“What does it mean to… not be in the same district?”

Bai Youwei looked at Yi Zichu. The easy lightness that usually sat on her face was, for once, replaced by something serious.

“Tell me clearly — what does it mean to not be in the same district?”

Ning Yao was equally at a loss. She asked Yi Zichu, “I’ve only ever heard of streams being split into channels — are they also split into districts? But aren’t we all here together?”

“I don’t know all the specifics myself, but there is actually a district transfer function at the service station,” Yi Zichu said. “The district we’re in is called the Living District. Its counterpart is the Competition District. Each person only gets one transfer — so if you want to find out what the Competition District is like, you’d have to find someone who transferred in from over there and ask them.”

“Can’t you just contact people in the Competition District directly?” Bai Youwei asked.

Yi Zichu paused. “…Probably not.”

Bai Youwei frowned with frustration. “But if I can’t reach anyone over there, how am I supposed to confirm whether he’s even in the Competition District? You said each person only gets one transfer. What if I transfer over and he’s not there — I’d have made the trip for nothing, and I couldn’t come back either.”

Yi Zichu thought for a moment. “Here’s what I’ll do — I’ll go out and ask around. I used to know a scrap-collector uncle from my delivery days, and I think his roommate transferred in from the Competition District.”

He paused, then added quietly, “I just don’t know if he’s still alive.”

Bai Youwei: “……”

She hoped he was still alive.

Yi Zichu rode off on his little motorbike with a putter and a rumble, leaving the welfare home behind.

Bai Youwei, too restless to just sit and wait, decided to head to the service station herself and look into this “district transfer” function.

She arrived again at the service station — outwardly a convenience store — walked through the door, and entered a white space. Various panels materialized before her.

She scanned through them quickly. There was no mention of “district transfer” anywhere in sight.

There was a Goods Exchange panel — the largest and most practical, like an enormous general store, selling every kind of purchasable item.

There was an Event Sign-Up panel — only opened during special holidays. During the New Year, for instance, streaming a lion dance performance might qualify for a doubled-gifts event.

There was a Public Forum — a space for online communication and information sharing, something like a social media platform. The missing-person notice Bai Youwei had paid to pin at the top was the equivalent of a trending topic.

No district transfer in sight. But Yi Zichu wouldn’t have lied to her, so Bai Youwei clicked on Leaderboards.

The Leaderboards panel held every ranking in the entire streaming world. The Rising Star chart no longer showed Bai Youwei’s name, but on the Monthly Chart she had climbed to seventy-sixth place.

For someone who had only been streaming a few days, that result was already quite impressive.

Bai Youwei scrolled all the way to the bottom of the chart list, where a small line of text appeared: View Full Rankings.

Full rankings? Were there other leaderboards?

Curious, she clicked in — and all the charts went blank. In the center, a prompt appeared:

[Viewing the Competition Rankings requires a district transfer. Confirm district transfer? Yes / No]

[Note: Each resident may only apply for a district transfer once.]

[More features coming soon — stay tuned.]

Bai Youwei: “……”

So it was hidden here. Quite concealed, indeed.

She clicked “No,” then went to the forum to check the replies to her missing-person notice. Still no trace of Shen Mo.

If things kept going like this…

She might truly have to transfer districts.

Bai Youwei let out a soft sigh and left the convenience store, slowly making her way back.

As she walked, her mind turned over the question: how likely was it that Shen Mo was in the Competition District? Should she transfer or not…

—