My aunt is a magical girl, and so am I.

Chapter 30 I fucking want to be a VIP!

Chu Sheng didn't understand: "What customer?"

"Customers who will tip you," said Crane Master. "Large amounts of SC (Superior Rank), Captain, Admiral, Governor, and huge gifts can be given away on the first day of the broadcast. As soon as you start broadcasting, gifts will keep appearing on the screen until you finish. The platform will boost your popularity, passersby will click to watch, and niche accounts will come sniffing out the trend."

Chu Sheng's heart skipped a beat, and he almost immediately imagined that scene.

[The boss is so generous!]

[So many governors on the first day of the new VIP account?]

What's their background?

[This shorty has the potential to be promoted? Following.]

The trending list climbed, and a homepage recommendation popped up with the title "The small town magical girl was so shocked by the million-dollar reward during her first broadcast that she was speechless."

Even if most people come to have fun, a small portion will stay!

Chu Sheng tried to calm himself down: "And then? How will the money from the tips be split?"

The crane hermit looked at her and said, "You won't get a single penny."

Chu Sheng blinked: "What did you say?"

"The platform takes half of that money, and the rest goes into Baihe Society's settlement account. After deducting necessary costs and Baihe Society's service fee, it's returned to the business channel designated by the client." Crane Immortal spoke slowly. "Externally, it's recorded as live streaming consumption, as virtual streamer content rewards. For you, it's a first broadcast becoming a hit, soaring on the charts, and attracting numerous bosses."

Chu Sheng's face paled: "Say that again?"

Master Crane did not repeat himself, but simply looked at her calmly.

Chu Sheng finally realized what was happening and lowered his voice: "What you're doing is money laundering!"

"You know this word, so I don't need to explain it." Master Crane crossed his arms.

"I fucking want to be a V, not a washing machine!" Chu Sheng gritted his teeth.

Someone in the coffee shop glanced this way. Master Crane raised a finger and shushed them: "Don't get excited. Strictly speaking, it's not just money laundering, but also activities like inflating transaction records, cashing out, fake spending, and budget repatriation. How it's specifically classified depends on who's investigating in the end."

Chu Sheng was practically exploding with rage: "You seem to know a lot, huh?"

"After owing more than six million, people start to understand a lot of things," said He Xianren. "For example, the platform's revenue sharing cycle, tax risks, bank risk control models, and what words are most likely to become evidence in a recording."

Chu Sheng almost spilled the coffee on her face, but she held back.

It's too expensive; it would be a waste to spill it.

"So you talked to me about this all yesterday?"

"Not entirely." Master Crane lowered his eyes. "You are indeed suited to be a VTuber, I'm not lying to you."

"You can refuse," she said, looking up. "But I have to lay out the benefits. First, Baihe Studio will provide you with the equipment—microphones, sound cards, a studio, and motion capture cameras—so you won't have to borrow equipment or owe anyone favors. Second, I'll create the script and pacing for your first broadcast. Third, you'll receive a lot of tips on the day you go live, and the platform's algorithm will treat your broadcast as a high-value channel."

Chu Sheng gritted his teeth: "Fourth, I won't get a single penny."

"For the first three months, gift revenue won't count as your income. What you'll get is popularity, followers, and account growth. After three months, if the account becomes active, you can get a share of the gifts from regular viewers."

"What about the dirty money?"

"You don't need to touch it," said the crane hermit. "I'll handle it."

"Aren't you afraid I'll rush to the other branch office and report you right now?" Chu Sheng gripped his small umbrella tightly, ready to run away at any moment.

"I'm not afraid." Master Crane looked out the window at the police station building. "I haven't even started yet. Do you have any evidence?"

Chu Sheng was momentarily at a loss for words when it came to how to curse.

She looked down at the two cups of coffee on the table, feeling as if she were being pulled by two hands. On one side was the popularity she longed for, and on the other side were risk control, taxation, platform investigations, the management bureau's disciplinary inspection, and Gu Yanru's disappointed eyes.

"If I refuse," Chu Sheng's voice was low, "would you still help me with the premiere?"

The crane hermit looked at her for a while.

"Yes, but only the basic version," she said. "You can borrow the equipment once, and I'll give you a rough draft of the script, but I won't take care of anything after that. Given the current situation at Baihe Society, we can't offer free training in the long run."

Chu Sheng looked up: "What if I agree?"

Master Crane took a black folder out of his laptop bag and pushed it in front of her. The folder cover had the white crane logo of the White Crane Society printed on it.

"Sign up with the White Crane Society. I'll manage the resources initially, you'll be in the spotlight to operate the account, and the society will handle the settlement of business and gift revenue. You don't need to know the specific list of gray-area clients, and don't ask about the details of the refunds. The fewer questions you ask, the more convincing your act will be later."

Chu Sheng stared at her, feeling his heart pounding in his chest: "Are you teaching me how to commit a crime?"

"A senior showing care for a newcomer," said Crane Master calmly.

Chu was so angry she wanted to laugh, so she opened the folder.

The first page is the "Virtual Anchor Incubation Cooperation Agreement", the second page is the "Account Operation Authorization Letter", and the third page is the "Confidentiality Agreement".

The fourth page contained a handwritten note with very messy handwriting.

Think carefully before you sign.

Chu Sheng looked up at the Crane Immortal: "You can even advise people to think things through?"

"I hadn't thought it through before," said the crane hermit, "so now I'm sitting in front of you."

Chu Sheng lowered his head and turned the pages of the agreement one by one.

She couldn't understand many of the terms, but some words were glaringly obvious, such as exclusive cooperation, revenue collection on behalf of others, penalty for breach of contract, abnormal cash flow, risk borne by the party, reputational damage, and cooperation with investigations.

"Risk borne by the individual?" Chu Sheng pointed to that line. "You just said Baihe Society would handle it!"

Crane Hermit glanced at it: "That's definitely written in the contract."

Chu Sheng closed the agreement without signing it, but he also didn't push the folder back.

"Master Crane," she finally spoke.

"Um?"

"I'll pay you back for the 2,500 yuan coffee later."

Master Crane raised an eyebrow: "And then?"

Chu Sheng pushed the folder back a little: "I won't sign the agreement, at least not now."

Master Crane's expression showed no surprise: "Reason?"

Chu Sheng looked at her and said, "I want to be famous, but I'm not so poor that I need the bureau chief to arrest me personally."

Master Crane chuckled and put the folder back into his bag: "Okay."

Seeing her so readily agree, Chu Sheng felt a little uneasy: "You're giving up just like that?"

"If you don't do it, plenty of people will." Master He pulled his laptop bag shut. "Besides, you just said 'I won't sign now.'"

Master Crane picked up her coffee and drank it all in one gulp. Then she looked at the almost untouched Panama Geisha in front of Chu Sheng: "Aren't you going to drink it?"

Chu Sheng glanced down at it, then hesitated, "I'd like to pack it up."

Master Crane closed his eyes speechlessly: "If you try to pack hand-drip coffee, the barista will assassinate you."

"Then I'll drink it." Chu Sheng picked up the cup and forced himself to take a big gulp.

Seeing her like this, Crane Immortal pushed a tissue towards her: "Shall we go borrow equipment from Shangguan Fengyi this afternoon?"

Chu Sheng was taken aback: "How did you know?"

"This is the only way for a poor wretch like you to become a verified user," Crane Master chuckled. "Go ahead. If she's really willing to lend you things, it means the Propaganda Department hasn't given up on you yet."

Chu Sheng immediately stood up, clipped the small parasol to his arm, and his imposing manner returned: "Then I'll go to the branch office first!"

"etc."

The hermit called her over and tossed her a USB drive.

Chu Sheng hurriedly caught it, asking, "What's this?"

"A basic framework for the premiere, a guide to dealing with haters, and links to three other live stream recordings from the same industry for reference," said He Xianren. "It's free, but you'd better keep your mouth shut."

Chu Sheng, holding the USB drive, was somewhat surprised: "Aren't you afraid I'll take the stuff and report you?"

Master Crane revealed a knowing smile: "You will come back to find me."

Chu Sheng gave a haughty snort: "You're overconfident, aren't you?"