Song Ying humbly sought advice, her eyelashes fluttering like feather fans under the dim yellow light.
[Wuwu, our daughter is so well-behaved!]
[It’s okay if you have no experience. It’s actually not that hard. Just chat and talk with us, A Ying!]
[That’s right, Yingbao. Just treat it like chatting with friends!]
So, in the time that followed, Song Ying patiently watched the bullet comments and chatted with the netizens, getting more and more into it.
It was at this moment that she finally truly understood that the internet wasn’t just filled with malice.
Livestreaming was also more fun than she had imagined.
As people got to know her better, they realized that Song Ying wasn’t actually someone who loved to argue. When she let her guard down, she was actually very easy to get along with—polite, kind, and patient. She was truly versatile, straightforward, and never pretentious.
Even some passersby who occasionally stumbled into the stream ended up becoming fans.
As time went on, the topics gradually deepened from superficial questions like personal hobbies.
[Yingbao, is Brother Qin really your kept man?] someone asked.
“Kept man?” Song Ying was taken aback for a moment before quickly recalling Qin Shu’s argument with Shen Linzhou yesterday. She laughed, “I’d love to keep one, but only if I could afford it.”
[What do you mean? Isn’t he? The internet says Brother Qin is being kept by you. Everyone’s asking where to find such a top-tier kept man!]
“You really overestimate me. Even if you sold me, I couldn’t afford to keep him.”
It wasn’t that Song Ying was belittling herself. Even if she were a big star now, let alone someone like Shen Linzhou, a newly crowned film emperor, even if he worked as a laborer for a hundred years, his commercial value still wouldn’t be enough to afford the Qin family’s precious gem.
The netizens were really daring with their imaginations.
[Can’t afford him? Does Brother Qin have a big background?]
[So many people online want to know what Brother Qin does, but they couldn’t find anything after searching for a long time.]
[Based on my years of reading novels, there are two possibilities if you can’t find anything: First, he’s too obscure, and there’s no record of him; second, his identity is too prestigious and has been hidden. I’m guessing Brother Qin is the second type.]
[Ordinary people don’t have the aura Brother Qin has.]
[Agreed! Speaking of which, Yingbao, what exactly does Brother Qin do?]
As the topic shifted to Qin Shu, the netizens grew restless.
After all the speculation during this time, Qin Shu’s identity had become a complete mystery.
This was also what Song Ying was most worried about.
She didn’t want Qin Shu’s normal life to be affected because of their participation in this variety show.
So, “Everyone’s overthinking it. Real life isn’t like a novel. There’s no such thing as prestigious or not. He’s just like us—an ordinary working person.”
[I don’t believe it! Working people aren’t that confident and spirited!]
[Where’s Brother Qin? A Ying, hurry and get Brother Qin to come chat~]
[Yes, yes, yes! Other livestreams have both people interacting. Sister Ying, give Brother Qin a chance to show his face!]
The comment section was filled with calls for Qin Shu. Song Ying couldn’t pretend not to see them, so she reached out and nudged Qin Shu beside her. “Stop sleeping. Everyone’s looking for you.”
“What do they want me for? Go find your kept man!” Qin Shu snorted lightly, turning his head away. His tousled hair covered his brows, making his nose appear even more prominent and his lips thinner.
But at this moment, the corners of his lips were slightly downturned, clearly sulking.
This woman had actually discussed keeping a man right in front of him earlier. Hmph!
“So that’s why I’m here looking for you?” Song Ying was both amused and exasperated by his jealous demeanor, teasing him.
“…So you were talking about me earlier?”
“Mhm.”Qin Shu immediately perked up, straightening his posture and leaning in close to Song Ying to read the comments and bullet chats together.
Another close-up beauty attack, and the comment section could no longer hold back.
【Ahhh! Brother Qin is so handsome!】
【This damn temptation! I, He Jin, am watching this with my real name!】
【Hubby hubby! Hubby, look at me!】
Qin Shu hadn’t expected netizens to be so wild. Frowning, he corrected them seriously, “Don’t call me hubby. I have a wife. She’ll get angry if you call me that randomly.”
But instead of calming things down, his words only made the comment section completely descend into chaos. At a glance, it was filled with people calling him hubby.
Qin Shu: “…”
Seeing Qin Shu’s frustrated expression, Song Ying laughed. “Silly, they’re just joking with you.”
“Even joking isn’t allowed.” Qin Shu wasn’t pleased, but then he saw a bunch of people calling Song Ying “wife.”
Qin Shu: “…”
“Alright, everyone, stop teasing him.” Seeing her jealous husband getting sour, Song Ying quickly tried to calm the netizens.
【Brother Qin looks so cute when he’s angry!】
【If we can’t call her wife, how about Brother Qin sings a song!】
【Yes, yes! Let’s have a talent show! Qiao Yu next door sings super well! Brother Qin’s voice is so nice, he must be great at singing too!】
“I don’t sing.”
Qin Shu adjusted the massage chair and lazily lay back down, making sure he could still see the screen.
【Shen Linzhou next door is showing off his muscles. Brother Qin, how about showing us something too!】
【That’s a good idea!】
【Is this something I can watch for free?! (nosebleed)】
“I don’t show anything to anyone except my wife.”
His eyelids drooped lazily, his fox-like eyes captivatingly beautiful yet filled with pride.
Everyone was instantly disappointed, but then Qin Shu picked up his phone. “However, I can offer a different perk.”
Just as everyone was confused, the screen suddenly exploded with large cash red envelopes.
【!!!】
【Holy crap, Brother Qin is awesome!】
【Thank you, boss!】
The variety show livestream was on the Xihongshi platform, where cash red envelopes could go up to 10,000 yuan and were only available for viewers in the livestream room, but they also had the chance to flash across the entire channel.
Qin Shu bombarded the chat with over a dozen large red envelopes, instantly attracting many people to join.
“Qin Shu, what are you doing?” Song Ying was also stunned. Money shouldn’t be spent so recklessly.
“Treating everyone to wedding candy.” Qin Shu’s fingers didn’t stop, and he reminded the viewers, “After eating the wedding candy, you have to call her sister-in-law, not wife.”
【Hahahaha, I’m dying, thank you, Brother Qin!】
【Brother Qin is so generous!】
【Brother Qin and Sister Ying, may you be together forever!】
The livestream room was filled with festive joy, but the other livestream rooms weren’t as cheerful.
Especially Shen Linzhou and Jiang Yuyao’s side.
Seeing the number of viewers rapidly decreasing, Shen Linzhou, who was showing off his modest muscles while wiping sweat, paused. “Did the platform glitch again? Why is the viewer count dropping so fast?”
【The ‘Win or Lose’ couple next door is giving out red envelopes. Everyone’s going to grab them! I heard they’ve given out almost 300,000 yuan. I’m going to grab one too and come back to play with you later!】
After saying this, that person also left the livestream room.
Shen Linzhou and Jiang Yuyao exchanged glances, unable to hold back their sour remarks. “Giving out red envelopes to compete for popularity—Song Ying and Qin Shu are really clever, aren’t they?”
“Giving out red envelopes yourself isn’t much different from buying data, right?” Jiang Yuyao smiled and handed Shen Linzhou a glass of water. “We just need to focus on doing our own thing well.”
That’s what they said, but as they watched the number of viewers in their livestream room continue to dwindle, they couldn’t keep smiling.The same was true for Zhou Ruoyu’s side.
There weren’t many people watching the livestream in the morning, so few had seen her earlier troublemaking. Coupled with Qiao Yu’s coaxing and the flattering comments from fans in the chat, her mood was finally lifted.
But before she could even feel happy, she saw half of her own fans run off, all rushing to the “Win-or-Lose Couple’s” livestream to grab red envelopes.
Gritting her teeth and suppressing the pain, Zhou Ruoyu also started handing out red envelopes in her livestream.
“Ruoyu, calm down,” Qiao Yu advised, seeing her throw money around.
“I am perfectly calm. If they can do it, why can’t I? The fans support me so much—what’s wrong with giving them some perks? Besides, I’m not spending your money, so why are you in such a hurry?”
Once Zhou Ruoyu’s temper flared up, she attacked everyone indiscriminately.
Qiao Yu’s advice fell on deaf ears, so he simply left and went to the suite’s viewing room to watch a movie.
Throwing money around did feel good. The number of viewers in Zhou Ruoyu’s livestream skyrocketed, quickly climbing to first place among the four livestreams.
In the “Win-or-Lose Couple’s” livestream:
【Brother Qin, the neighbor is copying your money-throwing. Shouldn’t you send a few more to crush them back?】
“Why bother with that kind of competition? I’m not foolishly rich,” Qin Shu put away his phone and tossed it aside. “It’s just for fun—no need to take it seriously.”
Originally, he had only intended to give perks to Song Ying’s fans, never expecting so many passersby to join later.
At this point, sending more red envelopes would be meaningless.
【But everyone has gone next door. Shouldn’t we call them back?】
“If they’re yours, they won’t leave; if they’re not, no amount of red envelopes will keep them.” Those who gather for money will also scatter for money.
Sure enough, once Zhou Ruoyu stopped sending red envelopes, the passersby who had flocked to her livestream quickly dispersed.
But after tasting the thrill of popularity, how could Zhou Ruoyu bear the loneliness?
She immediately started sending red envelopes again, though it was clear she was struggling—the frequency grew slower, and the amounts grew smaller.
Meanwhile, in Jiang Yuyao and Shen Linzhou’s livestream, the hosts themselves didn’t intervene, but several big fans started stirring things up, showering the stream with expensive gifts.
【Whatever others have, our Jiang-Shen couple must have too!】
【Even if we lose, we won’t lose face! Let’s go, everyone! Show them our support!】
According to the rules of the Tomato Platform, when fans send expensive gifts or the livestream distributes large red envelopes, the platform pushes notifications across all channels. Watching her livestream’s popularity soar, Jiang Yuyao’s smile grew brighter. Though delighted in her heart, she put on a kind and considerate front.
“Everyone, please stop sending gifts! Keep your money for yourselves!”
“Linzhou and I appreciate your kindness, but there’s no need to compete with others. Let’s just focus on being ourselves!”
“We don’t manipulate data, so please stop sending gifts!”
Over on Zhou Ruoyu’s side, fans had already informed her of the current situation. She never expected that while the “Win-or-Lose Couple” had quieted down, Jiang Yuyao would swoop in like a mantis catching a cicada, only to be caught by the oriole—playing this game behind her back.
She might not know others, but she certainly knew Jiang Yuyao.
As one of the earliest celebrities to sign with a livestream platform for selling goods, Jiang Yuyao was well-versed in the platform’s rules. If she truly didn’t want gifts, she could simply turn off the tipping feature. Why put on such an act?
The words Da Meng had spoken that morning echoed in Zhou Ruoyu’s ears once more.
That’s right—Jiang Yuyao was the biggest schemer of them all!
Once this thought took hold, it became impossible to suppress. Zhou Ruoyu grew increasingly convinced that she was nothing more than a pawn in Jiang Yuyao’s hands.Especially in matters concerning Song Ying, Jiang Yuyao never stepped forward herself, always pushing her to charge into battle. As a result, many people have turned from fans to critics, and even during livestreams, many say she has changed, with quite a few hurling insults at her.
And what about Jiang Yuyao?
She remains as calm and composed as ever, like a white lotus emerging unstained from the mud, reaping all the benefits.
Once a crack appears in a plastic sisterhood, it becomes nearly impossible to mend.
Especially when she saw the notification that she had already sent out nearly seven hundred thousand yuan in red packets, yet the number of people in her livestream room kept dwindling, Zhou Ruoyu felt as if her flesh were being sliced away.
Her resentment toward Jiang Yuyao continued to grow.