The Reluctant Streamer’s New Persona

Li Yue, who had effortlessly bested two female bodyguards, found herself bleeding profusely during an encounter with the Mo family’s eldest daughter in the hot springs. Was this a twisted perversion of human nature, or a complete degradation of morality?

Li Yue, who had always believed herself to be worldly, couldn’t withstand the direct assault of Mo Linyu’s ‘headlights’ (TL Note: A Chinese slang term referring to a woman’s breasts, implying their prominent size). Her blood, already coursing rapidly due to the hot springs’ warmth, erupted from her nostrils, staining the surface of the pool crimson.

Ultimately, Mo Linyu had to carry her out of the bathroom. Li Yue now lay on the sofa in the manor’s living room, a cooling patch affixed to her forehead to soothe and refresh her.

“Young Miss, what happened to her?”

Xia Xi asked, peering over the back of the sofa at Li Yue.

Mo Linyu merely replied, “What else could it be? She soaked for too long and got dizzy.”

A hint of shyness touched her expression, yet as the Demon Lord, her inherent pride ensured she would never let it show.

Still sprawled on the sofa, Li Yue mumbled to herself.

‘My mind-reading ability is gone. That fellow did say the transmigration perks were only temporarily lent to me… but couldn’t she have chosen a slightly less coincidental moment to take them back?’

In truth, considering the elapsed time, it had been nearly a week, and Li Yue should have anticipated this.

‘What’s more, she didn’t even give me a new perk as a replacement.’

‘That unreliable Goddess.’

Mo Changhong returned to the company after the interview; he was a busy man, intensely career-driven and strict with himself.

Of course, Li Yue’s two defeated subordinates were also taken away, though it was unlikely they would lose their jobs.

Mo Linyu said, “Don’t go back tonight.”

“No, I have to…”

Li Yue refused, feeling lightheaded; she absolutely did not want to share a bed with Mo Linyu like intimate best friends.

Mo Linyu asked, “Do you know what a ‘personal’ bodyguard is?”

“It’s certainly not what you’re imagining,” Li Yue replied.

“Do you want to go back to streaming? Couldn’t you just stream from my room? I’ll have Dong Lu prepare a guest room for you, and you can sleep here tonight… Besides, if you go back now, you might transform back on the way.”

“Alright.”

Hearing there was a guest room, Li Yue immediately agreed.

****

Agreement aside, Li Yue remained wary of Mo Linyu’s potential trickery. She specifically watched Dong Lu prepare her guest room before heading to Mo Linyu’s bedroom to set up her stream.

Within Mo Linyu’s bedroom stood a custom-built computer, its exorbitant price evident without even asking, simply by gazing upon its dazzling RGB lights, peculiar logo, and alien-shaped casing.

This computer hadn’t been there the night she last argued with the Demon Lord…

Clearly, it had been acquired during her period of house arrest.

“Are you actually planning to stream yourself?” Li Yue muttered.

Mo Linyu sat down in front of the computer, powered it on, and replied, “Yes, but I’ll still need to use your account.”

Li Yue instantly felt as if she were facing a formidable foe.

“Hey! Can’t you just leave my streaming channel alone? What exactly are you after?!”

“Your channel simply has more viewers, that’s all,” Mo Linyu said, opening the streaming software’s login interface. She then stood up, pressed on Li Yue’s shoulders, and guided her to sit in front of the computer. “My idea is this: we’ll use our alternate-world selves as personas for the stream. If anyone who knows us watches, and if they still retain memories of their past lives, they’re bound to seek us out.”

The story of the Demon Lord and Hero Moon.

‘Ah, so that’s it…’

This was a path Li Yue had never considered. While it sounded like a long shot, the possibility wasn’t entirely nonexistent.

As a streaming strategy with lowered expectations, perhaps it was worth a try.

After all, the Demon Lord had spontaneously awakened her past life memories; perhaps other souls from different worlds had done the same.

“Wait,” Li Yue retorted, still wary, “that doesn’t conflict with you creating your own streaming account, does it?!”

“Why register a new account when there’s an existing one? Besides, the channel’s viewers must miss me, right?”

Mo Linyu was adept at breaching Li Yue’s psychological defenses, speaking as if she knew precisely what Li Yue disliked, and saying it on purpose.

“Don’t worry, I’ve prepared something new for you.”

Mo Linyu opened a certain software. Beneath her monitor, a subtle, elongated camera was aimed directly at Li Yue’s face.

The software Mo Linyu opened displayed a virtual anime avatar.

It was an introverted character with long, dark purple hair and a pair of horns on its head—an obvious amalgamation of Mo Linyu’s current appearance and the characteristics of the Demon Lord.

This avatar also mirrored Li Yue’s expressions, its movements a direct feedback from the camera capturing Li Yue’s facial features.

Not only that, but Mo Linyu added, “I’ve also commissioned a 3D model and a full set of motion capture equipment, which will be delivered later… If you entrust the streaming channel to me, I can let you use all of these for free.”

However, Li Yue merely replied, “No interest.”

Li Yue had already been aware of this ‘paper-doll’ streaming model when she returned to Earth and first encountered live streaming.

It wasn’t novel technology; he simply wasn’t interested. After all, who would want to pretend to be a beautiful girl?

He was a legitimate, technically skilled gaming streamer, a true man’s man!

“You just don’t understand,” Mo Linyu countered. “It’s not uncommon for male streamers to use female avatars, and besides~ don’t you need a gimmick for your stream at this stage? Otherwise, your viewers might leave because they can’t see me.”

“How can you be so confident?! Where does all that self-assurance even come from?”

“How about you just give it a try? You stream it yourself.”

Li Yue raised an eyebrow at Mo Linyu’s suggestion.

“Then it’ll just be a trial.”

Li Yue entered her streaming channel’s account password. Mo Linyu had already installed the games she frequently played, so the streaming setup was quite similar to what she had at home.

The virtual motion capture and OBS streaming settings were not difficult; after a few simple adjustments, she was ready to begin.

Then—

[Arisen from the Coffin!]

[Is it still Dragon Sister tonight? Where did Dragon Brother go?]

[Yo, Dragon Sister became a Vtuber?]

“Ahem, tonight I’ve been set up with some strange new technology, and I wanted to ask if everyone has any interest in this persona… Huh? Wait, I just started streaming!”

Immediately, she received a donation.

[While the streamer’s soul isn’t particularly interesting, their avatar is quite cute.]

“Hey! Is that Super Chat trying to pick a fight?! You scoundrel!”

Li Yue wasn’t eager to admit it, but this avatar’s streaming effect seemed stronger than simply playing games before.

So, she feigned composure and declared, “Ahem, for now, I’m just testing the settings for this avatar. If you all like it, I’ll use it for future streams.”

Then, Li Yue saw a familiar ID send a rocket donation.

That person had appeared!

Li Yue immediately took off her headphones and stood up, causing the virtual avatar’s expression on screen to glitch as the camera lost sight of her facial features.

She pressed Mo Linyu down into the chair in front of the computer, while she herself, clutching her phone, went off to private message that person.

Li Yue: [Hey, where are my perks?]