518: Chapter 518, 478

In the livestream room.

Brother Liang draped a towel over his neck; the sweat on his forehead had been applied beforehand using warm water.

The fill light made his eyes look slightly red, and combined with the action of constantly wiping the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand, he truly looked like someone pushed to the limit by injustice.

"My family, do you know? When that person rushed over, I really thought I was going to be hit."

His voice carried a carefully designed tremor.

"He first blocked the camera, then stated his identity from the Qingbei School of Literature right in front of us. At that moment, I really felt that he didn't consider us ordinary creators as people at all."

The comment section exploded instantly.

"Damn, so arrogant?"

"As expected of that elite school halo, they feel superior wherever they go."

"How did this kind of person get recommended for admission?"

Brother Liang bit his lip, forcing a layer of moisture into his eyes.

"Later, many townspeople came over; the noise was chaotic, and the camera was shaking violently. Everyone can imagine, two outsiders blocked in an unfamiliar town—how suffocating that feeling was."

"And that Qingbei student just stood there watching. Smiling."

He paused for two seconds, leaving a gap for a "choke."

"I had only one thought at the time: We came to help promote this town, what did we do wrong?"

The comments scrolled so fast it was almost impossible to read the words.

The number of online viewers jumped from 500,000 to 630,000 and was still climbing rapidly.

"Brother Liang, don't cry! We've got your back!"

"Where is Qingbei University? Come out and respond!"

"Already reported; it would be intolerable if this kind of person isn't dealt with!"

...

Six hundred kilometers away, at the Muchuan Town guesthouse.

Lin Que sat at the desk with his phone leaning against the base of the desk lamp, the screen facing him.

In the livestream, Brother Liang was forcefully rubbing the corner of his eye with the back of his hand, squeezing out an accusation laced with a sobbing tone.

"I am just an ordinary content creator; I have no background, no academic qualifications, and certainly no recommendation for admission to Qingbei."

Lin Que watched the screen, his mouth twitching upward uncontrollably.

Lin Que watched the screen, his lips lifting slightly.

Brother Liang was performing this scene very earnestly and with great effort.

"He doesn't even repeat his lines."

Lin Que muttered to himself, his tone laced with mockery.

"Over 600,000 people online, hitting the emotional buttons so accurately—no wonder he makes a living off such low-class tactics."

He exited the livestream and clicked on the trending list.

The topic had already surged to third place.

# Qingbei Recommended Student Violently Threatens Travel Blogger #

The heat index was at 26 million and still rising.

The top comments were all targeting Qingbei and the recommendation qualification.

Things like "Check if there's anything fishy about the recommendation qualification," "It's a tragedy for Chinese education that this kind of person gets into Qingbei," and "Suggest revoking the recommendation."

In between, there were some voices of doubt.

"Why is the video only 18 seconds long?"

"What about the context?"

"This blogger was exposed before for cyberbullying villagers; his credibility is questionable."

But these voices were quickly drowned out by a more violent wave of emotion.

At the very bottom, a small group of people were frantically tagging Qingbei University's official account.

"@ Qingbei University, come out and walk a few steps?"

"@ Qingbei University, your recommended student is out here bullying people; are you going to manage it or not?"

Qingbei had not updated its feed.

The last update was still from three days ago, a notice about the autumn academic forum.

Yet Lin Que knew that the phone calls and letters over there had already completed the most critical round.

But this silence, in the eyes of Brother Liang's fans, only had one interpretation: guilty conscience.

"See that? Qingbei doesn't dare to speak!"

"Silence is admission; they protect their own to the bone!"

"Heh, as expected of an elite school, they only know how to cover things up when trouble happens."

Lin Que closed the trending page; a short text message was right at the top.

[ Materials received, have been transferred to the relevant department. ]

The phone screen went dark.

He opened the document on his laptop.

The forty-seventh segment of "Qin Opera" still had the first line empty.

Lin Que's hands were steady as he typed.

No matter how high a mosquito flies, it is still a mosquito.

He only needed to wait for the moment it lands.

...

7:40 PM.

Brother Liang's livestream had been going on for two hours.

The peak number of online viewers exceeded 1.03 million.

In the final ten minutes, Brother Liang's "performance" entered its finale.

He rested his forehead on the back of his hand, his shoulders trembling slightly.

His voice was kept very low, as if he were trying hard to restrain something.

"Brothers, I really can't hold on anymore."

He lifted his head, a layer of moisture pooling in his eyes.

His voice was hoarse, and his speaking speed was extremely slow.

"I know this livestream today might bring me a lot of trouble. After all, the other party is from Qingbei; they have resources, connections, and the power of discourse."

"But I don't regret it."

He faced the camera and sniffed hard.

"If we don't even have the right to tell the truth, then what is the point of having these six million fans?"

The comments scrolled by in unison.

"Brother Liang is awesome!"

"A real man!"

"We will always support you!"

"Brother Liang, take care of your health!"

...

Brother Liang squeezed out a tired but firm smile at the camera and bowed slightly.

"Thank you everyone, that's all for today. Your support is the only reason I have the confidence to stand up."

The livestream screen froze on the image of Brother Liang bowing.

Then, it went black.

...

As soon as the screen went black, Brother Liang immediately dropped the sobbing tone.

That aggrieved face from just a moment ago vanished instantly.

His mouth began to widen, wider and wider, until it formed an almost twisted arc.

"Hahaha!"

He ripped the towel off his neck and slapped the sofa armrest with one hand.

"Awesome! That was f***ing awesome!"

His assistant, Xiao Fan, darted out from behind the equipment.

He was clutching a phone, the screen showing the backend revenue panel.

His hands were shaking like a sieve.

"Brother Liang! Brother Liang, look!"

Xiao Fan turned the laptop toward him, the backend revenue numbers shining blindingly.

"Gift revenue! Total! Over 470,000!"

Brother Liang snatched the phone.

On the screen, the backend revenue numbers were shining brightly.

Two hours, 478,000.

Brother Liang stared at the string of numbers for five seconds.

Then he started to laugh.

He slumped into the sofa, his stomach heaving, laughing until he was almost out of breath.

"There's more!"

Xiao Fan flipped to another page.

"Follower growth! One livestream tonight, gained 213,000!"

"Plus the video follower growth, we've gained nearly 400,000 in total today!"

Brother Liang closed his eyes, resting his hands behind his head.

He let out a long breath; the weight on his neck had finally eased a bit.

"What was the KPI set by headquarters for this month again?"

"100,000 new followers."

Xiao Fan's voice was trembling with joy.

"Brother Liang, this livestream alone has already exceeded the target. If we add the subsequent long-tail traffic and revenue from re-editing..."

He swallowed.

"The matter of the breach of contract penalty, we don't have to worry about it at all anymore."

Brother Liang opened his eyes.

He grabbed a pack of cigarettes from the coffee table, pulled one out, and stuck it in his mouth; the lighter went 'click'.

The flame illuminated his face.

Smoke puffed out from his nostrils, dispersing into a thin layer in the residual light of the fill light.

"Qingbei genius."

He exhaled smoke rings, his voice filled with contempt.

"Recommended student."

"So what?"

He held the cigarette between his fingers and flicked the ash toward the ceiling.

"In this era, traffic is the lifeline. It doesn't matter if you are some genius, some recommended student, or from Qingbei. As long as you crash into my camera lens, you are my material."

"Not eating the meat delivered to your doorstep—that would be being an idiot."

Xiao Fan was rubbing his hands nearby, his eyes full of excitement.

"Brother Liang, are we going to follow up tomorrow? Strike while the iron is hot, edit another secondary creation video to keep the heat going."

"Follow up! Why wouldn't I?"

Brother Liang flicked off the ash and sat up from the sofa.

"This kid hasn't responded, and Qingbei hasn't issued a statement."

Brother Liang sneered.

"If they really had evidence, they would have thrown it out already."

He counted on his fingers.

"Tomorrow, release a 'Follow-up' video, the day after, arrange a joint livestream with a few big influencers. Next week, hold another livestream specifically talking about 'Elite School Privilege'. This wave can at least sustain the heat for half a month."

Xiao Fan nodded frantically.

"That means we're taking off!"

"Hahahaha, heaven has been good to me!"

Brother Liang waved his hand.

"Xiao Fan, go prepare tomorrow's script, the more sensational, the better!"

"Okay, Brother Liang, I'm going right now."

Xiao Fan ran to the workstation, opened the computer, and his fingers began to clatter away.

Brother Liang leaned back on the sofa, crossing his legs.

With a cigarette in his left hand and his phone in his right, he scrolled through the desperate support in the trending comments section.

The screen light reflected on his face.

He couldn't suppress the arc of his mouth no matter what.

He did some mental math.

If the subsequent operations were handled correctly, this "Qingbei Recommended Student Incident" could produce at least five to eight more hit videos.

Calculating an average of 5 million views per video, plus ad revenue sharing and brand collaborations, he could conservatively estimate another million or more in income.

A seventeen-year-old student is worth a million.

No, not just that, it must be more.

Brother Liang exhaled the last puff of smoke and pressed the cigarette butt into the ashtray.

"Come on, let's have a drink."

He grabbed two cans of beer from the small refrigerator nearby and tossed one to Xiao Fan.

Xiao Fan caught it with one hand while still typing on the keyboard with the other.

"Brother Liang, I took a screenshot of the number one trending topic and posted it to my Moments!"

"Post it! Post it hard!"

The two beer cans clinked together, the aluminum making a crisp sound.

"Cheers!"

The cold liquid poured down his throat.

Brother Liang tilted his head and downed half a can, then wiped his mouth.

Just as he was about to say something.

Knock, knock.

A series of knocks came from outside the door.

Not fast, but extremely heavy.

The interval between each knock was very even, carrying a sense of rhythm that could not be ignored.

Brother Liang and Xiao Fan froze for a moment.

Xiao Fan reacted first, set his beer on the table, and slapped his thigh.

"Coming over at this hour, it must be someone from the company."

He stood up excitedly and walked toward the entryway with light steps.

"Brother Liang, I bet Mr. Liu saw the data and sent someone with champagne! That's how they did the celebration party for the 3 million follower milestone last time!"

"Go open it."

Brother Liang leaned back broadly on the sofa, with the beer can resting on his knee.

Xiao Fan walked while adjusting the collar of his T-shirt, a fawning smile plastered on his face.

He reached out and turned the door lock.

Click.

The door pulled open.

The fluorescent light in the hallway was blindingly bright.

The sycophantic smile on Xiao Fan's face seemed as if someone had wiped it from both sides toward the center, instantly freezing.

Standing outside the door were three local police officers.

The leader showed his badge, his voice steady: "Is Brother Liang here?"

The leader was in his early thirties, with a square face, and his gaze swept over Xiao Fan.

He raised his right hand, flipped open a dark blue ID card, and held it steadily in front of Xiao Fan's eyes.

Xiao Fan's mouth hung open, unable to utter a word.

That gaze passed over his shoulder and landed directly on the man sitting on the sofa with his legs crossed, still holding a beer can.

"Brother Liang?"

The voice was not loud, but it dragged the temperature of the entire room down by several degrees.

On the sofa, the beer can in Brother Liang's hand dropped onto the carpet, foam gushing out from the opening and soaking the slippers by his feet.

His Adam's apple bobbed.

The leader put away his ID and stepped over the threshold.

"You are suspected of using the internet to fabricate facts, infringing on others' reputations, and inciting large-scale dissemination of falsehoods."

"Relevant equipment must be surrendered for evidence collection according to the law."

"And you personally..."

He looked at Xiao Fan.

"Right, and you too, come with us to accept investigation."