How A Ride-Hailing Driver Comes To Dominate The World? [EN]: Chapter 78

Interview Streamer—What’s Wrong with a Ride-Hailing Driver Having Some Money? (1)

The man approached Yang Chen, a greasy smile plastered on his face. “Hey, bro, mind if I sit here?”

Yang Chen didn’t hesitate. “Yes, I do mind!”

The man chuckled, seemingly unfazed. “Hehe… Aren’t you supposed to be on a blind date with Xiaoxun? I brought her over, so you two can get to know each other. Sorry for borrowing her for a bit; hope I didn’t delay you too much. I’ll just sit here quietly and watch – won’t disturb a thing. Xiaoxun, come on, don’t keep your ‘Mr. Right’ waiting,” the man said, nudging Sun Xiaoxun forward.

Sun Xiaoxun quickly interjected, “Brother Yan, don’t be ridiculous. He already said he’s not interested. Let’s just eat; it’s almost eight. Didn’t we agree to have a showdown with Xingchen [Unextinguished Star, a rival streamer] at eight o’clock tonight?”

*Damn*, this is ‘A Smoke When Lonely’ [a streamer name] himself.

I have to say, Sun Xiaoxun is really willing to lower her standards for money. A balding, middle-aged, greasy uncle with such…*distinctive* features? She can actually stomach that?

“Hehe… I only heard *her* say he doesn’t want to. I haven’t heard it from *him* yet. Bro, are you still going through with this blind date?” ‘A Smoke When Lonely’ pressed.

“I’ve already blocked her number. What blind date?” Yang Chen retorted.

“Haha… Smart move,” ‘A Smoke When Lonely’ conceded.

He then wrapped his arm around Sun Xiaoxun and led her to a nearby table.

Sun Xiaoxun clearly didn’t want to sit there; she wanted to get as far away from Yang Chen as possible.

But ‘A Smoke When Lonely’ insisted on sitting within spitting distance of Yang Chen, his intentions as clear as day: to provoke Yang Chen and flaunt his perceived superiority.

Men are all the same, aren’t they?

Brother Yan asked with a saccharine smile, “You sure you don’t want to go on the blind date?”

Sun Xiaoxun batted her eyelashes and said in a cloying voice, “Oh, Brother Yan, don’t tease me. He’s just some company drone. Why would I ever be interested in him? It’s just that his aunt is my mom’s old classmate from middle school, and my mom couldn’t say no, so she asked me to meet him. But since you wanted to meet, of course, I’m going to prioritize you. I wasn’t going to meet him anyway. He said he already left, but I didn’t expect he hadn’t. What a pathetic liar. I, Sun Xiaoxun, would rather be single forever than end up with a man like that.”

Brother Yan nodded, looking pleased. “What do you want to eat? What do you want to drink? Order whatever you want; it’s on Brother Yan.”

“Hehe… Thank you, Brother Yan. Just remember to crush Xingchen later,” Sun Xiaoxun said obsequiously.

Brother Yan chuckled. “Don’t worry. I’ve already set aside ten million [yuan, ~ $1.4 million USD]; I’m definitely taking back your top fan spot.”

“Wow, Brother Yan is amazing! Love you! Hehe…” Sun Xiaoxun gushed, her eyes sparkling with avarice.

Right now, she just wants Unextinguished Star to fight ‘A Smoke When Lonely’ to the last penny, so she can get rich overnight.

…

Just then, Yang Chen’s steak, sweet and sour pork ribs, and braised meatballs arrived.

Yang Chen happily picked up his chopsticks and started digging in.

After a few minutes, two girls walked in.

They scanned the room and then settled on Yang Chen, who was eating alone.

The two girls exchanged a quick glance, and then the girl with glasses discreetly turned on her phone to start recording.

The long-haired, oval-faced beauty with a thin waist, modest bust, and long legs sashayed over to Yang Chen with a practiced smile.

Interview Streamer—What’s Wrong with a Ride-Hailing Driver Having Some Money? (2)

“Hey there, handsome. Is this seat taken?” the beauty purred.

The moment Yang Chen saw them, he knew exactly what they were: streamers who shoot these kinds of videos and post them on Douyin [TikTok’s Chinese counterpart] and other platforms.

Yang Chen had no desire to become someone else’s content.

“Yes,” Yang Chen replied flatly.

The beauty persisted. “So, can I chat with you for a bit?”

Yang Chen: “No. I’m eating!”

The beauty looked momentarily thrown.

However, she’d built a following of over five million on Douyin by filming these kinds of ‘candid’ pick-up videos, and she usually had a stable audience of around two thousand viewers on her Douyu [a Chinese live streaming platform] streams. She wasn’t about to give up because of one minor setback.

“Handsome, you’re so good-looking! How old are you? Not even twenty yet, right?” the beauty asked, leaning closer.

“What kind of eyes do you have? You just shaved five years off my life for no reason. Do you even know how to flirt?” Yang Chen countered.

The beauty was taken aback again.

“Little brother, you’re so cold! I was born in ’98. Can’t you call me ‘sister’?” the beauty asked, trying a different approach.

Yang Chen: “From a bar? I’m not really into bar girls.”

The beauty’s smile faltered.

“Big brother, I *said* I was born in ’98. I’m *younger* than you. Can you just call me ‘sister’?” the beauty asked, her voice tinged with exasperation.

Yang Chen: “Oh. If I call you ‘sister,’ will you leave?”

Beauty: “Little brother, do you hate me that much? Just say it, and I’ll leave right after.”

Yang Chen: “Sister.”

Beauty: “Hey, brother! I want a hug. Can I have one?”

Yang Chen: “No.”

The beauty was visibly frustrated.

What a weirdo! Why is he so different from the other guys?

They usually ate this stuff up, doing whatever she asked.

What kind of person *is* this guy? She’s pretty, has a good figure, and he’s actually turning down a hug?

Despite her annoyance, the show had to go on.

The beauty continued, “I see your ears are so big. Let me touch them. Wow, they’re so soft!”

Yang Chen: “If you keep doing that, I’m calling the police and reporting you for sexual harassment.”

The beauty was stunned. At this point, she just wanted to get through the script and get away from this unromantic weirdo.

She said with forced sweetness, “Little brother, I heard that people with big ears are soft-hearted, and people with soft ears are loving to their wives. You must be very good to your wife.”

Yang Chen looked at her like she was an idiot. “If I had a wife, would I be eating alone?”

Finally! Something that matched the script.

The beauty then asked with a ‘shy’ smile, “So, you don’t have one *now*…”

“Ah? Where is she?” Yang Chen asked, playing along.

The beauty placed her hands suggestively between her legs and replied in a ‘bashful’ tone, “Far away in the horizon, but close at hand.”

“You?” Yang Chen asked.

The beauty nodded coyly, flashing a seemingly happy smile.

It’s clear she’s done this a lot; her acting skills are well-honed.

Anyone who didn’t know better would think she was genuinely shy.

Yang Chen shook his head. “Sorry, you’re not my type. I like fair-skinned, beautiful, long-legged girls with big breasts, thin waists, and fat butts. You obviously don’t meet my aesthetic standards. Sorry, you can try to find other guys with lower standards.”

The beauty couldn’t take it anymore and snapped, “Bro, do you have to be so blunt? I’m not *that* bad! I meet all the requirements you said except for one!”

Interview Streamer—What’s Wrong with a Ride-Hailing Driver Having Some Money? (3)

Yang Chen ate a piece of rib, took a sip of juice, and then said, “No, that one is too important. I can suffer a little, but I can’t let my children suffer. What if they don’t have enough to eat in the future?”

The girl filming the video couldn’t contain her laughter and covered her mouth, giggling.

The beauty was so angry she started to cry, tears streaming down her face.

After doing this show for so long, this was the first time she’d been completely shut down from beginning to end, and even personally insulted at the end.

Yang Chen looked surprised and quickly asked, “It’s not *that* bad, is it? You’re crying over this?”

The beauty sobbed and replied, “You just kept attacking me! I’ve never been so humiliated in my life! Wuwu…”

Yang Chen chuckled and said, “Okay, okay, stop crying. What’s your name? Which platform do you stream on?”

The beauty wiped her tears and replied, “My name is Zhou Zhenyi. I stream on Douyu.”

“Then do you want to be rewarded?” Yang Chen asked bluntly.

Zhou Zhenyi nodded. “Of course, I do! This is one of my sources of income. Why wouldn’t I want to?”

“Go challenge her. Have a PK [player kill, a streaming battle] with her. I’ll help you win,” Yang Chen said to Zhou Zhenyi, pointing at Sun Xiaoxun.

Zhou Zhenyi looked over and immediately recognized Sun Xiaoxun.

“Big brother, that won’t work. You don’t understand. Yesterday, there were two tycoons fighting to give her gifts. One called Xingchen gave more than two million [yuan]. If I have a PK with her, wouldn’t that be suicide? Look at that man; maybe he’s Brother Xingchen. She’s having dinner with him offline to thank him,” Zhou Zhenyi said in a low voice.

“Just go challenge her. No matter what punishment she wants, you agree to it. I guarantee I will definitely help you win,” Yang Chen said.

*Hopefully, Brother Yan can put up a good fight and bring in more money, so Yang Chen can happily withdraw more money.* [referring to the system reward]

Zhou Zhenyi looked shocked. “Big brother, I’m very grateful that you’re willing to give me gifts. This is one of my sources of income; I’m not pretending to be noble. I really want it. But if I go challenge her and get crushed, I’ll be so embarrassed.”

“Then it’s your choice. If you want gifts, go challenge her now. Start the battle on time at ten o’clock; I will help you win. If you don’t want gifts, then forget it. I’m done eating, and you’re using up the time I’m paying for to consider,” Yang Chen said with a smile, and then he waved for the waiter to bring the bill.