"No, dude, are you crazy?!"
The next morning during class, Wen Le rushed to Lu Qing's seat with his phone in hand, his face a mix of shock and disbelief as he pointed at the message on the screen.
"I went to bed early yesterday and didn't see it. Dude, what's going on with you? Are you really that obsessed?!"
Seeing Lu Qing, who was clearly up all night, Wen Le grabbed his sleeve and shook him vigorously. "Hey, snap out of it! You know the Governor costs 20,000 yuan, right? You can't actually go for that! If you were talking about gifting a Captain to Hoshizuki Rina, I'd be all for it, and even if you wanted to go for a Governor, I wouldn't try to stop you, but you suddenly bring up the Governor thing... what's going on here?"
At this point, his voice paused, as if he had just realized something.
"Oh, I get it. You must have listened to her whole rant last night, right? You... you got off on being insulted! That must be it."
Wen Le suddenly understood, his eyes gleaming with realization. "Dude, I never knew you were such a masochist."
For Lu Qing, Wen Le thought he knew him pretty well.
But this hidden fetish was a first for him today.
"Cut it out, you haven't answered my real question yet. Is there any way to make sure she gets more of the money?"
Lu Qing yawned, trying to stay awake.
Actually, he had thought about it a lot last night. According to the rules of the Dimensional Wall website, all gift donations to streamers only get half of the value after platform fees. And if fans use a Guozi phone, even more is deducted, leaving less than half.
Additionally, he had checked Hoshizuki Rina's profile. It was clear that she was not a "Personal Trend."
The term "Trend" refers to the style or affiliation of a streamer. A Personal Trend is a virtual streamer who is completely free, unrestricted, and can stream whenever and for however long they want.
These VTBs, who often treat streaming as a hobby or part-time job, rarely stream on a fixed schedule.
But Hoshizuki Rina clearly didn't have the time to be a Personal Trend.
This meant she was affiliated with a live-streaming guild. Normally, she would stream with the help of guild members, who would take care of planning the show's theme, managing her image, maintaining live broadcast discipline, and editing the final clips, so she didn't have to worry about any of it.
With her studies and the need to care for elderly relatives in the hospital, if she had to do everything herself, she wouldn't have time for anything else.
So, to receive this support, she had to give two or three percent of her income to the guild leader.
For a 100 yuan gift, the person behind the avatar would only get about 20 yuan. And if someone spent 20,000 yuan on a Governor, she might end up with only 4,000 yuan. This was definitely not worth it.
Lu Qing understood this, which was why, after considering investing in Hoshizuki Rina, he first thought of talking to his best friend, since Wen Le knew more about this stuff and might have better ideas.
"Huh?"
Wen Le was still stuck on the bewilderment of his friend becoming a hardcore fan, so he had no intention of answering the question.
From his perspective, Lu Qing, who had never watched virtual streamers before and was just a writing otaku, had only watched Hoshizuki Rina's streams three times and suddenly wanted to become a Governor?
Was he that rich? Or was he secretly a hardcore weeb?
It didn't seem like it...
And he had explicitly advised him not to become a Governor, not to become a Governor.
How come just a few days later, he himself wanted to go for it? Was he bewitched?
Wen Le realized the situation was not simple, but no matter what, he believed it was crucial to nip this crazy idea in the bud.
Otherwise, today his friend was still saying "Hoshizuki Rina is so good, Hoshizuki Rina is so cute," and in a few days, he might be grabbing him, demanding, "Why did you introduce her to me? I have no living expenses left, it's all your fault, refund me! Give me my money back!"
That would be a disaster.
"Dude, listen to me."
Wen Le took a deep breath and asked seriously, "Do you know who usually becomes a Governor for a virtual streamer?"
Hearing this question, Lu Qing thought for a moment.
Soon he answered, "Rich guys."
"Wrong."
Wen Le immediately waved his hand, as if he had expected this answer. He explained, "Let me give you an example from people around us."
"You see, Old Li is a rich guy, right? As you know, Old Li may be rich, but he's definitely not stupid. He wouldn't knowingly throw away money, half of which would go to the platform, just to show off by gifting to a favorite female streamer, right? That would be stupid and pointless for him."
"That makes sense."
"So, who actually becomes a Governor in the V-tuber community?"
"Who?"
Wen Le paused, then held up two fingers with his index and middle fingers, "I'll tell you, based on my experience, there are only two possibilities."
His expression was unusually serious.
"First, the streamer's own guild or its leader, who might spend heavily to promote the streamer or get traffic from the platform.
When they become a Governor, platforms like Dimensional Wall will burst a treasure chest, notifying all other live stream viewers and drawing a lot of attention. So this is more of an investment, with half the cost flowing back and the other half used to buy traffic.
And you should know, the money the guild spends on the streamer will later be deducted from her salary, so she gets nothing. It's a scam, you understand?"
"Ah... I get it. So if you can't resist and follow the trend to become a Governor, it's like being led by a shill and losing big, right?"
"Exactly."
"Got it."
Lu Qing listened carefully, then asked, "What's the second one?"
"The second one... the second one..."
Wen Le let out a cryptic chuckle and adjusted his glasses.
Then he looked at Lu Qing.
"The second one, the technical term is 'old man.' Like you."
"?"
Lu Qing frowned, "I'm not old."
"Right, you're not old, but that doesn't stop you from wanting to be an 'old man.'"
"..."
Clearly, Wen Le's words were a bit abstract, and Lu Qing didn't fully understand.
Wen Le explained, "Some big brothers watch VTBs not because they're like me, a diehard fan who just likes 'watching the show,' but because they see VTBs as a kind of borderline live-streaming. Like what Yang Zai said, he thinks VTBs are just faceless 'hot chicks,' and as long as you spend money, you can still get what you want. These people are called 'old men' in the V-tuber community."
"Wait, what do you mean by 'what you want'?"
"Yeah."
"What do you mean?"
Wen Le clicked his tongue and said mysteriously, "You know, what do big brothers usually like to do?"
Lu Qing thought for a moment, "I don't know about big brothers, but Old Li usually likes massages and foot rubs."
"Ah, that's right. So the big brothers who like VTBs are just a variation of Old Li, right? They just think going to the bathhouse for a foot rub is boring and want to try something new online, so they spend money on virtual streamers, waiting for them to privately message their contact info, then go offline, meet up, and do some... unmentionable transactions, following the process. And then... graduate."
"???"
Wen Le's words were so loaded with information that Lu Qing's brain was overloaded.
He knew that the term "graduation" in the V-tuber community referred to "ending the streaming career," meaning permanently stopping the broadcast.
This was an official announcement, essentially meaning the account could no longer be used for streaming, and the guild would reclaim the account and permanently disable it. Even if the person behind the avatar wanted to stream, they would have to "reincarnate"—that is, use a new avatar and start over with a new identity.
This would result in all previous efforts, fan bases, achievements, and badges being wiped out.
As if they had never existed.
"Wait, you're saying this... is common in the V-tuber community?" he asked.
"I don't know about 'normal,' but among the over a thousand VTBs I follow, dozens, if not hundreds, have suddenly 'graduated' for no apparent reason. There are rumors and evidence suggesting they've found wealthy older men to 'settle down' with. And we, the poor abandoned fans, are left like stray dogs, silently mourning over our former fan badges, trying to find new streamers who resemble our past favorites, all in a desperate attempt to relive the irretrievable past..."
As he spoke, Wen Le's mood noticeably dropped, clearly hinting at some personal experience.
"Virtual streamers emerge from the virtual world and eventually return to it, leaving only regret and reflection. I know that sounds a bit abstract, but do you get it?"
"…I think so."
"Qing, I'm telling you all this just to make one point: don't get too invested, really, don't."
Wen Le sighed heavily. "I know, that night after you watched Hoshizuki Rina's voice showcase, you became obsessed with her. You didn't even scold me afterward, which is so unlike your usual self.
But you have to understand, buddy, I really don't want you to get sucked in. From my experience, I can tell you with certainty that the money you spend might only bring you pain, not joy. The joy is fleeting, but the aftermath is brutal."
"…"
"You're new to this scene, so you probably don't know as much as I do. Let me tell you, VTBs offer fans entertainment and the shared moments between the start and end of a stream.
The comfort, the companionship, the waiting, the laughter—she can provide all of that for free, with no strings attached. And that's why fans get so deeply hooked. After all, real life is exhausting and miserable, right?
Being able to connect with a cute 'paper wife' through a phone, calling her 'wife' or 'darling,' acting crazy in the chat, crawling around in the shadows—none of this would fly in real life, would it? Isn't this one of the greatest inventions of all time?"
"…"
Wen Le's speech quickened, his breathing becoming more labored. "The charm of 2.5D lies in the fact that when you think your 2D wife is completely virtual, her real-life persona as the 'middle person' makes the virtual image feel solid, almost real, no, it *is* real.
And when you find real-life female streamers too dirty or boring, VTBs can perfectly control that distance, keeping the relationship just right, pure and clean, satisfying the fantasies of otaku through lighthearted and entertaining shows. You know, that's what I need."
"…I see."
Lu Qing seemed lost in thought.
After a long silence, Wen Le observed his expression, thinking he might finally be wavering, and continued to persuade him:
"We're both students, Qing. I don't know much about your family situation, but I've seen you take the subway to school, not taking taxis or driving. You're always thinking about making extra money through writing, so I assume you're trying to help out at home and probably don't have much cash.
So, buddy, let me give you one last piece of advice: don't spend two grand on becoming a Governor. Just drop the idea, okay? That way, I can rest easy. Don't end up with just a 'Wow, thank you for becoming my Governor, darling,' and no offline meetups or any perks… When that happens, and you come crying to me, I won't be able to make it up to you."
He spoke earnestly.
Clearly, today was a day where he was sweating bullets.
The lecturer on the stage kept glancing over, while he, the good friend, was trying to reason with Lu Qing, but the latter still had that "Oh, I see" expression…
He seemed completely unmoved!
Sure enough, Lu Qing retorted, "So, if Hoshizuki Rina were to leave the agency and become an independent streamer, wouldn't her gift income increase by at least 20-30%?"
"???"
At this, Wen Le was first stunned, then his mouth opened but no sound came out:
"WOC, are you still thinking about this?!!"
"Are you even listening to me?!!"
"And! Are you some kind of genius? What kind of thought process is this??"
While shocked, Wen Le realized that Lu Qing's statement was…
surprisingly logical.
Indeed, becoming an independent streamer would mean not having to share revenue with the agency.
"Rina cursed at someone yesterday, and you heard it. While it had some entertainment value, I checked again at three in the morning, and her follower count dropped significantly. She probably offended some fans, as most normal viewers prefer cheerful streamers, not ones who curse.
Moreover, such behavior isn't allowed by the platform's moderators, nor is it part of the agency's plans. She deviated from the script provided by the director or the copywriter. She overstepped her boundaries."
Lu Qing analyzed rationally, "Without a doubt, she'll be called in for a talk today, with consequences ranging from a fine to termination of her contract, putting her at significant risk."
"…"
"If she's terminated, she'll be forced to become an independent streamer and won't be able to use the Hoshizuki Rina account anymore. In that case, to keep earning, she'd have to start over, possibly even avoiding her signature voice."
Wen Le, did I get that right?"
Gulp.
Wen Le swallowed hard and pulled out a tissue from his pocket, wiping the sweat from his forehead.
"And if I want to…"
"Alright, buddy, I get it. Today, this two grand for the Governor rank, you're not asking for my opinion, you're just informing me. You've decided to be Hoshizuki Rina's top supporter, and even if she 'reincarnates' and changes her persona, you'll still be her top supporter, right?"
He threw up his hands, genuinely at a loss.
"Ah, I didn't say that. I'm not saying I *have* to become a Governor. I'm just considering the feasibility of the idea. I want her to earn more."
"Dude… what the hell is going on with you?! I've told you a million times, she's virtual, she's fake, and her middle person might really be like what Yang Zai said—a 'slut'! I admit I lost my cool in the dorm because Yang Zai hit a nerve, I cracked, but even then, I can't let my buddy get scammed! The middle person could really be a 'slut'! Don't get fooled, man!"
"Excuse me, please leave the classroom."
The teacher on the podium had finally had enough, ordering the visibly distressed Wen Le to leave.
Wen Le jolted, quickly bowed and apologized, then, gritting his teeth, pulled Lu Qing's arm and went to the hallway to stand outside as punishment.
Clearly, he wanted to continue his "anti-brainwashing education."
However, only when they were out in the hallway did Wen Le finally notice something off about Lu Qing's expression.
Normally, if a roommate were just obsessed with a virtual streamer, under such strong persuasion, Lu Qing would at least listen a bit, not be so stubborn.
Such stubbornness could only mean…
"Qing."
"Yeah?"
"Tell me the truth."
"…What?"
"You… did you 'dox' Hoshizuki Rina and find out she's an ultimate beauty, and now you want to be her offline sugar daddy and 'get her'? Come on, don't dodge, turn your head, look me in the eye, and tell me the truth."
…
…