ATLT Chapter 11

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(31)

Chu Yi’s company had finalized his branding: he would become a crossover fitness + food influencer.

His daily filming and live-streaming content would include:

Visiting unique gyms or those with famous trainers, wearing a workout tank top and exercising alongside the trainers.

Exploring various healthy restaurants, filming from a boyfriend-perspective while dining and chatting.

Putting on an apron and personally preparing healthy meals, teaching viewers how to eat deliciously while staying fit.

Of course, all of this was just the icing on the cake. The real core of his appeal lay in his God-given looks and the eight-pack abs he had worked so hard to build.

He started taking live streaming seriously, making short videos, and frequently posting on his social media to invite people to support his streams.

Zhang Linghao often used Zhang Lingrui’s online alias to send him gifts during live broadcasts. Every time he saw Chu Yi facing the camera and saying, "Thank you to 'Rui Ge Wan Wan Sui' for the loving Lightwave Gun. Thank you, thank you, you really went all out," he couldn’t help but laugh from the other end of the phone.

Then, a while later, after the stream ended, Zhang Linghao would receive a message from Chu Yi: "I know it was you. Stop wasting money. The platform and the company take the biggest cut. I barely get anything."

Zhang Linghao replied, "Then should I just transfer money to you directly?"

Chu Yi: [eye-roll.gif]

Zhang Linghao sent a laughing sticker and added, "The joy of a rich fan tipping a streamer—someone like you, a small-time streamer, just wouldn’t understand."

Chu Yi was indeed a small streamer. Despite his hard work, and having quite a loyal fanbase, his follower count wasn’t growing fast enough. Both he and his company were feeling the pressure. Fortunately, the company had faith in his good looks and dedication, so they continued to encourage him. He doubled down on his efforts—he had to succeed, he had to make big money.

He had to become a top streamer. Then one day, he’d personally call his rich fan and say, “Stop sending gifts already. Aren’t you tired of this? Just come to Shanghai, I’ll take you to the Bulgari Hotel’s presidential suite for a candlelight dinner!”

(32)

Zhang Lingrui started his final year of high school. Zhang Linghao rented out his grandparents' old house and used the extra money to rent a large four-bedroom apartment near Zhang Lingrui’s school. Now, he, Lingrui, Aunt Fang, and a housekeeper each had their own rooms. He even bought a BMW 3 Series for Aunt Fang to use, while he drove himself daily to pick up and drop off Lingrui. Aunt Fang also started learning how to cook from the housekeeper. She was still clumsy, but at least having a teacher was better than figuring things out on her own.

His grandfather’s case was still ongoing, requiring Zhang Linghao to run errands from time to time. He didn’t mind—these tedious tasks helped burn off some of his restless energy and made him feel less like a useless bum.

Zhang Linghao never mentioned his biological mother to Chu Yi, which led to Chu Yi assuming she had passed away long ago—hence, the existence of a stepmother and Zhang Lingrui. In reality, his birth mother had immigrated when he was five. Over the years, she lived comfortably abroad, remarried a wealthy businessman, and enjoyed both financial security and leisure. However, their mother-son relationship was distant, and Zhang Linghao rarely contacted her.

A few months after his grandfather was placed under investigation, his mother—who was all the way in Canada—heard about it and called to check in, offering to let him move to Canada.

Zhang Linghao had been quite rebellious in the past, holding a grudge against the mother who abandoned him. But after everything he had been through recently, he found himself more mature, and her sudden concern didn’t feel as repulsive anymore. In fact, he even felt a little touched.

After all, she had given birth to him into a privileged family; it wasn’t as if she had wronged him in terms of his upbringing. Besides, he had grown up arrogant and carefree under the care of his father and stepmother—he hadn’t suffered much. In the end, it was just a matter of weak familial ties; neither of them really owed the other anything.

He answered, "Let’s talk about it next year. By then, my brother will be in college, and my dad’s situation will be settled. I’ll think about my own plans then."

His mother advised, "Since you studied in the UK, you might as well consider pursuing a master’s in Canada or the US. That way, you’ll have more options—whether you decide to stay abroad or return to China."

Zhang Linghao replied, "Yeah, I know."

(33)

One day, Zhang Linghao was watching a new short video posted by Chu Yi. The handsome streamer wore an orange sweatshirt and a blue apron while seriously teaching his audience how to make a non-alcoholic mojito. After carefully taking a sip of the finished drink, he looked at the camera and said, "This is a great drink to show off at parties, especially for friends who can’t handle alcohol. It’s tasty and won’t get them drunk."

Zhang Linghao couldn’t resist sending a comment using Zhang Lingrui’s account: "I have a low alcohol tolerance. Why haven’t you ever made this for me?"

Only after sending it did he realize—it wasn’t a live stream, just a short video.

Thinking about how Chu Yi had been deliberately ignoring his comments during live streams lately, he figured it was time to change to a more eye-catching username.

Let’s go with "High Mountain Bloom". If you keep ignoring me, I’ll make sure you can’t afford to.

A few days later, during another live stream, Zhang Linghao—now using his new alias—sent a flurry of expensive gifts. Chu Yi, reading out the messages as required by streaming etiquette, started off smoothly but soon faltered:

"Thank you, High Mountain Bloom, for the ‘Keep Going’ gift. I appreciate your support!"

"Thank you, High Mountain Bloom, for the ‘Hyped Up’ gift. Haha, you just gave me encouragement, and now you’re hyping me up? My stream isn’t that dead, okay?"

"Thank you, High Mountain Bloom, for the ‘Candy Spaceship’—wow, that’s expensive."

"Thank you, High Mountain Bloom… How many more gifts are you sending? Everyone, I appreciate your generosity, but please be mindful of your spending! Ahem… Thank you, High Mountain Bloom, for the ‘Romantic Fireworks.’ The special effects are really nice."

"Uh… Thank you, High Mountain Bloom, for the ‘Rainbow Roses’… Excuse me, everyone, I need to reply to a very important message."

Then, on screen, Chu Yi grabbed his unused phone and quickly typed. Within seconds, Zhang Linghao received a message:

"What the hell are you doing?"

Lying on the couch, Zhang Linghao burst into uncontrollable laughter, inexplicably pleased with himself.

Meanwhile, the barrage of gifts had boosted the stream’s popularity, leading other fans to start sending their own small gifts. The comment section became lively:

"High Mountain Bloom—male or female?"

"I think the real ‘High Mountain Bloom’ here is the streamer. The air up there must be freezing—this place is dead."

"Don’t start drama! Our Yi-ge’s fan count has increased by tens of thousands this month! He’s about to become a top-tier streamer!"

Chu Yi, reading this last comment, smiled and said, "I appreciate the good wishes. When I hit a million followers, I’ll give everyone a special reward."

The chat instantly exploded:

"Abs! Abs! Show us your abs!!!"

Zhang Linghao suddenly became unhappy. What’s going on? Back when he was a gigolo at the club, he showed off his abs for clients—now that he’s an internet celebrity, does he still have to do it?

Then again, him showing off his abs has nothing to do with you. Don’t worry about things that aren’t your business.

T/N: Please give support on my ko-fi page, thank you💮💮💮