"Let's jungle the prince."
"I wanna see the panther woman. No particular reason—I just love long, slender javelins."
"Cat Baby, it’s my birthday today. Can you call me hubby?"
Guyen: "Juan-er, I’m here."
Jiang Juan, mid-rank queue, saw the comment. His fingers tightened slightly on the mouse. After a pause, he murmured softly, "Welcome, Brother Gu."
As usual, Guyen went silent after greeting.
This week, Jiang Juan’s impression of Guyen had plummeted. The man tuned in daily, posting only two comments: "Juan-er, I’m here," and "Juan-er, I’m leaving."
Always timed when Jiang Juan queued for matches or finished singing—impossible to ignore.
*Does he treat my stream like his office?* Jiang Juan grumbled inwardly. *Even his punch cards aren’t this punctual.*
Once, Jiang Juan couldn’t take it anymore. He gently hinted he disliked "Juan-er."
Guyen: "Juan-er, I’m here."
"Welcome, Brother Gu," Jiang Juan cooed, leveraging his feminine streamer persona for the first time. "Calling me ‘Juan-er’ feels so distant. ‘Cat Cat’ or ‘Cat Baby’ sounds sweeter, don’t you think?"
No big deal—no one knew his real identity anyway.
Guyen didn’t reply. Just as Jiang Juan thought he’d gotten the hint, a virtual airplane animation flooded the screen.
Guyen: "What’s wrong, Juan-er? I adore ‘Juan-er.’ It makes us special, doesn’t it? Right, Juan-er?"
*Seriously? How many ‘-ers’ in one sentence?* Jiang Juan’s rose-tinted lips parted slightly. He glanced at his dwindling bank balance. What choice did he have? He forced a smile.
"Mm, thanks for the airplane, Brother Gu. The nickname... it’s nice."
Shaking off the memory, Jiang Juan channeled his irritation into the game. Annoying as the nickname was, Guyen clearly wasn’t pursuing him. He could tolerate this small absurdity.
*Guyen’s into guys anyway. Lucky ‘Juan’er Cat’ is a girl.*
TeaTea: "Cat Baby, I love your outfit today! Can you stand back so I can see the full look?"
"Sure thing, Sister TeaTea." Jiang Juan checked his makeup mirror—flawless.
He rose from his gaming chair, adjusted the camera angle, then stepped back to frame his full body.
Cool-toned makeup today. A gray-white baseball cap. Oversized navy-and-white work jacket. Slimming wide-leg jeans. High-top canvas sneakers—showcasing legs that stretched forever. Cool and sharp, from head to toe.
"Ahhh, wifey’s so fierce—kick me already!"
"Cat’s not just ace-tier personality—she’s got ace-tier legs too. 😏"
"Those legs? Juejuezi’s mom opened the door to perfection. ABSOLUTE FIRE."
"How many badge levels to get the streamer’s WeChat?"
Jiang Juan was pleased. This was one of his rare masculine outfits—but with a wig and light makeup, "Juan’er Cat" wore it perfectly.
TeaTea: "I’d love this fit too, but I’m barely 5’3". So jealous, Cat Baby."
"Sister TeaTea, I’ve got high-waisted jeans that lengthen legs like magic. I’ll DM you the KK store link."
TeaTea: "Let me kiss you right now, Cat Baby. I’m obsessed."
Guyen watched Jiang Juan chat effortlessly with his female moderator about outfits and makeup. His lips twitched.
"Wanna play Chicken?" Zhang Ning wheeled his chair over.
"Sure. Zhuo Yang—phone!" Guyen nodded, then tilted his head back toward Zhao Zhuoyang, who was reading behind him.
"Here." Zhao Zhuoyang tossed his unlocked phone over without looking up.
Zhang Ning caught it, grinning. "Real love, huh? Streaming while gaming. Still claiming you’re not into her?"
"Relax. I love you too, boys. You’re all my good sons." Guyen logged into the game smoothly.
"Whoever gets knocked out first calls the other ‘Dad’."
"You got knocked out first?" Guyen arched a brow.
"I’ll call you Dad."
"What if *I* get knocked out first?"
"You call *me* Dad." Zhang Ning replied instantly.
"Same nine years of compulsory education," Zhao Zhuoyang finally turned, laughing. "How’d you sneak extra tutoring behind our backs?"
"When Teacher Zhang retired from literature," Guyen drawled, legs crossed casually, "I was *strongly* opposed."
From the phone on the desk, Juan’er Cat’s voice drifted softly:
"Type I like? Hmm... I’m serious by nature. My other half should balance me out—someone cool and sharp."
Streetlights flickered on. Laughter spilled through the curtains, floating into the starlit night.
