Wednesday Night, South District, Nursery Rhyme Pub.
Tonight, the pub had set up its tables and chairs early, opening its doors to the growing evening traffic outside. The increasing number of cars on the street signaled the approaching rush hour.
Behind the bar, Yan Huan was busy running around. Meanwhile, Tong Yingying slumped over the counter, resting her chin in her hand. She rubbed her temples and asked,
“What are you up to now?”
At the entrance, Yan Huan, dressed in a bartender’s uniform, turned around and grinned at her.
“Sister Tong, Brother Li and I came up with a way to save our business. We want to give it a shot.”
“…Let’s hear it.”
Yan Huan walked over, holding up his phone and pointing at the screen.
“This idea is actually borrowed from other businesses. The South District has a lot of old immigrants. It's chaotic, sure, but that also means we have a lot of authentic, hole-in-the-wall spots here.
“People from other districts rarely come all the way to the South District just for a meal. A shop in the Dragon Empire started a cross-district delivery service, packing up meals and sending them to other areas…”
Tong Yingying yawned, barely glancing at the presentation on his phone. Instead, she focused on Yan Huan’s profile, watching as he concentrated on explaining his idea with unwavering confidence.
This kid…
Spending his mornings at school, dealing with Student Council business, training at night, and still doing homework afterward.
And yet, he was still so full of energy, never showing any signs of exhaustion.
Even she, the one constantly pushing him to train, felt tired just watching him. But this little workhorse? Not even a hint of fatigue.
Well… It’s not a bad thing.
That kind of drive… could be useful.
“…So, once Brother Li gets his people ready, we can test it out tonight,” Yan Huan concluded, turning to gauge his “boss’s” opinion.
But when he looked over, he saw Tong Yingying staring at him, her dead-fish eyes unblinking.
“Sister Tong, are you even listening?”
She averted her gaze, glancing at the documents on the counter.
After a moment, she said, “More or less… You’re talking about an online party drinks service, right? A few glasses, some snacks, dice, and a pre-mixed cocktail package delivered to customers.
“Our shop doesn’t have rent to pay, and I have a direct supply for the liquor. Even with delivery costs, we can cut margins and still have a big price advantage.”
Yan Huan gave her a thumbs-up.
“Sister Tong, you’re a genius. That’s exactly it. I’ve already got everything prepared, and Brother Li even pulled in some of his classmates to help.”
“Stop kissing up to me.”
Tong Yingying yawned again before asking,
“The problem is—how do you get people to order? What’s your channel? Promotion?”
Yan Huan didn’t answer right away. Instead, Tian Li, who was setting up a lighting rig behind the bar, grinned and chimed in,
“Don’t worry, we’ve got it covered. We’re gonna test the waters with a livestream…”
“Livestream?”
Tong Yingying glanced at the equipment, then at Yan Huan, her expression listless.
Honestly, she had opened these shops just to have a base of operations, not to make money. She didn’t need Yan Huan to repay her in any way…
Besides, pushing him to train every day was entertaining enough.
But seeing this kid so motivated, she didn’t want to dampen his enthusiasm.
If he’s willing to put in the effort for me, that’s not a bad thing.
“Do whatever you want. Feels like a total waste of time, though.”
“Don’t worry, Sister Tong. I guarantee we’ll make money.”
“I think so too.”
Yan Huan and Tian Li exchanged confident smirks—the unmistakable look of “idea guys” with a foolproof plan.
Tong Yingying, however, just rolled her eyes.
Since she wasn’t drinking tonight, she didn’t have the energy to keep up with their excitement. She could only watch as they got to work—setting up the livestream, checking inventory, coordinating with the delivery team…
Before long, night fell.
The once-clear sky became drenched in neon lights, and the sea breeze carried the sounds of the bustling nightlife.
The South District had come alive.
Jinghe District, Yinggong Residence.
Ying Gong Tong was writing something with a calligraphy brush when she asked over her shoulder,
“The news is confirmed?”
Behind her, Nara lay on the bed, scrolling through her phone. She nodded.
“Yeah… Word from the main house is that your aunt has been appointed as the new director of your grandfather’s company. All of your older brothers have already visited to congratulate her.”
Ying Gong Tong dipped her brush into the ink and penned the final strokes of her name on the letter. Then, she picked up a nearby stamp and pressed it onto the paper.
“I see. In that case, I should look after my good-for-nothing cousin a little more. Her birthday is coming up soon, after all.
“The congratulatory letter is ready. Once the ink dries, send it to my aunt.”
She let out a soft breath, setting her brush down.
Then, as if suddenly struck by inspiration, her expression brightened.
“Oh! If I help her host a birthday party, I’ll have a perfect excuse to invite the Student Council over to my place…
“Hmm, maybe that cousin of mine is actually a little useful!”
Nara didn’t even look up from her phone as she deadpanned,
“You changed your tune pretty fast, Ojou-sama.”
Ying Gong Tong turned around, still holding her brush.
“It’ll be just like my birthday in January. We can all go out on a boat in the middle of the lake and watch fireworks.
“And then, on the boat, they can give me birthday gifts and wish me a happy birthday~”
Nara finally lifted her gaze slightly, watching as Ying Gong Tong—her cheeks tinged pink—clearly lost herself in the fantasy.
She sighed and ruthlessly pointed out,
“It’s your cousin’s birthday, not yours. People will be there to celebrate her. And the gifts? Those are for her, not you.”
Ying Gong Tong’s birthday was on January 1st. That was when Yan Huan had gifted her the very calligraphy brush she was holding now.
Ever since then, she had stopped using fountain pens for her handwritten letters and switched to this brush.
“What does it matter? I’ll just trade her something random for whatever gift the President gives her.
“She’s just a kid—she won’t even realize she’s being tricked.”
Nara pursed her lips, looking at Ying Gong Tong.
For some reason, she felt like she was staring at a mischievous parent scamming a child out of their lucky money by trading them a one-dollar bill for a hundred.
"......"
"By the way, why do you keep looking at your phone while talking to me? What are you even doing?"
"Me?"
Lying on the bed, Nara barely glanced at the screen, idly tapping it with her finger.
"I'm sending hearts to your beloved President."
"Hearts... sending hearts? What does that mean?"
"Here, come take a look."
"?"
Confused, Ying Gong Tong carefully placed her calligraphy brush aside and walked over to her bed.
Nara sat up and shared her screen with her.
The screen displayed a distinctly styled pub, where a handsome young man was busy working. Off-screen, a male voice was continuously introducing their newly launched cross-district alcohol delivery service.
"P-President?! Why is the President on your phone? D-Don't tell me you secretly filmed him too?!"
Hearing that, Nara’s face darkened as she gritted her teeth.
"This is a livestream!! Look at the username, will you?!"
Ying Gong Tong’s eyes widened in shock. She immediately snatched Nara’s phone and stared at the streaming account.
"Nursery Rhyme... That’s the place where the President works part-time?"
"Yup. Seems like business has been slow lately, so they started livestreaming to promote alcohol sales. I just randomly came across it while scrolling through short videos—probably got recommended since it's local content..."
Nara glanced at the screen and continued,
"Yan Huan being so focused on work is pretty eye-catching. They didn’t even do any promo, and the account isn't well-established, yet they already have a few hundred viewers now."
Ying Gong Tong clutched the phone tightly, her eyes fixated on the President moving around on screen.
With a knowing smile, Nara pointed at the screen.
"If you tap on the screen, you can send them little hearts. Give it a try, Ojou-sama?"
"Eh?"
Ying Gong Tong hesitantly tapped the screen twice, and immediately, a string of little hearts floated across the stream.
As she continued tapping, she turned toward Nara, blushing slightly.
"If I do this... will the President see that I sent them? Will he... maybe call me to say thank you or something?"
Ugh, dammit...
You’re actually kind of cute right now, Miss Ying Gong.
If only you were always like this~
After a brief pause, Nara shook her head.
"He can only see the total count going up, but not who sent them."
Upon hearing that, Ying Gong Tong's expression instantly fell. She stopped tapping and stared blankly at the screen.
"Then what's the point of doing something so meaningless? Are you that bored?"
"......"
Please, can I have the cute Ojou-sama from a second ago back?
Still, as she watched Yan Huan working on screen, Ying Gong Tong stroked her chin, thinking aloud.
"Now that I think about it, the President is livestreaming to promote his part-time job's drinks, right? So, if I just place an order to support his business, wouldn’t that be enough?"
Before she could finish, Nara swiftly crossed her arms in an X shape.
"No way! You cannot drink alcohol. If the main family finds out we let you drink, we’ll both get punished. And then my life will be a nightmare."
"...Fair point."
Ying Gong Tong sighed, looking at Yan Huan on screen like a hopeless fangirl who could only admire her "2D husband" from afar.
Meanwhile, in the livestream chat, messages kept rolling in:
"Where is this bar located? The decor looks nice."
"Can they deliver to Linmen Outer Island?"
"Can that cute bartender come chat with us~?"
"The host isn’t reading comments. Let’s leave."
Because Tian Li was busy mixing drinks, he wasn't responding to the chat at all. He just kept explaining how to order their delivery service while shaking cocktails.
Seeing Yan Huan tirelessly working, Ying Gong Tong also sent a message:
"Please let the young man in the video take a break. Stop making him work so hard."
...No response.
Nara chuckled and explained,
"He’s not watching the comments live, so he won’t see it."
"Then... is there no way to get his attention?"
Ying Gong Tong crossed her arms, looking extremely displeased—like she was ready to go to war for Yan Huan.
"That guy should just stand behind the bar, chat a little, and shake a few drinks. But no, he’s the only one running around while the other guy just chills behind the counter! He's abusing his seniority—so unfair!
"I’m going to buy this pub and make that guy wash dishes and run tables every single day!"
Nara facepalmed and muttered,
"You really do look like a jealous little wife right now… But if you do that, your little hobby of secretly watching him through surveillance cameras will probably get exposed too."
Still, seeing her young mistress so agitated, Nara decided to help out.
"There is a way to get his attention..."
"What is it?"
"Here, watch."
Nara opened the gift section in the livestream and selected a sports car-shaped gift.
After a quick face-ID payment, a flashy sports car animation appeared across the entire livestream.
"What... is this?"
Ying Gong Tong didn’t understand much about these features, but Nara lazily yawned and explained,
"A gift. Each one has a special notification sound. The more expensive it is, the louder the alert—making it harder to ignore.
"Look, I’m already the top supporter now, so my comments will be highlighted on their screen."
Ying Gong Tong blinked, still a bit lost, but kept staring at the screen.
Back at Nursery Rhyme Pub, Tian Li, who had been busy explaining their drinks, suddenly heard the exaggerated notification sound from his phone.
He blinked in surprise and walked over to read the username aloud.
"Thanks to ‘My Ojou-sama is Too Evil’ for gifting a luxury sports car! Thanks for the support, Boss!"
In the lavish mansion, Ying Gong Tong froze.
Then, realization hit. She whipped her head toward Nara, her expression furious.
"What kind of stupid username is that?! Am I that terrible?!"
"Hehe~"
"Hehe what?! What’s with that smug face?!"
Seeing that Ying Gong Tong was about to explode, Nara quickly diverted her attention.
"Ah, look at that! You distracted me, Ojou-sama! You sent a gift, got their attention, and now’s your chance! Hurry up and send a request before he goes back to shaking cocktails! Don’t waste your money!"
Ying Gong Tong, who was about to go full villain mode, instantly snapped back to normal.
She saw Tian Li turning away from the camera, preparing to continue his introduction.
Panicked, she grabbed Nara’s arm and commanded,
"Quick! Type for me!"
"Oh... Then hurry up and send another one so I can make sure they stop making the President work."
This time, it was Nara's turn to darken.
"How about you make your own account and send gifts?! This is coming out of my paycheck, you know?! You have so much money—go make your own account!"
"Cheapskate."
Ying Gong Tong shot Nara a glare before dashing back to her desk and grabbing her phone.
She didn’t even have this short-video app installed yet, meaning she had to download it, sign up, and create a new account from scratch.
But none of that could dampen her enthusiasm. She flopped back onto the bed beside Nara, phone in hand.
"After sending a gift, can I make requests?"
"As long as it's not too over-the-top, probably."
"Then I want to install—"
Before she could finish, Nara cut her off, as if foreseeing the inevitable.
"You cannot install surveillance cameras."
"......"
Ying Gong Tong's excited expression froze.
After a brief pause, her eyes lit up again.
"Then I—"
"You also cannot visit Yan Huan’s house."
"......"
Feeling the sheer resentment radiating from Ying Gong Tong’s glare, Nara remained unfazed, raising a single finger.
"But... you can ask Yan Huan to chat with you. Nobody online knows what kind of gremlin you actually are, so even if you say things you'd never say in person, he won’t know it’s you."
"...Are you mocking me?"
"Hehe~"
Too lazy to argue with this smooth-talking snake, Ying Gong Tong focused on her phone instead—her app had finally finished downloading.
She registered a new account, linked her bank, and picked the default cartoon cat avatar.
Her username? "Loves Cats."
Everything was ready—just one final step!
She searched for "Nursery Rhyme," found their livestream, and joined immediately.
Without hesitation, she pulled up the gift menu, took a deep breath, and selected the same sports car Nara had sent. She added a comment:
"Let the young man in front take a break and come chat."
Send!!
Inside Nursery Rhyme Pub, Tian Li heard the gift alert again and glanced at the screen, surprised.
"Already this many viewers? This is growing way faster than we expected. Yan Huan, come take a look!"
Initially, they assumed there wouldn't be many viewers, so they planned to let the stream run while they worked. The idea was to have Yan Huan join later once there was enough audience engagement—Tian Li would mix drinks, and Guan Rong would handle customers.
But before long, people were already sending gifts specifically to call Yan Huan over.
So, Tian Li stepped in front of the camera and said,
"Thank you to 'Loves Cats' for the luxury sports car! Much appreciated!
"Our staff will be here shortly. If you're interested, feel free to check out our drink packages. We deliver across Linmen—it’s super convenient!"
Yan Huan raised an eyebrow, handing over his duties to Guan Rong—who was still tuning an instrument—before walking toward the camera.
Back at Ying Gong Residence, Nara whistled meaningfully as she watched the screen.
"See? There he is~"
Ying Gong Tong’s face reddened as she clutched her phone, eyes glued to the screen. Her voice trembled slightly.
"S-so... I just type in the chat to talk? Or should I send a message with a gift to make sure it gets highlighted?"
"......"
Nara sighed, watching her mistress revert to "adorable mode" again. She poked Ying Gong Tong's cheek with her finger.
"Just type. Didn’t I already explain? Since you're a top supporter, your messages will be highlighted anyway~"
"I-I see..."
Ying Gong Tong peeked at the leaderboard—only to find that Nara was still ranked first.
"Why are you still at the top?"
"Huh?"
Her cheeks puffed up ever so slightly in dissatisfaction.
She immediately tapped another sports car gift.
"I’m the President’s number one fan! You move aside!"
"......"
Alright.
You’re actually jealous over this?
Nara clenched her fists, veins subtly appearing on her forehead.
Meanwhile, back in Nursery Rhyme Pub, Yan Huan started his introduction.
"Alright, let me introduce our signature drink packages. If you have any questions, feel free to ask in the chat...
"And thanks again to 'Loves Cats' for the generous gift!"
He paused slightly, glancing at the cat avatar that had popped up alongside the gift. Smiling, he casually added,
"You know, I have a really good friend who also loves cats. They have quite a few adorable little ones at home..."
Inside her room, Ying Gong Tong grabbed Nara by the collar and shook her wildly, her face flushed with excitement.
"The President is definitely talking about me!! It’s me! It’s me!!"
Nara, swaying back and forth from the force, deadpanned,
"Yes, yes, it's totally you. You two are about to get married and have a whole football team of kids..."
SO HALF-ASSED!!
Still buzzing with excitement, Ying Gong Tong lay on her stomach, legs kicking in the air as she held her phone tightly.
"What should I say to the President? I can ask anything right now..."
She lightly tapped the screen, pondering.
Her fingers hovered over the keyboard, and soon, a message appeared in the chatbox:
"What do you think about that cat-loving friend of yours?"
Behind her, Nara propped her chin on her hand and commented,
"Won’t that be a little too obvious? He’ll know it was you who sent the gift."
"Oh… you're right..."
Just as Ying Gong Tong was about to delete the message, a loud rocket launch sound effect blared from the screen.
"W-wha—?!"
She looked up in shock, only to see her top spot instantly drop to second place.
Yan Huan glanced at the screen and smiled again.
"Thank you to 'Yezi' for the gift, much appreciated.
"As for our drink packages, they include..."
Ying Gong Tong immediately turned to Nara, completely baffled.
"I sent two gifts! That random 'Yezi' only sent one—why are they suddenly first?!"
Nara glanced at the screen and explained,
"Mm… Because 'Yezi' sent a rocket—which is more expensive than your sports car.
"See those numbers under each gift? The bigger it is, the pricier the gift."
Ying Gong Tong turned toward the leaderboard.
At the top, under 'Yezi', was a default avatar of a blank-faced wooden mannequin.
Who the hell is this guy?
Using such a weird-looking avatar… Must be someone with missing brain functions on both hemispheres.
Interrupting Her from Messaging the President…
Ying Gong Tong coldly glanced at that damn wooden avatar.
Then, without hesitation, she tapped on a gift that was even more expensive than that stupid rocket.
"Buzzzzzzz!!"
An extravagant effect blasted across the entire livestream, flooding the screen with her username.
Jinghe District – Ye International Headquarters
As night fell, the massive skyscraper lit up, displaying the illuminated "Ye International" logo in bold letters.
Atop the building, a helicopter whirred as it descended onto the helipad.
Meanwhile, inside the towering structure, just outside the CEO's office, Ye Shiyu stood still, phone in hand, staring at the screen.
A well-dressed Dragon Empire woman approached with a polite smile.
"CEO Ye, your helicopter has arrived on the rooftop. You'll be dining in the office tonight. Would you like me to inform the head chef of any additional dishes you'd like?"
But Ye Shiyu remained motionless—expression as blank as a lifeless doll—her eyes locked onto the overwhelming flood of special effects filling the screen.
After a moment of silence, she murmured,
"…Cat."
"Cat?"
The assistant blinked in confusion before forcing a stiff smile.
"I don’t think Linmen serves that… and I doubt the chef would prepare it either."
Ye Shiyu snapped out of her daze and turned to the assistant, shaking her head.
"Sorry, I wasn’t talking to you… No special requests."
"Ah, understood."
The assistant let out a small sigh of relief and swiftly exited.
Left alone, Ye Shiyu glared at the user "Loves Cats."
She hated cats.
And she hated this username even more.
So, without a second thought, Ye Shiyu raised her hand and opened the gift menu.
Nursery Rhyme Pub
Yan Huan had just finished thanking "Loves Cats" for their gift.
Noticing the increasing number of orders in the backend system, he turned around, about to tell Tian Li to start preparing deliveries.
But before he could even open his mouth—
"Ding!!"
The crisp notification sound rang out behind him.
Yan Huan turned back, blinking at the full-screen effect once again.
It was from "Yezi."
His eyelid twitched.
Instinctively, he began to express his thanks—
"Thank you to 'Yezi' for the generous—"
"BOOM!!"
Before he could even finish his sentence, an even louder explosion of effects blasted across the screen.
Another gift—this time from "Loves Cats."
Yan Huan blinked rapidly, his Adam’s apple bobbing slightly.
But that one simple movement seemed to have signaled the start of something much bigger.
"Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding! Ding!"
A rhythmic barrage of one type of gift appeared.
Then, before it even finished—
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
An opposing barrage of an entirely different but equally destructive gift counterattacked.
At this moment, within the vast realm of cyberspace—
To the left, a chibi version of Ye Shiyu stood atop a row of luxurious purple cannons, expressionlessly gazing toward the opposing forces.
She waved her hand lightly and commanded in an icy tone,
"Leave no survivors. Fire."
Meanwhile, on the right, a chibi version of Ying Gong Tong sat atop a massive red cannon, her eyes burning with fury.
She pounded her fists against the cannon’s barrel, yelling furiously,
"BLOW THAT DAMN PERSON TO PIECES!!! FIRE!! FIRE!!"
With both sides giving the order at the exact same moment—
The entire battlefield—
No.
The entire livestream—
Erupted into total chaos.
Artillery rained down mercilessly. Explosions filled the sky.
The sheer carnage of this battle set the entire chat on fire.
"Holy shit!"
"666!!!"
"Who are these titans fighting?? This is insane!!"
"I just came in for a drink, why am I witnessing a war?!"
"Whales fighting, mortals spectating. I'm just here for the drama!"
The sound effects boomed nonstop, so loud that even the pub’s customers—who were actually drinking outside—could hear it.
Tian Li ran over in disbelief, staring at the phone screen.
"HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT!! What the hell are these two sugar daddies doing?!"
Even Tong Yingying, who was busy in the back, poked her head out, frowning impatiently toward the bar.
"What the hell is going on? What’s with all that noise?"
At the same time, Guan Rong, who had been running back and forth from the kitchen, also turned toward Tian Li.
"A’Li, A’Huan, what’s happening?!"
Tian Li gulped, then looked at Yan Huan—who also appeared completely bewildered.
Then, he whipped around to face Tong Yingying and shouted dramatically,
"Sister Tong, this is INSANE!! Two absolute whales are duking it out in our livestream!!!
"The fight is so intense, even the Great Path itself is about to be erased!!!"