Chapter 17: The Online Love Rival Becomes a Charmer (17)

Chapter 17: The Online Romance Supporting Female Lead Becomes Universally Adored (17)

Jiang Yiyi’s comments shattered the enchanting atmosphere Tang Qing had created while singing. Many netizens echoed her sentiments:

“LOL, y’all who said they wanted to date a scammer earlier are both dumb and shady. Hope you all date trash next!”

“Some comments are really sketchy. Sure, Tang Qing is repaying the money, but she did scam people. Are some of you really just going to forgive her like that?”

“I’ve been wanting to say this—you’re all going too far. Jiang Yiyi is the unluckiest victim here. Comparing her to Tang Qing is bad enough, but now you’re even putting her down while lifting Tang Qing up!”

The live chat grew increasingly hostile until Tang Qing finally spoke up: “I’m sorry. I know what I did was wrong. It’s true that I scammed people, and I understand if some can’t forgive me.”

“I’m doing my best to repay the money and minimize the harm I’ve caused.”

Her apology seemed sincere, and she backed it up with action—immediately returning the 10,000-yuan prize money (~$1,200) she had just received. “Please stop comparing me to Jiang Yiyi. This was entirely my fault. Jiang Yiyi is truly wonderful. I was just being a hot mess when I stole her photos…”

“Save your fake tears! Jiang Yiyi is unlucky to have been bitten by you!” Seeing Tang Qing’s apology only fueled Jiang Yiyi’s anger. Here she goes again—playing innocent to win everyone’s sympathy!

Jiang Yiyi couldn’t understand why anyone would still side with Tang Qing. She was the real victim here!

“Stop pretending! You must be so proud of yourself, playing innocent and winning over so many people. You’re almost fully redeemed now!”

“You scheming b*tch [censored]. Just hearing you talk makes me sick.”

Just as Jiang Yiyi was about to type more, a massive burst of Weibo Super Fireworks suddenly exploded across her screen—a platform gift effect?

Someone was gifting Tang Qing?

A single firework effect cost 880 yuan (~$120), and this barrage had at least ten of them! The glitzy spam completely drowned out Jiang Yiyi’s paid highlighted comments, rendering her words invisible amidst the light show.

Damn it! Who’s this simp supporting Tang Qing now?!

Furious, Jiang Yiyi kept typing, but the fireworks didn’t stop either—for 10 freaking minutes, the screen was lit up nonstop!

By the time Jiang Yiyi’s fingers ached and she paused to check the live stream again, the mood had shifted entirely:

“Wow, a big spender just showed up! Did anyone count how many fireworks that was?”

“Too many to count. At 880 yuan (~$120) each, that must’ve been at least a hundred just now…”

“Who’s this moneybags? So generous!”

“Here for the whale! Speaking of which, if someone this rich is willing to throw donations at Tang Qing, repaying her debts should be a breeze, right?”

The live chat had already forgotten Jiang Yiyi’s earlier comments, now fixated on the mystery of the generous donor’s identity…

Even Tang Qing was shook. She had only gone live today to maintain the hype around *Big Dream* and maybe earn some tips to speed up her repayments while grinding her redemption arc.

But this? This was beyond expectations.

“It’s Yang Mingyue,” the system quickly identified the gifter. “The Second Male Lead. While Jiang Yiyi was busy cursing you out, he used gifts to shut her up.”

So it was him…

Heh. What a two-faced guy. Last time they met, Yang Mingyue had acted like she had cooties—yet here he was, secretly unable to bear seeing his little "white lotus" suffer.

She side-eyed the camera, though she expertly masked the excitement in her eyes. Sweetly, she said, “Thank you, User Y. I don’t know you, but I really appreciate all these donations.”

“Tang Qing says she doesn’t know the whale? Sure, Jan.”

"Don't know her yet still spends so much money, is this rich people being extra?"

"Over eighty thousand, wow. The big spender must like Tang Qing. Seeing her being criticized earlier, he shut the haters down."

On the other side of the screen, Yang Mingyue pursed his lips, his gaze unable to tear away from the person on the screen.

Yang Mingyue had known for a long time that Tang Qing was the author of "Someone Like Me." He knew way too well her voice. The moment she sang, he recognized it—this was Tang Qing's song.

During their relationship, Tang Qing had never sung for him. Turns out she could sing like this... She had never sung for him, yet who knew how many other guys she had sung for behind his back!

Instinctively, Yang Mingyue wanted to turn off the song, but he couldn’t bring himself to. Unconsciously, he had it on repeat.

As for the livestream in the afternoon, Yang Mingyue couldn’t explain why he clicked in. He just inexplicably kept it running, his eyes fixed on this con artist—watching her brows, her lips, her face...

Over and over, he told himself: This is just a fraud! A woman who specializes in scamming money and emotions!

But when that flashy superchat appeared, even though Yang Mingyue knew the person was speaking the truth, he couldn’t control his hands. Especially when he saw Tang Qing apologize—Yang Mingyue grew even angrier! Who knew why he was angry? Subconsciously, he just didn’t want to hear Tang Qing apologize, didn’t want to see her look wronged...

By the time he snapped out of it, he had already spammed fireworks for a full ten minutes. "Damn it, what’s wrong with me?!"

"Netizen Y, are you still there? If it’s convenient, let’s add each other as friends. I’ll refund the gift money, though the platform takes 55%, so I can only return 45%. Hope you don’t mind!"

Tang Qing was still speaking on screen. Yang Mingyue’s lips pressed even tighter. Refund? Wasn’t this woman here to sing for money because she was broke? What’s with the sudden moral high ground now?

Suddenly, the image of Tang Qing at the basketball court flashed in Yang Mingyue’s mind—that dorky bear. He had noticed it from the start. Every time he scored, that silly bear would jump excitedly. Such an enthusiastic mascot was rare, so Yang Mingyue paid extra attention. Never did he imagine the person inside was Tang Qing.

When she took off the mascot suit, Tang Qing was drenched, looking utterly pitiful—her damp eyes, flushed cheeks, and shallow breaths... Yang Mingyue was definitely hexed! He could remember every single detail of Tang Qing that day with perfect clarity.

This woman must’ve put him under a spell!

"Netizen Y, are you still there?"

"If you are, please respond to my friend request."

Tang Qing’s voice reached his ears again. Yang Mingyue snapped back to reality and quickly replied, "Keep it."

As if fleeing something, he signed off in a hurry—terrified of losing it all over again if he heard Tang Qing’s voice.

"Tang Qing, the Second Male Lead’s love meter keeps fluctuating! Sometimes up by 5, then down by 5. What’s he thinking?"

"Huh? Now it’s up by 18? Then down again..." The system was baffled by Yang Mingyue’s weird mood spikes.

"Nothing. He just hasn’t figured it out yet."

Pfft. Typical mixed signals—he just likes her but is too stubborn to own up to it...