The End of the Universe Is Live-Streaming E-commerce – CH30

Chapter 30: The 30th Day of Livestream Selling

His cousin had come back, so Lin Zhao ended the livestream. This was something he had told the viewers when the stream began: today’s New Year livestream was a New Year benefit, and once his family came home, the benefit would end.

Lin Zhao had originally planned to pick his cousin up from the airport, but Lin Xiang had vaguely said in the video call that it was not very convenient, and that he would explain in detail once he got home.

Lin Zhao therefore mistakenly thought his cousin was coming back with his so-called “partner” and felt shy about it, so he did not insist.

He simply never expected that his cousin would bring his partner straight home without even saying hello first. Wasn’t that a little too fearless?

But after thinking about it, Lin Zhao felt it was reasonable. After all, it was New Year. If someone came back with you for New Year, you could not just leave them alone and lonely in a hotel, could you? While Lin Zhao thought that Xiangxiang should at least have given him a heads-up first, he also felt extremely grateful that he had truly worked hard to lay the groundwork with his aunt before this. And those pure-love novels from Jinjiang—his aunt had unexpectedly liked them a lot and read quite a few. It should be fine.

1114 proudly puffed out its chest. It had provided those books to Auntie through precise big-data algorithms. They were all settings that could hit her aesthetic preferences, advancing layer by layer according to acceptance level. It was impossible not to like them.

It was just that…

On 1114’s intelligent face, there was now a pair of dumbfounded little bean eyes.

With so many tall, long-legged handsome guys, which one was the cousin-in-law?

Of course, not a single one of them was.

The clever Lin Xiang could tell at one glance that his older cousin had misunderstood, though he did not know what exactly his brother had misunderstood. His brother really was not someone especially good at hiding things. Even after growing up and being beaten and trained by work, some of his looks and small movements still could not be hidden from those around him. At least, they could not be hidden from Lin Xiang, who had grown up with him.

After Lin Xiang bent down to change his shoes, he straightened up and walked from the entrance into the light. The spacious living room seemed to brighten slightly. His tone was unhurried as he introduced them. These were two assistants from his laboratory, and those were his… colleagues.

The assistants looked like real assistants. As for the colleagues… that was harder to say.

While Aunt Lin smiled and helped her son greet his colleagues, Lin Zhao first noticed the black case that had not left Lin Xiang’s hand for even a moment. At first, he thought it was New Year goods his younger brother had bought back. But those festively wrapped items were now in the hands of his accompanying colleagues. Compared with those, this black case was far too plain and inconspicuous.

But it was probably something very important.

Because even when Lin Xiang casually put down the case, the people behind him, all wearing uniform dark coats—which now looked more like matching uniforms—had their gazes shift along with the movement. The degree of importance was self-evident.

But these people probably were not soldiers, nor plainclothes officers, because no public official would dye their hair pink… right?

Lin Zhao thought uncertainly.

And this pink-haired one also looked the youngest. He had a baby face and a somewhat naturally familiar personality. While the others were still limited to politely greeting Aunt Lin and saying Happy New Year, he had already started praising Doudou, who had enthusiastically come to welcome the guests.

“Auntie, your dog is raised so well. So cute.”

Lin Doudou, dressed in a New Year Tang-style outfit, was a little overexcited around people. It wagged its tail at everyone, feeling that the whole world was full of good people, and rushed over wanting to snuggle against each person one by one.

The pink-haired young man responded the most actively and warmly. Man and dog played together joyfully.

He really did not look like disciplined security personnel.

New Year gift boxes of all sizes had already piled up in the Lin family’s entrance hall. Every colleague who came to the door had a face full of New Year-greeting enthusiasm. But when it came to leaving, they were also very decisive. After sitting in the house for only a short while with cups of hot tea, they stood up and took their leave. The reason they gave was also very appropriate: they all had to hurry home for New Year, so they would not disturb them further.

Aunt Lin therefore did not ask them to stay again. Family reunion during New Year was a major matter. She even found it a little strange. Since they were rushing home, why did they still politely send her son back first?

Lin Zhao walked them to the elevator, feeling quite regretful that until the very end, he still had not guessed which one was his younger brother’s partner.

He just did not know whether it was his imagination, but under the light, that pink-haired colleague’s hair seemed to be glowing.

Not long after seeing off the colleagues, the few members of the Lin family finally sat down at the dining table. The television in the background had not started broadcasting the Spring Festival Gala yet, but it was almost time.

At the dinner table, Lin Xiang announced a piece of good news he had been unable to hold back for a long time.

“I’ll be transferred back after New Year.”

Lin Zhao: “!!!”

You were exiled to the border because of gay relationships?

“?”

Lin Xiang hurriedly stopped his older cousin’s thought, which he had not said out loud but was definitely very strange. He considered his words before saying, “For some special reasons, Jiangzuo will establish a new department after New Year—the Special Management Bureau. The higher-ups attach great importance to it, and I’ve been transferred over to provide, uh, technical support.”

“Special Management Bureau? Special management?”

Lin Xiang smiled. He neither nodded nor shook his head, only put a piece of Lin Zhao’s favorite lychee shrimp ball into his older cousin’s bowl.

“More or less. You know, I’ve always been following my mentor on a long-term confidential research project. Now the project has undergone some… changes, so my mentor sent me here.”

To be precise, Lin Xiang had long since graduated early and already had the ability to independently lead projects. This department, the Special Management Bureau, was extremely special. Temporary action teams or offices had already existed across the country for a long time. Now, they were only being fully implemented and turned into official branch departments.

And because of certain special reasons, Jiangzuo, this eighteenth-tier small city, was one of the more important cities in future planning.

Lin Xiang had therefore wanted to be transferred back. He could continue in-depth research while also protecting his family.

His original plan had been that, if he could not be transferred back, he would lay everything out clearly tonight with his mother and older cousin, then suggest that they move with him to Tianquan City. But since he had succeeded now, and the transfer order had officially come down, he was no longer in such a hurry. He planned to reveal things step by step, giving his family a gradual process to accept the changes in this world.

“So, it’s a promotion?” Aunt Lin did not think too much about it. She was simply very happy that her son could come back. She could finally see him every day again.

“Kind of. Director of the Special Research Office.”

“Then congratulations, Director Lin.” Lin Zhao was also very happy.

The whole family raised their cups and happily celebrated Director Lin. Even 1114 flew to the side and lifted a virtual cola cup.

Throughout the entire process, Lin Xiang did not show much confusion about 1114’s existence. It seemed as if nothing was wrong.

But that was the biggest wrongness.

His cousin was not his aunt. He was not easy to fool.

Lin Zhao had originally prepared many explanations to tell his cousin, but Lin Xiang did not ask anything from beginning to end. He was so natural about it, as if 1114 had always been a member of the family. He even chatted with 1114 for quite a while about recently popular web novels, things like Global Spiritual Energy Revival, but I’m Raising Pigs in the Countryside, My Backyard Connects to Spirit Mountain, and Global Ability Evolution: Starting from Square Dancing.

It was clear that outside of research, his cousin’s leisure interests covered a truly broad range.

The skit on the Spring Festival Gala just happened to reach a rather innovative ability-themed skit. It could not exactly be called very innovative, since this sort of thing had already been written to death online, but normally speaking, this kind of urban fantasy subject was almost impossible to bring onto the Spring Festival Gala stage. Spring Festival Gala skits were basically focused on realistic family matters.

But this year was just that magical. They put on a skit that really had superpowers. It was the very routine kind that comedians liked: you thought the whole family was doing absurd nonsense, and after a series of comedic effects, there was suddenly a twist at the end that the whole family really did have superpowers.

Aunt Lin watched in a daze.

Although Lin Zhao had already seen a lot of this on variety shows, he still felt that seeing it on television was especially fresh. Only Lin Xiang focused fully on accompanying them throughout.

“There’s also something called a Special Research Office in this.” Aunt Lin smiled.

One veteran actor in the skit was saying, “Special Human Research Office?” while another replied, “It’s the Special Ability Research and Coordination Office. These days, everything needs a department. Maybe in the future there’ll even be an Alien Friendship Association.”

Auntie only said it casually, but Lin Zhao finally seemed to sense something. He suddenly turned his head and looked sideways at his cousin in disbelief.

And at this critical moment, Lin Zhao’s phone rang.

He originally did not want to answer, because he felt his new discovery might be more important, but 1114 reminded him, “It’s Manman calling.”

Qin Xiaoman’s whole family was currently spending New Year on Qiong Island. If he wanted to send New Year greetings, that should be at midnight or tomorrow morning. Calling so anxiously at this time was indeed unusual.

Lin Zhao immediately answered.

“What happened?”

“My Third Aunt is missing!”

Lin Zhao: “?”

Huh? Who? What?

“After my maternal grandfather passed away, my maternal grandmother lived alone in the old family home. Neither of her two children could persuade her to live with them. You know this, right?”

Of course Lin Zhao knew. Qin Xiaoman really had told Lin Zhao everything about his family in daily life. The old lady was in good health and extremely capable of taking care of herself. Usually, when she had nothing to do, she also liked having a little smoke and drink. But her children always tried to control her for the sake of her health, so she was unwilling to live with them, feeling that she was more comfortable by herself.

“My second uncle was afraid she’d be lonely, so he adopted a village stray cat for her.”

“According to the family order, she’s my Third Aunt.”

In Qin Xiaoman’s mother’s family, sons and daughters were ranked together. The eldest was Qin Xiaoman’s mother. The second was the second uncle who had dated his third paternal uncle and represented the family secret. The third aunt was this rural tabby who had fought invincibly throughout the village.

Lin Zhao was slightly confused.

Your Third Aunt is missing. Why are you telling me?

“I know this is unbelievable, and I’m confused about what’s going on too, but according to the collar tracker my mom bought for my Third Aunt, she should be in Jiangzuo right now.”

Lin Zhao frowned. “Cat traffickers?”

“I suspect that too, but we can’t rush back right now. I’m doing my best to buy a plane or train ticket for early tomorrow, the first day of the New Year. Linzi, can you go check according to the location first? Don’t be fooled by how much my grandma disliked the cat before she started raising it, saying cats were treacherous ministers and all that. Now that Third Aunt is her lifeblood.”

No matter how healthy the old lady was, she was already ninety. If the cat had been eaten by damned cat traffickers or something, the old lady probably would not make it through this New Year.

Lin Zhao was already putting on his coat. 1114 pulled up the location from Qin Xiaoman’s side and generated the fastest and closest route. At the side, it said, “I’ve already started the car and driven it downstairs.”

The car Lin Zhao had bought after returning to Jiangzuo was a new-energy vehicle. It had been connected to 1114’s central control early on and could be remotely controlled at any time. This system was really becoming more and more like smart home technology.

Even the elevator was already waiting at the door.

Lin Xiang naturally grabbed his coat and his brother’s scarf and chased after him. And just as the elevator opened, the neighbor’s door two elevators away also opened. A group of burly men who had only separated from them not long ago poured out in full force.

The moment Lin Zhao saw Lin Xiang’s colleagues, who should have already “gone home,” appear, he was not especially surprised. There was only a feeling of sudden realization that his guess had been further confirmed.

No words needed to be said. Finding Third Aunt was more important.

The young men, who had been laughing and joking just now, had already split into two teams with trained precision. The only woman and the baby-faced pink-haired one stayed behind to accompany Auntie. The rest followed Lin Zhao and the brothers out together.

They even drove two cars, bulletproof vehicles one in front and one behind, protecting Lin Zhao’s new-energy car worth less than one hundred thousand.

How to put it?

It looked like his younger brother’s secrecy level really was very high.

And when they followed the location flashing continuously on 1114’s screen, driving at lightning speed all the way, and finally found Qin Xiaoman’s Third Aunt…

They saw a tabby cat that could fly through the sky and burrow through the earth, lightly leaping over everyone’s heads.

Mm. Qin Xiaoman’s Third Aunt had flown up.

To be precise, it was not flying. It was floating.

That large tabby cat, exactly the same as in the photo, had all four paws relaxed and hanging down, its tail gently swaying, as if trying hard to keep balance. Around its glossy, smooth fur was a nearly invisible thin halo with a pearly sheen, like wrapping the entire cat in a transparent bubble.

Elder Third Aunt even calmly lowered her head to glance at the ground and gave a “meow.” That sound came through the clear night sky, unusually crisp.

Lin Zhao looked at Third Aunt, then looked at his cousin.

Among the colleagues beside them, the one who looked most like the team leader had already taken out his phone. However, the screen interface was no longer for making calls or any other smartphone function. Instead, it was a high-tech interface. On it, the curve representing “abnormal fluctuations” in this area had already gone red all the way:

Low-level natural energy overflow accompanied by short-term levitation of a living creature.

Lin Xiang said to his older cousin, “Looks like I don’t need to say anything else, hm?”

Facts spoke louder than words.

This was the truth he had wanted to tell his older cousin.

This world really was becoming fantastical.

Author’s Note:

Nonsense Mini Theater:

Lin Zhao: =?=

Qin Xiaoman: Third Aunt! Third Aunt! My grandma’s lifeblood, ahhhhh!

Update Posting Schedule: Starting next chapter, posting schedule change from posting every day to 3 chapters every Tuesday~

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