Chapter Ninety-Two: Our Faction of the Tainted Is Doomed!

Huang Ying had always been puzzled by the change in attitude from the Stardust Platform toward him. His actions over the years amounted to a resounding slap in the faces of those executives, especially General Manager Yuan Feng, who was constantly seeking someone to replace him. If they didn’t suppress him, that would already be generous—so what support could there be?

But upon seeing this so-called personal website, Huang Ying suddenly understood. It wasn’t just he who was making trouble; the other party might not be on the same side as Stardust Platform either. No wonder the executives thought he still had value to be exploited.

Huang Ying stared at the homepage displayed on his computer screen. It had multiple sections, even various recommendation slots. Was a mere personal website supposed to go to such lengths?

Who were they trying to fool?

This was nothing like a personal website—it was clearly aiming to become an independent streaming platform. If even he could see through it, those Stardust Platform executives, hardly fools, would surely notice the intention behind it.

Once, Stardust Platform might have ignored such a small site, but now, thanks to Luo Chen’s popularity, the influx approached millions, forcing them to take notice. Though the website seemed shabby and empty at present, who could say what it might become under Luo Chen’s influence?

“So, is that why they need me?” Huang Ying organized his thoughts. He’d initially thought Luo Chen was someone Stardust Platform had specially cultivated to replace him, but it turned out to be quite another situation. There seemed to be plenty of distance between the parties, at least not as bad as he’d first imagined.

What Huang Ying didn’t know was that his living example was precisely why Stardust Platform did not wish to let any single streamer dominate. They wanted to avoid another Huang Ying causing trouble, preferring a competitive landscape. And within Stardust Platform, he was the only one capable of rivaling Luo Chen.

So that’s why Wu Qing had said those words?

It was both encouragement and warning: his status was no longer as important as before. If he didn’t tread carefully, he’d be out.

Clenching his fists, Huang Ying let out a deep breath. It seemed he needed to make some changes.

After closing a certain website that had grown increasingly sluggish due to the overwhelming number of visitors, Huang Ying disregarded his biological clock’s warnings and decided to stay up late preparing for tomorrow’s stream.

Once he got serious, no one could beat him in gaming!

...

The next morning, Luo Chen, who had gone to bed late after streaming, was shaken awake by his younger sister. He yawned, sitting up in a daze.

Truth be told, this wasn’t Luo Chen’s first time staying up late; he was hardly a stranger to midnight hours. But this was undoubtedly the most exhausting—more than four hours of intense streaming had drained him.

“Luo Chen, are you alright? Should we help you call in sick?” Yan He, sitting at the edge of the bed, looked worriedly at the still weary Luo Chen. She and the others had known he was streaming last night, hence the question.

“Why not just take the day off… hmm, then we could all skip together!” Luo Tianyi, straddling in front of Luo Chen, started out concerned, but then realized she had her own reason to skip class, suggesting it boldly.

“Don’t even think about it!” Luo Chen moved her delicate face away and retorted. The interruption had cleared his mind, and seeing he still had time, he decided to attend class. After all, sleeping anywhere made little difference, but skipping too often was no good.

So he got up, dressed, washed, ate, and managed to reach the school before the bell rang.

“Good morning, Yan He!”

“Morning, Tianyi!”

“Little Angel?”

...

Along the way, greetings continued as usual, but this time not only directed at Yan He and Luo Tianyi. Luo Chen noticed many students looking at him with puzzled expressions, as if they’d realized something but weren’t sure enough to confirm it.

Recalling last night’s staggering viewership, Luo Chen guessed what was on their minds. They probably thought he resembled the streamer they’d seen, but didn’t dare to ask in case they were mistaken. He was glad he didn’t know too many people at this school; otherwise, after all the publicity, he’d have no peace.

Anticipating this issue, Luo Chen had made some adjustments before the stream. The onscreen version of himself differed slightly from his real-life appearance. While the resemblance was still there, those subtle differences were enough to deter many students from approaching him to ask.

Although it wouldn’t be long before his real identity was uncovered by resourceful fans, streamers weren’t like celebrities. In his previous life, he’d never heard of a streamer troubled by such things.

He wondered if this world would be the same.

Luo Chen frowned, thinking it over. Here, streaming platforms wielded tremendous influence—the industry had reached its peak, quite unlike the previous world. There, even the most popular streamer could walk the streets unnoticed. Here, under Stardust Platform’s relentless promotion, anyone active online was aware of streamers. This, too, was due to the relatively open policies of Huaguo in this life; otherwise, such development would have been impossible.

Lost in thought, Luo Chen walked into the classroom and took his seat. He’d barely had a moment’s peace when he noticed Li Hua staring at him, conflicted. After much hesitation, Li Hua finally shuffled over.

“Filthy King?” Li Hua squeezed his chair in front of Luo Chen and whispered uncertainly. He’d been full of doubts while watching last night’s stream, and after pondering it all night, his dark circles still hadn’t faded.

“It’s Pure Little Angel!” Luo Chen sighed helplessly. Who knew what Li Hua was thinking—calling him Little Angel would be so much more endearing, but he insisted on Filthy King. Why bother?

“I guessed it was you last night! You have no idea, our Filthy faction… it’s finished!” Hearing Luo Chen’s admission, Li Hua shuddered, rushing over to cry and wail. As the leader of the Filthy faction, he’d fought tooth and nail to recruit members these days, but with little success. It was nothing short of tragic.

Thank you to the reader "Four Strings Is Cute" for the reward of 1,100 Starting Coins, and to the readers "Star Dream Moon Dance" and "Stone Bridge Waiting a Thousand Years" for the reward of 100 Starting Coins each. Throwing flowers!