Seeing the name "Hanjiang Guying" (Lone Shadow of the Cold River) added to her guardian list, Li Shurui realized that another big spender had arrived in her livestream.
"Thank you, Hanjiang Guying, for your guardianship."
Her smile was beautiful and alluring, a stark contrast to how she appeared at school.
And rightly so.
On one side were ordinary students in two different worlds; on the other were the breadwinners who guaranteed her high-quality lifestyle. Naturally, her attitude couldn't be the same.
If her livestream were a listed company, these guardians would be the board of directors, while the ordinary fans were just shareholders who had bought stock.
Fans might drift away, but as long as nothing unusual happened, guardians generally wouldn't leave.
That was why streamers did everything in their power to maintain their relationships with their guardians.
To put it bluntly.
Guardians were a streamer's long-term meal ticket.
"Hanjiang Guying, this guy looks like someone with a story."
"I've been watching Shurui for a long time, and I don't think I've ever seen this big brother before."
"Big brother, come out and say something."
In this era of materialism, the wealthy are respected and worshipped everywhere.
However, "Hanjiang Guying" was quite aloof; he had low-key activated his guardianship and didn't say a word.
Li Shurui sang a few more songs.
Hanjiang Guying: Can I request a song?
Guardianship wasn't entirely meaningless.
At the very least, his messages had a special tag and wouldn't be drowned out by the chat.
"Of course you can."
Li Shurui nodded immediately. "What song would you like to hear?"
Hanjiang Guying didn't reply. This guy seemed to have a rather solitary personality.
Just as Li Shurui was wondering if he was still in the room, the entire screen suddenly began to fill with fireworks.
That’s right.
Fireworks.
"Holy crap! A Royal Salute?!"
The livestream erupted.
A Royal Salute was worth 66,666 Star Coins!
In other words, in just four or five seconds, over six thousand—nearly seven thousand—hard currency had just vanished!
On the fan contribution leaderboard, the name "Hanjiang Guying" shot up like a rocket.
Even Li Shurui couldn't help but feel a flush of red on her cheeks, making her look even more charming and radiant.
As a streamer, who wouldn't be happy to encounter a wealthy, generous benefactor?
"Hanjiang Guying" sent a "Royal Salute."
After a brief interval.
The gorgeous fireworks bloomed in the livestream once again, and this time, they didn't stop.
"Hanjiang Guying" sent a "Royal Salute."
"Hanjiang Guying" sent a "Royal Salute."
"Hanjiang Guying" sent a "Royal Salute."
...
The four thousand-plus viewers in the room were dumbfounded, watching the firework feast for nearly ten minutes straight.
"How much did this big brother send?"
"I can't remember."
"I specifically counted; it seems like nearly two hundred..."
"Two hundred times 6,666 equals... how much?"
"Over a million..."
Everyone’s mind went blank.
Over a million just thrown away like that?
Even if you're rich, you don't play like this, right?!
Who on earth is this Hanjiang Guying?!!
Because of Hanjiang Guying's crazy behavior, the popularity of Li Shurui's livestream soared. Countless people heard the news and flooded in, with the number of concurrent viewers quickly breaking ten thousand!
"I'm here to see the fireworks."
"Where's that big shot?"
"Brother, do you still need a pendant for your leg?"
...
Donghai University.
In a dormitory in the West District.
Jiang Chen lay on his bed, looking at his phone, wondering if he had gone a bit too far.
Spending a million in ten minutes—this news had already caused a sensation across the entire Starry Sky platform. Word spread like wildfire, and the heat of Li Shurui's livestream had forcefully squeezed into the top one hundred, and it was still climbing.
No.
Time to pull out.
"After the deed is done, brush off your clothes and leave, hiding your name and fame."
Jiang Chen, who had gone straight to the top of the contribution leaderboard, exited the livestream and checked his "Simp" balance.
A string of 9s.
It had barely changed.
As expected.
Although he couldn't spend it on himself, as long as it was spent on the target of his conquest, there were no issues at all.
Thinking of the bright smile Li Shurui had given him just moments ago, and the flattery and worship from the viewers, Jiang Chen felt a mix of emotions.
No wonder everyone was desperate to get rich.
This feeling of throwing money around like dirt was truly intoxicating.
————
"Big brother Hanjiang Guying, are you still there?"
Inside the livestream, everyone was greeting Hanjiang Guying, and Li Shurui, the streamer, had become a mere supporting character.
However, Li Shurui didn't mind being upstaged. She felt dazed, the grand fireworks seemingly still flashing before her eyes.
According to the Starry Sky app's 50/50 split rule.
She had conservatively earned five hundred thousand tonight—equivalent to nearly three years of salary for her father, who was a regular wage earner.
Most importantly, what she gained tonight wasn't just financial.
Looking at the more than fifty thousand concurrent viewers, Li Shurui felt her body heat up and her breathing quicken.
Before this, she was just a small streamer with a little over a hundred thousand followers. While that was impressive at Donghai University, on the entire Starry Sky platform, small influencers of her caliber were countless and everywhere.
But after tonight, things were likely to change drastically.
Her follower count was rising rapidly.
The viewers were all trying to contact Hanjiang Guying, but Li Shurui knew he had already left.
On the fan contribution leaderboard, this guy who had suddenly appeared had taken the top spot with overwhelming force, leaving everyone else in the dust.
Looking at the lonely, desolate silhouette of the man in the straw hat on his avatar, Li Shurui couldn't help but feel curious.
What kind of person was he?
"ShuruiSonya has followed you."
Jiang Chen, who was scrolling through short videos, received a notification.
He wasn't surprised at all.
Although he had walked away coolly after showing off, as long as Li Shurui wasn't stupid, she would never let him go.
"Hello, thank you so much for your support today. May I ask how to address you?"
Li Shurui sent a private message.
Jiang Chen curled his lips and replied in a very domineering tone.
"Why ask where we met when we are already strangers?"
It fit the persona.
Li Shurui had probably never encountered someone like this.
He was willing to send her so many gifts, so he must really like her, but why was his attitude so cold?
Although it was strange, encountering such a once-in-a-lifetime big spender was her luck; if she let him go, she would be cursed by the heavens.
Seeing that the other side went silent and didn't reply immediately, Jiang Chen's smirk deepened.
The tables had truly turned.
At school, Li Shurui was the high-and-mighty goddess who didn't even look at the boys, but now, she was taking the initiative to strike up a conversation with him, perhaps even cautiously trying to figure out his background and personality.
He wondered what expression the "department beauty" would have if she knew that the "top contributor" who had gifted her such a great fortune and opportunity was the very simp she had been avoiding like the plague?
"Would it be convenient to add you on WeChat?"
Ten seconds later, ShuruiSonya sent another message.
Looking at the chat box, Jiang Chen couldn't help but think of the scene at KIMI last night, feeling deeply moved.
When he had asked Li Shurui for her contact information back then, how arrogant had she been?
"No need for now."
Seeing the reply, Li Shurui's heart skipped a beat. Ignoring her so-called reserve, she immediately typed: "Why?"
The message was sent, but it was like a stone dropped into the ocean—there was no response.