“Alright, alright, it’s that time! I’ve got a fun new song lined up today. Gonna dance it for you~~”
With that, the music kicked in. Xu Yueliang scampered off adorably to start dancing, her smile sweet as sugar.
The toxic vibe in the comments died down a lot. Most people cooled off and settled in to watch the show.
A few of the real assholes—the ones slinging curses—got banned by the admins in short order.
Peace returned to the streaming room.
But after the dance, the beauty tips questions were way thinner on the ground. Xu Yueliang’s stream slipped back into its old routine for most of the session.
“God, those guys are so annoying!” Huang Xiaoyi burst out. “I was loving Xu Yueliang’s lesson.”
Lin Qimian shrugged. “Par for the course. The dudes watching streams want to unwind. They need a pretty airhead. If the streamer starts getting smart, it freaks them out.”
“Someone’s already posting about this in the Super Topic,” Huang Xiaoyi said with a frown. “The group’s buzzing too… Shit, there’s a thread on the Orange Forum now… This is gonna blow up.”
Lin Qimian: “Mm.”
Huang Xiaoyi: “What do we do, Bigshot? You gonna step in or what?”
Lin Qimian: “Moon’s the pro here. No need for us to butt in yet.”
“It’s gonna turn into pressure for Moon to pick a side,” Huang Xiaoyi sighed. “Tough call either way. Deep down, I’d love for her to go full idol, but real life’s not that perfect…”
Lin Qimian: “Mm.”
Huang Xiaoyi stared blankly at Xu Yueliang on the screen. The brighter Moon smiled, the more worried and heartbroken she felt.
Lin Qimian suddenly stood up and patted her shoulder. “Come on, let’s head out.”
Huang Xiaoyi: “Huh? Where to? This is crunch time—I’m debating dropping a fireworks gift on Moon.”
Lin Qimian grabbed her jacket and shrugged it on. “Fireworks? A big one beats a little one any day.”
~~~
Xu Yueliang went offline, and her phone blew up with notifications.
She didn’t even need to check the forum thread to know what it said. She popped in there every so often, and the haters’ script never really changed.
Zhou Yun had sent a barrage of messages, telling her to call after stream.
Xu Yueliang skimmed them all. A few were work updates—the Satellite TV gala had finally locked in.
She felt a spark of excitement and dialed Zhou Yun, her voice bright. “Thanks, Yun Jie! You worked so hard on this. I got all the gig details—I’ll give it my all!”
Zhou Yun chuckled. “Good. Yun Jie believes in you.”
She paused. “I caught your stream today. Great to court the new fans, but don’t sleep on the OGs. Your top rankings still depend on them pushing hard.”
“Mm…” Xu Yueliang murmured.
Zhou Yun: “You know better than me what got us this far. You’ve gone viral a few times, but that’s fleeting heat. We can broaden our paths a bit, but don’t drop the watermelon chasing sesame seeds.”
“Mm…”
Zhou Yun: “Ignore the forum drama—it’ll fizzle out soon. You did great today. Get some rest.”
Xu Yueliang: “Okay, you too, Yun Jie~”
The call ended.
Xu Yueliang stared at her phone for a long moment.
The ringtone suddenly blared, startling her with a jump.
But the name flashing on the screen—”Doctor Lin”—turned that startled leap into one of pure delight.
She snatched up the phone. “Lin Mumu! You’re calling me again—and again—and again!!!”
Lin Qimian chuckled softly. “Mmm, I’m just bored.”
Xu Yueliang paced lightly back and forth. “If you’re bored, you should find something fun to do~~”
“Aren’t I doing exactly that?” Lin Qimian replied.
“!!!!!”
“I’ve been glued to your live stream for hours now,” Lin Qimian went on, “and here I am, calling you up.”
Xu Yueliang’s face burned bright red. Blushing, blushing, blushing.
“But I’ve run out of Little Hearts,” Lin Qimian added, “so how about you treat me to dinner?”
“!!!!!”
Xu Yueliang glanced out the window. “Doctor Lin! It’s almost 11:20!!!”
“Perfect timing for some late-night eats.”
Xu Yueliang floundered a little, glancing around in a panic. “B-but I just logged off, I need to tidy up a bit, and you’d have to wait… it’s so late already…”
“No rush. I’m in that parking lot from last time.”
Xu Yueliang froze.
“Huang Xiaoyi’s here in the car with me.”
Relief washed over Xu Yueliang. “Oh! Oh! Doctor Lin, you and Senior Sister Xiaoyi are out having fun? Hang on, I’ll be right there—super quick, promise!”
The call disconnected, and Xu Yueliang scrambled to change out of her clothes, scrubbing away the heavy layers of makeup from her face.
Huang Xiaoyi lounged against the passenger seat, brow furrowed. “Doctor Lin, don’t I have any sense of timing? Should I move to the back?”
“You can stay up front if you want,” Lin Qimian said.
“Hey, you’re in a good mood today. Not bad at all, my—”
“You drive,” Lin Qimian cut in. “Moon and I will take the back.”
“…”
Huang Xiaoyi shoved open the door and grumbled her way to the rear seat. “Like hell I’m playing chauffeur for you lovebirds while I’m stuck as the ultimate third wheel!”
Lin Qimian just smiled, her fingers drumming a cheerful rhythm on the steering wheel. Seeing Xu Yueliang again had put her in high spirits.
Xu Yueliang didn’t waste a second. She yanked her hair into a messy ponytail, attacked her makeup until it was mostly gone, slipped into her go-to long skirt, and dashed out the door.
The parking lot across from the coffee shop wasn’t too far from her place—but in her excitement, every step felt like a marathon.
She started off walking, then broke into a run. The cool night breeze kissed her face and fluttered her skirt, sweeping away the stuffy haze of a full day cooped up in her streaming room.
She’d barely stepped into the lot when two sharp horn blasts cut through the air.
Xu Yueliang skidded to a halt, scanning around for the source. A car peeled out and came to a stop right in front of her.
Doctor Lin’s car. Sleek and understated, effortlessly stylish.
The window slid down, and Lin Qimian waved with a grin. Xu Yueliang waved back wildly. “Doctor Lin!”
“Mm~”
The rear window dropped too, and Huang Xiaoyi thrust her head out. “Moon! Moon! My little Moon!!!”
Xu Yueliang whipped around. “Hey! Senior Sister Xiaoyi!”
“Come on, good girl—hop in before you freeze! Mommy would be heartbroken.”
“!!!”
“Ignore her,” Lin Qimian said. “She’s been bingeing your streams and losing her mind for two straight days.”
“Ah…” Xu Yueliang hadn’t realized Huang Xiaoyi was a viewer too. Her cheeks flushed as she eyed that exuberant head poking out, words catching in her throat.
“Get in, get in,” Huang Xiaoyi urged. “We’ll chat on the way.”
Xu Yueliang stomped her foot one last time before climbing in. “Thanks, Senior Sister Xiaoyi. I really hope my stream didn’t make you uncomfortable.”
Huang Xiaoyi blinked, pulling her head back in with a murmur. “How could it…?”
Xu Yueliang settled into the passenger seat and buckled up. Lin Qimian pulled out onto the road. “Xiao Yi’s craving seafood. You cool with that?”
Xu Yueliang clutched her seatbelt and shook her head. “No objections! Crabs are at their prime right now!”
“Exactly!” Huang Xiaoyi chimed in from the back. “Roe fat and golden—such a shame some folks have no palate for it…”
Lin Qimian shot her a look in the rearview. “Want me to fill Moon in on your idiot antics from the past couple days?”
“…”
“Hey, Doctor Lin doesn’t like crab?” Xu Yueliang asked.
“I love it,” Lin Qimian said. “I’m not picky.”
“…”
Xu Yueliang burst out laughing. “You only eat what I make without complaining—otherwise, you’re super picky~~”
“That’s because you make it so good.”
“…”
The two of them chatted away easily while Huang Xiaoyi sprawled in the back seat, taking the occasional playful punch.
The car finally pulled up to the reserved restaurant, perched right on the riverbank with an outdoor balcony perfect for taking in the river views. The temperature was just right, and the panorama stretched out wide and inviting.
The dishes arrived at the table—seasonal specialties at their absolute best. Xu Yueliang and Huang Xiaoyi both adored food like this; they ate and chatted away, thoroughly enjoying every flavorful bite.
Lin Qimian fetched a blanket and draped it gently over Xu Yueliang’s legs.
Xu Yueliang beamed at her like a blooming flower, cooing in that clingy, sweet way of hers, “Doctor Lin is the best~~ The skirt does get a little chilly when the breeze picks up~~~”
Huang Xiaoyi piped up, “Doctor Lin, my legs are cold too.”
Lin Qimian shot back, “You’re wearing cotton pants—what’s there to be cold about?”
Huang Xiaoyi: “Cotton pants? Cotton pants???!!! These are the hottest split-leg sweatpants right now! They’re split wide open! Look, look at this huge slit!!!!!”
She wasn’t exaggerating—the pants did have a generous slit. Standing was no problem, but once she sat down, her calves dangled freely in the open air.
Xu Yueliang couldn’t stop laughing. She tugged half of her blanket over to cover Huang Xiaoyi’s legs. “There, all warm now~~”
Huang Xiaoyi pretended to sob with emotion. “Wahhh, our Moon is the best after all.”
She whipped out her phone, insisting on a selfie with her favorite streamer. Xu Yueliang played along perfectly, the two of them angling for the best shots, snapping photo after photo.
“It’s here,” Lin Qimian said suddenly.
Huang Xiaoyi straightened up immediately, craning her neck toward the river. The water mirrored the city’s dazzling lights, like a gorgeously woven dream.
Xu Yueliang had no idea what they were staring at. “Huh? What is it?”
Lin Qimian pressed a finger to her lips. “Shh. You’ll see in a second.”
Xu Yueliang clapped a hand over her mouth, scarcely daring to breathe. She followed Huang Xiaoyi’s gaze, peering intently at the river’s surface.
“Whoosh~~~~~~~” A long, drawn-out whistle pierced the air.
A trail of fire streaked upward, then—“Boom!”—it burst apart. Massive fireworks rained down, so high and close it felt like they were exploding right overhead.
Xu Yueliang jolted in surprise, but as she tilted her head skyward, tears quickly brimmed in her eyes.
The fireworks dissolved into countless red Little Hearts, bathing the entire sky in vibrant, passionate hues—romance so profound it seemed too perfect for the real world.
“One burst is a hundred and ninety-nine hearts,” Lin Qimian said.
Her voice was soft and crisp, slipping neatly into the brief silences between explosions, each word landing like a gentle tap on Xu Yueliang’s heart.
“Each fireworks display has ten bursts.
“Tonight, there will be ten displays.
“You’ll receive nineteen thousand nine hundred Little Hearts.”
Lin Qimian smiled. As another firework bloomed overhead, she turned to Xu Yueliang. “It’s a festival tribute—a citywide celebration event. You just happened to catch it.”
“And don’t forget the hearts from your live stream fans,” Lin Qimian added. She raised her hand, crooking a finger to lightly rap Xu Yueliang’s forehead. “What a lucky little girl you are.”
