Chapter 12: Live Broadcast [Part 1]

【Ding dong! Unlock the beauty of traditional Chinese style, let’s experience the charm of the pipa together~ Darling, you are cordially invited to enter the Seven Notes live stream~】

The live stream link was shared on Weibo, and netizens trickled in one after another. Even before Lin Qinghe appeared, everyone had already started sending gifts with great enthusiasm.

【Heartbroken sent thirty Blue Roses.】

【I Love Advanced Math sent fifty Daisies】

【Tea Connoisseur sent a Garland Bicycle】

……

【I Love Pork Belly: How come I don’t see anyone?】

【Tangerine Peel: Shared it with my besties right away.】

【Singing Snow: I’m in! Just popping up to say hi.】

【Yogurt Zongzi: Waiting patiently.】

The number of people in the live stream gradually increased. Some came over from Weibo, others were random viewers who stumbled upon the interesting topic. Just as everyone’s curiosity was building, a warm, clear, and penetrating voice rang out: “Welcome, everyone, to my live stream.”

【A Row of Chives: Whoa whoa, just got in, this voice is way too nice!】

【Rainbow Fart: Aaaaaaah, I’m going crazy.】

【Tangerine Peel: My ears can’t take it anymore. Who gets this? My face flushed instantly, my soul is tingling.】

【Heartbroken: Wuwuwu, Brother, you’ve committed a crime, the crime of stealing hearts.】

【Read Ten Thousand Books: Gonna smash that follow button until it breaks!!! I love Seven Notes!!】

Lin Qinghe was amused by the barrage of comments, the corners of his eyes crinkling slightly. He gestured to Xi Nian that it was time, then turned on the video. A second later, his upper body appeared on screen. He greeted: “Good afternoon.”

To match the traditional Chinese style and ancient charm title, Lin Qinghe’s attire was somewhat different. Xi Nian had specially hired a makeup artist to style him.

Plain-colored robes, without too many decorations, just a single jade hairpin, displaying Chinese-style beauty to the fullest, living up to the poetic phrase “like a lotus blooming above clear water, naturally beautiful without artifice.”

A dot of cinnabar was painted between his brows, a few stray locks of hair left beside his temples. His skin was fair, features exquisite. When he lowered his eyes, there was a sense of compassion for the mortal world.

【Sister Xiaolan: Aaaaaaaah, I’m dead. Which immortal descended to the mortal realm to endure tribulation this time?????】

【Bearing: Whoa whoa, a devastating blow of peerless beauty, way too intense.】

【Bitter Tea Flies in the Sky: I’m dead too. Brother, do you need a child servant? I’m willing!!!】

【Buoyancy: Aaaaaah, a streamer with both talent and looks, I’m in love!】

【He He is My Idol: Good afternoon, Brother. How come you’re so good-looking? Worthy of being carefully sculpted by Nüwa herself.】

【Heartbroken: Today is the eleventh day I’ve known He He, and also the eleventh day I’ve been worshipping his looks.】

【Record Up: Aaaaaah, I can do it, Brother, I can!!!!!】

“Thank you for the compliments.” The comments were too many, making Lin Qinghe’s eyes dazzled. He picked a few simpler questions to answer.

“Is your hair real? It looks so smooth.”

“Hair is real, absolutely real.”

“Where are you live streaming from?”

Lin Qinghe replied: “At home.”

“When is He He’s next live stream? I’ll come again.”

He read this sentence and couldn’t help but laugh: “Give me a chance to finish this session’s content first.”

【Tangerine Peel: Hahahahaha.】

【Full of Energy: Laughing so hard.】

【I Love Ferrari: He He’s inner thoughts: What’s going on? What is he saying? I haven’t even started yet.】

With this interlude, the distance between Lin Qinghe and the netizens instantly narrowed. After chatting casually for a few more minutes, the number of viewers in the live stream surged, reaching over forty thousand. It made it onto Seven Notes’ recommendation chart, and the exposure increased significantly.

Lin Qinghe slowly pulled the straying topics back: “The piece I’m sharing with everyone today is called ‘Dreaming of Jiangnan.’ Compared to the last style, this melody has both gentle and lively characteristics.”

“Just a moment, let me get my pipa.”

As he spoke, he stood up. Only then did everyone see his entire outfit: robes in the Wei-Jin style, reed-green long sleeves, a snow-white hem, a sash tracing the slender line of his waist. His bearing was extraordinary.

Thus, the live stream exploded again. In a short span, Lin Qinghe had given too many unexpected surprises. This feeling stirred excitement and a vague, irresistible itch in the heart.

After a moment, he came back, sat down holding the pipa, and placed the finger-pick-clad index finger against his lips: “Let me take you on a tour of Jiangnan.”

【Tangerine Peel: Okay, we’ll be good and quiet.】

【Admiring Flowers: Not talking, not talking.】

【Yogurt Zongzi: Rubbing my hands nervously, I’m ready!】

Dreaming of Jiangnan

Jiangnan’s spring colors arrive early, crabapple blossoms reflect the slender green waist.

Misty waves vast, water mists drifting, green mountains stretch far and distant.

Courtyard’s first scenes brightly shine, four strings answer the long xiao.

Lingering notes float, guests in the hall proud, this fine night is tonight.

The live stream was as if someone had pressed the pause button. No one sent any more comments. Everyone was intoxicated by this performance.

Lin Qinghe had seemingly woven a dream for everyone, a dream with no exit found.

Chen Dong: Shared.

Chen Dong: I dare say he will absolutely become a star in the entertainment world.

Outside the meeting room, Zhang Hua looked down at the messages on his phone. He and Chen Dong had always kept in touch. In fact, not just Chen Dong, the upper management of some companies under the Cen family usually exchanged a few words with him, mainly regarding work-related communication.

It’s just that Chen Dong’s messages had been rather frequent lately. Probably because of Cen Han, Lin Qinghe’s position carried some special significance. Chen Dong had to show regard, and on the other hand, Lin Qinghe indeed proved to be quite outstanding.

Zhang Hua: It hasn’t been in vain for Mr. Lin to practice diligently. President Cen is still in a meeting; once it ends, I will relay the feedback properly.

Chen Dong: Handshake emoji. Working overtime for meetings even on weekends, you’ve all worked hard.

Zhang Hua: Handshake emoji. You’ve worked hard too.

A while later, the meeting room door opened, and people carrying documents walked out in twos and threes. Zhang Hua exited the chat interface.

Inside the spacious, solemn room, the secretary was organizing materials. A computer was placed before the head seat at the long table, white background with black text. Cen Han skimmed it roughly. A few seconds later, he said to the secretary: “Notify Zhang Chen, have him coordinate with the people from Qifeng. I want to see the specific implementation plan by next Friday at the latest.”

The secretary immediately nodded in response: “Yes, President Cen.”

“President Cen, there’s a dinner engagement at six p.m. Overseas partners want to meet with you.” Footsteps approached. Zhang Hua informed: “This is the last agenda item for today.”

It was currently 4:30, leaving exactly an hour and a half before the dinner, neither more nor less.

Cen Han gave a brief acknowledgment and said nothing further.

Zhang Hua was about to speak again when suddenly Cen Han lifted his head as if remembering something: “Has the live stream ended?”

“Not yet.” Zhang Hua smiled: “President Chen from Starlight Entertainment says it’s very successful.”

Cen Han folded his hands and placed them beneath his chin: “Oh, is that so?”

As a qualified assistant, Zhang Hua instantly grasped the underlying meaning of those words. He tapped into the live stream and handed his phone to Cen Han: “Yes, Mr. Lin is doing very well. Look at the Seven Notes recommendation chart; he’s at the very top.”

That actually piqued Cen Han’s curiosity.

The crisp, melodious rhythm rang out. He took the phone, and his eyes fell upon clean, slender hands. The sleeves hung down, revealing a section of wrist bone, making the skin appear even fairer. Further up was Lin Qinghe’s face; the other party’s eyes were half-closed, gently swaying along with the tune.

At some point, the secretary had also leaned in, craning her neck to watch.

Approaching the climax, the pipa notes rose higher and higher, like a tide crashing over reefs onto the cliff shore.

At that moment, a golden comment suddenly appeared in the live stream.

【WorkThreeHoursADay sent two Ferrari sports cars!】

The comment hung for three seconds, then displayed: 【Congratulations to WorkThreeHoursADay for becoming the streamer’s Number One Guardian~】

【Nian Nian Go! sent five helicopters!】

【Congratulations to Nian Nian Go! for becoming the streamer’s Number Two Guardian~】

Once the first appeared, the second followed. As long as a start was made, many followed suit, sending gifts one after another. The entire screen was filled with those gifts, densely packed, with not a single empty space to be found.

【I Want to See Ferrari sent five hundred and twenty Champagne Roses.】

【Pikachu sent twenty Garland Bicycles.】

【Heartbroken sent a Piano.】

……

Lin Qinghe’s fingertips glided over the strings, unhurriedly bringing the piece to a close.

His gaze turned to the comments and was caught off guard by the gift notifications covering the screen. This spectacle left him a bit dazed; he hadn’t expected the first pot of gold earned here to be so substantial.

His expression subdued slightly, he leaned forward and said: “Thank you everyone for your support.”

【Tangerine Peel: Clapping, it sounded so good!】

【He He is My Idol: Clapping, He He is so amazing!】

【A Grilled Sausage: The streamer is great, high skill level, must have studied for many years.】

【WorkThreeHoursADay: Loved it!!!】

【Cicada Chirp: So stunning, so stunning. Help, who gets that the characters from novels now have a face.】

“Glad you liked it.” Lin Qinghe gracefully adjusted his sleeves, a smile on his face: “My pleasure.”

【Celine Is My Wife: Gonna follow first. Does the streamer broadcast at this time every day?】

Seeing this question, he paused for a moment, then said: “Not every day. I’m usually quite busy, probably only free on weekends.”

【WorkThreeHoursADay: Don’t be busy anymore, He He. I’ll send you yachts to support you~】

【I Love Ferrari: Hahahaha, so you’re the rich lady who said she’d send Ferraris.】

【I’m Very Good: Hahahaha, I was lucky enough to be there live that time.】

Lin Qinghe could tell this was a joke. Leaning against the pipa, he took up the thread, trying a humorous approach: “Does that mean I can just go with the flow and lie flat?”

【Heartbroken: Yep yep.】

【Tangerine Peel: What else do you need, a bicycle?】

……

Turning off the live stream, Lin Qinghe sat and drank a few sips of water to moisten his throat. Xi Nian saved the recorded video; parts of it might be edited and posted to various platforms later.

“Brother Qinghe, are you okay? Sorry for the hard work.”

Probably because it was the first time, by the end he indeed felt slightly fatigued. Lin Qinghe pursed his lips: “I’m fine, I’ll get used to it.”

Xi Nian comforted him: “It’s just this period of time, hang in there.”

Honestly, compared to himself, Lin Qinghe felt Xi Nian was more tired, adjusting the equipment, standing guard nearby closely watching in case of any accidents, bustling about. He said: “Yeah, you’ve been tired all afternoon too. Rest for a while.”

Xi Nian felt pink bubbles popping up all around her. Her idol was concerned about her, and instantly her motivation was at full throttle: “It’s fine, I’m not tired, I can keep working.”

Lin Qinghe let out a helpless chuckle: “Still, rest for a bit. No rush, have dinner before you go back.”

Although he wasn’t the owner of the villa, Aunt Su was very kind and would surely let Xi Nian stay for dinner too.

Xi Nian hadn’t expected happiness to come so quickly, also getting the chance to dine with her idol. She didn’t hold back: “Sounds great, sounds great.”

“Buzz.”

A vibration sounded, a WeChat message popping up. Lin Qinghe set down his water cup and looked at the screen. Cen Han’s name was displayed.

He tapped it lightly, and the interface switched to the chat window.

Cen Han: The live stream went smoothly, congratulations.

An extremely brief sentence, not a single superfluous word.

Yet these words were like a stone thrown into a lake, causing ripples to spread layer by layer. Joy rose from the heart, a very subtle emotion, rather like receiving a teacher’s praise in class.

Lin Qinghe replied with two characters: Thank you.

Without a doubt, the live stream was a success. Whether on Weibo or Seven Notes, Lin Qinghe had gained quite a number of fans.

Xi Nian’s method was extremely effective. The clipped video, paired with popular Seven Notes music, along with some promotional tactics, fiercely captured another wave of traffic.

【Who is this guy? I’ve been seeing him a lot lately. So good-looking.】

【Here’s the guide: Weibo Lin Qinghe. You’re welcome. A divine guy worth your attention.】

【Alright, I’m on my way.】

【Good-looking and plays the pipa so well. Which window did God close on him?】

【You can say for certain there’s no closed window, not even a crack. A friend of mine who plays the pipa told me that pipa of his is worth at least a million.】

【Whoa, no way? If it’s a million and up, why would he need to earn money through live streaming???】

【Who says he’s doing it for money? It doesn’t seem like he streams every day. Rumor is real life is quite busy for him, only free on weekends.】

【Speaking of which, how can you tell it’s worth a million? I suspect you’re bragging.】

【I’m not bragging. That pipa has a golden seal carved on it. You can look it up online. That seal can only be carved by Master Jiuli, a famous instrument craftsman. Every pipa he makes bears this mark, unique to each one.】

【And from the pipa’s material and the string’s tone, you can also tell it’s not cheap.】

【Oh crap, I searched it, and it really is like that. The happiness of rich people is beyond my understanding.】

【I don’t get it either. Rich people have gained happiness and also lost their worries.】

【So He He is this wealthy, hahahaha.】

【Things like yachts, He He can probably buy them himself, right? Hahaha, and he tricked us saying he’d lie flat.】