Chapter Fifty-Eight: Do You Agree or Not?

At night, after bidding farewell to Dai Xinhua, Luo Chen returned home in high spirits, only to be caught red-handed by Luo Tianyi, who was waiting for him on the sofa.

"Luo Chen!"

Luo Tianyi glared at him, her little face dark with anger, cheeks puffed out as she fixed her gaze on her brother who had only returned so late at night. Making her and Yanhe wait for so long—how infuriating.

Luo Chen offered an apologetic smile. The dining table in the living room was still neatly set with tableware, a clear sign that the meal had been deliberately left out for his return.

"Tianyi, why are you still up this late?"

Stealing a glance at the clock that was nearing midnight, Luo Chen felt a pang of guilt as he looked at his little sister, standing there with arms crossed, clad only in a thin nightgown. He had assumed both girls would have gone to bed by now, so he hadn’t bothered to call and check in on his way home. He hadn’t expected them to stay up, waiting for him.

With this realization, Luo Chen gazed at Luo Tianyi, her stubborn sulking only making him feel more grateful. Under his intense gaze, she turned her head aside, visibly uncomfortable, and any words of complaint died on her lips.

But where was Yanhe?

Luo Chen glanced around in puzzlement. If anyone was going to wait up for him, it should have been Yanhe—so why was it Luo Tianyi?

"Luo Chen, you’re back."

Just as he was wondering, Yanhe emerged from the bathroom, looking relaxed as she yawned and greeted him.

Having just bathed, Yanhe wore a light green nightdress that hung loosely off her frame, revealing plenty of fair, smooth skin. Droplets of water still clung to her hair, trickling down her slightly flushed cheeks.

"Yeah, something came up on the way back so I’m a bit late," Luo Chen said, sneaking a glance at the girl who was tilting her head to watch him. Seeing Yanhe out of her usual unisex clothing made Luo Chen, accustomed to her cool androgynous look, feel a little overwhelmed.

"Have you eaten? Do you want me to heat something up?" Yanhe offered. She knew, ever since they parted ways earlier, that Luo Chen must have gone to see Dai Xinhua. After all, anyone would be upset if their reputation was ruined, and wouldn’t let the culprit off so easily.

Did he go straight to her house? She wondered how that girl was doing.

"No need, I already ate outside," Luo Chen replied, a bit embarrassed as he watched Yanhe move to reheat the food. Living alone in his past life, he’d gotten used to taking care of himself; it hadn’t even crossed his mind.

After declining Yanhe’s kind offer, Luo Chen finally retreated to his own room. Sharing a house wasn’t always convenient—especially tonight. Because of that notebook, just seeing Yanhe now made certain images spring unbidden to his mind. The fact that he could maintain his composure under such torment was already impressive.

Settling before his computer to calm his thoughts, Luo Chen logged onto the Stardust Platform.

It had been several days since his last login. Busy with schoolwork and various trivial matters, Luo Chen hadn’t had time to check on his achievements.

As soon as he entered his profile page, before he could even check his works, the system notification sounded.

Guessing what it might be about, Luo Chen hesitated a moment, then opened the messages from the Stardust Platform. As one of the platform’s main creators, it wouldn’t do to ignore messages for too long—being seen as arrogant or aloof would only be detrimental.

“Hello, Purehearted Angel, your work has been recognized by the platform’s management. You are authorized to sign a Platinum Contract. Please pay attention to the signing information and maintain communication.”

Three messages in a row, all regarding the anchor contract. The latest message even made Luo Chen’s heart skip a beat.

A Platinum Contract with the Stardust Platform—if he signed it, he could live comfortably in this bustling city of Qingshui just by streaming and acting cute every day, fulfilling the contract requirements. He wouldn’t have to worry about his livelihood anymore.

Should he accept?

Luo Chen wrestled with the tempting prospect for a long time, but ultimately gave it up. He was not like other creators—he didn’t need to worry about running out of inspiration and scrambling for security.

With countless masterpieces from his past life as his foundation, Luo Chen would never face the embarrassment of having nothing good to offer. What he wanted was to maximize his benefits, to become known by as many people as possible.

He was not content to be controlled by the Stardust Platform. He needed his own website, his own company.

After some thought, Luo Chen decided it was best to refuse. Out of sight, out of mind—better not to give himself a chance to change his mind.

"Luo Chen, answer your phone!"

Just then, his phone vibrated urgently on the table, its familiar ringtone blaring.

Luo Chen rubbed his forehead helplessly. That was definitely a ringtone Luo Tianyi had sneakily changed. If his phone started ringing like that in public, the embarrassment would be unbearable.

He wondered how his past self had ever dealt with those strange looks from others.

Incoming call: Zhang Shuohan, Qingshui City.

Luo Chen glanced at the screen—it was Zhang Shuohan calling. They had only just parted ways. What could have happened so soon?

Though puzzled, Luo Chen answered promptly.

"You scoundrel!"

A clear, slightly annoyed voice sounded from the phone.

"I told you, my name is Luo Chen," he replied, listening to the less-than-friendly tone. He couldn’t imagine what he’d done to offend Zhang Shuohan this time—after all, she’d had her fun teasing him when she left the restaurant.

"Hmph, I don’t care. Don’t tell me you didn’t leave a single reliable contact method on your Stardust Platform profile?" Zhang Shuohan, far away, grew even more dissatisfied as she realized this guy had a habit of not leaving his phone number.

"Do you know, all those annoying regional managers came to my house to try to contact you. They wouldn’t let anyone rest. You owe me for this!"

Zhang Shuohan guessed that one of the managers must have found out about her communications with Luo Chen on the platform, and so tracked her down, assuming she’d know how to reach him.

"I was just about to reply to the Stardust Platform’s messages. I haven’t checked the contract messages these past few days," Luo Chen explained. He hadn’t put much info on his profile—just an email and some ID details. And since his family had only just moved, even the address on his ID was outdated. It was no wonder they couldn’t find him.

Given some time, they’d probably track him down eventually.

"Well, you owe me a favor," Zhang Shuohan declared. She had wanted to give Luo Chen a hard time, but instead she’d ended up helping him again.

That wouldn’t do!

A special thank you to reader Senluo Yake for the reward of 1000 platform credits, and to readers Xixing Temple Moyun and Dreamscape Horizon for their rewards of 100 platform credits and virtual flowers.