Chapter 425 - 269: You’ve Got Some Serious Issues

Chapter 425: Chapter 269: You’ve Got Some Serious Issues

"Hey, let me ask you something. Are you Chinese-American?"

They rode on for another few hundred meters, neither of them speaking. Finally, Bai Weiwei broke the awkward silence.

There were no streetlights on the path beside Erhai Lake, only the faint glow from the guesthouses set back from the trail. Although she had grown up by the lake, the atmosphere still felt a little eerie. The crisp, cold wind was chilling.

On the way here, she had been too anxious to notice, but now, she was starting to feel a little uneasy.

Plucking up her courage, she started making small talk to fill the silence.

’It’s not that I’m worried Lin Chu will do anything to me—he’s a "public figure," after all. But it can’t hurt to chat a bit, build some rapport, and avoid any potential conflict.’

"Hmm? Why would you ask that?"

Lin Chu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

’She’s questioning if I’m even from China?’

’Considering she graduated from Berkeley College of Music, she must be one of those overseas student types. Still, her train of thought is a bit wild.’

"You just really seem like one. You’re very confident, extroverted, you love crowds, you like to party..."

Bai Weiwei did her best to use positive terms, then concluded, "You’re just like the white classmates I used to know..."

’In fact, she also wanted to add—very selfish, always making trouble for others, and completely shameless. That last part even reminded her of Koreans.’

However, considering how Lin Chu might react and the risk of starting a conflict, she swallowed the second half of her sentence.

Lin Chu: Uhh.

He understood what she was getting at, of course. It was a bit passive-aggressive, her own way of being subtle.

"That’s not it. Those qualities probably just stem from... well, being rich."

Lin Chu responded with a grin.

Bai Weiwei: ...

Speechless.

Then she let out a soft laugh. "The way you put it... are you saying you can’t be confident, extroverted, or assertive without money?"

"You can."

"But it comes at a steep price."

Lin Chu replied with a smile, his mind flashing back to memories of his time as a corporate drone, a beast of burden—bowing and scraping just to earn a wage that cost him his pride.

The few times he’d let his soul stretch, acted freely, and been true to himself, he had paid an unbearable price.

’Of course, nothing like the present.’

"That’s a bit too consequentialist... so, do you believe in that whole Social Darwinism thing?"

Bai Weiwei wasn’t sure what else to talk about. They barely knew each other, after all. But since they were on the subject, she figured she might as well steer it toward a bigger topic.

’Guys, right? Armchair politics is practically a basic life skill for them, and it’s a topic they’re always interested in.’

"Actually, I’m not like that at all."

"On the contrary, I’m a very traditional, simple successor to the cause. I don’t play that profit-maximization game. I’m all about giving the greatest care to the weak and believing that great power always comes from the masses."

Lin Chu was a little surprised that a girl like her would ask such a question, but he still answered with a smile.

Bai Weiwei: ???

’Why is that so hard to believe?’

’Believe you? My ass!’

"Care to give an example and elaborate?"

She pressed him with a smile.

"Do I really need to give examples?"

"Have you not seen my streams? If you have time, go watch the VODs. Why do you think so many people show up when I post a single video? Because Brother Chu genuinely helps his friends, and he’s truly helped a lot of people."

"A while back, one of the bros from my stream was trapped in Northern Myanmar. I spent several million to hire a security firm from Xiangjiang and got him rescued."

"A few days ago, I ran into a delivery driver on the street and gave him a million yuan, just to see how it would change his life."

"I also met a sex worker on my travels. She’s a mother of two. I told her that if she studied hard, got into a vocational college, and then went on to get a bachelor’s degree, I would reward her with a large sum of money."

"There are... so many stories like that."

Lin Chu said, pedaling the bicycle harder, his breathing growing a little ragged.

Listening to all this...

Bai Weiwei was genuinely stunned.

’That’s... actually pretty incredible.’

"So what’s the mentality behind doing all this? A savior complex? A holier-than-thou attitude? Or is it for your own sense of superiority... or are you just plain bored, looking for fun, and killing time?"

An indescribable curiosity welled up inside her as she pressed him for an answer.

RING-RING...

Lin Chu rang the bicycle bell on a whim.

’This woman... is pretty annoying.’

’Why all the questions?’

But to be fair, her words did make Lin Chu think. And the conclusion he came to was that it was probably a bit of all of those things.

He had both selfless and selfish motives.

There was, in fact, a whole progression of thought behind it all.

In the beginning, he was just showering his close friends with in-stream gifts for the sake of it.

As he gifted more, the rebates grew, and the money piled up, he started to do it for the reputation.

After he started streaming, this pursuit of reputation gradually became a force of habit.

And now...

It was all a jumble, pretty much covering every point she had just made.

"Judge a person by their actions, not their intentions. Why so many questions, anyway?"

Lin Chu said with a laugh.

Dissecting himself, especially in front of a woman, was genuinely a little embarrassing.

Not a lot, but the feeling was there.

Bai Weiwei laughed out loud again, and this time her laughter was much clearer and brighter.

"So what was your motive for hitting on me, then? Did you come to Dali looking for a fling?"

she teased with a smile.

’It was better to just get that out in the open.’

"Wrong."

"Completely wrong."

"With my status, do I need to go looking for a fling? If I wanted one, they’re everywhere."

"In fact, it’s the exact opposite. I came to see if I could find true love."