Chapter 6:
Dai Xiaomei was a major streamer—her influence was terrifying.
As she arrived in Tang Yu's live room, the popularity of Tang Yu's stream exploded once again.
Right now, his viewer count had climbed all the way to #3 on the platform's category leaderboard.
This growth speed was downright abnormal.
But Tang Yu didn't overthink it. High popularity = good thing.
Back to Dai Xiaomei— by the time she entered the room, Hu Tao had already finished singing.
Hu Tao's cheeks still carried a faint blush. Her face was forever lit with that joyful smile.
Dai Xiaomei studied Hu Tao carefully. She felt an unprecedented sense of crisis.
The girl in front of her might not have much "up top," but her cuteness was completely off the charts. Most LSPs (lecherous straight perverts) had very specific tastes—and this was exactly their type.
And as everyone knows, the vast majority of netizens are LSPs. {Yes, I'm talking about you, the one reading this right now.}
"Brothers, this Hu Tao is seriously so cute—even I want to take a bite," Dai Xiaomei said, eyes sparkling, a single drop of drool escaping the corner of her mouth.
It wasn't just Dai Xiaomei who found her adorable. Her fans felt exactly the same.
{WTF! The cutest 2D girl I've ever seen—no contest.} {Compared to this, all those domestic COSers are straight-up trash!} {I thought the old lady was gonna show us some crap… turns out the clown was me.} {Sigh… followed. Staying here today. Old lady, farewell—no need to see you out.} {Old lady, goodbye haha! We're never coming back.} {.....}
Facing her fans' sudden shift in loyalty, Dai Xiaomei felt utterly helpless.
But she didn't get angry. Instead, she sent Hu Tao gifts.
Of course, Dai Xiaomei wasn't doing it because she genuinely liked Hu Tao that much. She just sensed that this girl could threaten her position as Douyin's top female streamer.
Building a good relationship now would make things less awkward later—even if the #1 spot changed hands. "I'm actually good friends with the new #1 sister!" No embarrassment at all, right?
{Dai Xiaomei Isn't an Old Lady sent Airplane ×50} {Dai Xiaomei Isn't an Old Lady sent Airplane ×50} {Dai Xiaomei Isn't an Old Lady sent Airplane ×50}
The gift effects flooded the screen in a short burst.
Tang Yu was slightly stunned. He hadn't expected Dai Xiaomei to actually raid his room— and send gifts on top of it.
He knew exactly what this meant. Normally, only when a big streamer took a liking to a small one would they send gifts during a raid.
Streaming circle etiquette was something these hosts played at expert level.
Compared to Tang Yu's shock, Hu Tao remained completely calm. She had no idea Dai Xiaomei was Douyin's top female streamer.
Seeing the endless gifts, she quickly smiled and thanked her: "Thank you Dai Xiaomei Isn't an Old Lady for the airplanes!"
Hearing Hu Tao speak, Dai Xiaomei hurriedly typed and sent a barrage message.
{Sis, you're so cute~ Can you tell big sis which anime character this is from?}
This was exactly the question the viewers wanted answered too.
In this world, there was no Genshin Impact—so naturally they assumed the Hu Tao in front of them came from some anime.
Hu Tao froze. She was stumped.
She couldn't just say "I'm from Teyvat," right?
She turned to Tang Yu and shot him a pleading look for help.
"She's an original character!" Tang Yu immediately understood and jumped in to explain for her.
This answer fit the viewers' expectations perfectly. If she were from a real anime, there was no way they wouldn't recognize her.
Deadbeat otakus were 2D encyclopedias— give them even one detail about a female character, and they'd dig up her entire backstory.
{Sis is amazing—an original character this cute?}
Dai Xiaomei sent another barrage. She was genuinely impressed from the bottom of her heart.
The easiest way for a streamer to blow up with COS was to copy currently trending hot anime characters. But this Hu Tao wasn't copying anyone—she created herself!
That required both talent and courage. Because if your original character didn't match public taste, you'd get flamed into oblivion.
Cyberbullying was practically a national sport for some netizens.
Tang Yu's room wasn't being watched only by Dai Xiaomei. Douyin's official operations team had already flagged his stream as a special priority.
No choice— from the moment he went live, his performance had been blindingly bright.
Have you ever seen a newbie get an Emperor whale's favor right on debut? Have you ever seen a newbie pull 200,000 yuan in gifts on day one?
Most people who blow up do it gradually—grinding day and night, slowly building over time.
But Tang Yu's room? He reached heights most streamers never touch… in just half a day.
Douyin Headquarters. Operations Director's Office.
Yi Hui was feeling irritated and shut her desk computer with a sigh.
Another day of being an office slave. She had already applied for leave, but the boss rejected it.
Her mood was foul. Finally off work, she hurried to slip out first—feet practically greased.
But just as she opened the door, a male employee stood there, hand raised to knock, face full of panic.
Yi Hui crossed her arms, face darkening. She sighed helplessly. "Spit it out! What is it?!"
"Yi-jie, big trouble!"
The guy said urgently, breathing heavily. Clearly he had sprinted all the way here.
Yi Hui frowned coldly. "Then tell me already—what happened?"
"There's this streamer, she… she…"
He pointed at the iPad in his hand, words coming out in stutters from nerves and haste.
Yi Hui was speechless. Her mood was already bad— now dealing with an employee who couldn't even speak clearly made it worse.
Before he could finish, she snatched the iPad from him. She'd check herself.
On the screen was a live room. She only glanced casually at first— then saw the dense storm of gift effects.
In an instant, Yi Hui's eyes widened. Her previously black-as-pot face slowly broke into a smile.
500,000 viewers. 50,000 VIPs.
Those were the stats for this room.
For a big streamer, that would be average. But the person streaming here wasn't a big streamer at all.
She was a newbie—most likely a wild/unsigned one.
How could Yi Hui not be shocked?
Seeing her expression soften, the employee regained his energy and quickly added: "Yi-jie, this Hu Tao… today should be her first time showing her face on stream."
Yi Hui's hand holding the iPad trembled slightly.
What kind of godly rookie was this?
"Quick quick quick—give her a homepage featured push right now!"
The next second, Yi Hui shouted loudly.
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