After all, his position was awkward, and explaining it would inevitably mean bringing up Qin Yu.
And Fang Xu had no idea he had dated Qin Yu.
Bian Yan angrily gulped down a mouthful of Coke. "Fuck, what kind of company is that unreliable? How do they forget a whole grown man? Why doesn't the guy forget to collect his paycheck, too?"
Fang Xu took the opportunity to scoop up more than half the meat Bian Yan had put in the pot. "You said a streamer you'd had trouble with before was there too, and recognized you. Could he know someone at Sea Star?"
Compared with Bian Yan, Fang Xu was more perceptive and thought things through more carefully.
Although he hadn't followed the incident online, he could tell something was off from what Yu Nian had told them.
Hearing that only made Bian Yan angrier. "Seriously, what's wrong with him? Pulling petty tricks like that?"
Yu Nian raised a hand to soothe him. "All right, all right. That's just my guess. Without proof, I can't really make a fuss. Anyway, they've already contacted me about compensation, and the people who needed firing have been fired. They handled it pretty properly."
Then he looked into the pot. "Bian Yan, your meat's cooked. Hurry up and get it out."
Distracted, Bian Yan quickly reached in with his chopsticks, but only fished out a few scattered slices. "Where's my meat?"
Fang Xu elegantly wiped his mouth. "You hadn't eaten any for ages, so I thought you didn't like it and helped you take care of some. You're welcome."
Bian Yan was both annoyed and amused. "You sure moved fast!"
Fang Xu added pumpkin, konjac, and greens to the pot. "I'll cook some for you too. Don't be mad."
Bian Yan exploded. "Drop dead!"
Yu Nian stepped in to keep the peace again. "Come on, there's still pork intestine and beef tripe here. Have some more, both of you."
"Oh, right. For that group assignment in our elective, the group leader said in the chat that we should rehearse. They're asking if we're free tomorrow afternoon." Bian Yan showed Yu Nian the message on his phone.
"Sure, I don't have anything on tomorrow afternoon."
One of their electives was nearing its end, and the teacher had asked them to split into groups for a project on a specific topic, involving some role-play and presentation. They had half a month to work on it properly, and the teacher would grade it personally. It would count toward their final grade.
Perhaps to encourage interaction between students, the teacher had stipulated that they couldn't form groups entirely from their own major. At least two of the five members had to be from other majors.
Their group leader majored in Fashion Design and was very organized. The ideas they proposed were all pretty good, and the members cooperated enthusiastically. Everyone got along fairly well.
"Okay, then remember to say so in the group chat."
After their lavish hot pot meal, the three of them cleaned up together, restoring the kitchen and dining table to their original state. The other two stayed at Yu Nian's place a little longer, then left together before eight.
Yu Nian walked them to the entrance of the residential complex, getting a little exercise after dinner.
When he went back upstairs and checked the time, it was about time to start.
Yu Nian poured himself a cup of hot water and went into his room, turned on the air conditioner and computer, and got ready to stream.
At eight that evening, viewers poured in.
[Good evening, good evening!]
[Missed you! Why didn't you stream last night?]
[Nian Bao, you've taken so many days off from streaming this month.]
Yu Nian really had taken several days off that month, either because of his ex or because of school or work.
Feeling a little guilty, he said, "Sorry, everyone. I've been a little busy offline lately. How about I end my streams later for a while?"
[Yes, yes! I'm staying up all night! /clenched fist]
[Nope, you're not forgiven unless you show your face, Nian Nian. /peeking]
[What? Nian Nian's doing a face reveal dressed as a girl?]
[What, what? Nian Nian's dressing as a girl and dancing for us?]
Yu Nian was horrified. "I'm not! I never said that! Stop spreading rumors!"
[Hahahaha, but seriously, can't you show your face? As a fan of ten whole years, I really want to see you. QAQ]
Yu Nian pretended not to see that and opened the cash giveaway page. "Let's do a few cash giveaways to make it up to everyone. Thanks for understanding."
The viewers immediately rushed over to wait for the giveaways, showering him with compliments. But some clearheaded viewers weren't fooled.
[Don't fall for it, everyone. He's changing the subject!]
[That was close. Almost fell for it.]
[You've got so many followers now. Won't you really consider it? When you become a huge streamer with a million followers and attend events, we won't even know who to look for.]
[Hahaha, the person above has a point.]
Seeing that he couldn't get past this hurdle, Yu Nian actually gave it some serious thought. He had been streaming for so long, and so many followers wanted to see him. There was no need to keep hiding.
Showing his face could bring him a little closer to his audience and make their interactions more engaging. It would make him feel more real to his viewers, rather than like some fake person hiding behind a screen.
Besides, he should take a step forward instead of constantly avoiding it out of fear and nerves.
His viewers had a point, too. If he wanted to work toward becoming a major streamer, he would have to interact with plenty of people. He couldn't keep avoiding it, could he?
Yu Nian smiled helplessly. "All right, then. How about I show my face when I reach five hundred thousand followers?"
Yu Nian currently had a little over two hundred thousand followers. Although the latest tens of thousands had come quickly, at his usual rate of growth, it might take another year.
[Aaaah, I'm so excited! I'm registering a hundred alt accounts to follow you right now!]
Yu Nian eagerly played along. "This viewer named No Cilantro, I expect to see a hundred new followers tonight."
[Hahahaha!]
[Cilantro's rubbing their hands together so hard they're throwing sparks.]
"The rest of you shouldn't sit idle, either. There are three thousand people watching right now. Register two hundred alt accounts each and help me become a million-follower streamer in minutes!"
[?]
[Go wash up and get some sleep.]
[Reported. The streamer's encouraging fans to buy fake followers. /doge]
[Hahahahaha, whose fanbase is nothing but inflated numbers? Oh, ours.]
[Off topic: why no cilantro? Cilantro's so tasty. /angry]
[Recorded this. Now waiting for five hundred thousand followers!]
[Nian Bao, I don't have a hundred alt accounts, but I can get my classmates, parents, and grandparents to follow you!]
Yu Nian laughed. "Thanks for your support. Get your grandparents to play Divine Call too. I'll help them climb the ranks."
[Hahaha, eighty-year-old granny passionately grinding ranked in the middle of the night.]
[I'm already looking forward to it. Will Nian Bao stream in a little skirt?!]
Yu Nian shot that down mercilessly. "No."
Amid the laughter and banter with his viewers, he played two games, then suddenly received a party invitation.
Yu Nian opened it, and someone immediately recognized the username.
[Is this Mousey the mage girl from last time?]
[Wow, we meet again. You actually added her as a friend.]
Yu Nian accepted the invitation and glanced at the chat. "Yeah, I added her last time. She's pretty good."
Neither wasted time talking. They quickly teamed up and entered a match, where one of their random teammates was recognized as another streamer.
[I know this streamer. I think Qinggang hassled them too, but their fans were fierce, and Qinggang lost the argument, haha.]
[Hahaha, seriously? What is this, a victims' alliance?]
[All I can say is that Qinggang's a menace. /eye roll]
[Mod passing through~ If you're enjoying the stream, sweeties, please show your support. Let's not discuss other streamers~]
Yu Nian played a few matches with Mousey, and they worked together pretty well. Later, she said she had something to do and logged off, so Yu Nian went on playing alone.
With everyone joking around, Yu Nian happily played games all night and didn't end the stream until two in the morning.
Before you continue