"Haiyan, I'm sorry. Let's end things here."
Those few utterly ordinary words froze Zeng Haiyan in place.
The makeup artist was packing up beside her, Jin Huaqi was adjusting the equipment, and someone outside the livestream room was moving goods. Sounds surrounded her, but she couldn't hear a thing.
She turned her phone facedown on the table, then turned it over and read it again.
Still the same sentence.
Let's end things here.
"Haiyan? Five minutes," Jin Huaqi called from beside her.
Zeng Haiyan shoved her phone into the drawer under the table and pushed hard. The drawer closed with a dull thud.
She raised her head and blinked a few times at the fill light.
It's fine.
Who was she? Zeng Haiyan. What was one man worth?
It was just a breakup.
She drew a deep breath and forced the corners of her mouth up.
"Let's start."
"Three, two..."
All the lights came on.
"Everyone! I've missed you so much! I haven't streamed for a few days. Did anyone miss me?"
Comments streamed up the screen.
Zeng Haiyan glanced over them. Most said "Missed you" or "You're finally back," with a few jarring ones mixed in-
"Oh, the cheating beauty is back."
"Where's Teacher Huang? Get him on with you. That'd bring in plenty of traffic."
She pretended not to see them, reached beneath the table, and lifted a pan into view of the camera.
"I've brought an old friend for you today-yes, this one! Our livestream's star product, the Third Generation, is here!"
She flipped the pan over and pointed to its base. "Look, the third-generation base is thirty percent thicker, but it's actually lighter. Why? Composite materials. I've explained this to you before."
It was the same old sales pitch. She could deliver it with her eyes