Chapter 15
Chen Mu shook hands with Ye Xiyao, looking a little awkward.
“Are you… the one responsible for being on camera today?”
Clearly, he wasn’t happy with the new on-camera candidate.
Xing Xu left, and the distracting fragrance that had disturbed Ye Xiyao’s mind was gone from the conference room.
As for Chen Mu in front of him, his soul wasn’t nearly tempting enough to make Ye Xiyao crave him. Finally, he calmed down a little and gave a slight smile, “Yes, hello.”
Ye Xiyao extended his hand.
Although he didn’t like physical contact, a handshake was basic workplace etiquette. This courtesy had to be maintained.
However, this courtesy was politely declined by the other party.
Chen Mu didn’t treat him as a formal point of contact at all. Not only did he refuse to shake hands, but he didn’t even bother to look directly at Ye Xiyao.
“Just sending anyone to handle this. It seems you guys are ready to give up on this live broadcast, huh?” Chen Mu sighed, shook his head, and sat down beside him, staring blankly. “If I’d known this, I wouldn’t have come.”
He looked as if he had completely given up.
Ye Xiyao didn’t dwell on his dismissive attitude, but he did catch a key point in Chen Mu’s words.
What does he mean by ‘ready to give up on the live broadcast too’?
Thinking further, the three people who were originally supposed to come had only Chen Mu showing up now.
And there was less than half an hour left before the live broadcast. Even if they arrived now, there wouldn’t be enough time to run through the process, let alone introduce everyone.
Something was definitely wrong.
Looking at Chen Mu’s attitude, despite the urgency of the situation, no matter what Ye Xiyao said to him, Chen Mu would only respond with “Oh,” “Hmm,” or “I don’t know,” “You figure it out.”
He clearly had no intention of cooperating with Ye Xiyao’s work.
In Ye Xiyao’s short twenty-something years of life, he had often been underestimated and ignored, so he had grown used to it. Not only did he not feel aggrieved, but he found comfort in hiding in this lack of importance, putting on an invisible protective shield, hoping to live quietly.
But after graduating, he realized that hiding too well didn’t guarantee stability.
Ye Xiyao could still recall the time not long ago when he was frantically sending out resumes and job hunting, doing part-time jobs after interviews, exhausted to the point of breathlessness, and yet constantly worrying about being fired.
Since he was on his own, without anyone to rely on, if Ye Xiyao wanted stability, the first thing he needed was a good job.
And the job that Qiaoshou had given him was clearly his best shot at securing his future.
He didn’t want the first task entrusted to him to end sloppily, nor did he want to lose this sense of security.
Ye Xiyao decided to be upfront with Chen Mu: “Tell me the truth, what’s the deal with the other two people in charge?”
Chen Mu’s eyes awkwardly fell on his phone, as if busy replying to someone’s message, ignoring Ye Xiyao.
Being someone often overlooked, Ye Xiyao had developed a sharp sense of reading people’s cues, knowing when someone was genuinely ignoring him and when they were pretending.
Chen Mu was pretending.
Suddenly, Ye Xiyao abandoned his usual calm and reserved demeanor and slapped the table with a loud bang.
The noise startled Chen Mu.
“What are you doing? Are you going to hit me?” Chen Mu shuddered, looking up at him in surprise.
Ye Xiyao smiled faintly, hiding sharpness beneath his soft exterior, “There was a little bug.”
Chen Mu: “…”
“Brother Chen, they’re not coming, are they?” Taking advantage of their eye contact, Ye Xiyao asked the question.
Before Chen Mu could make up an excuse, Ye Xiyao laid it all out, “Although the live-streaming account was newly registered by our Product Experience Department, this event had been promoted for a while, and it’s gained a decent amount of attention. Logically, a mature holographic shopping platform like ‘Enjoy Home’ wouldn’t do something that would ruin its own reputation. So, I can reasonably guess that they’re not coming, not because the live stream is canceled, but because they’re not streaming with us. Right?”
“…You already guessed it, so why ask me?” Chen Mu couldn’t pretend not to hear any longer, scratching his head as he replied gloomily, “This morning, you guys suddenly called to inform us that Wen Jisheng was on sick leave. Everyone had been preparing for so long, and at the last minute, you changed the personnel. People were upset. Qiao Linchuan even brought up the big boss’s nephew to silence us, so of course there’s dissatisfaction.”
Although Ye Xiyao had anticipated this, hearing Chen Mu say it out loud still made his heart tighten.
They say starting anything is hard, but this beginning for Ye Xiyao was just too difficult.
Chen Mu then told him some even worse news: “Indeed, there’s been a lot of attention on this live stream promotion, so no one wants to miss out on this opportunity for publicity. They privately discussed it and decided to redirect the traffic from the pre-heated live stream to the ‘Enjoy Home’ account.”
“…What?” Even though Ye Xiyao had mentally prepared for some surprises, he didn’t expect this. “They didn’t inform us at all about switching the live stream account.”
“It was on purpose. You guys switched personnel last minute, so as payback, they switched the streaming room at the last minute,” Chen Mu said with a wry smile. “They even invited a top streamer with over 80 million followers. The stream started an hour ago. I checked it out — the viewership has already surpassed a million, and with the platform’s big-screen promotions, I think it might hit ten million today!”
Ye Xiyao remained silent.
Chen Mu wasn’t surprised by his reaction. He even thought that if Ye Xiyao started crying, it would be completely understandable.
A rookie who had just started his job was handed a mess to clean up. If he managed to handle it well, he might not get much credit, but if things went badly, he would definitely be blamed.
Chen Mu tried to check if Ye Xiyao’s eyes were tearing up, but he couldn’t discern any expression on his face.
Or maybe, Ye Xiyao was so calm that he didn’t show any emotion at all.
Chen Mu just assumed he was stunned, sighed, and started to sympathize with him: “You’re really unlucky, only a few days into the job and you don’t yet understand how ruthless people can be. They gave you this task, and you didn’t even consider whether you had the ability to clean up the mess.”
“Let me give you a piece of advice. Go find the highest-ranking leader in your department and report that the live stream was canceled due to uncontrollable circumstances. Blame it on your team leader’s unreasonable arrangements. Just push all the responsibility onto Qiao Linchuan. Trust me, your leader Qiao is a seasoned veteran. Most people can’t get rid of him, and he’ll find a way to manage. As for you… well, even if you get scolded, you’ll at least keep your job.”
After hearing him out, Ye Xiyao was quiet for a moment, then suddenly asked, “You knew they were going to switch the live stream location. Why did you still come?”
Chen Mu hadn’t expected him to ask this, hesitated for a moment, then rubbed his nose, feeling a bit guilty: “We’re just a small company under Qiaoshou. President Xue took a liking to our concept and gave us a lot of support in terms of technology and funding. Now that the product is out, of course, we want to give back. Today’s stream was just us lending you some equipment, helping out wherever we could.”
He purposely kept it vague.
After hearing this, Ye Xiyao directly countered, “That’s not right.”
Chen Mu: “…Huh?”
“You didn’t come to help us, you came to help your own company.”
Ye Xiyao laid it out plainly, “‘Keda’ is a new game. It doesn’t have the deep pockets of a holographic shopping platform like ‘Enjoy Home,’ nor does it have the massive channel traffic of a streaming platform like ‘Qiaowang.’ After the product launch, marketing and promotion will be a huge expense, and it might not even bring ideal results.”
“I don’t know if they invited you to join their stream on the other side, but even if you went, you would’ve just been a background player. But here, live streaming with me, at the very least, your company can get the backing of Qiaoshou Tech.”
“You…”
Chen Mu had thought of Ye Xiyao as a clueless newcomer and hadn’t taken him seriously. He never expected that Ye Xiyao already understood the stakes so well.
After being at a loss for words for a while, Chen Mu could only awkwardly say, “Even if that’s the case, I honestly didn’t have much hope for you guys. If you’re saying this to put me in my place, there’s no need. Whether we stream or not, I don’t care.”
Suddenly, Ye Xiyao’s tone softened, and he smiled kindly, “Brother Chen, I’m saying this to tell you that regardless of whether they show up, this live stream is still beneficial for your company. So we still need to take it seriously.”
Chen Mu froze for a moment. “…Huh? You’re not planning to cancel the stream?”
Ye Xiyao looked at him, “This is the first task I’ve taken on since joining the company. Of course, I’m going to do everything I can to complete it. This is also your game’s best chance at gaining widespread attention before its launch. Don’t you want to seize this opportunity?”
Time was ticking away, with less than five minutes remaining until the stream started.
Chen Mu hesitated.
They had been confident about the live stream earlier because they were relying on the massive user base and highly developed technology of “Enjoy Home.” With the streaming platform’s support, a breakout promotion seemed within reach.
But now, all they had was the “Keda” game and Ye Xiyao, a last-minute host. There was nothing about the situation that looked remotely promising.
Forget about going viral — Chen Mu was even starting to worry that viewers might lose interest in the game after watching Ye Xiyao’s outfit demonstration…
“We should start getting ready.”
Though Ye Xiyao appeared gentle, he was decisive when it came to making decisions. Seeing Chen Mu remain silent, he made the decision for him and then asked, “Shall we go?”
“By the way, did you guys manage to create that simple demo version that Brother Qiao asked for earlier?”
AR games haven’t fully caught on yet, mainly because AR equipment is still expensive. Compared to smartphones and computers, which everyone owns, the AR market is much smaller.
This is why Keda had to participate in this live stream — because the people who follow Qiaoshou Tech are the main users of AR devices.
Qiao Linchuan and Wen Jisheng had discussed this before. For a new game like Keda, promotion alone isn’t enough. Users need to try it firsthand. But who knows if Chen Mu and his team took this seriously.
“We made it.” Chen Mu pulled out the computer he had brought. “It’s already uploaded, but it only supports about 10 minutes of trial use. We can put the link up for download later. But… do you think anyone will even click on it?”
As Ye Xiyao led Chen Mu outside, he casually said, “Brother Chen, you know there’s an old saying, right?”
“What?” Chen Mu had initially seen Ye Xiyao as a weak, unremarkable newcomer in the workplace, but hearing him calmly say this, he suddenly straightened up, ready to listen attentively.
Ye Xiyao: “Since we’re already here, we might as well give it a try.”
Chen Mu was dumbfounded. “…That’s an old saying?”
“The old saying is,” Ye Xiyao winked at him, “It’s something I always say.”
Chen Mu: “?”
—
At exactly one o’clock, Ye Xiyao was suited up in his AR gear and opened their live stream account.
Chen Mu, standing nearby, nervously bit his nails.
The room felt a bit empty with just the two of them, but their emotions were anything but calm.
Even though Ye Xiyao appeared composed, it was mainly to reassure Chen Mu, so he didn’t let his anxiety show. But inside, he was nervous — after all, he had never done a live stream before.
Chen Mu’s nervousness, on the other hand, was obvious.
He paced back and forth, occasionally urging, “Maybe we should just call it off? Let’s just cancel.”
Ye Xiyao lightly tapped the sensor button, smiling casually, “I’ve already started the stream.”
“Huh? So sudden? You’re just starting like that?” Chen Mu was jittery, shaking his leg anxiously.
The live stream was broadcasting directly from the AR game device, showing only Ye Xiyao’s in-game avatar, so viewers couldn’t see Chen Mu’s frantic pacing off-camera.
However, the holographic camera kept flashing white light at Ye Xiyao, which was straining his eyes. He asked, “Brother Chen, the camera light keeps flashing. What’s going on?”
“It’s probably because the streaming camera isn’t compatible with our motion capture device.”
Chen Mu leaned over to check and immediately started sweating. “This built-in holographic camera was provided by the streaming platform. I don’t know how to adjust the settings! Oh no, does this mean we can’t stream?”
Ye Xiyao found his self-induced panic amusing. “We can stream just fine. The light just flashes in my eyes occasionally, but it doesn’t affect the real-time display.”
He adjusted the AR game interface, ensuring his avatar was fully projected onto the live stream. Then, he closed his eyes briefly, mentally running through the flow of the event.
“How’s it going? How’s it going?” Chen Mu repeated anxiously. “Has anyone joined the stream yet? I can’t see the projection! What’s wrong? Is something broken?”
“Brother Chen, you’re way too tense,” Ye Xiyao said, half-laughing, half-sighing. “You’re not wearing the equipment, so of course, you can’t see the projection. Just check the stream on your phone.”
“I’ll help you adjust the equipment again. The body-scanning device was calibrated to Wen Jisheng’s measurements last time, so it might not fit you comfortably.”
Chen Mu wiped the sweat off his forehead and took a look. Surprised, he said, “I didn’t notice before — your waist is so slim! It’s already set to the tightest setting, but it’s still loose on you! Wait, your legs are longer than Wen Jisheng’s too… this strap should be at your knees… Never mind, let me help.”
“No need, no need, I can manage myself,” Ye Xiyao instinctively stepped back, seeing Chen Mu approach. “Brother Chen, we’re live now, so I shouldn’t talk to you. You can watch from the side on your phone, and quietly let me know if anything’s off.”
Chen Mu nodded. “Right, right. Stop talking to me, and greet the viewers!”
However, after a quick glance, Ye Xiyao realized there was no one to greet.
From the start, the live stream audience count had been: 0.
Frowning, Ye Xiyao sensed something wasn’t right. “There’s no one entering our stream.”
Chen Mu, on the other hand, took it surprisingly well. He hadn’t set his expectations high to begin with but still felt a bit disheartened by how quiet things were. “Well, it can’t be helped. The big-screen recommendation has already been given to the ‘Enjoy Home’ stream. We don’t have any official traffic.”
Ye Xiyao, however, believed it wasn’t that simple.
He suddenly said, “Join our live stream now.”
“Oh, okay!” Chen Mu took out his phone. A moment later, he muttered in confusion, “Huh? What’s going on?”
Ye Xiyao had a bad feeling and asked, “What’s the problem?”
Chen Mu tried searching for the account ID ?Qiaoshou Tech – Product Experience Department? again, but still failed. Frustrated, he said, “Xiao Ye, it’s no good. I can’t find our live stream account anywhere on the platform! Even I can’t get into the stream!”
Ye Xiyao understood immediately.
Not only were they without official promotion, but they were also being restricted by the platform.
It was obvious that this was the doing of the people from *Enjoy Home* and *Qiaowang*.
But why?
Was it because they were upset about the Product Experience Department’s last-minute change of streamers, and as a result, decided to cancel their support? Ye Xiyao couldn’t argue with that.
But after all, they were part of the same company. If they couldn’t collaborate, fine, but to go so far as to cut them off entirely?
“Those sneaky guys. They’re worried that our stream would siphon off some of their traffic, so they just blocked us! It’s too late to ask the platform for a new recommendation spot now… What do we do?”
Chen Mu, experiencing something like this for the first time, was completely flustered. He’d heard plenty of stories about corporate competition, but he never imagined this kind of sabotage could happen between departments of the same company.
Panicking, he said, “This collaboration was approved by the big boss. Should we just go to him and report them?”
Ye Xiyao shook his head. “Qiaoshou Tech has so many project teams and countless products. President Xue doesn’t have the time to oversee everything. We’ll have to save ourselves.”
“Save ourselves?” Chen Mu was bewildered. “How can we save ourselves? They’ve completely throttled our traffic, and I can’t even find our stream! Are you saying we should switch streaming platforms now?”
“No need.”
Ye Xiyao remained calm, making it hard to tell whether he was oblivious to the severity of the situation or if he had everything under control.
After a few moments, Ye Xiyao tapped a few buttons on the streaming interface and let out a breath. “Got it.”
Hearing this, Chen Mu brightened up. “What happened? The restriction’s lifted?”
“No,” Ye Xiyao explained, “People still can’t enter our stream, but the platform has a live stream PK feature that lets us connect with other streamers. I tested it, and this feature still works.”
Their stream was being throttled, but other streamers weren’t. After connecting, the other streamer’s audience would be able to see them.
It wasn’t a perfect solution, but it was better than having no viewers at all.
It took Chen Mu a few seconds to grasp the idea. “That’s brilliant! How did you think of that so quickly?!”
But their excitement was short-lived.
Ye Xiyao tried connecting with several different streamers, but all of them rejected his request.
It seemed they had noticed something off about the low viewer count in Ye Xiyao’s stream and didn’t want to give him free exposure.
Ten minutes into the stream, Chen Mu, after enduring rejection after rejection, was on the verge of giving up.
He squatted down in a corner, biting his nails. “I should’ve expected this. The business world is like a battlefield—it’s either allies or enemies.”
Yet, Ye Xiyao remained as composed as ever, continuing to explore other options.
Watching him, Chen Mu suddenly felt a bit impressed. “You’re surprisingly good at this. Even if Qiao Linchuan were here, he might not stay as calm as you. Facing a dead-end like this, you’re completely unfazed.”
Ye Xiyao didn’t care if Chen Mu’s words were meant as praise or teasing. He replied lightly, “As long as you’re alive, there’s no such thing as a dead-end.”
Chen Mu was taken aback.
A moment later, Ye Xiyao smiled and added, “But you’ve reminded me. On the battlefield, it’s either allies or enemies. Well then…”
Chen Mu couldn’t keep up with Ye Xiyao’s thought process. “Well then, what?”
Still under the ID ?Qiaoshou Tech – Product Experience Department?, Ye Xiyao sent a PK challenge request to ?Qiaoshou Tech – Enjoy Home Holographic Shopping?.
He said, “Let’s give them one more chance to decide whether they’re allies or enemies.”
“…Wow.”
Now understanding what Ye Xiyao was doing, Chen Mu could only mutter a string of “wow” in amazement.
He marveled at Ye Xiyao’s boldness, daring to directly confront the opposition. At the same time, he was impressed by his calmness, knowing full well how awkward the situation could become, yet still stepping forward to provoke them.
But the first three PK requests were all declined.
Earlier, Chen Mu had secretly logged into the *Enjoy Home* stream using a side account and had quickly left after being overwhelmed by the angry comments in the chat.
“Xiao Ye, maybe we should stop. They probably think we’re just trying to steal their traffic.”
“We ‘are’ trying to steal their traffic,” Ye Xiyao said matter-of-factly, having muted his microphone. “They were supposed to send us traffic in the first place, but they took it for themselves. So, why can’t I take a little back?”
It made sense, actually.
Chen Mu, infected by Ye Xiyao’s nonchalant attitude, started to relax. “But if they do accept, what if they make trouble during the PK?”
What he didn’t dare to say was that the audience on the other side had already worked themselves into a frenzy in the chat after seeing the repeated PK challenges.
Chen Mu was worried that if the PK succeeded, Ye Xiyao would be torn apart by the ‘Enjoy Home’ fans.
Ye Xiyao said, “Brother Chen, there’s an old saying.”
Chen Mu chuckled, “You sure have a lot of old sayings.”
“This one’s a real old saying,” Ye Xiyao replied. “‘When soldiers come, we’ll fight them. When water floods, we’ll block it.’”
After a long pause, Chen Mu finally gave him a thumbs-up. “Xiao Ye, you’re amazing. With this kind of mindset and quick thinking, there’s nothing you won’t succeed at in the future!”
As his words fell, a notification popped up in front of Ye Xiyao:
[Qiaoshou Tech – Enjoy Home Holographic Shopping] has accepted your challenge. PK begins!
—
Translator Note:
Hello, dear readers!
We’ve now reached the halfway point of the non-VIP section of the main novel. I’ll continue updating every day until we reach the VIP section. Once we’re there, updates will shift to twice per week. For those who prefer not to wait, you can head over to my Ko-fi store and purchase the rest of the translated novel for early access.
Thank you so much for your support and understanding, and I hope you enjoy the journey ahead!
