Chapter 11
Chen Huai'an was stunned. What kind of game could achieve this level?
He had heard of gift-giving games before—his college roommate had received female characters' original flavor stockings and other items that smelled nice, but that was different. Those were just the cheap scent of perfume, devoid of any deeper associations. This talisman was entirely different.
He tried various positions to sniff it, but his mind kept drifting back to Li Qingran.
Even when he opened the profile to face his favorite teacher and took another whiff, he still thought of Li Qingran.
"Unbelievable!" Chen Huai'an slapped his thigh.
"Come on, guys, with this kind of technology, you could easily milk money from players in the game!"
If they promoted the game for free and established a perfume brand, wouldn’t they rake in a fortune?
In the end, Chen Huai'an decided to keep the talisman on him.
No other reason—just the feeling that it was crafted by Li Qingran herself!
…
In less than half a day, Chen Huai'an had everything ready.
He found a random shop downstairs at the hospital and shaved his head. He posted his cancer diagnosis on his livestream account's homepage, asked a doctor to help him film an inspirational vlog, and bit the bullet to invest a thousand yuan in promotions.
At noon, he grabbed a quick meal at a noodle shop.
By the afternoon, he was on a plane to Leishan.
His livestream account's homepage was bold and dramatic.
"Life has no price tag, and we only live once. My name is Chen Huai'an, and I have been diagnosed with late-stage cancer. In the time I have left, I will defy fate, mock death, and challenge all physical limits to make my life shine as brightly as possible. Today's challenge: climb to the top of Leishan in five hours!"
By the time he reached the foot of Leishan, it was already seven in the evening.
His goal was to start climbing at midnight.
If he reached the summit, he would be able to witness the sunrise over Leishan, fulfilling a small dream of his.
As for how much money he could make, he wasn't sure yet, but climbing Leishan with late-stage cancer was a rare gimmick. Besides, his legs were truly in pain; his ankles were completely swollen, making it difficult to wear shoes. With his current physical condition, climbing was out of the question—just walking a little was excruciating.
He found a chair at the foot of Leishan and lay down for three hours.
After ten o'clock, recharged and ready, Chen Huai'an took out his phone again.
He first opened the game to check on Li Qingran.
The girl was already up, sitting cross-legged on her bed. The table was cleared, and there was a basket of fruit with only a few pieces eaten.
All of this was what he had provided for Li Qingran today.
What a hardworking girl.
So, he needed to step up his game too.
His earlier nervousness faded the moment he saw Li Qingran.
Taking a deep breath, Chen Huai'an smiled slightly and opened his livestream account.
After half a day's buildup, his vlog had already attracted a lot of attention.
Including tonight's livestream, there were surprisingly over a hundred reservations.
Though this number couldn't compare to regular outdoor streamers, he was already very satisfied.
As the saying goes, the first step is always the hardest!
"Hey, streamer, how do you prove you're a late-stage cancer patient? Are you just here to gain sympathy and make money?"
"Climbing Leishan with late-stage cancer is one thing, but you expect to reach the top in five hours? Are you sure you’re not just faking it, buddy? Scamming has to have some logic, right?"
"Hahaha, this is so fake!"
…
Chen Huai'an expected this.
Not long after opening the livestream, various doubts flooded in. He didn’t respond, just patiently invested in another round of promotions for the stream.
Finally, when the number of viewers reached several hundred, he spoke up:
"Hello everyone, my name is Chen Huai'an. I will be climbing to the top of Leishan in five hours as a late-stage cancer patient, and this will be a live, unedited broadcast. My homepage has my diagnosis, payment records, and examination results. If you think my diagnosis is fake, feel free to contact the relevant hospital for verification. I welcome any solid proof!"
After saying this, he turned the camera to his legs.
He rolled up his pant leg, took off his shoes and socks, revealing swollen ankles covered in burn-like lumps. He continued to pull up his pant leg, showing that the swelling on his right leg had spread to his knee.
"As you can see, my current physical condition is terrible. Every step I take brings immense pain to my nerves and a heavy burden to my body."
Chen Huai'an flipped the camera back, stroking his bald head and flashing a carefree smile: "But I will prove myself. I will stand on top of this illness, mock the helplessness of fate, and give death the middle finger. At that moment, at sunrise, I will share this experience with all of you watching behind the screen!"
With all the necessary medical documents,
The mottled lumps on his legs, his striking bald head,
And Chen Huai'an's carefree smile…
All four weapons were out.
The entire livestream room fell silent.
…
…
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Chapter 12: We Are Here to Verify You (Single Female Lead, Stacked Armor)
"Oh my gosh, this is so touching! I actually doubted the streamer was just trying to make money..."
"This is so inspiring; I feel terrible for doubting him!"
"Streamer, don’t climb anymore! I’ll send you gifts!"
After Chen Huai'an's heartfelt words, the comments in the livestream began to shift, though some skepticism remained, with people suggesting that his proof might also be fake and others saying they would come to Leishan to verify him in person.
"To the friend who wants to come to Leishan to verify me, you can set off now. I’ll start climbing at midnight, and I won’t go anywhere before that."
As soon as he said this, many responded in the livestream.
"Late-stage bone cancer and climbing Leishan? What a joke!" A young man, just finished gaming and feeling agitated, typed furiously: "I can’t sleep tonight because of this!"
He left a message in the livestream.
"I'm an hour's drive from Leishan. Hold on, everyone, I’m coming to verify the streamer!"
With that, he grabbed his keys and left.
There are too many scammers online; for every one reported, two more pop up, just like those gaming cheaters. Now, with a sense of justice, he thought, if he couldn’t catch a cheater, surely he could catch a sob story streamer broadcasting from the foot of Leishan?
Chen Huai'an saw these comments too.
In fact, he hoped someone would come to verify him—more people would only help prove he was a real cancer patient and make his livestream even more popular. Once the traffic picked up and caught the attention of higher-level accounts, his chance to make money would come.
"Brothers, hit that follow button so you don’t get lost! I don’t have much time left; I’m racing against it. Besides climbing, I want to try more extreme sports in the future, like skydiving and bungee jumping..."
Chen Huai'an's words ignited another wave of comments.
There were both mockers and supporters.
But everyone was still more concerned about whether Chen Huai'an was truly a cancer patient and if he could really reach the summit of Leishan in five hours. If he wasn’t, they would just wait for those who came to verify him, and it would be a good laugh.
As midnight approached,
Chen Huai'an checked his gear once more.
As a patient aiming to reach the summit in five hours, he had to travel light. He had originally planned to bring two power banks but decided to take just one to reduce weight, hanging it directly on his shoulder.
His phone battery was already running low; after just two hours of streaming, it was down to 27%, draining quickly. However, with the power bank, he should be able to last until he got back down.
"Are you Chen Huai'an?"
A voice called from behind. Chen Huai'an turned to see a young man, two middle-aged men, and a punk girl.
"Are you... from the livestream?"
"That’s right, we’re here to verify you."
Zhang Rui was blunt, a cold smile on his face.
On the way to Leishan, he had created a group with several viewers who wanted to come verify Chen Huai'an. To prevent him from escaping, they had gathered at the entrance first to ensure he couldn’t slip away from their blockade.
"Hello, everyone," Chen Huai'an greeted the four viewers with a smile, speaking casually, "I thought this journey would be mine alone; having company is even better."
Zhang Rui didn’t respond, pointing at Chen Huai'an's legs: "Those lumps on your legs are just special effects makeup, right? Roll up your pant leg and let me see!"
Chen Huai'an shrugged and rolled up his pant leg.
Zhang Rui and the other viewers leaned in with their flashlights to take a closer look.
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