Chapter 96: Post-Game Live Stream

Chapter 96: Post-Game Live Stream

The fans of Erbai, who once thought they'd be left hanging after each meal, suddenly found themselves at peace with the world, their lives bright and filled with the sweet songs of birds.

After finishing his work, Chen Yibai went live late into the night to chat with them, occasionally accompanied by Xu Sinian—a royal treatment that was usually unimaginable but had become a regular occurrence.

"You really don't take breaks, Chen Yibai! You're working all year round!"

"Good friend everywhere, Brother Chen Erbai's neighbor was there right from the start of his broadcasts. You've known each other for so long! And you didn't mention that your neighbor is Xu Sinian, Brother Bai!"

"So it turns out that the first person to support Old Xu and Yibai online was actually Sister Qing! What great taste, my Sister Qing!"

"Hold on a second, 3XL is Friend Brother's younger brother, and Friend Brother is Xu Sinian...3XL, you didn't mention that your own brother is Xu Sinian!"

"The happiest little brother in the world has been born, with an older brother like Xu Sinian and another big brother in Yibai. What good deeds did you do in your past life, kid?"

On this ordinary day, the fans of Erbai came to deeply appreciate the foresight of Yu Jiaori and the prowess of xlll.

Chen Erbai's account, which didn't have any special content, saw a surge of new visitors, who viewed his previous posts through a new lens. The fans finally noticed the details that were everywhere.

"So many notification images are of dining tables, and so many photos show two sets of bowls and chopsticks. Living close by is great, isn't it, Neighbor Brother?"

"Moving once only to end up as neighbors again, I thought it was quite coincidental...but this doesn't look like a coincidence at all, Neighbor Brother! Do you have something up your sleeve?"

"Good news: the CP I ship now has faces. Bad news: one of them is my wife (closing eyes)."

"I went through the old videos, and now I'm going to lose my wife. Old Xu even has the key to Yibai's house. How can anyone compete with that? [Crying Cat Face.jpg]"

That afternoon featured a match between the teams advancing to the finals. Chen Yibai stayed behind, sitting in the audience for a while, watching the victorious team lift the trophy and applauding along with the crowd.

With the match over, the arduous day of work was finally done. When he returned to the backstage lounge, he felt like he was floating as he sat down on a chair.

He didn't leave immediately upon returning. Staff members and some players from various teams came over seeking autographs, which he gave, along with taking a couple of group photos. The not-too-big lounge was bustling with people coming and going until it was almost time to leave, and the number of people gradually dwindled.

After taking a photo with the last team's player, when everyone had left, Chen Yibai returned the signing pen to his agent.

There were still things left in the lounge, so Li Qingzhou, after watching the game, also returned to his room for a bit. All the lounges were on the same corridor, and the door wasn't tightly closed, allowing him to hear the constant commotion from the hallway.

It was unclear how long he waited, but eventually, the noise in the hallway died down. He casually slung his shoulder bag over his back, put his phone in his pocket, bent down to pick up the bouquet of flowers on the table, and opened the door to step out.

The door to the lounge opposite was ajar, and as he approached, he could faintly hear voices inside.

A pink-haired figure was hunched over in a seat, engrossed in their phone. With a kick off the ground, the chair spun halfway around, and the figure looked up at the agent standing nearby, saying, "I won't be going back to the neighborhood tomorrow after work."

"Going to your friend's place?"

"Mm," the person slumped in the chair smiled, their messy hair framing a pair of curved eyebrows and eyes, as they said, "He's coming back tomorrow."

Upon finishing his sentence, as if sensing something, he glanced towards the door, his eyes slightly widening before breaking into a smile. He waved a hand and said, "Vegetable congee."

Then, looking at the bouquet, he asked, "What's this?"

He indeed loved to smile—smiling when he got what he wanted, smiling at amusing events, and smiling at friends.

"It's a flower arrangement I made. I haven't learned much about it, so it can't compare to what my sister does."

Lifting out the small card filled with words from the flowers and slipping it into his pocket, Li Qingzhou smiled and said, "After all, I'm still your fan."

Being a regular fan was enough.

Compared to other fans, he was also a friend, and that was already more than enough.

Considering various factors, Chen Yibai no longer accepted flowers from any fans outside of work, but he could accept flowers from friends.

The flowers were beautiful, with unique colors similar to those of a sunset, giving the impression of a sky at dusk at a glance.

Seeing that Li Qingzhou had already shouldered his bag, indicating he was ready to leave, Chen Yibai held the flowers and waved at his buddy. "Let's play together again in a couple of days."

The mention of gaming brought up sad memories, shattering the brief happiness. Chen Moubai couldn't resist wiping his face.

Li Qingzhou had initially mimicked his gesture, waving a hand, but couldn't help laughing. In the end, he bid farewell amidst his efforts to stifle his laughter.

The champion team departed with their glory, the audience dispersed, and the month-long summer tournament came to an end.

During peak evening hours, the organizers followed protocol to announce the ranking of the champion team and other teams, tagging the champion team, sponsors, and two guest stars.

The process was supposed to be routine, merely a formality, but a staff member accidentally tagged @Chen Erbai.

The mistake was quickly discovered and corrected to @Chen Yibai. The staff member re-edited the post and sent it again, but someone had already taken a screenshot of the original version.

"Hahaha, was it intentional or just a slip-up! Chen Yibai must be shattered right now, haha"

"Reflect on why everyone else retweeted this post except for Chen Yibai, hahaha"

"Chen Yibai's verbal slip is 100% funny, but the guest star @Chen Erbai is 10000% hilarious"

"Hahaha, stop it. Yibai really tried his best. He even resisted playing his favorite fishing mini-game today!"

His side business was exposed again, following the release of No. 33. Chen Yibai once again quit his phone.

But it only lasted half a day. In the afternoon, he turned on his phone on time to answer his good neighbor's call, heading home together after work. Upon returning, he faced a barrage from Chen Yiwan.

The college student was home on vacation, and the family rarely gathered together.

A wonderful day began when he remembered during a conversation that he had promised to go live after resting the next day.

At nine o'clock in the evening, Ms. Jiang, always committed to health, and Mr. Xu went to bed. The king of staying up late decided the world was just fine and unusually went to sleep early, forgetting things early as well.

The price of sleeping early was waking up early.

The next morning at seven, the sunlight from outside the floor-to-ceiling window crept through the gaps in the curtains, casting a bright streak on the floor. The person on the bed turned over, their eyes opening wide like copper bells.

Once awake, Chen Moubai couldn't fall back asleep. He got up with his messy hair to wash up.

Yiwan woke up when he did. While he was washing up, Yiwan kept circling around his feet, staring at him with drool hanging from the corner of its mouth, as if it were about to speak.

With a toothbrush in his mouth, Chen Bai first went to open the room door for it, letting Yiwan go downstairs to have breakfast on its own.

The sound of Yiwan's paws quickly faded away as he retracted his gaze. Returning to the bathroom, he spat out the foam from his mouth and splashed water on his face before pulling out his phone and opening an app that he usually avoided unless necessary.

He was still logged into Chen Erbai's account, where messages and notifications piled up, indicated by the "+999" badges, asserting their presence.

A white one who kept his promises, he had already announced that he would stream today. Enduring the ache in his teeth, he lowered his head to type out the streaming time for today before swiftly shutting off his phone.

After finishing his wash-up and heading downstairs, he thought he had risen early enough. However, everyone else in the family was already awake except for a certain younger brother who had pulled an all-nighter and was still fast asleep. This included his good neighbor who had just returned from abroad and should have been adjusting to the time difference.

Ms. Jiang and Mr. Xu weren't working today, planning to take Hao Dashun out for a stroll after breakfast.

Ever since they had Yiwan, every time they stepped out, people would rave about how adorable Hao Dashun was. Gradually, they became accustomed to taking Hao Dashun along whenever they went out, basking in the chorus of compliments.

Watching the two humans and one Yiwan leave until the front door closed, Chen Moubai finally looked away.

His good neighbor glanced at him. "Did you sleep with Yiwan again last night?"

Leaning back in his chair and taking a shallow sip of soy milk, he nodded, smiling. "Yiwan is very comfortable to hug."

A big one, it could be petted and hugged, perfect for resting your arm on while sleeping. An excellent bed companion, Bai swallowed a mouthful of soy milk and said, "I might have to sleep with it for the rest of my life."

"..."

Xu Sinian didn't respond this time, quietly removing a strand of white fluff stuck in his hair.

Bowing his head to let his good neighbor do her thing, Chen Moubai downed the rest of the drink in his cup once her hand left his head. After wiping his mouth, he bid farewell and headed upstairs.

He needed to get ready for his stream.

Today was Sunday. By afternoon, those who had rested enough would likely be awake, making evening the peak viewing time. After calculating, he decided that morning was best.

Morning was good, with fewer viewers.

Back in his room, he had streamed here many times before. With all the equipment readily available and easy to operate, he simply needed to sit down and turn on his computer.

He knew his place, still a gaming streamer. As he powered up his computer, he also messaged his Qinqinzhōu buddy.

His buddy planned to stream in the evening but could play with him in the morning. They responded with an "OK" emoji.

With his buddy found and the time nearly upon him, he opened the streaming software, skillfully adjusted the settings, and tweaked the webcam slightly. Deciding it was good enough, he retracted his hands and clicked to start the stream.

It wasn't a false impression; even with his carefully chosen streaming time, things didn't seem quite right. The chat messages in the lower-left corner popped up slower than usual. It wasn't due to fewer messages, but because too many people entered the live room at once, causing some lag.

Temporarily ignoring the lagging chat, Chen Moubai greeted the viewers as usual.

"Hello Chen Yibai, I'm Chen Erbai's relative, Chen Sanbai."

"Hahaha, Erbai, you really keep your promises. When you said you'd stream, you meant it!"

"Why still no face! Erbai, you're not planning to continue pretending, are you? (Wide-eyed)"

"As a salaryman, I worked all day yesterday and only saw the trending topic this morning... Who understands me! I truly believed Erbai's words and always thought he didn't show his face because he wasn't good-looking! Chen Erbai, say it again with your conscience!"

"A new fan of Erbai here, where am I? Why haven't I seen this place before?"

New fans of Erbai referred to those who had always been fans of Yibai, starting to catch up on past streams yesterday but hadn't finished yet. They felt unfamiliar with this new map they hadn't seen before.

Some chat messages helped explain, finding this question the easiest to answer. Chen Erbai thus gave a simple response: "This is a friend's house. I come here to play when I'm resting."

The original viewers didn't know who this friend was, only knowing it must be Neighbor Brother. Now aware of the truth, they immediately associated this White with Chen Yibai and others, recognizing who "friend" referred to without needing to think.

"No wonder you kept praising Brother Friend as handsome! If Xu Sinian isn't handsome, who is!"

"Yibai has already been taken home. Some things are no longer possible. Those present should nip their little thoughts in the bud. [Lighting a cigarette.jpg]"

"Is Brother Friend at home today? [Cat Peeking.jpg]"

"Back then, it took a long time to realize that the friend Yibai always mentioned was Xu Sinian. Turns out Brother Xu has a new title here as Neighbor Brother. Seems we've all been kept in the dark for a long time. (Closed Eyes)"

"At home."

Skilled in entering the game, Chen Erbai said, "But he just returned from abroad and should be resting."

Upon completing the game loading, he connected with Qinqinzhōu.

Qinqinzhōu typically only streamed in the evenings. This time, he was simply accompanying him to play, not streaming himself. The viewers in the live room couldn't see his expression, but they could roughly guess what he looked like.

"Well, now the meet-up has turned into a successful fan-meeting scene. You must be thrilled, kid!"

"Qinqinzhōu never gets up this early to play games. Indeed, Yibai is the source of strength. (Pointing and gesturing)"

"Who understands the complexity of my emotions right now? Once a staunch supporter of the White Congee couple, it turns out Qinqinzhōu likes Chen Yibai, and on Erbai's side, there's Neighbor Brother. I gave up, only to find out today that Chen Yibai and Chen Erbai are the same person. Just as I was getting excited, I remembered that Neighbor Brother is Xu Sinian."

After connecting the voice chat and starting the game, Chen Erbai stopped paying attention to the chat.

As long as he didn't turn on the camera and his face remained unseen, he was still the diligent gaming streamer, Chen Erbai.

Winning four consecutive games yesterday was standard practice for him. Today, logging into his own account, he played in high-level matches, which seemed just as relaxed.

Fans who didn't play games couldn't understand the moves, but that didn't stop them from feeling the smoothness of the operations. Ignorant, but thoroughly engrossed.

Initially unaware of what being a game streamer specifically entailed, they assumed yesterday's winning streak had a certain element of luck. But after watching several rounds, the netizens seeing the stream for the first time finally understood the value of top-tier streamers who could disappear for months and return to broadcasting, still ranking high on the popularity charts.

Most of the time, the fingers that usually held scripts and pens now rested on the black keyboard, slender and pale, striking the keys with force. The keyboard was a green switch model, producing a crisp sound with each press, clear and decisive.

After playing several rounds, the screen displayed the victory message again. Chen Erbai leaned back, slightly moving his somewhat stiff wrist.

Qingzhou had some matters to attend to and temporarily left, turning the following period into a time for casual chatter. He finally found the opportunity to carefully glance at the barrage comments.

The barrage... the barrage was asking about the brand of his keyboard.

Netizens who didn't usually play games were now intrigued by the game but oddly more captivated by the keyboard.

Normally, Chen Erbai would have just said it, but things were a bit different now. He wasn't just Chen Erbai, so he replied, "An uncle bought this for me, so I'm not too sure."

The audience in the live stream took a moment to realize that this uncle likely referred to the father of a certain good friend.

"Remembering the previously mentioned but never fully understood Aunt Jiang... So they knew each other's parents and had a good relationship back then!"

"This is unfair! No wonder no one has pursued Chen Yibai for so many years! It's a losing battle from the start!"

"This gift is completely tailored to Erbai's preferences. That pajama set was also very nice, with a puppy that Yibai likes on it. Truly thoughtful! I approve of this match!"

The lower left corner of the screen kept changing. Chen Bai adjusted his headset, intending to reach for his water cup habitually, only to remember that he had finished his soy milk and left without bringing a cup today upon seeing the empty desk. Thus, he retracted his hand.

When he looked up again, he didn't see the previous barrage comments, but he did see the latest praise for the pajamas with the puppy that Aunt Jiang picked out. Leaning against the back of his chair, he pondered for a moment and said, "That set was bought by Old Xu, you'd have to ask him."

He only learned about this matter when a certain Xu-named neighbor transitioned into a quasi-boyfriend and they discussed the topic.

Master Water Pourer thought about it again and added, "The ones Aunt Jiang picked out are also quite nice."

Finally, the water was evenly distributed.

"So cute puppies, you really understand us, Brother Xu!"

"So Yibai knew that the flowers he received after the variety show ended weren't sent by the production team?"

"Flowers?"

Chen Yibai still remembered the flowers from back then; he could recall their beauty even now. Resting his chin on his hand, he slightly raised his eyes. "They weren't sent by the production team?"

With pictures and evidence, enthusiastic netizens online found the screenshots taken at the time, circling the two simple flowers that should have been on the gift box sent by the director.

This was the true appearance of the flowers.

It couldn't be said that they were identical; they were unrelated.

By the time the netizens posted the picture, but before they could explain in detail, he had just opened the image when a knock came from outside the door, neither light nor heavy, two knocks.

Just as he wasn't gaming and there was no sound in his headphones, he could hear the knock clearly. Turning his head, he said, "Come in."

The person knocking was Old Xu, mentioned earlier, dressed in gray casual loungewear. He entered the room carrying a water cup and a plate of fruit slices. Approaching, he placed the fruit slices on the table and handed over the water cup.

The water cup was a custom-made one to celebrate Chen Yiwan's third birthday, with every family member having one. There was even a pink-eared yay on it. Chen Yibai admired it for a moment, growing increasingly satisfied, before holding the water cup and drinking heartily.

Halfway through the cup, he finally put it down, looking up to ask, "Why aren't you resting?"

The jet lag wasn't easy to adjust to, and he thought that after eating breakfast, he should have gone back to rest.

Xu Sinian said it was alright, he didn't need to rest now. Chen Moubai gave him an extra look, confirming that he indeed looked energetic, then nodded. Afterward, he casually asked about the flowers mentioned during the variety show, glancing at the screen and saying, "They say those weren't sent by the production team."

Xu Sinian lowered his head, following his line of sight to see the picture on the screen. Nodding, he agreed, saying, "I sent them, assuming you would like them."

Indeed, Chen Moubai liked them, taking them home and casually turning them into dried flowers to use as bookmarks.

A certain major actor admitted too quickly and naturally, leaving the netizens who had been quietly listening on the side momentarily stunned.

"Brother Xu, how can you admit it so openly? Didn't you send them so cautiously before, pretending they were from the production team??"

"Bros, my wife seems to be slipping away [Stunned.jpg]"

"Bad news, we've become accomplices, letting this man take advantage of the situation to reveal everything"

"So the camera really doesn't plan to turn on? Let me see the scene, wail wail!"

"I'm different, I've set my sights on the water cup, so where's Yiwan! Want to see the puppy!"

Another old story was exposed, but Chen Moubai didn't elaborate. Lowering his head, he picked up a piece of fruit and handed it over, sending the good neighbor away with a piece of fruit to rest for a bit.

The room door was closed again. Watching the door close, Chen Yibai shifted his gaze back. When he turned around, he saw the latest barrage comment and said, "Yiwan and Uncle and Auntie went out to play, they'll probably be back at noon. If they return, I'll let you see them."

After chatting for another two minutes, Qingzhou returned from answering a phone call, and the game continued.

Today, a certain Bai played the fishing minigame he had been longing for from all aspects, feeling good and winning another round. As the game displayed the victory screen, the lower left corner of the screen kept popping up gift messages.

He hadn't checked for a while, and a large pile of gifts had been sent again, the rough amount far exceeding his usual earnings, becoming the number one on the platform's full-end list. Not continuing to the next round, he stopped in time, moving the mouse to search for the button to close the gifts.