The Cat’s Conquest and a Cafeteria Confrontation

Immediately, Qing Zixi’s first thought was whether her three elder sisters had come to support her.

But surely, such a grand display wasn’t necessary!

Moreover, she was absolutely, unequivocally certain that she hadn’t told her sisters about starting the broadcast, though it was only a matter of time before they found out.

‘Wait, could someone actually be captivated by this young lady’s skills?!’

The current moment found Qing Zixi transformed into a small white cat, riding atop a centaur that radiated a soft green aura. Together, they galloped wildly across the battlefield.

Gripping the reins, she led the centaur in repeated, fierce charges towards the enemy’s top lane and jungle. Just as her opponents sought to flee in disarray, the magic book in the cat’s paw unleashed a despair-inducing, fan-shaped ray of ice, trapping them firmly in place.

Her enemies could only watch helplessly as they were trampled by hooves, prompting frustrated desk-pounding or exasperated sighs from the players.

Thus, under the leadership of Zixi Meow, their team effortlessly crushed their opponents.

At this moment, viewers had initially entered the livestream drawn by the extravagant donations from a wealthy patron. They stayed, enchanted by the pure and adorable virtual avatar.

Ultimately, they were completely captivated by Qing Zixi’s mischievous cat, showering her with their support light sticks and proudly displaying their ‘Zixi Meow’ badges.

[Everfrost Cat, makes perfect sense!]

[How could this possibly be the same person as Lan Mengyao’s idiotic younger sister?]

[Exactly! Where did this genius girl come from?!]

“Uh, uh…”

Qing Zixi watched the bullet comments, her lips twitching, unsure whether to be happy or angry.

‘Don’t they understand the saying, ‘One must look at a scholar with new eyes after three days’ absence’?’ she thought. ‘I’ve trained for three days, forsaking sleep and food; there should be some results, shouldn’t there?

‘Thirty years to the east of the river, thirty years to the west. Don’t mock a girl for being ‘idiotic’!’

Ultimately, Qing Zixi managed to amuse herself. Meanwhile, on the other side of the screen, a girl watched Qing Zixi’s merriment in the livestream, a slight curve appearing on her own lips.

However, upon realizing she was unconsciously smiling, the girl let out a loud cough and immediately closed Qing Zixi’s livestream.

“– It’s not, it’s not like I care about you!”

The blonde girl stood up and plopped onto the bed behind her, burying her flushed little face in a soft pillow.

“– Hmph~ I don’t like you at all, you stupid older sister…”

The pillow clearly featured an anime-style white-haired loli printed on both sides: one side ‘normal,’ the other ‘adult.’ Who could it be~?

****

[Gold-medal lecturer Teacher Sakura is live! Teacher Sakura is live! Brothers, retreat!]

[I’m fast warping!]

[Gotta be, faster!]

[Father of all gods, grant me sight!]

[Fly~ faster than running.]

Suddenly, Qing Zixi noticed the viewer count diminishing. In the bullet comments, everyone seemed to be flocking to a livestream called ‘Teacher Sakura’.

‘Huh? This young lady’s thunder has been stolen?!’

Curious and indignant, Qing Zixi searched for “Teacher Sakura” on the website. She indeed found it through keywords.

Clicking in, she saw a pink-haired, conspicuously developed loli tinkering with various bottles and jars.

“– Today, I’m bringing you a mysterious potion that can make certain ‘places’ bigger, oh. Don’t rush, don’t rush, I’ll teach you the crafting method…”

‘Xia Mengying!?’

Qing Zixi stared at the pink-haired loli livestreaming, an astonished expression on her face. The loli, apparently noticing an ID named Zixi Meow, immediately widened her eyes and looked at the camera.

“– Is that little Sister Xi? Has little Sister Xi come too? I’ve missed you terribly these past few days! Are you free now? When can I come visit you and play!?”

‘This is bad!’

‘Is this girl really expressing her feelings for me directly in front of so many people in the livestream?’

[Sister? So Qing Zixi is Xia Mengying’s younger sister?]

[So the rich lady is Teacher Sakura!?]

[But that ID was clearly ‘Blonde Tsundere Twin-tails.’]

The bullet comments were in heated discussion. Xia Mengying, realizing belatedly from the comments that Qing Zixi had also started a livestream, immediately and casually activated the most expensive monthly gift in her own channel, costing twenty thousand yuan.

“– Really, why didn’t you tell your older sister you started streaming? That’s not right, you know. If you keep hiding things from your sister like this, I’ll definitely have to punish you next time I see you~”

Once again, the bullet comments exploded into a frenzy. Everyone began speculating about the true nature of Qing Zixi and Xia Mengying’s relationship, convinced it was far from a simple sisterly bond.

Some yuri fans were already preparing to write a million-word saga of their love and hate.

‘…Run!’

Before the situation escalated to the point where the bullet comments recognized her as the same person who had previously appeared in Lan Mengyao’s livestream, Qing Zixi decisively exited Xia Mengying’s broadcast.

Returning to her own livestream, the bullet comments seemed to have gone wild.

[Why are the ‘film bros’ here too?]

[Host, you’ve made it!]

Qing Zixi noticed some strange elements mixed into the ranking list. Their avatars appeared to be a string of letters, and their profiles featured a website.

Just as she curiously considered clicking on one of these sites, a strange feeling suddenly arose within her.

‘Wait… “Film bros”?’

Being reclusive, Qing Zixi didn’t understand the term. It was only through the reactions in the bullet comments that she roughly grasped its meaning: if she clicked, her livestream would be immediately reported and banned.

A shiver ran down her spine. ‘How much do they hate me?!’ she thought.

‘Just blocking them would be too easy… Pah! I’ll ruthlessly blacklist all of you! 😡’

Massaging her chest, Qing Zixi cut off her livestream feed before she could make any irreversible mistakes.

Including donations from other viewers, Qing Zixi stared blankly at the income displayed on her screen.

Even after the platform had taken more than half, she mused, ‘Is this really so profitable? I can almost afford the down payment for a one-bedroom apartment! My great real estate venture has taken a significant step forward!’

Next, she opened her private messages and showered the user named ‘Blonde Tsundere Twin-tails’ with fervent thanks. Seeing no reply, she exited the chat window, only to be met with a rather discordant sight.

Many individuals were wantonly pouring out negative emotions towards her, a torrent of abuse filling her ears. Most accused her of being a shill or being involved in illicit dealings.

‘How dare you speak to me like that? Are your parents bought wholesale?’

Puffed up with indignation, Qing Zixi clicked on their avatars and discerned a pattern.

Though well-hidden, she discovered through their activity, follows, and comments beneath their posts that some were alt accounts belonging to other small streamers.

‘Perhaps those “film bros” were too?’ Qing Zixi was unwilling to speculate further.

‘From now on,’ she thought, ‘I’ll have to be more careful when I stream.’

Some people simply couldn’t stand to see others more successful than themselves, consumed by jealousy. Qing Zixi silently noted these things, then dismissed them for the time being. However, if they dared to offend again, she wouldn’t hesitate to let them experience Miss Xi’s flying kick.

‘Sigh~ No field is easy, it seems.’

****

In the afternoon, Qing Zixi carried her tray to the communal cafeteria for a meal. The food here was actually quite decent, mostly home-style dishes.

After getting her fill of chicken and potato stew and scrambled eggs with tomatoes, she settled down in an empty spot.

“– Hey, this is our turf!”

A yellow-haired delinquent, accompanied by two black-haired companions, approached. Their faces practically screamed ‘unruly and defiant’.

Qing Zixi thought that to be able to “write words on their faces” was, in a way, quite impressive.

However, she had no intention of engaging with them. She stood up, intending to yield her spot and move elsewhere.

Yet, seeing the white-haired loli seemingly intimidated, the leader, the yellow-haired one, became even more arrogant. He stepped forward, blocking Qing Zixi’s path.

“– I’m talking to you! Didn’t you hear me? Are you deaf or mute?”

Seeing that trouble had come knocking and was unavoidable, Qing Zixi pressed her lips together. She believed she offered a fairly decent smile as she looked up.

“– What is it, seniors? Speaking with seniors who are professional players fills me with such trepidation, so I was just organizing my thoughts~”

However, her aggressors did not see it that way. Upon seeing Qing Zixi’s peculiar smile and hearing her sing-song tone, the yellow-haired leader felt as though he was being mocked. His eyes widened in fury as he pointed at Qing Zixi.

“– You, you dare to be sarcastic with me?”