After dinner and a shower, Ye Ning sat down, pulled out his phone, and transferred one million yuan directly to his mother's bank account.
Less than thirty seconds later, his phone rang.
"Son, why did you send me so much money? Where did you even get it?" Ye Ma's voice was filled with concern.
Although she trusted her son and knew he wasn't the type to get involved in shady business, the sudden appearance of such a large sum left her shaken.
Ye Ning's parents were hardworking farmers. It had taken them a lifetime of effort to buy a modest three-bedroom apartment in the county.
Even so, they considered themselves lucky. Many of their old neighbors could barely afford to dream of a commercial apartment and had no choice but to live in self-built homes in the countryside for the rest of their lives.
One million yuan — to them, it was an astronomical figure.
Ye Ma and Ye Dad had never seen that much money in their entire lives.
"Don't worry, Mom. You know what kind of person your son is, right?"
Ye Ning quickly fabricated a lie. "I started a small business with some classmates after graduation. Things have finally taken off, and we're making decent money now."
There was no way he could tell her the truth about the cashback system — no one would believe it anyway.
Besides, being the new landlord of Jiangnan Commercial Street did technically count as doing business.
"My son is finally earning money." His mother's tone shifted to one of pride. "I'll help you save it. We'll put it aside for when you want to get married."
"It's fine, Mom. You and Dad can spend it. I'll send more whenever you need it."
"How could we do that? We're getting old — we don't need much money. Your little sister still needs it for college," she said firmly.
Ye Ning knew his parents were frugal and disciplined when it came to money. They had saved all their lives and never lived extravagantly. So he could only nod and agree.
The two chatted for over half an hour before hanging up.
After the call, Ye Ning stood by the riverside window, gazing out at the shimmering night view. His heart ached with homesickness.
"I haven't been home in almost a year... I'll visit in a few days."
As he absentmindedly scrolled through short videos, a notification popped up in his Moments feed.
It was from that little streamer he had added earlier — Xu Weier. She had just posted the link to her live broadcast.
Intrigued, Ye Ning immediately downloaded Feiyu Live and created an account.
Xu Weier's livestream room, under the username "Xiao Weier," was nearly deserted.
The streaming world was cutthroat. Even though she had a beautiful voice, talent alone wasn't enough in an industry oversaturated with singers.
To make matters worse, Xu Weier refused to wear revealing clothes, making it even harder to attract viewers.
"Bosses who just entered the livestream room, please hit that follow button in the top right corner!"
"If you think the singing's good, throw a gift or two my way! Any support helps!"
She stared at the dismal viewer count on the screen and sighed.
It had been almost two months since she started streaming, and not only had she earned nothing, she had sunk money into lighting, backdrops, and equipment.
With rent coming due soon, Xu Weier was starting to feel desperate.
Back in university, she had no shortage of admirers thanks to her stunning looks and figure. Rich young heirs, business scions — plenty of them tried to pursue her.
One even outright offered to "take care of her" financially. But Xu Weier had always been proud and independent — she turned them all down.
Her background might've been humble, but she wasn't going to sell her dignity for money.
In the comment section, a few viewers mocked and bantered:
"Aww, poor little anchor. I'd donate, but I'm broke. Here, have a free flower."
"I've got great conditions, but I'm a proud freeloader and I'm not changing for anyone!"
"Same here, bro. We're all broke but loyal!"
Ye Ning entered the livestream and was surprised to find that only a dozen people were watching. It was pitiful.
"Welcome 'Tonight Ninggu'! Welcome, boss! Please consider hitting that follow button up top!"
Ye Ning didn't hesitate. He followed her immediately.
"Thank you, Boss Ninggu, for the follow!"
Suddenly, the chat picked up as people noticed the newcomer:
"The anchor's getting baited again?"
"Haha, she's so gullible!"
"Dummy anchor, I like you. Followed!"
"Not bad, she's kinda cute. Just hope she's not another catfish."
"Pretty and talented. Too bad she can't dance... or can she?"
Dance? Ye Ning raised an eyebrow. Could Xu Weier really dance too?
Tonight Ninggu: "If you dance, I'll send you a gift."
White Freeloader: "Yo, anchor! He's asking you to dance!"
Grandpa Dashenglai: "Run, girl! He wants the goods!"
PickingMyFeetCooking: "Don't get your hopes up. Newbies never drop big gifts. He won't even send a flower."
Xu Weier glanced at the chat, suspicious. She thought they were just messing with her again.
She hesitated, then said, "Boss Ninggu, how about I sing instead? Singing is my strong suit."
Ye Ning smiled slightly, then — without another word — recharged 100,000 yuan into his account.
Ding!
[You spent 100,000 yuan. Cashback multiplier: 4x. You've received 400,000 yuan.]
400,000 yuan. The money flowed in like water.
He immediately sent out a rocket gift worth 500 yuan, along with another message:
Tonight Ninggu: "If you dance, there's more where that came from."
A rocket animation soared across the screen, stunning everyone.
"Holy crap! Big boss alert!"
"I'm going blind! That was a whole rocket!"
"Anchor, dance! Your sugar daddy just arrived!"
Xu Weier's heart skipped a beat when she saw the animation.
In two months of streaming, this was the first time she had received such a generous gift.
Previously, her biggest reward had been a plane worth 100 yuan — and even then, the sender demanded her contact info after just two gifts.
The private messages that followed had all sorts of disgusting innuendos.
Though Xu Weier sometimes seemed innocent, she wasn't stupid. This man — "Tonight Ninggu" — had thrown a rocket gift on his very first visit. He had to be the real deal.
She didn't know what he wanted, but at the very least, she had to hold on to this rare, genuine fan.
"Alright, since Boss Ninggu wants to see it... Xiao Weier will dance."