"Congratulations to user 'Lin Shen Jian Lu' for reaching VIP level 10! Let's all cheer for him!" A scrolling message flashed across the screen of every live-stream room three times.
"Whoa, who's the rich guy leveling up their VIP again?" Many users on the Zhuzi Live platform were seasoned veterans, and they were familiar with most of the platform's big spenders. But this ID, "Lin Shen Jian Lu," seemed to be showing up for the first time.
Soon, a group of curious onlookers began investigating this newly crowned VIP level 10 user. They discovered that although the account had been registered two years ago, there had never been any real-money transactions—only a few hundred free "bamboo" gifts given out.
"Could this be another case of someone embezzling company funds to show off as a big spender on the platform?" someone speculated. After all, there had been precedents, and users who suddenly flaunted wealth like this often aroused suspicion.
At this moment, Fang Jueyu had just finished trembling after topping up his account. He still couldn't believe it—he had just recharged 5 million yuan on a live-streaming platform. That amount of money could be more than what many families earn in a lifetime, and yet he had casually deposited it with a single click.
"Host, this is just the first step. There will be plenty more opportunities to spend extravagantly in the future. You'll get used to it," a voice reassured him.
"I know… I guess it's just hard to adjust when you've lived an ordinary life for so long!" Fang Jueyu said, trying to rationalize it. After all, it was vacation time, and the holidays had just begun—the peak season for live-streaming platforms. Out of habit, he clicked into one of his favorite gaming streamers' rooms.
"Whoa! Did you guys see that sneaky jerk? He waited two full minutes in the bushes to ambush me! Two whole minutes! Do you even care about your jungle anymore?" On the screen, a chubby streamer was raging, cursing as the chat erupted with various comments.
"66666, Mr. Park, what happened to your 'unstoppable tank'? Did it turn into a toy car? You got steamrolled!"
"Hahahaha, this is too funny, I could eat another bowl of rice watching this!"
"Come on, teach him a lesson, Mr. Park! You've been farming so well, the gold difference shouldn't be too bad. You can still turn this around with your skill!"
The chubby streamer was one of the most popular on the platform, known as Mr. Park, a retired professional gamer. His streams were full of humor and entertainment, and his charisma had garnered him a huge following.
"He's as good as dead! Watch me solo him!" Despite being caught once by the enemy jungler, Mr. Park's skillful play outmaneuvered his opponent. He killed his foe with just 20 health points remaining.
"Nice one!"
"Mr. Park, you're amazing! I'll give you all my love!"
"666666, your skills are as sharp as ever!"
"Hehe, I knew I could solo him! Gank me? Not a chance!" Mr. Park barely had time to gloat before a rocket from the enemy's bot lane flew across the map and killed him.
"Oh no!" Mr. Park leaped out of his chair in shock, accidentally flipping his chair and even lighting his cigarette backward in the confusion.
"Hahahahahaha, thanks for the rocket, Jinx!"
"I'm dying of laughter here, someone give me CPR!"
"This is legendary! Someone needs to edit this into a video for Bilibili tomorrow—I'll definitely upvote it!"
…
Fang Jueyu laughed out loud at Mr. Park's hilarious reaction. Having followed him for so long, Fang decided it was time to spend some money on one of his favorite streamers, even though it was technically part of his mission.
"Lin Shen Jian Lu gifted Mr. Park 99 pandas!"
"Lin Shen Jian Lu gifted Mr. Park 99 pandas!"
"Lin Shen Jian Lu gifted Mr. Park 99 pandas!"
…
Ten identical messages flashed across the screen, and the lively chatroom suddenly erupted like a bomb had dropped. The atmosphere went wild.
"Holy crap, what kind of move was that? Almost 1,000 pandas in one go? That's 500,000 yuan just like that!"
"Rich guy, do you need someone to hang off your leg?"
"I've seen that ID before—it's the same big spender who just hit VIP level 10!"
"Rich guy, I'll have your babies!"
"6666666, bowing down to the big boss!"
…
Mr. Park, who had just gotten up from the floor, was shocked when he saw the wave of gifts. His room wasn't short on wealthy supporters, but he had never seen such extravagant tipping in one go.
As a veteran streamer, Mr. Park didn't bat an eye at 500,000 yuan, but he knew someone who could throw around that kind of money so casually was no ordinary person. With years of experience, he could see beyond surface appearances.
"Thank you to Lin Shen Jian Lu for the 990 pandas! I'll make you a mod in the chat for fun!" Mr. Park said, already planning to befriend this generous new supporter.
Fang Jueyu quickly received mod privileges in the chat, and Mr. Park even sent him a private message.
"Hey bro, want to add me on WeChat?We can game together sometime!"
"Sure!" Fang Jueyu didn't hesitate to send over his WeChat ID. "Mr. Park, let's grab dinner sometime when I'm in Shanghai. I'm going to check out some other rooms for now."
"Sounds good! We'll stay in touch on WeChat."
"Lin Shen Jian Lu gifted Mr. Park 99 pandas!"
"Lin Shen Jian Lu gifted Mr. Park 99 pandas!"
…
As Fang Jueyu left the room, he dropped another 990 pandas. Whatever scene unfolded after that, he didn't stick around to see.
"Hmm? Why is she streaming so early today?" Fang Jueyu noticed another room was live in his following list. Besides Mr. Park, there was also a female streamer whose room was currently active.
Xin Yu was a talented streamer who often performed music, and Fang Jueyu had a special fondness for her. She usually went live after 10 PM, playing the piano and singing softly. Her voice was pure and sweet. Although her stream wasn't as popular as others, she was always punctual. What intrigued him even more was that she never showed her face on camera.
Her singing was beautiful, and her piano playing was exquisite. But perhaps because this world values appearances, Xin Yu didn't attract as much attention compared to the top female streamers.
Tonight, Xin Yu was dressed in a black gown and was deeply engrossed in singing an English song as she played the piano. Just like always, Fang Jueyu listened quietly, resting his chin in his hand.
SoADhy
Why should we waited
And I I I
I should be waiting
Waiting for someone new
Even though that it wasn't you
…
The lyrics stirred up fond memories for Fang Jueyu, and before he realized it, his eyes had grown misty.