Lin Feng gave a thumbs up from his position behind the camera.
Su Yue exhaled slowly, steadying herself.
Then she picked up her microphone and began to sing.
Her voice filled the small studio apartment, soft and melodic. The chat immediately exploded.
[MidnightWanderer]: THE BEAUTY IS BACK
[SleepyPanda99]: marry me fairy!!!
[GamingLord]: bunny costume when????
[LonelyFisherman]: I've waited 84 years...
[CloudChaser]: her voice is so good wtf
[SnackKing]: less singing more dancing pls
Lin Feng's eyes weren't on the main chat, however.
He watched the mod panel on his laptop, his expression darkening.
As expected, some people were causing trouble.
A few usernames he didn't recognize were spamming messages - classmates who had recognized Su Yue and were trying to dox her. Real name. University. Department.
Luckily, he had thought ahead.
The filter caught every instance and auto-deleted them before they could appear.
He allowed himself a small breath of relief.
On screen, Su Yue finished her song and finally looked at the chat.
Her eyes went wide.
"So many people?"
She leaned closer to the screen.
"There's almost a thousand of you!"
[WanderingKnight]: she noticed us!
[BubbleTeaAddict]: HIIII
[MoonlitPath]: dont look at the newgen we've been here since day one fairy
She scrolled through her song queue.
"The requests are also quite a lot... let me see..."
She paused, scanning the titles.
"Ah, I'm sorry, I don't know some of these. But I'll try my best!"
[SilentObserver]: its ok we believe in you
[NightOwl42]: just do your best fairy!
She smiled at the camera.
"Oh, someone's asking why the cosplay and dance donation goals have been removed."
She clasped her hands together.
"Actually, today's stream is brought to you by Tianji Capital!"
She cleared her throat and adopted a more professional tone.
"Tianji Capital is a quantitative investment fund that uses cutting-edge AI algorithms to analyze market trends and maximize returns. Whether you're a seasoned investor or just starting out, Tianji Capital offers accessible solutions for building your financial future. Check them out!"
The chat exploded.
[SnackKing]: ADDDDDDD
[GamingLord]: NOOOO ADDDDD
[MidnightWanderer]: sellout speedrun any%
[WanderingKnight]: wait its only her second stream and shes sponsored???
[CloudChaser]: fairy did you get scammed by some sketchy company
[LonelyFisherman]: are you being exploited?? blink twice if you need help
[SleepyPanda99]: WHO DO I NEED TO FIGHT
Su Yue waved her hands quickly.
"Thank you for caring, everyone! But Tianji Capital is absolutely legitimate."
She smiled reassuringly.
"And I have a very competent manager, so there's no way I could be exploited."
[NightOwl42]: manager??? she has a manager already???
[BubbleTeaAddict]: our fairy is growing up so fast
"Anyway, as you can see, today's stream is sponsored, so I can't do any dancing or cosplay."
The chat immediately descended into chaos.
[SnackKing]: L COMPANY
[GamingLord]: L TIANJI CAPITAL
[MidnightWanderer]: THEY'RE MONOPOLIZING OUR MOON FAIRY
[LonelyFisherman]: BOYCOTT TIANJI
[WanderingKnight]: GIVE US BACK OUR FAIRY
[SilentObserver]: worst sponsor ever 0/10
(moon fairy is her username. Yue means moon.)
Lin Feng smiled nervously from his seat.
Maybe I didn't think this through...
He quickly typed out a message and sent it.
On screen, Su Yue was panicking slightly, trying to calm the chat that had gone completely rogue.
"Everyone, please calm down…"
[SnackKing]: NO COSPLAY NO PEACE
[GamingLord]: REVOLUTION
[LonelyFisherman]: GENTLEMEN THIS IS DEMOCRACY MANIFEST
"I understand you're disappointed but…"
She suddenly paused.
Her eyes squinted at something on screen.
She glanced over at Lin Feng.
He gave her a thumbs up.
She turned back to the camera, a smile spreading across her face.
"Everyone, calm down please."
The chat slowed slightly.
"I just received word that Tianji Capital has heard your concerns."
[MidnightWanderer]: ???
[CloudChaser]: oh?
"They will allow for just a single cosplay at the end of the stream."
[SnackKing]: !!!!!!
[LonelyFisherman]: REDEMPTION ARC
"But definitely not the bunny cosplay," she added firmly.
At that moment, the donation goals reappeared on screen.
[GamingLord]: W TIANJI CAPITAL
[WanderingKnight]: PEOPLE OF CULTURE
[NightOwl42]: I take back everything I said
[MidnightWanderer]: I've been using Tianji Capital for 100 years now. Never let me down.
[SleepyPanda99]: brother aren't you exaggerating too much
[MidnightWanderer]: what exaggeration? its all true
[BubbleTeaAddict]: I too have used Tianji Capital. Very trustworthy. 10/10.
[CloudChaser]: why does this feel like a cult now
Lin Feng sighed quietly.
I guess this works too.
Su Yue held her chin thoughtfully.
"Someone's asking - if multiple people redeem the cosplay goal, what happens?"
She thought for a moment.
"That's difficult... how about this? Rank one in the donation rankings will get to choose the cosplay!"
The moment those words left her mouth, donations began pouring in.
[System]: GamingLord sent 10 Roses!
[System]: SnackKing sent 50 Stars!
[System]: MidnightWanderer sent 5 Rockets!
[System]: WanderingKnight sent 100 Hearts!
[System]: LonelyFisherman sent 20 Rockets!
[System]: SleepyPanda99 sent 200 Stars!
The notifications scrolled so fast they became a blur.
Su Yue's eyes went wide.
"Everyone, please calm down! I can't even see the screen anymore!"
[System]: NightOwl42 sent 10 Rockets!
[System]: CloudChaser sent 500 Stars!
"I won't put it on until the end of the stream anyway, so why are you all so hyped?!"
[SnackKing]: BECAUSE WE CAN
[GamingLord]: THIS IS WAR
[MidnightWanderer]: ignore us fairy, just keep singing
She let out a long sigh.
"Fine, fine..."
She raised her microphone again and scrolled through her queue.
"Next song is..."
She continued singing.
Song after song, her voice carried through the stream. The chat remained lively but settled into a more peaceful rhythm, occasionally erupting whenever someone made a large donation to climb the rankings.
About an hour passed.
Finally, Su Yue lowered her microphone and exhaled deeply.
"That's about all I can do for today."
Lin Feng nodded from his position.
Her singing had improved a little since the last stream. There was more confidence in her voice, better control over her breathing.
Maybe I really should...
"As for the cosplay," Su Yue continued, scrolling through the donation rankings, "let's see... first place is..."
She squinted at the username.
"LonelyFisherman! Congratulations!"
[LonelyFisherman]: LETS GOOOOO
[SnackKing]: RIGGED
[GamingLord]: I'll get you next time fisherman
"And the cosplay chosen is... a nurse costume."
[MidnightWanderer]: CLASSIC
[CloudChaser]: a man of taste
[LonelyFisherman]: you're welcome everyone
Su Yue smiled at the camera.
"Please wait while I change."