This streamer, Z, is a contracted streamer with the platform, but only on the lowest-level B contract. His base salary is 1000 yuan, with a 40/60 split of tips (60% for the platform, 40% for the streamer), and his profile is relegated to a remote corner of the website.
In this era of booming live streaming, there are tons of streamers like him. If it weren't for his large number of Weibo followers, he wouldn't even be a name on his or Shan Yu Yu Lai's platform.
The specific content of the live stream is unavailable due to the lack of a recording, but based on his nearly ten years of experience as a streamer, Xuan Yuan Tian Lu judged that if this person's live stream duration and exposure increased, they could definitely overshadow him, and even Shan Yu Ru Lai, in a short period of time. After all, men admire the strong, and whoever is stronger will climb the social ladder—that's an indisputable fact.
Once they fall from grace, male fans show absolutely no emotion.
Xuanyuan Tianlu watched Z's short videos over and over again in a self-torturing manner, the screen's faint blue light reflecting in his eyes, and he anxiously bit his nails and shook his legs.
Will this little Z figure out the rules of survival within a few days?
In battle royale, there are separate match sessions. If it's a 1v1, can you really win?
Want to gamble? Can he afford to gamble at least?
The sudden ringing of the bell rang in the quiet room, and Xuan Yuan Tian Lu shuddered, his eyes flashing with fanaticism.
"Shanyu! How did it go? Did he agree?"
Despite the impending storm, he maintained his usual easygoing attitude, laughing and saying, "Sorry, brother, they won't budge over there. They only eat with me."
"Why!?" Xuan Yuan Tian Lu's voice cracked: "Did you tell him how much money I gave him?"
The storm was brewing, and he slowly said, "I told him, but he wouldn't listen and insisted on arguing... I told you, brother, you were really too impulsive that day..."
"I know!!" Tianlu cried out in anguish, tearing at his hair. "I already said I'd pay compensation! What more does he want?!"
The storm was brewing, and after he'd yelled, he said, "What's the rush, bro? His platform account has a record of zero playtime in Battle Royale; he's never played it at all. Aren't you being a bit too hasty?"
Was he agitated? Xuan Yuan Tianlu thought desperately, yes, because he was afraid. That wasn't the kind of skill an ordinary person should have, and he was definitely not some gym instructor as some fans had guessed.
Despite the impending storm, they were still urging him to prepare for battle soon and not give Xiao Z a chance to familiarize himself with the environment, but Xuan Yuan Tian Lu wouldn't listen to a word they said.
We can't compare them like that.
We absolutely have to find a way.
"Shan Yu," he suddenly said, "did he agree to have dinner with you?"
He paused subtly, as if a storm was brewing, and then said, "Yes."
“You invite him out and take pictures of him. This streamer has never shown his face, so he must be ugly, at least below average. Find some angles, take some unflattering photos, and post them online. He'll definitely lose followers.” Xuan Yuan Tianlu’s voice grew lower and lower: “Have you forgotten about Yanghe last year?”
Yanghe used to be a very popular streamer on their platform, a male god with a great voice. Fans all thought he must be good-looking too, and they would send him all sorts of private messages to flirt with him.
He didn't post any photos and said he's not good-looking, but how can those two sentences offset the fans' delusions?
One day, after his photos were leaked, people realized that he was indeed quite unattractive. Female fans turned against him, and even those who were only attracted to his voice couldn't continue. His status on the platform plummeted, and after a period of silence, he left the entertainment industry.
Because of his excellent skills, Xiao Z's fans often jokingly call him "soulful and handsome," which probably reflects their own fantasies. If an unflattering photo of him were taken, and someone hired online trolls to manipulate it, it would definitely cause his career to plummet!
At that time, he will be too busy taking care of himself to care about any betting games.
Xuanyuan Tianlu became more and more excited as he spoke, but he hesitated to agree despite the impending storm.
"Brother, this is ridiculous." He frowned. "Isn't our entire family's recommendation list enough? Asking for more is going too far!"
Despite the impending storm, he remained good-natured: "You misunderstood, brother. I just felt that taking photos wasn't that convenient."
"Stop pretending with me. Here's what I'll do: I'll have Tang Mimi and the others put up another profile space for you."
"Thank you so much, brother. I won't stand on ceremony."
After hanging up the phone, Xuanyuan Tianlu kicked over the trash can.
***
Wen Zheng's attitude towards Deng Puyue's unauthorized sharing of his phone number with Shan Yu Yu Lai was clear: "Brother Yu deserves a beating."
I sent him a message and scolded him. Wen Zheng felt a little better and went offline.
The cat is no longer next to my pillow.
Wen Zheng rolled out of bed: "Big Black?"
He had barely called out when the cat shuffled in from the living room, glanced at him, and condescended to utter its first roar since returning home: "Hiss—"
Wen Zheng felt a chill run down his spine.
The sound seemed to resonate from deep within the throat, neither quite a meow nor a murmur, more like the low growl of a large feline, yet not too fierce, but rather lazy.
My heart, so depleted from anger by that idiot, felt like it had been steamed in a steamer, becoming fluffy and soft.
"Your leg isn't healed yet, and you're still running around everywhere." Wen Zheng scooped up the cat and placed it on the bed, chuckling softly, "Where have you been? Let me see..."
He walked out of the bedroom.
The small dish of water hadn't been moved, but the litter box against the wall had shifted slightly. Wen Zheng opened it and sure enough, there were two clumps of feces covered in cat litter!
Wen Zheng breathed a sigh of relief; he wouldn't need to go to the hospital or use cotton swabs for lubrication. Dahei was indeed as Deng Puyue had said—strong.
He clumsily scooped out the cat poop, sniffed it, and found no smell at all.
Wasn't it supposed to smell bad? I haven't even opened the odor-eliminating pills I bought, and the cat litter isn't scented. Logically, it should have some kind of smell, right?
He was completely baffled and checked again; there was indeed no taste.
...Big Black is really amazing.
Back in the room, Wen Zheng sat cross-legged on the bed, pulled Da Hei between his legs, stroked it a few times, and then took some photos with his phone. Da Hei was very cooperative today, not giving him any attitude.
Cats are better. A million times cuter than that idiot from before. Wen Zheng thought to himself with a smug smile.
Bei Sining, feeling soothed by Wen Zheng's gentle touch, thought to herself, "This human is so much better. He's nice, he can cook, and it wasn't for nothing that I used my magic to create this illusion. He's a million times better than that 'thief' in that weird 'game' from before."
The room was instantly filled with warmth, and both the person and the cat were very satisfied.
Author's Note: Big Black: I'm so angry! That thief yelled at me and hit me. This person is much better; he's simple and can even cook.
Wen Zheng: I'm so angry! I wasted half a day with an idiot. I would have rather petted a cat. They're cute and they even know how to use the toilet.
Chapter 15
Wen Zheng thought the impending dinner invitation was just polite formality between adults, but the other party called him the next day to ask when he would be available.
At that time, Wen Zheng was at the research institute. He had just had 600 milliliters of blood drawn, and even he felt dizzy and nauseous. Even if he got used to it, he wouldn't like this feeling.
“I’m free today.” Wen Zheng lay down for a while longer, the white light overhead was blindingly bright: “Noon would be best.”
Shan Yu on the other end of the phone was very surprised and said that he was the eldest brother and wanted to treat everyone. He then sent the restaurant reservation information and time.
Wen Zheng greeted the researcher wearing a mask, first putting on his ever-present pendant before getting dressed. The researcher smiled and asked, "Girlfriend?"
Wen Zheng left after saying "no" to the door.
This research institute is located underground in the central business district of Rongcheng. People enter and exit by swiping their cards and taking a private elevator. It is a case of true seclusion in the city.
The institute's main research focus is on enabling ordinary people to enter and exit subspace, which is why Wen Zheng regularly comes to donate his precious blood.
After all, this ability can be inherited through bloodlines, which is obviously related to genes. The research institute is still working hard to decipher the code.
Before leaving, Wen Zheng went to visit his master Xu Ji's office.
When Xu Ji didn't mention the blind date, he seemed very approachable. He wore gold-rimmed glasses and had a refined air. Although the nasolabial folds at the corners of his mouth were deep, his smile made him seem less serious.
"Xiao Zheng." He stopped what he was doing, opened the insulated food container on the table, and a warm, fragrant aroma wafted out. "I made you radish and beef patties. How was your week? What did you eat?"
The new type of insulated box can keep food warm all day long, and it's still hot to the touch.
Wen Zheng took the pancake that was carefully wrapped in oil paper: "Lunch at the cafeteria, dinner is fried meatballs."
Xu Ji asked in surprise, "Why did you suddenly decide to cook?"
"I have a cat."
Wen Zheng thought that when he went to work on weekdays, he would make extra cat food every morning and serve it on a plate. That way, Da Hei could eat it directly if it got hungry. He usually got off work on time, and apart from the bi-weekly mutual aid group, he didn't have any other activities, so he could make fresh food when he got home.
"Xiao Zheng?"
Wen Zheng exclaimed "Ah!" and gestured for his master to repeat himself. Xu Ji patiently said, "I just asked you, why did you suddenly get a cat? I remember I gave you one, but you gave it back to me. Didn't you like the one your master gave you?"
Wen Zheng paused for a moment: "No."
Xu Ji smiled and said, "What kind of cat won you over? Have you had a physical exam? If not, come to your master's place and we'll do the same."
"We'll see." Wen Zheng stuffed the pancake into his mouth in a few bites, saying he had a dinner appointment and had to leave. Xu Ji forced the thermos box onto him, then straightened his collar at the office door and told him to drive carefully.
Just then, another researcher passed by and, seeing this, smiled and said, "Xiao Zheng is here? Professor Xu is very happy."
Xu Ji smiled and said, "I'm happy to see him, but young people don't appreciate our concern."
“Yes,” the researcher said, “I call my daughter once a week and she gets annoyed.”
After chatting for a while, the researcher mentioned that he kept trying to introduce Wen Zheng to potential partners.
Xu Ji then said that Xiao Zheng was good in every other way except for this disobedience. The researcher then asked, "If girls don't like him, do boys like him?"
Wen Zheng could only manage a forced smile.
Xu Ji was a little unhappy: "How could he like boys? Xiao Zheng is so tall and handsome, is it hard for him to find a girl? Would you be happy if your daughter found a girl?"
The researcher subtly tightened his grip on the file folder in his hand and said, "It's alright."
The researcher left, and the awkward atmosphere dissipated.
Xu Ji said to Wen Zheng, "Don't be so perfunctory with girls next time. If there are any good ones, your master will introduce you to them. Only wild beasts fight alone. Humans are social animals and should be paired up."
This was a cliché, and Wen Zheng was numb to it. He nodded and left, his back burning from his master's gaze.
The elevator leads directly to the shopping mall. As soon as the elevator door opened a crack, the noisy sounds of people outside rushed in as if a barrier had been removed.
"Honey, do you know that someone died in this elevator? It's haunted."
"Ugh—stop it! How annoying!"
"Hehe, actually I heard a secret. There's a superpowered organization that can save the world right down there. People often see them swiping cards to enter and exit, and they even verify their iris."
"That's amazing? I'd love to see what a superhero looks like too..."
The elevator doors opened fully, and Wen Zheng happened to come into their view at that moment.
Jin Fanrong: "Holy crap, Wen Zheng!?"
Wen Zheng nodded aloofly and was about to walk past them when Jin Fanrong reacted and immediately stopped him: "Wait! How did you get down there? How could you get down there??" He looked incredulous and couldn't accept that his boast had just made his colleague, whom he looked down upon, seem more sophisticated.