Chapter Ten: Poaching Each Other’s Talent

Many fans enjoy recording the live streams of their favorite broadcasters, either to keep for themselves or to upload online. There was no shortage of recordings from Su Tong’s stream last night, and anyone interested could easily find them.

Talent scouts are a profession, no less common than online editors. Seated at his office computer, the middle-aged man was not only a talent scout but also the head of all scouts. When his subordinates discovered a promising young person and presented the information to him, it was up to him to decide whether to reach out.

“Good looks, excellent physical attributes—he’s well above standard. Even if his ability is lacking, he could easily take the idol route.” Watching the video, Tang Shan pondered. Their entertainment company was well-known in the industry, and the live streaming platform was just one of its subsidiaries.

“The only drawback is his humble background, with no resources at all.” Tang Shan sighed inwardly. For an entertainment company to package and promote a newcomer required a significant investment, but most new talents came from well-off families, mobilizing their own networks to shine on stage. The company would not promote a nobody for no reason—handsome faces and pretty girls were everywhere, and talent was not in short supply either.

“We’ll observe a few more of his streams. If he’s worth it, let’s poach him to our platform first.” After watching the video, Tang Shan made his decision.

Meanwhile, at another streaming platform’s office building, it was well past working hours, yet one office light remained on.

“All three siblings are exceptionally attractive. In live streaming, appearance is crucial—even more so than in the entertainment industry. They’re lucky to have made it this far. If only we could use this song as the interlude and ending theme for that newly released film about rural siblings left behind—imagine the tears it would draw. What a pity.” On her computer, the elegant woman was watching a video of Nian Nu Jiao’s stream from the night before, sipping her coffee.

She, too, was hesitating—should she reach out to Su Tong and bring him over to their platform under Qiandu’s umbrella?

Su Tong had never sung before, but Qiu Jing wasn’t interested in his vocal skills. What she valued was his charm, his storytelling ability, and the presence of the two Qiao sisters.

Almost simultaneously, in another department of the largest streaming platform, a mature woman tossed a file onto the desk and said to a young woman sitting across from her, “Luoluo, tomorrow you’re in charge of contacting him. His contract should be expiring soon. See if he’d like to join us—offer him a Silver Contract.”

“Understood, Sister Xin,” the young woman replied respectfully.

Poaching talent between major streaming platforms happened almost daily—it was simply routine.

It was nearly midnight before Su Tong stumbled out of the system space, looking utterly disheveled. Although the battle state had ended and he should have felt better, after spending over a month in the vocal training room, he was on the verge of a mental breakdown and looked the worse for wear.

“That was terrifying—nearly killed me. I won’t stay that long next time.” Pale-faced, Su Tong logged onto Weibo and sent out a message: “Preview: Tomorrow night’s stream theme—Childhood. Youth.”

Just as he was about to post it, he realized it was already past midnight, so it was technically tonight. He added, “Oh, it’s past midnight, so it’s actually tonight. Also, haha, ten years to hone a sword—this time your brother will sing… Practiced all night, so exhausted. Goodnight.”

After posting the announcement, Su Tong enjoyed his first satisfying trip to the bathroom in twenty-four hours, then collapsed onto the bed and slept deeply.

He slept through most of the morning, long after the sun was high in the sky, while Xiaoyu and Xiaoxiao anxiously circled his bed. The two sisters kept checking his forehead and holding a hand under his nose, worried he might have fallen ill.

The three siblings were still unaware that during this period, Nian Nu Jiao’s Weibo and streaming room had nearly exploded from the excitement.

“Haha, am I seeing this right?”

“No way, is it true? Brother is going to sing?”

“Haha, that smile is so mischievous.”

“Hehe, most people charge for singing—does it cost him his life to sing?”

“Come on, life is hard enough. Why ruin the fun?”

These were just some of the comments on Weibo—several thousand in less than twenty-four hours, most of them playful banter between fans.

From noon, fans began staking out Nian Nu Jiao’s streaming room, waiting for the seven o’clock broadcast.

“Wow, there are already dozens of people in here at this hour. You guys must be really bored.”

“Why mock the bored when you’re just as bored? If you’re not, leave.”

“I really am bored. Seven times last night—now all beauties look the same to me, just painted skeletons.”

“Weren’t we supposed to be cool together? You took all the cool points.”

“I’ve been cool for twenty years, but I’ve never seen anyone so over the top.”

“Drag all the show-offs out for a beating.”

“Enough, you’re all off-topic. Brother’s singing tonight—what do you think?”

Around lunchtime, Su Tong finally woke up, opening his eyes to see Xiaoyu and Xiaoxiao quietly sitting by his bedside, staring at him in a daze.

“Huh?” Xiaoyu was the first to notice Su Tong had woken up and exclaimed in delight, “Brother, you’re awake!”

Earlier, when they’d tried to wake him, he’d only mumbled about being tired and wanting to sleep, not even opening his eyes.

Now that he was awake, he was clearly ready to get up, and the sisters were overjoyed.

Su Tong sat up and stretched, his joints cracking noisily, startling him.

But he felt fantastic—his hemorrhoids were gone, and after that sleep, he was in better shape than ever.

Thanks to the system’s rewards, having completed the task, he’d received a full attribute boost last night. His body now felt like that of a professional athlete, strong and full of energy.

“Have you eaten?” Su Tong jumped up, laughing heartily. “Let your brother cook for you—an unbeatable home-cooked feast! Pork stew with vermicelli, mushrooms with meat, tomato and eggs…”

“Fish! Grilled fish! I want grilled fish!” Xiaoxiao shouted.

After the meal, Su Tong turned on his computer and hesitated before sending a message to Tongxin: “Boss, tonight’s show has been long in the making and is carefully prepared. Could the platform give me a little recommendation? Before or during the stream, either is fine.”

The streaming platform’s front page wasn’t large, nothing like a major website, but in the past year, Nian Nu Jiao had only received one small recommendation. The person in charge of recommendations was the responsible manager, so Su Tong could only try to curry favor with Tongxin.

However, by the end of the workday, Tongxin’s QQ avatar dimmed, and Su Tong had yet to receive a reply.

While rehearsing and keeping an eye on his QQ messages, Su Tong noticed Tongxin’s avatar go dark, and a trace of disappointment flickered in his eyes.

“That’s enough practice for now. Let your brother make you dinner.” He quickly brightened up again, laughing and putting down his guitar.

Xiaoyu looked at him with adoration. “Brother, your singing is so beautiful.”

Su Tong grinned. “Tonight, you sing one song, I’ll sing one. Tomorrow, we’ll go to the recording studio and record all three songs. We’ll upload them to the Great Qin Music Library—maybe we’ll make a little money.”

Last night, completing the task had not only increased all his attributes but also rewarded him with a song of his choosing.

These days, trying to make a living by singing alone was a dead end. With the internet so developed and piracy rampant, who still buys CDs or music?

So, Su Tong didn’t expect to earn much by selling music. What he needed now was fame.

With fame, commercial shows, endorsements, and acting offers would follow—that was the real path to success.

At 6 p.m., just one hour before the scheduled 7 p.m. broadcast, Nian Nu Jiao’s streaming room was already packed. Five thousand loyal fans had taken their seats, waving their virtual flags in eager anticipation.