Surprised but flattered, Zheng Weize said, “I’ll call for you in a bit.”
“What time? I might have to go out later.”
“Now is fine. I’ll go get ready.”
Chang Jinxing was overwhelmed. It was only once he gave up on living off others that he’d realized just how hard it was to make money. Spending the whole day as a eunuch had only netted him ¥300, and once he deducted food expenses, he was left with ¥130. To pay the ¥4,000 rent, he would have to play a eunuch for thirty days—he’d be a eunuch for the rest of his life. It was miserable.
He thought about finding other alternatives. Who knew, maybe live streaming could help to supplement his income.
“Wait a moment,” Zheng Weize told him. He tidied up his room, hiding the wigs and bras in his closet, then prepared two seats and turned on the ring light. Chang Jinxing entered uninvited. Zheng Weize often went to Chang Jinxing’s room to chat, but this was the first time Chang Jinxing had set foot in his room.
“You shouldn’t put the light here.” Chang Jinxing took the light and changed its direction.
“Oh, okay.”
“You can show the window in the back.” Chang Jinxing pulled the curtains open. “The afternoon light is good.”
“I usually stream at night,” Zheng Weize explained.
“I see. Do I need to put on makeup?”
“Nah. There are filters, and besides, you’re already gorgeous… Hi everyone, I’m Xiao-Tu. Welcome to my live stream, Xiao-Tu’s Reading Room…”
“Is it starting?” Chang Jinxing leaned in out of curiosity.
“Yeah,” Zheng Weize said, “no one’s here. You see, at this time of—”
But no sooner did he say these words than viewers began to come online. Whenever Zheng Weize started a live stream, the software notified his followers. Today, he was streaming at a different time than usual, in the afternoon instead of late at night; that piqued his regulars’ curiosity, and so they logged on to see what was happening.
“Say hi to everyone,” Zheng Weize told Chang Jinxing.
Chang Jinxing glanced at the phone. While he was not exactly thrilled with his appearance today, he sucked it up and waved his hand. “Hi, I’m Star.”
A barrage of comments flooded the screen: So handsome! Someone even asked, Xiao-Tu, finally saying goodbye to singlehood?
Zheng Weize watched the viewer count rise, hitting 80 percent of his usual late-night audience, and he marveled at the power of good looks. Attractive guys just seemed to fire people up with the urge to communicate. His fans, who were usually like zombies, dropped all reserve and dignity the moment they saw Chang Jinxing, typing furiously at the screen. They spammed him with questions about who he was, what his job was, and whether he was Xiao-Tu’s boyfriend.
“‘Handsome,’ ‘how are you so gorgeous’… Oh, thanks for the rose.” Chang Jinxing started reading the chat screen aloud, thinking that was how live streaming worked, and thanked them for the gifts. “‘What did you eat growing up to turn out like that?’ ‘What’s your relationship?’ ‘Are you straight?’ ‘Is your real name Star? There are stars in your eyes.’ Thank you, cuv3494, for the rose.”
Zheng Weize was speechless as he sat to the side, caught in a complex emotional miasma. Chang Jinxing freed a hand and wrapped it around Zheng Weize, and the chat erupted into squeals of omg wat is this flirting I cannot!
“What should we stream?” Chang Jinxing asked Zheng Weize in all seriousness.
“What do you want to stream?” Zheng Weize returned with a grin.
Chang Jinxing flashed him a radiant smile. “I don’t know either.”
Apparently having gotten word of what was happening, a bunch of gays popped into the chat like a sightseeing tour group. Zheng Weize recognized one of the nicknames as an old regular of his stream. The others were users who occasionally came to show support.
You hoes! Zheng Weize screamed internally. Hoes! Stop flirting with my Star!
Chang Jinxing continued reading questions. “‘Are you a top or a bottom?’ Hm, take a guess… ‘You must be a bottom.’” He laughed. “Baby, you guessed wrong.”
“I’ll get you a glass of water,” Zheng Weize said.
Not even fifteen minutes into the live stream, Chang Jinxing had already received a ton of gifts. Zheng Weize’s fans, usually as miserly as Grandet,2 sent Chang Jinxing lots of roses because of his looks—one even gifted him a virtual sports car. When Zheng Weize sat back down, Chang Jinxing was saying, “Many thanks for the sports car, baby,” which made the actual host of the stream so furious his face almost contorted in anger.
Chang Jinxing didn’t respond to the comments about their relationship. When Zheng Weize handed him water, someone commented, Wow! These two are definitely a couple!
Struck by a brain wave, Zheng Weize wrapped his arms around Chang Jinxing’s neck from behind, leaned against his back—the way he usually took liberty with Chang Jinxing—and looked into the camera alongside him. Chang Jinxing appeared as if he was used to this, and the duo received even more roses.
Calculating how many tips he’d raked in, Zheng Weize wondered if he should call it a day, like a lottery winner who instinctively scurried away after claiming their prize. But Chang Jinxing kept interacting with the fans with a smile on his face.
People often complimented his looks, but it was rare that they did it to his face. It was different on the internet, though. Everyone spoke frankly, no one held back, and they did so in packs, which inflated Chang Jinxing’s vanity.
The viewer count rose from 200 to 2,000. The sudden influx of gawkers told Zheng Weize that he must have made it to the trending list and was now featured on the app’s home page. What could be better than this sudden rise to the top? His popularity was still soaring, and the messages came in so fast Chang Jinxing couldn’t even read them.
“Hm, what should I perform for everyone?” Chang Jinxing had been streaming for nearly an hour, and he was starting to feel dizzy. Live streaming was a job that required not only good looks, but also stamina. Many streamers became exhausted after focusing for a while and started babbling nonsense. Zheng Weize quickly herded him offline; they said goodbye to their fans and reluctantly ended the stream without ever answering the question about their relationship.
“That was fun.” Chang Jinxing grinned. He was a little tired and, with this having been his first live stream, nervous too. Once the camera was off, he reclined on the bed to relax. Zheng Weize lay down beside him, and Chang Jinxing freed an arm for Zheng Weize to use as a pillow.