Live Streaming Food Stall… But in Dog-Blooded Novels – CH48

Chapter 48

“Dark River, Bright Light” has been open for challenges for two days now.

In these two days, some highly anticipated top streamers have unexpectedly been disqualified due to rule violations, while a few newcomers, lucky enough to obtain interesting golden fingers (special abilities), have risen to fame.

Most streamers have been diligently strategizing to follow the original plot, especially by focusing on helping Yu Ming regain his hope in life.

For example, a well-known streamer from a neighboring channel, “Medical Girl Liyue,” used hypnosis to gradually help Yu Ming accept the fact that even if he differentiated into an Omega, he could still live well and achieve his dreams. She also provided him with various medicinal prescriptions to replenish the vitality and blood his body was lacking.

Of course, there were also streamers who attempted to approach the protagonist gong, Fu Changfeng, instead.

One particular streamer, who was unexpectedly disqualified, had drawn the golden finger “Teaching and Educating.” On the first day, this streamer sought out Fu Changfeng and tried to educate him about virtue—advising him that having feelings for Yu Ming, whom he treated like a brother, was unwise. There were plenty of fish in the sea, so why cling to just one flower?

Even if he insisted on liking Yu Ming, he should pursue him in an open and honorable manner instead of using underhanded tactics.

… Fu Changfeng listened carefully to this lecture, then smiled ever so gently and asked, with a calm gaze:

“If I’m not mistaken, you’re not from this world, are you?”

And then—just like that—the streamer was gone.

Yes, just gone.

This happened because the streamer had violated the rules. Unlike lower or mid-tier difficulty worlds like Paranoid Possession, Dark River, Bright Light is a high-difficulty world.

In this world, if a streamer behaves in an unreasonable way that causes major characters to realize they are “book transversers,” it immediately triggers an instant-death rule, leading to an automatic challenge failure.

Though dying in a book-traversing dimension does not cause real-world death, it does result in the streamer’s challenge being forcibly terminated, and they are prematurely transported back to the Multiverse Platform. However, the experience of death is entirely real—rumor has it that the streamer is still undergoing psychological treatment to this day.

The audience who witnessed this event was horrified.

After all, the protagonist gong, Fu Changfeng, has a deeply twisted personality. On the surface, he appears warm and cheerful, but in reality, he is excessively cautious—almost to the point of paranoia. There have been many instances where neither the audience nor the official Multiverse Livestream System noticed anything unusual about a streamer’s behavior, yet Fu Changfeng would somehow always manage to identify them as a book transverser and end the challenge.

This is one of the reasons why Dark River, Bright Light is considered so difficult.

The consequences of trying to approach Fu Changfeng too early were obvious, so most streamers quickly changed their strategy and chose to start with Yu Ming instead. Some transferred to City No.1 High School to become Yu Ming’s classmates, while others disguised themselves as friends of Yu Ming’s deceased parents to initiate the storyline…

However, while the difficulty of conquering Fu Changfeng was high, winning over Yu Ming was no easy feat either.

—After all, Yu Ming, born an orphan, is highly vigilant toward everything. Many people call him a “little wolf cub,” and the title suits him perfectly. He naturally harbors strong defenses against the world. He is kind and willing to help others, but he never easily trusts anyone or gives away his true feelings.

Therefore, very few streamers have managed to get close to Yu Ming and truly enter his heart.

Even the once nearly successful top streamer, Medical Girl Liyue, was still seen as nothing more than a “strange stranger” in Yu Ming’s eyes. He even secretly used the traditional Chinese medicine she gave him to water the plants.

Regardless, most streamers were using their golden fingers (special abilities) to attempt various modifications to the storyline.

Except for a newcomer named Jian Yunlan.

For two full days, he simply and seriously set up a street stall.

So, the audience also seriously watched him set up his stall for two days.

However, due to an incident where he happened to discipline a group of dog thieves while shopping at the market, his storyline progress still ranked among the top three.

Audience: “……”

This is so weird. Let’s take another look.

Not only had the audience been forcibly subjected to two days of food content in the livestream, but the constant exposure to delicious-looking meals made many viewers place orders for various snack promotions pushed by the Multiverse Platform. As a result, the platform made a good profit off their private funds.

[Has anyone from the Paranoid Possession dimension tasted Boss Jian’s cooking before? Does this snack actually taste like his food? (Weakly asking)]

[This snack isn’t bad, but it’s not even one ten-thousandth as good as Boss Jian’s. Heh :)))]

[@Multiverse Official, don’t just hide and stay silent. I know you’re watching. When will you send Boss Jian back to Paranoid Possession? User [Ning Sheng] has gifted streamer [Jian Yunlan] a Romantic Carnival x1]

[Let me stick close to my Ning Baby. Our aloof, beautiful, genius academic bottom can be quite intimidating when he loses it~]

[Ning Sheng, please stop…]

[Came here from the video “The Three-Year Promise Has Come!” Can someone tell me who the handsome Dianjia-style male lead in the video is? Where’s the female lead?]

Seeing these bizarre comments, Xiao Liang couldn’t help but type out a question.

Xiao Liang was a professional agent in the Multiverse Platform, primarily responsible for signing new streamers and handling their marketing and promotion. Her company, Crooked Mouth Dragon King Entertainment, was a well-known entertainment agency specializing in Dianjia (dominant, power-fantasy) book-traveling content.

She had personally trained generation after generation of Dianjia-style male leads who had become famous across the Multiverse. From Dragon Kings and War Gods to Special Forces Kings, Campus Belle’s Bodyguards, and Live-in Son-in-laws—they had it all.

That day, while searching for potential new signings, a trending video popped up on her screen.

The title read: “The Three-Year Promise Has Come!”

At this moment, the video already had over ten million views, ranking as the number one trending video on the platform for the day. Even the comment section was overflowing with millions of messages, densely packed with excited screams.

Relying on her keen professional instincts, Xiao Liang clicked on the video with great interest.

And the moment she did—she was shocked.

—”So… so handsome!”

The video seemed to take place in a marketplace. Surrounded by several fierce, muscular thugs, a young man casually stood there with one hand in his pocket, effortlessly gripping a thug’s wrist.

It was as if he walked in an empty world, completely unfazed.

His elegance and nonchalance formed a stark contrast against the grotesque, villainous figures around him.

Under the near-terrifying suppression of absolute power, even ghosts and demons dared not approach.

The wind lightly rustled the hem of his shirt, and the sunlight streaming from the side illuminated his deep blue eyes. His dark lashes were long and curled, exuding an inexplicable charm.

It was heart-stirring.

Xiao Liang: “AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!”

With a super intense, blood-pumping background music playing, the video, though only a few dozen seconds long, was nothing short of an instant kill.

Especially at the very end—when the screen faded to black, leaving behind a single line of text:

“To protect something precious that no one else should touch…”

“He has made his move.”

“……!!!”

Oh. My. God.

What is this?!

This is classic Dianjia-style male lead behavior—willing to wage war for his beloved!

Even after the video ended, the comment section continued to explode:

[Too cool! I need this streamer’s address RIGHT NOW!]
[I’ve never heard of a Dianjia-streamer this impressive. Quick, someone send me his livestream link!]
[I’m straight-up saying it—husband material!]
[Let me see who the rescued heroine is. I’m so jealous, I wish it were me!]

Not to mention the general audience—even Xiao Liang, a seasoned industry professional, was hyped!

“A three-year promise, hidden strength, dominating the strong, saving the damsel in distress—” Xiao Liang’s eyes sparkled. “All the elements are here! They are perfectly here!”

Moreover, unlike most of the Dianjia book-traveling male streamers she had signed, this young man wasn’t just ridiculously powerful—his looks were off the charts.

He had both the kingly aura of male-oriented stories and the deep, devoted gentleness of female-oriented stories.

With this many stacked buffs, this streamer was unstoppable.

The phrase “something precious that no one else should touch” must be referring to the female lead, right? A male lead this devoted and protective would be wildly popular—whether in Dianjia content or in female-oriented novels!

Xiao Liang could barely contain her excitement.

She had made up her mind: as soon as she got in touch with this streamer, she would immediately sign him on the spot! No need for company approval—this decision was already made!

If a competitor got to him first, it would be a huge loss!

Like countless other curious viewers, Xiao Liang followed the livestream link left in the comments and eagerly clicked into the stream. Then…

Wait.

Why is this the “dog-blood BL drama” section?!

A dog-blood section was one thing…

Teacher, where is our handsome, domineering Dianjia male lead?!

Teacher, excuse me—who is this street-food vendor happily grilling skewers on a tricycle?!

Did our Dianjia male lead get possessed or something?!

Teacher, say something!

Xiao Liang had a bad feeling. With trembling hands, she typed: “Excuse me, in the ‘Three-Year Promise Fulfilled’ video, the ‘precious existence that cannot be touched by others’… refers to?”

The chat was obviously very familiar with this question.

Someone quickly sent a picture: “[Image]”

With shaking hands, Xiao Liang clicked on it—

A jar of sesame paste.

A jar of finely ground, glossy, and seemingly high-quality sesame paste.

Xiao Liang: “…”

Three seconds of silence.

Then, she suddenly burst into laughter, throwing her head back in relief: “HA! HA! HA!”

What kind of crazy streamer is this? He’s totally nuts.

——Absolutely perfect for a crazy audience like her.

She’s a fan now!

*

“Dark River, Bright Lights” Dimension – Lotus Pond Neighborhood

After finishing his stall for the day, Jian Yunlan happily rode his tricycle back toward the Jian family villa.

Sitting in the back seat were Taotie and Hu Danggui. Taotie was giving Hu Danggui a “new employee” training session, lazily narrowing his golden eyes while seriously instructing:

“You must learn to write reports using Word documents. The deadline is within five business days…”

The little fox sat there, utterly confused, her brain seemingly tied into a knot.

Yet another case of “the dragon slayer becoming the evil dragon”!

Jian Yunlan: “…”

None of his business.

The evening breeze was gentle, at that time of year when summer was ending but autumn hadn’t fully arrived. The wind lightly brushed against his ears, bringing a pleasant and soothing feeling.

Jian Yunlan enjoyed these kinds of days. Running his food stall at the usual time, having a couple of close friends around, keeping busy every day yet feeling lively—

This was his ultimate life goal!

If only he could keep doing this forever…

Jian Yunlan was completely satisfied with his current life.

However, this satisfaction didn’t last long.

A glowing screen suddenly appeared before his eyes:

[Loading mandatory mission for “Dark River, Bright Lights” dimension…]

[Load successful!]

[Mandatory Mission: Arrive at Liu Jin KTV within 30 minutes and attend the birthday party your wealthy second-generation friends have organized for you. During the party, you must play the role of an arrogant, domineering, and willful heir to the richest family. Your goal: make the KTV waiter, Yu Ming, voluntarily feed you a grape.]

[Warning: Failure in this main mission will result in immediate elimination!]

[Countdown: 3:00:00]

Jian Yunlan: “…”

The next second, his vision went dark.

Then bright again.

By the time he came to, the tricycle, Taotie, and Hu Danggui were all gone. Instead, he was now seated inside a luxurious Maybach, the soft leather seat fully supporting his back.

The driver, Xiao Li, was smiling while driving: “Young Master, you haven’t hung out with Young Master Wang and Young Master Zheng for a long time! They put a lot of effort into organizing this special birthday party for you.”

Jian Yunlan: “But today isn’t my birthday.”

To be precise, as an orphan, he didn’t have an exact birthday.

Xiao Li: “Young Master, what are you saying? Oh my, did you forget your own birthday? You’re such a silly little Young Master.

“Don’t you remember? Twenty-five years ago, on September 20th, you were born amid great anticipation! Madam and Master were absolutely overjoyed…”

Jian Yunlan: “…”

Conclusion: Xiao Li is talking nonsense.

Just this morning, Xiao Li was still normal—chatting with Jian Yunlan about the fried dough sticks he had for breakfast. But now, all of a sudden, he was talking like an NPC in a novel, repeating the same scripted lines no matter what Jian Yunlan asked.

And it wasn’t just him.

Every streamer in the “Dark River, Bright Lights” section was forcibly pulled into a “main storyline mission” at the exact same time.

Some had been riding their bikes outside, like Jian Yunlan. Others were mid-conversation with book characters. Some were even suffering from food poisoning and… stuck on the toilet.

…But no matter what they had been doing a second ago, in the next moment, they were all forcibly pulled into the same Maybach heading toward Liu Jin KTV.

This was the main storyline mission of “Dark River, Bright Lights”—a high-difficulty, melodramatic novel world where all streamers were forced to participate!

——In the Multiverse Streaming Room, the “Dark River, Bright Lights” section had undergone some changes. The center of the screen displayed the original novel’s plot, while smaller screens surrounding it showed the perspectives of different streamers. At the very top, a countdown timer displayed: “3:00:00.”

Three hours—that was the time limit for this mandatory mission.

As soon as the main mission started, the entire “Dark River, Bright Lights” section’s viewership skyrocketed. The number of viewers had doubled instantly, with more and more pouring in.

[Ahhh, it’s finally here!]

[This year’s main mission is insane, hahaha! They actually have to make that little wolf cub, Yu Ming, personally feed them a grape…]

[Every melodramatic BL novel always has a poor protagonist who’s forced to work at a club or KTV =333]

[Little white flower? Yu Ming? Are you sure?????]

[If a streamer hasn’t built any favorability with Yu Ming, they’re screwed =o= The current #1 on the leaderboard, Jian Yunlan, hasn’t even met Yu Ming yet! How the hell is he supposed to complete this mission? Is he gonna get eliminated right away?!]

[(Thinking) Last year’s mission was about surviving one hour in a sealed room with Fu Changfeng. Hard to say which one is more brutal.]

[The Multiverse Streaming Room is getting bolder every year just to pull in viewers (._.)]

Unlike “Paranoid Possession,” which had moderate difficulty and a lot of freedom, “Dark River, Bright Lights” was a legendary level instance—no one had successfully completed it in nearly a century. To keep the audience from getting bored with the same content, every new challenge introduced a fresh mandatory mission.

Streamers who failed to complete the mission within the time limit were instantly eliminated!

Every year, when the “Dark River, Bright Lights” challenge opened, the mandatory mission was the most thrilling part. Even people who weren’t interested in the novel itself would tune in just to watch this segment.

Because—every year, some top-tier streamers would get unexpectedly eliminated, while dark horses would rise from nowhere.

More importantly…

[All the streamers are now placed in the same timeline and same setting, making the comparison super direct! Before, everyone could take their own approach, but now it’s like they’ve been thrown into a gladiator arena!]

[That’s what makes mandatory missions so exciting, hehehe.]

Fans of many streamers were ecstatic—

Their hidden-gem streamers were finally getting the spotlight! Their god-tier skills would finally be seen by everyone!

However, Jian Yunlan’s fans were anxious.

After all—Jian Yunlan was famous for ignoring the plot. Up until now, he hadn’t even seen Yu Ming once. How was he supposed to compete with those streamers who had been grinding favorability with Yu Ming from the start?

They were genuinely worried that he wouldn’t be able to complete the mission and would get eliminated on the spot…

*

Multiverse Streaming Headquarters

At the Multiverse Streaming Headquarters, Gong Siyuan and his team were closely monitoring all the streamers.

——Jian Yunlan’s livestream had even been projected onto a big screen, for easier observation.

Most streamers didn’t get this kind of treatment.

Employees were discussing among themselves:

“Isn’t this mission too hard? What if Jian Yunlan actually fails and gets eliminated?”

“Then that just means he wasn’t good enough.”

“I don’t think so. Boss Jian has always been good at clutching impossible situations. He’ll probably survive somehow. But…”

“This mission is definitely going to force him out of his comfort zone!”

“Yeah, with such a tight time limit, there’s no way he can keep running his little food stall like usual.”

For two whole melodramatic novel instances, other streamers had tried all sorts of tactics—

But Jian Yunlan? Stall. Stall. Stall.

No matter what, he always set up his damn food stall!

They refused to believe that even in this high-difficulty mandatory mission, Jian Yunlan could still manage to set up a stall!

*

Outside Liu Jin KTV

Jian Yunlan reluctantly got out of the car.

Annoying. Seriously annoying.

He was just a small-time street food vendor who loved running his stall—why the hell was he being forced to follow the plot?

At that moment, Jian Yunlan silently gave the transmigration challenge a one-star review in his heart.

And he made a decision—

He would find a world where everyone was a foodie. A world where he didn’t have to follow any plot, where all he needed to do was set up his stall and cook for people…

With a face full of disdain, Jian Yunlan stormed into Liu Jin KTV’s exclusive VIP room.

*

Inside the KTV Room

As soon as he entered, deafening music blasted through the speakers. A massive crystal ball spun overhead, scattering multicolored lights across the room.

Inside—absolute chaos.

A blond-haired guy holding a microphone immediately slung an arm around Jian Yunlan’s shoulders, grinning:

“Yo! The birthday boy is here! Let’s get this party started!”

A group of rich second-generation heirs instantly crowded around him, laughing and teasing:

“Brother Jian, you’ve been so hard to invite lately! We’ve had multiple gatherings, but you never showed up—what have you been up to?”

“Family business? Traveling abroad? Or did some little lover steal your soul away?”

“Birthday boy gets to pick a song! What do you wanna sing?”

*

In the corner of the private room, a young man dressed in a waiter’s uniform stood silently.

His posture was straight, his back upright like a soldier’s, making him stand out among the other waiters.

Everyone working here knew that just a little leftover money from these rich young masters was enough for them to eat, drink, and have fun for a long time.

So, the moment the heavyweight guest, Young Master Jian, walked in, many waiters immediately flocked to him, smiling as they helped Jian Yunlan put away his coat, poured him tea, and hovered around him attentively:

“Young Master Jian, would you like a cigarette?”
“We have some fine liquor here. What do you usually drink? Want to try some tequila?”
“Here, Young Master Jian, let me take your coat for you!”

Under the colorful lights of the KTV, only that one young waiter stood still in the corner with his hands behind his back, motionless and silent.

As if he were being punished to stand there.

His skin was slightly tanned, but his facial features were delicate. His dark eyes carried a hint of defiance.

He even looked a little… proud.

“What’s that kid so proud of? Hah. Is he looking down on our Young Master Jian?”

Young Master Zheng, the blond-haired rich kid, also noticed the out-of-place waiter, feeling a little annoyed.

He was just about to wave for the manager to come and kick that mood-killing brat out.

But at that moment, the previously silent Jian Yunlan suddenly spoke:

“I want to pick a song.”

Blondie’s attention immediately snapped back to Jian Yunlan, and he grinned, “What do you wanna sing, Jian bro?”

Most of them had studied abroad, and when they came to KTV, they would never pick those trending songs from short-video apps. Their choices had to be classy—

Punk rock, rap, heavy metal, niche folk songs in foreign languages—the cooler, the better.

Blondie scratched his head excitedly. “I remember Jian bro loves that super badass rock band. Want me to put on a song by Black Sabbath—”

Jian Yunlan, his face blank, sat down on the sofa and said, “Put on ‘The Most Dazzling Folk Style’ for me.”

The rich kids: “……”

The KTV room suddenly fell silent.

Only the song’s instrumental played awkwardly in the background.

“L-let’s listen to the birthday star,” Blondie twitched his mouth, awkwardly turning to the waiters, “Hurry up and play it! What are you waiting for?!”

The waiters in the room were all frozen in shock.

Only the young man in the corner reacted the fastest. He strode over with his long legs, silently tapped on the screen, and said, “It’s set.”

His voice was light, that husky tone of a boy who had just finished going through puberty, speaking each word seriously.

Jian Yunlan finally gave a barely satisfied nod.

The familiar intro started playing.

Jian Yunlan gracefully took the microphone, confidently cleared his throat, and began singing like a nightingale:

“The vast horizon is my love, the flowers bloom beneath the rolling green hills~”

The waiters: “……”
The rich kids: “…………”

In such a high-end, stylish, and expensive KTV room—with cyberpunk, postmodern interior design no less—this song, so down-to-earth, played.

Along with Jian Yunlan’s flawless and perfectly in-tune singing voice.

Blondie struggled to suppress the breakdown in his heart and wanted to say something.

But the moment he opened his mouth, blood seeped from his lips.

Blondie: “……”

T-this… this is a psychic attack!

Among the completely silent crowd, one person quietly picked up a pair of maracas and started shaking them along to the beat.

Wait… someone wasn’t affected by this mental assault?!

Terrifying!

Everyone turned their gazes toward the source with admiration.

—It was that waiter in the corner!

After picking the song, he had silently returned to his spot.

But now, in his hands, he held a pair of maracas, shaking them back and forth with a blank face, following the rhythm earnestly.

Respectful applause.gif

The other waiters suddenly felt itchy with irritation:

Oh, so you were pretending to be all aloof before, huh? But now you’re jumping in? Was all that just setup for this moment?!

Tipping assassin!

With someone cheering him on and his vocal talent getting the recognition it deserved, Jian Yunlan sang with even greater enthusiasm:

“What kind of rhythm is the most~ swaying~”

For a street food stall owner like him, The Most Dazzling Folk Style was a sacred song.

It had accompanied him through countless days and nights of cooking spicy hotpot skewers, alongside the dancing aunties in the public square.

He would proudly call it—

The ultimate street food stall anthem.

Classic—Timeless and Never Outdated!

Jian Yunlan sang with deep emotion and enthusiasm, swaying his head, executing divine vocal transitions, soaring high notes, and seamlessly switching between falsetto and chest voice—single-handedly performing a duet…

Without the slightest regard for the suffering of his audience.

Jian Yunlan: “The fiery song~ is our desire~”

The rich kids turned pale, coughing up blood.

The waiters silently waved their maracas.

And it wasn’t just the KTV room—the viewers in another dimension, watching through the light screen in the Multiverse Live Broadcast Room, also suffered from this cross-dimensional psychic attack.

[I-Is this the mysterious power of China…?]

[Boss Jian, you’re better suited for running a food stall. Please, don’t ever think of pursuing a singing career!!! (vomiting blood) (spitting blood wildly) (dying from blood loss)]

[Such a magnificent voice… my brain is spinning itself into a smoothie.]