Drip.
Drip.
Water fell from the showerhead, tapping softly against the tiles.
Wei Liang crouched beneath it, a screwdriver clenched in his hand. Water slid down his wrist as he tightened the screw, turning it slowly—carefully.
He held his breath.
***
The dripping stopped.
A quiet exhale left him.
"The shower broke again," he said, wiping his hands as he stepped out.
At the small dining table, Wei Xiao paused mid-bite, her fork hovering over a slice of apple.
His gaze moved across the apartment.
A crooked cabinet door.
Peeling paint.
A faded ceiling stain, curling into a creepy smile that was hard to ignore.
His brows drew together.
"…Every time I come here, it looks worse."
He set the towel aside and sank into the chair across from her.
"How are you even managing like this?"
"Why don't you just find another place?"
After a moment, he pulled out his phone, a faint, easy smile tugging at his lips.
He tilted the screen toward her.
"See? I've saved some money for you. You can use it whenever you need."
She lifted her gaze to him.
"I can't do that, Dad."
"Why not?" His tone stayed light—too light. "Don't worry… your mom's not going to find out."
Her fingers tightened around the fork.
The apple shifted slightly on the plate as she nudged it.
"It's not only the money," she said softly. "Other apartments are farther from Tengxin… and cost a lot."
A small pause.
"This was the closest one I could get."
"…And the cheapest too."
She set the fork down.
Wei Liang watched her for a moment, then slipped his phone back into his pocket.
"Alright, but tell the landlord to actually fix it this time."
Wei Xiao nodded.
"I will… once he's back."
She picked up a slice of apple and took a bite, chewing quietly.
***
At night, music murmured softly as she worked, her screen reflected in her glasses.
She leaned back, stretched, and tugged out one earbud.
The room was quiet—only the distant street market, softened by shutters and fading voices.
Her tablet buzzed.
She paused mid-stretch, eyes flicking to it.
A notification glowed.
BloomKill is now #1 in Trending
25.1M views · Reposted by squirrel146
She tapped it.
The world shifted.
Her room blurred—replaced by a battlefield.
A voice broke in. Bright. Effortless.
"Annyeong, everyone."
"Did you miss me… or did you survive peacefully without chaos?"
"Chat, I hope you brought snacks."
"Because someone's about to get cooked tonight."
A soft laugh.
"Oh—and if your favorite loses… don't cry in my chat, okay? I'm not your emotional support streamer."
"Jaemi-isseo."
"Let's see who will win."
And there she was—standing firm, right in the center of the battlefield.
Wearing a soft pink hemp-leaf patterned kimono, draped beneath a dark haori, a red-and-white obi cinched at her waist.
A white kitsune mask—
pale… hollow-eyed… red flames licking along its sharp edges.
And beneath it
A sly, mischievous smile… the kind you could almost hear.
The internet knew her by only one name.
BloomKill.
The chat exploded.
Stickers flashed.
Donations chimed—one after another.
@PixelPanda — I missed this crazy woman
@Queen'sBaby — LOL what's with that mask and kimono??
@witchspirit99 — Looks like she binge-watched Demon Slayer last night
@Queen'sBaby — then why is she using Korean slang shouldn't she be using Japanese??
@RedPrince — Maybe it was the Korean dub lmao
@MoonPeach — New stream, new disguise. I love how she changes her whole vibe every time
@NightOwl — Popcorn ready.
The chat flew by too fast to read—lines stacking, overlapping, disappearing in a blink.
Across the Chinese servers, BloomKill was famous for one thing.
Hosting explosive battles.
She didn't just commentate fights—
she ignited them.
A gamer-streamer who played everything, always the first to jump into whatever new game dropped.
Her voice carried through—loud, wild, teasing.
"On one side—CrimsonFang. Speed is his weapon."
"For him, slowing down means defeat."
"And on the other—NightAngel."
Calm. Precise.
Like water flowing around stone.
WHOOSH—
A blade tore through the air. She stepped back—almost stumbling.
"Starting spicy already?" she laughed.
"Omo…! NightAngel didn't even move!"
"Not a single flinch—man, that's gotta sting Crimson!"
Crimson lunged again, faster this time, and NightAngel countered in a flash. The clash pushed them apart.
"NightAngel's counters are insane!"
"Crimson's speeding up now… this is getting intense!"
BloomKill's eyes narrowed. She lifted her hand, shielding her face as hair and kimono whipped wildly in the gale.
He's speeding up…
It's getting harder to follow him now.
NightAngel's strikes cut sharp and clean—but Crimson isn't backing down.
They're everywhere at once, left, right… impossible to track.
Daebak! How fast are his attacks? Makes you wonder how fast those fingers move. Girl, whoever's dating him must be winning at life.
A faint laugh crossed Wei Xiao's face.
@HolyPing — SHE SAID WHAT???
@xiao9 — NO SCRIPT, JUST CRAZINESS
A flood of paid stickers popped up.
@flirtykitty — silver fox
@noah2 — 6 Stone Sword ×2
@PixelLotus — Golden Phoenix Sticker xxx
Across the city, in a high-rise apartment bathed in warm light, three girls sat together.
One scrolled frantically through her phone. The other two stared at the screen, eyes wide as golden flames poured down the livestream.
"Whoa… someone just sent a ton of Golden Phoenix stickers," one shouted.
The girl holding the phone leaned back, calculating.
"No way… that's over $5,000 just now."
"I wonder who that user is… they must be loaded."
NightAngel isn't attacking anymore—just defending.
He tried to break out—but Crimson didn't let him.
"Look at crimson…"
"He's not just fast… he's covering every angle."
"Too horny for his win."
"He's forming a cage—ah… Chincha … that's Infernal Cage., his deadliest skill!"
"See that? Everywhere he turns, Crimson's already there… no way out!"
"…like bars closing in."
"Aigoo… bad positioning—behind you!"
"Omo! He's trapped—Crimson's cage got him!"
NightAngel was already trapped. Stamina bleeding.
"This isn't patience anymore—this is survival."
One mistake—and this ends ugly.
@giganticcarrot — He made NightAngel roll early, burned his stamina—now he's locked. There's no way he escapes this.
@lonewolf — He's cooked.
@TiltedDesk — Come on, it's clear now… who's gonna win?
@tinyowl: she's setting something up… I can feel it
"Aww… poor NightAngel," BloomKill teased.
"Like a parrot in a cage… only your voice can escape."
The sound slipped through the cage—faint, but enough.
NightAngel's gaze flickered—just for a second.
@tinyowl: she's setting something up… I can feel it
His fingers hovered, paused… then a single plucked note rang out—the opening strain of Flood, bleeding through the air like ink in water.
Across from him, Crimson smirked, as if the win was already his.
His shoulders loosened—just slightly.
A step forward. Certain.
Crimson's closing in…"
"…don't push it… don't…"
A boy in his school uniform muttered in a café, headset on—leaning forward, eyes locked on the screen.
"Twist—clean dodge! NightAngel evades!"
"He turned"
"…and he's right behind Crimson."
"Strike!"
The screen flashed.
***
"Yes! NightAngel leans back—lifting his fist!"
Across from him, Crimson yanked off his headset.
The feed surged harder.
@NoFilterQueen — what just happened? How did he lose?
@NightOwl —CLIP IT! CLIP IT RIGHT NOW!
@ZiMo — You can't predict it… even at the very end.
@ZiMo — Her streams just hit different. No wonder she's the HOST OF THE YEAR
@kingwang —You don't watch her to relax—you watch her to feel alive! Wo ai ni!!!
A faint smile touched Wei Xiao's lips.
The screen's glow reflected in her glasses—the frenzy carrying on, with no sign of slowing.
25.4M views.
Still climbing.