Chapter 25: Little Moon Grants Every Wish

The mukbang in the live stream came to an abrupt halt. Xu Yueliang carried her plate out of frame, and when she returned, the school uniform was gone, her lipstick freshly reapplied.

“Let’s just pretend nothing happened.” Xu Yueliang turned on some music and stood up. “Pick a song to burn off those calories from earlier~~”

Someone in the barrage wasn’t happy: 【Bigshot says stop and we stop? All these viewers, and we have no say?】

A long string of replies followed:

【Got the guts to take first place?】

【Got the guts to take first place?】

【Got the guts to take first place?】

…

Lin Qimian tossed in two gifts, clearing the barrage, then watched Xu Yueliang dance seriously.

A new month had begun, and she was still at the top of Xu Yueliang’s monthly donor list, though the accumulated gift value wasn’t all that high.

To avoid dumping a huge amount all at once later on and making Xu Yueliang feel burdened by some unexpected situation, Lin Qimian planned ahead, steadily chipping away day by day with small, unobtrusive gifts to hold her spot at number one.

The stream ended as usual that day. After washing up and getting ready for bed, Lin Qimian heard a notification on her backup phone.

She kept the backup on her nightstand, while the main one was usually tossed on the living room table.

Lin Qimian opened the phone. Little Moon had sent her a three-and-a-half-minute video.

-【I held off eating it since this was just for 11~~】

-【But I didn’t break any rules at all!】

-【The bread was delicious. Thanks for the feed, 11!】

-【Bowing to the boss.gif】

Lin Qimian’s finger slid over the white chat bubble as she typed back first:

-【Got it. Good work.】

-【Get some rest soon.】

Xu Yueliang replied quickly: 【Good night, 11! Sweet dreams!】

Lin Qimian: 【Sweet dreams.】

The dreams would probably be sweet, but sleep wouldn’t come easily tonight.

Lin Qimian had two videos on her phone. She tapped the daytime one first. There she was in a ridiculous hood, stiff and tense, timid and hesitant. Xu Yueliang flitted by, cute and lively, delicate and sparkling.

Since it wasn’t filmed on purpose, the angles were odd, often zooming in on random body parts, with multiple voices overlapping in the chaos—like some improper peeping session.

And it really was improper peeping. Before reuniting with Xu Yueliang, Lin Qimian never would have imagined herself doing something like that.

The evening video was different. Xu Yueliang was obedient and adorable, utterly charming. True to her word, she didn’t touch the food with her hands. She sat at the table with her arms behind her back, just lowering her head to nibble at the bread on the plate like a little puppy.

She still wore the school uniform, her long hair tied up high in a bun to keep stray strands from falling. Half her makeup was gone, leaving just enough to accentuate her brows and eyes.

Every couple of bites, she’d look up at the camera with a smile. Toward the end, with her mouth full, she’d purse her lips and mumble, “Their desserts are really good. You should try them sometime, 11~~”

Hiding behind the video as its devious mastermind, Lin Qimian felt her heart flutter even as shame washed over her.

Shame at actually wielding this power, exploiting the unique nature of Xu Yueliang’s job to indulge her own weird fetish.

Fortunately, though Xu Yueliang complied with almost fawning obedience, there wasn’t a hint of displeasure on her face.

Her job was to make people happy, so it seemed like as long as others were smiling, she truly was happy too.

The weekend passed, and Lin Qimian returned to work. Xu Yueliang had taken the day off to rest.

After spending so much time in the streams, Lin Qimian knew she was a workaholic, but she hadn’t realized just how extreme it was.

“Rest” didn’t mean resting—it just meant no streaming.

Early in the morning, the Management Group announced that Moon would be playing games with everyone today. Those who wanted in should get their teams sorted.

Lin Qimian looked up the game: a tactical competitive shooter where teams queued up for matches, each lasting about half an hour.

By the time she downloaded and installed it, the sign-up teams in the Voyage Group stretched on endlessly.

Lin Qimian did the math—even if Xu Yueliang skipped meals and played nonstop all day, she couldn’t get through them all.

The admin was still calling for more players, so Lin Qimian private messaged: 【So many people. She won’t finish them all, right?】

Admin: 【Group tradition. If we can’t finish, we queue up and play next time.】

Lin Qimian: 【Got it. Sign me up for the queue then.】

Admin: 【No need to queue. Just ping Moon whenever you want to play.】

Lin Qimian: 【？？？？】

Admin: 【You’re the top donor. That’s your perk.】

Perks really did pile up.

Admin: 【Bigshot playing today? If so, I’ll save you a slot.】

Lin Qimian: 【Yeah, after seven tonight.】

Admin: 【You got it. Prime time, fully booked.】

The game was a bit complicated. During the lunch break, Lin Qimian finished the beginner’s tutorial and headed to the shooting range to practice her aim for a while.

After getting off work in the afternoon, she went home, showered, ate dinner, and then sat primly on the sofa.

Just past seven, Little Moon sent her a message: 【1111, wanna play now?】

Lin Qimian: 【Yeah.】

Little Moon: 【Can I bring a friend? She’s a streamer from the gaming scene. But she won’t be streaming while we play.】

It was a team game anyway, so Lin Qimian didn’t mind an extra person: 【Sure.】

Little Moon: 【So it’ll be the three of us, then matchmake a random teammate?】

Lin Qimian: 【Yeah.】

At lunch, she’d only learned the basics and had no idea about the game’s meta. So tonight’s strategy was simple: whatever Xu Yueliang said, she’d follow.

She wasn’t playing for fun, after all.

Clicking the invite link, she joined the party. The voice chat was lively, with Xu Yueliang chatting with another girl.

A screen prompt warned that the players’ ranks were too far apart, which might reduce points. Xu Yueliang let out an “Eh?” and asked, “Is this 11? Is this your smurf account?”

Lin Qimian hadn’t turned on voice and typed: 【Main account.】

Xu Yueliang: “Ah… Does 11 not usually play games?”

The other girl chimed in: “Is this the legendary 11 Bigshot? Welcome, bigshot! What guy doesn’t play battle royale? He’s definitely using a smurf to trick you.”

Xu Yueliang made introductions: “11, this is the streamer I mentioned, Weiwei. She’s really good at the game~~”

Weiwei: “Nah, I’m trash. I’m just waiting for 11 Bigshot to carry me to victory!”

Lin Qimian typed: 【Can’t carry.】

Weiwei’s laughter glitched for a second: “Ha, haha, Moon, the bigshot won’t carry me, waaah…”

Lin Qimian: 【Moon, carry me.】

Xu Yueliang laughed. “11, I’m not that great either. We’ll just hide behind Weiwei later~~”

Lin Qimian: 【Yeah.】

Weiwei: “Bigshot not using voice?”

Lin Qimian: 【Inconvenient.】

Weiwei drew out an “Ooooh,” then shifted topics with Xu Yueliang: “Did you see next month’s event? It’s so scummy, just trading cash for views…”

After matchmaking, as they dropped in, Xu Yueliang squeezed in: “11, parachute with us?”

Lin Qimian typed: 【Will.】

Weiwei: “Main City for guns and gear, comrades! Charge!”

With a whoosh, the team icon showed the three of them parachuting—everyone but Lin Qimian, who was still on the plane.

Xu Yueliang called out: “Hey, 11, didn’t you follow? Jumping solo?”

Lin Qimian had meant to follow, but while hunting for the auto-parachute spot, her teammates had already leaped.

Lin Qimian typed: 【Too slow.】

The in-game keyboard was horizontal and awkward to use. By the time she sent the message, she was far from the others.

Xu Yueliang asked: “11, you really don’t play this?”

Lin Qimian laboriously typed: 【Yeah, not lying.】

Xu Yueliang chuckled. “Then jump now. I’ll come pick you up after I land.”

Lin Qimian bailed out of the plane.

She bungled the parachute too, drifting aimlessly before finally touching down.

Barren plains stretched underfoot, patchy grass, houses distant.

Xu Yueliang checked the map: “11, there’s a house on the ridge behind you. Check it for guns.”

Lin Qimian spun in place, oriented herself, and ran toward it.

The wasteland was quiet, footsteps crunching softly. In her headphones, Xu Yueliang and Weiwei chatted.

“I’m off to find a car and pick up 11,” Xu Yueliang said.

“Aaah! People upstairs! Two across from us—teammates two and three are done for, four, get over here!!!” Weiwei yelled.

Lin Qimian ran a good distance before reaching the house on the ridge.

The rundown shack held little loot. Rifling through, she grabbed two bandages, a level-one vest, and a grenade.

Xu Yueliang asked: “11, got a gun yet?”

Lin Qimian: 【No.】

Xu Yueliang: “See anyone?”

Lin Qimian: 【No.】

Xu Yueliang laughed, her voice sweet and upbeat: “That’s great! No weapons, but no enemies either!

“11, head up to the second floor and hole up in the windowless room. I’m coming right now.

“Don’t worry about loot—I’m loaded from scavenging on the way. I’ll bring it to you~~

“Actually, your drop spot’s perfect. High ground over the plains, prime defensive position~~”

“I’ve got a feeling we’re definitely in the safe zone… Whoa, a level-three helmet! 11, you’ve got some seriously good luck!”

Lin Qimian followed Xu Yueliang’s instructions and hunkered down upstairs.

She didn’t quite follow Xu Yueliang’s breakdown of the game, but the message came through clear enough: this was meant to cheer her up. No need to feel down about their rough spot—Xu Yueliang had ditched the rest of the team from way back to shield her, handing over every good drop they found.

The headset buzzed with the other teammates’ chatter, but Lin Qimian tuned it all out. Xu Yueliang’s voice was the only one that mattered.

Her tone wasn’t loud, stripped of that slight pitch-up she used on stream. It felt easygoing, natural.

She hadn’t just come to her rescue—she was keeping her company the whole time, chatting away.

Even though Lin Qimian couldn’t muster a verbal reply and could only tap out an occasional 【Yeah】 or two.

The rumble of an approaching vehicle grew louder. Xu Yueliang’s voice surged with excitement: “11, I’m here!!!”

Then Weiwei’s voice exploded through the headset—critical info that even Lin Qimian couldn’t ignore.

“Ahh—I’m down!!!!!

“Number Four’s gone too!!! Two full squads jumped us!!!

“2v8, total nightmare!

“Garbage game! Ruined my youth!!!”

Lin Qimian cleared her throat with a soft “cough,” but didn’t type anything back.

Weiwei yelled at Xu Yueliang: “Moon, let’s restart. This round’s a bust.”

Xu Yueliang burst into the house, her footsteps thumping rapidly up the stairs. Lin Qimian’s screen shook, and there she was: Xu Yueliang’s character, decked out in a Black and White Panda Lo Skirt, her hair in cute double space buns, striking a dainty pose right in front of her.

“You don’t have to wait around—head out and queue up a new one~” Xu Yueliang told Weiwei. “We’ll link up after we finish this round~~”

Weiwei went quiet for a couple of seconds, then dropped from the game.

Players One and Four’s icons grayed out. It was just Xu Yueliang and Lin Qimian now.

The headset fell silent, save for a couple of distant gunshots echoing from afar.

Xu Yueliang’s character rapidly dumped loot at her feet, then circled the pile twice. “11, grab it all—pick everything up~~”

Lin Qimian moved in, her auto-loot hand practically a blur.

Now she was loaded: an SMG with over a hundred rounds, a medkit, energy drinks, painkillers, a level-three helmet, and a level-two vest.

Xu Yueliang slipped on the level-one vest that Lin Qimian’s auto-equip had swapped out, pocketed the gun, then abruptly started dancing right in front of her.

The adorable avatar bounced and hopped, pink hearts popping up around it. Lin Qimian couldn’t help but picture Xu Yueliang’s face superimposed over it.

Xu Yueliang was just as cute as the model.

No—cuter.

When the dance ended, Xu Yueliang’s character dropped into a squat beside her. “We’ll wait for the next circle. No hot drops for us—we’ve got a ride. Two total noobs like us? We camp it out, sneak to the end, and take whatever the game gives~~”

Lin Qimian squatted down too: 【Yeah.】

Xu Yueliang went on: “But isn’t this kinda boring? It’s your first time with the game, and here I am dragging you into full chicken mode. Don’t let this round turn you off it forever, haha~~~”

She kept talking: “When I started out, I couldn’t even tell left from right. Teammate says ‘go left,’ and I veer right, haha. Total noob—disobedient too. Saw an enemy? Charge right in and eat bullets like a pro…”

Lin Qimian fiddled with her character, trying a few times before finally scooting it around to face Xu Yueliang.

There they sat, crouched together in the corner of the room, listening to Xu Yueliang ramble on. A strange, refreshing kind of joy washed over Lin Qimian, lightening every inch of her.

She kicked off her slippers, drew her legs up, and mirrored the squat right there on the sofa.

【Not boring at all.】 Lin Qimian typed.

【I like this game.】 She meant every word.