"I just went to check out the stream next door. It's so infuriating! That Xiongxiong Erjie keeps mocking Beibei, saying your viewer count is bought with paid traffic and that you couldn't even beat her 500-viewer stream. You're getting completely crushed."
...
Lin Yi watched the chat stream scrolling rapidly across the screen. Wasn't this the perfect opportunity? If a streamer is doing a PK battle, has decent looks, and is also a local from Jincheng, he could just add her as a friend, take things offline, and pull off a direct counter-attack. How wonderful that would be.
Why did this girl look more and more familiar? It seemed like he had seen her somewhere before, though the memory was a bit distant, and Lin Yi couldn't quite place it for a moment.
Seeing that the streamer Beibei didn't seem ready to battle Xiongxiong Erjie in a PK and was still patiently comforting her viewers, especially that "foolish fan" who wanted to use a credit app to fund her ranking, Lin Yi understood the gist of the situation. He typed directly into the chat room: "Streamer, go ahead and accept the PK. I alone am enough."
Lin Yi's comment instantly caught the attention of several viewers.
"Hey upstairs, don't come out and embarrass yourself with a level-zero burner account. If you're trying to get Beibei's attention this way, you've got the wrong idea."
"Where do you get the nerve? Back when I was Level 1, I didn't even dare type in chat. Now that I've made it to Level 5 big-shot status, I only dare show a tiny bit of my power."
"And you, that 001 person or whatever just now—do you think you're some kind of superhero? You think you alone can hold off an army of thousands? If you're reliable, pigs can fly."
"Look at my name: Air Scapegoat. Do you even understand the true value of Air TT? You can't compare, 001."
"001, all talk and no action is just a cheap trick. Show us some real strength first."
[Commoner 001 sent a Carnival]
A golden Carnival special effect instantly appeared in the stream, and Lin Yi's Doulang account level instantly jumped straight to Level 27.
"That Level 5 big shot—is this enough now?"
Lin Yi typed his response in the chat to the earlier skepticism.
"All hail the big shot!"
"All hail the big shot!"
"All hail the big shot!"
"001 is a true god!"
"I admit my Air T comment was reckless; 001 is the GOAT."
...
Lin Yi continued typing in the chat: "Streamer, accept Xiongxiong Erjie's PK challenge. I'm afraid if I gift too much right now, I'll scare them off so they won't even dare show up. I'll drop more later."
"I've got a bit too much cash in my account and it's annoying having nowhere to spend it. Let them come challenge my pocket money. I hope they can actually bring me some pressure."
It was just a casual remark from Lin Yi, oozing with supreme arrogance. Most people in the stream didn't believe it. But since he had already dropped a Carnival, acting arrogant was par for the course, and no one bothered to argue with him.
The chat messages on the screen also caught the attention of the streamer Beibei.
"Since my precious fans are saying so, and thanks to big brother 001 for the Carnival, I'll connect with her one more time. But as for the PK, let's leave it to fate—everyone just contributes what they can afford."
Meanwhile, in Xiongxiong Erjie's stream:
Erjie struck seductive poses while telling her audience, "My dear brothers, you guys are truly too fierce."
"Not only is Erjie barely able to handle this, but that flashy, cheap tart on the other side is bound to bow before my brothers' output."
"If that streamer accepts the PK in a minute, you brothers must make her feel absolute despair. We'll wipe out any suspense in under 10 seconds."
Hearing Erjie's flattering and flirtatious words, the viewers in her stream collectively climaxed.
"Hahaha, don't worry, Erjie! I'm opening the match with 3 Huazi gifts right off the bat."
"I've got one."
"I've got two."
"I can drop a Doulang Number 1."
"I just went to check out the stream next door. Some burner account with zero level actually said *he alone is enough*. Hahaha, I'm dying of laughter."
Xiongxiong Erjie also noticed the comments on screen. Patting her "bouncy" chest, she laughed and said,
"Hahaha, really? There are clowns like that? Is Xiaobei's whole stream at that level? No wonder she didn't dare accept the challenge."
"If I were her, I'd just quit doing PKs altogether."
...
Xiongxiong Erjie looked at the "brothers" on her screen and gave an imperceptible, scornful smile.
She had noticed that streamer Xiaobei even before she started broadcasting; her gaming skills were beyond reproach. Usually, she just played games and barely said a word, yet she had a massive crowd of people gifting her.
She wasn't convinced!
Earlier today, when she was first matched with Beibei, she had even felt a secret surge of joy.
What's the use of being good at games? Can gaming compare to having big spenders backing you up? Can it compare to raw financial power?
It was just that when the PK first started, she had thought it would be an easy win for her, Erjie. She never expected to almost capsize right at the start, with her progress bar nearly overtaken by Xiaobei.
Luckily, she had secretly messaged her top-ranking big spenders, and after a round of pleading and promises, she managed to turn the tables.
Looking at Xiaobei's stream, it was painfully obvious that her PK gifts were just casually tossed by random people without her needing to put in any extra effort.
Why should they both rely on filters and tech, yet she had to scream her lungs out and hustle just to squeeze a bit of support from a few big spenders?
She wasn't convinced!
She had to beat this Xiaobei into submission.
She kept proactively connecting with Xiaobei and sending PK requests, but Xiaobei kept rejecting them.
Just when Erjie assumed Xiaobei had chickened out and was starting to get bored, the two screens suddenly split and the connection went through.
Erjie was startled with delight, wearing an arrogant expression as she took the initiative to taunt:
"I thought you'd chickened out. What's wrong, dare to come back for another beating? If you surrender right now, I'll count it as only half a loss for you."
Terrified that Xiaobei might run away, Erjie used her words to provoke her.
Xiaobei didn't get angry at all. With a casual tone, she said, "You're the only one who takes PKs this seriously. But since you want to fight, I'll play along with you once. Let's settle it in this single match and stop ruining my game time."
"So, what's the penalty for losing?" Xiongxiong Erjie asked, looking entirely confident of victory.
Xiaobei bit her lower lip slightly, crossed her arms over her chest—pushing them together into an astonishing curve—and replied thoughtfully, "Same as usual. The loser sings a song."
At that moment, Xiongxiong Erjie's phone suddenly vibrated. She picked it up, glanced at it, and said, "What's the fun in singing? We're all sick of that. Penalties need to be a little more interesting."
"Then how do you want to play?"
"Whoever loses has to go out for a meal with the opponent's number one big spender. How about that? Let's give our big brothers some perks."
Then, in a sugary, coy voice, Erjie added, "What do you brothers on both sides think of this penalty? Do you all agree?"
Down below, the onlookers who just wanted to watch the world burn got as wildly excited as perverts at a movie theater. They had genuinely never seen this kind of gameplay before.
Seconded!
Seconded!
Seconded!
Both stream chats were flooded with scrolling messages. Not only were the free-loaders cheering and shouting, but the big spenders on the leaderboards were also rolling up their sleeves.
Meanwhile, Xiaobei was struggling internally. She really didn't want to agree to this condition. She had only wanted to play some games simply, earn a little pocket money on the side, and meeting the top-ranking big spender offline—well, when she thought about it, she'd rather not.
However, seeing the chat completely filled with people seconding the motion, she hesitated. After all, she had only come to do this PK in response to her viewers' demands.
Lin Yi seemed to sense the female streamer's hesitation and typed: "The advantage is ours, it's a guaranteed win. You can agree to it."
Whatever, just agree to it.
Even if they lost, they didn't specify *where* they'd eat. The worst-case scenario was just having a meal at the university cafeteria; that shouldn't be a problem, right?
Xiaobei finally made up her mind and accepted Erjie's demand.
With the terms agreed upon, the 5-minute PK countdown began. Both sides muted their microphones and started their respective campaigns for votes.
Right at that moment, the scorching-hot budget phone in Lin Yi's hand suddenly popped up a warning: "Low battery. The phone will automatically shut down in 30 seconds."
Lin Yi scrambled off the bed and rushed at top speed to find his charger.
He missed the charging port a few times in his haste.
Suddenly, the screen went completely black—it didn't even last the 30 seconds.
Damn it! What a piece of junk phone, couldn't even hold out for 30 seconds. I'm replacing it sooner or later!