Chapter Three: Xiaoyu’s Song
On the other side of the live stream screen, a young man with a lollipop in his mouth watched as the Grand Qin salute blossomed in Nian Nu Jiao’s room, utterly amazed. Truly a tycoon. He himself was merely a modest spender; after two years on CoolCool, he had only spent a little over twenty thousand Qin coins.
“Wait a minute.” Just as he finished marveling, he caught sight of a message in the subtitles. The lollipop fell from his mouth with a soft thud, leaving him miserable and close to tears.
“I really clicked the wrong amount, I just meant to tip 10,000 Cool coins,” Smoky Sighs lamented, face full of regret. But for coins already given, like water poured out, what could he do?
Smoky Sighs immediately posted a crying emoji in the administrator notification bar, followed by the words: “Can I just say I really clicked the wrong amount?”
After sending this, he posted an image of a character both laughing and crying, with two lines beneath. The first, in English: -n-a., the second, in Chinese: I need comfort.
The audience burst into laughter. The public subtitle bar was flooded with all sorts of emojis—laughing, mischievous, mocking, flirtatious…
“Our tycoon is so low-key, gifting the Grand Qin salute and still so humble.”
“Rich man, I like people like you—high-profile in action, low-key in character.”
“Sir, give the girl another salute.”
“…”
Smoky Sighs was truly caught between laughter and tears. Without another word, he had become Nian Nu Jiao’s top fan thanks to that salute, automatically promoted to an administrator above the fray, able to speak in the privileged channel.
Nian Nu Jiao didn’t have too many or too few fans; Su Tong had set the administrator cap at ten, but there were three additional special admins—those whose fan points ranked top three.
“Ah, well…” At this moment, Su Tong finally spoke: “First of all, thank you so much, Smoky Sighs, for your generous support. This salute has truly left Nian Nu Jiao overwhelmed—that’s ten thousand Qin coins! With the platform’s sixty-forty split and after taxes, Nian Nu Jiao will receive over five thousand. It’s truly… However, I must remind everyone to act within your means. I am deeply grateful for your favor—Nian Nu Jiao has already received so much.”
Su Tong’s voice was pure, tinged with a hint of magnetism—rumored to be a favorite among mature women.
“Still, I trust that Da Qiao’s performance tonight will do justice to Smoky Sighs’ generosity. But before that, as is customary, ascending to Divine Guardian status allows you to request a program from Nian Nu Jiao. If I can perform it live, I’ll do so immediately; if not, please allow me a few days.” Su Tong explained. One Cool coin equaled one fan point; reaching one hundred thousand made you a Divine Guardian. Smoky Sighs’ million-coin tip naturally elevated him.
“I want ‘Flower Basket’—the King singing Flower Basket,” Smoky Sighs’ request scrolled across the admin info bar.
Instantly, the public info bar exploded.
“So much bromance! Is Smoky Sighs confessing?”
“Haha, so Smoky Sighs loves the King—true love, support!”
“Ten thousand can buy a night; the King is worth it.”
“Together, together…”
“…”
Su Tong was at a loss, dark lines clouding his brow. Didn’t they know he never sang? Smoky Sighs was clearly up to mischief.
“Ahem, Smoky Sighs, aren’t you asking the impossible?” Su Tong replied, troubled. This body had been self-conscious for years, never daring to sing. Only since yesterday, after taking over, did he find singing less difficult, but it required an adjustment period. To sing now would be dreadful.
“Divine Guardian Smoky Sighs, I’ll sing for my brother, okay?” Xiao Yu stepped in to help Su Tong, quickly queuing up the ‘Flower Basket’ accompaniment, ready to sing at any moment.
Xiao Yu knew this song well, needing no practice or postponement.
Smoky Sighs was satisfied, knowing Su Tong never sang, and didn't insist, simply sending an “o” followed by a row of flowers.
“Flowers bloom on the mountain,
Your skirt flutters in the breeze,
You climb the mountain,
Flower basket in hand,
You said you would turn our courtyard into a sea of blossoms…
I climb the mountain,
Only the flower basket remains,
A flurry of skirts…”
Xiao Yu began to sing, the child’s voice pure and melodious, accompanied by sparse instrumentation. Her voice was fresh and clean, as if gently recounting a distant tale. Yet, listening, one’s heart ached, swept into the story’s sorrow.
The heroine in the story never returns, leaving heartbreak behind. During the song, the subtitle feed fell silent.
Broadcast time had arrived; over five thousand fans listened quietly.
When the song ended, a flood of Haagen-Dazs icons swept across the subtitles.
Whenever Xiao Yu or Xiao Xiao finished a segment, the audience always showered them with gifts before daring to speak.
“No deep emotion, no grief, but simply beautiful.”
“Nonsense, Xiao Yu’s song hides all the pain in its calm voice, making it even harder to bear.”
“My tears are falling, truly.”
“A fairy tale of love—a girl gives her youth for a better home for two, leaving the protagonist behind. Who knows how he will go on?”
“I don’t want to know how he goes on. Whether he dies for love or remarries and has children, I feel the story ending here is best.”
“…”
This ‘Flower Basket’ was a famous song in this world, so similar to Earth, its tragic love story etched into people’s hearts. People always love to see beautiful things shattered.
“A child’s version of ‘Flower Basket’ can be so beautiful—learned something new today,” someone sighed.
Suddenly—
“Wow, a perfect little girl—how much to keep her? Is ten thousand a month enough?”
A discordant, lewd message appeared.
“Get lost!”
“Screw you!”
“To hell with your whole family! Get out!”
“How much to keep your mother? Money’s no object for me.”
“…”
The sudden vulgarity incited outrage; a wave of fans attacked.
“All right, everyone, let’s be civil. That person has already been muted and kicked,” the admin responded swiftly, banning and sending the offender a ticket to Mars.
Su Tong felt a pang of depression. He disliked Xiao Yu and Xiao Xiao showing their faces precisely because of this—there were all sorts online, and sometimes a truly rotten soul would wander in.
Xiao Xiao was fine, just started kindergarten and barely recognized any words.
But Xiao Yu was a ninth grader and could read plenty—not a barrier to understanding.
“o, Da Qiao’s program is over for now; next I’ll chat with everyone, talk about life and dreams, share some jokes and stories. But before that, I ask you all to stop tipping—no more than 100 Cool coins per tip,” Su Tong said. He knew well: caring for his fans would take him farther.
Smoky Sighs’ ten-thousand tip left Su Tong, who had never experienced such treatment, feeling as if he were still dreaming.
Such rewards usually only happened to famous streamers.
There were no more than ten such hosts on the CoolCool platform.
On the most popular streaming platforms, there had been a few pure-gold tycoons who, for the monthly ticket battles of famous hosts, spent millions—real Qin coins, not just coins. The wars were fierce, igniting the passion of every streamer and fan.
Su Tong once dreamed that one day he could join the platform, become a famous streamer, and take part in the battles of the gods.
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