Chapter Two: Livestream-Superstar King(Nian Nu Jiao)

The internet in this world was highly advanced. In the Great Qin Empire, where Su Tong lived, there were reportedly dozens of live streaming platforms, though only about ten were truly popular. Nian Nu Jiao had signed with a platform called CoolCool, one of the most popular streaming sites. Nian Nu Jiao’s fan count hovered around five thousand, but each month her income reached several thousand—a feat Su Tong knew was almost entirely thanks to Xiaoyu and Xiaoxiao.

The internet was a boundless forest; with its vastness, all sorts of people appeared. Even when Xiaoyu and Xiaoxiao simply livestreamed themselves eating, chatting, or doing homework, there would still be two or three thousand viewers present.

Of course, whether those two or three thousand were actually watching or just had the stream running in the background, Su Tong had no way of knowing.

During the year he spent studying in Yandu, Su Tong rarely streamed—only twice on weekends. If not for Xiaoyu and Xiaoxiao keeping things going at home, he wouldn’t even have been able to meet the platform’s minimum contracted streaming hours.

“Big Brother, Xiaoxiao still wants fish,” Xiaoxiao said pitifully, gazing at Su Tong from in front of the computer. Last night’s grilled fish had been too delicious; she was still craving it.

“Be good, Xiaoxiao. Let’s finish work first, the stream is about to start,” Su Tong said, pinching her soft cheek. Children’s skin was always so smooth, tender, and supple.

Seated at his chair, Su Tong kept wriggling uncomfortably, a fleeting trace of pain occasionally flitting across his face. He’d gone to great lengths to make Xiaoyu happy tonight—the accompaniment for the song Xiaoyu would sing had been exchanged from the system. The original price was a thousand units of faith, but he didn’t have that many fans, so he could only choose from the alternative exchange conditions offered by the system:

1. Suffer half a day of testicular pain;
2. Endure hemorrhoids for two days;
3. Lose one centimeter in length.

Su Tong had chosen the second without hesitation.

This system was truly perverse. Su Tong was deeply frustrated—wasn’t being reborn as a good person supposed to be a blessing? Why did it seem to bring only suffering?

“Xiaoxiao, don’t be naughty. We’ve lost many fans because you misbehaved. If you keep it up, we won’t be able to do our job, and then there’ll be no money for food, pretty clothes, or toys,” Xiaoyu chided from Su Tong’s other side. The night before, Xiaoxiao had thrown a tantrum and run off, causing fans to leave and upsetting Su Tong so much he’d gone to the beach alone.

“Oh.” Xiaoyu’s words were powerful; Xiaoxiao immediately straightened up, clutching her plush toy, her big eyes shifting between the camera and the computer.

“Brother, can this song earn us enough to buy a refrigerator?” Xiaoyu asked as the computer booted up, her tone both excited and anxious. Their father’s income barely covered his own expenses; for the past year, the three siblings had paid for their tuition and living costs themselves. When tips were low, life became very tight. Except for the streaming equipment, they didn’t even have a washing machine; the clothes were all washed by hand.

Xiaoyu and Xiaoxiao envied the other families in the village who had refrigerators, able to chill watermelon and ice cream during the sweltering summer.

“Yes, we can even buy a washing machine,” Su Tong said, holding Xiaoyu’s hand, his heart aching for what the sisters had endured. “Just sing your best. Your brother isn’t much of a singer—he’s still practicing. The house will be my responsibility in the future, but for now, we still have to rely on you two. I’m really sorry.”

Xiaoyu was caught off guard by the affection, not knowing how to respond.

“Do your best!” Su Tong cheered her on.

Xiaoyu nodded resolutely, sitting up straight.

Su Tong patted her gently on the back. “Xiaoyu, when you sing this song, relax a little, be playful—don’t be so serious.”

Warmth filled Xiaoyu’s heart. Her brother truly had changed, especially when he wrote this song for her—she’d almost cried with joy. The lyrics perfectly captured her long-held wishes; how she longed for a brother like the one in the song.

Three years ago, during one of their father’s drunken episodes, he’d revealed Xiaoyu’s origins—she’d been adopted. Ever since, she’d been afraid Su Tong would reject her as well.

Once the computer was ready, Su Tong logged into the CoolCool streaming room and found over a thousand viewers already waiting, with ten minutes left before the seven o’clock broadcast.

Seeing so many viewers, Su Tong felt a flicker of excitement. These were the core fans. The platform’s contract only guaranteed a base pay of 600 Qin coins per month—barely enough for the siblings’ living expenses. The real income came from tips, all thanks to the fans’ support.

With an average of 100 Qin coins in tips per day, Su Tong, Xiaoyu, and Xiaoxiao could afford their education. Without it, Su Tong would likely have dropped out and gone to work in a factory.

Knowing their family’s difficult situation, Su Tong studied hard, skipping two grades and reaching his sophomore year at eighteen. Xiaoyu was even more diligent; at just ten, she was already in the second half of her junior high third year, having skipped three grades. Both hoped to graduate early and save on tuition, and fortunately, both were gifted students.

“Haha, our beloved Qiao sisters are finally here—everyone, line up!”

“Haha, Qiao sisters, a day without you feels like three autumns. King Qiao, turn on the video so we can see our precious girls.”

“Turn on the video!”

As soon as Nian Nu Jiao entered the room, the lively chat halted, and the screen filled with demands for Su Tong to turn on the camera.

Fans called Su Tong “Old Qiao,” “King Qiao,” or “Prince Qiao,” while Xiaoyu and Xiaoxiao were known as the Qiao sisters.

The two girls didn’t look much alike, but both were budding beauties—especially Xiaoyu, who already showed signs of stunning charm.

Su Tong smirked. If it weren’t for the need to survive, he’d never let Xiaoyu and Xiaoxiao perform on camera. But now, most of Nian Nu Jiao’s fans were here for the sisters. If he were to disappear, in this vast digital world, without these five thousand fans, even if he was extraordinarily talented, who knew how long it would take to make a name for himself?

The system required him to gain three thousand units of faith—not from Nian Nu Jiao’s fans, but from his own. Checking his progress: 501/3000. Only 501 fans truly liked him.

Out of Nian Nu Jiao’s five thousand fans, only a tenth belonged to him.

On CoolCool, a streamer’s fan count was calculated based on viewers who stayed in the room for an hour during a broadcast.

Nian Nu Jiao’s streams consistently attracted around five thousand fans, maintaining this level for some time.

Su Tong turned on the video, and the siblings’ faces appeared before the viewers.

“Ahaha, our little darlings are as cute and beautiful as ever.”

“Little Qiao, come on, blow us a kiss!”

“Big Qiao, give us a kiss too!”

“Prince, I want a kiss as well!”

“Kiss!”

The sight of Xiaoxiao sitting on a tall stool, clutching her hem with an adorable expression, sent fans into a frenzy, filling the screen with requests for flying kisses.

Their requests weren’t unreasonable. Su Tong extended a finger, gently caressing Xiaoxiao’s cheek, smiling as he said, “Xiaoxiao, say hello to everyone.”

“Hey, King, let go of the girl—let me take your place.”

“Oh, I wish I were the one sitting next to Little Qiao.”

“What a sweet child—one day I want to have a daughter like her!”

Xiaoxiao looked up at the screen, knowing her usual routine. She pouted, climbed down from the stool, leaned close to the screen, and gave a gentle “mwah”—adorable as ever.

“No, no, not there!”

“Haha, so cute. Little Qiao’s memory is always like this—never improves.”

“Face the camera, not the screen!”

Laughter filled the room, everyone’s faces bright with joy.

Xiaoxiao couldn’t read the text on the screen, and as she turned to climb back onto the stool, Xiaoyu reminded her. Pouting in frustration—still thinking about grilled fish—she reluctantly crawled in front of the camera and offered another “mwah.”

“Haha, our little treasure is unstoppable—Little Qiao is invincible!”

“No way, our Big Qiao is just as amazing—so mature and well-behaved.”

“Haha, our little darling still hasn’t gotten over the last time she was upset. What should we do, everyone?”

“What else? Time for the big move!”

Suddenly, rows and rows of Häagen-Dazs icons flooded the screen.

“Ice cream!”

Xiaoxiao couldn’t read the words but recognized the pictures. Just as she’d climbed back onto the stool, she saw the Häagen-Dazs icons, scrambled down, and ran excitedly to the screen, pointing at them and shouting, “Sister, sister, it’s ice cream! We get to have ice cream!”

“Haha!”

“Woohoo!”

Fans with parental instincts couldn’t help but want to hug her, wishing she were their own daughter.

In reality, a tub of Häagen-Dazs was among the pricier ice creams, but as a tipping item in Nian Nu Jiao’s room, it was the lowest tier—worth just 100 CoolCoins, equal to one Qin coin.

“Bang!” Suddenly, a firework burst from the speakers, filling the screen with exploding colors. The scrolling comments halted as all the fans stopped typing.

“Whoa, a big spender just showed up!”

“Rich one, will you be my sugar parent?”

“Rich one, let’s be friends!”

“Boss, my flower is unbloomed, waiting for you!”

“My flower is clean, waiting for your love!”

“Show some decency, people. Little Qiao can’t read the chat, but Big Qiao is ten—she might understand!”

The fans wailed and joked as the fireworks continued to explode across the screen. Su Tong and Xiaoyu were stunned as well.

The Great Qin Firework!

“A million CoolCoins!”

“Damn, that’s ten thousand Qin coins! This big spender didn’t have much fan value before—are we sure this wasn’t a mistake?”

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