Volume 1, Chapter 64: Showing You a Different Way of Life

Before she fell ill, Xu Mi was a complete workaholic, rarely showing any interest in anything outside of her career. After her illness, she lost enthusiasm for almost everything, cooping herself up at home all day and rarely venturing outside. Going out for a stroll like she did today was a truly rare occurrence.

Now, holding Lin Chen’s hand as they walked through the livestreaming industrial base, she found everything around her immensely fascinating.

The industrial base covered a massive area and spanned six floors. From the second to the fifth floor, the space was entirely partitioned into small, cubicle-like livestreaming rooms. Lin Chen led Xu Mi all the way through, clicking his tongue in wonder.

Most of the livestreaming rooms kept their doors open, with various streamers sitting in front of cameras, either chatting idly or showcasing their talents. Every single one of these rooms featured a completely different interior design style. Some were adorned in a classical, antique aesthetic, others were simple and rustic, and a few were decorated with breathtaking luxury—each one uniquely distinct.

Xu Mi murmured with a sense of wonder, "So the backgrounds we see in livestreams online are all rented!"

Lin Chen chuckled. "Of course they're rented! Big-time streamers aside, smaller streamers aren't going to completely remodel their entire homes just for a single livestream with uncertain returns, right?"

He stroked his chin and mused, "Speaking of which... since our company is launching a livestreaming division, we need to plan our background carefully."

Mitang Biotechnology Company primarily focused on skincare and health supplements, with women making up its core consumer demographic. Therefore, the livestreaming room's background had to capture the hearts of female consumers.

Seeing the serious look of concentration on Lin Chen’s face, Xu Mi couldn't help pressing her lips together into a smile. Watching him work with such dedication finally set her anxious heart at ease. She truly hoped this new livestreaming department would turn out to be a resounding success!

After strolling around for a while, a man who looked like a manager approached them.

"Are the two of you looking to rent a livestreaming room?" The man asked enthusiastically, "What is the niche for your broadcast?"

As he spoke, he sized up Lin Chen and Xu Mi, making no effort to hide the look of stunned admiration in his eyes. "If you two haven't finalized your planning yet, I happen to represent a specialized internet celebrity incubation agency."

"Both of your appearances are exceptionally striking; you could completely take the high-attractiveness couple route. I guarantee that in less than half a month, we can craft the most perfect persona for the two of you, and your follower growth will be remarkably fast!"

Xu Mi frowned slightly and was about to refuse when she was interrupted.

"We won't be needing an agency," Lin Chen said with a straight face. "We have no intention of signing any contracts. We're just here today to see if there are any suitable livestreaming rooms available."

The man immediately nodded. "We have plenty! Our entire livestreaming base has hundreds of rooms in different styles—we guarantee you'll find one to your liking! You don't need to worry about the rent either; it's very affordable!"

Xu Mi looked slightly puzzled. How did they jump straight to looking at rooms?

Lin Chen gave her hand a gentle squeeze and said to the man, "Then lead us to see some modern-style livestreaming rooms first!"

"By the way, introduce us to the streaming equipment you use as well."

The man immediately replied, "No problem at all, please follow me!"

Holding Xu Mi's hand, Lin Chen followed the man and toured more than a dozen livestreaming rooms. He took photos of every single one and asked detailed questions about all the equipment used inside each room, carefully taking mental notes of everything.

After completing the entire tour, the man looked rather exhausted. "Have the two of you made up your minds? Which room caught your eye? I'll take you over to sign the contract right now."

Xu Mi had already caught onto Lin Chen's scheme.

The two exchanged glances and spoke in unison, "Let's go back and think about it first, thank you!"

With that, they turned around and walked away.

From behind them came the man's furious, exasperated voice, "If you weren't planning to rent, why did you look at so many rooms?!!"

"Are you just messing with people?"

Lin Chen quickened his pace.

Noticing that Xu Mi's face had turned somewhat pale, he immediately crouched down in front of her.

"Hop on, I'll carry you!"

"But..."

"No buts! If we don't run, he's going to chase us down and curse us out!"

Without any further hesitation, Xu Mi climbed onto Lin Chen's back.

Lin Chen hoisted her up securely. "Hold on tight, here we go—charge!"

Startled, Xu Mi wrapped her arms tightly around Lin Chen's neck, letting him carry her as he sprinted toward the exit. The wind rustled her long hair, carrying with it the faint, clean scent of laundry detergent from Lin Chen's clothes. At that moment, Xu Mi felt a wave of happiness unlike anything she had ever known.

Carrying Xu Mi all the way out of the livestreaming base, Lin Chen only stopped once they reached the edge of the street.

After setting her down, the two looked at each other and burst into simultaneous laughter.

"Wife, did you see the expression on that guy's face? I felt like he was about to start cursing the very next second."

"I saw it. When he heard us say we'd go back and think about it, his face turned completely green. Isn't it a bit mean of us to do this?"

"Silly, his job is just to host clients, it doesn't mean people have to rent just because they take a look!"

"That's true, today was really fun though."

Although Xu Mi's face was pale and she was slightly out of breath, the smile on her face was impossible to suppress. In the past, she had never visited such places, let alone bothered someone for ages only to walk away without buying a thing. Today's escapade was an absolute first in her life. It was novel, thrilling, and utterly joyful.

Yet, Lin Chen remained concerned. "Wife, how are you feeling right now? Can you still walk around, or should we go home?"

Xu Mi shook her head, her eyes sparkling brightly. "I don't want to go back yet. Didn't you say you were going to take me to the shopping mall?"

"Then to the mall we go!"

Lin Chen nodded without hesitation. "Come on, let's cross the street. Say whatever you want to eat—all expenses today are covered by Master Lin!"

Xu Mi giggled and blinked playfully. "Alright, alright, thank you to the generous Master Lin. I won't hold back then!"

Despite her enthusiasm to keep going, Xu Mi's body couldn't quite keep up, and by lunchtime, she had almost no appetite left.

Heartbroken, Lin Chen urged, "Wife, just eat a little bit to line your stomach, and then we'll go home. I'll have Aunt Zhou come over and make some porridge for you!"

Aunt Zhou made exceptionally good porridge; just smelling the aroma could stir anyone's appetite, and with some added medicinal herbs, it was the absolute best thing for Xu Mi.

Raising no objections, Xu Mi gave a weak nod. "Okay."

After paying the bill, Lin Chen ignored her protests, scooped her up in his arms, and carried her all the way to the parking lot.

Before they left earlier, he had already called Aunt Zhou to let her know she didn't need to come over at noon. Now, however, he had no choice but to swallow his pride and call her again, briefly explaining the situation and asking her to come to the house after all.

By the time they returned home, Aunt Zhou was already simmering the porridge.

To Lin Chen's complete surprise, Li Xiulan was actually there too!

She sat upright on the sofa, her expression dark and gloomy.