Chapter 5: The Gift  

When Lu HuaiChuan returned to his suburban studio, it was nearly half past eleven at night. As he pulled open the wooden door, the scent of paint wafted out.  

Turning on the light, he looked around the studio filled only with paintings and devoid of any human presence, feeling a pang of loneliness. If only Shen Simo could be his assistant and live with him.  

He longed for genuine companionship, for love without separation. He had always wanted someone like Shen Simo—someone who wouldn’t pity him excessively because of his legs, nor overly revere him because of his status.  

The man wheeled his chair toward the sofa. On the coffee table in front of it sat an iced Americano and a cup of steaming milk. Beneath the coffee cup was a note: *Mr. Lu, the bathwater is ready. I’ve gone to make a late-night snack and will be back soon.*  

Ignoring the note, Lu HuaiChuan picked up his sketchbook and flipped to a fresh page, quickly capturing the image of Shen Simo bending down to ask him to help with her earring. Then, starting from the first page, he slowly turned through each sheet, tenderly caressing every sketch.  

Especially the first page—the day they first met, the sight of Shen Simo telling him to be careful. He treasured it beyond measure.  

She was like a gift from heaven, quietly descending into his life.  

The evening sun had spilled over her waist-length hair, and when he looked at her against the light, she was enveloped in a golden halo.  

Her features were striking yet not aggressive, her figure slender yet with ample muscle, the lines of her body both graceful and strong. If she were just a bit taller, she could undoubtedly have been a top model for Victoria’s Secret.  

Setting down the sketchbook, Lu HuaiChuan took out his phone and repeatedly zoomed in on the only photo in his album—the one he couldn’t resist secretly taking at the art exhibition.  

The hinges of the wooden door creaked as Duan Yu hurried in with a tray, placing freshly toasted whole wheat bread in front of Lu HuaiChuan. He stood beside him with his head slightly bowed. “Mr. Lu, Lu HuaiLin—President Lu—came looking for you earlier. He’s upstairs now…”  

“I see. You can go rest now.”  

“Alright. Let me take you upstairs.” With that, Duan Yu began pushing the wheelchair toward the nearby elevator.  

“No need. I’ll go up myself.”  

Lu HuaiLin, Lu HuaiChuan’s younger brother. Though Lu HuaiChuan didn’t live with his family, the two brothers met quite frequently.  

Their relationship was good, with Lu HuaiLin often being the one who clung to his older brother.  

Lu HuaiChuan was dexterous—as a child, he loved making toys but didn’t care much for playing with them, so he handed all his imperfect creations to his younger brother. Lu HuaiLin enjoyed them immensely, naturally growing close to his brother.  

Moreover, Lu HuaiChuan’s easygoing nature and his way of speaking and acting always put others at ease. As a result, even after reaching adulthood, Lu HuaiLin treated his brother’s home as a sanctuary. Whether it was conflicts with the family, setbacks at work, or emotional troubles, he would always run to his brother’s place.  

As the elevator doors opened, Lu HuaiChuan saw his brother, dressed in a suit, sprawled inelegantly on the sofa, staring at his phone with a silly grin, as if he wanted to crawl into the screen itself. Lu HuaiChuan couldn’t help but frown in distaste.  

“Bro, why’d you take so long?” Lu HuaiLin remained in his slouched position. “I’ve been waiting for you all night.”

“I’m going out to meet a friend for dinner. What’s up?”

He set his phone aside and immediately straightened up with a serious expression. “Nothing much. I just wanted to see you. You’ve been busy with your art exhibition, and I’ve been on business trips. We haven’t seen each other in nearly two months.”

Lu HuaiChuan: “No visit without a reason.”

Lu HuaiLin: “Bro, you’ve got plenty of experience with relationships. How do you win over a streamer?”

Lu HuaiChuan: “Send gifts, at least get her to notice you first.”

Lu HuaiLin: “I’ve already spent 150,000, and I still can’t even get into her fan group—though she doesn’t really have one to begin with. Back when I first stumbled onto her stream, I had just joined the company. Every day, I was mocked by the old management and questioned by the shareholders, lying awake at night worrying about stock prices. That’s when I happened to come across her…”

Lu HuaiChuan shrugged, signaling him to continue.

But Lu HuaiLin froze as if struck by a spell, swallowing repeatedly, a faint blush creeping under his skin. “She’s really good at comforting people—better than my therapist.”

Watching his hopeless demeanor, Lu HuaiChuan grew even more curious, raising an eyebrow with interest. “From the time you joined the company till now is only five months. 150,000 in five months means 30,000 a month. After the platform’s cut, she didn’t get much.”

“Bro, that’s all my savings. After returning to the company, my monthly salary is only 3,000. The offline restaurant I invested in isn’t doing well either—breaking even is already a win.” Lu HuaiLin frowned and spread his hands. “Besides, she doesn’t have many fans. I’m already her Top Supporter. Isn’t it an unspoken rule for streamers to privately message their Top Supporters?”

“Has she contacted anyone else?”

Lu HuaiLin shook his head.

[That’s all for today’s stream, everyone. Good night. Tomorrow? I’ll probably stream games as usual, same time—8 to 11 p.m. Get some rest too. Good night, see you tomorrow, bye.]

That voice… it sounded increasingly familiar.

Luckily, Lu HuaiLin’s phone was left on the sofa in front of Lu HuaiChuan. He glanced at it and quietly memorized the streamer’s name.

After sending Lu HuaiLin away, he quickly searched for “Lu Yong” across platforms and browsed her profile. She only had a little over 20,000 followers, and all her videos were clips from game streams or hardcore game guides, mostly open-world games—exploring maps, taking screenshots, and hunting for Easter eggs.

No gimmicks, no face reveals, no suggestive content—just pure substance. No wonder 150,000 was enough to make him the Top Supporter.

Lu HuaiChuan followed her with a blank alt account, planning to send some gifts during her next stream to test whether Lu HuaiLin’s contributions were simply too meager to catch her attention.

Reality was, Lu HuaiChuan spent 150,000 in gifts in a single night, successfully bumping his brother down to Second Top Supporter—yet he, too, received no private message from the streamer.

Still, in just three hours, Lu HuaiChuan understood why Lu HuaiLin was so infatuated with this woman he’d never met.

Her streams had a strangely soothing magic, drawing viewers into her rhythm. In this fast-paced world, she remained unhurried, playing games at her own pace, occasionally responding to chat.

She never got frustrated when a boss killed her, nor did she celebrate excessively after clearing a stage. There was no forced flattery toward fans either.

Lu HuaiChuan set her as a special follow and watched all the videos on her homepage, silently thanking his younger brother in his heart. If it weren’t for Lu HuaiLin, he would never have found a livestream that suited his tastes so perfectly.

The only one suffering was Lu HuaiLin, who was already tight on funds and now had his thunder stolen by his brother hiding behind a stranger’s identity. Day after day, he sat in his office, seething with helpless rage.

However, no matter how these two men tried to test the waters, the only one benefiting was the streamer herself.

Shen Simo took off her headset and flipped through the records of fan gifts and her withdrawable balance, grinning so widely her face might split. The Top Supporter and Second Top Supporter had already covered her living expenses for an entire year.

Even so, she would never privately contact them—she wouldn’t gamble with her career. If her modeling career ever took off, some loose-lipped guy might spill her “scandal,” and that would be a loss she couldn’t afford.

“Heh, might as well mess with Lu HuaiChuan a bit. Time to reconnect with some new friends and scout for new gigs.”