Li Jue hadn’t received a reply the previous night and guessed Si Yin had fallen asleep. He was going on a business trip today and had messaged her early in the morning asking what gift she wanted. There was still no word from her, and he felt a pang of worry, thinking she was simply too exhausted.
When he heard that she was going to dance “Wildcat” specifically for him, a wave of satisfaction washed over him, making his skin tingle. His secretary, who was accompanying him on the trip, watched as the man—who had been scowling just a moment ago—suddenly broke into a devastatingly handsome smile, becoming a completely different person in an instant.
Si Yin began to move with the music.
Even though the livestream filters were active, they didn’t do her real-life beauty justice. Despite her conservative outfit, her cheeks were flushed a deep rose, and her gaze was so captivating that people couldn’t look away—Song Zhizhi included.
But since they were all women here, no one was truly intimidated. This was an all-female company, from management down to the streamers.
More and more netizens flooded into the room.
[Keep both hands on the keyboard to type, no funny business!] [Her eyes are so enchanting. Host, I love you.] [Mommy, I love you.]
Li Jue stared at his phone, momentarily dazed. As the minutes ticked by, his gaze grew increasingly burning, as if he might melt the figure on the screen. Slowly, his brow furrowed; he regretted letting Si Yin dance “Wildcat.”
Si Yin saw the comments and thought about Li Jue watching her. Her face heated up, and she didn’t recover until the stream ended.
The company’s promotion team immediately posted numerous clips, as did fans and passersby. She went viral instantly. After the stream, Si Yin’s personal follower count climbed from 25,000 to 50,000.
Si Yin ended the stream with a lot on her mind. Previously, the first thing the original host did was check the earnings, but now Si Yin opened her phone feeling a bit guilty. Checking WeChat, she realized she hadn’t replied to Li Jue’s messages. Not only was he not upset, but he also wanted to bring her a gift.
But how could she simply admit she was wrong? She pressed the voice message button and hummed twice. “Don’t you know what gift I want? You’ve really disappointed me!”
Human nature is prone to pushing its luck, and Si Yin was no exception. She then withdrew her earnings for the day. After the company and platform cuts and taxes, she had made a total of 100,000 RMB today.
Song Zhizhi had been waiting for Si Yin. In the past, whenever she put on this pitiful act, Si Yin would come over to comfort her. Today, Si Yin hadn’t even looked her way, let alone offered comfort.
Song Zhizhi’s fists tightened, loosened, and tightened again. Si Yin’s blatant disregard made her feel humiliated. To make matters worse, some onlookers started gossiping: “Tsk, what’s she pretending for? She just thinks Si Yin is a pushover.” “Alright, stop it, let’s go!” Soon, only Song Zhizhi was left.
Since she stopped standing next to Si Yin, her gifts had dwindled. She made 10,000 yesterday; today, it was only 1,000. She had to talk to Si Yin and get her to help again.
“Si Yin, wait for me!”
Si Yin watched Song Zhizhi catch up and yawned. “What is it? Aren’t you tired?”
Song Zhizhi often played the victim in front of Si Yin, crafting a persona of having a sick mother, a dead father, and a newborn brother—claiming she needed money for everything. Hearing Si Yin’s words, she cursed inwardly: You green tea bitch, don’t think I don’t know you’re mocking me. Today, Song Zhizhi was the one who had to perform the opening dance.
“Yinyin, what’s wrong with you today? You know my family situation. The hospital called again for fees, but I only made a few hundred today. Can you let me stand next to you during the stream tomorrow?” She reached out to grab Si Yin.
Si Yin stepped aside, avoiding her hand, and said with a smile, “I’m sorry, I can’t help you with that. After yesterday’s stream, many people were attacking me. I don’t want to get cursed at anymore.”
Wait, wasn’t Li Jue supposed to help teach her a lesson? Why is she fine? Did he forget?
Song Zhizhi remembered she had used many burner accounts to attack Si Yin and felt a flash of regret. “I’ll explain it during tomorrow’s stream. Just help me out.”
Si Yin shook her head, firmly refusing. “Who knows if you’ll actually explain or just throw more dirt on me?”
“You… sob… you’ve misunderstood me.”
Seeing Song Zhizhi about to cry, Si Yin felt a wave of irritation and slipped away. Cry if you want, I’m not dealing with it. Thinking about the look on Song Zhizhi’s face when she realized she was gone, Si Yin’s smile widened.
Song Zhizhi didn’t get her comfort. She peeked through one eye, saw no one was there, and noticed people in the distance laughing at her. Fuming, she kicked the air a few times and stormed off. Once she made it big, she vowed to make Si Yin pay back everything she suffered—with interest.
Si Yin wondered how to ask Li Jue about the “lesson,” but he hadn’t replied yet. She huffed and typed: “What are you doing? Why aren’t you replying? Checking in on you.”
Ever since the last time he heard Si Yin’s voice note in the office, Li Jue had been wearing headphones constantly. He didn’t want anyone else to hear her. Her complaining voice sounded like a kitten scratching at his heart. Twenty minutes had passed while he listened to her previous voice note over and over, his face flushing.
“Checking in”—did she mean it the way he thought? During business dinners, he’d heard partners talk about their wives “checking in” on them. Did she want to be his wife?
His fingertips squeezed his phone tightly from nerves. He looked around anxiously to ensure no women were in sight before he started filming a video.
Si Yin was surprised to receive a video. She hadn’t expected him to be so compliant. Opening the video, she was impressed. He’s so tall. They had discussed height before; he was 190cm (6’3″).
The video didn’t show his face, but it showed his physique. Even wrapped in a formal suit, it was clear he had an excellent build. Si Yin’s mind was already undressing him. She casually sent a message: “I’m salivating.”
Li Jue’s heart began to pound uncontrollably. His mind raced with wild thoughts… it must be so sweet…
A spark of mischief flashed in Si Yin’s round eyes. She couldn’t wait to see his reaction. Would he be shy? Then she sent a voice note—the sound of her slurping—followed by text: “Boss, you’re so handsome! Send more, I love seeing it!”
Li Jue was hopelessly flustered. Racking his brain for a way to change the subject, he brought up Song Zhizhi.
“I found out she opened several burner accounts to smear you. Be careful, I’m worried she’ll hurt you. But don’t worry, I’ve already got someone watching her.”
He hadn’t survived in business this long for nothing. He guessed Song Zhizhi’s goal was to use Si Yin as a stepping stone. He’d seen many ambitious people like her; the way to handle them was to let them climb to the top and then watch them fall hard.
Though it was awkward a moment ago, it wasn’t awkward if Si Yin didn’t know. I was being perfectly serious, how could I have such stray thoughts? He finally rationalized it all with one phrase: This is love.
They chatted a bit longer until Si Yin grew sleepy. She sent a voice note: “Goodnight!” Her voice was dazed and even softer than usual.
Li Jue was about to attend an unavoidable business social. He listened to her “Goodnight” several times. He wanted to say it back. He told his secretary, “Go in first, I have something to take care of.”
He found a quiet corner, swallowed hard, and clicked the button: “Goodnight!” It felt weird. He went from “send” to “cancel” several times. His throat felt dry, and he still couldn’t bring himself to send it.
Whatever, next time for sure.
Song Zhizhi, unable to get any leverage from Si Yin, tried to log into her burner accounts, only to find she couldn’t access any of them. She was stunned. One account was one thing, but all ten of her burners were locked.
For a moment, she wavered. But then she thought, Why should she? I will definitely step over Si Yin to get famous. The accounts being locked served as a warning that things weren’t safe and she might be traced. She decided to hire professional trolls, but she didn’t have the right contacts yet. She would have to wait.
Over the next few days, Si Yin streamed as usual and chatted with Li Jue on WeChat afterward. Li Jue remained her top donor every day. Song Zhizhi tried to ask to stand with her several times but was rejected. Her daily income continued to drop, sometimes to zero.
In the livestream room, many fans were teasing Si Yin and Li Jue.
[The Boss is so protective!] [Has the Boss ever tipped anyone else?] [SY.Zhizhi: How would he dare? If Yinyin saw him tipping someone else, she’d definitely get angry.]
Song Zhizhi’s comment was the spark. The chat began scrolling faster as people started imagining Si Yin controlling the donor.
[He can tip whoever he wants, why does she get to control him?] [Is the Boss being PUA’d (manipulated) by her?] [The innocent-looking ones are always the most calculating, tsk tsk.]
Song Zhizhi received many unfriendly glares from the other girls after posting that, but she didn’t regret it. She urged them on in her heart: Keep cursing. The harder the better. Best if you can drive the Big Boss away for good.