Volume One, Chapter 138: The Phoenix Man (Finale)

As Qin Yu laid out the truth, Xu Jingtang’s gentle facade crumbled. He tried to hold it together, but his struggle resulted in a deeply distorted and grotesque expression.

"This kind of person is truly terrifying; he would even exploit his own mother!"

"Am I the only one who thinks Shu Minglan is miserable? Not only was her marriage inexplicably torn apart, but she also met a tragic death, and in the end, her parents’ hard-earned life savings had to be split with a scumbag!"

"While social status isn't everything, it does act as a filter! Sisters, please make sure you don't end up as stepping stones for 'phoenix men'!"

"You've been talking about 'phoenix men' for ages, what exactly is a phoenix?"

"There’s a saying about a 'golden phoenix flying out of a mountain ravine,' referring to men from impoverished backgrounds who work hard to get into college and stay in the city to work and live after graduation."

"What’s wrong with being a phoenix man? We rely on our own abilities to live in the city—are we eating your rice?"

"The 'phoenix man' we’re talking about here refers to the bad ones. Some people shouldn't take it personally and force themselves into the conversation. Don't argue with me—you’re right, okay?"

"Phoenix men? You’re the phoenix men! Your whole family is!" Xu Jingtang’s eyes were bloodshot. The last shred of his composure shattered under the barrage of the netizens' labels. "Do you have any idea how much effort it took for me to escape that remote mountain? What right do you have to mock my hard work? What right do you have to deny my success?"

"My native language is 'speechless.' Brother, do you still not understand what you did wrong?"

"Sweat-emoji, no, when did we mock your effort? And when did we deny your success?"

"Exactly! From start to finish, we’ve always believed that hardworking people are great! But you spent the entire time scheming against Shu Minglan’s family. The Shu family paved the way for you, yet you refused to let Shu Minglan go and even incited your mother to kill her! Calling you a piece of trash is an insult to trash!"

"Your love was stolen from someone else, and when you realized it had to be returned, you chose destruction! You are beyond redemption."

Qin Yu watched the scrolling comments with great satisfaction. These netizens were truly clear-headed!

"Hahahaha, so what? The police have already investigated me! I have no suspicion of involvement in Shu Minglan’s murder! The law has already declared me innocent! What can you keyboard warriors hiding behind your screens possibly do to me?"

Xu Jingtang, fueled by some inexplicable confidence, continued to spout arrogance at the live stream comments.

Wang Guihua was so enraged she nearly fainted, screaming curses at Xu Jingtang, calling him a beast.

The scene descended into chaos. Qin Yu simultaneously cut the connections for both of them. She then addressed Wang Guihua, who was still in the live stream: "Your daughter is still worried about you and your husband; she has been lingering under the osmanthus tree at your home. Since you have sought the truth for her, you should bid her farewell soon and encourage her to move on to her reincarnation."

Mu Ling had become very proficient at his duties. Without needing a signal from Qin Yu, he gave her a Young Pioneer salute and decisively walked out.

Qin Yu blinked, wondering if Mu Ling had just intended to give a military salute.

"Wahahaha, Mu Ling is so cute! He looks so fluffy, I want to pet him!"

"Is the person above a newcomer?"

"Yes, yes! I thought this was a scary live stream at first, but the host is so beautiful, and is that furball next to her a special effect? It’s so cute, so cute~"

"Emmmmm..."

Qin Yu waited in the live stream for a while longer until the mysterious man in black finally came online.

Qin Yu quickly pulled him into the broadcast. As before, the screen was pitch black, accompanied by a dual-gender voice that had clearly been processed countless times.

"Master Dianqiu, long time no see~"

It was a perfectly normal greeting, yet it made one’s skin crawl and goosebumps rise.

Qin Yu narrowed her eyes but did not respond. Thinking of the person who had jumped to their death yesterday, she suppressed the urge to lash out and spoke in a cold, arrogant tone: "What kind of tricks are you playing today?"

"No, no, no." The voice on the other end denied it repeatedly. "The one playing the game today isn't me, but..."

With a sudden "whoosh," the black screen instantly brightened.

Qin Yu was slightly startled, her eyes widening at the same moment.

As she had guessed, the mysterious man was not under the spotlight. However, there was indeed someone standing there, holding a speaker in their arms, from which the voice emanated.

The person holding the speaker was petite, with their head tilted at a very awkward angle. A closer look revealed several silver wires protruding from the top of their head.

Qin Yu had seen them before—they were the same type of wires used to control the stitched rats and the death of the Buddha.

However, more shocking than the wires was the intense hostility she felt emanating from Xing Qiao, who usually lacked any emotional fluctuations.

Xing Qiao was staring unblinkingly at Qin Yu’s phone—or more accurately, at those silver wires.

"Master Dianqiu, do these wires look familiar to you?"

The speaker in the small figure's arms suddenly spoke. At that exact moment, the figure’s head snapped at a 90-degree angle, leaving only a small strip of skin connected to the neck.

"Ah!!! What kind of style is this? You scared me to death!!!"

"New fans, don't be afraid, this is the style of the host's live stream. We veteran fans are scared too..."

"So, would you like to guess what these wires are?"