Chapter 8
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On the video platform, a live stream featuring Softsoft and Monkey was displayed, though the recording appeared to have started midway. The screen was filled with mermaid effects, one after another floating upward. It was still nighttime, the hour when most people were off work and resting, so the comments gradually increased.
“How did the fight start?”
“How much do all these gifts cost? I really envy those rich people.”
“Watching this makes me want to become a streamer. Streamers really make money.”
“One mermaid gift costs ten thousand, do the math yourselves. At least a few million for one fight.”
“Didn’t you hear? The Monkey trending today is probably the other side. It seems Monkey’s boss insulted that female streamer, and a wealthy patron passing by didn’t like it and took care of him immediately.”
“I remember now, that Monkey was sent to jail.”
“No way, is this patron really that rich? Just standing up for justice and sending so many gifts?”
“Yes, the rich ones really exist. Last time, she sent 990,000 in one day, this time it’s three million. I heard she’s a friend of the Catpaw boss.”
“Respectful fake fan here, I don’t believe it unless a rich lady tips me.”
“I always said Monkey’s no good, and now I learn he plays with silver parties. Disgusting.”
“How do you know the patron is a woman? Maybe he’s a man and has some private dealings with the streamer.”
“Shut up. Sister Xia Xia always says she’s a girl. How come all patrons are men?”
“That Xia Xia sounds familiar. I remember last night on Green River Novels, a wealthy reader also tipped a lot to many authors.”
“A rich lady reads novels?”
This video didn’t explode in popularity, after all, a few million in gifts was not unheard of before. However, since Monkey had just trended today, there was quite a bit of discussion in the comments.
That night, Xia Zui lay in bed, sleepy, scrolling through Catpaw. But after watching for a while, the streamers were either noisy groups chatting or individuals just talking with others—no talent at all.
Xia Zui kept scrolling until she found a streamer named A Meng. She entered A Meng’s stream, which had only a dozen or so viewers. A Meng sat right in the center of the screen, wearing a mechanical-style eye mask that revealed a delicate nose and refined lips beneath. Her long, straight black hair cascaded over skin as white as jade, making her resemble a moonlight elf.
The stream was very quiet—quiet enough that Xia Zui could clearly hear the sounds A Meng was creating with various tools. It was obvious A Meng was a sleep-aid streamer, someone who used special sounds to provide a pleasant sensory experience to help listeners fall asleep.
Xia Zui noticed that A Meng didn’t speak during the entire stream; even when familiar fans joined, she only moved her lips without making any sound. Only lip movements, almost silent.
However, a robot moderator was posting messages in the chat:
“If you like the streamer, toss some catnip to help cover electricity bills~”
Xia Zui had heard before that some streamers, after streaming for a month, realized their income wasn’t even enough to pay electricity bills because they needed lighting everywhere—front, back, left, and right.
Xia Zui liked A Meng, perhaps because she fit Xia Zui’s aesthetic, or maybe because the stream was so unusually peaceful. She sent a mermaid gift.
Interestingly, no one welcomed her when she entered, so the dozen viewers must have been asleep or just idling.
After Xia Zui sent the gift, A Meng smiled faintly and mouthed a thank you. One hand continued the sleep-aid sounds while the other was doing something else.
Soon, a message appeared on the screen.
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“A Meng: Thank you, Boss Xia Xia Xia, for the mermaid gift. I can’t thank you out loud, please understand.”
A Meng nodded slightly at the screen in gratitude.
Suddenly, Xia Zui found herself somewhat fond of A Meng. While it was common for streamers to enthusiastically thank patrons, A Meng did not forget that the dozen viewers were listening to her sleep sounds. If she had excitedly thanked out loud, those viewers’ ears would have been blasted.
Even when typing her thanks, her sleep-aid sounds did not pause.
Professional! Very professional!
Xia Zui typed on her phone, “I’ll send you a big one, don’t get too excited.”
Then she started sending mermaid gifts again. Why? Because she felt like it—no need for more reasons.
Meanwhile, the public chat scrolled with messages:
“Xia Xia Xia sent streamer A Meng a mermaid gift x3”
“Xia Xia Xia sent streamer A Meng a mermaid gift x10”
“Xia Xia Xia sent streamer A Meng…”
Soon, a crowd of night owls came to watch the commotion.
“Sister Xia Xia is still awake.”
“Wow! This streamer is so beautiful.”
“Streamer wife prprprpr…”
“I suspect Sister Xia Xia is as much a pervert as the rest of us.”
“Who is Sister Xia Xia?”
“She’s the patron who keeps sending gifts, known in the community as Sister Xia Xia, tipping millions in one day.”
“A sleep-aid streamer, and she meets a big spender?”
“Whatever, I’m following first. I’m a fan of beauty, the streamer is gorgeous.”
“A Meng: Thank you all for the attention~ Thank you Sister Xia Xia for the mermaid~ I can’t speak, please understand~”
Xia Zui sent about a hundred gifts before stopping; she still had five million left.
By then, A Meng’s viewer count had jumped from a dozen to tens of thousands.
Catpaw’s traffic was impressive—even at two in the morning, so many people were watching the spectacle.
“Sister Xia Xia: I’m sleeping here tonight, good night.”
“Then I’ll sleep here tonight too.”
“Cover Sister Xia Xia with a blanket, another million gone. If I had a million, I wouldn’t know how to spend it.”
“A million isn’t that much, just pay a down payment on a house and it’s gone.”
“Sending a hundred mermaid gifts just to sleep here?”
“Good night, Sister Xia Xia!”
Xia Zui lay on her pillow, listening to the sleep-aid sounds as she drifted off.
The next morning, she woke to find her phone dead.
No surprise—it was old and the battery was deteriorating.
Should she buy a new phone?
She plugged in the charger and turned on the phone, immediately opening Catpaw. She cleared all notifications with one tap and discovered her fan count had reached ten thousand.
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Amazing.
Xia Zui glanced and even saw a private message from A Meng.
“A Meng: Thank you, Sister Xia Xia, for your gift. I couldn’t speak during the stream, really appreciate it. Have you had your late-night snack?”
“A Meng: You’re probably asleep by now. Can I add your contact? I want to thank you properly.”
Xia Zui replied, “I don’t like adding contacts. Keep streaming well—I really admire your professionalism.”
After replying, Xia Zui logged off Catpaw. Since she decided to buy a new phone today, she might as well eat out.
She quickly chose Xiaomi’s latest model, the Xiaomi 15, which cost only six thousand yuan—not expensive at all.
After all, she had tens of thousands on her.
Back home, Xia Zui transferred all her apps to the new phone. Once finished, she prepared to continue her work.
With five million still at her disposal, though it was only Tuesday, Xia Zui, perhaps tired of the office routine, wanted to finish her work quickly.
Busy days passed until Sunday, when she had already spent the remaining five million.
She gifted Cola, Softsoft, and A Meng again, then sent one million to a dancing streamer named Celine.
“Sister Xia,” the wealthy patron system spoke up, “this week you’ve spent one hundred million. Have you decided how to top up?”
Xia Zui lay on her bed, staring at the ceiling. Though only fourteen days had passed, it felt like a long time.
Each day, watching streams and sending gifts, then eating, showering, and sleeping.
Even now, Xia Zui felt a sense of unreality, as if something was missing from her life.
The wealthy patron system sensed her thoughts and asked, “Sister Xia feeling bored?”
Xia Zui hummed, “A little. But would that make me sound crazy?”
When she had no money and worked every day, she wished to be rich. Now that she was a wealthy patron, she felt empty.
“My previous host was happy sending gifts. When bored, they would engage in certain activities. Sister Xia, want to consider that?” the system suggested seriously.
Xia Zui: …
“I have no such worldly desires,” she replied.
The system was shocked. “Could it be you’re not interested in us?”
Xia Zui gave a wry smile. “No, not that either.”
“Alright, alright, let’s do tasks,” she thought for a moment. “One hundred million…”
“Ninety million for Catpaw, ten million for Green River!”
The system shivered in excitement. “Received!”
With so much money, Xia Zui realized that if she gifted one hundred thousand to a single author, she could send to a hundred authors!
Astounding!
She opened Green River Novels and searched for novels she had liked before. For amazing books, she sent five hundred thousand; for average ones, one hundred thousand.
She gifted many books on her shelf until she opened a popular novel and saw it hadn’t been updated for a long time.
She glanced at the author’s leave note.
“Leave note: Sorry, I’m hospitalized due to illness and will be on leave for a while.”
The note was posted last month, and the author hadn’t updated a chapter even this month.
Comments were full of wishes for the author's speedy recovery.
Curious, Xia Zui nudged the system and her companion Eleven, asking, “Do you know how this author is doing now?”