Gu Shengsheng dreamed of that black cat again. The cat had grown as big as a bed. She buried herself in its fluffy belly, rolling around in pure bliss.
The cat’s tail gently tapped the ground. Its amber eyes fixed on her. Gu Shengsheng couldn’t resist — she reached out and touched the cat’s nose.
The cat opened its mouth and bit her cheek: “It hurts, it hurts…”
Gu Shengsheng’s cheek stung. She groggily opened her eyes. A sliver of sunlight slipped through the curtain gap, illuminating Shen Wang’s icy face.
Gu Shengsheng slowly covered her cheek. It was burning hot and still hurt. She bumped her head against Shen Wang’s chin:
“You pinched my face.”
Shen Wang pressed her head down, annoyed:
“Go turn off your phone!”
The phone on the carpet had been chiming non-stop — ding-dong, ding-dong — since who knows when. Yet Gu Shengsheng slept like a pig, curled in his arms without a care.
Shen Wang grew more irritated. He reached out to pinch her again. Gu Shengsheng dodged with a quick shake of her head and rolled straight out of the blanket:
“It’s Swan Live!”
After one night, her live room had finally broken zero. Dozens of views and a few comments had appeared.
“Someone watched my video! So many! Over thirty!” Gu Shengsheng cried out in delight, jumping barefoot on the floor. “So many! And people are saying my cooking is amazing!”
Shen Wang couldn’t take it anymore:
“Quiet! Turn off the sound!”
Gu Shengsheng was completely immersed in joy, showing off nonstop:
“Thirty-five viewers liked it!”
“Oh, wow, so many,” Shen Wang said with cold sarcasm.
“Right?! And there are four comments!” Gu Shengsheng agreed earnestly. She carefully read each one — even the punctuation — like they were treasures.
[Midnight poison drop!]
[Eating steamed buns and soy milk at dawn while watching steak… I’m starving to death]
[Clicked by accident — found a treasure! Host’s hands are so pretty!]
[No title, no tags? Host must be new. Tip: You need to name your live room. Otherwise people can’t find it~]
Seeing the last one, Gu Shengsheng suddenly understood. She thought seriously for a moment, then solemnly named her live room: Wangzai Won’t Listen. She also added the tag: Food.
While she clumsily poked at the screen, the phone kept chiming.
Shen Wang finally lost patience:
“Turn off the sound!”
Gu Shengsheng looked innocent:
“I don’t know why it keeps making noise.”
Shen Wang’s chest rose and fell. He took a deep breath:
“Open settings. Find notifications. Turn them off.”
“Oh! Oh! You’re so smart!”
Gu Shengsheng followed his instructions and successfully silenced the alerts.
Now she only got little heart icons in the corner when people viewed or favorited — no more annoying sounds.
After finishing, she put the phone down, ran to Shen Wang, and ruffled his hair like he was a big cat. Then she helped him to the bathroom like a little bear carrying a big bear.
On the carpet, the phone screen lit up with tiny hearts. The number beside them jumped steadily: 3 → 5 → 20 → climbing higher.
Swan Live was full of millions of short videos. In fast-paced lives, light and fun clips were perfect for killing time.
Viewers swiped carelessly, tapping into videos and swiping away again. Most of the time it was mindless scrolling. Too much content had numbed their nerves — even the best videos struggled to stand out.
Then, in the Food tag, a new video appeared: Wangzai Won’t Listen.
No intro, no music. The thumbnail showed a stove gleaming with metallic light — poor angle, grainy pixels. The streamer looked like some random auntie who just started streaming: new room, no avatar, no crown.
About to swipe away — the camera shifted to a thick, snow-marbled red steak. Even non-foodies could tell: premium beef!
Under the lights, the thick cut sizzled in a cast-iron pan. A few sprigs of emerald rosemary adorned it. Steam curled upward. Even through the screen, the rich, tempting meat aroma seemed to rush out — raw, primal hunger.
Some viewers weren’t even here for the food. Their eyes locked on the pair of slender, pale hands. Steady, precise, movements flowing like water — graceful and mesmerizing.
When she stepped back, the apron-tied waist swayed slightly. Throats bobbed. Some didn’t know what to drool over first. Hearts and comments exploded.
[My steamed bun isn’t fragrant anymore… Mom, I want steak!]
[Host must be rich — that steak looks high-end]
[I’m starving!!]
[I’m different — I’m drooling over the host’s hands]
[I’m drooling over the host’s waist]
[When does host go live?]
But it was still just a newbie short video. Viewers clicked into the room, saw only one clip, and left. As the homepage refreshed, the video got pushed back — views stopped rising.
Even so, when Gu Shengsheng returned after helping Shen Wang wash up and checked her phone again, the view count had already passed three thousand! Comments kept flashing by.
Gu Shengsheng raised her phone high like an Oscar trophy. She turned to Shen Wang solemnly:
“I might be about to blow up.”
Shen Wang: “?”
He had no patience for her nonsense:
“Go make breakfast.”
Gu Shengsheng was in an excellent mood and answered sweetly:
“Okay~ I’ll make your favorite milk buns!”
“…”
Shen Wang pressed his fist to his lips, coughing as his ears turned red. He spat out angrily:
“It’s milk-fragrance buns!”
Gu Shengsheng was already skipping lightly downstairs. She pattered along the stairs, waving her phone:
“Sister Li! Sister Li! Come look at my video! So many people clicked it!”
Sister Li hurried over:
“Madam, good morning… Madam, your face…!”
Sister Li stared in shock at Gu Shengsheng’s face. The bridge of her nose and chin had shrunk significantly. Though still a little swollen, six or seven tenths of her original beauty had already returned.
Gu Shengsheng touched her cheek nervously:
“What’s wrong? Does it look bad?”
Could it be that this world’s beauty standards were different? Did they prefer her old plastic-surgery face?
“No no no — Madam looks so beautiful like this!”
Sister Li couldn’t pinpoint the exact changes. She had always thought Madam was pretty — the kind of beauty you saw on online female streamers. But now Madam looked much softer and more delicate. The slight redness didn’t hide her charm at all — it was unforgettable.
“You just need to gain a little weight!”
Gu Shengsheng broke into a radiant smile and eagerly showed off:
“Sister Li, look — so many people are watching my video!”
She held the phone up to Sister Li. Her almond eyes sparkled, her whole face screaming “Quick, praise me!”
Sister Li couldn’t help laughing and kept nodding:
“Amazing! Your very first video is already so popular! Oh — I brought you something good!”
Sister Li had bought her a phone stand. It could clamp onto the refrigerator, perfectly angled toward the counter by the window.
The weather was clear and bright. Sunlight poured through the large kitchen windows, bathing the cutting board in soft natural light. On the board sat several bottles of mineral water, flour, and eggs.
Gu Shengsheng rolled up her sleeves, scooped several spoonfuls of flour into a basin, cracked in fresh eggs, added milk, white sugar, and a pinch of salt. She stirred everything together.
The dough started sticky and thick — hard to mix. Once it roughly came together, she turned it onto the board and continued kneading. Her wrists were snow-white and slender, looking fragile enough to snap, yet there was a strange, rhythmic grace to her movements as she folded and pressed the dough, endlessly patient.
Viewers slowly trickled into the live room.
[Mi Box: Wow, such beautiful hands — must be a little fairy!]
[Eat More Veggies: Came from the steak video… starving now]
[joker: Those hands… I could watch them for a year. Why no face reveal?]
[Love Peanuts: Host making bread?]
“I’m making milk-fragrance buns.”
Gu Shengsheng tucked away her excited little tail and answered very properly. Her voice was slow and soft, unconsciously carrying a sweet, glutinous tone.
The barrage exploded. The screen was instantly flooded.
[xiiiyaaya: AHHHH this voice — awsl]
[Mi Box: The thumbnail was too ugly — almost missed a treasure!]
[Eat More Veggies: +1. Thought it was some auntie from the room style — turns out it’s a fairy cooking!]
[Love Eating Kunpeng: 23333 maybe her face looks like Guo Degang lol (no pressure to show face sis)]
“Not like that.”
Gu Shengsheng answered seriously. She kneaded the dough until it was smooth and even, then covered it with plastic wrap and set it in the sun:
“Needs to proof for half an hour.”
The video had no background music — only the rustle of wind through leaves outside, birdsong, and sunlight. Watching the snowy-white dough slowly rise and plump up made time feel slower and gentler.
Gu Shengsheng lit the stove and warmed a cup of milk in a small pot. She leaned against the counter and sipped slowly. The camera caught only a slender waist wrapped in a pure white apron — somehow turning it into endless charm.
[Mi Box: So peaceful… feels so good. I feel like a cat sunbathing forever]
[Lingling Has a Boyfriend Today?: Host’s waist… even I’m tempted as a girl]
[Eat Kunpeng?: This waist is lethal]
[Eat More Veggies: Sister’s waist isn’t a waist — it’s Yama’s scythe]
Gu Shengsheng laughed until her eyes curved. The original owner’s beauty couldn’t compare to hers, but this body’s figure was exactly the same — slender and graceful.
[System Prompt: joker sent a Mercedes — now ranked #1 in the live room]
Gu Shengsheng was still wondering what a “Mercedes” was when another barrage flashed.
[joker: Host’s waist must be super soft in bed… you know what I mean (smirk) Show your face and I’ll send fireworks (crook finger)]
[Mi Box: Creep, shut up — don’t disgust the fairy]
[Peanut Candy hst: Creep get lost]
Barrages and small gifts flooded in to defend her, but they couldn’t drown out his spam.
[joker] clearly a professional troll. No matter what others sent, he kept flooding:
[Fuck your moms you bitches — what I say is none of your business]
[I’m #1 and she still ignores me? Host is a whore]
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Gu Shengsheng’s cheeks flushed with anger. She was trying hard to organize a proper comeback when the screen suddenly exploded with fireworks.
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