Chapter 33: We Yield
1216 Words
When Alexis saw Benefactor’s comment scrolling across the screen, she finally snapped out of her daze—she had been staring blankly at her computer monitor for what felt like an eternity.
Who am I?
Where am I?
What just happened?
These three questions kept swirling relentlessly in her mind.
No matter how she tried, she couldn’t comprehend what had transpired tonight!
But there was no time to dwell on it now—Benefactor had given her a message to relay.
She lifted her head to look across the room. “Ashley, Benefactor wants to know: shall we continue?”
Ashley was overwhelmed with shame, unable to find words to answer.
She wanted to roar. Benefactor has already renewed by three million! Do you think this is some grand finals showdown?
How could my Christopher possibly keep up?!
Of course, she dared not voice such thoughts.
In this line of work, a streamer values a wealthy patron more dearly than their own parents—
After all, one’s parents might not spare much, but a generous benefactor could, with a single flick of the wrist, lavish tens of thousands!
At that moment, Christopher finally typed a response: “Tell Benefactor that we yield. That last recharge was merely a show of bravado, but clearly, it fell flat in front of Benefactor.”
Christopher was nothing if not clear-headed; he knew when to advance and when to retreat. The moment he witnessed Benefactor’s staggering show of wealth, he realized this was someone far beyond his league.
It wasn’t just that he couldn’t produce three million—even if he could, he would never spend it so freely.
It was painfully obvious: Benefactor’s resources eclipsed his own by a mile.
Faced with someone of such ferocity, it would be sheer folly to persist.
Better to concede swiftly—perhaps they could even part on friendly terms without too much loss of face.
Ashley clearly arrived at the same conclusion. Her eyes shimmering with a pitiful charm, she turned to Alexis and said softly, “Christopher has decided to back down. He only wanted to put on a strong front before Benefactor just now, but it didn’t work out. Benefactor is simply too formidable—three million in a single recharge! Who could endure that?”
Hearing Ashley’s words, Aaron nodded thoughtfully. It seemed Christopher, Ashley’s top supporter, was no fool—he recognized the disparity in strength and chose to yield gracefully.
If victory was impossible, it was wiser to forge alliances than to struggle in vain.
Such a person was remarkably rational.
…
Before Aaron could say a word, a notification flashed across the screen: “King Christopher has entered the livestream.”
Ashley’s top supporter, Christopher, had arrived in Alexis’s room.
Alexis was momentarily stunned before quickly composing herself. “Welcome, Christopher.”
Even though Christopher had never visited her stream before, a host must always greet a big spender warmly, for these magnates might shower them with gifts at any moment.
No sooner had Alexis finished speaking than the screen exploded with brilliant gift animations—
It was the most extravagant item: the Treasure Map!
“Christopher has activated a Treasure Map in Alexis’s stream.”
“Christopher has activated Treasure Map X2 in Alexis’s stream.”
He had gifted two Treasure Maps in one fell swoop!
Then Christopher typed: “Alexis, I didn’t realize this was your debut stream—my apologies for missing it. I’m making up these gifts today.”
Seeing Christopher’s message, Aaron couldn’t help but smile. The man clearly knew how to play the game.
Had Aaron not been present tonight, Christopher would never have cared who Alexis was, let alone whether she’d had her debut.
But Benefactor’s presence had elevated Alexis’s status dramatically, to the point where even a heavyweight like Christopher came bearing gifts.
His goal, of course, wasn’t to flatter Alexis, but to curry favor with Aaron himself.
“You’re too kind, Christopher,” Aaron replied.
“It’s the least I can do! Benefactor, would you consider giving me the following? It’d be wonderful to keep in touch—and even better if we could exchange Whats’Y’App. Haha!” Christopher typed eagerly.
This was his true purpose for coming and gifting.
From what he’d seen tonight, Benefactor was undoubtedly another colossal spender.
As the saying goes, birds of a feather flock together—Christopher, being a man of means himself, naturally sought the company of those who shared his lavish tastes.
And if he could establish a rapport with someone like Benefactor, so much the better!
Aaron paused briefly, weighing the man’s character. From Christopher’s decisive spending earlier, it was clear he was financially capable and possessed the pragmatism Aaron respected.
Besides, Christopher was right—playing Tik’Y’Tok alone could be dreadfully dull. Gathering a circle of like-minded highrollers promised far greater entertainment.
“Of course,” Aaron agreed smoothly. “Give me a follow. As for Whats’Y’App, I’ll have Alexis send it to you shortly.”
It was only then, when Whats’Y’App was mentioned, that Aaron remembered he hadn’t yet given Alexis his new number.
Going forward, when he appeared as “Benefactor,” he’d have to use his new Whats’Y’App to keep his identity distinct.
His old Whats’Y’App was tied to the modest persona of “Aaron,” a small-time moderator.
…
Seeing Benefactor agree to share contact information, Christopher was elated.
His net worth, counting both fixed and liquid assets, barely crossed the billion mark, but he was a cautious spender. The recent three-hundred-thousand recharge had only been possible thanks to a lucrative windfall from the stock market.
Easy come, easy go—it hadn’t pained him too much to splurge.
But comparing his own means to Benefactor’s extravagant spending, he estimated Benefactor’s assets must run into the tens of billions—backed by immense cash flow. Otherwise, who could raise millions on a whim?
A man with such wealth and liquidity had to be a major figure in real life.
Forging a connection with someone like that could only bring endless benefits.
His mind made up, Christopher tapped twice more on his screen, sending another pair of Treasure Maps.
“Haha! Meeting Benefactor tonight was all thanks to Alexis—consider these gifts my token of gratitude.”
Alexis, having done nothing but sit there, found herself showered with four Treasure Maps in total. She quickly expressed her thanks, “You’re very kind, Christopher. Thank you so much for the Treasure Maps.”
Across the way, Ashley looked on enviously. She’d gained nothing, and even her top supporter, Christopher, had defected to gifts in someone else’s stream.
But she was shrewd enough to grasp Christopher’s intentions, so she merely sat there smiling sweetly, silent.
Seeing how deftly Christopher maneuvered, Aaron allowed a faint smile to curl his lips and clicked into Ashley’s stream.
Ashley sat there in bored resignation, watching the lively conversation in Alexis’s chat—until, suddenly, her screen burst with a grand entrance animation:
“Emperor Benefactor has entered the livestream.”
Her eyes lit up as she exclaimed in delighted surprise, “Welcome, Benefactor!”
As an experienced host, Ashley knew exactly what Benefactor’s arrival meant:
He was here to reciprocate—and she was about to receive her reward.
- Writer
