If I provoke her, will she fall into the trap

【Boss, can you take me out for some meat?】

"Sure, I'll take you next week."

Looking at the message from Tang Hua on his phone, Lu Qing opened the door and, under Bai Xing's gaze, returned to Room 1901, Building C.

The room fell back into darkness.

For some reason, the unexpected success didn't bring the overwhelming joy one might expect.

When a person strives tirelessly toward a goal, pouring all their effort into it, they might imagine that upon reaching the threshold of that goal, a surge of dopamine would flood their system. Yet, after that brief moment of joy, what often follows is an endless wave of anxiety—

【Emotions are like a parabola; once they reach their peak, they inevitably descend into a trough, hitting rock bottom.】

No one can remain endlessly happy, growing increasingly joyful without a single negative emotion.

Otherwise, such distorted emotions would swell into madness, becoming a full-blown mental illness.

Lu Qing knew his emotional state wasn't entirely normal, so even in the face of this initial victory, he didn't experience much emotional fluctuation.

Instead, what concerned him more was whether Bai Xing had truly gained what she "wanted" from this, and whether Tang Hua's recent request was merely superficial.

Including now—

Su Ling, sitting on the sofa bed in the room, stared at the live-streaming platform that had already ended, gazing at the pitch-black screen without a word. What had triggered her?

"Su Ling?"

"Hmm, brother, you're back."

"What are you looking at?"

He took off his coat, washed his hands in the kitchen sink, and asked while tilting his head.

"Nothing, just thinking that Bai Xing must be really happy right now."

Su Ling closed her tablet, her expression blank.

"Why do you say that?"

Lu Qing knew his sister was perceptive, but he didn't think she could pick up on anything unusual from him.

However, this time... her observation wasn't directed at him, but at Bai Xing.

"Because today's livestream was amazing. Far beyond the expectations you mentioned earlier."

《The Way of Spirits · Volume Five》—By observing the changes in someone close to you, you can gauge the level of interaction between the target and the person influencing them.

This is a technique only those with SSS-level insight can master; emotional novices can't replicate it.

Su Ling turned her head slightly, lifting her face with a serious expression:

"Didn't you say, brother, that you'd be satisfied with just 100 subscriptions for the first stream?"

"...Yeah."

Lu Qing nodded.

"I know you said that, but deep down, your actual expectation was at least 300 to 500 subscriptions. You just didn't want to put too much pressure on her.

You wanted to take care of her emotions and lighten her burden.

But today, including the superchats, it surpassed 1,000 subscriptions. That's a result Bai Xing couldn't have achieved on her own."

She looked at him calmly, as if simply stating a fact.

"So, brother, you gave her a push, and you used some special methods to ease her pre-stream anxiety, keeping her smiling and happy until the very end. Am I right?"

"......"

"Brother, what did you do with her?"

......

Clearly.

In this world,

There are things Su Ling can't resist wanting to know.

There are things Su Ling can't wait to find out immediately.

For her, not everything can be approached with the detached perspective of an outsider.

Especially now, watching the smug "thieving cat" next door, seeing her brother disheveled, his body carrying the sweet scent of the girl from next door...

How could she possibly hold back from asking?

Even though she was the one who sent her brother over, how could that thieving cat really take whatever was offered? She really doesn't see herself as an outsider, does she?

If it was just a "light touch," that would be fine, but if...

If it was something more...

"......"

Su Ling didn't dare to think about it.

She didn't want to speculate.

Even though she knew her brother wasn't the type to be easily tied down by anyone, she also couldn't blindly bet that Bai Xing would stop where she was.

"She really knows how to push her luck, and she doesn't care about the consequences. Hmph, next time... I can't just send my brother over so easily. Even if it's for work, I can't keep thinking about her needs. This time I was careless, but next time I'll have to see for myself, see what's really going on with her."

Having made up her mind, Su Ling noticed Lu Qing subconsciously raising his left arm, as if to touch his lips, but stopping halfway.

"Ah..."

She immediately understood.

Letting out a soft sigh, she thought to herself, "Thank goodness. If it's just this, then it's fine."

It was as if a heavy stone in her heart had finally been lifted.

From Lu Qing's reaction, Su Ling could almost be certain that the little thing next door had merely asked for a light kiss.

It must have been a fleeting touch, not a deep, passionate one.

That's fine.

Really, it's fine.

If it had been a stalker, it wouldn't have been so simple.

Su Ling thought optimistically.

"...Well, as you can see, I gave her a little care and fulfilled some of her small, whimsical requests."

Lu Qing didn't go into detail about Bai Xing's intense, almost life-draining advances earlier,

but he felt that giving a brief summary was enough. After all, Su Ling was his sister, and as her older brother, he had already done his best by giving up many potential romantic relationships for her sake. Anything more would be unnecessary.

Sure enough, after confirming that her brother was unharmed, Su Ling relaxed even more.

She stood up and walked over to him, asking with a smile, "So, tomorrow we're going to 'Twilight Coffee,' right?"

"Yep."

"Brother, don't you need a day off? You just finished such a big task tonight."

"No need."

Lu Qing thought about it and felt that today was just the beginning.

For him, the data from the first stream was just the first step in getting Bai Xing on the right track. There were still many issues to address moving forward.

"Tomorrow I'll bring my laptop, and I'll bring a tablet for you too. They should have Wi-Fi there, so you can watch tutorials or binge shows without any trouble. Let's just treat it as our weekend afternoon tea spot."

Unconsciously, Lu Qing had already marked "Twilight Coffee" as their go-to place.

If Lin Mu could change her attitude, stop being so reclusive, and stop lashing out at everyone like a porcupine, then his "quiet observation" could proceed smoothly. At the same time, it would allow Su Ling to get up close and personal with a giant in the world of music.

His strategy was to "use force against force."

Rather than finding external teachers or relying on free online tutorials to help Su Ling, it would be better to let her witness the rise of a prodigy firsthand, to see Lin Mu play live and feel the gap between herself and her peers in real life.

This would give her far more motivation than learning from any teacher.

"Hmm..."

But how to get the little troublemaker to pick up her instrument and play in front of "guests"?

That was the question.

Lu Qing sat down on the sofa bed with his sister, thinking for a moment.

"Got it."

Suddenly, a mischievous idea came to him.

He plotted quietly:

"Tomorrow, if I deliberately provoke her... like mocking her as a music enthusiast, saying things like 'all talk, no skill' or 'you have such nice instruments, but can you actually play them?' Given her stubborn, never-back-down personality, wouldn't she fall right into the trap and start playing her bass in front of everyone to show me up?"

"Hmm... She definitely would, right? Last time her prank failed, and if I scolded or mocked her, she'd definitely try to prove me wrong. If it works, Su Ling can enjoy a free performance from a master. Plus, I can play the villain, getting 'put in my place' and then giving her a few compliments, giving her positive feedback to keep pushing forward. Perfect, two birds with one stone."

Brilliant.

Lu Qing thought his plan was absolutely brilliant.

"So, starting tomorrow, I'll take my sister and play the role of the villain, huh?"

With Su Ling looking puzzled and unable to guess his thoughts, he eagerly anticipated the next day.

......

......