This username wasn’t unfamiliar to Wen Xia; in fact, it had left quite an impression on him because it was so embarrassingly cutesy. At first glance, he even thought it belonged to a girl.
It was obvious that this account was newly created, likely set up right after Lin Fengqi saw Wen Xia’s name on the promotional video list.
Wen Xia looked at the username, then at Lin Fengqi, and handed the phone back to him. But just as Lin Fengqi reached for it, Wen Xia quickly pulled it away, leaving Lin Fengqi grasping at thin air.
“How come you’re acting so differently behind my back,” Wen Xia said, pointing at the username on the screen. “Calling me so affectionately in secret—why don’t you have the guts to call me that to my face?”
Lin Fengqi glanced at his phone screen but didn’t say anything.
“Call me that now, let me hear it,” Wen Xia demanded.
Lin Fengqi stayed silent, pretending he hadn’t heard, as if that would somehow prevent him from becoming an embarrassed mess.
“Lin Fengqi,” Wen Xia called out.
Still no response.
Lin Fengqi was having an internal battle; it wasn’t that he was refusing, but he was trying to mentally prepare himself. Just the thought of it made his heart race as if it might leap out of his chest.
At that moment, Wen Xia suddenly leaned in and blew gently into Lin Fengqi’s ear.
A shiver ran through Lin Fengqi’s body, sending a tingling sensation straight to his head. He nearly jumped up in surprise, his heart almost leaping out of his chest. Finally, he turned to look at Wen Xia.
Wen Xia, still leaning close, said, “Call me that, let me hear it.”
“I…”
“Hurry up,” Wen Xia paused, then switched to a different address in a low voice, “Tongzhuo.”
Back in high school, Wen Xia often called him that. Sometimes it was just for fun, sometimes because he needed something.
After graduation, no one had ever lazily called him “Tongzhuo” again.
Eight years had passed, and the man’s more mature voice had lost some of its youthful spirit, but it had gained an irresistible, confident allure.
Lin Fengqi looked at him, then suddenly grabbed his hand and kissed him. Amidst the mingling of lips and teeth, Wen Xia heard a muffled “Xia Xia.”
That afternoon, Wen Xia stayed in Lin Fengqi’s office for the lunch break.
As they kissed, they ended up on the sofa. After the kiss, Lin Fengqi, breathing heavily against his ear, asked if he wanted to take a nap there.
Last time, Wen Xia had refused because he knew he was picky about where he slept and worried he wouldn’t sleep well. But now he felt that his pickiness seemed to diminish around Lin Fengqi, so he didn’t refuse.
But he had one condition: “You have to sleep with me.”
The sofa in the office could be extended into a small bed by pulling out the cushions. It wasn’t as comfortable as the bed at home, but it was enough for two grown men.
Lin Fengqi often took naps in the office, and he kept a pillow and blanket in the storage cabinet. During the unstable early days of his startup, he had saved money on rent by practically living in the office, eating and sleeping there—although, back then, Fenghang Technology hadn’t yet moved into its current building, and the company had been just a small space in a nondescript office building.
The blanket wasn’t very thick for the cold winter, but with the office heating on and his boyfriend holding him, Wen Xia didn’t feel cold at all.
Sleep came more easily than he expected, and just before dozing off, he snuggled deeper into Lin Fengqi’s embrace, inhaling the clean scent of his body as he drifted into a deep sleep.
This might have been the highest quality nap Wen Xia had ever taken; he woke up feeling completely refreshed rather than tired. He even felt more energetic when he returned to his studio to work, which led Liu Feisi to shake his head and occasionally marvel at the mysteries of love.
Wen Xia looked up and said, “If you’re so free, how about you handle all the programming so I can focus on drawing for A-Deng?”
Liu Feisi immediately shook his head like a whirlwind. “No need, no need.”
As Liu Feisi headed back to his desk with his cup, he suddenly noticed something on Wen Xia’s hand. “Hey, Boss, you’re wearing a ring?”
Wen Xia paused his typing and glanced at the ring on his finger. “What’s so strange about that?” Ever since he and Lin Fengqi had officially gotten together, he hadn’t taken the ring off.
“It is strange,” Liu Feisi said. “I never saw you wear one before, only Lin-ge.”
Wen Xia replied lazily, “That’s because our relationship wasn’t good before.”
Liu Feisi: “?”
That was considered a bad relationship? What would a good relationship look like, then?!
Liu Feisi didn’t have to wonder for long. By the end of the afternoon, he had a clear picture of what a “good relationship” looked like.
Near the end of the workday, Lin Fengqi appeared at the studio door, which wasn’t unusual; they were all used to it by now.
But what was different today was that Lin Fengqi, after greeting everyone, went straight over to Wen Xia and pulled up a stool to sit beside him—something he had never done before. Normally, when he came to pick Wen Xia up, he would quietly wait in the lounge area without disturbing anyone, and when Wen Xia was done, he would call out to him, and they would leave together.
Today, not only did Lin Fengqi go directly to Wen Xia, but in an unguarded moment, Liu Feisi, from his angle, even saw Lin Fengqi’s hand resting on Wen Xia’s waist!
Good grief, are they really this lovey-dovey?
So, the previous situation really was considered a “bad relationship,” huh?
Liu Feisi felt like he had just been force-fed dog food, making his teeth ache a little.
—
After the promo video was released, Wen Xia gained a surge of followers, both in his livestream and on his social media, where he posted gaming updates. Their game sales for the day even more than doubled, indicating that the promotional efforts had been highly successful.
That evening, Qunjing TV also posted the promo video on Weibo, along with announcements for some upcoming events, with prizes provided by Fenghang. The same event announcement was prominently displayed on the Qunjing website’s homepage, impossible to miss, and one click led you right to it.
As a result, Wen Xia’s Qunjing TV and Weibo inboxes were flooded with messages urging him to stream, preferably with a camera.
But Wen Xia wasn’t particularly interested in these events.
Most of these activities on streaming platforms were for professional streamers backed by agencies, who had established, well-organized systems for ranking in such events. As a casual streamer, Wen Xia didn’t see the point in getting involved. It was a battle among gods, and the ordinary bystanders would only get hurt.
Besides… his boyfriend was Lin Fengqi. If he wanted any of those prizes from Fenghang, it would take no time at all. There was no need to participate in some event.
The smart speaker Lin Fengqi had given him after the last promo shoot was now shared in the studio. And he had to admit, it was indeed the best-performing smart speaker currently on the market.
But since he had received so many messages, it wasn’t out of the question for him to do a stream without participating in the event. You had to sign up for the event to enter the related processes; without registering, you couldn’t receive event items, and gifts from fans wouldn’t count towards any rankings—it would be no different from his regular streams.
Unable to refuse the enthusiastic requests, Wen Xia picked a quiet evening and started a stream.
He hadn’t even launched the game when the enthusiastic welcome from viewers flooded the screen, showing that many new followers had joined. The first question they asked was: “Is the streamer going to turn on the camera?”
As Wen Xia adjusted his settings, he responded, “Give up on that dream, the streamer doesn’t even have a camera.”
He really didn’t have one since he never planned on showing his face on stream, so it wasn’t necessary.
[But I heard there was a handsome guy, so I came to watch.]
[Even though I really want Xia Boss to turn on the camera, it’s fine if he doesn’t. I’ll just keep rewatching the promo video.]
[Brothers, let’s crowdsource a camera for Xia Boss! Group crowdfunding (11/1)]
[Why only 11 people in the group? Are you looking down on us?!]
[The one before, because my heart is set on Xia Boss.]
[Lol.]
…
“Cut it out. Don’t think I don’t know that the moment you leave my stream, your hearts will go elsewhere.” Wen Xia chuckled. As he spoke, he suddenly noticed a line of text flash by—
Xia Xia is too cute, what should I do has entered the stream.
Oh boy.
At this moment, Lin Fengqi was downstairs walking the dog.
Wen Xia reached for his phone and sent a message: [Not even focusing on walking the dog?]
Object: [……]
Wen Xia: [Ah Mou is going to cry.]
Object: [No, it won’t.]
Object: [It’s watching with me.]
Imagining Lin Fengqi seriously watching the stream with the dog, Wen Xia couldn’t help but laugh.
[Why isn’t Xia Boss saying anything? Are you still there?]
[Xia Xia, what are you laughing at?]
[No way, is your boyfriend watching the stream next to you, Xia-ge?]
[Ah, streamer, do you have a girlfriend?]
Wen Xia put down his phone just in time to see that comment. Clearing his throat, he said, “Yes, the streamer has a boyfriend.”
He emphasized the words “boyfriend.”
New viewers who were hearing this for the first time immediately erupted in shock, with a mix of “???” and “Whoa!” filling the chat.
“That’s all I’m saying on that, okay? Let’s play the game,” Wen Xia said.
Just then, a user named “Xia Xia is too cute, what should I do” suddenly dropped 40 blue whale models. This extravagant move surprised not only the viewers but also Wen Xia. The last time someone had thrown such large amounts of gifts was when 5140005 was still actively watching his streams.
And no one knew better than Wen Xia who was behind that username.
To the viewers, this username wasn’t unfamiliar. It had appeared before and had also given large gifts, but in a more controlled manner. The name was noticeable on the leaderboard, but if you didn’t pay attention, it was easy to overlook.
But now, with 40 blue whale models thrown in one go, there was no way anyone could ignore it.
[OMG, thanks for the gifts, boss!]
[Boss is so generous, I have to give a thumbs up for that name.]
[Lol, what a cute boss!]
But before Wen Xia could even thank the user, another 40 blue whale models were thrown in.
Wen Xia: “???”
The chat was equally baffled: ???
What on earth was Lin Fengqi up to, burning money?
With a maximum of 40 gifts per round, after the third set of blue whale models, Wen Xia, feeling a sense of déjà vu, quickly said, “Thank you for the gifts, boss. But let’s leave it at that.”
In response, another set of 40 blue whale models dropped.
Incomprehensibly lavish.
Wen Xia picked up his phone and messaged Lin Fengqi: [Why are you going on a gift-throwing spree while watching the stream?]
Object: [Just a little.]
Object: […… Supporting my boyfriend’s career.]
Who’s he kidding? More like a whole lot.
Wen Xia’s text failed to stop him, so he called instead. Still, there was no stopping Lin Fengqi, the CEO who had his payment password memorized.
After failing to prevent Lin Fengqi from throwing more money at the stream, Wen Xia resigned himself to watching and waiting to see how far he’d go.
For the next ten minutes, the chat was almost entirely dominated by “Xia Xia is too cute, what should I do” as that username climbed higher and higher on the leaderboard, surpassing one name after another. Finally, it stopped at second place. The only name above it was the familiar 5140005.
Now, “Xia Xia is too cute, what should I do” was ranked right below 5140005 on the leaderboard—or rather, they were tied for first, with the same contribution value. The only difference was the timing of their donations, which determined the ranking.
[I’m stunned, guys…]
[Wow, this boss is insane!]
[They’re tied with the top dog, OMG. Will they keep going?]
[Is there finally someone to challenge the reign of 5140005?]
[I’ll bet two waterdrops that this boss will keep going and take the top spot from 5140005.]
“Waterdrops” were free items that viewers could claim every ten minutes while watching a stream. They could be exchanged for points to participate in some events or given to the streamer.
[Guys, is it possible this is Xia Boss’s boyfriend?]
Of course it is.
Wen Xia unmuted his mic. “Satisfied, boss?”
This question was directed at Lin Fengqi and was so specific that the viewers picked up on it immediately.
[Something’s up!]
[Oh man, am I sensing dog food here?]
[The person who said Xia-ge’s boyfriend earlier might actually be right! Is it too late to grab a knife?]
…
Lin Fengqi’s response, and the response to the viewers, came in the form of—one little starfish.
Just that one little starfish, a decisive little starfish, pushed that username to the top spot, knocking the long-reigning 5140005 down to second place.
[I! Can’t! Believe it!]
[This is wild, so wild!]
[It’s over; the last bastion of 5140005 has been toppled, sob sob sob.]
[If this isn’t Xia-ge’s boyfriend, I’ll eat my hat!]
[Lol.]
…
Wen Xia was left speechless by Lin Fengqi’s childish antics. He didn’t even bother muting his mic when he called Lin Fengqi, putting the call on speaker.
Lin Fengqi answered quickly.
“Having fun, top boss?” Wen Xia asked, “Mr. Number One?”
With the call, the stream was disconnected, and Lin Fengqi had no idea that Wen Xia still had his mic on. After a brief silence, he asked, “Are you happy?”
Wen Xia looked at the chat, where comments were flying by, and said, “Rationally, I can’t support you burning money like this, but emotionally… yeah, I’m pretty happy.”
Lin Fengqi’s voice was soft and low. “Then I’m happy too.”
[Since when did it become okay to blatantly show off your relationship like this?]
[This is too much, too much, too much!]
[I feel like a dog, walking down the street, getting kicked, and then having my mouth stuffed with dog food. Sob sob sob.]
One viewer lamented: [Guys, this scene reminds me of one thing—this is what it means to play with fire, right? Aren’t we the ones getting burned?]
[Wake up, we’re just the pigs here.]
[Lol, damn you, lovey-dovey couple.]
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