Chapter Twenty-Three: The Frog’s Greatest Glory

"Emma, that's so many people—over 130,000, not just 13,000!" Su Tong's exclamation rang out, prompting a burst of laughter from everyone. Su Tong was from the northeast, but rarely spoke with a northeastern accent; whenever she did, those unfamiliar with it found it highly amusing.

As the stream went live, the three siblings appeared before the audience. The brother was as handsome as ever, the older sister looked delicate and adorable, and the youngest was irresistibly cute. They seemed no different from usual, as if this wasn’t Qiao’s farewell broadcast.

"Jiannujiao587."
"Brother, you’re awesome!"
"Long live Qiao!"
...

Even though there was a limit on comments, the chat scrolled rapidly, words flickering across the screen.

Tonight, the brother was dressed more formally than usual, and the older sister, Daqiao, wore her school uniform, her brows clear, her demeanor pure and lovely. Little Qiao wore a white princess dress, her hair in twin pigtails, quietly seated on a stool, holding a doll, very well-behaved.

"Ha ha, everyone’s so enthusiastic—the chat is rolling so fast, I can hardly keep up," Su Tong continued to laugh with her characteristic carefree tone, obviously a bit overwhelmed by the flood of messages on the screen. She stopped reading and began introducing tonight’s program: "Jiannujiao’s shows are pretty consistent, just the order changes sometimes. Tonight, we’ll start with a few jokes to warm things up. Then Daqiao will sing two old songs, followed by a duet from Qiao and her sister."

"Brother, aren’t you singing?" Hearing the program lineup, a crowd of viewers couldn’t help but ask; everyone wanted to hear him sing. Previously, he never sang, so nobody minded, but since he’d broken the rule once, now they all hoped he would continue.

"Don’t worry, Daqiao and I both love singing—we’ll keep on singing. Hehe, let me tell you something: yesterday I went to the studio and recorded a new song, but it’s not online yet. I wanted you all to hear it first, so I’m sharing it here."

"Brother is the best!"
"Brother is amazing, so touched!"
"Brother, you’re so good to us! Does your house need a toilet cleaner?"
"Brother, do you need a security guard?"
"I want to apply as a nanny!"
...

The fans began chatting wildly, begging to be taken in as little brothers.

Su Tong ignored them, serving up an appetizer—a story about Xiao Ming and the female teacher.

[The classroom was a bit warm, so the teacher lectured while taking off her jacket. Midway, Xiao Ming in the back row suddenly shouted, "Take it off! Grandpa’s got plenty of money!"

The teacher, furious, yelled, "Get out!"]

...

A few stories about Xiao Ming and his teacher had the audience in stitches, making them forget the somber tone of Qiao’s farewell stream. Tongxin herself was amused by Su Tong’s jokes, but the happiness was fleeting, reality was cruel, and as she returned to it, she felt restless.

Especially after Daqiao finished singing "Catch the Mudfish" and "Childhood," Tongxin was stunned—is this the true strength of Jiannujiao? Even without much musical knowledge, she could tell these weren’t pop songs, but they had much more flavor than the fast-food-like pop tunes, and would likely endure far longer.

"Can you still sing?" After Xiaoyu finished two songs, Su Tong handed her a cup of water, smiling.

Xiaoyu nodded as she drank.

"Gege, is it time for Xiaoxiao and sister to sing?" Xiaoxiao asked eagerly. Though her words were unclear, she found singing fascinating—she’d started learning last night and was stil