1. The DM When I got Sawyer’s DM, I felt a little guilty. I thought about it—I did send the gift to the wrong person, stealing his thunder. Plus, in this livestream room, I had always exclusively tipped Sawyer. It was understandable that he’d be upset about me giving a Ferrari to his rival. He’s a heartthrob, right? A little temper is part of the package. Just as I was about to send him ten Yachts to make up for it, a new notification popped up. [System Notification: KU-Ace has followed you.] Immediately after, a DM from that account popped up. KU-Ace: [Thank you, sis. That was my first Yacht ever. I’ll remember you forever. <3] I paused for a few seconds, clicking on the profile picture to zoom in. It took a moment to match the face with the heavy filters from the livestream. Ace. He was the guy I’d accidentally tipped. Zooming in, his face actually held its own against Sawyer, the guy I’d been chasing. The makeup in the livestream did him dirty; he looked cleaner and more intellectual in his profile pic. But he was new, only here for a few days, and always stood in the back row. In a ten-man group, seeing two-thirds of his face on screen was a miracle. He didn't seem to know the tip was a mistake. His words were... surprisingly sincere. It was just one Yacht (about $100). No need to explain and crush his spirit. I wasn’t planning to reply. Just as I was about to exit, he sent another message. KU-Ace: [Sis, I’ll practice dancing even harder. I won’t let your encouragement go to waste!] Ugh, he’s kind of a pitiful underdog. Thanking me three times for one Yacht. I sent a polite [Good luck] and prepared to switch back to the stream to compensate Sawyer. But suddenly, my phone started vibrating like crazy. It was all from Sawyer. KU-Sawyer: [?] [Did you not read my message?] [Why haven't you sent them yet?] [What do you mean?] [So, you tipped him on purpose to piss me off?] [Fine.] [I get it.] Confused, I replied with a [?]. A red exclamation mark appeared. Message Not Delivered. Excuse me? He blocked me?! A wave of rage surged from my chest. I’ve been chasing him for two months. I’ve spent at least fifteen grand on him. And because of one misclick, he’s throwing a tantrum and blocking me? Fine. If you’re too good for me, there are plenty of others who aren't. I’m done playing. I was about to rage-quit the app when I glanced at the pitiful message from the new kid again. My finger hovered over the close button. I’m ruthless in business, but I have a weakness for hardworking, handsome underdogs. Even if he’s acting, at least he’s putting in the effort to act for me. So, I charged back into the livestream. 2. The Snub As soon as I entered, the hype man shouted me out. "Our Sawyer's Top Gifter, 'Yacht Queen,' is back! Oh man, Sawyer is set for the night!" This boy band group had only been formed two months ago. They were still in the growth phase. They didn't have many die-hard whales, so my account was definitely in the top tier. Plus, I have OCD. I only tip Yachts. It’s my signature. Hearing my name, the corner of Sawyer’s mouth twitched upward slightly. But in a split second, he returned to his usual "cool guy" persona. Just then, a new account with a pretty girl’s profile pic entered and immediately dropped a Sports Car. [This guy is so hot. He hits right in the heart. Love it.] The host thanked her as usual and read the comment. Sawyer gave a shy smile. After finishing his dance move, as if to spite me, he made a heart shape with his hands and personally thanked her. "Thanks to the beautiful lady for the Sports Car. Please support me in the future!" The chat went wild. [OMG, never seen Sawyer so shy and enthusiastic.] [First time seeing Sawyer do a heart! Rich sisters, drop more cars! We love to see it!] [She’s generous, and looking at her profile, she’s a real beauty.] [A real rich heiress. Did Sawyer catch feelings?] Seeing Sawyer in such a good mood, the old fans started dropping gifts too. Bouquets and balloons filled the screen. Sawyer couldn't hide his grin. He was interacting with everyone, hearts and thank-yous flying everywhere. Even the host marveled, "What good thing happened to Sawyer tonight? He’s in such a good mood." I was fuming. Usually, I drop $100 Yachts without blinking, and all I get is a faint smile. A newbie drops a cheap gift, and he gives her emotional value? So what do my Yachts count for? Chopped liver? In a fit of rage, I opened the gift menu and dropped another Yacht directly on Ace. "Thanks to our Yacht Queen for sending Sawyer a..." The word "Yacht" got stuck in the host's throat. He squinted at the screen. "Oh, sorry, my bad. The Yacht is for Ace." The whole team froze for two seconds, turning their heads to look at Ace in the back row. Ace looked unbelieving, hesitantly stepping forward. And Sawyer, who was standing in the center (C-position), was even more shocked than Ace. 3. The Rain of Yachts Sawyer stared at the monitor for a few seconds to confirm, then reluctantly stepped aside. Ace stood in the center, visibly terrified. He composed himself and bowed deeply to the camera. Just as he opened his mouth to say, "Thank you, sis—" I dropped another Yacht. Ace was about to start dancing, saw the new Yacht, and bowed again. When he stood up, I dropped another one. For a moment, the screen was just a continuous stream of Yachts. Ace was bewildered. Sawyer’s face was uglier than a stormy sky. He looked around anxiously, looking like he wanted to jump through the screen and shake me by the shoulders. The host excitedly announced the gifts, his voice getting higher with each one. The chat was scrolling so fast it was a blur. [Holy sh*t, Yacht Queen is flexing!] [That’s my Queen.] [Wait, is this a mistake?] [Did she click the wrong person?] [Sis, stop! Wrong guy!] [Yacht Queen only tips Sawyer, is the system glitching?] [No way, are they force-pushing the rookie? Report for rigging!] Even the host, after shouting thanks ten times, muttered under his breath, "Is this a misclick..." Ace bowed over and over, tears glistening in his eyes. Seeing I wasn't stopping, he frantically tried to persuade me: "Sis, stop sending them! It's enough, really enough! Thank you so much, I will work harder!" As soon as he finished, I dropped 52 Yachts in one go. I like this feeling. Reciprocity. It feels infinitely better than tipping that fake-noble, gaslighting Sawyer. I’m spending my money to feel good. Plus, with Ace standing in the center for so long, I took a good look. Ignoring the bad makeup, his features were excellent. Especially those long legs—when he danced, it was lethal. The other guys wore lifts in their shoes; his soles were thin, yet he was still half a head taller than Sawyer. No wonder they banished him to the back row. Seeing so many Yachts, and none for him, Sawyer’s face hit rock bottom. He couldn't hold it in anymore. He shoved Ace, who was standing in the center, and walked out of the frame grumpily. I could hear him snap something to the host before disappearing. "The system must be bugged. The Yachts meant for me are going to someone else. I’m going to fix it." Ten seconds after Sawyer left. A new message popped up on my phone. KU-Sawyer: [Sis, use your eyes before you click. You’re sending them all to the wrong person, you know that? F*ck.] 4. The Block The message stayed for two seconds before he quickly retracted it. Huh? Didn’t he block me? How did he add me back? I thought he had a backbone. Just as I finished that thought, a barrage of new messages appeared. KU-Sawyer: [Sis, be careful when you tap the gifts. You gave them all to that guy.] [Maybe go ask customer service for a refund?] [Whatever, if you can’t refund it, it’s fine.] [Just re-send them to me. Slowly. Look before you click!] [?] [Why aren't you replying? You're not mad, are you?] [Sorry about earlier. I saw you tipping someone else and got jealous, so I spoke too harshly. Don't overthink it.] [Sis, come back to the stream right now, okay?] Tsk tsk. I’ve known Sawyer this long, and this is the first time he’s typed this much. Too bad. It’s too late. I have the "ick." I didn’t reply. I didn’t block him either. I just left him on read and closed the app. I started watching their stream to do market research. My conglomerate is planning to acquire their agency, KU Media. I didn't expect to get hooked on this B-list group's stream. Sawyer was just my type physically. High nose bridge, smooth jawline, lean muscle. He was different from other streamers—aloof, just the right amount of "hard to get." Or so I thought. At first, I was bored, so I threw him a Yacht. He just smiled. He wasn't like the desperate ones my assistant told me about who would follow you back for a $1 gift. Two days later, I dropped 10 Yachts. He DM’d a thank you. Days later, I saw him losing a Battle (PK) badly, looking like he was about to cry. I dropped 100 Yachts to save him. Only then did he follow me back. Even after following, he remained aloof. Except for complaining about sales quotas or pressure to hint for gifts, he barely chatted. I didn't mind. Life is boring; I look at handsome guys online to pass the time. It's a transaction. I don't lack the money. But I didn't expect that the nicer I was, the less he cared about my feelings. Last month, I was busy with a business trip and didn't log in for three days. He gave me the cold shoulder for a month. He acted like he was sure I wouldn't leave him. If I love someone, I give without expecting a return. But I don't love him. Why should I spend money to be treated like trash? If this one is disobedient, I’ll swap him. The next one is always better behaved. 5. The Return After staying offline for three days to finish work, the acquisition of KU Media was finally finalized. Bored, I opened the short video app again. Dozens of notifications popped up. The most recent one was from Ace. I scrolled back. After the stream that night, he wrote me an 800-word essay expressing his overwhelming gratitude. He even sent his private WeChat ID. Even though I didn't reply, he persisted in sending "Good morning" and "Good night" messages for the last few days. I thought about it, didn't add him, and just replied with a polite [Thanks]. Then I checked Sawyer’s messages. [Sis, why didn't you come back to tip?] [Didn't we agree?] [Sis, come back and tip me, or I won't get the champion title tonight... it's embarrassing.] [Don't ghost me at a critical moment! We're in a Battle! Hurry!] [Reply to me.] [?] [Don't regret this.] Sawyer’s attitude seemed to deteriorate as time went on. I saw he was still awake at 4 AM; probably stayed up all night fuming. Seeing no reply from me, his tone gradually shifted back to fawning over the next few days. [Sis, I really was just jealous yesterday. Don't hold a grudge, okay?] [I lost last night and got punished. You should be less angry now, right?] [Sis, you didn't come today either?] [Sis, I was wrong. Will you come see me?] [Whether you come or not, Sawyer is here.] [Sawyer will wait for you in the stream forever. <3] Most messages were sent at 3 or 4 AM. Even better, he sent me a few high-definition ab pics. Tsk. Without me as a sugar mommy, he isn't so "cloud-like and breezy" after all. I zoomed in. Just okay. Who knows if they’re photoshopped. Thinking about it, he’s just a rookie with no social experience. Since they are now artists under my company, I decided not to block him for the sake of his face making me money. I didn't reply and clicked into their livestream. Tonight, I planned to "rain and dew alike"—tip every member to show them how generous their new boss is. As soon as I entered, I saw it was perfect timing. Sawyer and Ace were about to start a dance Battle (PK).
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