Knock, knock, knock.
The sound of knocking echoed.
……Knock, knock, knock!
The knocking grew increasingly frantic.
Thud! Thud! Bang!
“?!”
Finally, Bai Xing jolted awake from her chair.
Like a startled wildcat, she turned to glance at the apartment door, then cautiously got up and walked over.
Click.
The door opened. The girl peeked out, looking left and right, only to find no one outside.
She couldn’t help but frown, her expression puzzled.
“Huh…”
Just as she was about to take another look around, suddenly, her eyes widened—
“Wait, I… I was supposed to be live streaming! Did I fall asleep during the stream?! Oh no, the mic was still on!”
Realizing the severity of the situation, she no longer cared about who had been knocking on the door. With a sense of urgency, she slammed the door shut and rushed back to her chair, grabbing the headphones and frantically apologizing to the screen:
“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry… I accidentally fell asleep, everyone. You guys won’t be mad at Rina-chan, right? I’ve just been so tired lately, I hope you can forgive me… Hehe!”
She made a cute, silly catgirl expression, sticking out her tongue and clenching her fists, trying to smooth things over.
But deep down, she felt a mix of tension and regret, scolding herself for being so undisciplined, falling asleep at such a crucial moment.
If the fans left because of this, her income would definitely be unstable, and how would she cover her grandmother’s chemotherapy costs?
Such a risk was something she couldn’t afford.
“No, no… I can’t let this happen again. I’m not a child anymore; I don’t deserve to have enough sleep.”
She warned herself internally, trying to rally her spirits.
However, even after a short nap, under prolonged stress, her focus was still scattered. Simply reading the chat messages and the scripts sent by the director and others was already beyond her capacity.
[Black Listening is Fun: “Hey, are you kidding me? You really fell asleep? Don’t you owe the audience some compensation for waiting so long? Just trying to brush it off like that?”]
[Ganti King: “Can the streamer just not talk? I prefer listening to your sleeping breaths, they’re soothing.”]
[Instigator: “Let’s all leave, the host is awake, it’s no fun anymore.”]
“…”
Unexpectedly, the situation in the stream took a turn for the worse.
Seeing the trolls actually leaving in droves, the number of haters had grown so much that even the moderators couldn’t keep up. For the first time, Bai Xing felt a sense of powerlessness, as if she was being bullied by these lowlifes during a live stream. Her smile froze on her face, unsure of how to respond.
Some subscribers and patrons tried to defend her, but with such a large audience, the fact that she had fallen asleep during a stream was already a weak point. So, the supportive comments quickly got drowned out by more toxic remarks.
“I heard knocking coming from the streamer’s end earlier. Did someone really dox her successfully?”
“Rina-chan, is there a man standing behind you?”
“Hey, is there really a guy standing next to you watching you stream? Come on, say something.”
“Can’t you just send us fans some selfies instead of letting a man dox you?”
“Won’t even show your face? So stingy?”
“Hehe, don’t worry, brothers. If she really gets doxxed, her photos will pop up on Zhihu or Tieba soon enough. Then everyone can see what she looks like!”
“Really? I don’t believe it.”
“What if someone keeps it to themselves? Wait, has she already been… you know… in real life? We’re pouring money into her by subscribing and becoming patrons, aren’t we just fools?”
“Ah… I was going to subscribe, but now I don’t feel like it.”
Clearly, there were quite a few fans of other streamers mixed in, here just to stir up trouble and create drama. Her moderators were already overwhelmed.
Seeing the torrent of toxic comments raining down on her, the girl’s originally cheerful facade finally crumbled. Her expression gradually turned twisted and vicious.
“So, everyone thinks that a virtual wife can’t sleep, right?”
Her voice shifted from the cheerful, cute girl tone to Bai Xing’s natural voice.
“…”
“Everyone believes that the person behind the idol isn’t allowed to be tired, right?”
[“What’s happening all of a sudden…”]
[“Rina-chan looks scary…”]
[“Rina’s voice changed, is she really angry?”]
[“Is she going to start yelling at us? We’re her fans! Is she going to just give up?”]
“Hehe, I’m talking to you, the one with the ID ‘Black Listening is Fun.’ Why don’t you just go die? Black listening is fine, but what are you babbling about here? If your mouth is too dirty, you can sew it shut. If you can’t speak, then don’t. If you can’t afford a subscription, then leave. If none of that works, you can always slit your wrists.
Go look in the mirror and see what you look like. A pathetic, weak loser in real life, and now you’re a keyboard warrior, feeling all powerful, huh? Finally found a place to vent your garbage emotions, didn’t you? Your mom doesn’t have to worry about you being ignored like a dog at school or in society anymore, does she?”
Her words silenced the entire room.
[“?!”]
[“Rina-chan cursed!”]
[“She cursed!”]
[“She’s mad, she’s mad! She’s really angry!”]
[“Oh no, is she going to get banned by the admin? That’s an instant ban, right?”]
“Ban me? Hehe, go ahead, try it. The one with the ID ‘Instigator,’ you’re such a loser, aren’t you? All you can think about is reporting, reporting, reporting. Don’t you know that doing something like that curses your ancestors three generations back? You must be so proud of yourself, huh? So full of energy, brainless, and a complete idiot.”
“And you, the one with the ID ‘Ganti King.’ I saw your messages earlier. Wow, you’re really good at stirring up trouble, aren’t you? So eager to cause chaos in my stream? Did another streamer send you here? Enjoy being a little doggy, huh? Wow, so pitiful, being ordered around like that, wagging your tail so high! But tell me… does it really make you happy? Enjoy crawling around, do you? Hehe, so cute.”
At this moment, Bai Xing seemed like a completely different person, no longer caring about the barrage of comments and sarcastic remarks coming her way.
All she could think about was relief, wanting to end this, to finally escape this exhausting and meaningless life.
So tired, pretending to be someone else is so tiring.
Wearing this mask is so tiring.
Dragging this weary body around, pretending I’m not tired, is so tiring.
I can’t hold on anymore, my eyelids are fighting each other.
Even lashing out at these disgusting fans doesn’t help me focus. I can’t perform like I used to, can’t carry on with the stream as usual.
It seems everything is going to fall apart.
Fine, let it all burn.
This garbage world.
Just before her consciousness faded, she mustered all her strength, grabbed the mouse, and clicked the 「End Stream」 button.
Zzzt—
The screen went dark.
…
Next door.
Leaning against the wall, Lu Qing stared intently at his phone screen, watching the chaos unfold in the live broadcast room. His heart raced.
[“Sob sob sob, don’t end the stream! Rina-chan, I want to be scolded too!”]
[“Getting scolded by Rina-chan feels so good, so satisfying… I didn’t get enough, I want more, more… What should I do, brothers?”]
[“Duh, just subscribe! What are you waiting for?!”]
(Congratulations to ID: Black Listening is Fun for becoming a Captain!)
(Congratulations to ID: DD Executioner for becoming a Captain!)
(Congratulations to ID: StarryMoonRina’s Dog for becoming a Admiral!)
[“Got it, today’s third stream isn’t a sleep stream, it’s a scolding stream! No wonder she’s a top streamer, the quality is unmatched! So satisfying, I’ll definitely come back next time!”]
["Black listening to the stream, provoking the streamer, getting scolded by the streamer, indulging in the streamer… Oh no, I think I’m hooked, I want to be scolded by Rina-chan…"]
【“Rina-chan's insults are so lewd, I love it, so sweet. (emoji: licking tongue)”】
At this moment, the live stream has completely spiraled out of control.
The unexpected live stream process and the completely opposite live stream effect have led to the live broadcast room, even in an un-broadcast state, people are still trying to squeeze into it.
They want to see what kind of streamer dares to publicly insult fans and can increase by 100 ships in an instant.
DDs' spending continues, but Lu Qing has already lost interest in paying attention to the messages in the live stream room.
What can be confirmed is that his guess has been established.
The appearance of the thunderclap solidified the previous suspicions, and the test of pounding the wall, through the sound feedback from the headphones, confirmed that someone next door was live streaming.
No doubt, Xingyue Rina is Bai Xing herself.
Such a truth makes Lu Qing feel incredulous, yet it seems within the realm of possibility.
“Come to think of it, the last time she said goodbye to me in Rina's voice was not accidental, nor was it some kind of auditory hallucination, but rather, she did it on purpose.”
Recalling the scene of taking the elevator together, Lu Qing has a vivid impression.
“She was probably testing me to see if I had discovered her true identity. This means she is in the dark, and I am in the light.”
“In other words, she knows I have given her a ship.”
Lu Qing's thoughts are clear, and with a little contemplation, he can see through the girl's motives.
“Now, the roles have switched. She doesn't know that I know her identity, and she still thinks I don't know her identity, so I am in the dark, and she is in the light.”
By smashing the door to wake her up and letting her successfully start the live stream to stop the flaming, this was the best solution Lu Qing could think of in a short period of time.
Although the process was a bit bumpy, the result was always good. Now she has gained more fans, more ships, and her value is rising.
However, he must not let her discover these actions, or else it might be awkward when they meet at school in the future.
“I gave my junior a ship, and my junior happens to live next door to me. In other words, I admitted that I am my junior's DD with my actions. What kind of situation is this…”
Lu Qing shook his head vigorously, feeling that such a ridiculous relationship should not be established.
Of course, what needs to be helped in secret should still be helped.
“Bai Xing, Bai Xing, so you made so much money through virtual live streaming… Indeed, I didn't misjudge you.”
Compared to flesh trade, the girl's self-reliance has far exceeded his expectations.
Not only did she earn enough tuition through her own hands, but she also used this money to take care of her critically ill grandmother and could go to the hospital for accompanying care no matter how busy her studies were, always on call.
She goes to school during the day, live streams at night, doesn't sleep at midnight, and gets up early on weekends to take care of the patient.
Is she a magical girl?
“If this continues, her body will not be able to hold up…”
Recalling her condition when they bought breakfast together in the morning, it was worse than the last time they met by not just one level.
She also experienced drowsiness during the live stream, and such a thing happening once will happen again, and it might get worse.
It can be confirmed that in these two years, Bai Xing has been living alone in a rented house, and there has never been anyone coming to visit her, or any interaction with relatives and friends.
Rather, in some ways, she is very similar to himself, independent and otaku, handling everything by herself, not relying on others, not bothering others, living their own lives, and not disturbing each other.
If possible, Lu Qing would like to have a dozen such good neighbors.
Introverts would be overjoyed.
But what should be considered now is not these, but about the heroine's identity, she has already proven that she is qualified.
“If it is decided to make her the protagonist of the new work, then the next step is to explore her inner world.”
According to his own creative methodology, the setting of a top-tier heroine not only needs outstanding appearance, special preferences, interesting details, and a soul that is one in ten thousand, but also needs to have a character arc unique to herself—
That is, the growth and transformation of the heart.
It is obvious that Bai Xing is at a very significant turning point in her life.
According to observation, her grandmother's illness is the thing she cares about the most at this stage. Whether it develops in a good or bad direction will greatly change her life.
She seems to have no other relatives and is very lonely.
Such a girl, struggling to survive in Tianhai City, and even studying at an art university… is no different from surviving in a crack, which is rare.
On Friday, during the market research class, I will be with her for an interview, and then I can explore her state more deeply. Well.
In order to successfully create the heroine's character, he doesn't want Bai Xing to collapse before her image is fully fleshed out.
But without sleep, the state will always get worse, and there might even be a risk of sudden death. It's completely using youth as capital to squander, not considering the limits of the body.
Lu Qing calmly pondered, “If nothing unexpected happens, her way of life won't last long. I have to think of a way to get her life back on track…”
“So, how exactly can I reduce her pressure?”
He is used to approaching things from the perspective of needs.
The girl's need is to cure her grandmother's illness, and to cure her grandmother's illness, a lot of money needs to be invested.
In order to earn so much money, she has to work day and night, exhaust her body to prepare live stream content, and at the same time, balance her studies, completely putting her body at the bottom of the list.
Then, as long as a certain amount of money is provided to her, her life burden can be reduced, at least she won't have to stay up all night to live stream.
“Investing in her as a return for the new book taking off is also not a bad idea, the only problem is, how to make this investment reasonable and not be discovered by her?”
Lu Qing concentrated his thoughts.
After an unknown period of time, he suddenly had a flash of inspiration.
Opening his phone, finding Wen Le's WeChat, he asked expressionlessly:
“Good brother, if I give a streamer a governor, is there a way to let her get more money than the existing share?”
…
…