Troublesome – Chapter 21

Hehe

Is she subtly dissing¹ you?

After Lu Zhenqiu and Jin Shuilan agreed on a recording time, Jin Shuilan went out. At four o’clock sharp, Lu Zhenqiu opened her livestream room and smilingly greeted the screen, “Good afternoon.”

There weren’t many fans, just a few trickling in. Lu Zhenqiu first put on a song and shared with her fans what she had been doing today, then started fiddling with Weibo.

Most streamers had fan groups². On her previous platform, she had very few fans, and the platform didn’t require it, so she never created one. Now that she was here, she started setting one up.

First, she placed the Weibo link in her livestream’s description. The admin had originally wanted her to create a WeChat fan group; a five-hundred-member group could be tied to a fan badge³, and pulling them into the group would, on one hand, promote coordinated support⁴, and on the other, help maintain her relationship with her fans. Lu Zhenqiu thought about it and decided to get her Weibo set up first; promoting through Weibo would have the same effect. The admin didn’t insist. For Lu Zhenqiu to have seventy to eighty thousand fans right after joining the platform was a rare and excellent statistic for a new streamer, aside from those who brought their own fanbases over. So, there was no rush; they could take it slow.

Lu Zhenqiu posted the Weibo link, and fans gradually found their way over and followed her. The people she followed on Weibo were all voice actors she had collaborated with in the baihe circle, and her occasional interactions were with them. A fan asked in the bullet comments: 【The streamer knows Yanyan too!】

An old fan immediately replied to them: 【She does. Qiuqiu used to be a voice actress.】

【The streamer is also a voice actress? That’s awesome!】

【Speaking of which, I really want to hear Qiuqiu’s voice acting. She was the voice of my dreams.】

Lu Zhenqiu looked up and saw this comment. She smiled, her eyes curving into crescents, sparkling brightly. The bullet comments started fawning over how beautiful the streamer was. She said, “Perhaps there will be a chance.”

Although Jin Shuilan had told her that the role of Lu Yin was already set, the contract hadn’t been signed yet. Anything could still change, so she didn’t want to make any definite promises.

But her old fans became excited because of her words.

【Really? Really!】

【Oh my god, Qiuqiu, I’m believing you. Don’t you lie to me!】

【If you really return to voice acting, I’m going to drop five Warships!】

They spoke with such bravado, as if her return to the voice acting circle was some monumental event. Lu Zhenqiu pursed her lips and smiled. “Be rational with your spending.”

【What? Wild spending? Got it, got it.】

Lu Zhenqiu smiled and shook her head, a helpless look on her face.

Someone in the bullet comments asked what time the PK was today. She tilted her head to check the time. “In another ten minutes. Those who like Qiuqiu can follow my Weibo. We’ll start the PK in ten minutes.”

【Ah, so early? Is the boss here?】

【Calling for the boss!】

【Boss, boss, Qiuqiu is about to start a PK.】

Lu Zhenqiu glanced at her backend; 【Dream Lover Yi Zhenqiu】 was not online. She had added the boss as a friend yesterday, so she could see their online status. Seeing that they were offline, Lu Zhenqiu let out a light sigh of relief.

Ten minutes later, she started a PK. It was a random match within the newcomer section, and surprisingly, she was connected to Lou Yifeng.

Lou Yifeng had also started streaming yesterday. Originally, she was supposed to be the one to PK with Lu Yan. But for some reason, Lu Yan ended up connecting with Lu Zhenqiu, which led to yesterday’s spectacular PK event and gave Lu Zhenqiu a boost of sixty to seventy thousand fans. She couldn’t help but think that if she had been the one to PK with Lu Yan yesterday, maybe that boss would be in her livestream room now.

After all, how could a newcomer like Lu Zhenqiu have a boss? It must have been someone who went to Lu Zhenqiu’s room because of Lu Yan’s popularity.

That’s how people are. Even for things with no probability, once you start assuming, it seems like it could have really happened. Lou Yifeng felt that Lu Zhenqiu had completely stolen her thunder yesterday. Moreover, after Lu Yan had two PK rounds with Lu Zhenqiu, she logged off and never connected with her before she ended her stream. Today, her own fan count had just broken five thousand, and they were all old fans.

How could she not be angry?

But no matter how angry she was, she suppressed it and greeted with a smile, “Hi, Qiuqiu.”

Lu Zhenqiu was also slightly hesitant before finally greeting her, “Hi.”

“Qiuqiu’s stream yesterday was so amazing!” Lou Yifeng had a round face and looked quite cute when she smiled, her eyes wide and round. She looked at Lu Zhenqiu and said, “We were all so envious, having a boss like that. Is the boss here today? I wouldn’t dare to PK with you if she is.”

Her pitiful expression made it seem as if Lu Zhenqiu was really bullying her. Lu Zhenqiu said, “I don’t think she’s here.”

“Not here, huh.” Lou Yifeng’s eyes darted around. “Then what should we play later?”

The PK duration was ten minutes, during which they would play a mini-game. The games were usually things like dancing, exercising, or singing, and whoever had the lower gift total would have to do the forfeit.

Lu Zhenqiu said, “Anything is fine. What do you want to play?”

Before Lou Yifeng could reply, she saw a message from Lu Yan: 【Play squats. I’ll send you gifts later.】

Lu Yan was still fuming that she hadn’t managed to get Lu Zhenqiu yesterday. The moment she came online, she saw Lou Yifeng in a PK with Lu Zhenqiu, and the boss wasn’t even there. Lu Yan was ready to vent her frustration.

Lou Yifeng said, “Then let’s do squats.”

Squats were one of the more tiring games. Ten minutes of non-stop squats would be exhausting for anyone, no matter how fit they were, so very few people chose them. But this was the second day in a row that this activity had been proposed to Lu Zhenqiu. She nodded, “Alright.”

As soon as she finished speaking, the PK began. Someone on Lou Yifeng’s side dropped two Warships. Lu Zhenqiu had just started her stream and didn’t have many fans yet, just some of her old ones. At this moment, they pooled their gifts and also managed to drop one Warship. Lu Zhenqiu’s expression was gentle. Just as she was about to stand up, she saw the page change color.

【Dream Lover Yi Zhenqiu】 has entered the livestream room.

【Aaaah, the boss is here!】

【Welcome, boss!】

【Boss, Qiuqiu is about to lose the PK!】

Lu Zhenqiu’s scalp tingled. She would rather do the squats than receive more gifts from the boss. Unfortunately, the boss didn’t hear her inner thoughts. The moment she entered, she dropped a Love Warship. Seeing this familiar name, Lu Yan couldn’t help but curse, “F#ck!”

She didn’t send any more gifts. It would be a waste anyway; she definitely couldn’t out-gift the boss.

Lou Yifeng was still waiting for Lu Yan’s gifts, but to her surprise, she had been defeated before the first round even began. She suppressed her bellyful of anger and started doing squats, panting as she listened to Lu Zhenqiu speak in her livestream. The more gentle and pleasant Lu Zhenqiu sounded, the angrier she became.

Lu Yan knew she had wronged Lou Yifeng, so she sent her two more Warships. Lou Yifeng said with a broad smile, “Thank you, boss, for the gifts. Is there anyone who feels bad for Fengfeng and wants to let Fengfeng sit down?”

There were some, but not many. It was nowhere near enough. That one boss on Lu Zhenqiu’s side was sufficient, not to mention several other bosses who came over later in the evening, curious about the new boss, and tossed a few Warships to Lu Zhenqiu as well. The popularity of Lu Zhenqiu’s livestream once again surpassed a million. At this time of day, there weren’t many people in the entertainment section, so Lu Zhenqiu’s stream shot to first place, gaining her several thousand more fans.

Lou Yifeng was originally the most promising among this batch of newcomers. Lu Yan had even said that the management would heavily promote her. But in the end, all the good things had been taken by Lu Zhenqiu.

The more she thought about it, the unhappier she became.

After Lou Yifeng had done seven minutes, Lu Zhenqiu said, “Alright, alright, take a rest.”

This was better than Lu Yan yesterday, who had to do the full ten minutes. Lou Yifeng smiled, took a sip of water, and asked Lu Zhenqiu, “Qiuqiu, is your boss from your old platform? I never heard about a boss at Sanshui before?”

Lu Zhenqiu didn’t know if the new boss was from Sanshui, but she was certain they weren’t from her previous platform. She had never seen this ID style before, and after asking around, she confirmed it wasn’t one of her friends.

Alright, none of her friends were this rich anyway.

Xiao Yu and Hua Luo were chattering every day about wanting to be kept by a rich woman.

Seeing Lou Yifeng looking at her, Lu Zhenqiu said, “She’s not from my old platform. She’s probably a new boss who was watching the stream yesterday.”

What new boss would drop so many gifts on the very first day?

Lou Yifeng was clearly unconvinced but didn’t say anything, just smiling. “I hope the new boss can come visit our livestream room sometime too.”

Lu Zhenqiu pursed her lips.

With two minutes left in their PK, the outcome was already decided; there was no more suspense. Lou Yifeng asked Lu Zhenqiu to think of a punishment. Lu Zhenqiu thought for a long time. She wasn’t very familiar with Lou Yifeng and had no grudge against her, so there was really no need to create enmity. She chose a harmless punishment, just asking Lou Yifeng to draw a cat face on herself. Her face was already round, and after drawing it, she looked even cuter. Lu Zhenqiu smiled. “Then… goodbye.”

Lou Yifeng nodded. “See you next time.”

After ending the PK, Lou Yifeng went to get a glass of water. When she came back, she saw that the messages in her small group chat had exploded, and she had been tagged. Lou Yifeng entered the group and saw Lu Yan saying: 【So that’s how it is. No wonder. To get famous, people will really do anything!】

She scrolled up from Lu Yan’s message and frowned, typing: 【Is this for real?】

Lu Yan: 【I didn’t believe it at first either. Look at this 【Screenshot】】

The moment Lou Yifeng saw it, she was furious. No wonder that boss arrived at just the right time. F#ck! So that’s what was going on! Thinking about the squats she just did made her angry. She immediately contacted the admin. In the end, unable to hold it in, she went on Weibo and posted a subtle jab.

Lu Zhenqiu was already preparing for her second PK. This time, she connected with a girl who played the guzheng⁵, also a newcomer. The girl had a shy smile and a soft voice. She said, “I don’t have many talents. Can I play the guzheng?”

Lu Zhenqiu: “Of course, you can. If I lose, I’ll sing a song.”

The newcomer nodded eagerly.

Of course, Lu Zhenqiu didn’t lose in the end. The newcomer played a piece on the guzheng with a long, lingering melody. Lu Zhenqiu listened while replying to questions in her livestream. Suddenly, her QQ icon in the bottom right corner started flashing frantically. She opened her phone and saw a message from Xiao Yu: 【Is this a subtle diss at you? 【Link】】

Lu Zhenqiu clicked the link. It was a Weibo post. Judging by the name, it was from Lou Yifeng, who she had just PK’d with. Lou Yifeng had posted on Weibo: 【People these days will really give up anything to get famous. Dropping hundreds of thousands just like that. But it’s worth it, I guess. After all, with hundreds of thousands spent, her fans are about to pass one hundred thousand. If I had the money, I’d do it too.】

Xiao Yu typed furiously: 【Is she f#cking implying you’re gifting yourself?】

She wasn’t the only one who interpreted it that way. The fans in Lou Yifeng’s Weibo comments thought the same.

【Oh, so Fengfeng is talking about that newcomer. I knew it. It’s so weird, how did a boss suddenly appear out of nowhere?】

【I wouldn’t be willing to spend that much.】

【You don’t get it. You have to spend money to make money. Look how popular that newcomer’s livestream is now, almost catching up to the veteran streamers.】

【You can do that? The hell, if that’s true, then it sucks for anyone who PKs with her. Didn’t Yanyan PK with her yesterday? @Lu Yan】

After a long while, Lu Yan made a belated appearance, reposting the Weibo diss with the caption: Hehe.

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The author has something to say:

Thirty red envelopes, muah muah.

Also, I’d like to mention a personal matter. Guigui does not have a girlfriend, so please stop posting comments like “Guigui definitely has a girlfriend.” This has happened many times. Perhaps everyone is joking, but as it spreads, it gets ridiculous. Last time, someone even claimed to be a ten-year girlfriend. So I can’t help but say, I don’t have one. Thank you, my darlings. I hope you all enjoy reading.

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