H-how… how…

Why hasn’t he left yet?!

Lin Lin stiffly turned her head, her gaze still locked solely on that viewer’s ID.

What’s going on? Your ID literally says “IfIWatchAgainImADog,” right?

You *promised* you wouldn’t watch anymore!

Mmm…

Meanwhile.

Gao Liang was curled under his blankets, eyes glued to the screen.

He was genuinely intrigued—curious about the mysterious streamer who’d chirped such a flirtatious “big bro~.”

But…

Why had she gone silent for so long?

Muted her mic?

After staring until the streamer seemed frozen solid, his patience frayed. He yawned, finger hovering over the exit button—

Suddenly…

…

[*Ding dong* System Alert: First viewer detected attempting to leave. Debut stream fails if zero viewers remain at conclusion. Time left: 46 minutes, 32 seconds.]

Huh?

Lin Lin jolted.

W-what… what?!

The debut had to last a *full hour*?! And needed viewers?!

*Gasp*

She sucked in a sharp breath—then froze.

No! She couldn’t let this viewer leave!

She *needed* him to stay till the end.

She absolutely did *not* want to become a lewd streamer!

So…

Taking a deep breath, at the very last second—just as Gao Liang tapped to exit—she shouted into the mic:

“Don’t go—!”

His hand jerked; phone nearly slipped.

“Huh… what?”

Gao Liang’s lips twitched. Well, that killed his urge to leave.

This… this little vampire girl… was she calling *him*?

Hm?

…

Uh…

Lin Lin stared at the screen, thinking hard.

The viewer list still showed “IfIWatchAgainImADog.”

She’d just call him Brother Dog for now.

Clearly startled by her shout, he’d paused his exit—but she still had to act, or he’d vanish.

After a long silence, she reluctantly began “working.”

Voice stiff, she faced the screen:

“Um… welcome, ‘IfIWatchAgainImADog’… to the stream. Hello, Brother Dog. Hello, Brother Dog.”

Brother…

Brother Dog?

Gao Liang almost snorted, nearly closing the app.

…Then sighed. Yeah, with *that* ID, no wonder.

He settled his patience, raised an eyebrow, typed in chat:

“You’re a newly debuted VTuber? First stream?”

“Mmm…” Lin Lin’s eyes flickered; she gave a docile nod.

*Rookie streamer. Cherish every viewer. Accumulate slowly. Million followers someday.*

*Humble attitude = streamer duty.*

She chirped brightly:

“Yes meow~ This is my trial stream! If you like it, please follow? I’m super versatile!”

Mmm…

Gao Liang chuckled under the covers.

A new streamer…

He kinda liked this.

Being the *only* viewer for hours—chatting one-on-one…

…Felt satisfying.

He glanced longer at the avatar.

Cute little vampire girl. Tiny wings. White hair. Crimson eyes.

Kinda…

Kinda pretty.

Wait—cat ears too?!

Vampire? Or catgirl?

Pfft.

Interesting.

He typed:

“You’re a versatile streamer? What can you do?”

Ah…

Lin Lin watched the comment scroll, sinking into panic.

Oh no…

She… she barely knew *anything*.

Just an otaku turned cute girl.

Crap. Oversold herself.

Truth was, she only played games.

But ditching Brother Dog to solo-game? Late night? With her trash skills?

He’d *definitely* leave. Get bored. Bail.

Ugh…

*She* couldn’t even watch that stream.

After a breath, she pivoted to casual chat—just to survive the hour.

*Maybe… more viewers will come?*

“Ahem! Actually, I’m mainly a chat streamer! Dabble in other stuff too, but it’s my trial stream—still figuring things out. Um… Brother Dog, it’s so late… how *did* you find this stream?”

(She’d already mentally drafted QQ group/Tieba ads…

Mmm…

But she had zero active groups. Spam-kicked instantly. Tieba posts deleted. Crisis deepened.)

*How did YOU get here, Brother Dog… Will anyone else ever click in?*

Gao Liang blinked. Replied honestly:

“Couldn’t sleep. Randomly scrolled from the bottom.”

Ah, jeez…

Lin Lin lowered her head, accepting her bottom-tier reality.

“Sigh~”

She sighed without realizing.

Gao Liang paused. Felt a twinge of guilt. Typed:

“Uh… don’t lose heart. Starting’s always hardest. You’ll blow up someday.”

“R-really?”

She perked up—then deflated.

*…Need one million followers to safely slack off.*

Darkness clouded her vision.

Awkward silence stretched. Then—

“Can the streamer sing? I can’t sleep…”

Uh…

W-was it time to perform *already*?

Yikes. She knew VTubers often sang…

But for *her*? Too high.

Memories yanked her back.

Mom away. Dad dragged her to KTV. His colleagues. Their kids.

That day…

Mic thrust into never-sung-before hands…

Ugh…

Under stares of Dad’s coworkers and other kids…

Ugh…

Voice wildly off-key against the track…

Ugh…

Breath hitched. Full-blown PTSD hit.

She’d practiced alone since—diligently—but never dared sing for anyone again.

This time…