Yu Qing's breathing briefly faltered. His fingertips trembled, and his Adam's apple bobbed almost imperceptibly.
Before him, Xue Ziyi puffed out his chest, raised his chin, and made a show of clearing his throat. "Do you know who I am?"
"..." The boy lowered his eyes, briefly recalling the other systems he had linked to in order to gather information on the streamers, along with their appearances and profiles. "Xue Ziyi."
So he really was famous. That made things much easier.
Xue Ziyi silently breathed a sigh of relief, a smile beginning to spread across his face. Behind him, Zhang Yi rubbed his hands together, so excited he almost cried. "Good, you know him! Come on, share the information you found so we can all take a look!"
Once he saw it, he would survive!
In fact, this wasn't an instance they had to clear alone. The streamers who entered the game weren't competing against each other, so cooperation was preferable.
Besides, newcomers entering their first instance usually relied on veterans, flattering them to gain more experience and tips for clearing it. But...
Yu Qing looked up, his smile as polite and gentle as ever. "Sorry, I'm not sharing."
"..."
The boy's expression gradually sobered, his words as earnest and direct as always. "I'm glad you came to ask me to cooperate, but I really don't like your tone. So I'm not sharing."
With that, he turned away as though nothing had happened. He had barely taken a step when Zhang Yi desperately grabbed the hem of his clothes. "What the fuck is that supposed to mean? Our boss Xue isn't done talking! Where do you think you're going?!"
"Exploration time is almost up! Give us the clues so our boss Xue can get you through this! Do you understand?!"
Caught by the sudden tug, Yu Qing stumbled backward. His meager fifteen stamina points had nearly been depleted by searching the entire floor, and he only managed to steady himself with Qian Lai's support.
Zhang Yi's eyes were bloodshot as he clung on like a madman. He looked ready to kill Yu Qing if he refused to hand over the information.
"Let go." Qian Lai slapped his hand twice, but when that failed, he simply seized Zhang Yi's wrist and wrestled with his vein-bulging hand.
[Two minutes remain until exploration ends...] [Beep, beep, beep. Beep, beep, beep-]
Two minutes!
The system's countdown switched from minutes to seconds. One hundred and twenty seconds! In another hundred and twenty seconds, he would die!!!
Zhang Yi's head buzzed. The fear of death pursued him relentlessly.
Cold sweat soaked his clothes, driving him to shove Qian Lai away and shout recklessly, "Let me tell you! Our boss Xue is the number-one player on the Newcomer Rich List! He has a big shot backing him! If you offend him..."
[Seriously, who is this guy? Is he nuts?]
At last, his incessant shouting angered the livestream viewers, and a flood of disgusted comments poured in.
[Exactly. If you want clues, go find them yourself. If you want to suck up to a veteran, go right ahead. What does that have to do with our Qingqing?]
[Still, Xue Ziyi is the top streamer on the Newcomer Rich List. He has the most points out of all the newcomers who've played no more than five instances. Shouldn't he get at least a little respect?]
[What? Respect for what? Tell me, what deserves respect? I honestly don't know who gave these veterans their superiority complex. They see a newcomer and immediately start throwing their weight around. Do they think that makes them impressive?]
As the discussion continued, a beep rang out.
Suddenly, another system announcement sounded: [The twenty-four-hour interval has elapsed. All points rankings in the Stairway to Heaven have automatically updated. Streamers, please check your rankings~]
When the general system announcement ended, Xue Ziyi paused, then smiled even wider.
He knew that after every points ranking update, the system would make another announcement for each streamer who made the lists.
Perfect. There was still one minute left on the exploration countdown!
Once the system finished its announcement, he would step in to break up the argument and magnanimously let Yu Qing ride his coattails.
He would do Yu Qing a favor, make Zhang Yi admire him even more, and get the information for free. Three birds with one stone.
So Xue Ziyi adjusted his hair for the livestream again and licked his lips with feigned nonchalance. His naturally seductive face filled the screen, and before long, his viewers were howling.
[Aaaaaah! Hubby Ziyi got even hotter! Those dreamy eyes, those thin lips! Let me lick, lick, lick, lick, lick, lick, lick, lick, lick!]
[Yi~ I love you so much, Yi~ Kisses~]
Xue Ziyi was thirty-eight that year, but his livestream audience skewed much older.
With his naturally pretty face and a few sleazy gestures, he had swindled plenty of points out of married women and elderly ladies.
As a result, most of his fans were fanatical admirers of his looks. Some even charged straight into Yu Qing's livestream and hurled abuse.
[This newcomer is way too arrogant! He dares challenge our Ziyi? Does he even know who's backing him?]
[One look at this innocent-faced pretty boy and you can tell he sells his looks. His name's Yu Qing, right? With so many men in his livestream, does he attract guys and earn points by selling his ass?]
[Our Ziyi doesn't need backing! Just watch. He'll still be number one on the Newcomer Rich List this time and put this newcomer firmly in his place!]
The excited comments came one after another. Sure enough, the next second, the system announcement followed: [Streamer Xue Ziyi, congratulations. You have ranked second on the Newcomer Rich List and thirty-first on the Worthless Streamer List. No other information is currently available.]
Currently... unavailable?!
How was that possible?
In an instant, Xue Ziyi felt as though he had been struck by lightning. He stared incredulously at the dark-blue panel hovering before him, his heart beginning to pound.
No... no...
At the last update, he had still been first on the Newcomer Rich List and one hundredth on the Overall Rich List.
He had been the only newcomer streamer to make the overall rankings!
How could...
Immediately afterward, another beep sounded, and the system's announcement rang in his ears again.
[Streamer Yu Qing, congratulations. You have ranked first on the Newcomer Rich List, eighty-seventh on the Overall Rich List, first on the Newcomer Popularity List, and fifty-sixth on the Bizarre Streamer List. You have achieved this year's best newcomer results in a single day. Keep up the good work.]
"..."
"..."
For a moment, Xue Ziyi froze. Zhang Yi froze. Even the mindless viewers who had stormed into Yu Qing's livestream to hurl abuse froze along with them.
After a long silence-
[Hahahahahahaha!]
Laughter erupted in Yu Qing's livestream, building into an all-out celebration alongside the exploration countdown.
[Who? Who said our Qingqing earns money by selling his looks? One day! He achieved this year's best newcomer results in one day! Your Xue Ziyi sold his looks for three whole instances and still couldn't manage that, could he?]
[As far as I know, Xue Ziyi's best result so far came from connecting with three old ladies one night and swindling their lifetime savings. That's how he broke into the top hundred on the Overall Rich List, right? And he has the nerve to brag about it?]
[Look at our Qingqing! Eighty-seventh! He did that in one day!]
[Anyone calling our Qingqing just a pretty face should watch the replay. If it isn't good, I'll twist your heads off!]
The livestream comments continued to surge, while the system kept urging them on.
[Thirty seconds remain until exploration ends.]
Thirty seconds!
Zhang Yi was going mad!
Ignoring the livestream's chaotic arguments, he raised his fist to strike Yu Qing. But the next moment, the somewhat exhausted boy took off his own badge and pinned it onto him.
Zhang Yi froze. Before he could make sense of it, Yu Qing spoke gently. "This instance identifies people by their badges and clothes. With the Doctor's badge on, the monsters won't hurt you. Hurry inside and find whatever you can."
As he spoke, he handed over his white coat as well.
His gaze was sincere enough to leave anyone suddenly wracked with guilt!
Meanwhile, on the Newcomer Rich List in the livestream lobby, Xue Ziyi's name was knocked out of the small first-place box, replaced by the white-haired boy's sweet, clean-cut face.
Far across the lobby, in a VIP seat, someone slowly raised his eyes. Through silver-rimmed glasses, his amber gaze settled intently on the boy...
Before you continue