Chapter 16
In Xiangjia’s livestream room, everyone was criticizing the person who kept initiating PK challenges.
[Why does the music keep stopping?]
[New user, right? You don’t understand. When another livestream room initiates a connection challenge with the streamer, the music will stutter for two seconds. This is a deliberate bug meant to stir up the audience’s excitement.]
[Speechless, some of Qiaowang’s features are really inciting. @QiaowangLive, can you stop messing around?]
[Can someone stop that person from constantly initiating challenges? Let Yunbao finish a whole song, ugh! It’s so annoying!]
[Yunbao, just turn off the connection feature! You’re on the big screen’s recommendation spot today, so lots of random people will try to ride your popularity.]
Lin Xingyun was the streamer temporarily invited today to promote Xiangjia’s online event. He was currently one of the most popular streamers on the platform, with a large fanbase, making his livestream lively.
After rejecting the opponent’s connection request for the 16th time, he turned off his mic and leaned out of the camera to look for someone.
“Where’s Mr. Wei? What’s going on with this Qiaoshou product experience team? No one told me about this part in advance. Should I turn off the connection feature?”
The room was filled with busy assistants and a few staff members, but there was no one in charge.
Lin Xingyun frowned, feeling disrespected, and started showing his displeasure on camera: “Speechless, where is everyone?”
Just then, the 17th connection request came through, and he accidentally pressed “accept.”
[Whoa, how did the PK start all of a sudden?]
[Huh, the opponent’s account seems to be someone from Qiaoshou Technology? Is this a new interactive segment?]
[What’s the product experience team? I only know product testing.]
[They connected! The screen’s up!]
[Whoa, this…]
[…]
[Am I seeing this right? Let me take a screenshot and check.]
The barrage of comments that had been flooding the screen suddenly stopped in unison.
“Oh no, I slipped and accidentally accepted the PK. I’ll cancel it now.”
Lin Xingyun didn’t even pay attention to who was on the other side. He quickly canceled the PK, thinking he could act like nothing happened.
Meanwhile…
Xiangjia’s head of promotions, Meng Zhaoqi, was complaining to Wei Kang, the official operations manager at Qiaowang.
“What’s up with the streamer you recommended? He’s been streaming for over two hours, and all he’s done is give out freebies or sing and chat. Does he even know today is supposed to be about promoting us?”
Wei Kang, smiling, reassured him: “Why are you in such a rush? Livestreaming isn’t as direct as hiring a celebrity for an ad. You need to keep the audience entertained. Lin Xingyun is the most popular streamer on our platform right now; his traffic is the best promotion you can get. Haven’t you seen how high the viewer count is?”
Wei Kang wasn’t wrong—Lin Xingyun indeed had a huge fanbase.
He shot to fame overnight during his first livestream due to his good looks. But without any particular talents, his popularity remained stagnant for the next two years.
However, starting from the beginning of this year, his luck seemed to turn around, as he won several of the platform’s livestreaming competitions in a row, causing his popularity to soar.
Last month, he made a meteoric rise through the platform’s leaderboard PK and ended up taking the top spot in terms of popularity.
Because of this, when ‘Enjoy Home’ decided to change their livestream host last minute, they asked the platform to recommend a streamer who could immediately take over for promotion, and Wei Kang brought in Lin Xingyun.
Lin Xingyun didn’t disappoint either. His fanbase naturally brought in millions of viewers as soon as the livestream started.
But…
“But his fans only come for him. Our backend download numbers for the new Enjoy Home version haven’t even hit 1,000 yet!” Meng Zhaoqi tried to show Wei Kang the data. “His appearance fee is 2 million, and you charged us 10 million for the ‘introduction fee’ and the platform’s recommendation slot. We also spent extra on technology to showcase the holographic effects in this livestream, and so far, I’m not seeing any effective conversions.”
Wei Kang gently pushed the data aside and said, “This is just how early-stage promotions go. Zhaoqi, your Enjoy Home platform is massive now, are amounts under a billion even worth mentioning?”
“One or two million isn’t much, but it depends on how it’s spent,” Meng Zhaoqi was getting anxious.
Wei Kang calmed him down with a single sentence: “It’s still more useful than wasting it on their product experience team, right? Just think, if today’s livestream had been handled by that newbie they temporarily swapped in, all your prior efforts would’ve gone to waste, wouldn’t they?”
“Although that’s true, but…”
“Alright, let’s discuss this later during the review meeting.” Wei Kang patted his back and pushed him into the room. “How about this, I’ll go have a chat with Lin Xingyun and ask him to guide the audience to learn more about your platform in the upcoming part. But about the download numbers, you can’t entirely blame him either. You know there aren’t many people with holographic equipment yet, right?”
“Sigh, that’s true.” Meng Zhaoqi nodded, somewhat confused, as he followed Wei Kang inside. Suddenly, he noticed the comments on the screen. “Wait, what’s going on?”
[@QiaowangLive, come out and take the heat!! Why can’t I enter the opposing livestream room?!]
[Damn, let me take another look! I didn’t get a chance to screenshot it!]
[I’ve been trying to click, but it says the livestream room doesn’t exist. Is this a bug? @QiaowangLive, why do you have so many bugs all the time?!]
[LOL, I wondered why the chat went quiet. Turns out everyone was trying to check out the other room! Haha!]
[Wait, what kind of magical company is Qiaoshou Technology, hiding such a beauty from us? Are they waiting for us to riot before showing us?]
[I demand an explanation! Where did you take away my goddess that I only caught a glimpse of?!]
[Report the comment above for delusion.]
After asking an assistant nearby, both Meng Zhaoqi and Wei Kang’s expressions darkened.
Is Lin Xingyun an idiot? How could he accept the PK and then immediately cancel it?
Lin Xingyun really had no clue.
Seeing that most of the usernames in the chat still had his fan tags but were now calling an unknown, disconnected streamer “goddess” made him irritated. He turned off his mic and said to Wei Kang, who had just entered, “Are they trying to leech off my traffic? Mr. Wei, hurry up and delete their account.”
Wei Kang’s face alternated between green and white. “We can’t do that now. Everyone’s searching for their ID. If we continue to restrict their viewership, people will know we’re deliberately throttling their traffic.”
Lin Xingyun said, “So what? They don’t have any followers anyway. What’s wrong with limiting them?”
“They’re under the name of Qiaoshou Technology!” Wei Kang was almost furious at Lin Xingyun’s obliviousness. “You just canceled the PK with someone from our headquarters in front of everyone! Are you stupid?!”
Lin Xingyun was taken aback by the scolding and muttered quietly, “Well, you didn’t explain it to me properly…”
Meng Zhaoqi glanced at the two of them, sensing that the dynamic between Wei Kang and Lin Xingyun didn’t quite resemble that of a platform official and a streamer.
“So what do we do now?” he asked Wei Kang.
After thinking for a moment, Wei Kang said, “I’ll get in touch with the other side. If they’re just looking for exposure, I’ll lift the traffic restrictions. But we’ll need to make it clear that any internal matters between us shouldn’t be brought up in public.”
The real concern was that they didn’t want the opposing party to stir up trouble in front of a large audience.
Meng Zhaoqi frowned, “Make sure they don’t pull any stunts.”
Wei Kang reassured him, “Don’t worry, I’ve got someone watching them from the backend.”
—
Meanwhile, Ye Xiyao received a message from a small account in his backend. The lengthy message basically conveyed that they should each stick to their own streams, resolve any issues privately, and avoid public conflicts. In essence, they were allowed exposure, but they were asked not to bring up the minor disputes with Enjoy Home or Qiaowang.
Ye Xiyao sent back a simple “OK” emoji.
“I’m so mad, so mad!” Chen Mu, beside him, was hopping in frustration. “They kicked us out as soon as we got in, and now they send a message to warn us? Is this Qiaowang’s attitude? They bullied us first, and now they’re acting like we’re the ones pestering them! If they hadn’t throttled our viewership, who would even care to connect with them?!”
Ye Xiyao quietly watched the viewer count, waiting for it to change, and softly said, “Don’t be angry. We’ve already achieved our goal.”
Chen Mu: “?”
He thought Ye Xiyao had gone mad from frustration. “How have we achieved anything? They didn’t even accept our PK!”
“They did accept it,” Ye Xiyao calmly counted on her fingers. “I appeared in their livestream for three seconds.”
“…Hahaha.” Chen Mu found it ridiculous and couldn’t help laughing. “Xiao Ye, you’re kind of adorable. You think you gained an advantage just by appearing for three seconds? What can three seconds even do?!”
Ye Xiyao replied, “Three seconds is enough for people to see me.”
Chen Mu asked, “So what if they saw you? It was just a brief flash, you didn’t even say a word. Forget about riding their traffic; no one even knows who we are.”
Ye Xiyao thought about how to explain the situation but ultimately decided that showing was more effective than saying. So, he asked, “Can you enter the livestream room now?”
“Let me check.”
Chen Mu, unsuspecting, searched for the ID and clicked to enter. “Alright, I’m in—”
But in the next moment…
“—Ahhh! Who is that?!”
Chen Mu fell back onto the floor in shock.
Ye Xiyao calmly responded to the camera, “It’s me.”
Chen Mu, stammering, pointed at his phone and then at Ye Xiyao. “Y-You?!”
Ye Xiyao, with a straight face, said, “I just look good on camera.”
“That’s more than just looking good on camera!” Chen Mu felt like he was seeing things. He stared at Ye Xiyao’s livestream appearance over and over. “What’s going on? You…”
He put down his phone and moved closer to Ye Xiyao, trying to figure out whether he hadn’t seen clearly earlier, or if the livestream had some incredible beauty filter applied. How did Ye Xiyao suddenly look so different, so stunning that even the resolution seemed to improve?
But Ye Xiyao shushed him and said, “Someone’s coming into the room. I need to turn on the mic.”
Chen Mu caught a glimpse of Ye Xiyao’s face from a certain angle. He froze, unable to move, with a string of “ahhh” running through his mind like the comments in a livestream.
The comments in the livestream seemed to mirror his thoughts:
[Ahhhh!]
[My persistence paid off! I clicked over 30 times and finally got in!]
[Babe, babe! I’m your first follower!]
[Ugh! No wonder I couldn’t get in earlier, you guys crowded me out!]
“Can you hear me?” Ye Xiyao asked for the first time in this kind of setting.
He knew that countless pairs of eyes were watching him from places he couldn’t see.
[Yes, we can hear you! Babe’s voice is so nice too, like wind chimes~]
[What’s your name? Are you a streamer hired by Qiaoshou Tech? Which platform are you on? I’ve never seen you before.]
[With this level of beauty, there’s no way I wouldn’t have come across you. You must be a new streamer! Following you now means I’ll be an early fan!]
[Are you nervous, babe? Why aren’t you talking? Don’t be afraid, none of us are good people anyway~]
Ye Xiyao carefully read every comment. The reason he hadn’t immediately responded wasn’t because of nervousness, but more out of fascination. He was momentarily absorbed by it.
Most people who knew Ye Xiyao would describe him as introverted, reserved, quiet, even socially anxious, and not much of a talker. But the truth was quite the opposite.
Being adored and admired was a succubus’s true nature.
He had come here today on a work assignment, so he reminded himself not to get carried away, suppressing the little thrill bubbling up inside him. On the surface, he calmly greeted everyone.
“Hello, my name is Ye Xiyao… I’m not that young, I’m already an adult. I’m not a professional streamer, I’m actually a full-time employee of Qiaoshou Tech.”
Ye Xiyao’s introduction was straightforward, just honestly stating his name and which department he came from.
“This is the account for our department. Thank you all for following. Today, I’m here to showcase our company’s new AR game.”
He immediately shifted to the main topic, thoroughly introducing the AR game and demonstrating all sorts of cool features and combinations within the game. He was doing his best to promote it.
However, the comments…
[Ye Xiao? Wow! What a cute name!]
[Babe, babe! Have you ever thought about becoming a celebrity?]
[Are you wearing colored contacts? Your eyes are such a beautiful color. Can you come closer so I can see them better?]
Ye Xiyao noticed that the audience seemed far more interested in him personally than in the AR dress-up game he was presenting.
Chen Mu, who was standing nearby, also clearly realized this.
The popularity of the livestream was unexpectedly high, surpassing 100,000 viewers in just one minute. In this situation, Chen Mu naturally didn’t have much to say. He simply watched silently, occasionally reporting a few malicious comments, fully taking on the role of the room’s moderator.
Ye Xiyao felt that the focus of today’s stream was starting to drift, so he suddenly smiled at the camera and asked, “Would you like to see me try on different outfits? I can show you the outfit-changing effect.”
[Whoa, you’re giving us a choice? I’m not worthy! I want to see you in that idol performance outfit! Studded boots and leather pants would definitely suit your long legs!]
[The Miao Tribe boy outfit is also amazing! Please wear it, babe!]
[User [First Fan of Little Treasure] sent 99 gifts]
[Your smile melts my heart! I’m sending gifts to get in line! Can you wear the vampire baron outfit that just scrolled by? You’re so pale, it would suit you perfectly.]
[Whoa, rich lady’s fast with her hands! She even changed her ID!]
“Sorry, I forgot to turn off the gift feature. No need to send gifts.” Ye Xiyao adjusted the settings and turned off the gift function, then changed into the vampire baron outfit, saying, “Sorry for the trouble.”
[Ahhh! It looks amazing! Totally worth it!]
[I’m done for.]
[Hey, calm down.]
[Whoa, is this some kind of special effect? The outfit-change function is so smooth!]
[I thought it would be an animation, but it looks just like real clothes! Qiaoshou Tech really knows its high-tech!]
Ye Xiyao suddenly leaned toward the camera, slightly opening his mouth, and said, “Look, I even have little fangs.”
[Bite my lips, take a sip! Mmm, so sweet!]
[Wife, you’re so beautiful, I want to lick—***]
[User [Internet Snake Skin] has been muted for 24 hours. Please maintain civility and help create a harmonious environment.]
[The mod was fast! I was just about to report that, but they were already muted, hahaha.]
Ye Xiyao noticed how efficient Chen Mu was as the temporary moderator and turned to thank him. But then he saw Chen Mu with two wads of tissue stuffed in his nose, stained with red.
Ye Xiyao: “?”
Chen Mu, realizing Ye Xiyao had spotted him through the livestream, awkwardly smiled, “Ha, haha, I’m just overheated and had a nosebleed. Sorry about that.”
Why was he apologizing for overheating?
Ye Xiyao was about to suggest that Chen Mu take a break if he wasn’t feeling well, assuring him that he could handle things alone. But Chen Mu insisted, “I’m fine, I’m fine! I’ll keep an eye on the comments! You just keep chatting with everyone, don’t worry about me.”
Then, he discreetly wiped his nose.
[Wait, this outfit-changing game even changes your teeth? The tech is insane… Babe, what’s the name of this game again? I happen to have AR equipment at home, and I want to try it out.]
“The game is called Keda and will be launching soon. Right now, you can pre-register on Qiaoshou Tech’s official gaming platform.” Ye Xiyao gave Chen Mu a glance and continued, “Today, we’ve prepared a free 10-minute demo version for you to try. If you have any brand of AR equipment at home, you can download it and give it a go.”
Chen Mu shot him a grateful look.
To be able to maintain focus on the purpose of the livestream and help promote the game so diligently in the face of such explosive traffic—it nearly brought Chen Mu to tears.
Where could they find such a perfect collaborator?
“Wait a sec…!”
Chen Mu, a bit slow to realize, finally posted the demo link he had prepared earlier. Then, he watched the backend stats and saw the downloads break into triple digits within just a few minutes.
Hitting the hundred mark might seem insignificant for any mobile or PC game, but for a niche AR game like theirs, it was an excellent start.
Not to mention that owning AR equipment wasn’t common, and the fact that those who did have the gear were willing to take the time to set it up and try the demo was remarkable.
Chen Mu felt another wave of nosebleed coming on.
This time, it really was from excitement.
[But how can someone be this beautiful… did you turn on a beauty filter?]
[So what if there’s a beauty filter? LOL, these days, who doesn’t use one while streaming?]
[Nonsense! Of course, I know there’s a beauty filter! But he put in the effort for me! I’m happy to watch!]
Ye Xiyao: “I’m not using a beauty filter.”
[It’s okay, babe. I believe you. Even if you did use one, it’s fine.]
However, Ye Xiyao wasn’t trying to clear his name but was concerned they might misunderstand the game’s realism:
“The thing is, Keda is designed to help players find the best fashion styles for themselves. To accurately showcase everyone’s body and image, there are no beauty filters in the game.”
[Guess what? I just downloaded the game and checked—it really doesn’t have any beauty filters. I look authentically ugly.]
[Ugh, I kinda wish you told me there ‘was’ a beauty filter, QAQ. Now I suddenly feel insecure. I don’t even dare to call you my ‘wife’ anymore.]
[I can’t even make my face look this good in holographic games; I’m afraid Nuwa will accuse me of copying her thesis project.]
[Wait… can a human really look like this?]
This comment startled Ye Xiyao, and he quickly replied: “I really am human.”
[?]
[Hahaha]
[Such a cute reaction!!! Let me hug you and give you a little kiss.]
[Babe, can we see you in one of the dresses from the women’s section? Hehehe.]
[Cute little dresses, mmm-hmmm!]
At that moment, the motion capture camera suddenly flickered again. Ye Xiyao didn’t have time to close his eyes and felt the brightness stinging them, so he rubbed them. When he opened them again, a faint blush spread around his eyes, and his lashes trembled as he blinked away the lingering discomfort. His pink-tinted eyes, nose tip, and earlobes all looked adorably small and rosy.
He looked into the camera, smiling, but there was a hint of teary-eyed vulnerability in his expression.
[Ahhh! Forget the dresses, babe, don’t cry! We won’t ask for dresses anymore!]
[Oh my gosh, Little Treasure’s tears are melting my heart.]
[How about we put him in a puffer jacket, something warm! Don’t cry, babe, I swear I’ll stop being a pervert!]
