Chapter 60
Hearing his own name while out in his human form made MuMu incredibly uncomfortable.
The host asked curiously: “Do you know MuMu?”
“I…” MuMu thought for a moment. “I know MuMu’s owner.”
“Oh my god, what an unexpected connection between two of the most popular figures in the interstellar world!”
MuMu waved his hands dismissively: “No, don’t say that…”
The host, as if he had stumbled upon a major scoop, turned to the camera:
“Viewers, do you want to know more about the connection between the masked streamer and spokesmermaid MuMu? Don’t go anywhere, we’ll be right back after these messages!”
The red light on the camera turned off. The host relaxed slightly and said to MuMu:
“The microphones are off during commercials, let’s go over the next segment.”
“I really want to go home, why do we need commercials?”
“Apologies, please understand.” The host explained. “Advertising during a big reveal like ‘you know MuMu’s owner’ keeps the ratings up, and the sponsors happy.”
“So you invited me here not to congratulate me, but to use me to attract viewers?”
MuMu’s mouth turned downwards: “You didn’t even ask for my consent, or mermaid MuMu’s consent, just using us for clout!”
The host said anxiously: “The commercial break is almost over, all that’s left is the award presentation by the mermaid, is that acceptable?”
MuMu didn’t reply, returning to the center of the stage.
The commercial break ended, the cameras started rolling, and the host put on a professional smile:
“Let’s welcome MuMu’s friend, MuMu, to present the award to the masked streamer!”
Under the spotlight, the mermaid cage opened automatically.
The mermaid inside peeked out timidly, slowly emerging from the water, its tail fin trembling.
It picked up the award with its claws and offered it to MuMu with its eyes closed.
The audience murmured:
“Such a well-behaved mermaid, must have been trained extensively for this.”
“The host said it’s MuMu’s friend, how clever!”
“What friend, they probably just found a random obedient mermaid.”
“Yeah, I wonder if the masked streamer will expose the lie about knowing MuMu’s owner, haha!”
MuMu didn’t question the mermaid’s identity.
It took the award: “Thank you, you did great!”
The praise seemed to reassure the mermaid, and it let out a soft “awoo,” but its anxiety was still evident.
MuMu stepped forward, shielding the mermaid’s eyes with its hand.
The host’s brow twitched: “Streamer? You don’t have to worry about MuMu, you can give your acceptance speech now.”
“Hold this for me.”
MuMu handed the award to the host and pointed at the spotlight:
“Can you turn off that light?”
The organizer backstage spoke into his microphone: “Lighting crew, do as he says.”
The spotlight went out.
The sudden change in lighting made the audience blink:
“What happened?”
“Is there a problem with the spotlight?”
“Mermaids don’t like direct light.”
MuMu gently stroked MuMu’s hair, and the mermaid seemed to relax, its tail fin no longer trembling.
“Mermaids mistake bright lights for the sun, and prolonged exposure can damage their scales.”
MuMu added: “Please don’t imitate spokesmermaid MuMu and take pictures of your mermaids with flash photography, it makes them anxious.”
The audience suddenly understood:
“That’s why my mermaid dives every time I use the flash.”
“Good to know, but why are the mermaids in the pet section livestreams okay with bright lights?”
“I remember ‘Yi Yi’s Mermaid Yi Yi’ uses diffused lighting, no direct spotlights.”
“So it’s a psychological thing, avoid single, strong light sources like the sun.”
“Every time I think I know everything about mermaids, the masked streamer teaches me something new.”
“What would we do without the little streamer?”
The host looked at MuMu in the cage apologetically:
“We weren’t aware of this, we shouldn’t have used such a strong spotlight.”
“But it overcame its instinctive fear and did exactly as we asked, isn’t that amazing?”
MuMu gently scratched the mermaid’s chin, its voice full of pride:
“Mermaids are much more resilient than humans think!”
MuMu, having spent most of its life as a mermaid, knew exactly where they liked to be petted.
MuMu purred contentedly, leaning against MuMu, its eyes closed.
MuMu turned to the host: “Is its name really MuMu?”
“Yes, the character for ‘wood.'”
“?” The illiterate MuMu struggled to process this information.
Which “Mu” am I again?
The audience’s excitement reached its peak:
“Not only big-brand spokesmermaids are stars, MuMu is a star, my mermaid is also a star in my heart!”
“I’m ordering more canned fish for my baby, Wen Corp’s new snack, mermaids love it!”
“Really? I’ll try it too!”
“Streamer, can you teach us how to pet mermaids? Your technique is amazing!”
MuMu was so relaxed that it was starting to doze off.
MuMu helped it into a comfortable position in the cage and took the award from the host:
“To me, being influential means making a difference for mermaids, not just being popular.”
MuMu bowed sincerely: “Thank you for your support, I’m the mermaid language streamer, see you in my next livestream!”
After a moment of silence, the audience erupted in applause.
MuMu, pulling the mermaid cage, walked off the stage.
Backstage, the organizer rushed over: “Streamer, thank you for your hard work!”
MuMu in the cage whimpered at the sound of the organizer’s voice.
“Are you MuMu’s owner?” MuMu handed him the cage.
“Yes, its name is similar to the spokesmermaid’s, so we trained it for the award presentation… I didn’t know mermaids were afraid of bright lights, I didn’t mean to scare it!”
“It’s saying it missed you, I believe you’re a good owner.”
MuMu smiled at the mermaid: “Right, MuMu?”
“Awoo!”
He interacted with the mermaid so naturally, his genuine affection evident.
The organizer felt even more guilty: “I’m so sorry, I was only focused on creating buzz, I didn’t consider your feelings…”
MuMu imitated a stern expression from a melodrama, reciting a line:
“There won’t be a next time.”
The organizer heard:
I’m not streaming on your platform anymore, I’m switching!
“No!” The organizer gasped. “Anything else, but not that!”
“Whatever, I’m going home.” MuMu turned to leave.
The organizer, thinking he was serious, grabbed his arm:
“How about this, if you stay, we’ll change the revenue split from 50/50 to 60/40!”
“Why would I stay?” I’m going home to watch my dramas!
MuMu wrenched free and hurried away.
The organizer watched him go, as if seeing his platform’s cash cow flying away…
“Please, don’t go!”
The organizer gritted his teeth: “70/30, no, 80/20, how about that?”
MuMu was confused: What is he talking about?
The organizer clenched his fists, his voice filled with desperation: “Fine, 90/10! No other platform can offer you that!”
Offer?
MuMu finally understood that the organizer wasn’t trying to prevent him from going home.
It asked tentatively: “You mean I’ll get star coins?”
“With a 90/10 split, the platform will refund the extra amount we’ve taken from your past livestream earnings, a total of…”
The organizer showed him the amount on his optical brain.
“Gasp!”
MuMu stared at the number, almost drooling.
“What do I have to do to get this much?”
“Just like before, maintain a regular streaming schedule, and don’t switch platforms, use your current account.”
“Okay, I only have this one account.” MuMu fidgeted with its nails, still in disbelief. Such good fortune, falling from the sky?
…
If MuMu had known how to use StarNet, it would have seen how popular “masked streamer” had become.
Unsurprisingly, the trending topics were dominated by him again.
#Most Influential, Well-Deserved#
#He Gave the Most Interactive Acceptance Speech Ever/Thumbs Up/#
But one post surpassed them all in popularity—
OP: Spilling the tea, what’s the deal between the masked streamer and Admiral Wen? [GIF]
The GIF was from the awards ceremony, showing the masked streamer saying “I know MuMu’s owner.”
1st Reply (OP): I’m obsessed with his expression, so conflicted and meaningful…
2nd Reply: Agreed! The little streamer has never looked like that before, something’s definitely going on!
3rd Reply: He had the same expression on Valentine’s Day when someone asked if he had a crush. /Wink/
4th Reply: Come on, don’t ship everything.
5th Reply: You’re reading too much into it, the mask covers half his face, what meaning can you possibly see?
6th Reply: The little streamer always advertises Wen Corp, their relationship must be special.
7th Reply: I just know Admiral Wen is obsessed with his mermaid. Wearing a seashell necklace, having its name embroidered on a custom blanket, and posting pictures of it every day!
8th Reply: So the Admiral just wants the masked streamer to translate for his mermaid. /Makes sense/
The focus of the thread shifted from “masked streamer and Admiral Wen” to “MuMu and Admiral Wen.”
Until a picture changed everything.
16th Reply: A picture is worth a thousand words. [Picture]
The picture, taken by a fan before the ceremony, showed Wen Ming shielding the masked streamer, confronting someone. And the streamer was reaching out, their fingers touching.
17th Reply: Whoa! What an amazing shot, their hands are so beautiful, so romantic!
18th Reply: Admiral Wen never gets involved in other people’s business, but he defended the little streamer, I’m starting to ship them…
19th Reply: They’re practically dating. /Crying tears of joy/
20th Reply: But they’ve never confirmed anything, no public interaction.
21L: Even better, a secret relationship is more exciting. /Can’t stop, won’t stop/
…
“Awoo.” You’re back?
MuMu, almost asleep, finally heard Wen Ming return and struggled to open its eyes: “Woo.” I waited so long I’m sleepy.
“My fault for being late.”
Wen Ming kissed its forehead: “Don’t be angry, okay?”
MuMu closed its eyes and hummed softly:
Wouldn’t even let me touch your finger outside, but now you know how to coax me?
That 19th reply knows what’s up