In the streaming room, Meimei was wailing and begging Fredy for forgiveness:
"Cilantro Daddy, you can't do this to me. I've agreed to everything you wanted, didn't you say you wouldn't force me after that video call when you wanted to see me?"
"Oh heavens, just let me die. Now that my beauty filter is off, how can I show my face to anyone anymore..."
Her hysterics were like a train wreck.
Fredy was overwhelmed, feeling both nauseous and dizzy.
Remembering how this woman once insisted she wanted to marry him terrified him so much that he threw his phone out the window.
Unexpectedly, his silly dog from the villa's yard joyfully ran over and brought the phone back to him.
Surprisingly, the phone wasn't broken, and still blared with the deafening cries.
"...You heartless fool, you lost the game, why are you taking it out on me? I'm just a decent girl, who have I wronged..."
Fredy was so angry he nearly had a heart attack.
Giving a swift kick to the wagging-tailed dog, he grabbed his phone and turned off the power, dimming the screen.
The world went silent.
Yet his heart didn't find peace.
He knew that chat room was filled with people mocking him.
The worst part was that his friends were among them.
Fredy wanted nothing more than to find a hole and disappear from this chaotic world.
"Can't stop laughing, someone paid two million to woo an old lady."
"Haha, I'm gonna post this online."
"The world just gained another heartbroken soul."
"I'm betting Lucky Bunny here is another camera filter fraud."
"Does Bunny dare to turn off her beauty filter, let our Enemy Boss feel some heartbreak?"
"Boss, have the streamer turn off the filter to see if your money was worth it."
James chuckled.
He didn't feel the need to prove anything.
But men do like to show off.
His woman being beautiful gave him immense pride.
He signaled Shirley Taylor to turn off her beauty filter to let everyone see what a real beauty looks like!
Shirley Taylor was still immersed in the aftermath of the previous spectacle.
The auntie's crying was terrifying, her makeup streaked with tears into a smudged mess, and during her struggle, her wig fell off, revealing a head of mid-parted explosive curls.
Luckily, she was still quite strong, managing to shake off the man holding her down, and switched off the computer, cutting the stream.
Otherwise, watching that scene for long would've left her traumatized.
Snapping back, Shirley Taylor noticed Enemy Brother asking her to turn off her beauty filter. She immediately obliged.
She had only turned on the filter due to poor lighting in the dorm, which made the stream appear dark.
The filter primarily brightened the screen without using any additional enhancement effects.
If everyone wanted to see her without the filter, she had no objections.
Moreover, she was worried that PublicEnemyOfLove might mistakenly think she was just another auntie.
"Bunny looks just like this; no tricks involved," she weakly assured.
The stream's screen dimmed slightly.
The girl on camera hadn't changed much.
In fact, without the brightening effect, her face appeared even more genuine.
Her long eyelashes framed dark, clear eyes, and her deep eye sockets accentuated her petite, upturned nose, giving her an exotic, delicate look.
Her soft, cherry lips wore no lipstick, yet remained vivid and attractive.
Her features were so doll-like.
And the most distinctive tear mole at her eye corner was a clear testament to the lack of beauty filter effects.
Indeed, her dorm's lighting wasn't ideal.
Without the filter, it felt like stepping twenty years back, video chatting on QQ with a pretty internet acquaintance.
The surroundings were dim, yet her clean, pure face stood brightly like a beacon.
"She's so beautiful; could she be the once-in-5000-years beauty?"
"Streamer, you remind me of my first love."
"The thought of such a beauty kneeling before a freeloader big boss makes my heart ache."
"Oh no, it's the feeling of falling in love."
"This streamer looks so small and young, is she really of age?"
Hundreds of thousands of sweet comments made Shirley Taylor beam with silly joy.
However, in the modern age of beauty technology, even with the lights off, a filter effect could persist.
Many experienced viewers doubted the existence of such a Barbie-like person, questioning her appearance in the comments.
"No way, definitely not. The streamer probably only disabled the brightening, not the whole filter."
"I bet she still has some beauty enhancement on."
"Streamer, dare to cover your left face with your hand, let's see those details up close."
"Cover the upper half with an A4 paper, including your eyes, to check if her nose and mouth deform."
"You guys are so basic; just use an ID to prove it, what's to verify?"
The last commenter's suggestion was universally embraced by the audience.
A flurry of "Show your ID" comments filled the chat, lining up in varying formations.
During this moment, at least thousands of such comments swept by.
Everyone seemed possessed by repetition, demanding the streamer show her ID.
Shirley Taylor didn't see the big deal, obediently standing up to find her document.
James worried she might reveal her personal ID details, so he sent a WhatsApp reminder.
Shirley Taylor fetched it and replied, "Got it" on WhatsApp.
She hastily returned to her seat.
Holding up her ID card to the camera, she covered the lower details, leaving only the image visible.
"There, now you believe me?"
Shirley Taylor's ID had been lost once, and a new one issued recently with a fresh photo.
Her features bore little change.
During the photo capture, she followed the officer's instructions, brushing her hair back.
Being short, the camera angle shot from above made her forehead appear exceptionally broad and shiny.
There's a phrase that fit well: "Full of heavenly calm."
"Wife, your face says you're destined for me."
"She looks like a clever little thing."
"She's really a great beauty, damn."
"The freeloader boss struck gold."
"Such a pretty girl, I'm following for sure."
"Bunny's so adorable, I want to steal Bunny away."
"Think twice upstairs, her big brother spent three million in an afternoon. You can't compete."
The lively chat said everything and anything.
James enjoyed the appreciation but also worried the audience might lead Shirley Taylor astray, and asked her via WhatsApp to end the stream.
It was time to start making moves offline.
Shirley Taylor obediently complied.
She bid farewell to the viewers.
Everyone pleaded for her return, asking when she'd stream again.
Shirley Taylor pondered and said, "I'm not sure."
Now that she had money, there was no pressing need to stream.
She figured Enemy Brother might enjoy her singing, hence her uncertain answer.
The audience lamented her departure:
"Another beauty leaving the stream."
"$300K in an afternoon, a couple more, and she'd be on top of the world."
"It's great having a big boss backing you."
"So jealous, why can't I be a girl? Just laying around would suffice."
"Dude, you realize guys can lay too, right?"
Shirley Taylor ignored the comments and decisively clicked to end the stream.
The instant shutdown of a million-viewer stream.
She then quietly awaited James's message.