[Fang Zhirou: "Qingqing, have you signed up for the competition yet?"]
[Qin Qing: "??? What competition?"]
Seeing her reply, Fang Zhirou felt a bit puzzled. Did Qin Qing really not know about this competition?
[Fang Zhirou: "The 'Boundless Rhyme' competition, of course."]
Only then did Qin Qing realize what she was talking about.
[Qin Qing: "I know about it, but I don't need to sign up."]
Fang Zhirou was shocked, failing to understand why.
[Qin Qing: "Naturally, it's because I've already been selected myself. (Doge)"]
Without keeping her in suspense any longer, Qin Qing revealed the reason.
Qin Qing explained to her that there had been a reform in this year's competition, and star contestants could directly advance.
Fang Zhirou fell silent. It turned out she was the clown all along.
Very well, she would just have to work hard on her own then.
The next morning, when Xu Yiran woke up and opened his door, he saw a graceful woman cooking in the kitchen.
"Mom, what are we having today?"
The woman turned around and said with a smile, "I made your favorite corn and pork rib soup today, along with braised pork."
Xu Yiran helped wash the dishes and bring out the food. "It smells so good! Didn't I tell you to get some good rest? Why are you cooking again?"
Wang Meihan smiled. "My health is much better now. I can manage chores like this."
Knowing he couldn't persuade her otherwise, Xu Yiran quietly took over the tasks from her hands.
"Well, you still need to watch your health. If you feel tired, don't force yourself."
Wang Meihan didn't mind having her work taken away. She simply stood at the kitchen doorway and watched him bustle about.
"Are you still going to your part-time job today?"
"Yes."
His current live-streaming income wasn't very stable yet, so he didn't dare quit his previous job just like that.
Wang Meihan lowered her head and sighed, a trace of sorrow flashing in the depths of her eyes.
"It's all because I dragged you down."
"Mom, don't say that. As long as you're doing well, we're already very happy."
Wang Meihan felt comforted by her child's filial piety. "All right, I'll take good care of my health first."
Then, looking around the small, dim apartment, a hint of melancholy crept over her.
"It's just such a shame. Our old house had to be sold, and now we can only live in this tiny place."
Xu Yiran gently patted his mother's back to comfort her. "Don't think too much about it. Wherever our family is together, that's home. Besides, live streaming is already making money now, so we can always buy a house back in the future."
Wang Meihan's eyes filled with anticipation. "Okay, Mom will wait for that day."
——
[Aah, Big Brother has started streaming!]
[What a pity, why can't Big Brother's time slot be a bit more normal? Aahhh, I have to sleep at night!]
[It's already not bad now. Back in the training camp, he used to pull all-nighters all the time. (Tears of an old fan)]
[It's fine. Once Big Brother earns more money and gets more fans, he can switch to daytime shifts. (Secretly wiping away tears)]
[Ah, do you guys all sleep this early? Ten o'clock is just when the nightlife begins.]
Seeing the fans' complaints, Xu Yiran smiled and comforted them.
"Sleep if you're tired, you don't have to wait. You can always watch the recording later."
[It's fine, we're not sleepy yet, Big Brother don't worry, we won't push ourselves.]
Because his scheduled time slots were relatively late, his performance goals weren't very high either, making it quite easy to clear them.
[Pink Mengmengda: "Big Brother, when will you be able to switch to working in the daytime?"]
Xu Yiran paused for a moment and smiled. "There's no help for it, I still have to go to work during the day."
It was only at this moment that the fans realized Xu Yiran actually had a part-time job.
Thinking of this, they suddenly felt how hard he worked, and they hesitated even less when sending gifts.
Qin Qing hadn't paid attention to Xu Yiran's stream; right now, she was happily having fun logged into another account.
Xun Ai: "Oh my god, who is this, could it be our Sister Q?"
The moment Qin Qing entered the live stream, she received a warm welcome.
[Sister Q! You haven't been here in ages.]
[Sister Q, you finally remembered that we Xun Ai are still waiting by the Daming Lake.]
[YQ: "Such an exaggeration, it hasn't been that long."]
[Sister Q, the last time you favored us Xun Ai was two months ago, and you call that not long?"]
Xun Ai pretended to cover her face and sob. "Family members, don't ask anymore. We are no longer Sister Q's favorite in her heart."
[Wuuu, it looks like we've truly fallen out of favor.]
[It must be that anchors and fans outside are more liked by Sister, otherwise how could she stop liking us just like that.]
Qin Qing was amused by their banter; Xun Ai and her fans were still as witty as ever.
[YQ sent Xun Ai a Douyin Number One (Diamond).]
[YQ: "How about now?"]
Xun Ai shrieked, "Aahhh, thank you to my Sister Q for the super carrot! Love, Sister Q loves me so much!"
[Woohoo, Sister Q is as generous as ever. This is already catching up to our Sister Ai's daily earnings. (Doged)]
[Hahaha you're so ruthless, when did Sister Ai get so weak that she can't even earn a single carrot a day anymore? (Doge)]
[You're ruining Sister Ai's reputation, Sister Ai is already preparing a lawyer's letter. (Doge)]
Xun Ai majored in law as an undergraduate, so drafting a lawyer's letter was a piece of cake for her.
[YQ sent Xun Ai a Carnival (Diamond).]
[YQ: "Alright, I'm heading out first, you keep streaming."]
Xun Ai grinned from ear to ear. "Haha alright, thank you Sister Q for the Carnival. Go play, Sister Q, have fun!"
Fans teased her for being a bit too bootlicking, and Xun Ai immediately protested, unconvinced.
"That is the super-duper backer of our streaming room! If I'm not a bit bootlicking, I'll be eating dirt."
[Are you kidding me? Eating dirt, as if we would ever let you eat dirt, you're breaking our hearts. (Heartbroken)]
[Heartbroken. So in your eyes, besides the top contributor, nobody else counts as your meal ticket anymore? (Covering face and weeping bitterly)]
[Little Ai, as your second top contributor, my heart is breaking.]
Xun Ai was amused to the point of anger by them. "Stop it, don't try to stir up trouble."
Afterwards, Qin Qing browsed around a couple more rooms, which were all the standard welcomes and requests for gifts.
After watching for a little while, she found it dull and uninteresting.
Perhaps because her alternate account followed virtual anchors, this profile also ended up being recommended virtual anchors and voice chat rooms.
However, the ones recommended weren't from Hanbaiyu, but rather from their rival, Mailang Xintiao.
There were also a few from Xingyu Voice Gallery. These two companies were considered comparable rivals to Hanbaiyu nowadays.
It was just that their development directions weren't very similar; Mailang had female singers under its wing, while Xingyu was already expanding its reach to external platforms.
Upon stumbling across this streamer, Qin Qing remembered the virtual singer she had followed earlier, yet she hadn't gone to check out his stream today.
Thinking of this, she turned to search for his name and saw that he happened to be live right now.