While browsing for songs, Robin suddenly had an idea: why not try live streaming for fun?
The goal was to gain followers more quickly. The more followers she had, the higher the views and engagement on her future videos would be, accelerating her progress towards achieving her "Songstress" identity goal.
Since it was just for fun, Robin didn't plan any elaborate streams. She simply set up a webcam to let viewers see what she was doing and continued practicing her songs as usual.
After all, she was learning songs anyway. Whether she practiced in secret or live-streamed openly, the latter might even earn her some new followers and free gifts—it was a win-win situation.
Acting on her impulse, Robin first tidied up her bedroom. Then she went to Kuaishou's official website, downloaded their live streaming software, selected the music category, and titled her stream "Currently Learning Songs" before starting the broadcast.
From the moment the idea was conceived to its execution, the entire process took no more than fifteen minutes—an astonishing feat of efficiency.
In reality, a typical female streamer employing conventional marketing tactics would have set a follower milestone for revealing her face, perhaps promising to do so upon reaching a certain number of followers. This would pique the curiosity of casual viewers eager to see the streamer's true appearance, enticing them to hit the follow button and effectively grow her audience.
Once the target follower count was reached, she would announce the face reveal days in advance, meticulously prepare a grand live stream, and capitalize on the hype for maximum profit.
From any perspective, Robin's impulsive face reveal was utterly absurd. But, to be honest, she felt no need for such flashy theatrics. She simply wanted to do what she pleased—sing normally, and that was that.
The moment the live stream started, Song Jianpeng's phone, which he was using while working at Kuaishou's branch office, vibrated violently. Puzzled, he pulled it out and stared at the screen, his eyes widening in surprise:
[The channel you're following, 'Robin Official', is now live!]
"She's live? Now?!" Though momentarily stunned, Song Jianpeng's fingers moved swiftly. He unlocked his phone and dove into the live stream. As for the work he was supposed to be doing?
Multitasking at its finest: computer work and live stream viewing. No problem at all.
Upon entering the stream, Song Jianpeng saw a girl with long, light blue hair intently focused on her phone. She wore blue wired headphones and softly hummed the melody of a song.
His first thought was: I don't usually watch virtual streamers, but when did their technology get this advanced? This avatar looks so three-dimensional, almost lifelike!
Then his second thought hit him like a slap to the face. He smacked himself hard. Wait a minute! This is clearly a real person! If this is a virtual avatar, I'll stand on my head and eat three pounds of shit!
Song Jianpeng quickly typed:
[Miss Robin's Dog: Isn't the streamer supposed to be a virtual streamer? Is she cosplaying as herself?]
Yes, just yesterday, Song Jianpeng had swiftly changed his Kuaishou account ID to this one, fearing someone else might snatch it.
He continued to flood the live stream with bullet comments: "Why are you streaming now? No one's online at this hour!" and "What are you even doing, streamer?"
Meanwhile, other viewers who had closely followed Robin's account began joining the live stream, gradually increasing the number of bullet comments. However, Robin didn't respond to a single one. In fact, she didn't even glance up at the screen. Her entire focus remained fixed on the song playing before her.
After humming along to the rhythm once, feeling she had gotten the hang of it, Robin dragged the original music video's progress bar back to the beginning and began singing along.
The song she was covering was called "Southern Township." Her ethereal voice, like an angel's gentle caress, brushed against Song Jianpeng's ears, completely erasing his awareness that he was still at work. He was utterly immersed in the music, letting time slip away like grains of sand through his fingers, until the final note faded.
Gritting his teeth, Song Jianpeng immediately recharged his Kuaishou account with one hundred yuan—his first-ever transaction on the platform. Without hesitation, he used the money to purchase a "Chariot" gift and sent it soaring across the screen.
After finishing her song, Robin finally noticed the screen was flooded with bullet comments, each one zipping past like a rocket, too fast to read.
However, the paid gifts floated slowly, catching her eye. Remembering the few live streams she'd watched in her previous life, she wondered if she should acknowledge the fans by announcing their names and messages, thanking them for their generosity.
They did spend money, she thought, clearing her throat. "Thank you... um, thank you, Miss Robin's Dog, for the carriage. 'Your singing is absolutely beautiful!' Thank you for the compliment! Much appreciated~!"
"Thank you, Green Prairie..."
"Thank you, Half Bowl, No Pass..."
Suddenly, a dazzling special effect streaked across her screen—a massive UFO almost filled the entire view, hovering for a moment before vanishing. Robin even saw a banner: "Global Announcement: Join the live stream to win Golden Tickets!"
"Thank you, Handsome God of the North Sea, for the UFO!" she said. "Streamer, what's your WeChat ID? DM me..."
Robin stopped reading halfway through the message. She instantly realized the commenter's intentions and shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't share personal information."
Golden, bold bullet comments flashed across the screen:
[What?! I just tipped you six thousand, and you won't even give me a WeChat ID?]
[Playing coy? I'll send five more UFOs—will you share it then?]
[You're just a newbie streamer! Don't bite the hand that feeds you!]
Robin merely raised an eyebrow. With a flick of her wrist, she issued a permanent ban.
The incident soured her mood. She stopped paying attention to the bullet comments and lowered her head to focus on the music.
Her actions stunned the other viewers:
[Holy crap, what just happened? She banned the top-ranked tipper? Brother Beihai?!]
[This streamer is ruthless! He literally just sent her a UFO!]
[Did you even see what that creep was saying? Good riddance! She's awesome!]
[What's going on? I just tuned in. What did I miss?]