Chapter 18
In this round, Ye Xiyao unexpectedly turned the tables and won.
Lin Xingyun, on the other side, probably hadn’t even processed what had just happened and quickly started another round, eager to win back his loss.
The viewers urged Ye Xiyao to impose a punishment, but he didn’t want to punish the opponent—he just wanted to put on rabbit ears for everyone.
At this point, a smarter person would have backed down gracefully.
But Lin Xingyun, unable to accept defeat and being petty, sarcastically said in his live stream, “What’s with the rabbit ears? You only won one round, just put the clown mask on properly.”
[?]
[Can’t watch anymore. Unfollowing Enjoy Home, unfollowing Lin Xingyun.]
[Lin Xingyun, are you on something?]
[He’s not even concerned with winning or losing, but you’re acting all hyper on your own.]
[What have you been doing in these rounds? Just because you’ve got a big shot backing you, now you’re being cocky? Can you stop with the antics?]
Lin Xingyun only turned his attention to the comments after his assistant nudged him, and what he saw instantly made his face pale.
When had anyone ever spoken to him like this?
“Whime are all these haters coming from?! This is my livestream! If you don’t like it, then just leave!” Lin Xingyun couldn’t believe that his own fans would side with Ye Xiyao.
However, after saying this, the number of viewers in his stream plummeted immediately.
[I’ve been meaning to leave. You got too full of yourself, bye-bye, won’t see you again.]
[Lin Xingyun, I’ve gifted you tens of thousands today, and not a single ‘thank you’ from you, just bitter complaints about the other side. Do you think my money grows on trees? Did I send gifts just to see you roll your eyes? I’m out. Even a gold miner wouldn’t dig up someone as insufferable as you.]
[I’m leaving too, no more to say.]
From three hundred thousand to two hundred thousand to one hundred thousand viewers.
Until it dropped to eighty thousand.
“…How? How could this be happening?” Lin Xingyun immediately grabbed the person next to him and asked, “Is this a network issue? Is there a bug in the system? How could it drop so fast?”
[We fans already warned you when you started PKing the other streamer, but you wouldn’t listen. Your attitude was crystal clear—pure jealousy. From beginning to end, the other streamer never provoked you, yet you treated him like an enemy and even tried to force him to dress up ugly. Lin Xingyun, I’ve been your fan for years, from when you first started streaming. But after you took first place on the total rankings this year, you’ve become unbearable. Arrogant and full of yourself. I just can’t be your fan anymore.]
[I also feel hurt. We stayed in your stream, loyal to you, but what did we get in return? You constantly throwing tantrums and snapping at us.]
[Just passing by to check out the drama. Feel bad for your fans.]
[The most pitiful ones are those from Enjoy Home, haha. Hiring someone like this to stream is beyond embarrassing.]
[You keep forcing little Xiao to dress ugly, but you don’t even need to try—you’re already the clown. Can’t stand that he’s prettier than you, huh?]
Lin Xingyun was trembling with rage. Just as he was about to speak, a hand reached over, cut off his microphone, and grabbed him by the arm, pulling him out of the stream.
It was Meng Zhaoqi.
Meng Zhaoqi’s face was grim, but he held back his anger for the sake of work. He instructed the streaming assistant, “Apologize first, calm the viewers down, end the stream after this round. The company’s PR will handle the rest. Just remember, win or lose, don’t start any more conflict with the other streamer.”
The assistant, sensing the storm coming, quickly nodded.
Lin Xingyun was dragged to the side and started shouting curses, “What the hell are you doing?! Are you crazy? Who told you to drag me away? Where’s President Wei?”
“Your President Wei is currently under investigation,” Meng Zhaoqi coldly glared at him. “Lin Xingyun, I had only suspected that you were Wei Kang’s little fling. I figured since you had some traffic, letting you make a little money wasn’t a big deal. But I didn’t expect you two would be this bold, daring to take my money—and the company’s money, too.”
“…What, what are you talking about? I don’t understand!” Lin Xingyun turned to run.
Meng Zhaoqi kicked him to the ground, barely containing his rage. He squatted down, grabbed Lin Xingyun by the face, and spat out venomously, “I still can’t believe I ever listened to Wei Kang and gave up someone like Ye Xiyao, only to pick trash like you! Now both the headquarters and the company are after me… You and Wei Kang won’t get away with this. Get ready for prison, scum.”
[Little Treasure is now featured on the big screen!]
[Our baby is so beautiful it’s making my heart flutter! He should have been featured long ago!]
[What’s going on with the other side? Did Lin Xingyun storm off after seeing his viewer count drop below a million?]
[Breaking news, everyone!!! The top gifter in Lin Xingyun’s stream just got banned! And not only that, his main streaming account [Qiaowang-Xingyun] has also been suspended!]
[Holy crap, it’s true!]
[What did Lin Xingyun do?]
[Waiting for the official announcement. If Qiaowang suspended him now, it means he must have done something really serious!]
Despite the sudden major news, Ye Xiyao remained remarkably calm.
After hanging up the phone, Chen Mu gave him a wild thumbs-up, silently bowing in admiration, “You’re incredible! Just incredible!”
Ye Xiyao smiled but didn’t show any pride.
In truth, he hadn’t done much.
He had merely noticed some strange patterns in the PK (player battle) data on the other side and then checked out the top gifter’s account, which also seemed suspicious. From time, he uncovered several details.
Once he found the evidence, Chen Mu wanted to expose the scandal immediately, but Ye Xiyao stopped him.
They all worked for Qiaoshou Tech. If things blew up, it wouldn’t just tarnish Enjoy Home or Qiaowang, but the entire Qiaoshou Tech headquarters.
And both Ye Xiyao and Chen Mu were part of that headquarters.
Why shoot themselves in the foot?
But letting it go wasn’t an option either. Sometimes, you had to fight fire with fire.
So, Ye Xiyao had Chen Mu send the evidence to Meng Zhaoqi.
That’s how this scene unfolded—watching the dogs tear each other apart.
Meng Zhaoqi would even have to thank them for not exposing him directly, saving him some face. Little did he know, Ye Xiyao wasn’t trying to save face for him at all—he simply didn’t want to get entangled in the complex conflict.
Today’s livestream has already achieved the desired effect. The reservations for the new game were soaring towards 200,000, and their account’s followers had skyrocketed from zero to three million, continuing to grow. It was clear that once the stream ended, viewers, eager for more, would follow the account in anticipation of the next session. The final numbers would be unimaginable.
This was enough.
Ye Xiyao was very satisfied with his first—and last—livestream.
Why the last?
Because Ye Xiyao knew that once he stepped away from the camera, everyone would forget him. No matter how dazzling or popular he appeared in front of the camera, behind it, he would fade into obscurity, losing all sense of presence.
Ye Xiyao actually enjoyed the excitement of today.
But he knew he would eventually have to leave.
Having successfully completed the job was enough for him.
When the PK session ended, Enjoy Home’s side was the first to close the stream. Ye Xiyao then bowed deeply in front of the camera and said, “Thank you, everyone. Today has been… the happiest day of my life so far.”
[Even after being bullied for so long, you’re still this happy, baby? You’re truly a good soul, QAQ.]
“Mm,” Ye Xiyao said, “Just being seen by all of you makes me happy.”
[I’m literally crying!!]
[With a face like that, he could easily be showing off, but his eyes are so sincere…]
[Is Little Treasure signing off? Will we get to see you again? When’s your next stream?]
[I’ll find you.]
[His bunny ears are still on, haha, so cute! Can you stream a little longer?]
“This will be all for today’s stream. Please continue to follow this account. Our Product Experience Department will introduce more creative products like Keda in the future,” Ye Xiyao said in a very official tone, waving goodbye to everyone.
But then, he suddenly noticed a comment scrolling by in the chat: [I already know where you are. I’ll come find you.]
Ye Xiyao frowned slightly.
But in the next moment, that comment was quickly buried by others.
[Goodbye, baby!!]
[Already followed, waiting for the next stream notification!]
[Little Treasure, I love you! Mwah!]
At that moment, the live stream ended completely.
The calmness Ye Xiyao had shown in front of the camera dissipated as the screen went black. His legs went weak, and he instantly collapsed to the ground.
Chen Mu, startled, rushed over to catch him but was beaten to it by someone else.
No one saw how Xing Xu rushed over, but he effortlessly picked Ye Xiyao up with one arm, glancing coldly at Chen Mu’s outstretched arm without saying a word.
Although he didn’t speak, Chen Mu felt like his gaze was saying, ‘Do you think you’re worthy of holding him?’
Chen Mu, intimidated, pulled back his arm.
“You… you’re here,” Ye Xiyao said, suddenly feeling exhausted, too tired to even speak. He slumped against Xing Xu’s shoulder, inhaling the comforting scent that seemed to soothe his soul.
He felt like if he took a bite, he wouldn’t need to eat for the rest of his life.
Xing Xu cradled him in his arms and, with one hand, removed the tightly strapped AR device and tossed it aside.
Chen Mu cried out in shock, “What are you doing?! That equipment is expensive! If you break it, you’ll have to pay!”
But Xing Xu walked on, ignoring him completely.
“…” Chen Mu’s face flushed with embarrassment. Seeing how tightly Xing Xu was holding Ye Xiyao, a wave of jealousy and anger surged within him. “Who are you? What gives you the right to take him away?”
Xing Xu stopped and turned to look at Chen Mu. With just one glance, he saw through the hidden thoughts in Chen Mu’s eyes.
The atmosphere suddenly became tense.
Xing Xu realized something—when Ye Xiyao wasn’t “tempting” him, he was out there tempting others.
A surge of rage flared up inside him, a discomfort so strong it made him want to get rid of the man who had been with Ye Xiyao during the entire livestream.
But the next moment, a pair of slender, soft hands wrapped around Xing Xu’s neck. “Manager Xing, I think I talked too much just now… I’m feeling a bit light-headed.”
“Hmm.” Xing Xu withdrew his gaze and looked down at the person in his arms. “Let’s go get some fresh air,” he said softly.
As Xing Xu carried Ye Xiyao out, Chen Mu collapsed onto the floor.
How strange…
Why did it feel like he had just walked through the gates of hell, even though the other man hadn’t done anything?
—
At 2 p.m., lunch break was over, and Qiao Linchuan only learned about the absurd drama that had unfolded during the break when he received an apology call from Meng Zhaoqi, the person in charge at Enjoy Home.
It turned out that Enjoy Home and Qiaowang had ditched their livestream today. Apparently, Enjoy Home had hired a popular influencer to promote their brand. And another thing… that influencer had been financially backed by Wei Kang using company money. They had planned to profit from both Enjoy Home and Qiaowang, but the scheme was exposed, and now the headquarters was investigating the whole matter.
Amid all this gossip, Qiao Linchuan suddenly remembered how it connected to them.
“Wait, wasn’t Xiao Ye supposed to stream today? How did we forget?!”
When they finally checked their department’s streaming account, they were stunned to see the follower count had reached…
“Six… six million three hundred twenty thousand?!”
Meng Zhaoqi, still on the phone, waited for them to calm down a bit before awkwardly chuckling, “The reason I’m calling is to apologize to the streamer you hired today. I heard he’s a newcomer in your department. Could you please give me his contact information?”
Before Qiao Linchuan could agree, the phone was suddenly snatched away by a hand.
Xing Xu had appeared behind him at some point, carrying a sleeping Ye Xiyao in his arms. He took the phone and coldly said just one word to Meng Zhaoqi on the other end, “Leave.”
Then, he hung up and warned Qiao Linchuan and the others, “If anyone dares to give out Ye Xiyao’s contact information, I’ll deal with them personally.”
Ye Xiyao slept until nearly the end of the workday.
When he woke up, he found himself in the resting room of Xing Xu’s office and immediately sat up in shock.
But Xing Xu was not inside.
Ye Xiyao thought that apart from being extremely tired, his sleepiness might also have been due to some after-effects from eliminating that demon seed earlier that morning. Even though he hadn’t used up much magic, even a small drain still counts.
The only relief was that he had successfully completed the livestream task today. Also, when Xing Xu carried him back to sleep, he didn’t take a bite out of him.
Wait.
Did he really not take a bite?
Ye Xiyao subconsciously ground his teeth, feeling a bit guilty. He wasn’t entirely sure if he had done something inappropriate after falling asleep.
He walked out of the office and noticed that Qiao Linchuan and the others were gone. Worried he might have missed some work, he quickly called Qiao Linchuan. That’s when he learned that due to today’s livestream incident, the headquarters had held an investigation meeting. Since it involved their department, the whole team had gone to attend.
“Should I be there too?” Ye Xiyao was the key participant in the events today and knew the most about what had happened, so it seemed logical that he should go.
But Qiao Linchuan’s tone was a bit strange. “No need, someone has already filled in your part.”
Ye Xiyao thought for a moment and nodded. “Oh, did Chen Mu do it for me?”
“Uh…” Qiao Linchuan lowered his voice, “It was the big boss, Xue Qiao.”
Ye Xiyao: “???”
How did the big boss help him with that?!
“Anyway, now that you’re awake, just head home. You were the star today. Both President Xue and Manager Xing said you should go home and get some rest.”
“…Alright.”
Ye Xiyao hung up, still confused. It felt strange—Chen Mu had gathered the evidence, he had been the one in the livestream, but somehow it was Xue Qiao who summarized the investigation results. It was all so surreal.
As Ye Xiyao made his way home, his steps felt light, almost like he was floating. He had gained a lot of attention today, earned many people’s affection, completed his task perfectly, and helped the company get rid of some troublemakers.
Everything seemed perfect.
But…
Had he bitten Xing Xu or not?
The more Ye Xiyao thought about it, the less sure he became. He figured he’d have to wait until he saw Xing Xu at work tomorrow to find out.
When he got home, it was still early, so Ye Xiyao decided to stop by the nearby supermarket. He planned to reward himself with a good meal, buying lots of meat.
As he walked home carrying the groceries, he couldn’t shake the feeling that there was a faint sound of footsteps behind him. When he walked, the footsteps followed. When he stopped, they stopped too.
Ye Xiyao suddenly spun around but saw no one there.
He wondered if he was just being paranoid, possibly due to seeing that comment in the chat earlier: [I already know where you are.]
However, when Ye Xiyao arrived at his doorstep, he was shocked to find a single rose wedged in the doorframe.
Tucked inside the fiery red petals was a small note that read:
[Found you.]
