[ZenBro gifted 10 rockets]
[ZenBro: If our queen showed her face, fans will come instantly. She's just being modest.]
[HenryKing recharged 100,000 in Riley's stream]
[HenryKing gifted 10 yachts]
[HenryKing: You think having a gold-tier supporter is impressive? I'm one too.]
[And me!]
[Same here!]
[Me too…]
***
Riley, who had been quietly drawing, paused mid-stroke.
Wait.
Didn't I block the campus network?
How did they get in?
Her gaze shifted to the flood of gold-tier viewers pouring into her stream, and her lips twitched slightly.
These guys… clearly they aren't new to this platform.
She clicked into a few profiles.
As she expected, every single one of them was filled with gaming history. Aside from following her, the rest of their subscriptions were all gaming streamers.
Figures.
Her camera remained pointed at the screen, but her fingers moved swiftly across the keyboard.
Within seconds, she restricted their ability to send gifts.
She had already switched to her own avatar earlier, which made adjusting permissions quick and effortless.
She didn't care if others sent gifts.
But not from her own students.
The effect was immediate.
Her chat box filled with confusion and complaints.
[??? Why are we restricted? Did you misclick?]
[What are you doing?? Open it back up!]
But Riley ignored them.
It didn't matter. That sudden wave of gold-tier users had already boosted her stream. Her viewer count surged at an unbelievable speed. Climbing past tens of thousands in seconds.
Seventy thousand.
In an instant, she overtook Felicia.
And yet, Riley didn't react.
One hand rested on the mouse. The other moved steadily across the keyboard. Her expression remained calm, her focus absolute.
Five minutes later, a completed image appeared on screen.
A stylized, anime-inspired painting.
A woman dressed in red stood atop a city wall, a sword gripped firmly in her hand. Blood dripped from the blade. Her clothes were torn, her hair disheveled, strands clinging to her face. Her body was stained with blood.
Her back faced the viewer.
Alone.
Silent.
Desolate.
The chat exploded.
[WHAT is that?! Where did this god-tier artist come from?!]
[No way! This was done in minutes?! It's gorgeous! I love it!]
[Please drop the original file!!!]
Even the students of Class Seven were stunned.
They couldn't believe that Riley do that.
They were aware that she might be a little slow.
But the painting was unbelievable.
They had watched her draw it in real time. Every line. Every stroke.
No shortcuts. No tricks.
Just pure skill.
***
With the sudden surge in activity, the platform's algorithm kicked in.
Riley's stream was pushed to more users, rapidly climbing recommendation lists. And that single painting drew in an entirely new audience. Anime fans, digital artists, and casual viewers alike.
Screenshots spread. Comments flooded in. Requests for the full image stacked one after another.
The momentum only grew.
***
On Felicia's side, things weren't going as smoothly.
No matter how she sang or danced, aside from that one gold-tier user, most gifts were small—tiny, one-dollar gifts that barely made a difference.
Compared to Riley's total, it wasn't even close.
Watching from her alternate account inside Riley's stream, Felicia saw everything clearly.
In less than three minutes, Class Seven had already dropped fifty thousand in gifts.
Felicia's gifts amount was not even twenty thousand.
***
Fatigue began to set in. After all the singing and dancing, Felicia sank into her chair, forcing herself to continue interacting with her audience.
Her eyes reddened slightly, just enough to be noticeable. However, her fans saw it instantly and reacted.
They couldn't stand seeing Felicia like this.
One by one, they began sending gifts again.
A new wave surged in.
Felicia kept her expression controlled, but inside, she was satisfied.
This was exactly what she wanted. She pushed them by drawing out their sympathy.
As long as she crossed fifty thousand, she would win and she had already noticed something critical.
Riley had restricted gifts.
Those gold-tier users couldn't contribute anymore.
Which meant that as long as Class Seven couldn't step in again, victory would be Felicia's.
But now, it wasn't just about winning.
She wanted more.
She wanted to crush Riley completely.
Only then would she be satisfied.
Felicia shot Elaine a glance.
Elaine immediately understood and sent a message to Vagabond.
[Felicia: Thank you so much for your support earlier, Vagabond. I honestly don't care about winning or losing… but my sister seems determined to compete with me. She already has so many gold-tier supporters, so please don't spend more on me. Thank you for everything.]
The reply came almost instantly.
[Vagabond: I'm doing this willingly. I heard she's just a fool. How can a fool represent the freshmen? Just be yourself. I'll make sure you win this beautifully.]
Felicia made a show of declining.
But the very next second, Vagabond dropped fifty thousand in gifts.
In one move, Felicia's total shot past Riley's, surpassing her by twenty thousand.
She had taken the lead and it didn't stop there.
More gifts followed.
The numbers continued climbing.
Forty minutes had passed.
Only twenty minutes remained.
With the renewed support from her fans, Felicia now led by fifty thousand.
Her mood lifted instantly.
She adjusted her posture and began singing again, her voice soft and controlled.
On the other hand, the students of Class Seven's expressions darkened.
They flooded the chat.
[Damn it, we're losing! Please, open our permissions!]
[Hurry up! Let us do it! We've got this!]
[We're not doing this for the prize! We're doing it for pride! Don't drop the ball now!]
But Riley ignored them.
She didn't care about any of this.
She didn't even want the title of freshman representative.
Whoever wanted it could have it.
All she needed to do was drag this out for another twenty minutes and it would end.
Still, seeing Class Seven show up for her like this…
Even if she didn't agree with their approach, a faint warmth stirred in her chest.
Her mood lifted slightly.
Her fingers itched.
"Want me to play the violin for you?" she asked casually.
Without waiting for an answer, she bent down and picked up a violin from beside her. She adjusted the tuning, tested the sound, then lifted it to her shoulder.
A faint smile curved her lips.
Then, she began to play.
The music flowed.
Clear.
Bright.
Lively.
Each note carried effortlessly through the stream, crisp and precise.
For a moment, the entire stream fell silent.
Then, it went wild.
[WHAT THE HELL? I thought she was a fool?? Since when do fools play violin like THIS?? Who dares say fools are inferior now?!]
[I heard that even if someone has low IQ, they can still be gifted in certain areas. And she wasn't born like this—maybe she learned it before and never forgot.]
[That makes sense… but honestly? This sounds better than Felicia's piano earlier… (PS: I'm an adult, stable job, independent thinking, not a troll, just sharing my opinion. Don't attack me pls.)]
[Same here (PS: adult, one kid, not a bot…)]
[Same…]
No one wanted to be attacked.
Earlier, someone had simply commented that Riley's voice sounded nice and had been torn apart by Felicia's fans, accused of being a paid troll.
Now, even praise required a disclaimer.
And yet, amid the chaos, no one noticed.
A low-tier user quietly entered the stream.
No flashy entrance.
No system announcement.
Just a single rocket.
Then another.
And another.
Sent silently.