Reborn One Week Before the Apocalypse

Chapter 299: Chapter 289: Advancing with the Times

When Mr. Hu first said he was going to livestream, everyone just thought he was joking.

After all, Hu Bin was the very picture of a model teacher, always serious and proper behind his glasses. He was a complete mismatch with the loud, boisterous, and over-the-top streamers everyone had in mind.

’Maybe the shock was too much for him, so he came up with this idea in a fit of pique,’ Tang Mo thought.

But soon enough, they realized that Mr. Hu had meant every single word he said that day.

Hu Bin set up the livestream entirely by himself, with the exception of Xiao Fei helping him hide his IP address.

Of course, he also enlisted Bo Niou as the star of his broadcast.

That’s right. Just as Hu Bin had said, the content of his stream was simply a broadcast of Bo Niou and Mumu.

Mumu was the name Mr. Hu had given to the potted green plant.

”Welcome, everyone, to Bo Niou and Mumu’s channel! Step right up, don’t miss out! Here, you can see the most authentic, live footage of a plant and an animal, satisfying your desire to get closer to nature. If you like what you see, please consider following. Thank you.”

Wearing a homemade mask, Mr. Hu enthusiastically promoted his channel.

And Bo Niou, perhaps because Mr. Hu had saved her, always did him the courtesy of cooperating with his energetic performance.

When she got tired of performing, she would lazily flop down next to Mumu and take a nap, leaving only the masked Hu Bin to provide commentary.

What was unexpected was that such a stream—which remained static most of the time, with only a masked man chattering away—actually became incredibly popular.

It didn’t do well for the first two days; no one believed it was a real plant and a real dog. But soon, once they realized they were looking at real Life, the viewership skyrocketed.

Even though it was just a motionless dog and a leafy green plant with barely any perceptible change, they absolutely loved watching it.

The masked Mr. Hu tried his best to tell jokes to keep his audience, a scene that should have been utterly ridiculous.

But Tang Mo didn’t feel like laughing at all. Instead, she found herself admiring the man standing in front of the camera.

She knew how he had racked his brains late at night to write those scripts, practicing them for her and the others over and over again. She also knew how many difficulties the comical host on screen had overcome.

She deeply admired people like Hu Bin, who took everything seriously, even things they weren’t good at.

The plant was also doing its part. For some unknown reason, it was growing at an abnormal rate.

No plant grew taller at a rate visible to the naked eye every day. Tang Mo even felt that at this pace, Mumu would soon blossom and bear fruit.

The enthusiasm in the stream chat was soaring. Not only did Bo Niou have a fan club, but even every single leaf on Mumu had its own fan club. The slightest change would trigger massive discussions among the viewers.

Mr. Hu struck while the iron was hot, talking to everyone daily about matters related to animals and plants to deepen their affection for these forms of Life.

Mr. Hu’s livestream also caused a huge stir offline. The biggest change was that more and more people were applying for Labor Day.

Out of love for the internet-famous Mumu, everyone wanted to see a real green plant in person.

No one knew where Bo Niou and Mumu lived, so applying for Labor Day was their only chance to come into contact with real Life.

Labor Day didn’t require many people; it was just an ”experience activity,” after all, so it was incredibly hard to get a spot.

So, some people, swept up in a passionate frenzy, even went to the glass houses to steal plants and take them home, hoping to raise them as their own treasures.

But obviously, they were quickly caught on surveillance cameras and arrested from their homes. There were no prisons in this world. No one knew where those who made mistakes ended up.

Since they were all outsiders, not rooted in this world, and didn’t have many relatives or clansmen, no one really cared about what happened to others.

However, as more and more people stole plants from the glass houses and were taken away, those who had never questioned this rule began to feel dissatisfied.

”Why can’t we raise plants?”

”Exactly! These forms of Life are so lovely. Every leaf on Mumu seems to be alive. If I also had a pot of Life like that by my side, my own life would be so much more interesting.”

”Right? What’s the point of just lying around at home? I want to touch Mumu’s adorable leaves too.”

”Look, it seems like Mumu has grown taller again recently. It might even flower soon! I don’t even dare to turn off the stream when I’m eating, I’m so afraid I’ll miss the day it buds.”

Because they had found something to love, they began to feel the oppression.

Because they felt the oppression, they wanted to resist for the first time.

What Tang Mo and the others hadn’t expected was that the star of the show wasn’t Bo Niou. Instead, Mumu had taken center stage, becoming the most popular internet celebrity.

”I really don’t get what’s so special about this plant. Has everyone gone stir-crazy from being cooped up at home?”

Tang Mo grumbled under her breath.

’Good thing Bo Niou can’t see what people are saying in the chat. If she knew her energetic daily performances were losing to a motionless plant that only knew photosynthesis, she’d be heartbroken.’

”Mumu is adorable! You can see it grow every single day. Don’t you find that especially rewarding?”

Mr. Hu spoke up in defense of the plant, all while carefully misting and cleaning its leaves with a spray bottle.

From the moment he first saw it, he had felt a special connection to this plant. That was why he had overcome so many difficulties to bring it all the way back with him.

”Well... I am kind of looking forward to seeing what it’ll grow into in the end.”

Human emotions are strange things. Watching Mumu grow day by day, seeing it change constantly, her own feelings were also slowly shifting.

If, when she first saw Mumu being uprooted, she had only felt a tinge of pity, now, she would feel a jolt of alarm whenever the elderly residents from upstairs got close to it. She’d find herself subconsciously wanting to protect the slender plant, as if driven by some sense of mission.

”There are only a few days left until the Day of Rules. Aren’t you going to mention the voting to everyone?”

Tang Mo reminded Mr. Hu, afraid he’d gotten so addicted to streaming that he had forgotten his original goal.

”It’s not time yet. Some things are best left to take their course naturally.”

Mr. Hu continued to tend to Mumu with a gentle look in his eyes, clearly having his own ideas and plans for what was to come.

Seeing Mr. Hu looking so confident and prepared, Tang Mo felt reassured and said no more.

She would just wait quietly to see what other novel ideas Mr. Hu had in store to surprise her.