Chapter Two: The Nine-Hundred-Yuan One-of-One

He Xiao disconnected. Less than thirty seconds later, an unknown account messaged Lin: 120,000. Immediate payment. Stop streaming. The Ledger identified it as a Hive affiliate. Its future history showed the shoes repackaged as “He Xiao's overseas discovery,” then sold three months later to a mining tycoon for 480,000. Lin declined. “Opening bid: 120,000. Ten percent goes to retired athletes' medical care. All evidence remains public, and no future owner may erase the provenance.” A buyer called Starry Sky won at 128,000 yuan. Her avatar showed a schoolgirl, and payment came from three bank cards. Lin nearly refused until she sent a photograph of herself beside her hospitalized father, an old Zhou jersey across his chest.