IBKAWB Chapter 22

**Chapter 22: Livestream**

Translator: Namizaki

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By the time <Empress of the World> reached its 47th episode, it was nearing its conclusion.

Today, the official Weibo account released behind-the-scenes footage from episode 47. The three-minute clip spent the first 2 minutes and 25 seconds wandering around the set, circling every milk tea cup in red. In the final seconds, the camera suddenly focused on Chi Zhongqiao, who was also drinking milk tea. Dressed as the Young Master of the Duke’s Manor, Chi Zhongqiao turned his head in a daze.

“Click.”

The image froze on this moment. In post-production, a large red arrow was added, pointing at Chi Zhongqiao, with the caption: “The man who won seventeen milk teas in a row.”

Comments:

[ Li Ge: Oh my god, dazed-looking Qiaoqiao is too adorable! Mommy wants to give you kisses! ]

[ Egg Yolk Mooncake: I just want to know how he managed to win seventeen cups in a row… ]

[ I Hear Your Voice in the Wind V: Dying of laughter! Go check out @Madam Qingyunshu’s Weibo—the Milk Tea Shop boss’s face turned green! Qiaoqiao, what kind of devil are you?! ]

Several top comments mentioned Qingyunshu. Curious users clicked through to Madam Qingyunshu’s profile, only to discover she was a renowned 2D artist.

[ When did 2D Masters start stanning real-life celebrities? Aren’t they supposed to be obsessed with fictional characters? ]

Madam Qingyunshu’s pinned tweet featured a striking full-body portrait of Mu Yan. The General stood on a crimson battlefield, his white armor stained with blood, sword dripping crimson, and sharp features etched with determination.

The caption read: [ Peace was won by the General’s hand, yet the General was denied peace. ]

The comments below had already surpassed a thousand:

[ I Hear Your Voice in the Wind V: What kind of divine artist is this?! And what kind of divine treasure is Mu Yan?! I’m crying so hard! I’m in love! ]

[ Nini ah V: I never expected Madam Qingyunshu to stan a 3D celebrity… So many people in the fandom are drawing Mu Yan lately. I guess I should check him out too. ]

[ Gossipmonger: My heart aches so much! Young Lord almost lost his life, and that Dog Emperor still suspects him! Prince Yu, hurry up and take the throne! ]

During his lunch break, Lu Yuzhou casually scrolled through Weibo and chuckled at the comments.

“President Lu?”

The knock on the door made Lu Yuzhou instantly pocket his phone, his snow-melting smile vanishing. “Come in.”

Qi Chuyang entered, carrying a stack of documents.

Lu Yuzhou had been at the company for several months. When he first arrived, he made few moves, simply poaching some fresh talent and quietly promoting a few older, youthful-looking employees with mild tempers. It seemed, as some veterans suspected, that he was just there to play the role of a wealthy idler. But Qi Chuyang knew better—the young boss was far from idle behind the scenes.

This young President, barely twenty, was no pushover. After the new year, those who coasted on their positions and lived off their artists’ success would likely face a reckoning.

Qi Chuyang stood before the desk, his gaze drawn to a small crystal ball. What’s this? Who put this thing on the boss’s desk?

Lu Yuzhou suddenly looked up. “What are you staring at?”

Caught off guard, Qi Chuyang was startled. “Nothing, just that crystal ball is pretty.”

Lu Yuzhou lowered his head again and said casually, “Brother Qiao gave it to me.”

Oh, no wonder.

Qi Chuyang thought to himself: If Brother Qiao bought an even more girly projection lamp, President Lu would probably put it on his desk too.

Even Chi Zhongqiao himself hadn’t anticipated that the buzz around the behind-the-scenes footage would not only persist but actually intensify the day after its release. The spark was ignited when an unboxing blogger shared a Qingyunshu illustration—the one with the caption “Retweet for a chance to win free milk tea”—and miraculously won one of the five grand prize packages the very next day.

[ Hathaway: This is too incredible! I have to retweet again! Please, Qiaoqiao, bless me so I don’t fail my finals! ]

A flood of comments from non-fans followed:

[ Who is this guy? Is he from a game? ]

[ A mermaid… must be from a game, right? Madam, what game have you been playing lately? It looks amazing! Please tell me the game’s name—I’m intrigued! ]

When Chi Zhongqiao scrolled through these comments, he couldn’t help but quip, “Girl, aren’t you afraid you’ll get another exam paper? Don’t blame me if you have to retake it!”

Lu Yuzhou, who had been reading nearby, remarked, “Maybe retweeting will get you a scholarship.”

Chi Zhongqiao chuckled. “If that were true, I wouldn’t bother working hard anymore. I’d just stay home and worship myself every day. Hmm, I’m not greedy—just fame and success would do.”

Lu Yuzhou smiled. “I think being near Brother Qiao brings good luck.”

“Yuzhou, with such a sweet mouth, you’ll never have trouble finding a wife,” Chi Zhongqiao blurted out. He immediately realized his mistake and abruptly sat up, staring at Lu Yuzhou.

Lu Yuzhou instinctively touched his face. “What’s wrong?”

Chi Zhongqiao sighed and shook his head. “Nothing.” He had suddenly remembered that this novel was originally a Danmei work, and Lu Yuzhou, as the male lead, was… into men. Chi Zhongqiao had managed to avoid the cannon fodder fate, but where was the “shou” character who should have appeared in the early to mid-stages of the original story?

The thought of his Brother indirectly becoming the protagonist’s “shou” left Chi Zhongqiao with complicated feelings.

“Brother Qiao?” Lu Yuzhou called out.

Chi Zhongqiao startled and quickly replied, “Yeah, I’m here.”

Here? This wasn’t an online chat window.

Lu Yuzhou chuckled, amused.

Chi Zhongqiao pushed aside thoughts of the nonexistent protagonist’s “shou” and rolled over on the sofa to face Lu Yuzhou. “What do you think about me doing a live stream tomorrow after the TV series airs?”

“At home?” Lu Yuzhou asked.

Chi Zhongqiao shook his head. “Definitely not there. At the company.”

“Okay,” Lu Yuzhou said. “What does Brother Qiao want for dinner tonight?”

Chi Zhongqiao sprawled on the sofa. “Hmm… let’s go for hotpot downstairs.”

**********

The next day, Chi Zhongqiao posted on Weibo:

[ Chi Zhongqiao V: Tonight at 9 PM, Cat Paw Platform, Room 310. Don’t miss it! ]

The post included a meme: [ Everything you want is right here.jpg ]

[ CoffeeSavesMyLife: First! Finally, I’ve been waiting for you! ]

[ GeneralWhoDiedinHundredBattles: *Sobbing uncontrollably* Qiaoqiao, can you please do more shows and ads? And what about the Fan Group? When are you going to start one? ]

[ ChickenCageWarning: Qiaoqiao already has a Fan Group, but there’s only one and it’s full. If you want to join, you’ll have to wait for Qiaoqiao to open another one. ]

Chi Zhongqiao sighed as he scrolled through the comments below his post. Even though he had a second chance at life, he had never experienced overnight fame in his previous life. Moreover, Zhuang Fu had no experience handling such situations. As their fanbase grew exponentially, the two of them found themselves scrambling, woefully lacking in fan management skills.

Staring at his Weibo account with over 9 million followers, Chi Zhongqiao wondered how many would tune in for his livestream that evening.

“Brother Qiao, what are we going to do during the livestream?” Zhong Yin asked curiously, helping him move a table.

“I’ll start by writing some calligraphy and chatting with them,” Chi Zhongqiao replied. “Yuzhou said if I’m bored and don’t know what to do, I can go up and find him.”

Zhong Yin shuddered. “Holy shit, go see the Boss during livestream? Can you even do that?” Livestreaming with the boss? Brother Qiao, you’re playing a dangerous game!

“Of course I can,” Chi Zhongqiao said. “What’s stopping me?”

He continued moving the table.

Zhong Yin: Right, Brother Qiao goes to the top floor every day anyway.

While the two were busy setting up, the Fan Group exploded with excitement.

Most of them were die-hard fans of the drama <Empress of the World>. They had initially become infatuated with Chi Zhongqiao because of his looks and physique, but their admiration evolved into devotion to his character, and eventually, genuine affection for Chi Zhongqiao himself.

It could be said that 99% of the fans in this group were drawn in by <Empress of the World>. Among them were even many renowned artists and writers who regularly posted stunning fan art and fanfiction in the Super Topic, ensuring a constant stream of high-quality content for the fans to enjoy.

As a young man addicted to his phone, Chi Zhongqiao often lurked in the Fan Group, occasionally dropping in to interact with his fans. This kept the group remarkably active.

“Holy shit! Just got off work and the group’s blowing up with news about a live stream. Is this for real?!”

“It’s real! Reminder to all my darlings: Qiaoqiao will be live streaming on Cat’s Paw tonight at 9 PM, room number 310. Don’t miss it! This is Qiaoqiao’s first-ever live stream—a super memorable event!”

“I’m gonna create three accounts tonight just to boost Qiaoqiao’s viewer count!”

“Don’t anyone try to stop me! I’m forcing my Brother to watch this livestream tonight!”

“Goodbye, I’m off to promote it on my WeChat Moments.”

“Me too! I can’t let my precious Qiaoqiao’s first livestream be a flop.”

“My wallet’s ready! I’m going all out tonight!”

“My Qiao, you finally decided to do a livestream! After all that promo work, you still can’t say a few more words? QAQ”

For Chi Zhongqiao’s fans, supporting such a Gege was truly agonizing. He had only acted in one drama series so far, and while he often joined promotional events, he would stand with the leads and never actively seek the spotlight unless specifically called upon. He had also participated in a variety show, but it hadn’t aired yet.

In short: No new dramas, No endorsements, No magazine shoots, No… Nothing at all!

Aside from contributing to the drama’s viewership ratings, they had nowhere to spend their money!

Now that a livestream was finally happening, they were determined to show Qiaoqiao just how passionate they were!

**Fan Group Leader:**

“Sisters, let’s flood the chat!”

At 8:58 PM, Chi Zhongqiao made one last check of his attire, ensuring everything was perfect before opening the Cat Paw Platform.

“If not many people show up,” Chi Zhongqiao said slowly, staring at the rotating paw pad on the screen, “we’ll just write a few more calligraphy pieces.”

Zhong Yin: “Huh?”

Chi Zhongqiao: “We’ll sell them to make a living.”

Zhong Yin held his phone, unable to muster a smile.

The livestream opened, and before the camera could even react, the viewer count jumped from zero to 910,000 in an instant!

By the time Chi Zhongqiao’s face appeared on screen, over 4 million viewers had already flooded the channel, and the number was still climbing.

Zhong Yin stared blankly at Chi Zhongqiao: Is this what you meant by “not many people”?

***