Chapter 4: Top Fan Number Two

The butler promptly sent over the photos. Fu Huixu examined them one by one, but he found them all far too ordinary compared to the previous ones. He instructed the butler to keep searching for the seller and buy them at a higher price.

The butler on the other end of the line acknowledged the order without hesitation. He knew Fu Huixu’s stubborn nature all too well—especially when it came to anything involving Zhi Zhi.

Thanks to Fu Huixu, the butler had gained some understanding of Zhi Zhi himself. He knew the young man was the streamer Fu Huixu was pursuing, treated like a lover in every way.

He then reported on the progress of the off-campus housing paperwork, assuring Fu Huixu that he just needed to endure for a little longer.

Fu Huixu’s furrowed brow finally eased a fraction.

Compared to the cramped dorm and noisy roommates, what he couldn’t stand most was the reduced time for voice chats with Zhi Zhi.

His thoughts drifted to the other person in the dorm, and a chill flickered in the depths of his eyes.

At first, he had only glanced over because of the similar-sounding name. But he quickly realized that the other young man bore no resemblance to Zhi Zhi in either appearance or voice.

Yet the guy had seemed to take that glance as some kind of reward, his face lighting up with that fawning, opportunistic expression Fu Huixu had seen all too often from others.

Fortunately, after Fu Huixu spoke, the other had the good sense to back off and put some distance between them.

According to the butler, the paperwork was already in process. He could move out soon.

After hanging up, the photo reappeared on his phone screen.

It was a photo taken specially for him. The person in it had long black hair loosely pinned up, with a few stray strands hanging by his ears, swaying gently as he bowed his head.

The camera had captured the slight upward curve of his lips—a faint smile, as if he’d thought of something amusing or was simply basking in the sunlight’s warmth.

He wore a loose white knit sweater, the collar slipping down to reveal a slender collarbone. His skin looked almost translucent in the light, like a candid girlfriend’s snapshot.

A photo that belonged solely to him, one of a kind.

Fu Huixu’s fingertip traced the screen tenderly, as if caressing the figure across the distance. His dark eyes fixed on the image, the world around him blurring into nothingness. Only the photo felt real.

Fu Huixu had made it clear he wanted quiet, so Ji Zhi wasn’t about to make a fool of himself by striking up a conversation. He also worried about sparking a conflict, so while Fu Huixu was in the bathroom, he even shifted his bed farther away.

That evening, the counselor did indeed come around for lights-out checks.

Since the two were from different majors, both their counselors stopped by. The only thing they had in common was the way their eyes lit up at the sight of Fu Huixu. After the check, they both tried to chat him up enthusiastically, only to be met with cold rejection.

Seeing that he got the same treatment as Fu Huixu, Ji Zhi felt completely at ease.

After that, the two of them managed to coexist peacefully.

When Ji Zhi woke up, Fu Huixu was already gone.

If things stayed like this, Fu Huixu might only be around at night. That would give him a chance to stream.

The thought excited him. After all, he was eager to wrap up his contract.

As he mulled it over, he switched to the WeChat account he used to contact Top Fan No. 1. His school and class rarely sent notifications anyway—Chen Xingwen would remind him if anything came up—so he kept it on that account most of the time for quick replies.

No sooner had Ji Zhi opened WeChat than a “Good morning” popped up from Top Fan No. 1. He glanced at the time and noted how ridiculously early the guy was up again. He typed back a “Good morning.”

When Ji Zhi returned to his contacts list, he spotted a message from someone else.

[Top Fan No. 2: Good morning]

[Top Fan No. 2: Just got back to the country today, so I can finally greet you on local time.]

Ji Zhi: !!!

He’d just been relieved that Top Fan No. 1 seemed busy and wouldn’t be messaging as often. Now Top Fan No. 2 was back in the country.

Top Fan No. 2 was Ji Zhi’s Top Fan on a different platform.

There, his streams focused on ASMR sleep aids.

ASMR sleep streams involved soft voices or delicate actions—like flipping pages, tapping cups, or whispering—to create relaxing sounds that lulled listeners to sleep.

On that platform, Ji Zhi streamed in full male mode. To avoid being recognized from his cross-dressing streams elsewhere, he made subtle changes to his appearance. Plus, most viewers were there to listen, not watch, so no one had caught on.

Ji Zhi had a real knack for sleep ASMR. His popularity soared far ahead of the pack, with viewer counts staying sky-high.

That’s when Top Fan No. 2 showed up in his stream, claiming the top spot and shattering the platform’s tipping record.

Ji Zhi made exclusive sleep videos as fan perks, so he’d added the guy’s contact info.

His requests centered on roleplay ASMR. Ji Zhi would play whatever character he specified, and they’d do one-on-one streams tailored just for him.

The guy mostly stuck to voice, though they’d done video a few times lately—without showing faces.

Through the video, Ji Zhi could see him seated in a massive armchair. The black suit fabric gleamed subtly under the lights, its sharp tailoring accentuating the straight lines of his shoulders and back.

The chair’s shadow draped over his upper body, but his interlaced fingers stood out clearly at the edge of the light—

They were the hands of someone pampered and privileged: clean, strong, even the slight ridge of his wrist bones exuding an air of refined dominance.

His long fingers loosely overlapped on his knee, the distinct knuckles and pale wrist peeking from his cuff, faint blue veins visible beneath the skin. The trousers draped in neat folds over his crossed legs, his polished leather shoes gleaming, tips touching the floor. He looked relaxed, but there was an underlying tension, like a coiled spring.

Ji Zhi figured he came from money. Even without knowing the suit brand, he could tell custom tailoring like that didn’t come cheap.

His voice was deep and magnetic too, carrying the calm authority of someone used to being in charge.

Ji Zhi guessed Top Fan No. 2 was older, probably working, which explained why he mostly messaged in the evenings.

Beyond that, Ji Zhi knew little.

Things started off normal enough, but the guy’s scripts grew increasingly odd—and laced with an unspoken intimacy.

Ji Zhi: “…”

He couldn’t tell if it was Top Fan No. 2 who couldn’t sleep… or his little brother.

The tips were just too generous to refuse. Whether it was the man or his little brother that needed coaxing to sleep, the contract was almost up anyway.

Lately, Top Fan No. 2 had been abroad on business, six hours ahead of local time and swamped with work. Their chats dwindled. Ji Zhi had feigned reluctance in his farewell, but inwardly, he’d breathed a sigh of relief, knowing the guy wouldn’t have time for him.

He’d even hoped the distance would cool the interest. But now that he was back, here came the messages.

[Top Fan No. 2: While I was away, did you talk to any other big tippers?]

Ji Zhi promptly denied it: [No]

Top Fan No. 2’s record-breaking tips kept him at the top spot, even during his absence. No one else had overtaken him, so Ji Zhi hadn’t contacted anyone new.

[Top Fan No. 2: Send a video of your contacts. I want to check.]

Ji Zhi sighed inwardly.

This was Top Fan No. 2’s tricky side.

Top Fan No. 1 would have taken his word for it, no questions asked. But not this one. He was harder to fool.

Ji Zhi filmed a video of his contacts list, narrating as he went, then sent it over.

Good thing Fu Huixu wasn’t around, or he’d think Ji Zhi was nuts.

Besides the three Top Fans, his list had guild and platform contacts, plus some old fans.

He quickly renamed the others to “Auntie” or “Uncle,” then filmed for Top Fan No. 2.

He’d done this drill several times before, so he was well-practiced.

He even compared it to the last video—Top Fan No. 2 was the type to cross-check, and any slip-up would be disastrous.

As for the other two Top Fans, Ji Zhi quietly deleted them first. Chat histories could accidentally get screenshotted, and if either showed up, Top Fan No. 2 would know he was still talking to rivals.

He wasn’t easy to brush off like the others. Ji Zhi could already picture the awkward confrontation.

To play it safe, he blocked any risky contacts, then unblocked them minutes later. The gap was so short, no one would notice. He’d never been caught.

Ji Zhi double-checked the video to ensure nothing incriminating was visible, then sent it.

[Top Fan No. 2: Good boy]

Seemed like he’d passed inspection.

Ji Zhi started to relax—until the next messages landed.

[Top Fan No. 2: You’re in A City]

[Top Fan No. 2: I’m in A City too. We should meet up.]

Not a question. A statement.

Ji Zhi froze. How had he figured it out?

Had he looked into him?

But that didn’t add up. From what Ji Zhi knew, Top Fan No. 2 had never investigated before.

And if he had dug that deep, why stop at just the city?