Chapter 20: The Preliminary Rounds

Chapter 20: The Preliminary Rounds

The photography studio was filled with the sounds of shutters clicking.

Without much back and forth, Pink-haired surprisingly understood the photographer's intentions, demonstrating professionalism and full cooperation.

"OK, that's a wrap, great job!"

The photographer straightened up and made a gesture, signaling the end of the first shooting session.

Stepping out from under the lights, Pink-haired's smile instantly broadened, swiftly switching into a different state of mind.

After exchanging a few words with the photographer, he turned to his agent standing behind, waving and smiling at him.

As others were still reviewing the photos, not rushing into the next set, a brief break ensued. He sat down next to his agent, watching everyone else bustle about.

Gao Qian, observing as Pink-haired approached, furrowed his brows repeatedly before asking, "Is this really your first time in front of the camera?"

Chen Bai seated himself beside them, extending his hand to indicate a tiny distance, chuckling, "I've done a bit of part-time work before."

During high school, he briefly dabbled in this line of work.

After graduation, Chen Bai quickly took off to deliver food and work part-time at a milk tea shop while streaming online. He hadn't touched this industry since then, and the passage of time had made him rusty. Fortunately, he still held onto some fragmented memories.

Gao Qian was skeptical about the short distance Chen Bai indicated with his fingers, and his eyes flickered as he asked, "Just how many part-time jobs have you worked before?"

Chen Bai's smile remained the same, as did the minuscule gap he indicated, as he replied, "A little bit."

The photos taken so far presented no issues; they could proceed with the next set. The outfit for the next session required a change, along with adjustments to the styling and makeup. Pink-haired settled back into the makeup room once more.

The second set was shot in the studio, much like the first. However, the third set was slightly different—it would be photographed outdoors, not far from the building, on the adjacent street.

The architecture on this side of the street leaned towards an early 20th-century European style, a common location for filming.

Dressed in a dark pink jacket reminiscent of pressed flowers, Chen Bai found himself handed a bouquet of fully bloomed baby's breath.

As the photographer gestured towards the street, he instructed, "Walk over from that direction, imagine it's on your way to a date, with someone you like ahead. Just smile."

For a moment, the man holding the flowers didn't respond as promptly as before, seemingly lost in thought.

And he took an unusually long time to think.

The agent beside him watched him, suddenly realizing something eerie, and tentatively said, "If you can't think of it, just express it differently."

"This is the road to making money, with the God of Wealth ahead."

The photographer waved his hand. "That's too abstract, a bit hard to... "

Pink-haired clenched his fist, his eyes instantly brightened as he said, "I get it."

The voice was firm and powerful, the eyes clearer and more lucid than ever before.

Photographer: "Pardon?"

Photographer: "Alright, as long as you understand."

Lighting and photography were swiftly set up.

It rained yesterday, and while the rain has ceased today, the sky remains overcast, with gloomy clouds hovering above the streets. This dreariness casts a pall over the buildings and pedestrians below, everything appearing dimmed. Occasional gusts of wind sweep through.

A person clad in a pink coat strolled from the far end of the street, cradling flowers in one arm, their brow relaxed, and every gesture exuding an air of effortless ease.

It was like a flower sea after a refreshing rain, the distinct gentle comfort of spring washing over me.

Dark clouds drifted, heralding the rise of a wind that set petals dancing. A slender beam of light pierced through the dense cloud cover, filtering through the flurry of pink strands that had been tossed about, illuminating a pair of clear, sparkling eyes gleaming with a bright, warm smile.

... So this is the power of the Fortune God.

At the mention of Fortune God, his eyes lit up with a newfound clarity.

For a moment, the air was filled with the sound of shutters clicking.

Some scenes are difficult to replicate; a good photograph captures the most exquisite moment in time.

When the shutter sounds ceased and the entire street had been traversed, Pink-haired squatted by the roadside for a rest, needing not to walk it again.

With the shooting concluded and her payment received, the photographer smiled contentedly as he reviewed the photos on his camera, and Pink-haired shared in his happiness with a smile of her own.

Following the shoot, there was a brief interview. Once that was completed, the entire job could be considered finished.

The magazine was published once a month, and this photoshoot was for the special issue two months ahead. The exact outcome could only be seen in two months' time.

Chen Moubai wasn't particularly concerned about the results; he was more interested in when his payment would hit his account.

With the work done, the work permit issued to him wasn't retrieved. As a keepsake, the props used in the shoot — the baby's breath flowers — were given to him as well.

Exiting the white building, Chen Bai casually stuffed the work permit into his pocket, pondering where he should head next.

This question, however, didn't require much thought from him.

It just so happened that it was dinner time. His agent drove him to a nearby mall for a meal.

After dinner, he was promptly returned home, right on time for his livestream.

The moment he went live, fans flooded in. The first thing they saw was a pink and white bouquet sitting beside the keyboard.

Each flower was in full bloom, creating a stark contrast against the grey-black keyboard. The entire bunch of baby's breath stood out vividly.

"Erbai has something going on!!"

"Spill the beans on what you did today!"

"No, wasn't it supposed to be Erbai giving flowers to someone else?"

"You guys are quick on the uptake," Chen Bai said as he waved the bouquet in front of the camera before setting it down. "These were props for my part-time job. They gave them to me after I was done using them."

After that, he waited for his buddy to come online, then remembered something and added, "Qingzhou and I came up with an incredibly cool team name. You'll see it during tomorrow's match."

As Qingzhou went online, the chat paused, and the two of them connected smoothly.

Tomorrow was the preliminary round of the streamer tournament. Today was their last day of practice together. Though they said time was pressing, there was little sense of urgency in the live-stream room, especially after they had gotten used to working together. Chen Moubai's mouth didn't stop moving; he chatted with his buddy and then with the comment section, acting like a walking commentary machine.

Qingzhou had fully adapted to the constant chatter coming from his headphones, not letting it affect him at all. He could still hear every step he needed to, showing unprecedented growth.

The viewers in the live-stream room felt that on the day of the match, this chatty player would likely behave more seriously than usual, at least speaking less.

But in reality, that wasn't the case.

The next day, the preliminary rounds of the competition, which had been promoted for nearly a month, officially began.

The preliminary round resembled a chaotic free-for-all, with familiar streamers' IDs occasionally flashing across the official main broadcast room, creating thrilling and exhilarating moments. The heat was unprecedentedly high, and within just two hours, the audience count soared to tens of millions.

In the official main broadcast room, viewers can observe the streamers' gameplay in the match, yet the exchange of voices is inaudible. From the audience's perspective, all they can see is the Baizhou team swiftly reaping kills, leaving no one alive in their wake, with their movements being swift and stylish.

Then, captivated by the display of coolness, the audience was enticed to click into the sleek and impressive live stream.

Unlike the imagined scenario of collaborating with a calm and composed gaming deity who communicates with poised strategy, they were met with a relentless barrage of chatter the moment they entered, catching them off guard with a flurry of moves.

"How many have you seen off? Ah, seven. One more, and we'll have two full tables for mahjong."

Beyond the mountain, there was a person whose head peeked out, eager to descend the slope. He was on the verge of missing his chance to escape the encroaching poison zone. Light Boat fired a shot to assist him swiftly down the mountain, so he could join the seven Calabash Brothers, who were already forming a team to play mahjong. If they hurried, they might manage to squeeze in a couple more games.

"Just now, someone emerged from the house and asked me to check if there's anything valuable inside for him."

He added, "The kind-hearted Chen Erbai just likes doing good deeds for others."

No competition can silence a mouth that yearns to speak, and with each word fired, the aspirations of streamers for grand prizes fade away into whispers that echo like demonic murmurs.

To ensure fairness, viewers in each livestream room can send bullet comments as usual, but the streamer is unable to see them. This means that the individual in question can maintain a consistent output solely by chatting with their friends.

1. "Listening to Erbai ramble as he operates, newcomers shouldn't be afraid, neither do the old fans (fear of smoke)."

2. "Don't misunderstand, Erbai may seem talkative, but in reality, he really is."

3. "White Porridge Squad, the name is truly flashy (monotone reading)."

4. "It even sounds somewhat soothing to the stomach."

5. "Chen Erbai is truly kind (monotone reading)."

The benevolent Chen Erbai was the undisputed king of the preliminary rounds, his feet metaphorically trampling over enough fallen opponents to fill several mahjong tables, as his followers surged by the tens of thousands, catapulting him to the fastest-growing streamer of the month.

The preliminaries weeded out most of the entertainment streamers and some of the less fortunate ones. Then came the Sweet Sixteen, the Elite Eight, and the Final Four, leading up to the grand finale—a process that seemed somewhat protracted.

During this lengthy period, he couldn't even dine with his good neighbor, exacerbating an already difficult situation.

Perhaps sensing that competition paired well with meals, the platform organizers scheduled the matches during dinnertime, coinciding precisely with his good neighbor's dedicated evening dinner break, leaving him to eat alone ahead of time.

Without his dining companion, even dinner lost its appeal.

But the bonus was sweet, so Chen Moubai could bear it.

The selection matches for the Sweet Sixteen and the Elite Eight took almost a week in total, leaving only the Final Four and the Grand Finals. With fewer participants, objectively, the progress of the tournament should accelerate considerably.

Outside of the competition, Pink-haired even had the energy to stream as usual. Lightboat wasn't streaming, but he would join him on voice chat to play together.

During this time, they managed to climb the game's ranks while streaming. Now, the teammates and enemies they matched with were significantly stronger than usual, making the intensity similar to that of the matches. Occasionally, one or two professional players would pop up, which Chen Moubai, completely oblivious to such matters, wouldn't recognize. It was all his little buddies and the chat's job to alert him.

Having previously worked as a commentator, he'd already interacted with quite a few professional players from his own world due to work requirements. The Chat Genius didn't find this unusual and continued to chatter as usual, ready to snipe whenever necessary.

"By the way, we have to go take promotional photos these next couple of days. When are you going?"

"Bang—"

Suddenly, his little buddy's voice came through the headphones, catching something significant in his words. With a sudden jolt, unprepared, Chen Bai's hand holding the mouse involuntarily twitched, causing him to miss his shot.

After the misfire, relying on muscle memory, he quickly found cover and crouched down, asking, "What kind of photos?"

His little buddy explained that it was for the promotional photos of the Final Four contestants, and that the platform should have sent out a message several hours ago.

Fully engrossed in her livestream and oblivious to any messages, Pink-haired, keeping an eye on the screen's activity, swiftly pulled out her phone.