Chapter Fifty-Seven: The Whimpering Creature

"Big brother, could you not be so aloof? Just reply to a message, would you?"
"Did you forget about me? I’m that pretty little Daji!"
"Hey, do you remember that beautiful, busty streamer?"
"Please reply, dear! ヽ(•̀ω•́)ゝ!!"
Liao Yuan stared at a string of internal messages sent by the streamer with the username Fu Xiaoci, falling into deep thought.

Just a minute ago, he had fished out a business card from his wallet—a card handed to him by Fu Yuntao after learning about his desire to break into the streaming world. He’d introduced the cardholder as an affordable assistant, a popular streamer who happened to be his own younger sister—so much for impartiality in recommending talents.

At first, Liao Yuan found the name "Fu Xiaoci" somewhat familiar, but didn’t dwell on it. Yet when he browsed through his J-Station inbox moments ago, the words "Streamer Fu Xiaoci" instantly caught his eye.

Looking at her anime cosplayer avatar, Liao Yuan could almost recall how she had appeared in the music store that day:
A young woman with fox-like features, dressed in anime cosplay, her ample chest half-exposed, holding a selfie stick as she appeared before him...

"Could it really be such a coincidence?"
He studied the business card carefully. Besides the three characters spelling out her name, it bore the title "Signed Streamer at Little Yellow Fish Culture & Media Co., Ltd." along with an address and contact information.

After a moment’s thought, he opened the message box, typed into the editor, and sent a message to "Streamer Fu Xiaoci": "Are you there?"

"Here! Oh my god, you replied to me! I’m so touched!"

Not even ten seconds had passed and she’d already replied, her excitement positively leaping from the text. "Wow, you actually replied! I’m touched!"

Liao Yuan was a bit unaccustomed to such passionate online exchanges. After hesitating for two minutes, he replied, "Hehe, hello."

"I’m good, very good, extremely good! Can I add you on WeChat? It’s much easier to chat there."

Clearly, Fu Xiaoci was thrilled by his reply—not only was her language exuberant, but she also took the initiative to offer her WeChat ID.

If her fans ever found out about this, they’d probably be beside themselves. All those straight guys, hopeless romantics, and awkward fanboys had tried and failed to get her WeChat, unless they’d tipped her thousands of oranges.

By now, Liao Yuan was almost certain that this Fu Xiaoci was the very same one he’d met before. Still, instead of adding her on WeChat, he simply picked up his phone and dialed the number on the business card.

A moment later, a sweet voice answered, "Who’s this?"

"Hello, is this Fu Xiaoci?"

"Yes, who are you?"

"This is Liao Yuan."

"Liao Yuan? Never heard of you. Goodbye."

Beeep, beeep, beeep...

Listening to the dial tone, Liao Yuan was left utterly baffled.

Ping, ping ping.

A notification popped up from his computer—Fu Xiaoci had sent four or five more messages, worried by his lack of response.

Liao Yuan patiently typed, word by word: "I just called you."

She replied with three question marks: "??? What?"

A few seconds later, another message arrived: "Wait—what? Uncle A? Was that call from you?"

With a sigh, Liao Yuan was about to reply when his desk phone began to buzz.

He glanced at the caller ID, picked up, and said, "Hello."

"I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry..."
After a string of apologies, Fu Xiaoci let out an excited cry, "Uncle A, you’re amazing! Are you some sort of hacker? How did you get my number? I never imagined pianists these days were so versatile! I’m so happy, honestly!"

Liao Yuan couldn’t help but feel a shiver down his spine at her squealing. He was beginning to regret wasting time on such an unreliable streamer. So he said, "I must have dialed the wrong number. Sorry to disturb you. Goodbye."

"Hey—wait!"
Fu Xiaoci’s tone grew urgent, "Don’t go! I’ll talk normally, I promise."

Suppressing his urge to hang up, Liao Yuan asked directly, "Is your brother Fu Yuntao, the director?"

"Yes, that’s right!"
She sounded surprised, "Uncle A, how did you know?"

Liao Yuan smiled, "I just met your brother this morning. He gave me your card. The name seemed familiar, and then I noticed your messages in my inbox."

"Wow, that’s quite a coincidence..."

Fu Xiaoci seemed skeptical, "But why would my brother give you my card? Wait—don’t tell me... Did he tell you he has a younger sister with a great figure, fair skin, beautiful face, capable of earning money and supporting a household, equally at home in the kitchen or a boardroom, cute, obedient, gentle, and able to do both sweet and spicy things? Did you find yourself unable to resist and ask for my number?"

"...Excuse me. Goodbye."

"Wait, wait, wait! I swear I’ll be normal this time."

It took three solemn vows from Fu Xiaoci to keep Liao Yuan from hanging up.

"I’m new to J-Station and there’s a lot I don’t understand," he explained. "I wanted to find someone experienced to show me the ropes, especially about live streaming. Miss Fu, do you have any advice for increasing viewership without revealing your face, speaking, or interacting?"

"Uncle A, are you one of the Seven Sons of the Empire?"
Her tone turned serious. "If you were, you could keep your screen black and the viewers would still skyrocket."

"The Seven Sons of the Empire?" Liao Yuan was puzzled.

"You don’t know?"
She sounded surprised but patiently explained, "They’re the top celebrities in the current entertainment circle—a recent term. Each has over a hundred million fans globally. Among them, the Four Sons Returned are even more popular, with huge influence both domestically and abroad..."

Liao Yuan understood, though he clearly wasn’t interested. "So you’re saying that, without popularity, everything else is pointless?"

"No, no, no, Uncle A! You may not be popular, but you have potential—I love rising stars... Alright, no more squealing. Uncle A, have you considered entering the Grand Imperial Piano Competition?"

Liao Yuan shook his head, "I haven’t thought about it."

She continued, "With your talent, you’d breeze through the competition and your popularity would soar! If you win your regional championship, even better! And if you went on to win the ultimate Grand Imperial prize, wow, that’s over ten million in prize money! Why would you bother with streaming when you could just relax and count your money?"

Liao Yuan chuckled, "That’s an offline competition. If I participate, it nullifies the very premise I’m after."

"Simple—just wear a mask!"
She chirped, "As for networking, even easier—hire me as your manager. I guarantee I’ll arrange everything so perfectly you’ll feel like you’re in heaven..."

Liao Yuan: "..."

Second Battalion Commander, where’s your damn Italian cannon when I need it!