After relaxing, Fang Yang felt a strong desire to share. He wasn’t usually this way, but after experiencing the betrayal of someone he thought was a friend and lingering at the edge of death, combined with the help from strangers, it all impacted his mental defenses.
“I grew up with Ding Changhuan. I came to Hong-ai Star this time to accompany him because he wanted to seize this opportunity to debut as a star. If he couldn’t become a star, he could still become a popular figure on the StarNet live-streaming platform and attract a large following. So, without my knowledge, he took the initiative to sign me up as well. When I found out, I didn’t oppose it because I was used to protecting him.”
“He’s only a D-level water-based ability user. The most he usually does is condense water to wash his face and rinse his mouth, and then perform a little for others. Although I used to think he was a bit vain and willful, I never considered it a serious problem. But I never expected…”
Fang Yang forced a bitter smile. He had always treated Ding Changhuan like a younger brother, even feeling a bit of romantic tension between them. He didn’t mind; after growing up together, becoming a family in the future seemed nice. But now, that younger brother wanted his life. If it weren’t for Luo Xingzhou and the others showing up, he would really have died at the hands of the brother he cared for.
Luo Xingzhou and the others exchanged glances; given such a close relationship, it was no wonder Fang Yang couldn’t accept the betrayal.
Lina scoffed, “That’s his stupidity. If he had just held on a little longer, he would have been saved alongside you. But now? He’s running around outside alone, possibly encountering danger at any moment. He’s lost the protection of a strong B-level ability user like you; the losses are huge.”
Huo Zhijun nodded in agreement, “Didn’t you say he wanted to debut? If what happened last night was caught on camera, he’ll never get that chance again. I doubt he’ll have many true friends left after this.”
Milo chimed in, “Right, betraying you is Ding Changhuan’s loss. Fang Yang, you’re not at a disadvantage here. If it weren’t for this opportunity, when would you have discovered Ding Changhuan’s true nature? Wouldn’t that mean you’d be deceived for a lifetime? So think positively; without Ding Changhuan, you’ll surely live better. You’re a B-level ability user!”
Others were too busy trying to curry favor with him, but Ding Changhuan was so foolish that he pushed him away.
Listening to their comforting words, Fang Yang’s mood improved significantly. He nodded, touched, “You’re right. That’s his loss, and I’m just cutting my losses in time.”
As they chatted, the camera captured everything accurately. Consequently, many people were watching and became infuriated after hearing Fang Yang’s story, especially those viewers who had previously been drawn in by Ding Changhuan.
Ding Changhuan had a good appearance; otherwise, he wouldn’t be so eager to debut. Thanks to his looks and his performance on the show, he indeed attracted a wave of popularity. Another group of fans came for Fang Yang, the B-level ability user. However, after seeing Ding Changhuan push Fang Yang away and escape alone last night, these fans quickly turned against him. Those netizens and fans who originally supported Ding Changhuan, due to the short time they had followed him, felt they had been blind and immediately switched to hating him, angrily cursing Ding Changhuan as a scumbag in the comments.
Now, hearing their conversation and what Fang Yang said, they began to like the comments.
[Right, haha, cutting losses in time! Well said! Fang Yang is still alive, and Ding Changhuan must be regretting it to death. He deserves it.]
[Exactly! Friends like Ding Changhuan are the most terrifying. He puts on a show, but you never know when he’ll stab you in the back. You wouldn’t even know how you died.]
[Right! Even strangers like Luo Xingzhou and Huo Zhijun would go all out to save Fang Yang’s life, but a brother he grew up with wants him dead.]
[Fang Yang is right: cutting losses in time. Leaving Fang Yang is a loss for that scumbag Ding Changhuan. Can’t you see he’s been having a terrible time since last night?]
[Haha, I often check in, and before, Fang Yang took such good care of him. He didn’t have to lift a finger; all he had to do was liven up the atmosphere and attract fans. But now, without Fang Yang, Ding Changhuan must be struggling.]
[That’s what he gets! I think his tough days are just beginning. Let’s see how he manages from now on. Not everyone is like Fang Yang, willing to be used by him.]
[Yeah, let’s wait for him to suffer! Haha!]
Since last night, Ding Changhuan’s live-stream popularity had begun to decline. Those who hadn’t watched the live stream at night but came during the day quickly unfollowed him upon learning what had happened. As a result, Ding Changhuan’s live-stream popularity plummeted to the lowest point. Even if some people remained in his stream, they were only there to watch him suffer after abandoning Fang Yang.
In contrast, Luo Xingzhou and Chen Kangning, along with Huo Zhijun, saw their popularity steadily rise. Especially for Luo Xingzhou, his popularity firmly held the top spot, leaving another B-level beastman, Neil, trailing behind.
Neil was a combative individual who actively sought battles with star beasts after arriving on Hong-ai Star. His violent tendencies attracted attention, drawing many viewers to his live stream.
No matter how aggressive Neil was, he couldn’t defeat a B-level star beast in battle. However, Luo Xingzhou, who entered the live stream as an ordinary person, set a record by killing two B-level star beasts. This not only attracted more viewers to his stream but also led some netizens to clip the videos and share them on other platforms, further boosting Luo Xingzhou’s popularity on the StarNet.
Feng Zhan was also in the live stream, and upon discovering the videos on other platforms, he opened them while watching the live stream, replaying them multiple times.
Having had a rare peaceful sleep the night before, he woke up to find the situation in the live stream made him regret falling asleep. Seeing Luo Xingzhou comforting Fang Yang, he felt a pang of sympathy.
This little guy had suffered betrayal too; compared to the betrayal of friends, it was even more frightening when it came from his own father, and someone like his uncle, Duan Cheng. Yet, despite witnessing others in distress, this little guy still rushed out to help without hesitation, rather than allowing himself to become embittered.
Feng Zhan watched expressionlessly but didn’t hesitate to reward the stream with ten starships again, prompting another round of howls from the audience. A wealthy patron had appeared again, and now Luo Xingzhou’s live stream had the most wealthy viewers, even attracting one from Huo Zhijun’s stream.
As the videos spread widely, many people on Zhongyang Star saw them, including those who had known Luo Xingzhou in the past or who had known him when he was called Wu Xingzhou. These individuals were the most shocked.
Old friends and classmates of Luo Xingzhou exchanged messages.
[Did you see those two videos of Luo Xingzhou on the StarNet? I can’t believe he participated in that kind of show, and the most incredible part is that he awakened his abilities during the program!]
[Of course I saw it! With it being so explosive, how could I not notice? There are so many unbelievable things happening. Not only did he awaken his abilities, but he also awakened a powerful offensive wood-type ability! Did you see the video of his initial awakening? He took down a B-level star beast right after awakening! Haha! Do you think the Wu family regrets kicking Luo Xingzhou and his mother out now?]
[They must regret it. Originally, Luo Xingzhou’s disadvantage was being an ordinary person, but the illegitimate son they brought back later is an ability user. By the way, that illegitimate son named Wu Xingyu is also a wood-based ability user, right? That makes things interesting; he’s definitely far inferior to Luo Xingzhou.]
[I remember! Wu Xingyu is now a C-level ability user, and he’s a support type. I heard he’s currently trying to learn potion-making under Duan Cheng.]
[Ha, they’re just two of a kind.] Who couldn’t see through the underlying issues?
Since being acknowledged by the Wu family, especially after Luo Han and her son left, Wu Xingyu had been feeling quite proud of himself. After all, now that Wu Zhenqiu had only him as his precious son, what did it matter that Luo Xingzhou was Wu Zhenqiu’s biological child? He was just an ordinary person. What competitive edge could he have standing next to him?
Wu Xingyu had always known that even though Luo Xingzhou was the legitimate son, he could never compete with him on the same starting line because he was an ordinary person while he was an ability user. He was immensely grateful to his mother for making him an ability user. If it weren’t for the support of the Pharmacist Luo, he and his mother could have long ago entered the Wu family instead of having to hide their identities outside.
Look at him now. Ever since returning to the Wu family, he had plenty of people fawning over him. Hearing them belittle Luo Xingzhou only made Wu Xingyu puff up with pride. Luo Xingzhou’s former admirers were now chasing after him. Just thinking about how Luo Xingzhou was probably suffering somewhere made him want to laugh out loud.
Of course, Zhongyang Star was a place where powerful aristocratic families gathered. While the Wu family was considered wealthy on Zhongyang Star, they couldn’t really be called “noble.” Not everyone was willing to fawn over Wu Xingyu. Many resented his status as an illegitimate son, and there were plenty of people who had to flatter him in public while secretly wishing him ill.
Zheng Lin was one such person. However, the Zheng family’s business depended on the Wu family, so Zheng Lin had to lower his stance in front of this illegitimate son. When he saw the two videos of Luo Xingzhou, he first doubted his own eyes, thinking he must have misread something, or perhaps the Luo Xingzhou in the videos was just another person with the same name.
But upon careful examination, the Luo Xingzhou in the videos was still that same face. He hadn’t been gone from Zhongyang Star for too long, so he shouldn’t have changed so much that he was unrecognizable.
Zheng Lin was shocked. As a beastman, he had once had to flatter and appease an ordinary person like Luo Xingzhou, which made him feel quite humiliated. Now that Luo Xingzhou was gone, although an ability user had come, he was an illegitimate child who couldn’t stand in the light.
He used to look down on Luo Xingzhou, the ordinary person, while being extremely jealous at the same time. This ordinary person, apart from having the protection of the Wu family, also had the backing of Pharmacist Luo. Who didn’t know how much Pharmacist Luo doted on his grandson? So, as a beastman, he had to keep Luo Xingzhou in a good mood.
In the past, he felt a certain superiority when facing Luo Xingzhou. So what if he had someone protecting him? He was still just an ordinary person. If Luo Xingzhou and his mother hadn’t disappeared from Zhongyang Star, he would have definitely gone to mock him thoroughly.
But now, Luo Xingzhou had actually awakened as an ability user, and his abilities were quite powerful. Zheng Lin was furious. How could Luo Xingzhou still be doing so well without Pharmacist Luo and the Wu family?
He found it hard to accept. And what about Wu Xingyu? Zheng Lin sent the two videos to Wu Xingyu’s personal terminal and then called him.
“Xingyu, you need to check out the videos I sent you. They’ve spread all over StarNet, and quite a few people on Zhongyang Star know about it now.”