:30 AM.

The anesthesia had worn off completely. Having lain in bed for nearly a day, the sudden movement made him nauseous. He regretted thinking those “what-if” thoughts before bed; the dream felt so real he was still shaken.

After a few minutes of calming down, he remembered his phones. Yu Congyue was thoughtful enough to bring both his work and personal phones fully charged. He picked up his personal phone, and the screen lagged for a few seconds from the “99+” notifications. He opened the pinned message first; it was a voice note from Yu Congyue.

“Xiaobai, I have an emergency meeting at 8:00 regarding yesterday’s events. I’ll have lunch with you. Matt will arrive around 7:40. If you wake up before then, tell him what you want to eat, but avoid spicy food and ‘trigger’ foods for now.”

He replied with a “Received” emoji and immediately opened his chat with Matt.

AA Lucky Xiaobai: Matt! Have you left yet? If not, I want the Doufuhua (Tofu Pudding) from downstairs in the studio [Pleading eyes emoji]. Sweet and savory, I want both. If I can’t have chili, just add garlic, dried radish, and soy sauce. Thank you! Matt: You’re awake? Matt: Whoa, how did you know I was currently packing that? Did you install a camera? AA Lucky Xiaobai: Great! This Master calculated that it and I are destined to meet. Thank you, benefactor, for bringing it. Matt: Alright, be there soon.

After solving breakfast, he checked the next chat. Surprisingly, Yu Congji had messaged him too: “Bai, Xiaobai, good brother Bai, remember to call back when you wake up!” Nothing else. It was sent at 6:00 AM.

Driven by curiosity, he called back.

“Hello?”

“Bai! You’re awake, thank God.” Yu Congji’s voice was hushed, but there was an echo.

“Where are you? Why is there an echo?”

“Never mind where I am. You’re a blogger, you think fast—help a… friend of mine analyze something.”

Bai Xun’s interest was instantly piqued. His heart stopped racing, and his leg stopped hurting. “Oh, your ‘friend.’ Sure, I’ll try. Go ahead.”

“So, last night, he had a fight with a sp… special assistant he’s known for years. But then, afterwards, some uncontrollable things happened. You know what I mean?” Yu Congji hesitated, stumbling over details before summarizing.

“How uncontrollable?”

“Like, everything that should and shouldn’t happen, happened. But you know, a rabbit doesn’t eat the grass near its burrow, right?”

“That’s not necessarily true. Proximity often leads to feelings.” Bai Xun felt an itch on his back. “Wait for me, don’t hang up,” he said, sliding the phone under his pillow.

Just as he was struggling to reach his back, the door was pushed open without warning. Several strangers walked in. The middle-aged man in the lead scanned Bai Xun from head to toe, making him feel physically uncomfortable.

“Hello, who are you?” This was a private ward in a hospital owned by the Yu Group. Anyone who could get in here wasn’t an ordinary person. Bai Xun greeted him cautiously.

“You must be Bai Xun.” The man sat in the chair at the foot of the bed and glanced at the digital chart. He let out a “Tsk” and shook his head.

Bai Xun looked at him, confused.

“Forgot to introduce myself. I am Yu Congyue’s grand-uncle, Yu Shengguang.” With a wave of his hand, a black-clad bodyguard handed over a business card.

Bai Xun glanced at it; it seemed he was in the new energy industry.

“Why have you come to see me today?” Despite him being Yu Congyue’s relative, Bai Xun’s first impression of him was poor. Still, he used polite honorifics.

“Actually, I’m here to advise you to see the situation clearly as soon as possible.” Yu Shengguang let out a long, feigned sigh. He let his gaze linger on Bai Xun’s legs and sighed again, intentionally leaving the second half of his thought unsaid.

“The situation? What situation?” Bai Xun waited, but eventually had to ask.

“This involves internal Yu Group affairs after all; I hope you can understand.” As he spoke, Yu Shengguang’s eyes flicked to the phone on the nightstand. Bai Xun’s pupils contracted as he made a move for the phone, but the bodyguard stopped him first. His work phone was forcibly turned off and placed at the foot of the bed.

“What are you trying to do? Give it back. You’ve already turned it off, are you still afraid I’ll record or call someone?” Bai Xun frowned, raising his voice. He hissed in pain, faking a reaction to his injury to lie back down, while actually using his upper body to hide the phone under the pillow—which was still in a call with Yu Congji.

“Don’t be agitated. It’s better for both of us if the phone stays with me for a bit.” Seeing the work phone was off, Yu Shengguang resumed his nauseatingly “kind” expression. His next words, however, were blunt.

“你 (You) trust Yu Congyue with all your heart, but have you ever wondered why he’s willing to throw so many resources at you?”

“Silly child, you’ve been fooled by him.”