Chapter 37: If You Don’t Love, Please Don’t Hurt

...
Not long after, about half an hour into the stream, Blue Whale noticed that the number of viewers in her live broadcast room had reached its daily peak.
Her introduction of the inn in Dali and the answers to the audience's questions were almost finished.
Blue Whale took a deep breath, preparing to address the issue mentioned by Lin Shenlu.
...
In the garden courtyard on the first floor, Lin Shenlu and Ye Yaochen were both watching their phone screens.
On them was clearly the live broadcast of Blue Whale, a celebrity influencer with millions of followers.
"Bro, you have to admit, your landlady is a natural beauty. Her face is small and delicate, her skin flawless and pale, her eyes gentle as ripples with a twinkle of starlight, and her nose, honestly, it's like she walked out of an animated film... Her makeup, too—I'm telling you, all the girls I've met this past half month put together can't compare to your Blue Whale," Ye Yaochen said with a grin.
"Hey! Cut it out. What do you mean ‘your Blue Whale’... Aside from the coincidence in our names, there's really nothing else between us. At most, we're friends who met by chance," Lin Shenlu hurriedly explained.
"Oh, come on. Others might not know, but I do. I saw it in the live stream just now—Blue Whale has the chastity mark on her arm, that's a sign of keeping oneself pure, and it's obvious she's been saving herself for you all these years. Besides, she said in her video, she waited three years just for you, Lin Shenlu... You think I haven’t watched her videos today?" Ye Yaochen replied.
Lin Shenlu continued shaking his head. "That misunderstanding has been cleared up. She did have a young girl's dream back then... and some charlatan's words were quite bizarre, which led to all that. Normally... who relies on fortune-telling to wait for fate?"
"Bro, are you pretending to be clueless? Given these days we've known each other, I doubt you can't figure this out. What kind of ordinary friend would trust you so quickly... willingly let you handle millions worth of their assets? Do you really call that ordinary trust between friends?" Ye Yaochen pointed out.
He paused, then continued, "Are you deliberately playing dumb, or do you just not want to face it?"
Lin Shenlu fell silent.
For this matter, he thought it best to stay quiet.
...
In Blue Whale's live broadcast room, the beautiful girl smiled at the screen like a fairy.
Thirty thousand fans were leaving messages nonstop.
Small gifts were constantly being sent.
"Alright, today Little Whale has something important to tell everyone!" Blue Whale took a deep breath, finally making up her mind to share what Lin Shenlu had mentioned with her viewers.
As for Lin Shenlu, she chose to trust him.
After all, he was the man she had waited for, year after year, for three years.
Charging Plug: What's the matter, Little Whale?
Pure Little Hand: An important matter has to be said three times...
Teacher Three: Hurry up, tell us!
...

Countless viewers in the live room were waiting for Blue Whale's next words.
Blue Whale gently smoothed her hair.
On screen, her hair appeared a deep black-blue.
Whether it was a filter or her real hair, no one could say.
That color, paired with her beautiful face and pleasant voice, had truly drawn countless fans.
Everyone urged her to announce what she had to say.
Pig Collector Boss: Whatever it is, tell me when I get to Dali, I've already bought a ticket.
Galactic Bully: That's right, let's go to Dali and snatch Whale!
...
"Haha, don't tease me. Let me announce something to everyone—just yesterday, the person I've been longing for finally arrived!" Blue Whale suddenly declared.
Charging Plug: Ha? Lin Shenlu!
Pure Little Hand: Ha? Lin Shenlu?
Teacher Three: Ha? Lin Shenlu...
Pig Collector Boss: Lin Shenlu? Who is that?
Galactic Bully: The guy upstairs isn't a true fan, that's Whale's destined fiancé...
...
Ye Yaochen said, "See? What did I say... Blue Whale is born to be an influencer. Say what you will, she knows how to build momentum, and her opening instantly grabbed everyone's attention... Plus!"
He paused, looking at Lin Shenlu.
"Why are you looking at me? I told you, it's all about building hype, setting up the story, it's just a routine..." Lin Shenlu protested.
"Relax, I didn't say anything... All I can say is, those involved can't see clearly, only the bystanders do..."
"And there's that saying—‘At first, you don't recognize the lover's intent; later, you are already the lover.’" Ye Yaochen laughed.
"Is that how the saying goes? Isn't it ‘At first, you don't grasp the meaning in the song; later, you are part of the song’?" Lin Shenlu muttered, exasperated.
...
The live room exploded with messages.
Countless people were frantically typing Lin Shenlu's name.
Long-time fans all knew what the name Lin Shenlu meant to Blue Whale.

A chosen one, waited for in vain.
So many imposters over the years, and now the real one had finally arrived?
"Hahaha, everyone’s right. The man named Lin Shenlu really came to our hotel the day before yesterday. Let me tell you all, he's a handsome young man..." Blue Whale said, smiling.
Her smile in the live stream was like a blooming flower.
Everyone was intoxicated by her charm.
...
"Blue Whale is truly beautiful. Her beauty makes people want to protect her, you just can't bear to hurt her in any way... Lin Shenlu, if you really don't love this girl, please don't hurt her," Ye Yaochen said seriously, watching the screen.
"Bro, what are you even talking about? This is all nonsense, nothing’s happened yet," Lin Shenlu replied, speechless.
Of course, Lin Shenlu was also watching Blue Whale in the live stream.
She was indeed just as Ye Yaochen described.
Every smile, every gesture seemed perfect.
Anyone who saw her would not want to harm her.
Not even a stray thought could arise.
An overwhelming urge to protect her.
Lin Shenlu was curious about himself, too.
Before this trip, he’d said he wanted to meet many girls,
To fall in love with many people,
Yet now, faced with such a heaven-sent opportunity, he hadn’t taken any action.
Was it because of... An Muxi in his heart?
But where was she?
Why was she absent when he needed her most?
Why was Blue Whale by his side when he was striving?
...
Blue Whale kept smiling, "You all want Lin Shenlu to appear on camera? That won’t do, I have to protect him... Let me see... How about this, I promise everyone—if the live room breaks fifty thousand viewers, I'll let Lin Shenlu appear on camera, and with his ID, too!"