MTL NOVEL Chapter 48: 48
Squatting in the restroom, Xiao Wen's eyes lit up when she heard Ye Yinchuan's words.
She finally understood why Hu Yue had always looked out for him.
There had to be something about Ye Yinchuan's character that Hu Yue admired, and now she could feel it too.
It was a simple feeling—resonance, and a natural response to kindness.
"Pidgey Can't Fly, your empathy is a great quality. Don't let the opinions of others bring you down. And this empathy of yours will actually help you judge how far to push the exposure therapy."
"My advice is this: even if you think it might be a bit painful or difficult for Pidgey, you should still have the resolve to try. Just like with children—when they're afraid of something, should we just let them avoid it forever? Of course not, because we know that facing fears is the right thing to do."
"Of course, we don't always have to chase what's considered 'right.' If Pidgey truly can't adapt, or if you genuinely believe it's already at its best as it is, then you don't have to do anything. No one can force you to change it."
["In short, love it, but don't spoil it."]
["Streamer has a solid mindset, following!"]
["A grounded Pidgey isn't a bad thing. Just like some people prefer to lay low and live easy."]
"I understand now, streamer. I'll seriously consider it and maybe try some things. I'd also like to ask you for some guidance on how exactly to do it. I have no experience, and I don't want to mess this up."
Hearing this, Ye Yinchuan nodded.
"If you make up your mind later, feel free to come back to my stream anytime. For now, if you want to try something simple, lift Pidgey up slowly over your head. This won't be dangerous, and you can control the pace."
"Just be sure to take precautions—maybe wear gloves or a helmet. If Pidgey panics and swipes at you, think about whether your little head can handle it."
As he spoke, Ye Yinchuan glanced at Pidgey's talons. They had a jade-like luster, but they also gleamed with a metallic sharpness—especially those razor-sharp claws.
Pidgey might be a gentle Pokémon, but it was still a creature of the wild. In the animal kingdom, it would be classified as a bird of prey.
Most Pidgey don't even learn "Scratch," but if it swiped at you, that was no joke!
["I once got scratched by a wild Pidgey. It was no big deal—just had to repeat elementary school."]
["Bro, did you forget to drink Meng Po's soup?"]
["Pidgey's got three talons—just enough to turn your head into a bowling ball."]
Ye Yinchuan almost burst out laughing at the chat. What kind of dark humor was this?
"Uh… Got it," came a slightly nervous response from the other end.
[User 'Pidgey Can't Fly' has sent a gift: Poké Ball x1!]
"Thank you for the gift, miss! Wishing your Pidgey a speedy recovery and soaring flights ahead!"
Even a small gift was still support.
Ye Yinchuan wasn't the type to look down on small contributions.
[User 'Pidgey Can't Fly' has sent a gift: Great Ball x1!]
As a blue-and-white Poké Ball with two red dots popped up on the screen, Ye Yinchuan instantly recognized it as a Great Ball.
It was worth about five times the price of a regular Poké Ball—266 yuan, not 250, because that number was considered unlucky.
"Wow, thank you so much! If your Pidgey ever has any issues, just let me know, and I'll take a look."
Originally, he thought he'd only earn enough for a small meal today. Now, it was looking like a feast.
And when the money came in, of course, his tone got warmer.
"He found Pidgey's problem and even gave me a solution… I only meant to tip him a Poké Ball, but I got carried away and sent a Great Ball too…"
In the company restroom, Xiao Wen muttered to herself in slight regret.
"Xiao Wen, get a grip! You're a professional streamer—people tip you, not the other way around! Stay rational and stop spending!"
"…But still, he's really good at what he does. A visit to a Pokémon clinic would cost way more than this, and they might not even find the problem. What's wrong with tipping him?"
She sighed, stroking Pidgey's fluffy cheeks, feeling its warmth.
She decided she'd suit up with gloves and a helmet later and give the exposure therapy a shot.
Meanwhile, back on Ye Yinchuan's end—
After wrapping up the session with "Pidgey Can't Fly," he took a tactical sip of water.
"Alright, next appraisal!"
["Pick me, streamer! Me!"]
["I just bought a Cyndaquil! Can you take a look at it?"]
["If you don't pick me, I'm reporting you."]
Watching the flood of enthusiastic messages and the continuous stream of connection requests, Ye Yinchuan felt a sense of success.
It wasn't long ago that he had to beg people to connect with him.
Just as he was about to randomly select someone—
[User 'Stop Now, Ah Zu' has sent a gift: Master Ball x1!]
[Gift message: Streamer, take a look at this for me. Is a Master Ball enough?]
As the familiar Master Ball bounced onto the screen, Ye Yinchuan felt like he had just been hit in the face with a stack of cash.
He instantly felt the sheer power of "Ah Zu's" generosity.
["Alright, so we're playing like this now?"]
["Streamer, add a Land Rover fragment to your collection."]
["Watching the streamer make money is harder to endure than losing the lottery."]
["Ah Zu, stop now! The furniture store is waiting outside!"]
"Sigh… Family, this is real money being spent. I have no choice but to pick him, right?"
["Wrong, because the money isn't coming to me."]
["We demand profit sharing!"]
Ignoring the complaints, Ye Yinchuan accepted "Ah Zu's" connection request.
[Connection successful.]
"Ah Zu, hello."
"Hello, streamer."
A bald head appeared on screen, glistening with sweat.
As he looked up, his narrow eyes squinted slightly—not necessarily in a sketchy way, but definitely giving off a mischievous vibe.
Rubbing his head, Ah Zu grinned at Ye Yinchuan.
"Streamer, I need your help appraising this."
With that—
Something round and bald emerged from the bottom of the screen.
["Holy sh*t, I thought he pulled out another bald head!"]
["For a second, I thought that was 'Little Ah Zu'…"}]
["Is that a Pokémon egg? Oh, this guy's playing dirty."]
Ye Yinchuan narrowed his eyes as he saw the object, a playful smirk forming on his lips.
"Ah Zu, I appraise Pokémon, not eggs."
The term "egg gambling" referred to dealing in Pokémon eggs—appraising, collecting, and selling them.
Since Pokémon eggs had a high degree of randomness, there was an element of gambling involved.
"Come on, streamer, you've got sharp eyes. If you can appraise Pokémon, you can definitely appraise their eggs too. Besides, eggs are Pokémon—just unhatched ones, right?"
"I mean, technically, you're not wrong, but—"
"No buts! Streamer, I've got plenty of eggs. If you appraise them well, I promise there'll be no shortage of Master Balls!"
Hearing this, Ye Yinchuan could only nod.
With wealth like this being thrown at him, how could he say no?
His gaze locked onto the egg…
------------------
Support me and the story on Patreon:
Join my patreon for 30+ chapters!!
patreon.com/FictionFan248