Chapter 68: Chapter 68: It’s not that we didn’t try hard, but the enemy has a Gundam.
After they finished gossiping and the dishes were washed, the three girls went back to their room to pack their luggage. Sun Dasheng watched TV for a while but, feeling bored, returned to his room as well. He lay on his bed, scrolling through short videos.
Huh!~ That person dancing seductively in revealing clothes looks somewhat familiar...
He clicked on her profile page, which listed her location as Shanghai Normal University, and flipped through her past videos. Most of them were filmed in a dormitory. He was seventy to eighty percent certain that this online celebrity was his cousin, Wang Xin, a sophomore at Shanghai Normal University. The only reason he wasn’t a hundred percent sure was that the beauty filters were far too excessive. The person in the video looked quite different from her in reality.
It was she who had secretly told Mother Sun about his divorce.
Her profile picture showed she was livestreaming, so he clicked to watch. It was confirmed—it was his cousin, Wang Xin. His youngest maternal aunt’s daughter.
It showed she was in a PK battle. Both sides of the battle were girls. The other online celebrity had many more fans than her. On the PK bar, she was being crushed, left with only a tiny sliver.
"Help me, everyone!" Wang Xin pleaded in the stream. "Would some kind patron give me a boost? Otherwise, Little Star is going to get punished."
Wang Xin was playing the victim in the livestream. Her online username was "Little Star," and the look of grievance on her face was incredibly lifelike. She really has a talent for this. But if my aunt finds out she isn’t studying diligently at school and has become an online celebrity instead... I wonder if she’ll be in for a rough time when she goes home for the New Year. Hehe... Going back to my hometown and watching the elders discipline the kids is one of life’s little pleasures, after all.
Her act had some effect, but not much. A few small gifts trickled in, but the PK bar barely moved. Then, it was obliterated by a single "Carnival" from the other side.
"It’s over! I’m definitely going to lose!" Wang Xin covered her face and wailed theatrically.
The comments below offered comfort.
A comment from an online simp popped up: *[Don’t panic, Little Star. Wait till I get my paycheck tomorrow. After I set aside money for my ticket home for the New Year, I’ll give you the rest for the PK. You got this!]*
This was from a resigned netizen: *[It’s not that our side isn’t trying, but the enemy has a Gundam!]*
This from someone ready to throw in the towel: *[Yeah, that Wang Yumo has a patron backing her. How can us office workers compete? Just tell her you surrender and ask for a lighter punishment.]*
Seeing these comments, Wang Xin’s eyes lit up. It was actually a good suggestion.
"Miss, we admit defeat," she said to her opponent, Wang Yumo. "Could you please go easy on the punishment?"
But she was flatly rejected.
"Sorry, but my patron doesn’t agree," Wang Yumo replied coolly. "The punishment is one hundred push-ups. Whoever loses had better get ready."
Hearing this, Wang Xin complained, "But didn’t we agree on just ten push-ups before?"
Wang Yumo smirked. "Did we ever specify a number? Didn’t we just say the punishment for losing was push-ups?"
"What? A hundred push-ups? Look at my skinny arms and legs! I couldn’t do that many if it killed me! Besides, the unwritten rule for PK punishments is ten push-ups!"
How unsportsmanlike, Wang Xin fumed internally. She just wants to see me make a fool of myself.
Her fans rallied to her side.
*[That’s right! The penalty for losing a PK has always been just ten push-ups!]*
*[The other side is just being a bully! They want to see our Little Star get embarrassed!]*
*[But she’s a huge celebrity, and we’re just a small channel with no influence...]*
"Oh? And who made that rule? For all you know, the default on my end is a hundred," Wang Yumo retorted, pressing her advantage.
Soon, the opposing fan army arrived.
*[Yo, is this the sore loser?]*
*[The Mo Zi army has arrived! Bow down!]*
*[Came to see the clown show.]*
*[If you can’t even handle a PK battle, you should just go home. Why are you even trying to be an online celebrity?]*
In an instant, the live chat was flooded with all sorts of trolls and ghouls. The comments from Wang Xin’s handful of fans were completely drowned out.
The vulgar words and mocking tone of the opposing fans made Wang Xin break down. Her eyes reddened. It was her first time experiencing cyberbullying. The suffocating feeling of the onslaught made her realize for the first time that being an online celebrity was not a career for the faint of heart.
"Fine! I’ll do it, alright?" she finally said, her voice trembling. "You can stop cursing at me and my fans now. And to all my Little Stars in the chat, you don’t need to argue with them for my sake."
*[Little Star, don’t be afraid! We support you! Defeat that horrible woman!]*
Her fans in the livestream offered their moral support, but since no one had any spare cash to help, that was as far as it went.
Just then, a level 1 account that had been lurking without spending anything suddenly dropped several Carnivals, and her PK bar shot past her opponent’s.
The livestream fell silent. The live chat froze for a moment.
Then, Wang Xin’s fans exploded.
*[They always say level 1 accounts are hidden tycoons, and it’s actually true!]*
*[Wow! To think there was such a low-key whale among the Little Stars!]*
*[Thank you, mysterious benefactor, for supporting our Little Star and becoming her number one patron!]*
"Thank you, thank you so much to the fan with the ID ’Great Saint’s Golden Cudgel’!" Wang Xin exclaimed, crying tears of joy. "Wow! I’m so moved!"
"See! I told you there were hidden patrons among my fans! They were just quietly supporting me, but now that I’m in trouble, they’ve stepped up to save the day!"
As she spoke, she clicked on the fan’s profile. The screen seemed to freeze. Followers: 0. Following: 0. This wasn’t one of her fans at all.
The situation suddenly became incredibly awkward.
*[Hahaha, look at Little Star’s face! She looks so constipated! I’m dying!]*
*[Whoops! So awkward. Turns out the whale wasn’t even one of your fans.]*
"Great Saint," Wang Xin said, ignoring the comments, "I’ve sent you my WeChat ID in a private message. Remember to add me, okay? There are... benefits."
Sun Dasheng opened the private message. Along with the WeChat ID, there was a private photo.
Thank goodness it isn’t anything too racy, or I’d have to forward it to my aunt immediately and righteously snitch on my own kin.
After sending the message, Wang Xin kept glancing at her phone, but there was no response. She felt a pang of disappointment. Does the patron not find me attractive? Or was the photo I sent not spicy enough to pique his interest?
As a relatively conservative girl, that photo was already the boldest she could manage. She couldn’t bring herself to take the kind of shameful pictures other online celebrities used to entice their patrons. Her upbringing simply wouldn’t allow it.
But without her new patron’s strong support, she was likely to lose this PK battle after all.
She glanced at the PK timer. Less than half the time remained. Sure enough, Murphy’s Law kicked in.
Ten Carnivals suddenly flew across the screen from the other side. A whole 30,000 RMB.
That was the confidence that came with having an MCN company and wealthy patrons in your corner. Even in a routine PK battle, they wouldn’t let a small-time celebrity pull a fast one on them.
The other side’s paid commenters came back to flood the chat.
*[Keep yelling! Why so quiet all of a sudden?]*
*[You really don’t know your place. You get a slight lead and immediately run over to our Mo Zi’s side to gloat? Do you have any idea who you’re dealing with?]*
*[What league do you think Mo Zi is in, and what league are you in? Don’t try to punch above your weight, you little Karami.]*