Signing with Douyin

The next eight games, under Ling Yun's lead as a "human cheat," ended without suspense, crushed with overwhelming force.

Zhou Da also achieved his wish and stepped through the gates of the King rank!

Zhou Da: "King! Holy crap! I've brought honor to my ancestors! Brother Yun is amazing!!" (His voice trembled with excitement)

"I can't, I can't. I still have military training tomorrow, and I'm afraid I'll oversleep and get targeted by the Drill Instructor. I'm outta here! Goodnight, Brother Yun! Goodnight, Goddess Sister!"

Zhou Da went offline, completely satisfied.

Only Ling Yun and Jiang Yingxue remained in the team, and the atmosphere instantly became somewhat delicate.

Jiang Yingxue's earth-shattering "I'll send it to you" from earlier still seemed to linger in the air, bringing a moment of silent awkwardness and... a faint, almost imperceptible flutter.

"Ahem," Ling Yun cleared his throat, breaking the silence with a clearly teasing smile, "Sister Yingxue, about that 'it counts' you mentioned earlier, does it still count?" His voice came through the headset, with a hint of lazy magnetism.

There was a few seconds of silence on the other end before Jiang Yingxue's voice, feigning calmness but unable to hide a slight tremor, came through: "It... of course it counts? Wait... I'll send it to you after we go offline..."

She paused, as if making a decision, her voice becoming even softer, with a hint of desperate shyness, "What... what type do you like?"

The moment the words left her mouth, Jiang Yingxue wished she could bite off her tongue!

God! What am I even saying?!

Her cheeks instantly burned as if on fire, and she buried herself in her blanket, only her watery, shy eyes peeking out at the screen.

Ling Yun was clearly taken aback by this bold "question" for a moment, then he let out a low laugh. The sound came through the electricity, with a hint of alluring hoarseness: "Anything is fine, I'm not picky. Sister Yingxue's voice is so beautiful, she must be incredibly gorgeous too. I think, no matter what you wear... or don't wear... ahem, I mean, Sister Yingxue's looks are definitely flawless from every angle, she'll look good no matter how you take the picture."

"Mmm..." Jiang Yingxue felt a surge of heat spread from her cheeks to the roots of her ears, finally dyeing her neck pink.

She only managed to utter a vague syllable, too shy to say anything else, her heart pounding wildly.

With this strange, ambiguous atmosphere between them, they played five more games. Ling Yun rushed to 40 stars in King rank, and Jiang Yingxue also reached 29 stars.

Although Jiang Yingxue didn't speak again throughout the games, her gameplay was noticeably more focused, as if she were channeling all her shyness and inexplicable emotions into the game.

"It's getting late, Sister Yingxue, goodnight."

Ling Yun's voice carried a hint of imperceptible amusement.

Daji (Jiang Yingxue): Goodnight. [Emote: Goodnight]

"Don't forget... the photo?" Ling Yun reminded her at the opportune moment, with a touch of mischief.

Daji (Jiang Yingxue): ...Mhm! [Emote: Shy] Going offline!

Jiang Yingxue went offline almost instantly, as if staying for another second would cause her to melt from the intense shyness.

Ling Yun smiled and was about to claim his daily reward and log off when he was startled by the explosion of red numbers in his friend request list. He clicked it open to see a variety of remarks:

"XYG. Manager, sincerely inviting you for a tryout!"

"AG Super Play Youth Training Camp Director, urgent contact needed!"

"Huya King Operations - Da Xiong, high-paying contract!"

"Douyu King Section Head, excellent benefits!"

"Bilibili Game Section Operations..."

He casually accepted a friend request with the remark "Douyin Live - King Operations - Li Xiang."

Soon, a message popped up from the other party. After a brief exchange, Ling Yun finally understood the magnitude of the stir he had caused.

It turned out that under the ID "S of the King's Canyon," he not only topped the weekly "Top of the Peak" with a terrifying 93.8% win rate, but his account's overall game score reached an astonishing 109 points (out of a maximum of 110)!

This score was practically heaven-defying in the high ranks, especially since the single point deducted was in a relatively uncontrollable dimension like "teamfight output"!

This meant that in all the hard metrics like laning, farming, survival, and KDA, he had achieved flawless perfection! This was unprecedented in the entire history of Honor of Kings!

"A generational talent," "operation monster," "human AI"... various labels were instantly attached to this mysterious ID.

Major professional teams and streaming platforms were going crazy trying to find him.

After understanding the whole situation, Ling Yun immediately made up his mind: streaming! And his target wasn't just Honor of Kings; he wanted to become an all-around super streamer!

He would use the top traffic from King rank in the early stages to accumulate initial fans, and later showcase richer streaming content—whether it was other games, daily vlogs, or even "talents" the system might grant him in the future (like demonstrating some "magic tricks"?). He aimed to become the world's top super IP with the largest fan base!

As for going pro?

Too many restrictions, and the cost-effectiveness was far inferior to being a top streamer.

Zhang Daxian's national recognition far surpassed that of most professional players; that was the best example.

He wanted widespread fame, not singular competitive honor.

He began to contact the heads of several major platforms one by one (via WeChat voice/video calls).

As expected, Huya, Douyu, and Bilibili offered base signing fees of around 3-4 million (after tax), with a 50/50 split on gift revenue. The fixed salary was not high, and there were many restrictions on streaming content, generally requiring focus on King rank.

This continued until his video call with Li Xiang from Douyin.

The moment the video connected, Li Xiang and the several operations colleagues gathered around him were visibly stunned—the young man on the screen had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, a high nose bridge, and chiseled features. Even without any beauty filters, his looks were enough to outshine a crowd of young idols in the entertainment industry!

This wasn't just an "operation monster"; it was a "dual SSS-class nuclear bomb of looks and skill"!

"Mr. Ling, we've heard so much about you! Your skill is truly breathtaking!"

Li Xiang suppressed his astonishment and spoke enthusiastically.

After learning about Ling Yun's future "all-around streamer" plan, the Douyin team showed incredible boldness and foresight.

Following nearly an hour of intense (but pleasant) discussion, a contract far exceeding Ling Yun's expectations was finalized:

1. Contract Term: 3 years. 2. Signing Fee: 5 million RMB after tax (paid in the first year). 3. ID Requirement: Game ID prefix must be "抖音丶" (e.g., 抖音丶王者峡谷的S). 4. Peak Rewards: An additional 20,000 RMB for maintaining the #1 spot on the peak leaderboard daily! (Settled monthly). 5. Gift Split: Initial: 50/50 (already top-tier treatment). * With 10 million followers: 60/40 split (platform takes 40%). * With 30 million followers: 70/30 split (platform takes 30%). * With 50 million followers: 90/10 split (platform takes 10%)! This is a super clause Douyin has never offered any streamer! 6. Fixed Annual Salary (Guaranteed): First year: 2 million RMB (requires an average of 120 streaming hours per month). * With 10 million followers: Annual salary increases to 5 million RMB. * With 30 million followers: Annual salary starts at 10 million RMB. * With 50 million followers: Annual salary is negotiable (implying it could reach tens of millions or even over 100 million). 7. Exclusive Renewal Option: Upon contract expiration, if Douyin offers renewal terms no less than the market's fair value (subject to mutual agreement or third-party appraisal), Ling Yun must prioritize renewing with Douyin. Douyin promises not to engage in malicious price undercutting.

The core of this contract lies in its tiered, ultra-high commission rates and the exclusive renewal option that binds top-tier traffic.

Douyin is betting that Ling Yun can become a phenomenal, even era-defining, super streamer, willing to exchange future massive revenue shares for long-term commitment.

Ling Yun, on the other hand, is drawn to Douyin's immense traffic pool, its inclusivity towards diverse content, and that incredibly enticing ceiling – the 90/10 split and the potential for an eight-figure annual salary!

"To build Douyin's own undisputed 'King of Kings,' and even an 'all-around top-tier star'!" This is the strategic goal of the Douyin team.

They even cited Sao Bai's 200 million transfer fee from years ago as proof of the terrifying commercial value of top King streamers.

And Ling Yun's looks? That's what made them see the huge potential to break out of the gaming circle and attract non-gaming users!

Both sides hit it off immediately, agreeing to launch the first stream on the Douyin platform this Friday evening (the same night military training ends) at 8 PM!

Douyin will invest significant resources in pre-stream promotion and traffic push.

Regarding showing his face, Douyin offered professional advice: "Mr. Ling, we recommend not showing your face for the first stream and the initial period. Maintain the persona of a 'mysterious master' to continuously generate buzz and anticipation. Once follower count and topic popularity reach a critical mass, choose a significant moment to reveal your face with a stunning impact! This will absolutely trigger a nuclear-level spread!"

Ling Yun deeply agreed and adopted this "hunger marketing" strategy.

After signing the electronic contract, Ling Yun let out a long sigh of relief.

The 5 million signing fee would arrive tomorrow, plus the daily rewards for being #1 on the peak leaderboard and future commissions... The first pot of gold after rebirth came so swiftly!

Just then, a WeChat notification chimed. It was Jiang Yingxue!

He opened the message, and a photo instantly caught his eye.

The background was the warm glow of bedroom lighting, softly illuminating the girl.

Jiang Yingxue sat by the bed, slightly turned, her waterfall-like black hair cascading smoothly over her shoulders. A few strands had inadvertently fallen onto her delicate collarbone.

Her face bore a blush that hadn't quite faded, like a newly bloomed peach blossom kissed by morning dew. Her eyes were downcast, long lashes casting a small, fan-shaped shadow beneath them. Her gaze seemed shy and hesitant, yet held a hint of imperceptible anticipation.

She was wearing a high-quality silk slip dress. The smooth fabric clung to her exquisite curves, revealing a bare shoulder. The hem of the dress barely covered the top of her thighs, exposing a pair of fair, slender, beautifully sculpted legs.

The slip dress was a soft, light taro color, shimmering subtly under the light, making her skin appear even fairer than snow. The entire scene was hazy and beautiful, like a secluded orchid blooming quietly under the moonlight, exuding a pure yet alluring aura.

Ling Yun's breathing hitched slightly. His fingers paused on the screen for a few seconds before he slowly typed:

Ling Yun: Sister Yingxue... [Emoji: Stunned] This... is even more beautiful than I imagined. The photo angle and atmosphere are incredible, like a movie poster. Goodnight, sleep well.

On the other side, Jiang Yingxue was tossing and turning in bed, clutching her phone. Heaven knows what she went through after going offline!

She had tried countless angles, lighting, and poses, deleted dozens of unsatisfactory photos, her heart pounding as if it would leap out of her chest. After over an hour of hesitation and struggle, she finally mustered the courage to choose the photo that looked the most "natural" and also... the most beautiful, before sending it.

Seeing Ling Yun's reply, especially the line "even more beautiful than I imagined," a wave of immense shyness and an indescribable sweetness washed over her. She quickly replied:

Jiang Yingxue: I'm glad you like it... I, I'm really sleepy! Let's chat tomorrow! Goodnight!

Ling Yun: Goodnight. [Emoji: Moon]

If you find this book good, remember to add it to your bookshelf to avoid losing it next time.