Su Ling had always believed—
Generosity could earn sincerity.
"Benefiting others" and "lending assistance" could provide "support" to the girl next door.
But.
"Benefiting others" did not mean "giving to her."
"Lending assistance" did not mean "handing over."
At this moment, Su Ling sat in the room, horrified,
in the same spot on the sofa bed where her brother often sat, staring at the live stream displayed on his tablet—the flawless, peak performance of Bai Xing.
The wailing of the DDs, the Gachis instantly captivated, hundreds of wealthy fans subscribing simultaneously, a dozen admirals scrambling to greet her in the chat—
[Congratulations to "Li Ge Wudi 1" for becoming a Captain!]
[Congratulations to "Li Zong is My Big Daddy" for becoming a Captain!]
[Congratulations to "I Am Li Zong's Hound" for becoming a Captain!]
[Congratulations to "Li Ge's Word, I'll Slash the Heavens" for becoming a Captain!]…
It was done.
—She had made it.
Su Ling didn’t need to guess to realize that Bai Xing had used her unique methods to monopolize her brother and had pushed the progress forward by leaps and bounds.
But she never imagined that her own act of "sharing" would actually allow the other party to overtake her, swiftly and decisively, taking away one of Lu Qing's firsts.
"That expression of hers, that satisfied, love-filled expression, what is that about?"
"She looks like she’s just been nourished, like she’s received far more 'care' than she expected."
"It seems she’s gotten something even I haven’t experienced."
"She…"
Is she gloating?
She’s so happy.
She’s so very happy.
…
As everyone knows, "ecstasy" is often built upon "great joy."
"Great joy" refers to an extraordinary level of happiness.
It’s a level beyond "pretty good," "not bad," "very good," or "really good," surpassing even "great!" or "amazing!!" or "what?!!"—a special emotion born from acquisition.
Acquiring something one shouldn’t have.
Su Ling’s "ecstasy," though surpassing "great joy," stemmed from her brother’s unique declaration and affirmation, confirming her irreplaceable position in his heart, even surpassing that of the former "her," securing an important place that no outsider could encroach upon.
But that didn’t mean she didn’t want other things.
Like what Bai Xing had acquired today—"Senior’s first kiss."
…
…
From acquisition comes great joy.
From great joy comes satisfaction.
The tension instantly vanished, and the "loving gaze" of the meibi was conveyed by the girl in her own way, with a fresh understanding, through the most immediate intuition.
In this crowded live stream, it was performed flawlessly, without a single flaw.
[Congratulations to "Future Wen Le" for becoming an Admiral of this live stream!]
[Congratulations to "Yang Ao Nai Wo He" for becoming a Captain!]
[Congratulations to "Cat Steps No No" for becoming an Admiral of this live stream!]
[Congratulations to "Li Is My Big Brother" for becoming an Admiral of this live stream!]…
At this very moment.
Having completed his "mission," Lu Qing lay on Bai Xing’s bed, which was filled with the scent of a young girl, holding his phone and asking some key questions in the WeChat group chat "5012."
He wanted to ease the still-racing emotions that had been surging since earlier.
He had agreed to the girl’s request and successfully allowed her to gain the inspiration she needed.
She had learned "love," and he had paid… something that couldn’t quite be called a price.
In any case, the exchange was fair.
Lu Qing: "No, Yang Zai, why did you subscribe too? And Wen Le, why did you become an Admiral? You didn’t need to spend money like that…"
Yang Zai: "Ah, there weren’t many haters in the stream today, and the few that were there got permanently banned. I thought our streamer was so good-looking, I couldn’t help but subscribe. Compared to Li Ge, it’s nothing, really nothing."
Wen Le: "True, I just called up a few friends in the group chat, got about a dozen guys to subscribe, but that guy Li… damn, he’s really something, isn’t he? He’s not holding back at all."
Lu Qing: "???"
The leader, Li Mingshi: "Sit down, everyone, sit down."
Lu Qing: "Hey, Li, those accounts with 'Li' in their names… the 500-plus Captains, were those all your doing???"
Li Mingshi: "What are you talking about? They’re all brothers, how can you call them shills! I just saw those two helping you out, got curious, and thought, 'Hey, you told them but not me, do you have something against me?!' So I asked some of the guys I know to 'show some support.' Don’t worry, I didn’t spend a single cent, so it’s all voluntary on their part, completely voluntary. Has nothing to do with me."
"???"
Damn.
Lu Qing glanced at the number of Captains in the live stream—it had already soared past 600.
Excluding the wild DDs who subscribed voluntarily, at least 500 of those accounts were Li Mingshi’s so-called "brothers."
At over a hundred bucks per Captain, that amounted to at least sixty grand, not to mention the few Admirals mixed in (costing 2000R each).
Lu Qing: "No way, you have that many brothers? You didn’t force them to spend money, did you?"
Li Mingshi: "Of course not, I never force my brothers to spend money. I’m a benevolent leader, not a tyrant, okay? Lu Qing, don’t overthink it. Wen Le told me the first stream is crucial in the Vtuber world, so I just gave you a little boost, set a good example, so you can grow smoothly later, not start off in hell, right?"
"..."
Alright then.
Lu Qing fully understood—Li Mingshi wasn’t just "being nice" on the surface.
This was a huge favor, and if Li ever needed help in the future, Lu Qing would have to step up.
Lu Qing: "Got it, Li. I’ll remember what you did today. And Wen Le, Yang Zai, I’ll treat you all to a big meal later, let’s have a dorm gathering, okay?"
Wen Le: "Sounds good. Focus on the stream for now, we’ll talk later. Judging by the momentum tonight, the first stream should hit at least 800 Captains! By the way, how did you come up with the theme 'Silent Companion'? The title is such a banger, haha."
Lu Qing: "Just standard stuff, no big deal."
Wen Le: "Paired with your white succubus, it’s perfect."
"..."
Click.
Lu Qing ended the conversation.
White succubus…
referring to [Bai Xing playing the role of a succubus].
Specifically, the version of her in front of the screen, being captured by the motion-tracking camera in all her delicate, frame-perfect beauty, embodying the image of a succubus.
Wen Le knew about the person behind the avatar.
Zhang Yang and Li Mingshi probably knew too, since it wasn’t a secret at school anymore.
But what they didn’t know was that Bai Xing was once Xingyue Rina, the former top Vtuber with thousands of subscribers from Xsoul.
Now, she was working hard for him.
Tonight’s revenue would likely soar past seventy or eighty thousand, and that was a conservative estimate.
Looking at her delicate figure, Lu Qing felt dazed.
Everything seemed to be moving in a positive direction, and she was getting closer to the life she once desired.
As long as he continued to stand behind her, supporting her, providing her with endless motivation—
until her wings were fully grown.
Then, even if he left one day, Bai Xing would be able to stand on her own, bearing the weight of the world’s hardships, and face any challenge with courage.
"I hope she gets better."
"I hope she stops crying."
"I hope she’s happy today."
If possible.
I also hope she…
[Doesn’t get too addicted.]
…
…