Chapter 16: Reported by Someone, Official Account Steps In? Wrongfully Accused, Officer Tan!
Hu Yue, watching from behind her screen, saw Ye Yinchuan's livestream turn the situation around. Her slightly furrowed brows relaxed:
"Xiao Chuan's really doing better now. But how did he pull that off? Back in the guild, if he'd had this skill, maybe he could've stayed…"
Though puzzled, Hu Yue didn't ask further. She silently clicked the follow button and exited the stream.
She'd definitely drop by to support Ye Yinchuan's streams in the future, but for now, she had her own work to handle.
Just as Hu Yue left the stream, another female streamer leaned over her shoulder and teased:
"Hu Yue-jie, isn't that Xiao Chuan? After getting kicked out of the guild, he's still doing livestreams? I think I just saw you gifting him too. With so many guys chasing after you, don't tell me you've got a soft spot for this broke kid?"
"Xiao Wen, what nonsense are you spouting?!"
Hu Yue turned around, her slender, manicured fingers wrapping around Xiao Wen's neck in mock threat.
Xiao Wen, like Hu Yue, was a streamer signed under the guild—a "regular army" with contracts, unlike Ye Yinchuan's independent setup.
While Hu Yue had a mature, elegant vibe, Xiao Wen was the mischievous, cute type, always dressed fashionably.
"Gah! Hu Yue-jie, are you trying to silence me? If you didn't have some feelings for him, why'd you secretly cover that half-month salary the scummy company refused to pay him?"
Xiao Wen pretended to be strangled but kept peeking to gauge Hu Yue's reaction.
Hu Yue let go, exasperated:
"Xiao Chuan, just like you, was someone I recruited. When the shareholders decided on layoffs, there was nothing I could do. He'd just graduated high school when he started streaming. I see him as a little brother—how could I let him get treated unfairly? And besides, he…"
She almost mentioned Ye Yinchuan's background—that he was an orphan with no one to rely on—but stopped herself. That was private.
"And besides, what? That he's kinda cute? Or sweet-talking? Though a fresh-out-of-school little bro is pretty tender!"
Xiao Wen's eyes curved slyly like a fox's.
Thunk!
Hu Yue flicked her forehead, making Xiao Wen yelp and clutch her head.
"You're literally two days older than him on your ID. Don't think I don't know. Calling him 'little brother'…"
"Wahhh, I don't care! You're bullying me! One minute older is still an older sister!"
Xiao Wen put on a pitiful act, but her scheming grin gave her away:
"Fine, Hu Yue-jie, your little bro is my little bro too. I've already noted his stream name—'Kabi Treasure Appraisal,' right? I'll go support him next time."
"Don't you dare!"
Hu Yue glared, but Xiao Wen just stuck out her tongue and scampered off:
"Lalalala! Gotta go do my makeup for the next stream!"
Meanwhile, in Ye Yinchuan's stream…
Under the barrage of relentless chat messages, "Skinny Monkey" Hou Xiaotian had reached peak embarrassment—face flushed, utterly humbled.
"Alright, alright, he's just a high schooler. Don't bully him too much."
Seeing Hou Xiaotian thoroughly chastened, Ye Yinchuan's earlier frustration had completely dissipated.
As a streamer, he had to maintain the atmosphere and pacing.
"Fatty, if you've got no more questions, we'll end the call here."
Fatty scratched his head, thinking, When did the streamer start calling me 'Fatty' so casually?
"No problem, streamer. I'll come back next time."
With that, Fatty disconnected.
"Anyone else want to connect?"
[Me! Me!]
[Pick me, streamer! I gifted you!]
Ye Yinchuan noticed the viewer count was climbing rapidly.
The reason was simple—retention and gifting metrics were strong.
Plus, this being only his second stream, the platform's algorithm was likely evaluating his performance.
He'd clearly passed the test again.
Just as he hesitated over which viewer to connect with next, a notification popped up, making his heart skip a beat.
[User "Pokémon Protection Bureau · Officer Tan" has entered your livestream!]
"Huh?"
Ye Yinchuan froze. Why would an official account drop into his tiny stream?
In this Pokémon world, the Pokémon Protection Bureau held significant authority, handling Pokémon-related public security issues, including cybercrime.
Oh no. Am I on their radar?
A wave of guilt washed over him, though he couldn't think of anything illegal he'd done. Probably fine!
[User "Pokémon Protection Bureau · Officer Tan" has requested a live connection!]
Staring at the request, Ye Yinchuan broke into a light sweat. Clicking the profile confirmed it—the blue verification badge marked it as an official account.
No idea what they wanted, but he couldn't exactly refuse.
[Connection successful!]
The screen split, revealing a uniformed officer with a friendly face.
[Whoa! Is that Officer Tan?!]
[Did the streamer do something shady to warrant an official visit?]
[Officer Tan's moving up in the world, connecting with Kabi Treasure Appraisal!]
[Called it! This streamer's definitely sus!]
Reading the playful (and slightly accusatory) chat, Ye Yinchuan rubbed his face, flashing a Nicolas Cage-worthy grin—equal parts awkward and amused.
"Officer Tan, hello!"
He quickly straightened up and greeted the man.
"Ah, what a handsome young lad! So young and already streaming—are you even of age?"
Officer Tan came off as down-to-earth, no airs about him.
"I am, I am. Just turned eighteen this year."
[This doesn't bode well.]
[Streamer, what shady stuff have you been doing off-camera?]
Ye Yinchuan answered truthfully.
"An eighteen-year-old, full of spirit. Let me cut to the chase. We received reports that your stream appears heavily scripted, potentially involving online fraud. Don't panic—I'm just here to ask. Without evidence, we won't take action."
[Translation: If we find evidence, you're done for.]
[Got it. Evidence-gathering mission.]
"Wrongfully accused, Officer Tan! I'm an independent streamer, brand-new at this. Where would I even get a script? Even if I wanted to, I couldn't afford to hire actors! I'm just trying to make ends meet—why would I lose money on this?"
Ye Yinchuan poured on the dramatics.
Nearby, his Kabi (Munchlax) noticed the commotion and waddled over, peering at the screen as if investigating.
"And online fraud? That's even more absurd! Fraud implies financial gain, right? Sure, I get gifts, but those are voluntary—no transactions here!"
[The streamer's got a Munchlax? His place does look kinda run-down…]
[Probably jealous competitors reporting him. Poor guy!]
[Officer Tan, say something!]
[LMAO, none of you noticed the streamer's barely suppressing a grin? The official account's boosting his viewer count!]
Ye Yinchuan had to admit—since Officer Tan joined, his numbers had skyrocketed, and chat was buzzing.
People loved drama. Or maybe they just loved the uniform.
"Don't misunderstand. I'm just here on behalf of the Pokémon Protection Bureau to clarify things. You're doing Pokémon appraisal content—do you have any certification or professional credentials for that?"
Officer Tan dropped the question Ye Yinchuan really didn't want to answer.
Because… he didn't have any.