The two men set their phones down. Huo Xun picked up the teacup the assistant had just delivered, raised it slightly toward Lu Mingcheng, and said. “Have some tea.”

“Calm your nerves.”

Lu Mingcheng, however, appeared unbothered.

He had just replied to Jiang Qiuyi with a simple “Okay” and put his phone aside.

Taking a sip of tea, Lu Mingcheng finally asked. “What kind of livestream are they watching?”

“Probably a gaming livestream,” Huo Xun replied casually.

He had overheard Li Miao mentioning it not long ago.

Lu Mingcheng paused, glancing at Huo Xun. “What kind of gaming livestream?”

“You don’t know?” Huo Xun opened an app on his phone and played a short video clip. “It’s basically watching a bunch of young guys play video games.”

Lu Mingcheng stared at the screen for half a minute before turning his gaze away.

“Is that supposed to be entertaining?”

“You just don’t get it,” Huo Xun replied, shrugging. “Gaming livestreams are incredibly popular right now. Li Miao spends a lot on gifts for these streamers every day.”

“…”

Lu Mingcheng merely hummed in response, then added after a moment’s thought, “Qiuyi isn’t that into it.”

“Really?” Huo Xun raised an eyebrow.

Lu Mingcheng nodded. He figured Jiang Qiuyi was only watching because of Li Miao.

Just as he was lost in thought, his phone vibrated again.

Picking it up, Lu Mingcheng saw it was a transaction notification.

*[Account 8888: On November 5 at 4:15 PM, a payment of ¥500,000 was made for (Livestream Recharge)…]

After reading it, Lu Mingcheng’s expression didn’t change. He silently set the phone back down.

By the way, he switched his phone to silent mode.

He was working and didn’t want any more interruptions.

After topping up the account, Jiang Qiuyi and Li Miao sat in the car and opened the livestream app.

Earlier, after finishing afternoon tea with Lin Shanshan and the others, Jiang Qiuyi had received a call from Li Miao.

That evening, at the sports center, there was going to be a live gaming event featuring Li Miao’s favorite little idol—he had been invited to participate.

Li Miao had mentioned this to Jiang Qiuyi some time ago, saying that if she managed to get tickets, they should go together.

The two had quickly agreed, and their driver had brought them over without delay.

But they had arrived early, and the weather outside had turned chilly.

Neither of them felt like braving the cold, so they stayed in the car, lounging comfortably. To pass the time, they decided to catch up on a few livestreams they had missed.

Both of them had a soft spot for clean-cut, fair-skinned young guys—there was something about their fresh, youthful energy that was simply delightful.

Plus, watching others play games was oddly relaxing and a great way to unwind.

They were fully engrossed when Jiang Qiuyi’s peripheral vision caught a flood of comments popping up in the chat.

She let out a surprised “Eh?” and exclaimed, “The fans of my little idol are asking if he’s planning to go pro.”

“Huh?”

Li Miao leaned in for a look, frowning skeptically. “No way.”

Jiang Qiuyi didn’t quite understand.

After a moment of thought, Li Miao murmured, “But it wouldn’t be surprising. Streaming games is nothing compared to going pro.”

Jiang Qiuyi blinked. “What do you mean?”

“Men all have dreams of being heroes, of winning championships. Your little idol has great skills and is still young. It’s only natural for a team to want to recruit and train him.”

Jiang Qiuyi nodded half-understandingly.

“But,” Li Miao sighed, “going pro is way more exhausting than streaming, and it’s not necessarily lucrative.”

Hearing that, Jiang Qiuyi raised her eyebrows. “How so?”

Li Miao broke it down for her.

“Professional gaming careers are tough in the beginning. You have to spend a lot on gear and equipment, and there’s no guarantee you’ll get famous or win a championship within two or three years. It’s a huge time investment.”

Having watched plenty of the esports world, Li Miao naturally knew more than Jiang Qiuyi.

“But it also depends on the team. Some esports organizations have money to burn, while others are broke as hell.”

Jiang Qiuyi: “…”

She stared at her little idol in the video for a while and said softly, “Well, let’s hope my little idol gets a good team.”

“Mm.”

By the time the two got out of the car, a lot of fans were already entering the venue.

Jiang Qiuyi and Li Miao bought hand banners from a street vendor and queued up to go inside.

Their seats were in the front row, offering an excellent view.

As they settled in, Jiang Qiuyi felt a flutter of excitement. This was her first time watching a live event in person.

“When are they coming out?”

Li Miao glanced at her watch. “We’ll have to wait a little longer.”

A guy sitting next to Jiang Qiuyi overheard and turned to glance at her. “Is this your first time watching one of these?”

Jiang Qiuyi paused briefly before replying, “Yeah.”

The guy looked at her and Li Miao for a moment before muttering under his breath, “Rich ladies, huh.”

Jiang Qiuyi: “…”

Not long after, the entire venue erupted in screams.

Jiang Qiuyi looked up just in time to see her little idol making his entrance.

Li Miao was beyond excited, letting out a couple of thrilled exclamations. “He’s here! He’s here!”

Jiang Qiuyi chuckled, raising her hand banner to cheer for her idol.

The guy sitting next to her glanced over, his eyes landing on her banner. “You’re a fan of Chen Fu?”

Jiang Qiuyi nodded. “Mm-hmm.”

The guy smirked slightly and remarked, “Figures. When someone looks that good, they’re bound to have a lot of fans.”

Jiang Qiuyi paused for a moment before replying. “He’s also really good at gaming.”

More than that, she thought to herself. His hands were beautiful, his voice was soothing, and he had a clean, refreshing vibe. Sure, he might let a curse or two slip during games, but he was worlds apart from the typical brash, greasy guys.

The guy gave a faint smile. “Fair enough.”

Then he added, “But it’s a shame, really.”

“What’s a shame?” Jiang Qiuyi asked, puzzled.

“He’s about to join BBC’s team. His future doesn’t look too bright.”

Jiang Qiuyi: “…”

She stayed silent for a moment before asking curiously, “Is the BBC team not good?”

“It’s not just ‘not good.’ It’s really bad,” the guy replied, his tone a mix of boredom and amusement. Whether he was just killing time or genuinely interested in explaining, he ended up giving Jiang Qiuyi a crash course on esports team dynamics.

For example, BBC was notoriously underfunded. The owner was apparently broke, and while they were always recruiting new talent, the ones they brought in were mediocre at best—no standout players among them.

He also mentioned that many players had left the team because of how dire things were. The conditions were so bleak that staying on felt hopeless.

…

After hearing all this, Jiang Qiuyi was quiet for a moment before asking. “Then why would he still choose to join them?”

“It’s still better than just streaming all the time,” the guy said with a mocking tone. “Besides, Chen Fu looks like someone with ambition.”

On that point, Jiang Qiuyi had to agree.

She had watched several of Chen Fu’s streams and knew he was the kind of person who thrived under pressure. He was someone who never gave up, no matter how slim the odds.

“Then…” Jiang Qiuyi hesitated, a peculiar idea forming in her mind. “Isn’t there anyone wealthy enough to invest in a team?”

The guy chuckled lightly. “Do you know how much it costs to invest in an esports team? At least tens of millions, sometimes over a hundred million. And you don’t see returns in the short term. Unless someone has so much money they don’t know what to do with it, no one’s going to make that kind of investment.”

Jiang Qiuyi’s eyes lit up. She looked at him eagerly. “How much would it cost to buy a team?”

The guy blinked. “?”

Jiang Qiuyi rephrased her question. “Is it more expensive to buy an existing team or start a new one?”

“…”

After that question, the guy completely stopped engaging with her.

Jiang Qiuyi was bewildered.

She was genuinely asking, not joking!

This live event was more for entertainment than serious competition. Most of the participants weren’t full-time professionals—several were popular streamers invited specifically for the occasion.

Even so, the gameplay was thrilling.

Jiang Qiuyi couldn’t quite describe the feeling. She didn’t really understand much about gaming, but watching the matches filled her with excitement, as if she were reliving the vigor of her youth.

Seeing the young faces on stage, brimming with energy and passion, she felt inspired.

If given the chance, she genuinely wanted to support her little idol.

As the event ended and the crowd began to disperse, Jiang Qiuyi and Li Miao were about to leave when the guy from earlier suddenly said. “It depends on the situation.”

Jiang Qiuyi turned to him in surprise. “Are you talking to me?”

The guy nodded, handing her his business card. In a calm tone, he said, “I’m actually a retired professional player. I used to be with BBC.”

“Oh,” Jiang Qiuyi responded, taking a glance at the card. His name was Qiu Jianbai.

“Nice to meet you.”

Qiu Jianbai looked at her and asked in a low voice, “Were you serious about that question earlier?”

Jiang Qiuyi replied calmly. “I wasn’t joking.”

Qiu Jianbai’s eyelid twitched slightly. After a moment, he said, “If you’re genuinely interested, we might be able to discuss this further.”

The truth was, Qiu Jianbai had come to the event today with the intention of finding someone.

Due to an injury to his hand, he could no longer compete professionally, but his dream of making it in the gaming world hadn’t died.

Jiang Qiuyi exchanged a glance with Li Miao before saying thoughtfully. “I’ll think about it.”

She accepted his business card and said softly. “I’ll contact you once I’ve made up my mind.”

Qiu Jianbai nodded. “Feel free to look up my background. I’m not lying.”

“Alright, thank you.”

After parting ways with Li Miao, Jiang Qiuyi took another look at Qiu Jianbai’s business card.

She paused for a few seconds before going online to search for information about him.

It turned out Qiu Jianbai hadn’t been lying. He had once been a highly promising professional player, but an accident had left his hand unable to endure long hours of gaming. Following this, he left BBC and vanished from the esports scene.

Out of curiosity, Jiang Qiuyi also looked up information about BBC.

The records showed that BBC hadn’t won a championship in a very long time and hadn’t qualified for major tournaments in years. Players who joined the team often left disheartened and empty-handed.

This team was on the verge of collapse.

After reading up on it, Jiang Qiuyi thought for a moment and sent a message to Li Miao.

Jiang Qiuyi: [Do you know how I can get in touch with Chen Fu?]

Li Miao: […Send him a message through the streaming platform? Or DM him on Weibo and let him know you’re the ‘rich lady’ who’s been sending him gifts.]

Jiang Qiuyi: [Okay.]

Li Miao: [Wait, are you serious? What are you trying to do?]

Jiang Qiuyi: [I just looked up some information about BBC. I don’t think it’s a good team. I want to ask him if he’s already signed with them.]

Li Miao: […You’re not seriously thinking about investing in a team after talking to that guy, are you?]

Jiang Qiuyi: *[I actually am.]

After all, aside from shopping, there wasn’t much else she spent Lu Mingcheng’s money on.

If this could be a way to support her idol’s dream, she thought it was worth considering.

Whether it worked out or not didn’t matter—Lu Mingcheng wouldn’t miss the money.

Her ultimate goal was clear: spend all of Lu Mingcheng’s money!

^_^