PS-Chapter 9 The Debut Starlight

A table, a computer, a camera, and a microphone.

This is how Lu Chen began his first livestream on the [StarryLive] streaming platform—simple and straightforward.

Singing into the microphone, he performed a song called "Blue Crystal."

"Blue Crystal" was a classic hit from a few years ago, familiar to many. Its catchy lyrics and beautiful melody made it one of the top-requested songs in karaoke rooms.

Lu Chen had performed this song many times before, so the lyrics and music were deeply ingrained in his memory.

Now, after that long, dream-filled night, Lu Chen's singing and playing skills felt like those of a young hero in a legend who had fallen off a cliff and gained incredible powers. Handling this situation was a breeze.

"Tomorrow, I will go far away, embarking on a journey from which I will never return."

"Do you still remember the blue crystal I gave you?"

"It bears your true name engraved on it."

As Lu Chen's clear, clean voice, tinged with a hint of sadness, echoed through the microphone, the barrage of comments on the screen noticeably slowed down.

But this change lasted only for a moment.

"So good!"

"Blue Crystal? This is my favorite song, ah, ah, ah, ah, ah~"

"Little Lu, your guitar playing is amazing. I sincerely want to be your apprentice, please teach me!"

"So touching! He could totally rely on his looks, but he chooses to rely on his talent instead. I'm so impressed!"

"I'm done for! After hearing this handsome guy's performance, how am I supposed to face Fei Ge's ugly face and awful voice?"

"..."

System notification: New Yorker (Silver IV) gifted the streamer 100 Starlights!

System notification: New Yorker (Silver IV) gifted the streamer 100 Starlights!

System notification: …

New Yorker began spamming the screen with gifts, and in the blink of an eye, had given away 10,000 Starlights! It easily overshadowed several smaller donations.

Lu Chen calmly finished the song and then spoke into the microphone, "Thank you, New Yorker, for your support!"

He now had a basic understanding of the rules of online live streaming. In essence, it wasn't much different from performing on stage at a bar, except that the online audience on [StarryLive] was far larger than the customers at Daylily Bar.

After finishing the song, Lu Chen noticed that the number of followers on his stream, "Brother Little FeiABC," had risen to 1,623, and his popularity had surged to 548, a significant increase. This showed that his performance could attract and retain an audience!

This gave him a sense of pride. After clearing his throat, he said, "Please enjoy, 'Flying Pigeons.'"

For the second song, Lu Chen chose "Flying Pigeons."

Compared to "Blue Crystal," Lu Chen was even more confident with "Flying Pigeons." Though the difficulty of performing this song was much higher, it provided an excellent opportunity for him to show off his skills.

Sliding his pinky across the strings, rapidly changing hand positions, executing a series of hammer-ons and pull-offs, along with wide-span finger-picking, and then adding some fancy improvisations to the chords— Lu Chen did it all with ease.

Sitting next to him, Li Feiyu was dazzled and speechless!

He had heard Lu Chen sing and play before, but never had he been so impressed. It felt like Lu Chen was a completely different person— what once was an amateur hobbyist now seemed like a professional performance.

The difference was night and day!

On the computer screen, the barrage of comments surged like a tidal wave. Although there were only a little over 500 viewers, the intensity of the comments and the sparkle of the Starlights made the stream feel as lively as those of top-tier streamers.

"Whoa~"

"So awesome! So awesome! So awesome! So awesome! So awesome!"

"66666666666666666~"

"Brother Little Fei, I love you!"

"Hahaha, are you new here? This isn't Brother Little Fei, this is Little Lu, Little Lu, Little Lu— remember that!"

"Uh? Did I miss something?"

"..."

Li Feiyu was left speechless.

When he streamed before, his peak online viewership exceeded 1,500, nearly three times what it was now. However, the number of comments was only a tenth of what Lu Chen was getting, not to mention the amount of gifts.

The difference between people is so huge— why is this world so focused on appearances?

But Lu Chen wasn't thinking about any of that. He carefully and earnestly finished playing "Flying Pigeons."

He felt very satisfied with his performance.

System notification: New Yorker (Silver IV) gifted the streamer 100 Starlights!

System notification: New Yorker (Silver IV) gifted the streamer 100 Starlights!

System notification: …

System notification: Prophet Li Bai (Gold II) gifted the streamer a Galactic Battleship!

Originally, it was "New Yorker" who was spamming the screen with Starlights, but suddenly "Prophet Li Bai" appeared and dropped a Galactic Battleship, crushing the thousands of Starlights with its overwhelming power, instantly becoming the center of attention.

"Ah~"

Li Feiyu jumped up in shock, stuttering, "B-B-Battleship! B-B-Battleship!"

Lu Chen didn't understand at first, but after seeing the new comments on the screen, he got it.

"Galactic Battleship!"

"True. Unmatched wealth!"

"Can someone tell me what a Galactic Battleship is?"

"A Galactic Battleship is equivalent to 100,000/1T Starlights, which means it's worth 1,000 yuan. I'm in awe of such a wealthy person!"

"Honey! Honey! Honey! Honey! Honey!"

"…"

Lu Chen was speechless.

On [StarryLive], 100 Starlights are equivalent to 1 yuan. Earlier, when "New Yorker" was spamming the screen with 100 Starlight donations, Lu Chen thought they were being generous. But now, "Prophet Li Bai" had completely shattered his perspective with a single 1,000-yuan donation!

After sending the Galactic Battleship, "Prophet Li Bai" simply typed three words: "Great singing."

It was a level of coolness that was off the charts!

Snapping back to reality, Lu Chen quickly said, "Thank you, Prophet Li Bai, for your generous gift, and thank you, New Yorker, for your support as well. Thank you, everyone. I'll now perform an original song of mine, called 'My Old Classmate.' I hope you all like it!"

Originally, he had planned to end the stream after two songs, as his stomach was already protesting.

But now, with "Prophet Li Bai" gifting a Galactic Battleship, there was no way he could just walk away.

"Original? Little Lu can write his own songs too?"

"66666666666666666~"

"Same, what's the song?"

"What do you mean 'same'? It's 'My Old Classmate.' Do you have glue in your ears?"

"My desk mate was actually a dude!"

"…"

Lu Chen looked at the comments, feeling immensely amused.

This was so much fun! It was entirely different from the atmosphere in a bar, with a much higher level of interaction.

At this point, he noticed that the number of viewers at the top of the screen had suddenly surged, going from over 500 to more than 1,400, and it was still climbing.

However, the number of followers hadn't changed as dramatically, at least not with such a significant increase.

Lu Chen later learned that this was the so-called "Wealthy Effect," where after a big spender donates a high-value item, the platform broadcasts a red banner in most of the other livestream rooms. This banner allows people to directly enter the current room, resulting in an increase in viewership.

But whether the influx of visitors could be turned into real fans depended on the streamer's abilities.

"Will you remember tomorrow, the diary you wrote yesterday?"

"Will you still think of the one who used to cry the most?"

As Lu Chen sang "My Old Classmate" again, he didn't put too much emotion into it.

But this classic folk song from his dream world, sung and played by Lu Chen, transmitted through the microphone into computers, tablets, and phones— whether they were expensive or cheap— and then reproduced by speakers or headphones of varying quality, still held an irresistible charm!

The once noisy screen grew quiet, as Lu Chen's singing flowed like a gentle stream, filling the small room and touching many hearts.

"Who would soothe your melancholy?"

"Who would comfort the one who loved to cry?"

"Who read the letter I wrote to you, and who threw it away in the wind?"

Halfway through the song, the comments gradually picked up again.

"Suddenly, I feel like crying. I hate this feeling!"

"There's something in my eye."

"Chen Qian, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you, I love you!!!"

"Thinking of my high school desk mate. I wonder how she's doing now."

"Don't stop me, anyone! I'm going to confess to my desk mate tomorrow! Okay, he's a guy too."

"I miss the old days so much, I miss school. I'm getting a bit teary."

"What's this song called? It's so good, I've never heard it before."

"It's called 'My Boyfriend.' Ask again, and I'll die!"

"'My Old Classmate,' it's an original by the streamer!"

"…"

If most of the earlier comments were from jokers, the tone now had shifted to something more poetic.

Some were moved, some nostalgic, some melancholic, some sad—even those hearing it for the first time were touched to their core. That's the power of music, the magic of a classic!

Without any pretentious whispers or grandiose high notes, "My Old Classmate" was gently played by Lu Chen's fingers, sung softly by his voice, and moved everyone who heard it.

When the song ended, countless Starlights flashed across the screen!

System notification: Sweet Baby (Bronze I) gifted the streamer 100 Starlights!

System notification: Pineapple1990 (Iron VII) gifted the streamer 100 Starlights!

System notification: Crystal Jelly (Bronze II) gifted the streamer 100 Starlights!

System notification: Xiao Xiao Sa Sa Traveling the World (Silver I) gifted the streamer 1 Meteor!

System notification: Iron Fist Invincible (Iron III) gifted the streamer 100 Starlights!

System notification: …

Unlike the previous barrage of gifts from the wealthy, this wave of Starlight gifts came from many viewers, and the number of viewers had now surpassed 1,900. The number of followers had also risen sharply, reaching 2,722, edging closer to the 3,000 mark!

"Thank you, everyone!"

Lu Chen set down his guitar and said, "That's it for today. Goodbye."

The screen filled with comments, all expressing reluctance, asking him to stay, and requesting more songs.

Some even sent a large number of Starlights and Meteors.

"Thank you!"

Lu Chen was truly moved, but he still stood up— he couldn't skip dinner, could he?

Li Feiyu hurried over, clasped his hands together, and bowed to the viewers to apologize, then closed the livestream.

He grabbed Lu Chen's shoulder with one hand and wiped away imaginary tears with the other, saying earnestly, "Brother, lunch at Old Chen's Kitchen today is on me. Let's eat to our heart's content!"

(End of chapter)