Troublesome – Chapter 16

Straight

Boss, I’m straight.

The message Jin Shuiluan sent to Lu Zhenqiu went unanswered for a long time. She suspected Lu Zhenqiu might think she was a lunatic. Looking at their last two messages, it did seem a bit like it, but she had only been trying to tease Lu Zhenqiu.

Besides, it really wasn’t a loss for her.

Lu Zhenqiu had won two PKs in a row. Many people, drawn by her sudden fame, came to her stream and gave her a follow. Her follower count was growing faster than expected. Thanks to the sheer volume of gifts and the allure of the 8888 red envelope, her stream’s popularity skyrocketed to four million within twenty minutes, directly surpassing Lu Yan.

Lu Yan was so furious her teeth itched, but she didn’t want to PK again. Instead, she went to a small group chat to vent. This group was filled with well-known streamers from the entertainment section, and they had also heard about the incident. Lu Yan sent: 【Newcomers these days have such strong backing, ah. I’ve lost two matches now. Cries.】

【You lost? I heard about it in the group, but I haven’t watched the stream yet. Just woke up.】

【Same, just woke up. The group’s been buzzing. What newcomer streamer is this awesome?】

【Her name is Zhenqiu or something. What platform was she on before? I don’t recall her.】

【Ah! Zhenqiu! I know her. She’s Xiao Yu’s bestie. Xiao Yu asked me to look out for her a few days ago.】

Lu Yan gritted her teeth when she saw this message.

The messy business between her and Xiao Yu had happened before Xiao Yu joined Sanshui. Their grudge had more or less ended after that. Xiao Yu stayed out of the entertainment section, and she stayed out of the gaming section. They rarely mentioned each other, and if anyone asked, they would just say they weren’t close. Among all the streamers with over a million fans, they were the only ones who didn’t follow each other back. Consequently, very few people in the group knew about their feud. Some streamers in the entertainment section did know Xiao Yu, as Sanshui’s annual summary event would invite them to participate together. They had met before, so it wasn’t strange for someone to say they’d look out for her.

But hearing these words right after losing two consecutive matches felt incredibly grating.

Lu Yan’s face remained dark with anger. Someone @’d her: 【Are you still going to PK? I’ll come and watch. I heard the value of your PK today was off the charts?】

In the last round, the value of Lu Zhenqiu’s PK had already surpassed two hundred thousand, which was considered the highest for a single match on Sanshui this year.

Lu Yan sent: 【No more PKs. I have to go out.】

Someone else posted: 【I’ll go connect with her then. I heard the newcomer meimei¹ is gorgeous and has a great aura.】

Lu Yan ground her teeth. Her original plan was to complain that Lu Zhenqiu, a mere newcomer, was being disrespectful for overshadowing her so soon after arriving. But almost no one in the group picked up on her subtext; instead, they went to watch the drama unfold.

In reality, she knew that everyone in the same section was a competitor. There was no such thing as true friendship. They had just formed a small group to create an exclusive circle—it was nothing more than a plastic sisterhood².

Seeing that no one was taking her side, Lu Yan closed the group chat and went to the livestream. She saw that the message she had sent to 【Dream Lover Yi Zhenqiu】 had not been answered. She sent another: 【Thank you for going easy on me for the punishment just now, Boss.】

Jin Shuiluan was watching the livestream when the message flashed across the top of her screen. She didn’t reply. It was true she had gone easy on her; after all, Lu Yan had been on Sanshui for quite some time, so the punishment was trivial. But that didn’t mean she had to tolerate Lu Yan’s harassment.

Seeing that 【Dream Lover Yi Zhenqiu】 hadn’t replied, Lu Yan sent one more message just before ending her stream: 【Boss, come visit my stream when you have time.】

She sent it, and a red exclamation mark appeared.

You have been blocked by 【Dream Lover Yi Zhenqiu】. Please add as a friend to resend the message.

Lu Yan was dumbfounded!

F#ck!

In all her time as a streamer, this was the first time she had ever been blocked! Lu Yan was fuming³. Just before she left, she saw a notification flash across the screen: 【Dream Lover Yi Zhenqiu】 has used 【Flower of True Love】 on 【Zhenqiu】.

Lu Zhenqiu had already resigned herself to her fate⁴.

Regardless of whether she was PK-ing against a major or minor streamer, 【Dream Lover Yi Zhenqiu】 would smash gifts worth fifty to sixty thousand. Every single match! At first, she considered returning the money to 【Dream Lover Yi Zhenqiu】, but now, she couldn’t pay it back even if she sold herself!

Xiao Yu was still frantically @’ing her in their group chat: 【Who is this! Who! Who!】

Hua Luo, having just woken up, was in a daze: 【What’s going on?】

Xiao Yu: 【Some boss has already dropped over four hundred thousand on Qiuqiu.】

Hua Luo did a carp-flop⁵ and leaped out of bed: 【What! Where did this boss come from! Introduce them to me, quick!】

Lu Zhenqiu: 【…】

She also wanted to know where this boss had come from. And that ID… every time she had to thank them for a gift, she didn’t know how to begin. She could only force herself to say, “Thank you to Dream Lover Yi Zhenqiu for the Flower of True Love.”

Jin Shuilan watched as Lu Zhenqiu read the name out loud, her face slightly flushed. Jin Shuilan then broke down all the large gifts into smaller ones, sending one every twenty seconds.

Lu Zhenqiu, holding back her frustration, had to read out each notification. After she did, a question popped up in the bullet comments: “What does ‘Dream Lover 1’ mean?”

【Xiao Qi】: Dumb#ss, you don’t even get this? Do you know what ‘1’ and ‘0’ mean in the lesbian circle?⁶

【Qian Bao⁷】: It means she wants the streamer to top her.

【YijieShouhu⁸】: So the boss is a pillow princess⁹!

【Si Qi¹⁰】: I want the streamer to top me too…

【Xiao Ji¹¹】: Then you’ll have to ask if the Boss agrees @Dream Lover Yi Zhenqiu

【Dream Lover Yi Zhenqiu】: I don’t agree.

Lu Zhenqiu tilted her head, rendered speechless by the reply. The bullet comments were already flying by at an insane speed. She had seen similar jokes in her stream before, but those were just jokes, not like this, where the topic was spiraling out of control. She quickly tried to intervene, “Everyone…”

Before she could finish her sentence, the screen flashed with a circle of purple—the special effect for a gift, a ‘Love Warship.’ Lu Zhenqiu assumed it was from 【Dream Lover Yi Zhenqiu】 again, but she paused when she saw the ID. After a moment, she read, “Thank you, Welcoming Summer¹², for the Love Warship.”

This was Tang Yingxia’s ID; Lu Zhenqiu knew it. She clicked on Tang Yingxia’s profile and saw that the top person on her gifting leaderboard was Lu Yan. They had an upcoming radio drama collaboration, so it was normal for them to interact. Still, Lu Zhenqiu found it jarring—extremely jarring. She quickly closed the page just as a private message from Tang Yingxia arrived: 【Qiuqiu?】

Lu Zhenqiu didn’t respond, but someone in the bullet comments posted: Yo, another boss has arrived!

【Xiao Ji】: Boss, someone’s here to fight for your favor! Are you scared? @Dream Lover Yi Zhenqiu.

【Dream Lover Yi Zhenqiu】: Not scared.

Tang Yingxia frowned at this ID. She had heard about the situation in a group chat. The moment she came online, she had been bombarded by friends asking if Zhenqiu had started streaming on Sanshui and why she hadn’t told them, complaining that they had already prepared contracts. She hadn’t told her friends about her breakup with Lu Zhenqiu, because she believed Lu Zhenqiu was just throwing a tantrum and that they would definitely get back together. Her plan was to finish her current work, finalize a contract, and then announce her relationship with Lu Zhenqiu publicly. She thought Zhenqiu wouldn’t be angry anymore after that.

That was her line of thinking; she had never once considered the possibility that Lu Zhenqiu might have other suitors. Upon suddenly hearing that Lu Zhenqiu had gone to Sanshui and that some ‘boss’ was frantically showering her with gifts to win her over, she felt that events were spiraling out of her control.

She began to panic and immediately rushed to the livestream. She had just witnessed a PK where 【Dream Lover Yi Zhenqiu】 had dropped nearly sixty thousand. Tang Yingxia stared intently at the ID, completely stumped as to who it could be.

She knew all of Lu Zhenqiu’s friends. Besides Hua Luo, Lu Zhenqiu was closest with Xiao Yu, and their other friends were mutual. She had never heard of this person. Where did they come from?

Tang Yingxia was extremely irritated watching the viewers interact with that 【Dream Lover Yi Zhenqiu】. Seeing them tease Lu Zhenqiu and 【Dream Lover Yi Zhenqiu】 made her blood boil¹³!

Big deal, so they have a lot of gifts? The thought had barely crossed Tang Yingxia’s mind when she saw 【Dream Lover Yi Zhenqiu】 slam down two more Warships. She gritted her teeth, immediately recharged her account, and began throwing gifts herself, as if in direct competition with 【Dream Lover Yi Zhenqiu】.

For every one 【Dream Lover Yi Zhenqiu】 sent, she sent two!

Lu Zhenqiu was dumbfounded by this scene. She immediately replied to Tang Yingxia: 【Are you insane?】

Tang Yingxia saw the private message and asked: 【Who is this?】

Lu Zhenqiu was at a loss for words. Who is this? She wanted to know who it was too! And besides, what obligation did she have to tell Tang Yingxia? Lu Zhenqiu didn’t reply to that question, instead sending: 【Stop sending gifts.】

Tang Yingxia: 【Why? Do you like her gifts?】

They’re insane! Why are both of them impossible to communicate with?

You insist on sending gifts, is that it? Fine, go ahead, send whatever you want! Lu Zhenqiu’s good temper evaporated completely. She had been in a state of utter confusion since the stream began. She had just barely managed to end the PK, thinking 【Dream Lover Yi Zhenqiu】 would finally stop, but who knew Tang Yingxia would show up to stir the pot.

Watching the two of them go back and forth, Lu Zhenqiu turned off the gift pop-ups and special effects. “It seems many of you are waiting for me to sing,” she said to her audience. “Alright, let’s sing then. What would you all like to hear?”

【Anything is fine. What songs do you like, Streamer?】

【Qiuqiu, let the Boss pick! @Dream Lover Yi Zhenqiu.】

Lu Zhenqiu considered it. 【Dream Lover Yi Zhenqiu】 had spent a fortune today, so it was only right to let her request a song. She smiled and said, “Okay, Boss, what song would you like to hear?”

Seeing her call someone else ‘Boss’ with a beaming smile, Tang Yingxia’s eyes turned red with fury.

【Dream Lover Yi Zhenqiu】 spent 999 Fish Coins¹⁴ to request a song: 【Love Transfer】¹⁵.

Love Transfer? That song was ancient. But Lu Zhenqiu happened to love old songs, and she actually knew this one. She put on the instrumental track while adjusting her microphone.

Jin Shuiluan watched Lu Zhenqiu’s calm and gentle profile on the screen. The sunlight had shifted from her left shoulder to her right, and the light reflecting in her pupils made them seem exceptionally bright.

Lu Zhenqiu began to sing. Her voice, slightly low, spread out gently, matching the melodious tune with an indescribable harmony and grace. Every word she enunciated and every turn of phrase was perfectly on beat, painting a vivid picture in the listeners’ minds. The bullet comments had stopped for a full half-minute.

“Transferring one person’s warmth to another’s chest, letting past mistakes reflect into new dreams. Everyone is like this, having enjoyed being on tenterhooks…”

Jin Shuiluan closed her eyes and listened. The number of bullet comments had visibly dwindled. Only after Lu Zhenqiu had finished the song did they start flooding the screen again.

【HOLY SH#T!!! THAT WAS AMAZING!!! ANOTHER ONE!!!!】

【Mama, I’m in love.】

【Another one, another one.】

【Classmate Xiao Yang¹⁶】 has spent 999 Fish Coins to request the song 【Heart Wall[ efn_note]心墙 | Xīn Qiáng | “Heart Wall,” a 2009 song by Claire Kuo.[/efn_note]】.

【Milly】 has spent 999 Fish Coins to request the song 【My Dearest[ efn_note]我最亲爱的 | Wǒ Zuì Qīn’ài de | “My Dearest,” a 2011 song by A-Mei.[/efn_note]】.

Seeing that the stream had finally returned to the topic of singing, Lu Zhenqiu breathed a sigh of relief. She began singing the requested songs for them one by one. While she was in the middle of a song, she received a private message from 【Dream Lover Yi Zhenqiu】: 【You sing beautifully.】

Lu Zhenqiu: 【Thank you.】

After sending the reply, she stared at the ID for a moment before typing again: 【Boss, can I ask you something?】

【Dream Lover Yi Zhenqiu】: 【What is it?】

Lu Zhenqiu: 【Are you hoping to develop things further with me?】

Besides that, she couldn’t think of any other reason why a complete stranger would suddenly throw so much money at her.

Jin Shuiluan blinked upon receiving the question. She picked up a nearby cup and took a sip of water. The cool liquid helped calm her suddenly racing heart and the heat that was flushing through her. She took another sip before replying to Lu Zhenqiu: 【What if I am?】

After sending the message, her fingertips trembled, and she nearly dropped her phone. Lu Zhenqiu’s reply came quickly: 【That’s not possible.】

Jin Shuiluan asked: 【Why not?】

There was no reply for several minutes. Just as Jin Shuiluan was wondering what excuse she would come up with, Lu Zhenqiu sent her reply: 【Boss, I’m straight. And I’m very straight. Steel-bar straight¹⁷!】

Pfft—

Jin Shuiluan couldn’t hold back a laugh when she read that.

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The author has something to say:

Thirty red envelopes, mwah~ Congratulations to all the water friends¹⁸ and readers who made a cameo. If you’d like a cameo, feel free to leave a comment, muah!

Jin Shuiluan: How straight are you, really? Let me test that.

Lu Zhenqiu: …

“Transferring one person’s warmth to another’s chest, letting past mistakes reflect into new dreams. Everyone is like this, having enjoyed being on tenterhooks…” — Lyrics from Love Transfer.

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