Chapter 10:
Seeing the viewers so jealous their back teeth were practically grinding to dust, Tang Yu felt a strange rush of satisfaction deep inside.
But he also knew the audience in the live room were his bread and butter—his "parents who feed him."
He couldn't push it too far. Had to know when to stop.
After finishing the dog-food session with Hu Tao, Tang Yu put on a serious face and smiled at the camera: "Family, I know you're all furious, but please hold off on the rage for a second."
{Not raging? As if—I'm gonna end you.} {Stay away from my wife, you piece of trash.} {.....}
The viewers weren't buying his act at all.
Right at that moment, the live room made a "du" notification sound. A window popped up abruptly— a connection request from another streamer.
Tang Yu took a closer look and immediately frowned slightly.
He recognized this person. It was Zhao Xiaozhen—the manager of Yaoshi Rongguang, the guild the original owner used to be in.
"What does she want with me?" Tang Yu muttered in confusion and clicked Accept.
Soon, a small window appeared in his stream. A chubby woman in her thirties showed up inside.
Quite a few viewers had heard of Yaoshi Rongguang. They had a lot of beautiful female streamers.
{Huh? Isn't that Zhao Xiaozhen, the founder of Yaoshi Rongguang? What's she doing here?} {I heard the male host used to be in Yaoshi Rongguang—not sure if it's true.} {It's true. I'm an old fan of his, but he got terminated. He's not part of the guild anymore.} {...}
"Tang Yu, long time no see." After connecting, Zhao Xiaozhen greeted him with a fake smile.
"Hello." Tang Yu replied flatly. His tone carried a clear chill.
In his mind flashed the memory of the original owner being humiliated and verbally torn apart by Zhao Xiaozhen during his termination. It had happened over a live connection just like this. The original had become a laughingstock in the guild that day.
Though the current Tang Yu had no real connection to that past self, he still felt deeply annoyed.
Noticing Tang Yu's cold attitude, Zhao Xiaozhen sneered inwardly. But as a seasoned veteran, she was good at hiding her emotions.
She pretended not to notice and continued smiling: "You've really made something of yourself. These past few days, the whole internet is full of news about you—you're blowing up."
"Got something to say?" Tang Yu didn't want to waste words. He cut her off with a dark face.
Hu Tao also sensed the shift in Tang Yu's mood. Not knowing what was happening, she sneaked a worried glance at him.
Seeing him unhappy made her unhappy too.
Zhao Xiaozhen's expression didn't change. She said to Tang Yu: "Nothing much. Just wanted to remind you—you're still part of Yaoshi Rongguang. Your streaming revenue still has to be split with us according to the contract."
The moment those words came out, Tang Yu exploded with anger.
He raised his voice, enunciating every word: "Didn't you say you were firing me back then? Did you forget?"
Zhao Xiaozhen replied smoothly: "That was just verbal. I said it to motivate you."
"And look—the results prove I was right. You're popular now, aren't you?" Zhao Xiaozhen's shamelessness exceeded even Tang Yu's imagination.
Back then she had openly terminated him because he had no popularity and she didn't want to pay him wages. Now that he was hot, she came crawling back to take a cut.
Her face was truly disgusting.
The peanut-gallery viewers finally understood the whole story. Though they were jealous of Tang Yu, seeing him get bullied made them furious.
Many immediately started keyboard-smashing Zhao Xiaozhen.
{This fat hag is so gross! Sees someone blow up and wants to leech off the success—disgusting!} {You guys might not know, but she publicly terminated a streamer live back then. When he had no views, everyone in her room laughed at him and told him to go home and raise pigs.} {Dumped him without pay back then, now wants benefits? No way it's that easy.} {We can bully this host, but you can't. Get lost, fat lady.} {....}
Tang Yu saw the barrage and his mood instantly improved.
The viewers had basically become his mouthpiece.
"Want money? Nope." Tang Yu dropped the gloom, put on a rogue-like grin, and spread his hands.
Seeing this, Zhao Xiaozhen's face completely darkened.
She had originally planned to negotiate nicely. But now, that seemed impossible.
Still, she had full confidence. After all, the contract was still in effect!
"You can refuse, but if you breach the contract law, we'll see each other in court." Zhao Xiaozhen sneered disdainfully.
If Tang Yu really didn't share the revenue, she would absolutely sue him. Once he was dragged into a lawsuit, she didn't believe he'd keep acting tough.
Then, she turned her gaze to Hu Tao with a big fake smile: "Little girl, your name is Hu Tao, right?"
Hu Tao stared at the screen, her delicate brows slightly raised. She didn't respond.
Zhao Xiaozhen didn't mind. She continued smiling: "Sticking with Tang Yu won't get you far."
"How about this—you join my guild. I guarantee you five million yuan a year signing bonus. What do you say?"
Zhao Xiaozhen's words made the entire live room suck in a cold breath.
Five million a year. That was big-streamer level money!
Hu Tao was a bit popular now, but still far from true top-tier status.
No one expected Zhao Xiaozhen to throw out such a generous offer.
But after thinking for a second, they realized how disgusting her move really was.
Everyone knew: Tang Yu's sudden popularity surge was entirely because of Hu Tao. If Hu Tao left to go solo, Tang Yu would instantly crash and burn!
This was straight-up trying to cut off Tang Yu at the roots.
With that realization, all eyes in the chat turned to Hu Tao.
She looked so young. Facing a five-million-a-year temptation, could she hold firm?
The next moment, Hu Tao's response made the entire chat burst into laughter.
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