Chapter 30

The backstage leaders of Whale Live were thrilled.

“Where did this Haliyeh get so many brain-dead fans? Increase his exposure, and make him trend first. Consumption is stimulated; let more people come to listen! Display the amount of 099 gifted on the homepage. For the title, use ‘A Millionaire Throws Millions, Blogger Smiles!'”

So after Yang Yunran solemnly thanked Mr. 099 for his gift, 099 floated a line in the barrage: “It’s okay, you sang very well.”

From the tone, it sounded like an elderly gentleman.

Yang Yunran respected him even more: “If you have any favorite songs, feel free to request them in my live room.”

But 099 didn’t request any songs.

He felt that whatever Yang Yunran sang was good; he had no musical sense, and his cultivation in this area was zero, so he told Ye Ye.

“I like whatever you sing.”

Yang Yunran was moved and sincerely said, “Thank you for your encouragement.”

After finishing the broadcast, he packed his bag and went to school.

In just one day, Yang Yunran saw a surge in his number of fans, skyrocketing to a million anchors in a day. Besides the million gift from Big Brother 099, he also received four hundred thousand…

He didn’t know where it all came from; today’s netizens are really crazy. Upon closer inspection, Yang Yunran realized the platform had boosted his traffic, placing him on the opening screen and trending, attracting more attention. Some were willing to spend lavishly, saying they would buy his album once he became famous.

The platform had been contacting him before, asking him to spend money to buy promotional space, but Yang Yunran was stubborn and frugal. He firmly believed that he didn’t need to spend money to gain visibility.

His inbox was bursting. Yang Yunran didn’t check his phone during class, only seeing the messages after class:

“Teacher Ye Ye, I just started following you today and found out you have a Samoyed at home. It’s a coincidence; our brand’s ambassador is also a Samoyed. Can I ask Teacher Ye Ye to do an ad for us? I wonder if Ye Ye accepts ads?”

“Hello Teacher, this is YAMAHA China PR. We’d like to sponsor guitars and pianos for Teacher~”

“Teacher Ye Ye, look at me, sorry to bother you!! I watched your live broadcast; I’m your fan from Bilibili! I saw you using scented candles in the background, can Ye Ye endorse fragrances?”

…

Yang Yunran was having trouble filtering through them all.

Many people had approached him for collaboration recently, most asking if he would sign contracts or help with album production.

There were also advertisements, but there hadn’t been sponsorships as big as Yamaha’s before.

He used to accept advertisements, but all endorsements had to go through his agent.

Layer by layer screening, brands that are unqualified or risky are absolutely not allowed for him to take on.

Now Yang Yunran has started to screen himself. He confirms three 30-second ads in a day, besides live broadcasts, also on all platforms for video releases, charging each company a fee of three hundred thousand for advertisements.

He didn’t take the dog food one but informed PR: “I’ll go to the supermarket to buy some of your brand of dog food. I’ll reply to you after I’ve tried it.”

Because he earned money, Yang Yunran invited Jimmy to a big dinner in the evening.

Jiang Yi’s message came again, asking what he was doing.

Yang Yunran hesitated for a long time and replied to him half an hour later: “Having dinner with Jimmy.”

It’s almost Saturday, and he doesn’t know why Jiang Yi is taking so long to consider breaking up.

The two have actually broken up, that’s how it is for him, but Jiang Yi is still lingering.

Jiang Yi replied: “Okay, any plans after dinner?”

“I’m going home, I have early classes tomorrow.” Yang Yunran asked him, “Have you made up your mind?”

Jiang Yi: “Three more days, give me some more time.”

Yang Yunran seemed a bit indifferent: “OK.”

Jiang Yi felt as if he was drifting away from him. He didn’t come to his house for dinner, and his response was very slow, perhaps because he never agreed to this relationship.

Jiang Yi realized that if he didn’t make a decision soon, Yang Yunran might be with someone else and really wouldn’t care about him anymore.

This is terrible…

Jiang Yi spent time analyzing the various consequences of being with Yang Yunran and what might happen.

After being together, kissing and going to bed are not necessary, he still can’t accept that for now. But this is unfair to Yang Yunran, who might break up because of this, so Jiang Yi plans to slowly cultivate his acceptance and feelings in this regard.

Maybe he can change for him, just as Yang Yunran’s somewhat non-monogamous view of relationships can also change.

It’s Yang Yunran’s birthday, and he wants to take Yang Yunran to the amusement park and then to a concert at night. Jiang Yi asked Professor Chen about it, saying that Yang Yunran rarely goes to such places, and Jiang Yi goes even less.

He didn’t know how couples usually go on dates, so he searched online for a long time and saw that there was a concert in Boston with a very famous singer. Yang Yunran had even sung one of his English songs before, so Jiang Yi bought two tickets.

Because he saw the rules after Yang Yunran brushed to the top of the list yesterday, he realized that the platform would take a cut.

And he was soon pushed to second place by Lin Liangbei.

Because Lin Liangbei gave Yang Yunran another five hundred thousand carnival coins in the live broadcast the next day.

Jiang

He also had some savings but no material desires; earning money for him was just an added value to his research. As long as he wanted to, he could be several times wealthier than Professor Chen. Fortunately, one million wasn’t much to him; he didn’t have mood swings, he just hoped to use his shining title to let Yang Yunran see his encouragement among the thousands of netizens.

Because Yang Yunran had many fans, Jiang Yi found himself appearing insignificant among them.

He didn’t like this; he wanted Yang Yunran to see him and respond to him.

However, Lin Liangbei was different from him.

He knew the real Harry, but Lin Liangbei couldn’t possibly get in touch with Yang Yunran. Lin Liangbei didn’t know what Yang Yunran’s face looked like under the mask, he knew, not only that, they were also together.

Jiang Yi called Yang Yunran, but he didn’t answer.

Jiang Yi sent a message: “Yuran, do you have any plans for your birthday tomorrow?”

Yang Yunran replied: “I’m going to the fish market with Jimmy.”

Jiang Yi said: “Your uncle has booked a restaurant and cake for you, I’ll bring the cake over tomorrow. We can go to the amusement park.”

He was indeed very serious, hoping to have a longer conversation with Yang Yunran.

But Yang Yunran’s reply was somewhat strange: “No need, I’ll pick up the cake myself, Which store? We don’t need to go to the amusement park, right?”

Jiang Yi: “Don’t you want me to celebrate with you?”

Yang Yunran: “Is it necessary…”

Jiang Yi: “It’s quite necessary.” Jiang Yi felt that being together should be taken seriously; it couldn’t be done through online messaging, so he carefully selected clothes from his wardrobe, changed, took the car keys, and went out.

Jiang Yi sent: “Are you at home now? I’m coming over.”

Yang Yunran replied: “Whatever you have to say can be said online. Have you thought it through?”

Jiang Yi: “Yes, I’ve thought it through. I want to talk to you in person.”

Yang Yunran: “Is it so formal? Haha, okay, let’s end it.”

On the way Jiang Yi drove over, he detoured to a flower shop and bought a bouquet of tulips. Because it was almost nine o’clock at night, most of the flower shops were closed, and Jiang Yi had to run to several before he found one open.

There were many tulips along the roadside in Boston in the spring, and the rich pink was wrapped in newspapers.

He put the two concert tickets in the bouquet, placed the flowers on the passenger seat, and drove to Yang Yunran’s downstairs.

Yang Yunran had been very busy these past two days; he had to manage many platform accounts simultaneously, and the traffic was starting to pick up. He earned a hundred thousand yuan in traffic every month.

He had to thank that 099; after the astonishing million yuan reward that day, the platform suddenly started to promote him vigorously

Broadcasting to a wide audience, the number of fans surged rapidly. It was nothing like the quiet live streams before. Even with just one yuan donation, the simultaneous online viewership of hundreds of thousands was astonishing. In just a few days, the income reached three or four million…

No wonder celebrities were all turning to live streaming.

Yang Yunran felt that 099 was prospering on its own.

He transferred some of the income to Yang Liming’s assistant’s card for living expenses. This money didn’t belong to him, and he never touched it.

Changing into a T-shirt, Yang Yunran went downstairs to walk the dog, messaging Jiang Yi: “Are you here? I’m going to walk the dog.”

“Five more minutes,” Jiang Yi replied, glancing nervously at the bouquet beside him, unprecedentedly tense.

As Yang Yunran descended, he spotted his car arriving. Walking towards him while holding the dog, he called out, “Jiang Yi.”

It had been a few days, and his ex-husband seemed even more handsome. Had he undergone some transformation?

Usually, his style was haphazard, but today he wore a neatly pressed black shirt, every button meticulously fastened. His features were chiseled and firm in the shadows of the car, emitting a strong aura of restraint, leaving Yang Yunran stunned by his handsomeness.

A sense of reluctance surged in Yang Yunran’s heart…

He had mingled in the entertainment industry, and seen men more handsome than Jiang Yi, but those good-looking male celebrities were often playboys. They were called scoundrels, but not without reason.

What was he trying to achieve by dressing up so handsomely? Was he trying to make him regret it?

Alright, perhaps Yang Yunran felt a tinge of regret, but he suppressed it and decided to take the initiative: “You went out of your way to come here. We’re about to cut off contact. Did you come because you wanted to see me one last time?”

Jiang Yi was about to say, “Yunran, I’ve made up my mind. Let’s get back together. Can we go out tomorrow? We can go to the amusement park, and listen to a concert together,” but he held back.

He looked at Yang Yunran with confusion.

Yang Yunran said, “You’ve always been unclear about things, and it’s been quite uncomfortable for me. I used to like you a lot, but you never reciprocated, so now I don’t like you anymore. I’ve stopped liking you. You’re great, but we’re not compatible. So, Jiang Yi… let’s delete each other’s contacts and not communicate anymore. After considering it for so many days, you should be prepared, right?” As he spoke, he caught a glimpse of the bouquet on the passenger seat…

Something felt off.

Jiang Yi probably paused for three or four seconds, his smile fading from his lips. “What do you mean? Weren’t we together?”

Suddenly, he realized that he might have misunderstood Yang Yunran’s intentions.

And Yang Yunran also suddenly realized that Jiang Yi had misunderstood his intentions.

Was Jiang Yi considering reconciliation?

Was today specifically for reconciling?

But

He bought flowers…

The two of them remained silent for a while.

Jiang Yi gazed at him for a moment, then lowered his eyes.

Yang Yunran said he didn’t like him anymore, so why did he feel so uncomfortable, like being pricked by needles?

“Can we still be friends?” Jiang Yi asked, his expression filled with melancholy, his long eyelashes hiding his pitch-black pupils.

Yang Yunran kept his mouth shut, almost slipping up.

“I want to part on good terms,” Yang Yunran resisted the pressure, almost giving in to the idea of reconciliation. He said, “Let’s leave it at that.”

Right in front of Jiang Yi, he unfriended him.

Jiang Yi looked up, sadness evident in his eyes.

Yang Yunran turned away and said, “Let’s not contact each other anymore.”

With that, he took the dog’s leash and said coldly, “Harry, don’t climb onto the car. We’re going to the park!”

In a split second, tears almost spilled from Yang Yunran’s eyes. Damn it, he should have spoken more slowly. Who knew Jiang Yi would misunderstand? He wanted to reconcile!! Really!

But Jiang Yi seemed too rational. He just sat in the car, not calling out to Yang Yunran, only reminding him to be careful while walking the dog and not to wander too far.

Yang Yunran nodded and left directly. Jiang Yi’s slender fingers rested on the door handle, wondering if he had been too unreasonable before by not responding.

He was good at reflecting on and summarizing the erroneous variables in experiments.

But back then, Jiang Yi hadn’t realized he liked Yang Yunran… He wasn’t gay, either. If it weren’t for Yang Yunran’s relentless pursuit, he wouldn’t have acted so irrationally.

Jiang Yi rapidly calculated in his mind: the probability of Yang Yunran not being with him and dating someone else was one hundred percent, and the probability of his romantic interests being unreliable was ninety percent. He didn’t want to see Yang Yunran show up at a party with Jesse, kissing, or with Jimmy, or the dog-walker, or anyone else…

Jiang Yi couldn’t accept it. If he wasn’t even a brother anymore, he would still have to pretend to be a stranger in the live broadcast room for tips… His heart felt bitter, his impulses strong, and his fingers trembled slightly on the door handle.

“Yunran,” Jiang Yi got out of the car, “can you give me another chance? I apologize for my immaturity before.”

Tulips swayed along the streets in the night breeze. Twenty meters apart, Yang Yunran stopped in his tracks.