C10 A Million Yuan
"No, Laulau, honey, I'm not ready to stop watching..."
"Huh? Is this a surrender? There's still over half an hour until the leaderboard updates!"
"Why is she ending the stream early today?"
"..."
The moment the viewers heard Laulau was about to end the stream, the chat went wild.
Laulau hadn't signed a contract, so the hundreds of fans in her stream were genuinely active. Not everyone was flooding the chat, but it was enough to make the whole screen light up.
Laulau smiled, but inside she felt a deep sadness. She had been in the streaming world for nearly a year and was well aware of its underhandedness.
Her refusal to sign with any platform or guild was her stand against that darkness.
But life, it seemed, was pushing her down the very path she loathed.
With a heavy sigh, Laulau sat back at her computer. She didn't immediately end the stream; instead, she clicked on the profile of the top fan on the leaderboard.
She had previously blocked that person's WeChat, but now she had no choice but to reach out.
As she thought about it, she felt so aggrieved she was on the verge of tears. But there was no alternative; her father's illness couldn't wait...
The top fan had once sent her a private message with their WeChat ID.
Laulau sent a new friend request...
Then she looked up, ready to shut down the stream...
But she was taken aback as soon as she did. The screen was ablaze with virtual fireworks!
Her fans had gone into a frenzy...
"Dry Rice Man, gifts host Laulau a Fantasy Castle x1."
"Dinner Servant, presents Laulau with a Fantasy Castle x1."
"Dry Rice Man, bestows upon Laulau, the streamer, a Fantasy Castle x1."
...
Laulau was dumbfounded. The Fantasy Castle was Cat Tooth's most lavish gift, each worth a whopping 100,000 yuan...
In her nearly a year of streaming, the most expensive gift she'd ever received was a 1,000 yuan princess set, and that was from the former top fan—who was no longer at the top of the leaderboard.
As "Dry Rice Man" showered her with gifts, Laulau's live stream was ablaze with virtual fireworks, turning it into a spectacle akin to a New Year's Eve celebration.
The online crowd went wild!
"Holy smokes, that's some high-roller action!"
"A Fantasy Castle... Damn, I've been on Cat Tooth for two years and this is a first for me! It's freaking gorgeous!"
"Obviously, it's gorgeous. Each one's worth a cool 100,000 yuan..."
"Did Laulau join a guild or something?"
"Are you clueless? I checked, 'Dry Rice Man' is just a newbie account. Does your guild have level 1 accounts?"
"I looked too. This is a rogue fan, a big spender, already at level 97..."
"Man, I'm gonna round up folks from other streams. We're talking over two million here! This is too good to miss!"
"Even though I'm broke, watching someone else splash the cash makes me feel like I'm rolling in it too."
Laulau sat there, dumbfounded in front of her computer. She was well aware that she hadn't signed with any guild, so there was no way guild members were boosting her ranking. Besides, guild members' contributions would be returned.
It took her a moment to regain her composure, her voice quivering with excitement as she hastily donned her headphones, "Thank you, 'Dry Rice Man'... no, thank you for Mr. Fann's Fantasy Castle..."
Overwhelmed, she was at a loss for words. Meanwhile, in the chat, 'Dry Rice Man' kept the tips coming.
"Dry Rice Man, gifts host Laulau a Fantasy Castle x1."
"Dry Rice Man, gifts host Laulau a Fantasy Castle x1."
"..."
"I just counted, that's over fifty... more than five million..."
"I'm totally blown away..."
"Is my Laulau ascending to immortality tonight? I'm ecstatic!"
"Mr. Fann, can I get a hug?"
"Mr. Fann, looking for any add-ons for your entourage?"
"Mr. Fann, I've got moves and tunes too."
"Mr. Fann, into guys? Not your thing? I could get surgery, is there still time?"
"…"
"Thank you so much, Mr. Fann... I... I'll sing one more song, ‘Thank You,' as a special dedication to you!" Overwhelmed with emotion, Laulau struggled to find the words to express her gratitude to the 'Dry Rice Man' and decided to let her singing convey her thanks instead.
She took a deep breath and began her performance.
In the live stream, the 'Dry Rice Man' seemed unfazed, continuing to flood the chat with gift after gift.
The audience was losing their minds. Even Laulau's most devoted fans, who usually hung on every note she sang, were too distracted to pay attention to her performance.
Messages flooded in as viewers eagerly tallied up the 'Dry Rice Man's' staggering tips.
"Holy smokes, he's up to 630,000 yuan!"
"…"
"I just got here, and I heard there's a high roller? Holy crap, has he really tipped over six million yuan?"
"We're at seven million yuan now…"
"…"
"I've been on Cat Tooth for four years, and I've never seen such a lavish spender! The last time I saw someone go all out with the dream gifts was two years ago with Brother Hong, who's still ranked fifth overall... Wait, now he's dropped to sixth! Mr. Fann's shot up to third…"
...
As Laulau sang, tears began to well up in her eyes, threatening to spill over as she watched the live stream.
Daddy is going to be okay.
The song came to an end, and with it, the 'Dry Rice Man' ceased his barrage of gifts.
The netizens had done the math…
"Damn, I did the math. Mr. Fann sent out a hundred dreams, each worth 100,000 yuan. My god, that's ten million yuan…"
"Respect to the legend... No need to count, just check the leaderboard... It's definitely ten million yuan…"
"I never thought I'd witness a moment like this. Mr. Fann and Laulau are both achieving greatness together…"
"Whoa, hold up, the person above me. Are you implying Mr. Fann and Laulau are in some kind of spiritual union…?"
"Er... quite the visual!"
...
Elsewhere, Gao Chi set his phone aside and massaged his right hand with his left, his brow furrowed in discomfort. "Damn, spending money is exhausting. I only spent ten million, and my hand's about to fall off..."
"Forget it, I might as well get a real estate agent to help me with the house hunt!"
He grumbled, rubbing his hands as he walked into the bathroom to shower and head to bed.
Meanwhile, the events of Laulau's live stream were slowly gaining traction, thanks to the buzz created by her online followers.
After ending her stream, Laulau clicked on the profile of her top supporter, 'Mr. Fann', and sent him a private message: "Hello, Mr. Fann! Here's my WeChat ID. I can't thank you enough for today!"
With Gao Chi's incredible support, Laulau had skyrocketed to the top of the monthly leaderboard, leaving her competition in the dust by over two million points.
She was overjoyed that Gao Chi's generous tip of ten million meant she had netted at least three million. This wasn't just enough to cover her father's surgery; she could even afford to buy a house back in her hometown.
She owed it all to 'Mr. Fann', and that's why Laulau felt compelled to reach out and connect with Gao Chi on WeChat.
After all, when someone drops ten million on you, the least you can do is offer them a meal as thanks. And if they're not in the same city, well, it's a chance to start a friendship.
"But what if... he asks for 'that' in return? What then? Do I agree, or do I refuse?"
