Chapter 226: Flashback (Part 1)

One year ago.

After being unemployed for several months, Lin Yu lay wrapped in his blanket, only his head sticking out, staring at the colorful screen of his phone.

On the screen, a two-dimensional character moved against a background layer.

It was a virtual streamer.

A job where you didn’t need to show your face—just use your voice and please the audience to earn gifts.

The one Lin Yu was watching right now was a low-tier small V named “Lulu.”

Her virtual avatar was simple: a white-haired, blue-eyed high school girl. The model even had a bit of clipping.

“Thank you, Brother Sunny, for the 【Little Flower】~ Thank you sooo much~”

A sweet, sugary voice came from the phone.

“Sunny” was Lin Yu’s username.

“Little Flower” was the cheapest gift in the stream—only ten cents each.

For big streamers, gifts under 100 yuan weren’t even worth a glance.

But Lulu was different. She was just a small streamer with fewer than ten regular viewers.

Even for a tiny gift with a faint visual effect, she would sincerely thank the sender, cherishing that meager income and giving a bit of positive feedback.

“Hehe…”

Curled up in his blanket, Lin Yu couldn’t help but giggle foolishly.

He felt that virtual streamers were such a great thing.

In reality, he had no money, no looks, and no meaningful social circle.

But online, these small streams could provide him with enough emotional value for just ten cents, chatting with him warmly.

Lulu’s voice was very pleasant—especially the way she enunciated, soft and gentle, just like in anime.

Listening with headphones gave him a tingling sensation, like his ears were being lightly licked—very comfortable.

That was why Lin Yu faithfully stayed in her stream every single day.

“Ah… are there any brothers or sisters who can sponsor a Captain membership for Lulu? Lulu really can’t afford to eat this month…”

On the screen, the anime girl struck a “defeated blob” pose, her blue eyes turning into pitiful “X X” shapes.

The chat barely reacted.

Lin Yu actually wanted to donate.

He had freeloaded for so long—it was only right to support her a little.

But he hadn’t found a job yet, and the balance in his bank card was pitiful.

If he supported her now, he might not even be able to afford food by the end of the month.

Forget it… just keep freeloading… freeloading is fine…

He comforted himself like that.

Seeing that she couldn’t reach her goal, Lulu switched to a pity tactic.

“Wuwuwu… please, everyone in the stream, help Lulu. It’s really not easy coming to Xinhai City alone to make a living. If I can’t make next month’s rent, I’ll have to pack up and go back home…”

Huh?

Xinhai City?

Lin Yu froze for a moment.

She’s… also in Xinhai City?

At that instant, he felt a strong sense of empathy toward this virtual girl on the screen.

Because he, too, was an outsider struggling in Xinhai City, unable to find a place for himself in this brutally competitive steel forest.

But even with that shared feeling, Lin Yu clenched his fingers tightly and didn’t press the “Captain” button.

A Captain membership cost 158 yuan.

That was enough for several days of takeout—too expensive.

Meanwhile, someone in the chat picked up the “Xinhai City” topic and started chatting with the streamer.

Seeing that the pity tactic hadn’t worked, Lulu gritted her teeth and finally brought out her ultimate move.

“How about this! I’ll start a lottery in the stream now. The winner can request a real-life commission—spend a whole day with me offline! The requirement is simple: just become a Captain!”

In an instant, the previously stagnant stream exploded with activity.

“Holy shit? Commission? The streamer is taking this kind of job?!”

“Any character is okay?”

“Can I request ‘fatherly love’? LOL.”

“Is the streamer going to do a face reveal?”

Looking at the scrolling comments, the little figure on screen rolled her eyes.

“Half reveal! I’ll wear a mask, with makeup and a wig—you won’t see my real face!”

She quickly added rules:

“I’ll only do proper anime characters! And the location will only be in Xinhai City!”

“If anyone wants to go on an offline date with Lulu, hurry and get a Captain! Everyone has a chance to win!”

The stimulation worked extremely well.

The once-desolate stream gradually filled with viewers, the popularity rising visibly.

Before long, the viewer count exceeded a hundred, and dozens of Captain subscriptions flashed across the screen.

Clearly, these otaku were crazy about this kind of “breaking the dimensional wall” reward.

Lin Yu was just as excited.

Something this good actually existed?

In the same city, Xinhai—and for just 158 yuan, he’d have a chance to go on a real-life date with the virtual idol he’d been following for so long?

Even… possibly more?

For someone who lacked female companionship in real life, this was a fatal temptation.

Lin Yu stared at the screen, his breathing growing heavier.

His trembling thumb hovered over the “Subscribe” button, unable to decide.

Ring ring ring—

A harsh default ringtone suddenly rang out, startling him so much his hand jerked.

Caller ID: 【Mom】

Like a guilty thief, Lin Yu quickly switched the stream to the background, took a deep breath, cleared his throat, and answered.

“Hello? Mom, what’s up?”

“How’s your job search going?”

His mother got straight to the point.

“Well… you know… it’s going.”

His voice unconsciously weakened.

“What do you mean ‘it’s going’? That means you still haven’t found one?”

“Uh… yeah, not yet.”

“Sigh…”

A long, heavy sigh came through the phone, like a waterlogged sponge pressing down on his chest.

“You’re going to worry me to death.”

Her tone was filled with anxious disappointment.

“Your aunt just visited and said your cousin got into the local tobacco bureau—a stable job. Look at you, you’re already this old and still don’t have a proper job. I’m not asking you to support us, but at least you should be able to support yourself…”

“Alright, alright, I know, I know…”

Even through thousands of kilometers, Lin Yu subconsciously hunched forward as if bowing.

“I was just too exhausted from working at that big company before, so I wanted to rest a bit. Don’t worry, I’ll start looking again in a few days. Really.”

“You always say that! ‘In a few days’? How many times have you said that already?!”

Her voice rose.

“Tired? Your father and I aren’t tired? Back when we were young, I—”

She began rambling about old stories.

Lin Yu pulled the phone slightly away, not daring to argue or hang up.

He knew that in his current half-dead state, the ones losing sleep the most were his parents far away back home.

Nothing in the world was stronger than blood ties.

They cared about him. They loved him.

But nothing was good in excess.

Even love, when too much, could suffocate.

“Alright, that’s all I’ll say…”

After over ten minutes, his mother finally sighed, her tone softening.

“It’s almost New Year. Whether you find a job or not, remember to buy a ticket and come home. Without you and your sister, the house feels empty.”

“Okay, I’ll book a ticket in a few days.”

Before hanging up, a wave of bitter guilt rose in Lin Yu’s heart.

He wanted to go back… but also didn’t want to.

There was too much he’d have to face.

Relatives visiting, those uncles and aunties raising their glasses and asking the same questions:

“Lin Yu, how’s work this year? Did your salary increase? Did you bring a girlfriend back?”

He knew they didn’t mean harm.

They just didn’t see each other often and didn’t know what else to talk about.

Repeating those old topics was their way of maintaining familial bonds.

It was a kind of care.

But…

For someone like Lin Yu, who had achieved nothing, that kind of care was too heavy.

He also wanted to return home in a suit, driving a nice car, in glory.

He also wanted to casually say at the dinner table, “Oh, just making a few hundred thousand a year.”

But…

He couldn’t.

“Sigh…”

Lin Yu ruffled his hair irritably and tapped heavily on the screen.

The call ended.

But at that exact moment—

The phone automatically switched back to the streaming app.

In the center of the screen, the “Chosen Moment” lottery countdown had only five seconds left.

And that accidental tap—

landed perfectly on the button:

【Subscribe as Captain and enter lottery】

【Processing payment…】

With password-free payment enabled, there wasn’t even a confirmation step.

Swipe—

Accompanied by flashy entry effects, a bold banner floated across the screen.

【Thank you Brother Sunny for subscribing as Captain! Boss is generous!】

“f*ck!”

Lin Yu’s eyes widened as he stared at the message, completely stunned.

158 yuan—

just gone?!

He awkwardly twitched his lips, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

He had just been worrying about money, and now one slip of the finger turned him into a sucker?

Great. Now he’d really be eating instant noodles and pickles for the rest of the month.

But before he could finish grieving—

The next second—

With a burst of celebratory sound effects, a huge golden treasure chest appeared on the screen.

It slowly opened.

【Congratulations! Chosen Moment—Lucky Viewer: Sunny!】

Lin Yu’s breathing stopped completely.

The chat, which had quieted after the lottery, instantly exploded.

“Holy shit? He actually won?”

“Rigged! This has to be rigged!”

“I’ve spent for three months and never won!”

“Typical bad luck life…”

Looking at the sour comments, Lin Yu’s body trembled uncontrollably under the blanket.

“Eh—”

An indescribable surge of joy shot through him like electricity from head to toe!

He won?

He actually… won?!

“Ah—oh my god, congratulations! It’s really Brother Sunny who won!”

On screen, Lulu’s cute avatar jumped excitedly.

The success of the event had brought in over a hundred Captain subscriptions, making this usually broke streamer extremely satisfied. Even her voice sounded sweeter and more cheerful than usual.

“Brother Sunny, please remember to DM me later~ Let’s discuss the details of our date!”

“Oh—okay! Got it!”

Lin Yu’s voice trembled with excitement, even though she couldn’t hear him.

With the speed of someone single for over twenty years, he quickly opened the platform’s messaging interface and sent a private message:

“Hello Lulu! I won!”

He deleted and rewrote those few words several times, checking for typos before nervously sending it.

Staring at the “Delivered” status, every second felt unbearably long.

Soon, a reply popped up.

Lulu: 【Got it~ Brother Sunny is so lucky! I’m still streaming right now~ I’ll reply after I finish and we can discuss the details ❤】

Looking at that playful red heart at the end—

Lin Yu felt his suppressed heart finally start pounding again.

He hugged his phone to his chest, rolled over under the blanket, grinning from ear to ear.

“Hehe…”

Suddenly—

That 158 yuan…

was absolutely worth it!

“…”
That 158 yuan—

was absolutely worth it!

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