Chapter 179: Chapter 179: A Thief Broke Into Your House
Richie was sweating bullets as he searched his room, crying out in frustration, "I canāt believe there isnāt a single cockroach!"
He returned to his screen, looking embarrassed. "Host, Iām sorry, I couldnāt find a cockroach."
"Itās fine, you donāt have to apologize to me." Renee Jennings frowned slightly, a thoughtful expression on her face.
Richie pressed his lips together. "Host, what if I do what I said before and go borrow a pet from a friend?"
"But..." Renee smiled. "Can you guarantee that pet wonāt fall asleep?"
Richieās eyes widened. "Well... I guess I canāt guarantee that."
"Richie, are you in Zenvia City?" Renee asked.
"Yes," Richie nodded.
Renee looked at the worried young man on the screen and said softly, "Private message me your address. Iāll arrange something for you."
Hearing this, the worry on Richieās face vanished, replaced by delight. "Thank you, Host! Thank you so much!"
"Youāre welcome." Renee smiled faintly. "Any other questions?"
"Nope." Richie shook his head.
"Okay, Iām going to disconnect the call now," Renee said. "Remember to send me your address."
She disconnected the call and went back to eating her fruit.
The guava she had cut up today was sweet, tart, and soft, and she had drizzled a little sour plum juice on top, making it especially delicious.
[If you can connect without a pet, then Iām definitely going for it!]
[SOB SOB SOB, there were already so many competitors, and now I have even less of a chance...]
[Host, you need to eat your fruit, but you also need to keep the calls coming!]
"I know," Renee said, glancing at the live comments. "Iāll connect to the next person after I finish this piece."
[Iām all ready!]
[First time here. This stream is so lively! One hundred forty thousand people, whatās everyone watching?]
[Newbies, I advise you not to get sucked in, because this is way too addicting!]
Renee put down her fruit fork and said nonchalantly, "Alright, time to connect to the next person."
The third successful connection was with "Flying Rabbit."
A girl with a short, curly, chin-length bob appeared in the split-screen.
[Whoa, a gorgeous, cool beauty!]
[This girl is so pretty!]
"Thank you for the compliments, everyone," Flying Rabbit said with a smile. "Hello, Host. Thank you for letting me be the third lucky person."
Renee chuckled. "Donāt thank me. Youāre the one with good luck."
Flying Rabbit was beaming. "Out of one hundred forty thousand people, Iām the one who got through! I feel like I should go buy a lottery ticket tonight!"
"A little entertainment is definitely a good thing," Renee said. "Do you have any pets?"
"I do," Flying Rabbit replied, her eyes crinkling in a smile. "But my pet is a little different from what most people have."
Renee raised an eyebrow slightly, a flicker of curiosity in her eyes. "What do you have?"
"A turtle." Flying Rabbit walked a few steps with her phone, then flipped the camera to show a turtle in a terrarium. "Its name is Cici."
"What kind of turtle is that?" Renee asked.
Flying Rabbit replied, "Itās a Yellow-margined box turtle."
Renee picked up her spare phone and searched online for "Yellow-margined box turtle."
Her Slider, who was beside her, exclaimed, "Family, this is the first time your boy Turtle has seen someone on stream with a turtle! Weāve finally met a human with some taste! But man, this turtle is ugly!"
Renee glanced at his outstretched head and said languidly, "That one costs more than you and has a longer lifespan, too."
"...Boring. This is so boring," Slider grumbled.
Renee smiled and turned her attention back to her phone screen. "Flying Rabbit, is there anything you need my help with?"
"Host, can you communicate with turtles, too?" Flying Rabbit asked in surprise.
"I can try," Renee said.
"Then, Host, could you ask it if it likes the food I usually buy for it?" Flying Rabbit asked.
[You... Youāre wasting such a good opportunity!]
[AHHHH, if you didnāt have anything to ask, why did you connect...]
[If it were me, Iād definitely ask what my husband does when Iām not home.]
[You could ask about your boyfriend or your husband! But youāre asking what a turtle likes to eat...]
Flying Rabbit saw the live comments and explained in a serious tone, "Itās because Iām not married, and I donāt have a boyfriend."
[Turns out sheās a happy girl!]
[Then youāre forgiven.]
Flying Rabbit smiled again. She placed her phone on a stand and picked up Cici, the Yellow-margined box turtle. "Cici, baby, letās have a little chat."
Renee gazed gently at the Yellow-margined box turtle and said with a warm smile, "Hello, Cici. Iām Renee. Your owner wants to know if youāre satisfied with the food she prepares for you."
Cici the turtle stared at the phone screen with its two round, black-bean-like eyes, looking very curious.
It watched for a long while without making a sound.
Renee raised an eyebrow slightly. "Cici, can you hear me?"
Cici the turtle finally spoke, its tone slow and deliberate. "I can hear you. But can you understand what Cici says?"
"I can," Renee said. "Is there anything youād like to say to your owner?"
Cici the turtle blinked its eyes and said slowly, "I want to tell my owner to keep a close eye on her favorite purses."
"Why do you say that?" Renee asked curiously.
Cici said, "Because when Owner is not home, her sister-in-law..."
Renee frowned slightly. "Does this happen often?"
Seeing her expression, Flying Rabbit grew both curious and nervous. "Host, what did Cici say? You look a little serious..."
Renee said calmly, "Just a moment."
Flying Rabbit nodded quickly and said no more.
The viewers in the stream were also bursting with curiosity.
[Whatās going on now?]
[The cool rabbit lady isnāt married and doesnāt have a boyfriend. What kind of drama could she possibly have?]
Renee asked her previous question again. "Cici, how many times have you seen this happen?"
"Lots and lots of times," Cici replied. "Cici canāt remember."
"Okay, Iāll be sure to warn your owner," Renee said, her tone grave. "Rabbit, do you live by yourself?"
"Yes," Flying Rabbit nodded, then asked worriedly, "Donāt tell me thereās someone hiding in my house, is there?"
She had seen one of Reneeās previous streams where the police dragged a man out from under a female fanās bed.
"No." Renee shook her head.
"Oh, good." Flying Rabbit breathed a sigh of relief.
"But your house has been broken into," Renee said.
"Huh?" Flying Rabbitās eyes flew wide. "Broken into? Is the thief gone?"
"Gone," Renee confirmed.
Flying Rabbit clutched her chest again. "Good, as long as theyāre gone. You scared me to death. Iāll have to call someone to change the locks later."
"How is your relationship with your sister-in-law?" Renee asked calmly.
Flying Rabbit laughed. "Itās great! My sister-in-law is wonderful to me. Whenever she cooks something delicious, she invites me over. Sometimes she even comes over to supervise my cleaning lady, because sheās worried the woman might not be thorough or might have sticky fingers."
After saying that, she looked curious again. "Host, how did you know I have a sister-in-law?"