Chapter 26 Super Rockets x 1000
He spoke slowly, the electric signals adding warmth and charm to his voice. Natalie breathed lightly, not wanting to expose the fact that her heart was throbbing.
Once there was a little secret in one's heart, he would subconsciously avoid a particular topic. Natalie could not even answer him at that moment.
"Why are you ignoring me?" Luke was relaxed and deliberately teased, "Are you hiding a man at home?"
The other side of the phone was quiet and there was no unnecessary noise, maybe he was on the balcony. His voice melted into the evening breeze and it sounded crystal clear in her ears.
Even though it was a joke, it made her struggle to think straight.
The toilet was not far from the living room and Natalie hid behind the door, not daring to speak too loudly, "No…"
She was holding her breath, her voice soft like a kitten mewing.
After a moment of silence, Luke scoffed, "Speak properly."
Natalie's voice was still weak. "Huh?"
"The ones who don't know…" He paused with a chuckle, then, he finished his sentence with insipid hoarseness, "...will think that you're having an affair with me."
Initially, Natalie did not feel that way, but just after he said that, Mia called out to her from the living room coincidentally. In that instance, Natalie's heart skipped a beat. The strong light from the infrared heater made her palms wet. It seemed that she did have an affair in this situation.
Natalie could not calm herself down and she seemed to not hear Luke when he said "having affair". Then, she swallowed and said, minding her own affair, "I-I have to go now."
Her excuse to escape was clumsy.
Luke smiled and did not expose her, "Where to?"
"My friend's cousin is livestreaming at home," Natalie explained briefly.
He did not seem to care, instead, he asked, "What time tomorrow?"
His tone sounded casual like he was just picking her up from work and it was just some trivial matters in his daily life.
However, she had not agreed and he had already decided for her.
"I must have a moral backbone, at least, I can't let him string me along..." When she thought about that, Natalie stammered, "If I don't go, I'll tell you."
"So you're asking me to wait for your notice at home? Can't you just tell me now?" Luke chuckled and said lazily.
Natalie pretended to be calm, "No..."
She was bashful, but at the same time, she was a little proud.
After she went back to the living room, Natalie could not calm herself down after a very long time. Luckily, they were busy with the preparation so they did not notice the abnormal blush on her face.
Mia's cousin was named Lily Marsh. She was cheerful and extroverted, and just like her name, she was natural and pure. She was studying broadcasting at Alcomara University, and she was also a contracted streamer on a livestreaming platform. She said she was developing her skills but in reality, she just had a craving and she found an excuse for that.
In recent years, short videos were rising in popularity, and streamers who would stream themselves eating were everywhere, as long as they looked good and knew some basic skills about marketing, they would rise to fame very quickly.
Lily wanted to take advantage of this boom. She had a doll face and when she smiled, she had very deep dimples. Her pigtails were dyed red and green so her style could be regarded as cute and also a delinquent. She had nearly a million fans and most of them were nerds. So, she could be categorized as a small internet influencer.
This was not the first time Lily did a livestream at Mia's house. She did this before and because of Mia's hilarious blabbers, the effect of the stream was amazing. Hence, Lily's fans were clamoring, saying that they wanted to hear Lily's cousin's "wise words".
So, Lily immediately seized the secret to popularity and struck the iron while it was hot. She immediately started a second show named "The Meat Feast in My Cousin's House".
Large plates of meat and vegetables were packed to the brim on a wide marble coffee table. There were crispy pork belly, lamb spine, pork trotter noodles, grilled fish, chicken stew, beef stew... Natalie suspected that the three girls would not be able to finish half of the food.
"Mia, did you forget to tell Kingsley and the others? Remember to tell them to come and support me." Lily took off her coat.
Mia rolled her eyes at her. "Kingsley doesn't have the time to watch your stream, but the others might give you some Submarines."
"... Well, that's fine."
"Nata, just sit there and eat. You can just ignore her." Mia rolled up her sleeves and she looked like she was ready to start.
The disappointment in Lily's eyes vanished in an instant. She sat cross-legged on the carpet and waved her hand forward imposingly, "This is my territory, so Natalie, please help yourself to anything you want."
"..."
To be honest, Natalie felt full from just looking at this scene.
The camera was facing the middle, so Lily would be the only one in the stream. Meanwhile, Natalie and Mia were sitting on the carpet on both sides and they would not be on camera.
At 8 pm, Lily started the stream on time. Her opening was smooth and sophisticated, she did not look inexperienced at all. Plus, she was very professional. Natalie watched the stream quietly next to her. It was all very new to her but she figured that it was quite interesting.
"Guys, this crispy pork belly is amazing! It's so delicious and crispy! Let's look at the lamb spine too. It's boiled in a high-temperature broth, so it's so soft that the meat will fall off the bones when you suck on it. How exciting! You should eat something hot during winter..."
The on-screen comments on the stream were updated in real-time.
"I'm dying of hunger in Lily's stream."
"It's so healing watching Lily eat."
...
When Lily was eating her favorite pork trotter noodles, Lily mixed them happily but she could not find any meat. She was stunned and she asked, "Mia, where are the pork trotters?"
Mia's voice came from outside the camera, "Huh?"
"Where are the pork trotters? Did you eat them?"
Lily, "..."
"Hahahaha! Lily is so stunned. I bet you one Rocket that Mia definitely ate them!"
"I'm dying of laughter at Mia's self-confidence."
"Look at how she conned that kid (crying from laughter)."
...
"Put some beef in it then."
Lily lifted her head. "No."
"I'll start eating then." Mia was unconcerned.
"...Mia, you're so heartless." Lily protested coquettishly, "When the female lead in dramas says no, the male lead will definitely go soft for her."
When Natalie heard this, she felt her heart stopping for a second.
Then, Mia scoffed, "Their 'no' sound like they're flirting while your 'no' sound like you're playing a card game."
"...?"
The on-screen comment section was filled with laughter.
"Do you know how to say no to make the male lead fall head over heels with you?" Mia turned and faced Natalie. Then, she lifted her brows, harboring malicious intentions. "Nata, show her."
Natalie was watching this scene while drinking her yogurt. When she was suddenly called upon, she was stunned. Her teeth left the straw and subconsciously rejected, "No."
After she said that, she quickly covered her mouth and looked at Mia in terror.
Then, the latter stifled her laughter, looking like she had gotten away with this.
After Natalie fell for this, there was an short imperceptible silence in the on-screen comment section before it blew up in the next second.
"Damn, who's that lady that spoke just now? Give me all of her information within three minutes!"
"Ah!"
"That was such a gift to voice fetishists! I'm emotionally affected! I'm falling in love!"
"It's so sweet, so soft, and so gentle. Boohoo. I'm so surprise. Except for 'I love this so much', I don't know what else to say. Boohoo."
"What a tease! What a tease!"
...
At this moment, the men came to support the stream coincidentally. They sent some Rockets and Submarines at one go, the scene was so impressive and imposing.
The audience seemed to be affected and all of them started to send presents.
When Lily saw the presents coming into the stream and the number of people online increasing rapidly, her eyes lit up suddenly like shiny coins. As she happily accepted the presents, she introduced Natalie magnanimously, "She's my cousin's best friend. She's super gorgeous!'
The audience were all begging to see Natalie's face on their on-screen comments.
Lily was a little giddy after receiving so many presents. So, she did not think before pulling Natalie over joyfully. "Tell me whether Natalie is pretty!"
Natalie was caught off guard and she fell into the screen.
At that moment, she was still holding half of the yogurt that she was still drinking. Her soft hair fell next to her ears and she was wearing a soft blue and pink short-collared shirt that was made from fluffy mohair. Hence, she looked ethereal and soft.
Her clear eyes looked dazed and her skin was fair and translucent. In addition, there was a small mole on the wing of her nose, giving others the disorderly and vague impression that she was a fairy who had descended into the mundane world.
The audience shifted from enjoying the eating to appreciating Natalie's beauty.
"She's so beautiful! She's as beautiful as a poem!"
"Help! She is so beautiful that it's unreal!"
"If I say this sweet lady is top 1, no one will say no, right?"
"Gosh, how is she so gorgeous?"
"How much money do I need to pay to marry her?"
...
After a while.
FC gifted Super Rockets x 10.
Mia was so shocked that her double chin was showing. She then mouthed to Lily, "Damn, Kingsley is here!"
After Lily finished whispering to Natalie, "Natalie, please don't go. Please help me. Please! If you leave, the people who gave us presents will scold me to death!"
She quickly understood what Mia was trying to tell her.
Lily was dazed for a short second, and then her eyes burst with surprise. "Thank you for the Super Rockets, Kingsley. You're amazing!"
At this time, someone realized what was going on and the on-screen comments began to get more and more restless.
"Wait wait wait! I discovered something shocking! I-I-Isn't she the lady who became a trending topic with Luke a while back?"
"Gosh, the one in the parking lot?"
"Ah! It's her! She's someone's girlfriend!"
"Does Luke not know that she is streaming? Why isn't he here to support his girlfriend? Go spread the news!"
"The guy that wants to marry her just now, you're done for. How dare you steal Luke's girlfriend from him..."
...
When she saw the on-screen comments that were on the verge of collapsing, Lily finally came back to her senses. She realized that she had accidentally freeloaded on some popularity.
...Yikes.
An arrow that was shot out could not return to the bow. So, Lily could only continue her stream. Meanwhile, Mia was looking at Natalie with a look that says "I'm sorry"
Natalie sat there frozen. She was very reserved and she did not dare to look straight into the camera. She was worried that she would become the butt of public criticism after she left Lily.
Actually, it was fine for her to accompany Lily, but the netizens went too much. It was getting more and more difficult for her to clarify her relationship with Luke.
After a while, the popularity of Lily's stream became number one on the platform. The term "Foodie Lily's Stream" was even a trending topic.
Compared to Lily, Natalie was only taking small bites because she was very uncomfortable in front of the camera. She controlled her lower jaw and chewed slowly. She looked very polite as she ate, just like the gentle and reticent good girl when they were in school.
"She looks like such a good girl sitting there. Boohoo."
"Who doesn't like good girls?"
"Lily, control yourself. I'm going to die of laughter. You're like a mastiff next to her."
"She's the legendary woman who can make Luke fall in love!"
"Will Luke come later? I'm going to stay here all night!"
"Ah! Same!"
...
Of course, some people among them were jealous of Natalie. They were getting more and more envious of her.
"Stop daydreaming. Luke won't come."
"Yeah, we don't even know whether she's his girlfriend. She's using Luke's name to stream herself eating, does she not think that she'll embarrass Luke? And you still want him to come to watch her? What a joke."
...
As expected, a fight broke out in the on-screen comments.
wr_sdgg0937 entered the stream.
The stream was in such a commotion that no one noticed this newly registered account. The fans in the on-screen comments were still fighting with the jealous women.
Until...
wr_sdgg0937 gifted Super Rockets x1000
The colorful special effects being worth of a thousand Super Rocketss blinded the eyes of the audience.
The audience was instantly stunned.
Lily's eyes were wide and her jaw dropped. The fish she picked up just now fell back into the plate.
At that moment, the on-screen comments started hollering. They guessed that this was Luke. After all, he was so generous with his gifts and they could not think of other possible candidates who could do that.
The jealous ones who were still mocking Natalie previously were all slapped across the face painfully. Immediately, they fell silent. 
The wr_sdgg0937 did not say anything and he did not leave. After he gave out the Super Rocketss, he stayed quietly in the stream.
Although they were just guesses, Natalie's heart was still thumping. She felt hot as if she had fallen into lava.
She could not sit still anymore.
Natalie got up immediately and ran away without caring about anyone else.
"She's blushing!"
"Gosh, wr_sdgg0937 left the moment she left!"
"Ah! It's confirmed! It's Luke!"
"Where are the jealous ones who said that Luke won't come to see her? Where are they now? Why are they not speaking? Huh?"
"Hahaha, this feels amazing. They're all slapped across the face by Luke."
"The PDA is strong in this one..."
...
Natalie did not know how that stream ended. After she fled into the bedroom and she never came out again.
Just before going to bed, she heard Mia say that the thousand Super Rocketss scared Lily to death. She was not up to her usual standard during the second half of the stream and she did not even finish her meat.
"Was that really Luke?" Mia was curious.
The two girls faced each other in the same blanket and started their late-night chat. Natalie became more and more embarrassed as Mia stared at her so bluntly. Then, she lay down on her side, avoiding Mia's gaze.
"I don't think so," Natalie said, looking at the dim light of the night light.
Mia insisted, "I don't believe that Lily has the charm being worth of a thousand Super Rocketss."
"..."
Natalie thought for a while before turning back, "Mia."
"Yeah?"
"Tomorrow, I'm... going home."
Mia yawned in exhaustion and said, "Just stay here with me. I'll be worried if you stay by yourself."
It was difficult to tell Mia about Luke indeed.
Natalie bit her lip and said with difficulty, "No... I'll explain to you later next time."
Natalie was restless that night.
When she fell asleep, she was still wondering groggily whether it was really Luke who gifted the Super Rocketss.
The next day, Natalie woke up naturally. When she grabbed her phone from the nightstand and took a look, it was already 10 in the morning.
When it was 9, Luke sent her a message.
"I'm waiting for you. Come down when you're awake."
Natalie quivered and was wide awake. Then, she hurriedly got out of bed. To prevent waking Mia up, she tiptoed to the balcony and returned Luke's call.
It was a cloudy day but it was windy. When the wind penetrated her cotton nightwear, it sent a chill to her skin and bones. Natalie held the phone to her ear, rubbing her arm as she listened to the dial tone.
Luke answered the call.
Natalie's breathing hitched. She said softly, "Luke?"
"You're awake." The chuckle in his voice sounded lazy, like the sweet murmurs the morning after night of passion.
Natalie's heart was fluttering. Her voice was soft after she just woken up. "I just saw the text... I didn't know you woke up so early."
After the awkwardness last night, her answer was vague. Right now, Natalie was feeling inevitably guilty.
"You did this to me while I was hospitalized," he said.
When he said that, Natalie recalled how he did not get enough sleep when she redressed his wounds back then. He looked like a lion cub, fidgety but non-threatening.
His short hair was soft and he looked so cute she wanted to caress his head.
Natalie giggled softly.
"Come down after you're done packing. I'm hungry from waiting," Luke sighed, seemingly self-satisfied.
Suddenly, Natalie widened her eyes in surprise. "You're still here?"
"Didn't you say you'll tell me if you don't want to come?" His voice was deep, and it seemed that he was saying that since she did not inform him, she had agreed to go, and that was why he came.
It was indisputable.
Natalie retorted a little angrily, "...You're too early."
"In case you change your mind again."
Luke's tone was half-joking and half-serious.
Having said that, it sounded like he was looking forward to her living with him... Natalie slightly inched her toes forward in her slippers to try to divert her attention.
How did it become like this? She was confused and could not understand.
Seeing that Mia was still sound asleep, Natalie did not wake her up since it was finally the weekend. After washing up, she walked out the door gently with the backpack on her back.
The Wrangler was parked at the spot where he dropped her off five days ago at the entrance of Fenton Bay. Natalie spotted it at a glance.
The driver's window was open and the man had his arms on it, his forearms dangling outside casually with a lit cigarette between his fingers. It was almost a week since she last saw him and he still looked the same, like he was rebelling against orthodoxy
Looking from a distance, Natalie felt that she was heading toward a dark fairy tale that would make people slowly lose themselves.
Luke looked up and saw her at the same time.
Their eyes met and Natalie lowered her eyelids suddenly. After that, she went to sit in the passenger seat. She was not looking at him when she put on her seatbelt. "I'm ready."
Luke looked at her side profile and did not start driving. He then raised the corners of his lip imperceptibly, "Have you lost weight?"
Natalie was stunned and she looked at him. "Have I?"
"Yes." Luke put out his cigarette. "You should eat more."
"..."
He continued slowly, "To make me go out of breath when I hug you next time."
This sentence easily made her recall the memories of that night. She was wailing sadly in his arms and her entire weight was on him. It was very innocent back then, but when she recalled it, she was affected by his strange tone.
For some reason, she thought of the term "heads rubbing together".
In that instance, a blush crept onto Natalie's face.
She said to herself, "No more again!"