My Heart Was Racing

In her rented room, Tang Qiao scoured the internet for houses near her school. She had her eye on two districts known for their safety and pleasant environments, but they came with a hefty price tag.

Just as she was about to delve into the details, a push notification chimed on her phone. "QiaoYou's live stream featured a lullaby that guaranteed a good night's sleep."

Tang Qiao was puzzled. She clicked on the stream, recognized the name, and swiftly skimmed through it. She cringed when she saw the blogger's exaggerated praise for the lullaby. After a moment's contemplation, she left a comment, "The content seems a bit exaggerated. A rewrite might be in order."

A few minutes later, a response appeared from the blogger. "What I wrote is genuine. This lullaby can work wonders for insomnia. Don't be too quick to judge. Have you heard it yet? I suggest you give it a listen before passing judgment."

Just as she was pondering her reply, another notification popped up. "Sorry, your comment has been deleted by the author."

So, I am wrong.

With a gloomy expression, Tang Qiao logged into the livestream backstage. As soon as she did, notifications began pouring in—999+ notifications...

Jiang You heard the constant alerts and turned to inquire, "What's that noise?"

Tang Qiao muted the notification sound and explained, "It's notifications from the backstage of the live stream."

Jiang You quickly caught on. "Is the response to the last live stream positive?"

Tang Qiao wasn't entirely sure herself. She glanced at the number of followers backstage and was taken aback. One million and three hundred thousand followers! The last time she had live-streamed, she had zero followers. How has it shot up by over a million in just two days?

Jiang You noticed Tang Qiao's astonishment and asked, "What's going on?"

"The backstage shows that I have over a million followers," Tang Qiao suspected that there might be a mistake on the live streaming platform's part.

Jiang You furrowed his brow. Knowledge-based streamers usually didn't garner such massive attention, especially when Tang Qiao had only live-streamed once...

"What's your stream called?" Jiang You inquired.

Tang Qiao was engrossed in reading comments from her fans and replied, "QiaoYou."

Jiang You was briefly taken aback, his heart quickening for a moment.

Tang Qiao perused the private messages backstage. Most were expressions of gratitude and admiration. She nodded in acknowledgment and happened upon a particular message—an official notification from Ordinary Streaming. After reading it, she touched her chin thoughtfully. A Star Diamond contract?

In the afternoon, Tang Qiao contacted her homeroom teacher, Mr. Duan Yi, requesting half a day off. Duan Yi was aware of Tang Qiao's family circumstances, and given her recent academic performance, he readily agreed. "Sure, just don't miss tomorrow morning's self-study session. You can make up for the leave note afterward."

"Okay," Tang Qiao replied.

Duan Yi ended the call and was about to set his phone down when he noticed Wen Guanjie hurrying into the office with his briefcase.

"What's the matter, Mr. Wen?" Duan Yi inquired.

"Where's Lu Heng? I need to talk to him," Wen Guanjie replied, his anger evident as he scanned the office.

"Mr. Lu?" Duan Yi glanced around and responded, "At this time, he's probably having lunch at the cafeteria. Mr. Wen, is there something you need to discuss with him?"

"Yes. I'm going to settle something with him!" Wen Guanjie replied, pulling out a chair and sitting down, his fury still simmering.

Duan Yi questioned, "What's going on?"

Wen Guanjie and Lu Heng were the subject teachers for Class 9. If there was a conflict between them, Duan Yi, as the homeroom teacher for Class 9, naturally had to inquire. So, Wen Guanjie proceeded to explain how Lu Heng had encouraged Tang Qiao to sign up for the Chemistry Olympiad. Duan Yi furrowed his brow as he listened.

Wen Guanjie grew more irate as he spoke, slamming the table as he exclaimed, "This is absurd! Did he not realize that Tang Qiao was preparing for the city-level preliminaries? Wasn't Tang Qiao's decision to apply for the Chemistry Olympiad a distraction? Besides, she scored a perfect score in the school qualifiers, making it highly likely that she'll advance to the city-level preliminaries! She might even qualify for the provincial competition!"

Wen Guanjie hadn't slept much the previous night due to grading papers, and he had only taken a short nap in the afternoon. After hearing the news upon waking, his anger had flared.

"Don't be too upset, Mr. Wen. I'll speak with Tang Qiao and Mr. Lu. I'll discuss the matter with him again." Duan Yi hurriedly consoled him.

"I don't want to wait. I'm going to find Tang Qiao now," Wen Guanjie declared.

"Sigh... Mr. Wen, please wait a moment," Duan Yi started to respond, but before he could finish, Lu Heng and two other teachers suddenly appeared at the office door.