ITOTIABSAM | Landlord Tenant | 49
Xu Li was a typical nine-to-five working person.
After a busy day, she would rush home on the subway. Her favorite routine was ordering a large portion of takeout, taking a refreshing shower, and then lounging on the couch while watching live streams. She enjoyed watching others play games that she didn't have time to play herself.
But recently, she rarely logged into Y Station.
Because her favorite streamer had quit.
Calling it a "quit" might not be entirely accurate. The streamer hadn't made any official announcement; they simply disappeared after one live broadcast.
As a longtime fan who had been following the streamer since the beginning of their rise to fame, Xu Li knew very well that "Xi Zhu" was a virtual streamer managed solely by the individual, without any team or contract with Y Station. With such freedom, if the streamer wanted to step back, there was no way to force them to come back.
To be honest, during the days when Xi Zhu's birthday party fell apart and their real-life photos were leaked—what insiders referred to as the "unboxing" days—Xu Li did feel disappointed.
People are visual creatures, especially for virtual streamers like Xi Zhu, who had a lazy and luxurious voice and exceptional gaming skills. It's inevitable for audiences and fans to project more fantasies onto them.
However, after calming down for a while and watching many other streamers who played similar games, Xu Li found that she still preferred Xi Zhu.
She liked how gentle and sincere Xi Zhu was when chatting with fans, how sensitive and empathetic they were towards game characters, and how they remained calm and patient, never resorting to swearing even when facing continuous defeats while silently seeking opportunities to carry the game.
Even though she had been bombarded with countless "ugly photos" of Xi Zhu circulated online.
There were actually many longtime fans who shared similar thoughts. During the two weeks after the fallout, Xi Zhu continued to play games in the live stream room amidst various chaotic barrage comments.
However, when more people, including some extreme fans of Guan Chen, flooded in after the unexpected release of the chat logs between Guan Chen and Xi Zhu, the situation spiraled out of control, turning into a farce or, rather, cyberbullying, centered around "swans and leopards."
Usually running a public account, Xu Li would feel extremely upset even if she received a few negative comments in the backend. While she could rationalize the other party's choice, she couldn't help but feel a bit regretful.
As the hot and steamy fried chicken arrived punctually, accompanied by bubbling joyous water, she habitually clicked into Xi Zhu's account homepage. Not seeing any indication that Xi Zhu was currently live streaming, she was about to exit when her finger slid down and suddenly discovered a new update.
Yes, it was a new update from Xi Zhu.
It was a message generated by the system when sharing someone else's live stream. She seemed to be late to the party as there were already hundreds of comments below the update, all from relatively familiar IDs.
【Bamboo! It's Bamboo!】
【Big Eater? In the food section? What kind of strange crossover is this?】
【I hope his account hasn't been hacked.】
【Who cares! I'm charging in, I must know what's going on with Bamboo! As long as he's safe! Please!】
Scrolling further down, there was a new comment with a skyrocketing number of likes:
【Hey everyone, I'm back, it seems to be Xi Zhu himself.】
【I don't know what to say, just take a look yourselves, I'm so excited I feel like running three laps around the block.】
Instantly abandoning the delicious fried chicken in front of her, Xu Li quickly clicked into the live stream of "Big Eater" following the forwarded update.
What appeared was a very clean kitchen, with meat prepared on the cutting board. The streamer wasn't in front of the camera; there were faint rustling sounds coming from the left side, as if a plastic bag was being opened and something was being taken out.
---
【What's going on?】
【What's the relationship between this streamer and Xi Zhu?】
Many viewers entered the live stream room at the same time as Xu Li. Amidst the colorful barrage of comments, a fair and slender hand holding a bowl containing half of the flour appeared in the frame, followed by a face stunning enough to be called breathtaking.
"Magnificent."
In her mind, it seemed like only this word remained, or perhaps, the other person was the perfect embodiment of this word. Xu Li's actions were faster than her consciousness, her fingers automatically typing out a string of "Ah ah ah, my wife" and sending it out.
Beauty was a weapon, and when already possessed, Xie Ye didn't mind fully utilizing it.
Angle, lighting, posture... having been a celebrity before, of course, he knew how to find the right angles to highlight his strengths without appearing too deliberate.
The trip to the exhibition with Gu Cong was already a week ago. During this week, he gradually adapted from the occasional hand-revealing livestreams, arousing curiosity among the audience little by little.
Until today.
"It's glutinous rice flour," he glanced at the phone used to monitor the live barrage, Xie Ye chose a response related to cooking, "ready-made, grinding it yourself is too tiring."
- That voice.
As soon as the young man spoke, the faint speculation that had risen in Xu Li's heart was instantly extinguished like a small flame doused with cold water.
But no matter how she looked at it, the other person's appearance gave her a vaguely familiar feeling, as if she had seen him somewhere before, yet she couldn't quite place it.
There were evidently many viewers with the same question, as the barrage was filled with similar inquiries:
【So familiar, is this my destined wife in my dreams?】
【Destined in my dreams, laughing to death.】
【So many people in the livestream today, what's going on?】
【No idea +1】
To be honest, Xie Ye had no intention of explaining anything seriously. Explaining himself in front of tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of viewers, wasn't his style.
He just wanted to reassure those fans who were still waiting for the return of his alt self "Xizhu" that he was doing well. Even if he wasn't going to be a virtual streamer anymore, he could still find something he loved and was good at in another field.
Instead of making declarations or rebuttals, this was probably more like closure.
When it came to getting things done, it was important to see them through to the end. Since he had inherited everything from his alt self, he naturally felt responsible for the former fans.
Although his appetite still wasn't great, he was eating more than before, thanks to Gu Cong's efforts to fatten him up a bit. The strategy of eating smaller, more frequent meals was paying off.
His complexion had improved, and he no longer looked as emaciated as when he had first arrived.
With a stronger body came better control over it. Expertly chopping the green onions, Xie Ye was just about to reach for something with his right hand when a familiar voice came from the kitchen doorway, "Do you need soy sauce?"
"I'll get it for you."
Xie Ye: Why is this person here? Shouldn't he be studying?
Gu Cong, whose mind was in turmoil and hadn't absorbed a single word: Of course he knew. On days like today, when Xie Ye resumed streaming and claimed two accounts, it was best for him to stay away to avoid getting caught up in public opinion and becoming the target of gossip.
But just the thought of Xie Ye facing all the questions and comments, whether well-intentioned, malicious, or simply curious, on his own made Gu Cong unable to control his feet. He slowly moved closer.
"Um, I suddenly remembered I have some questions on a math problem I haven't finished." The courage he had mustered up quickly dissipated as soon as Xie Ye glanced at him. Gu Cong touched his nose, thinking about making a quick escape, but he was unexpectedly stopped by Xie Ye.
"Meat, come over and pound this."
The chat: "Hahaha, the exclusive tool man, is online!"
【Roommate! Roommate-kun, you finally showed up!】
With fans from both accounts mixing together, along with various uninformed bystanders joining in, the atmosphere in today's livestream was indeed somewhat unusual.
When they heard Gu Cong's familiar voice and saw him fall into their familiar routine of cooperation, "Big Eater" fans finally breathed a sigh of relief, confirming that it was their home turf.
Estimating the height difference between himself and Gu Cong, Xie Ye leaned forward and adjusted the camera downward.
【!! Beauty filter attack!】
【Sigh, next time, wife, wear a lower neckline, please!】
【Is it fun to tease the audience? How could this be Xi Zhu? Are you kidding me?】
Taking over the physical work, Xie Ye grabbed another bowl and mixed pre-peeled pine nuts and walnuts with sugar. He glanced at his phone and confirmed that only Gu Cong's chin was visible in the livestream.
After providing a thirty-minute warm-up time, Xie Ye calmly added a spoonful of lard to the bowl and stirred it with chopsticks. "Yes, I'm not kidding. Both of these accounts belong to me."
---
The barrage of comments was momentarily interrupted by several seconds of lag.
This should have been a significant event that couldn't be taken lightly, at least in the world of Y station streamers.
However, the background sound of "thump thump" hammering meat, rhythmic and controlled just right—not too loud yet cheerful—was enough to dissipate any potential heaviness.
As he became more proficient at assisting, Gu Cong seasoned the pork with the back of a knife, casually continuing the conversation, "So why did you choose Xi Zhu?"
Xie Ye, after quickly searching his memory, responded, "Because of a Bamboo Mat."
Reversing the order of surnames to form words, it seemed that both his alt self and he were equally bad at naming.
Gu Cong immediately grasped the point and chuckled softly.
Leaving the audience who had just been fed dog food puzzled:
【Bamboo Mat? What's up with Bamboo Mat?】
【Probably because there's "xi" in the streamer's name.】
【Wait, are these two really the same person? They look so different in the photos. Did the streamer disappear for half a year to lose weight?】
【It's possible to switch from the gaming zone to the food zone.】
【What about those who used to criticize Bamboo for eating without shame? To become this thin, I can't imagine how painful the process must have been.】
【Bridge Bean Sack, isn't that the rabbit guy who was approached by Guan Chen at the gaming expo?】
---
【Damn, full drama alert, crematorium aesthetics?】
【Emmmm, am I the only one who thinks Guan Chen's behavior is low? It's just about looks, isn't it? Too superficial.】
【Suddenly want to unfollow.】
【Want to unfollow +1】
【Can I ask a weak question, will you still use this Xizhu account?】
“Not for the time being. As a virtual streamer, now that the lid has been lifted, let it stay there for the time being,” the glutinous rice flour mixed with warm water, and as he cleaned his hands, Xie Ye applied some force to knead it. “I’m doing this livestream today mainly because I've been feeling better recently. I want to reassure friends who still care about ‘Xizhu’ that he’s doing well, so you can rest assured.”
The sound of pounding meat stopped.
For some reason, hearing the young man's hoarse voice utter such gentle words on the screen, Xu Li outside the screen had a sudden impulse to tear up.
Gently sniffing, Xu Li smiled and typed, "Got it, be happy, okay?"
The world never seemed to be fair. When he had a charming voice, the young man was criticized for his flawed appearance; and after losing weight over the course of half a year, he lost the former at a price.
But regardless, Xu Li could confirm that he was still her favorite little streamer whom she had been watching from the beginning, whether playing games or cooking.
In the knowledge sea, 1101 was quite surprised.
As a quick transmigration system that had accompanied him through several worlds, it knew very well that Xie Ye was actually soft-hearted, but this softness was often wrapped in a tough shell, hidden tightly.
Why today...
"Because this alt self is very gentle with the fans," the unintentional remark from the system that couldn't be concealed was heard. The young man with black hair lowered his eyes and said slowly, "It's not me."
He's just good at acting.
That's all there is to it.
Author's Note:
Pinyin is used because separating lines didn't seem to help, and there isn't a more accurate word to replace it.
2 Comments
not so sure its JUST acting
ReplyDeleteSuuuurrreee
ReplyDeletePost a Comment