It'll Be Hard to End This Without Getting Married

[Hahaha, I can't with you. Can you stay serious for more than three seconds?]

[But when we actually ask for your bank account number, you won't give it. Such a sharp-tongued softie of a streamer /pout]

Yu Nian was afraid of getting sentimental. Sometimes, when he wanted to have a serious talk with his viewers, they would get touched so easily that the whole stream turned rather melancholy.

It was true that he had started streaming to make money, but seeing so many viewers who liked him, Yu Nian wanted everyone who came to his stream to have a good time.

Only once the mood livened up again did Yu Nian relax. He kept joking around with them until the stream ended.

And that viewer, "Y," never said another word before he went offline.

After ending the stream, Yu Nian checked that evening's earnings. Normally, he would get a little over three hundred Guardian subscriptions in a month.

It wasn't the start of the month, but perhaps switching platforms had sparked a wave of enthusiasm, and the site's promotion had brought in new fans. He had actually gotten over two hundred in a single evening.

The growth would slow down later, but this was already an excellent result.

Not to mention, Y had given him far too much.

Yu Nian couldn't resist clicking into that person's profile again. He was a little curious about them.

So much money, so few words.

Even after thinking back on it countless times, he still felt they resembled that person, but he really couldn't find a reason for that person to do this.

Even if Qin Yuheng really had come to support his streaming career, there was no need to be so secretive and mysterious about it.

Just as Yu Nian was about to give up, he suddenly remembered that he could check the IP address.

The location wasn't Swallow City, but faraway Boat City.

The two cities were quite far apart. He would probably have to fly there.

Yu Nian felt conflicted, both relieved and a little disappointed.

He couldn't help scratching his head in frustration. Why did his thoughts always turn to Qin Yuheng?

At last, the day came to submit their assignment for the large elective class. Yu Nian's group performed as reliably as ever, especially in their rehearsed skit, which was funny without lacking substance. Even its deeper message didn't feel forced, and the instructor singled it out for praise.

Out of a possible hundred points, they ultimately scored ninety-two.

Even divided among them according to the grading scheme, that was a very good result.

Their group leader, Tao Yan, had worked the hardest this time. Not only had she designed and prepared the props, but she had also organized the entire process and even performed with everyone else. They unanimously decided to give her the two points left over after splitting the score evenly.

With the elective class over, everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Unable to sit still, Bian Yan called for everyone in their little group chat to play a game together.

Tao Yan: What game?

Bian Yan: Divine Call. You in?

Tao Yan: Sure. Send me your ID so I can add you.

Bian Yan sent his game ID, then tagged everyone, hoping to put together a five-player team.

The other two weren't interested, though. Only Yu Nian was willing to play a couple of matches with him.

Tao Yan asked him to send his game ID too so she could add him as a friend.

Yu Nian had two game accounts he used regularly. One was for casually playing in private and had his real-life friends and classmates on it. The other was for streaming, and very few people knew about it.

Yu Nian sent his private alt account. A little later, when he saw the ID Tao Yan had added him with, he froze.

Abundant Year After Year: Mousey?

Tao Yan: Haha, I just picked a random name.

Abundant Year After Year: The mid-lane mage? I'm that jungler. This is my alt.

The other side fell silent for a while before slowly sending a single: ?

Tao Yan: That streamer, Rice Cake?

Abundant Year After Year: Yeah...

Tao Yan: ...

Tao Yan: I really did not see that coming.

Abundant Year After Year: Haha, it really is a small world.

Tao Yan: I'll come support your stream sometime!

Abundant Year After Year: Sure, you're always welcome~

Now Yu Nian understood why Qinggang had been fired by Huajia. Apparently, he really had messed with the wrong person.

Speaking of Qinggang, though, Yu Nian remembered that he had interviewed at Sea Star before, and had seemed very confident that he would get signed.

Dislike him as he did, Yu Nian really hadn't paid attention to whether the guy had been hired.

It didn't matter, anyway. As long as Qinggang didn't come looking for trouble with him, all was well.

When they kept failing to accept his party invitations, Bian Yan started hurrying them along in the group chat.

Yu Nian, Tao Yan: Coming.

Previously, only some industry insiders had known about Sea Star's collaboration with the Azure Group. It had originally been intended as a joint offline promotional event, but the Azure Group had actually invested directly and acquired a stake.

Sea Star now had some backing. At least in the short term, it wouldn't have to worry about advertising costs or funding for certain events.

Yu Nian also happened to be a newly signed streamer, arriving just as the platform was on the rise. The site was heavily promoting his batch of new streamers.

Over the past few days, Yu Nian had seen plenty of new fans pouring in. Combined with his stream's pleasant atmosphere and his gradually established personal style, he was able to keep quite a few of them.

On top of that, big spender Y showed up every day like an NPC, throwing money at him nonstop before leaving a single "Get some rest early" and making a stylish exit.

That drew even more people's curiosity.

Since Y ranked first among the donors in Yu Nian's stream, his every entrance came with dazzling special effects. Everyone knew exactly when he arrived.

People in Yu Nian's stream had even started teasing him whenever they saw him.

[Hello, boss.]

[The boss is here to hand out money again~]

[Sugar daddy's daily check-in quest: 1/1]

Y ignored all of it and only sent him gifts.

But after Yu Nian tried persuading him several times, Y had learned to rein it in, sending only one Deep-Sea Battleship each time he came.

[Y: Get some rest early.]

[Hahaha, I can't. Be honest, streamer, is this a bot you hired?]

[Aaaah, I feel like the thing I look forward to most every day now is seeing Y interact with the streamer. Boss Y, have you still not gotten his WeChat?]

[If this keeps going, it'll be hard to end this without getting married /doge]

[I'm dying. Nian darling, Boss Y really cares about you.]

[Boss Y's inner thoughts: I love you, babe, and I've got money too /sunglasses.jpg]

Everyone's imagination ran wild when it came to Boss Y's motives.

Aside from the initial theory that this was a story about a substitute voice... after all, they couldn't see the person, only hear his voice. Other people had their guesses too.

Some said Boss Y was a big shot who had risen above petty pleasures. He had simply stumbled into Yu Nian's stream, found it right up his alley, and spent some money to support him, with no other motive.

Others said that sending gifts and caring messages every day made it seem like he might be someone with a secret crush on Yu Nian. Viewers even reminded Yu Nian to watch for anyone around him who might be quietly paying attention to him.

Still others suspected that Yu Nian had hired someone to generate buzz, intending to use this as a marketing gimmick to attract fans.

Yu Nian felt rather helpless about that. "I'm not rich enough to throw that much money at a nonexistent person just to get myself more followers."

"Besides, what's there to market about something like this?"

[Come on, everyone's just having fun. Isn't it a little cynical to call this marketing?]

[Don't worry, our streamer is way too stingy to spend this much hiring an actor.]

[Hahahaha, too true.]