Zhu Mingxiao spent the entire day at the hospital for check-ups yesterday, and the doctor finally advised him to rest more and speak less.
As a voice professional, he felt utterly incapable of complying, so the doctor had no choice but to prescribe three days of nebulization to provide some relief.
Thus, early this morning, he went to the hospital for the nebulization treatment and came back with a bunch of medication.
On the bus ride home, he seized every spare moment to review fan content assignments.
Like, send an emoji.
Like, send an emoji.
Like, hmm?
He had become quite familiar with the fan content accounts that produced high-quality edits after seeing them so often, but this “Which Excavator is Strongest” account was a first-time encounter.
He clicked into the account’s homepage and found several fan-made videos already posted, with mature editing techniques and impressive like counts.
Zhu Mingxiao opened the account’s first video, which featured a newcomer’s first scheduling shift, including Nan Que. The poignant opening of “Melancholy Land” was particularly captivating.
Subsequent edits intermittently featured other skilled singers, including himself.
The fan-made video he had stumbled upon documented the lively atmosphere from last night when he and Nan Que were having fun in the hall. Although Nan Que had sung well too, “Which Excavator” mischievously edited him into a transition, making the over-two-minute video essentially his solo performance.
Upon opening the comments section, he wasn’t surprised to find a stream of remarks like, “Alright, alright, let’s go, it’s the Yu Mao fans,” “Did they pay for this? They must have paid, right?” and “So many leg hairs from the Yu Mao family; even the broad love fans have been recruited.”
Zhu Mingxiao lowered his eyes and canceled the like he had just given.
Ever since he showed signs of improvement, such slander had been incessant. He wanted to refute it but always felt powerless, leaving him with no choice but to ignore it.
Still, it left him feeling somewhat unsettled.
Just as he was about to exit, he refreshed the comments and saw “Which Excavator” clapping back at those remarks.
To “Alright, alright, let’s go, it’s the Yu Mao fans” – “I’m your daddy.”
To “Did they pay for this? They must have paid, right?” – “V me 50 to see some real skills.”
To “So many leg hairs from the Yu Mao family; even the broad love fans have been recruited” – “If you have folliculitis, go get it treated instead of spinning tales here. Are you from the Qing dynasty or what?”
Zhu Mingxiao burst out laughing at the sight. What a sharp-tongued person.
He liked it.
Followed.
Scrolling further up, he found a video dedicated solely to Nan Que’s part from that night’s scheduling shift.
Perhaps it was edited too late, as the video was made quite casually, without any fancy effects—just straightforward lyrics with subtitles—and had relatively few likes.
For some reason, Zhu Mingxiao felt a bit displeased and couldn’t resist hitting the recommend button.
His own video was so meticulously crafted, while the kid’s was so rough—he was merely stepping in to right an injustice.
Nan Que, aka “Which Excavator,” was in the midst of passionately arguing with commenters when he saw a notification: X. Xiao has followed you.
“What a coincidence? Did Xiao Ge also come across my fan content?”
Nan Que checked the records and noticed that Xiao hadn’t liked his own video but had instead liked and recommended the video of Nan Que singing.
Nan Que: Scratching head
My Lovecast’s thought process is truly baffling.
Nan Que opened his WeChat chat with Xiao.
Nan Que: Xiao Ge, are you back from the hospital? Is it serious?
Xiao: It’s nothing, just some vocal fatigue. Did some nebulization as a precaution.
Xiao: It won’t interfere with important matters.
Nan Que: (Head pat) Okay then, Xiao Ge, make sure to rest well and don’t push yourself too hard.
Nan Que: By the way, Xiao Ge, do you know who usually handles the post-production for our co-created works?
Xiao: You can either find someone yourself or ask the hall for help.
Zhu Mingxiao thought of their duet song list from that night and felt they could indeed co-create one. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Nan Que pouring cold water on the idea.
Nan Que: Oh, okay~ I’ve scheduled a co-creation with Teacher Sha Zi. We tried it out today and it felt really good. When the work is finished, Xiao Ge should give it a listen too~
Xiao: When?
Nan Que didn’t understand what he was asking and assumed he meant when the work would be ready.
Nan Que: We haven’t officially recorded yet, probably in a few days.
Zhu Mingxiao frowned and typed: I meant when did you schedule the co-creation?
Nan Que: Ah, that was a long time ago. We scheduled it right after I first met Teacher Sha Zi.
Nan Que: Teacher Sha Zi’s voice is too captivating. When we sang together today, I found our vocal tones match really well, so we decided on it, hehe.
Zhu Mingxiao felt a surge of frustration.
Their duet sounded great too.
Yet he went and found someone else to co-create with.
What a tasteless little pink-haired guy.
Nan Que wasn’t surprised that Xiao didn’t reply further. It’s normal for Lovecast to have a bit of a temper.
Thinking about the busy schedule ahead, he figured the co-creation needed to be pushed forward.
Since the singing in the hall went well today, he’d probably see some secondary creations later. It’d be best to ride the momentum and release the work, otherwise everyone might forget if it drags on.
He privately messaged the Hall Admin.
Nan Que: Admin, I want to co-create a work with Teacher Sha Zi. Do you have any recommendations for post-production teachers?
Hall Manager Zhima Hu: Sure, my schedule is free lately. Just record the dry audio with Sha Zi and send it to me, I’ll arrange the post-production.
Hall Manager Zhima Hu: I heard your duet as soon as I clocked in this morning. Is the co-creation the one from this morning?
Nan Que: Yes.
Hall Manager Zhima Hu: (Likes) You two hurry up and record. I’ll move you up in the schedule.
Nan Que was pleasantly surprised: Thanks, sis! I’ll treat you to milk tea! I’ll make sure to load it up with small ingredients!
Hall Manager Zhima Hu: You know what’s up~
They got right to work, skipping their afternoon shift to focus on recording.
By the end, they were almost gagging but satisfied, packaging the dry audio and sending it to Zhima Hu.
Nan Que was puzzled, “Why do I find my own singing so nauseating?”
Sha Zi was also a bit dizzy from recording, “Because we’ve listened to it too many times. It’s like writing the same character over and over until you no longer recognize it—same principle.”
Nan Que was convinced, but he still felt a bit queasy, “Bro, let’s not meet for a while. Right now, hearing your voice makes me a bit sick.”
Sha Zi: …
This pink-haired Little Bi Ga really knows how to piss people off.
After recording left his throat dry and hoarse, Nan Que didn’t feel like drawing and couldn’t start an individual broadcast either.
He thought about checking Lovecast, but Xiao Ge hadn’t started streaming yet either.
“Ahhh, I’m so bored.”
Sheng Qing rolled around on the bed twice, utterly bored. He opened his main account and browsed—his buddies were either scheduling shifts or doing individual broadcasts, too busy to pay him any mind.
He then opened his Qin account, and sure enough, it was flooded with pinned messages from clients urging orders.
Sheng Qing expressionlessly cleared the unread pinned messages and set them all to Do Not Disturb.
I, Sheng Xiaoqing, will never bow for five pecks of rice!
Little Feather Bubble No. 2 Group:
Mao Chi Yu: Sisters, I’m sneaking a leak—for the 200-day anniversary, the boss has prepared some little surprises.
Dog Bone Theorem: Xiao Xiao is so sweet, wahhh. Should we send something too?
You Wait Sushi Bar: “Right, right. There’ve been so many people slandering Xiao Xiao lately. We should take this chance to show some strength and intimidate them a bit.”
Manager Kumu: “Actually we’ve considered sending gifts, but haven’t decided what to send yet.”
Manager Kumu: “Let’s brainstorm together. Nothing like shopping malls or drone support – those need company approval and are hard to arrange.”
Masked Bandit: “Let’s do some fan-friendly activities! We’re saving votes for Xiao Xiao, need to spend carefully now (facepalm crying)”
Masked Superman: “How about finding the boss a partner? Haha, I’ve noticed streamers who formed partnerships all got their traffic boosted. So jealous!”
Masked Bandit: “@Masked Superman Don’t use a similar name to mine while saying such treasonous things!”
Manager Kumu: “@Masked Superman The boss said on their first day joining Siji Xianyin that they’d never form a partnership. No nonsense talk, first warning – next time it’s the plane ticket (note: means getting kicked from the group)”
Manager Miao Miao: “Alright, back to business. We’ve come up with several activities here, let’s take a vote.”
……
Nan Que stared blankly for a moment at the words “would never form a partnership.”