Chapter 6: The Entire Internet is Searching for the Black-Clad Lucky Koi

The fact that Jin Li only has a junior high school diploma is as well-known as her fame.

When she first exploded in popularity, netizens and fans would trade insults, both using this fact as dirt to attack her.

But compared to other idols who also only had junior high diplomas, Jin Li didn't have those high-minded, idealistic speeches like "dropping out to chase my dreams," "pouring my youth and sweat into the practice room," or "not studying just to focus on doing one thing well."

When facing media cameras, the reason Jin Li gave in her own words was: "I didn't have the money to study."

This reason was once mocked by netizens. It’s 4202; how could there still be someone who didn't go to high school because they couldn't afford it? What is this, a savage from the primitive era?

But Jin Li really didn't have the money.

The orphanage she lived in offered to pay for her schooling, but she refused.

As for the reason, the original owner never spoke of it; only Jin Li, who inherited her memories, knows.

She gave up that tuition money, which cost several thousand yuan every year, and persuaded the orphanage director—her "Mother Director"—to use the money to pay for the medical treatment of one of the children in the orphanage.

The child had congenital leukemia, and the annual treatment costs were a bottomless pit.

Even knowing it was a disease that couldn't be cured no matter how much money was thrown at it, it still had to be treated.

When the child was abandoned, she was only three years old and had walked to the orphanage herself; her parents had lied to her, telling her it was her new home.

And so, it had always been her home.

The truth of the matter was just that shitty.

There was no such thing as moving, tear-jerking human affection; there was only the bloody, cruel reality revealed once the skin was peeled back.

After graduating from junior high, Jin Li went out to work. She waited tables, worked in factories, washed hair... she did almost every job that didn't require a diploma.

At 21, someone told her she was pretty and that she should see if she could become a star to make some money.

Make. Some. Money.

So Jin Li went from company to company. During an interview at her former agency, an event happened to need people. The agency was short-staffed, and since Jin Li was pretty, she was pushed out there as a temporary fix.

Just like that, she became an idol in a whirlwind.

Jin Li snapped back to reality and walked into the bedroom.

In the corner of the room sat a desk filled with various stationery and school supplies.

Sticky notes, folders, document bags... Jin Li even dug out a "Five Years of College Entrance Exams, Three Years of Simulation" workbook and "Huanggang Secret Papers" from the very bottom.

She reached out and gently stroked the workbook, which looked brand new. A flash of contemplation crossed her eyes; the original owner must have really wanted to go to school.

It was just that at that age, she had made the decision she believed was the most correct.

Jin Li didn't judge her actions. When many people do something, they don't consider the future; they only seek a clear conscience.

After dinner, Jin Li opened her laptop and went to a self-study website to look for high school freshman courses. There were 10 free trial lessons, and she planned to watch them all.

Time slipped away second by second. In her focused state, she didn't notice the time passing. By the time she came to her senses, her notebook was filled with dense, cramped writing.

She checked her phone; it was 10:00 PM, and there wasn't a single private message.

Jin Li stared at the various apps on her phone, hesitated for a few seconds, and decided to turn off the lights and go to sleep.

Her body was in too poor a condition; she couldn't stay up late.

Time rewinds to 6:00 PM.

A short video of someone going up the mountain to burn incense passed through layers of traffic pools and was pushed out to the public.

In the video, the blogger filmed the morning incense-burning scene at the Nancheng Yueshan Great Temple, then the camera turned to focus on the girl in black standing in the first position, giving her a thumbs-up.

"I heard this girl started lining up last night when the temple closed. She's really going all out to grab the first incense stick! Wishing her all her heart's desires!"

The scene shifted, still showing the girl in black. She wore a hat, her slightly visible eyes looked very focused, and her dark hair hung down like a waterfall, some strands falling onto her shoulders, others playfully sticking to her cheeks.

Large characters appeared on the screen—

【At Nancheng Yueshan Great Temple, after a woman grabbed the first incense stick, she ran to a nearby lottery stand and bought 100 scratch-offs. She scratched them in public in front of the main hall, and the last one won 200,000! Tourists rushed to the lottery stand and bought it out in half an hour!】

The scene shifted again, and the owner of the lottery stand near the temple appeared on camera.

"We've been in business for many years. Usually, tourists come by to buy a few to play with, and some buy a whole stack. Our lottery tickets can be picked by anyone as long as you don't damage them. A girl won 200,000 this morning; everyone doesn't need to be too surprised. This isn't the highest amount ever won in my shop; someone once won 500,000 here. Scratch-offs are never rigged; we treat everyone fairly!"

This short video continued to ferment and was pushed to more and more people.

In just one night, it became a massive hit across the entire internet!

Moments of friends were the first to fall—

【What kind of living koi fish is this? Someone who hasn't even picked up 1 yuan from childhood to adulthood is here [Dog]】

【I'm running to Nancheng Yueshan Great Temple tomorrow to burn incense and follow the example of that koi sister!】

【Yueshan Great Temple is right next to my house. The main hall enshrines the God of Wealth who distributes money to help the poor—Liu Haichan! Liu Hai plays with the golden toad, fishing for money with every step! I've heard this story since I was a kid.】

【Why didn't I think of this? Got it, I'm running to the God of Wealth tomorrow to scratch some tickets!】

...

The image of the girl in black scratching out the 200,000 card was screenshotted and carried over to spaces, blogs, forums... some people even used it as their profile picture!

The event's popularity fermented quickly. Many netizens were asking, who is this lucky koi sister?

But for some reason, the "Black-Clad Koi" seemed like a person who didn't exist; no one jumped out to claim it, and the omnipotent media couldn't find her either.

Until a Jin Li fan saw this video and, without even reacting, happily shared it to the fan group.

[I ran into Li-bao again. Look how good I am! This time I even found her in a passerby's video!]

Before long, the fan group became active, starting with a bunch of sycophants.

[So strong, too strong!]

[God, you really have a connection with Li-bao!]

[When will I be able to run into Li-bao too~]

Suddenly, a fan sent a long string of exclamation marks.

[！！！！！！！！！！！！]

[Is Li-bao actually the Black-Clad Koi sister?]

This really blew things up!

And Jin Li, who was fast asleep, knew nothing of all this.

The next day, she woke up.

Jin Li checked her physical condition; there was no dizziness or blurred vision, and her state was quite good.

She felt this was the result of studying hard yesterday, so she planned to continue studying today.

At noon, Sui Lingfang called her, "I've already set up your Maozhua Live account; I'll send it to your phone in a bit."

Although she said yesterday that she would let the Maozhua Live opportunity cool off for a bit, she didn't dare let it cool for too long.

Who knew if it would just die out if left alone?

Streaming was a relatively easy gig; she could do it from home, and she really wanted Jin Li to take it.

"Tell me when you're going to stream; I'll stay by your side," Sui Lingfang instructed.

Jin Li agreed, then said, "I plan to start streaming this afternoon. Fang-jie, if you're busy, you don't have to come over."

Sui Lingfang was silent for a moment, as if considering something.

Jin Li added, "I'm just going to chat with the netizens for a bit. I won't be on for long; I plan to stream myself studying."