Chapter 22
What did he mean by “not… yet?”
Ji Wei’s intuition told him something was off, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on it. His fans were waiting for his stream, so he decided not to dwell on it and closed the video.
“I had a save file for Don’t Starve before, but I’m starting a new one today. Winter is a season that new players really hate, so in the early stages, we need to store enough wood and food to prepare for it…”
Don’t Starve was a 2D standalone survival game. He controlled his character, hopping around to pick up small twigs and stones, then crafting an iron axe to chop down trees.
[I was just going to listen to Weiwei’s voice before bed, but now I can’t sleep at all. Opening Steam to buy it.]
[+1, silently opening my wallet.]
[Weiwei smiled a lot during today’s stream. Ahhhhh, so cute! This mom fan is so satisfied.]
It was already one in the morning, but the number of viewers in the stream room remained at a terrifying two hundred and fifty thousand, leaving everyone else in the standalone game section in the dust.
Since he had class the next afternoon, Ji Wei didn’t dare stay up too late. Around two-thirty, just as he was about to say goodbye to everyone and end the stream, a donation from an unfamiliar user appeared in the bullet comments.
—User “Boyfriend” has gifted the streamer ten Small TV Spaceships.
Ji Wei’s hand, which was about to take off his headphones, paused. He was a little surprised. It was the first time he had received such an expensive gift, totaling nearly one hundred thousand yuan. What had he done to deserve this?
“Thank you, Boyfriend, for the ten Small TV Spaceships.”
He expressed his gratitude without a second thought.
[Eh? I have a reasonable suspicion that you’re taking advantage of the streamer. How tragic this world has become! I’m going to change my name too.]
[A Lu-Wei CP fan is here. Heretics, begone!]
[+1, holding the Lu-Wei banner high and unwavering.]
Meanwhile, in a Bentley heading from Shanghai to the airport, Ying Guanxiao was driving. He heard the man in the back let out a low chuckle while watching the stream and couldn’t help but twitch the corner of his eye. “Old Lu, it’s not that I’m criticizing, but is it really that fun to take advantage of a kid?”
Lu Shenxing looked up. “It is.”
Ying Guanxiao was speechless.
***
The streamer meet-and-greet was scheduled for Saturday morning at the Jiangzhou Convention and Exhibition Center. Besides streamers, there were also signing events for ACG world online singers, voice actors, artists, and others.
Before nine in the morning, the area outside the exhibition hall was already packed with people, forming long queues that completely blocked the entrance. Ji Wei was thankful he could use the VIP entrance; otherwise, he would have never been able to squeeze through.
His booth, along with those of other streamers, was in the C2 Area. Guided by a staff member with wavy hair, the young man sat down at his assigned spot and took out the pens and a thick stack of posters he had prepared from his backpack.
He had designed the posters himself, featuring characters from the games he had streamed over the past year. There was Wilson from Don’t Starve, the Guide from Terraria, and even His Majesty the First Emperor from Civilization 6.
Seeing him set out the posters, the staff member who had initially guided him walked over and asked politely, “I see you have some merchandise to sell here. Do you need me to arrange for someone to help you?”
Ji Wei stood up and shook his head. “Thank you, but I don’t need it.”
What a good-looking kid, the staff member thought, momentarily stunned.
Just too naive…
The hall hadn’t opened yet. When it did, people would pour in like a tidal wave. It would be impossible for one person to handle both collecting money and signing autographs. Other experienced streamers had all arranged for dedicated staff to handle payments.
But since Ji Wei refused, the staff member didn’t press the issue. She simply tied her wavy hair into a neat and efficient ponytail and walked off toward the other exhibition areas.
Ji Wei sat back down.
The hall opened soon after. The streamer area didn’t have the largest crowd; people rushed straight for the cosplayer and online singer sections.
“Hurry up! Everyone else is already lining up.”
Yu Xiaonan pulled her mother’s hand and rushed toward the streamer exhibition area. Mother Yu followed her daughter’s pace with a headache. “Nannan, slow down. Be careful not to fall.”
Yu Xiaonan paid her no mind and continued to run forward. Upon reaching the entrance to the exhibition area, she opened the map in her hand. The C2 Area was a rectangular space, and Ji Wei’s seat should be at the very back.
So, she pulled her mother’s hand and walked forward.
As they passed a beauty blogger’s seat, Mother Yu frowned slightly. For a professional blogger, her makeup was a mess, and her looks weren’t particularly beautiful. You had to buy her self-made cosmetics to get an autograph and a photo.
A set cost four to five hundred yuan, and who knew if it passed quality inspections.
The more she looked, the more it seemed like a way to scam fans for money.
Finally, she couldn’t help but ask, “Nannan, what… do you like about this streamer?”
“Weiwei is good-looking, he’s really good at games, and he can draw,” Yu Xiaonan retorted earnestly.
Mother Yu thought to herself, How good-looking can he be? But she was usually busy with work and didn’t have many opportunities to spend time with her daughter. Her daughter was also in her rebellious phase, often getting distracted and playing on her phone during class. The teacher had asked parents to communicate more with their children.
She wanted to use this opportunity to get closer to her daughter, so she didn’t say anything more.
“Mom, look, that’s Weiwei!”
Suddenly, Yu Xiaonan pointed ahead. Mother Yu followed her gaze and was visibly surprised.
A young man in his late teens, wearing a simple white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his forearms, sat properly in his seat.
In her youth, she had also followed Korean stars. Compared to those idols with their superior looks, the young man’s features weren’t overly exquisite, but he had a clean temperament. His eyes, in particular, were as clear as a pool of melted snow on a mountaintop.
He was indeed… exceptionally good-looking.
They had arrived early, so there was no one in line. Yu Xiaonan pulled her hand and walked up to the young man, saying in a small voice, “Weiwei, I really like you. Can you sign an autograph for me?”
Mother Yu glanced at the beautifully designed posters on the table. She worked in the advertising industry and knew that hand-drawn works of this quality weren’t cheap.
But if her daughter wanted one, she wouldn’t refuse.
Mother Yu opened her wallet. “I have to buy a poster first, right? How much is one?”
It had to be at least fifty yuan each.
She took out a one-hundred-yuan bill and handed it to the young man, but to her surprise, he didn’t take it. Instead, he skillfully signed his name on a poster. “These are gifts for my fans. They’re free.”
Mother Yu was stunned.
Before coming, she had thought all streamers were just out to cheat young girls of their money. She never expected that not only would Ji Wei not charge money, but he would also give away free posters to his fans.
“You must be in middle school, little one. What’s your name?”
Ji Wei asked, looking into the girl’s eyes.
“Yu Xiaonan.”
Yu Xiaonan said, her face blushing slightly.
“Student Yu Xiaonan, you must study hard, okay?”
Ji Wei added “To Yu Xiaonan” on the poster and then gently handed it to the girl.
After walking out of the exhibition area with the poster in her arms, Yu Xiaonan suddenly stopped.
Mother Yu looked at her quizzically. “What’s wrong, Nannan? Are you not feeling well somewhere?”
Yu Xiaonan hugged her and shook her head. “Mom, I won’t play on my phone in class anymore. I’m going to study hard.”
This was the first time Nannan had ever said something like this…
Tears welled up in Mother Yu’s eyes. She gently patted her daughter’s back, then turned to look at the young man sitting inside the exhibition area. As if remembering something, she opened her phone. “Hello, Director Wang, it’s me. Weren’t you looking to hire a streamer for an endorsement a while back? I’d like to recommend someone…”
The wavy-haired staff member nearby also watched Ji Wei sign autographs in amazement. Although the meet-and-greet was a fan benefit, everyone tacitly sold merchandise. It seemed Ji Wei was the only one who truly treated it as a benefit.
What surprised her even more was that as time passed, the lines in front of the other streamers’ booths grew shorter and shorter. Two streamers even ended their meet-and-greets early.
But the line in front of Ji Wei’s booth only grew longer. She had been working in exhibitions for four or five years and had never seen such a popular game streamer.
She couldn’t help but ask a few girls who were queuing together at the end of the line, “Are you all his fans?”
To her surprise, the girls all shook their heads.
She was puzzled. “Then why are you…”
There were no chairs in the queuing area, and it would take at least three hours to get from the back of the line to the front. How could they have so much energy if they weren’t fans?
A girl wearing a professional team’s jersey noticed her confusion and took the initiative to explain, “He’s so good-looking!”
The others also started chatting animatedly.
“I was done queuing in the online singer section when someone told me there was a super handsome guy over here, so I came over. His looks are seriously killing me.”
“I guess I’m a casual fan. I saw his variety show, and he was excellent in it.”
“Huh, he was on a variety show? As a resident of the ACG world, I know nothing about the entertainment industry.”
“Let me show you a video of him painting. It’s gone viral overseas…”
…
The wavy-haired staff member had to admit that being good-looking was truly a natural advantage. Just by sitting there, he could attract countless fans. It was something others couldn’t learn even if they tried.
***
After the meet-and-greet ended, Ji Wei’s wrist was red. He rubbed it, slung his backpack over his shoulder, and was about to head out of the convention center when he was stopped by another streamer.
He seemed to be from the tech section.
Ji Wei couldn’t recall his name for a moment.
The person introduced himself, “I’m Hei Tong from the tech section. It’s already past five. We’re planning to find a place to get together. You don’t have any objections, do you?”
Ji Wei did have objections.
Right now, all he wanted was to go back to Yancheng and get a good night’s sleep in his dorm bed.
However, several other streamers came over to chime in. “It’s just one meal, it won’t take much time. We’ll charter a car to the airport afterward.”
“Yeah, it would be a real shame to come to Jiangzhou and not try the local cuisine.”
Since they had put it that way.
Ji Wei sighed, nodded, and went along with them.
It was supposed to be a casual get-together, but Wen Zheng went all out and booked a table at the most expensive restaurant in Jiangzhou, stunning everyone. Except for Ji Wei, everyone else unconsciously switched from calling Wen Zheng “Brother Wen” to “Young Master Wen.”
On the way to the restaurant, Ji Wei’s phone vibrated. He opened it to find a message, surprisingly, from Lu Shenxing.
[Lu Shenxing]: Are you on the plane yet?
His idol was so busy, how did he know he was in Jiangzhou? Nevertheless, Ji Wei suppressed his curiosity and replied obediently.
[Ji Wei]: I’m about to have dinner with some other streamers at the Tea Tasting Restaurant in Jiangzhou.
Lu Shenxing didn’t reply for a long time. Just as he was about to put his phone away, a message from Lu Shenxing came through.
[Lu Shenxing]: Good.
He blinked in confusion, not understanding what Lu Shenxing meant. Did he mean “that’s nice” or “I understand”?
Meanwhile, Hei Tong, who was sitting next to him, was still marveling at Wen Zheng’s extravagance. “How can the gap between people be so big? Young Master Wen is not only the top streamer in the gaming section but also a rich second generation. I can’t take it anymore.”
Another person added, “A table at Tea Tasting Restaurant must cost tens of thousands, right? Young Master Wen is so generous.”
Wen Zimu naturally linked his arm with Wen Zheng’s. “What’s so generous about it? A-Zheng and I don’t like to mistreat our stomachs. We’re used to eating like this.”
He suddenly looked over at Ji Wei. “This must be your first time eating here, right, Ji Wei?”
Ji Wei was a bit distracted thinking about Lu Shenxing’s message. He only snapped out of it when Hei Tong nudged his arm. Not having heard the question clearly, he just nodded casually.
Wen Zimu smiled. “It’s fine.”
After the group walked into the private room at Tea Tasting Restaurant and sat down, Wen Zheng and Wen Zimu took the seats of honor, while Ji Wei sat by the door. A waiter respectfully handed him the pre-ordered menu for his review.
Seeing this, Wen Zimu frowned.
Ji Wei glanced at the price at the bottom of the menu—a full one hundred and eighty thousand yuan. He clicked his tongue and proactively passed it to Wen Zimu.
He certainly couldn’t afford to treat them to this.
Unexpectedly, Wen Zimu scanned the menu, stood up, and said to the waiter, “This isn’t right. We clearly ordered the forty-thousand-yuan table. How did it become one hundred and eighty thousand? Isn’t this just a big shop bullying its customers?”