Chapter 172

Page Twenty-Nine: First Collaboration

My mother took her own computer and placed it on the coffee table.

Xiǎo Lěi moved closer, opened the browser, and quickly entered Yǐjī’s live stream… How did she memorize the room number?

Then, we all gathered around the coffee table, eating fruits and watching two virtual streamers chatting on the screen.

I had never seen such a scene before. If they were doing a crosstalk instead, I could understand it.

Although this was an official collaboration, they hadn’t prepared much. There were no interactive games or truth-or-dare activities. It was mostly just chatting, with Fēiyuè taking the lead. Occasionally, Yǐjī would sing a song, which still earned applause due to her professional voice, but lacked personal flair.

This was particularly problematic.

Fēiyuè was good at creating a lively atmosphere, though Yǐjī seemed more like a side character. However, the live stream’s effect was still noticeable, as Yǐjī’s popularity visibly increased. Due to the small number of virtual streamers on Douluo, the traffic brought by VTB veteran Lucy quickly pushed Yǐjī’s popularity past ten thousand.

One twentieth of the target of twenty million viewers.

Xiǎo Lěi squinted and complained, “What? This is nowhere near enough!”

However, Fēiyuè always steered the conversation towards ambiguous topics between girls. She knew what the audience liked, but Yǐjī, who had recently become a beauty and fallen from street artist to shut-in, didn’t understand these dynamics.

“Yǐjī is so beautiful and can sing well, she must have had many boyfriends, right?”

“I haven’t had a boyfriend yet!”

Yǐjī was not skilled in discussing such topics.

Then, something terrible happened.

【Saying she’s a princess from the Dragon Palace, she’s probably just a middle-aged man using a voice changer, huh?】

This rhythm comment was copied multiple times and floated across the screen.

Yǐjī’s live stream was already relatively quiet, so such a prominent comment was hard to miss.

【She really looks like a middle-aged man, completely out of touch with current trends.】

【Lucy has never shown her face either, she’s probably male too.】

【Virtual characters should get out of Douluo!】

In the next few minutes, similar follow-up comments started appearing, changing the atmosphere drastically.

Xiǎo Lěi immediately began cursing, “Tsk, why are there trolls again? These people came before too, aren’t they bored?”

I remembered that when Mīamī supported a live stream, there were similar trolls who made derogatory remarks.

At that time, they didn’t question Yǐjī’s gender, just said things like she must be ugly if she doesn’t show her face, or that her arms look bad because of her figure.

“Do you see a pattern?”

With Júzi’s help drying her hair, Yīngjiàng spoke up, “They usually don’t appear, but whenever Yǐjī’s popularity rises, they start mocking her. They are hired trolls from other streamers or agencies, mostly small accounts. Their goal is to suppress new streamers like Yǐjī.”

And they also try to drag Fēiyuè down too. These people are truly malicious.

“This happens everywhere. Our club’s comics have been maliciously rated poorly too. It’s a form of unfair competition.”

Qínglán wasn’t surprised, but after thinking for a moment, she said, “But since it’s a rare chance to increase popularity through collaboration, such negative comments are indeed detrimental to promotion. Plus, Lucy is part of our club, so we need to find a way to silence them.”

I asked, “Is there any way to stop them?”

“The facts speak for themselves. Just let her reveal herself? Since she’s already turned into a girl, she must be a beauty!”

Yes, very much Qínglán’s style of thinking.

Xiǎo Lěi immediately disagreed.

“No way! For virtual streamers, the identity of the person inside needs to be kept secret! These trolls don’t understand that. But the moderators have already started banning them. Just wait a bit.”

The moderators in Yǐjī’s live stream were now aggressively targeting the trolls.

Who were the moderators?

It was obvious it was AJ.

After this incident, Yǐjī appeared much stiffer. She wasn’t someone with strong resolve, and even through the virtual image, one could feel her discomfort.

Then, she gave up.

The paper doll version of Long Gong Yǐjī suddenly stopped moving, and the real Yǐjī behind the camera lost synchronization, leaving only Fēiyuè confused.

Seeing this, Qínglán said, “It won’t work. She cares too much about those comments. Maybe… I should send some gifts?”

“You know you have plenty of money, but that won’t solve the problem.”

Actually, it wasn’t entirely useless. At least it could meet the five million yuan revenue target. However, constantly relying on Qínglán would make it harder to repay her.

Even though, for her, this amount was trivial.

My mother, who had been staring at the screen in deep thought, said, “I don’t think you need to worry. Although there are people spreading rumors and questioning her, you see, there are also supporters defending her.”

【Such a beautiful voice couldn’t possibly be faked.】

【To earn a little money, even giving up health insurance?】

【These trolls are just hired hands. Don’t fall for their tricks.】

【I stake my reputation, Yǐjī is definitely a girl, without anything inappropriate!】

【How dare you, she’s the teacher of Mīamī!】

【Even if she’s a middle-aged streamer, at least she’s known as Princess Long Gong Yǐjī during the stream!】

【Actually, a middle-aged streamer might be better!】

What? Aren’t there real fans here?

As AJ used her authority to eliminate the trolls, the supportive messages from Yǐjī’s true fans quickly overwhelmed the negative ones, boosting fan cohesion… although there were some suspicious individuals, what does ‘middle-aged’ mean?

There was likely a guide behind this.

I took out my phone and checked. Sure enough, someone in Yǐjī’s fan group was calling on other fans to send supportive messages.

“Do you think Tāo participated?”

Yīngjiàng squinted, “I think the most active fan is her.”

She referred to a male fan with the ID 【Yānyǔ】, who used a screenshot of Long Gong Yǐjī as his profile picture, but his social account level was low, with blank information… yes, it was likely Tāo’s small account.

“I think the same… No, almost certain.”

Yīngjiàng was very confident.

She must have confirmed it indirectly, hinting at me.

Reviewing the chat history of this “Yānyǔ,” he rarely spoke before this incident. Only after the live stream was flooded by trolls did he come forward to call for support, with strong and persuasive words.

“Is Tāo helping against the trolls in the live stream?”

Lǐnhuā finished bathing and came downstairs, her skin glistening with moisture, looking especially charming.

Listening to our conversation, she added, “Even if it’s really Tāo, we shouldn’t expose her. She’d feel embarrassed. So, let’s just observe for now.”

I nodded in agreement.

And said, “Tāo stepping up now shows she still hopes to forgive Yǐjī. Though she won’t admit it, she’s working hard to boost Yǐjī’s popularity to twenty million, wanting to meet her… This is her true heart, harder to hide if she thinks no one knows.”

Lǐnhuā, trying to squeeze between me and my mother, eventually sat sideways on Xiǎo Lěi’s lap, hugging her neck closely.

She laughed, “This is all good. Call AJ and urge Yǐjī to continue streaming.”

The idiot was startled but didn’t push away, instead holding onto Lǐnhuā’s waist.

He added, “Originally, it wasn’t a big deal, but if Yǐjī keeps disappearing, the problem will get bigger.”

Yīngjiàng started making a call.

Inspired by Lǐnhuā, Qínglán squeezed between Júzi and my mother, trying to pull Júzi onto her lap…

“Meow!!”

“Gurgle—”

Qínglán groaned in pain as Júzi, with its fluffy tail, scratched her chest.

She clutched her chest, grimacing, “Actually, reaching twenty million views and five million in revenue is not difficult. Just spend some money.”

The mindset of solving everything with money reappeared.

I explained, “But Tāo doesn’t want her to rely on external help…”

“Hey, asking Fēiyuè for help is also external, right? She wouldn’t object.”

Qínglán’s words left me speechless.

“In my opinion, if Tāo completes her set goals, she’ll breathe a sigh of relief. Deep down, she wants to see Yǐjī. But she can’t bring herself to face the man who killed her mother and ruined her life.”

Lǐnhuā added jokingly, “Not only her biological father, but she even put her boyfriend in danger. She can’t afford to be lenient. Otherwise, her boyfriend might be lured away by this cute old dad.”

Though it was a joke, it wasn’t entirely funny.

Weak Yǐjī actually motivated AJ; AJ also helped Yǐjī in both life and her streaming career.

A peculiar symbiotic relationship formed between them, but being too close might have some side effects.

After all, AJ is essentially a formidable womanizer.

Tāo was fully aware of this.

Could she really tolerate AJ and Yǐjī living together?