23

The way things were unfolding had completely caught Ye Yinchuan off guard.

He had assumed that Lippi was just a little scam artist, a troublemaker, and that the whole story about the sister, the Charmander, and the Caterpie was something he had made up.

But now… he actually had a sister?

Was this a case of life inspiring fiction?

Looking at the way the sister was crying, standing up for her brother, their bond seemed quite strong. There was even a sense that… something deeper was at play.

Could it be that—

Ye Yinchuan held back from jumping to conclusions.

If there really was more to the story, and he came down too hard on them, he'd end up being the bad guy.

But if this was a next-level scam, a deception within a deception, and he got played again, then the nickname "Pig-brained Streamer" would haunt him forever.

"Alright, little girl, calm down. Why don't you tell me what's really going on?"

He decided to tread carefully and test the waters.

[Even the streamer's losing confidence now!]

[It's hard to tell what's real or fake online.]

"Listen, as long as you explain everything clearly, the Dream Protection Bureau officers might decide not to visit. But remember—if you tell the truth, things can be resolved. If you lie, the consequences will be serious."

After a few more rounds of comforting and persuasion from Ye Yinchuan, the girl finally stopped crying and steadied herself.

"I-It's actually like this…"

[Wait, so there's another version of the story?]

[This just got interesting.]

The audience was already settled in with their popcorn, eager to watch the drama unfold.

"My brother… he wasn't completely lying. He really loves watching streams, and for my sake, he came up with this idea. But he wasn't trying to scam you—he just wanted to find a good Caterpie… for me."

[What kind of explanation is this?]

[This is Chinese, yet I don't understand a word.]

The girl was young, just about to start middle school—a literal elementary schooler—and on top of that, she had just been terrified out of her wits.

Her speech was jumbled and lacked structure, but after piecing things together, Ye Yinchuan managed to extract the key points.

"So, what you're saying is… your parents really do favor boys over girls? The Charmander and Caterpie treatment difference is also real? And your brother, who enjoys watching streams, came up with this idea to seek help from a streamer?"

The girl nodded furiously, like a pecking chick. That was exactly what she meant.

Now, with this new perspective, Ye Yinchuan took in his surroundings more carefully.

This family clearly wasn't well-off. The boy's clothes looked new, but the girl's outfit was visibly old and didn't fit properly.

That matched the story.

[Streamer, don't get fooled again!]

[I think this is real. No way kids have this level of acting skill.]

[Don't be naive, kids today are more cunning than ever.]

[I have no idea what's true anymore!]

The chat was split into two camps.

Just then, a private message popped up from the Dream Protection Bureau:

[Streamer Ye, the IP has been locked. If you're unsure, we can send officers over to investigate in person. The truth will come out either way.]

Ye Yinchuan thought for a moment and replied:

[Hold off for now. Your presence might be too overwhelming for them. If we can resolve this online, there's no need to escalate.]

At the end of the day, he was too soft-hearted—too empathetic.

If the girl's story was true, she had already been scared out of her mind online. If officers actually showed up at their door, they might be traumatized.

More importantly, if their parents found out…

The boy might be safe, but the girl would definitely face punishment—possibly even abuse.

"Alright, so you want me to pick a Caterpie for you? But… from what I see, you only have one Caterpie?"

Ye Yinchuan pressed further.

He wanted to check for inconsistencies, just as he had at the beginning. If this was still a lie, small details would give it away.

[Nice! The streamer is thorough!]

[Detective Conan mode activated!]

"Also, don't show yourselves on camera anymore."

Ye Yinchuan reminded them—for their own privacy and safety.

Their earlier on-camera appearance was an accident, but if someone reported it, he would also be held accountable.

If things got serious, his entire stream could be shut down.

"Streamer, the other Caterpie are over here."

At that moment, Lippi took control of the camera again.

The lens moved to a small room.

As the door opened, the view revealed dozens of Caterpie, squirming around, munching on leaves, and even spinning silk.

This was clearly a small-scale Caterpie breeding setup.

Well, "setup" might be too generous—it was more of a crude shelter.

[Report it! This is disturbing!]

[A single Caterpie is cute, but this many? Ugh!]

[This looks like a private breeding operation… the conditions aren't great.]

"Guys, if you don't like Caterpie, don't report my stream, alright?"

Ye Yinchuan laughed helplessly. He had to respond to the flood of complaints.

"Okay, let me ask this. If everything is true, then why did your brother lie instead of telling the truth?"

He pressed forward with another test.

"Because my sister has severe social anxiety. Our parents heavily favor boys, so she's always been self-conscious. She's afraid to speak in front of a camera—she stutters.

"But if I just said I was a boy, most streamers would ignore me. Some don't even respond to kids. So… I had no other choice."

[Damn, that makes sense.]

[Sigh… genuine positivity in streaming is rare these days.]

Ye Yinchuan fell silent.

As someone who understood the streaming world, he could tell that the boy was telling the truth.

When he thought back to the girl's earlier behavior… her social anxiety was real.

"I see. Your sister is incredibly brave—despite her fear, she still spoke up for you. And you, despite benefiting from favoritism, are willing to fight for her… That's admirable."

[Streamer, you're too kind-hearted!]

[I swear, if this guy keeps streaming, people are gonna scam him out of his last penny!]

[Shut up. The world needs more people like this. I support the streamer!]

"By the way, about that wealthy friend I mentioned earlier… I was lying."

"Wait, what?!"

"And since you lied to me first, I won't even give you a free evaluation—because I can't reward dishonesty."

Ye Yinchuan's tone was calm but firm.

[Oof, streamer just flipped the script!]

[Hahaha, well played!]

The boy on camera visibly deflated, clearly both disappointed and guilty.

Ye Yinchuan noted his reaction and continued:

"I will evaluate the Caterpie—for your sister.

"But to ensure I'm not being fooled again, I'm going to have the Dream Protection Bureau conduct an in-person check.

"If there's anything false in your story, this is your last chance to confess."

[Now that's fair!]

[If the Bureau checks, the truth will come out!]

"Streamer… I was wrong to lie to you before. I sincerely apologize! But everything we said just now is the truth!"

The boy's voice was genuine and serious.

"As long as you've learned your lesson. Alright, let's evaluate those Caterpie."

Ye Yinchuan took control of the pace again.

(Chapter End)