Some of the suspicion in people's hearts faded upon hearing Lu Mingming's assurance.
No streamer would risk their future, would they? The cost would be too great.
Even if Lu Mingming was indeed the culprit behind stealing Jiuweihu's contestant, there would be no need for her to embarrass herself by exchanging contestants after the plan was exposed!
After all, resorting to dirty tricks meant she couldn't compete fairly. If she could guarantee a legitimate victory even against a handicapped opponent, why employ such extreme measures?
The incident was once again shrouded in layers of mist, obscuring the fundamental truth.
Jiuweihu clearly hadn't expected Lu Mingming to be so defiant, leaving them speechless and unsure how to retort.
To provoke her further now would only prove that they were deliberately targeting her.
"My method did not violate any rules, did it, Star Chief?"
Lu Mingming's eyes were filled with determination. She would never allow this false accusation to become a stain on her life.
The Star Chief nodded slightly, and a gentle yet profound voice echoed through the competition hall.
"Streamer Two will exchange her young contestant with Streamer One, and simultaneously arrange a substitute companion for Streamer Two. The competition starts in ten minutes. We hope everyone will actively strive for their spots."
The staff member beside her nodded and left to carry out the Star Chief's instructions.
Since the Star Chief had spoken, anyone with lingering dissatisfaction or questions could only suppress them and discuss them after the final results of this match were known.
The countdown on the screen resumed to ten minutes, and everything proceeded in an orderly fashion according to the program.
The media seats continued to discuss the day's news, and some streamers went to comfort Jiuweihu, making Lu Mingming's side seem empty and isolated.
Lu Mingming's thoughts drifted. She wondered when she had offended Jiuweihu.
From their first meeting, Jiuweihu's hostility was evident. Perhaps it was even earlier, during the live broadcast of the selection process... Could the account suspension be related to Jiuweihu?
Before she could ponder further, the soft ears of the little Samoyed perked up on either side of its head. Its small paws tugged at Lu Mingming's pant leg as it bounced, looking like a wiggling cloud from afar.
Its fluffy white tail gently brushed against Lu Mingming's leg, like being stroked by a light feather.
Her usually cool expression softened into a sweet smile, shedding her composure as a calm thinker and finally resembling a little angel.
Xue Gao was trying to cheer Lu Mingming up.
While the little guy's emotions and concern weren't always openly displayed like Xiao Baihu's, often being processed silently, at crucial moments, he would express his affection through clumsy actions, making one's heart melt.
Lu Mingming sniffled, forcefully suppressing her grievances, and curved her lips upwards.
She crouched down, hooking her finger under the little guy's chin, her voice muffled, "I'm fine. You should go back."
Xue Gao froze for two seconds before nudging into Lu Mingming's warm palm, rubbing its wet nose against her hand to offer comfort. This significantly improved Lu Mingming's mood, and she clenched her fist, promising.
"Mhm, I know. I'll do my best."
Only then did the little Samoyed feel at ease, trotting back to the spectator seats and sitting obediently. Its pale eyes, however, remained fixed on Lu Mingming.
As the little Samoyed left, Cheng Shiqin also came over to offer comfort.
Lu Mingming had expected Cheng Shiqin to be somewhat biased against her, but to her surprise, he was entirely nonchalant, his words expressing an indifferent attitude and encouraging her to do her best in the competition.
The ten minutes passed quickly, until the time on the screen hit zero, and the competition was about to begin its global broadcast.
Dense bullet comments drifted across the screen, visible to everyone present. If viewers particularly liked a streamer, they could switch to that streamer's solo perspective—this portion would contribute thirty percent to the final score.
[I am just a lion: I'm here, I've been waiting for a long time.]
[Desert Fox: I'm here to see Cheng Shiqin, the comeback kid, hehe.]
[Jasmine: Wuwuwu, my boss inexplicably assigned me a bunch of tasks today, I can't make it to support Mingming in person.]
[A flower among buildings: Hahahaha the one above is so pitiful, maybe you offended someone unintentionally!]
Lu Mingming spotted familiar viewer names on the electronic screen, which gave her a glimmer of confidence.
She had risen from an unknown streamer to compete through her own efforts!
If anyone tried to force her to yield, she would never surrender!
"In the first round of the competition, all streamers in the parenting zone need to identify the species of their young contestants within one minute and complete one task within thirty minutes to gain their affection.
This competition primarily tests the streamers' affinity with the contestants. The scoring will be mainly determined by the young contestants and the audience, with a ratio of 7:3.
I remind you again, please do not violate the rules! I hereby declare that the competition officially begins!"
As the Star Chief's voice faded, the streamers' little companions were led or carried into the arena by staff, assigned to each contestant.
Since Lu Mingming had agreed to swap cubs with Jiuweihu, a quiet little girl lying peacefully in a swaddle was gently carried by staff to Jiuweihu's side.
All the cubs were quiet and not crying, seeming exceptionally easy to care for. Perhaps identifying their species and feeding them would be enough to end the competition.
Among all the cubs, only one little boy with gray hair walked onto the stage alone, appearing a year older than the other young contestants.
A special mechanical watch was worn on his wrist. With a "beep," a precise electronic female voice announced Lu Mingming's location and number.
The little boy looked up, staring directly at Lu Mingming without a word, and automatically stood beside her.
The audience noticed this particularly eye-catching little assistant and flocked to Lu Mingming's live stream.
[White clouds in the distance: That's strange, this cub wasn't led by any staff.]
[Do not disturb during hibernation: Isn't it strange? This little boy... uh, he seems a bit old.]
[Sweet little gray rabbit: It's okay, it's obvious he was a last-minute addition, hehe, I'm so curious about what happened.]
Was this the substitute cub that streamers feared encountering?
Lu Mingming instinctively stroked the soft hair on the little boy's head—his hair looked fine and soft, comparable to the lanugo on the bellies of her own two cubs.
Since the fur of large animals was usually coarse, this little boy might be a small animal with dense fur.
She first ruled out cold-blooded animals with shells or scales.
Lu Mingming's heart suddenly relaxed. She knew very little about those types of cubs.
What else was left? Rodents? Birds? Rabbits? Ducks?
The little boy didn't resist Lu Mingming's touch. He even lowered his head, allowing her to gently stroke his head.
"My name is Lu Mingming. What's yours?"
Lu Mingming asked.
The little boy tightly pursed his lips and remained silent. His brown eyes blinked, staring intently at Lu Mingming's face, his head tilting slightly to the side.
Could it be a genetic defect leading to deafness?
Lu Mingming speculated, crouching down to observe the details on the little boy.
"Your watch is beautiful. Can I see it?"
The next moment, his actions shattered Lu Mingming's previous guess.
Listening to Lu Mingming, the little boy smoothly removed the mechanical watch from his wrist and handed it to her, an action that a hearing-impaired person would not typically exhibit.
However, he still kept his lips tightly shut, as if controlling something.
Lu Mingming shifted her attention to the watch and examined it carefully.
The watch screen listed commands such as "eat," "sleep," "participate in competition..." and each command's notification sound was set to "beep."
How peculiar.
While Lu Mingming was deep in thought, the sounds of other streamers completing their tasks echoed one after another. Others might have hastily guessed a species and rushed to the next stage.
After all, the majority of the score for the first competition lay in the subsequent stages.
However, Lu Mingming was not in the least bit hurried, sorting through the clues she had gathered.
It was an animal that lived a regulated life according to special instructions, and the crisp sound of "beep" was particularly favored.
This piece of information helped Lu Mingming eliminate another group of animals.
Coupled with the little boy's strange behavior, Lu Mingming had a vague guess in her mind.
She took out the last milk candy from her pocket, opened the little boy's palm, placed the candy in the center, and said gently,
"Regardless, this is a gift for you. If you like it, you can ask a staff member to get more from me."
The little boy clearly hadn't expected any streamer to "bribe" him with candy. He looked suspiciously at Lu Mingming's smiling eyes.
He glanced at the big screen. There were only ten seconds left to guess the species.
The little boy confidently unwrapped the candy and tentatively placed it on his tongue to taste.
The live stream chat erupted in fervent discussion:
[Meeting of monkeys: Streamer, this move is too cliché. Will the contestants be bought off with a piece of candy?]
[Jasmine: I have to speak up in rebuttal. I suggest watching all of Mingming's live stream replays.]
[A thousand miles of great map: Is there a link to this candy? I can't taste it before cooking without holographic projection.]
The milky white candy filled the little boy's mouth as he chewed, a rich milky fragrance melting on his taste buds. The little boy's eyes widened in surprise.
Taking this opportunity, Lu Mingming quickly asked, "How is it? Is it delicious?"
Immersed in the delicious candy, the little boy relaxed his guard and naturally repeated, "How is it, del..."
He suddenly came to his senses and slapped his hand over his mouth, preventing any further sound.
Anxiety and surprise filled the little boy's eyes, along with a cautiousness born from fear of being exposed.
Fine and dense downy hair, a regular lifestyle, sensitivity to crisp sounds... and most importantly, the ability to mimic speech.
At this point, Lu Mingming was satisfied and confirmed her conclusion. With five seconds to spare, she quietly called for the staff member waiting nearby.
"Hello, Streamer Two submits the species, determined to be: Parrot."