Chapter 35: Such Flimsy Friendship!

"What? Streamer, it’s fine if you truly can't tell, but please, do not slander my friend."

Hearing this, 'Late-Night Writer Electrocuted' felt a bit unhappy. Her trust in the streamer before her had diminished even further.

A trace of disappointment flickered in the young woman's eyes as she said, "Streamer, just take this Carnival gift as a contribution to your family's revival. I won't ask you to do any more readings for me. That’s enough; I’m ending the connection now."

"Wait a moment!"

Jiang Muyu quickly stopped her. "Honey, you’re just not trusting me!"

"…I really cannot listen to your words over my friend's," the woman said after a moment of thought, choosing to stick by her friend.

-[Miss, why don't you just listen to what the streamer has to say first? What if she's right?]

-[Exactly, you've already sent the gift. Regardless of whether you believe it or not, just hear her out.]

-[What if it really is a fake, 'plastic' friendship? I'm just saying, what if?]

-[Xiao Yumu’s fortune-telling is actually quite accurate. Miss, listen first, then come back and roast the streamer if you want.]

-[Just treat it like you're seeing what nonsense the streamer can come up with. If you don't believe it, at least let us listen!]

Jiang Muyu thought to herself that the chat was just being chaotic, and continued, "Your financial situation wasn't very good before, was it? You started coming into money around the end of last year, didn't you? I’m not wrong about that, am I?"

'Late-Night Writer Electrocuted' nodded.

"Those friends of yours, they were all much like you at the start, barely making enough each month to get by. But then you suddenly struck it rich, and you even had some minor friction with a few of them."

"To mend the friendship, you’d send them small red envelopes from time to time. They would accept them, yet they would still make snide, passive-aggressive remarks toward you. You endured all of it."

The woman turned her face away. "Yes, but we are friends after all. I didn't mind being a little accommodating."

Jiang Muyu shrugged helplessly. "Doesn't that prove it? What you don't know is that the person who gave you this calligraphy is the one who despises you the most. Pry open the back of the frame and see what's inside."

She added, "Just open the back; you won't damage the artwork, so don't worry."

Hearing this, the woman took out the calligraphy piece once more.

The frame used clips, making it easy to open from the back. As she moved the support stand aside, an object suddenly fell out.

The woman placed the frame and the artwork on the table in front of her and bent down to pick up the item from the floor.

-[Whoa, there really was something in there?]

-[It must be some kind of protection charm. My friend sent me one before, hidden in the back. Things you don't notice right away are supposed to be surprises, right?]

-[That’s terrifying. On the surface, it looks like ordinary calligraphy, but there was something else inside.]

-[I think I see a piece of red string. It shouldn't be anything weird, right...]

-[Streamer, you were actually right! You do have some ability!]

'Late-Night Writer Electrocuted' quickly stood up, clutching a red string in her hand. Her expression wasn't one of terror, but rather confusion.

She glanced at the screen and said, "This isn't a weird object, and it’s not a charm. I made this myself..."

The woman held the item closer to the camera and said, "This is a red string I braided by hand and gave to them. How could it appear behind this calligraphy?"

She turned the string around to show the unique mark on it.

"I fired these ceramic beads myself when I went out on a trip, and I painted them. There shouldn't be a second one like it in the world..."

Last year, there was a trend online for making small gifts for friends. Since she knew how to make these, she had volunteered to make them for her friends.

But now, this very string was back in her hands, hidden behind a gift from one of them.

"Maybe it just accidentally fell inside..."

The woman tried to convince herself, but she knew how flimsy that excuse was. How "accidentally" could one drop such a large red string inside a sealed picture frame?

Seeing her expression, Jiang Muyu knew the woman was now suspicious of her friend.

"You started having bad luck from the moment you received this calligraphy. Didn't you ever wonder if there was something wrong with it? This string was made by you and has a close connection to you. They used it as a medium to steal your fortune."

-[Good grief, 'plastic' friendship indeed.]

-[How are you all so trusting of internet friends? I thought just sending game skins was enough, but you guys are sending actual physical items...]

-[You give your heart, they use their brains.]

-[I can see you're being drained dry, Miss. Look at those dark circles under your eyes.]

-[I just went to ask my bestie if she would backstab me, and she told me to get lost...]

"Streamer, what should I do now..."

The woman clutched the red string, looking at the calligraphy on the table, suddenly finding it incredibly ironic.

The other person was doing better and better, and she had been happy for them, only to realize now that they were stealing her luck...

Jiang Muyu took a sip of water. "Although they are quite insidious, you don't need to worry, honey. Just burn the red string and the calligraphy. Then, buy some mugwort to bathe in, and don't go handing out your handmade gifts to just anyone anymore."

'Late-Night Writer Electrocuted' nodded. "Thank you, Master. I was doubting you just now. I’m sorry."

Jiang Muyu loved people who could admit their mistakes. Of course, she chose to forgive her!

"It's alright, honey. Just remember to follow me."

"Okay, I'll follow you right now!"

Just as the call was about to end, Jiang Muyu called out to her again, "Wait, honey! Open the curtains in your room! Let in some sunlight to clear away the bad luck."

-[I just checked the handmade painting my friend gave me, and there was a hundred-yuan bill inside. She said she was afraid I’d go hungry... *sob*]

-[It seems making friends really does carry risks.]

-[After listening to the streamer, I opened my curtains too. It’s warm, though a bit bright.]

-[So is this why the streamer is broadcasting from the courtyard today?]

"No, no, no!"

Seeing that comment, Jiang Muyu quickly denied it. "Babies, I am full of righteous energy; I am not afraid of these things."

As for why she was broadcasting in the courtyard, it was, naturally, to supervise the manual labor.

The next second, the camera flipped to face Jiang Yinuo, who was bent over, pulling weeds.

"Third Cousin! The fans in the chat say you look incredibly handsome working so hard! Keep it up!"

"..."

The high-pitched, affected voice echoed in his ears, and Jiang Yinuo fell silent.

He finally understood what his second cousin meant by 'you'll find out in a moment.' He couldn't beat her, and he couldn't argue back...

-[Hahaha, who said that?]

-[I thought this was a farm-work livestream for a second...]

zzz Zhuo Lexuan: [Is Jiang Yinuo preparing for a new show?]