As the camera panned to focus on Charles, the live-stream chat exploded with excitement.
"Wow! What a handsome guy!"
"Is this the lucky viewer the host mentioned? I'm in love!"
"I need all the info on this guy in three minutes."
"Host, please ask if he has a girlfriend. I'll tip you generously!"
"The host finally did something good today!"
"Come on, host! or I'm unfollowing!"
The screen was instantly flooded with comments and the host was thrilled, it seemed the handsome guy had an even bigger impact than she had anticipated.
"Alright, alright, everyone, don't worry! I'm on it!" the host assured.
Just as Charles stepped out of the elevator, he noticed a young woman approaching him, seeing her with a selfie stick, he quickly understood the situation. She must be an outdoor streamer.
"Hi there, handsome! I'm a small streamer from Nextgen Platform. Can I interview you for a moment?" Alice asked Charles with a hopeful smile.
Hearing this, Charles didn't refuse. It wasn't a big deal for him. He nodded, "Sure!"
Alice wasn't surprised by his response.
As a guy, Charles usually didn't refuse reasonable requests from women, on the other hand, he often turned down requests from other men.
Watching the gifts pour in during her interview with Charles, Alice was thrilled, feeling incredibly wise for making this decision.
Alice asked, "Hey, do you have a girlfriend?"
Charles replied, "Nope!"
Alice turned to the live-stream audience, "Did you all hear that? This handsome guy is single! If anyone's interested, now's your chance!"
"Wow! How can such a handsome guy not have a girlfriend? It's outrageous! I've decided, from now on, this guy is my husband!"
"Shut up! he's my husband!"
"Is this at Grand Shopping Mall? Alice, I'm on my way!"
"Hold on! Let me get there first!"
The live-stream chat was going wild with admiration, but unfortunately, Charles couldn't see any of it.
Alice continued, "So, generally speaking, if a girl wants a handbag, should a guy buy it for her?"
Charles didn't hesitate. "If they're a couple and the price is reasonable, I think most guys wouldn't refuse."
Alice's eyes lit up at his answer and she pressed on, "So, does that mean you agree with buying it too?"
She started to subtly guide the conversation, setting the tone without being obvious. Charles, however, didn't think too much about it and simply nodded, "Yeah!"
"Wow! This guy is so considerate!"
"Being his girlfriend must be such a joy."
"He's handsome and has a good sense of values. I'm a fan now!"
"Don't say more, I'm on my way! The location hasn't changed, right?"
With Charles's nod, the live-stream chat nearly froze with a flood of comments. Clearly, the female audience was very pleased with Charles' decision. The enthusiastic fans were over the moon, especially since their idol agreed with their views. Perfect!
Alice noticed Charles was following her script and a satisfied smile crept onto her face. "Hey there, would you be willing to spend a month's or even a few months' salary to buy your girlfriend a handbag?"
She could already predict that this charming guy would say yes. After all, men love to save face, especially in front of so many women in a live-stream. It's just talk; it's not like he's actually going to buy it. Having interviewed countless people, she knew how to read these random participants.
This was her script, always effective, layer upon layer. By leveraging this psychology, her live-streams rarely went off track. So, as she waited for Charles' answer, she wore a confident smile.
"No way!"
"Well, your girlfriend is really luck—what?" Alice started to compliment Charles instinctively, but stopped abruptly when she realized something was off.
She widened her eyes, thinking she must have misheard him.
Charles repeated, "I said, no way!" Alice was completely baffled.
Dude, why aren't you following the script?
Did you get the wrong script or something?
Weren't you just agreeing a moment ago?
Why the sudden change of heart?
How am I supposed to respond to that?
How am I supposed to promote anything now? Wow, I've never had a mishap like this before and now it's happening live.
In an instant, the comments in the live stream took a complete turn.
"Hmph! I misjudged you. Men are such liars!"
"He won't even buy his girlfriend a bag, no wonder he's single!"
"Ugh! Jerk! What a waste of a good face!"
"I just got off the train, heard this and turned right back around!"
The comments were filled with criticism, but naturally, there were some supporters too.
"Bro, well done! That's all I can say!"
"Right on, these people are just too spoiled!"
"Looks like we misjudged him!" Seeing this, Alice's eyelid twitched uncontrollably. This guy was really a handful!
"Hey, weren't you just agreeing a moment ago? Why the sudden change of heart?"
Alice was getting anxious and tried to salvage the situation. "When did I ever agree to that?" he exclaimed.
Charles just rolled his eyes. "..."
"Wow, you're really something, man! Truly an inspiration!" someone chimed in. "Ha, you're talking about Leo Chow, what does that have to do with my Leo?" another teased.
The trolls in the live stream chat were getting more aggressive, flooding the comments.
"Hey there, mister..." Alice felt like she was about to lose it, she was convinced she should have checked her horoscope before stepping out today.
"Alright, what I meant was that if the price is within reason, it's fine. But spending a month's or even several months' salary on a bag? No way," Charles clarified.
Alice was taken aback, how was she supposed to respond to that? It was clear now—her live-stream was a disaster today.
Still, she had to try to fix it, just as she was about to speak, Charles interrupted again.
"And there's another reason," he added.
Alice, without thinking, asked, "What reason?"
She immediately regretted it, fearing Charles might say something outrageous again.
"I want to see what kind of woman could make me spend millions on a bag," Charles said calmly.
In his mind, he calculated quickly, with his office building bringing in nearly hundreds of millions in rent annually, that meant at least several million a month and over a few months, it would definitely reach tens of millions.
Sure enough, as soon as Charles spoke, Alice felt things were going south.
"I..." She was at a loss for words. Meanwhile, the live-stream chat exploded upon hearing Charles's voice.
"Whoa!"
"A millionaire just appeared in the stream!"
"Alice, you've met a rich guy!"
"Rich my foot! This dude is definitely bluffing, his clothes are all from the bargain bin and his watch looks like a cheap knockoff. Millionaire, my foot!"
"Wow, dude, I admire how seriously you can lie!"
"Are all men full of lies these days?" "As expected, in the end, it's us women who bear it all alone!"
The entire chat was filled with disbelief.
"Ahem, are you saying you make over a million a month?" someone asked.
Charles nodded, "Pretty much! At least a million!"
Just the rent alone brought in several million a month! Not to mention his side hustle with the mutated e-commerce!
He realized he was dealing with one of those so-called feminist streamers. Since that was the case, he didn't mind proving them wrong. Normally, he wouldn't be so flashy.
"At least a million?" "Come on, man, that's a bit much!"
"The more you talk, the more exaggerated it gets!"
Seeing Alice's expression, Charles knew she didn't believe him, but he couldn't be bothered to explain further.
Alice thought Charles was just a deceitful guy full of lies, wasting such a good-looking face, she sarcastically asked, "So, what do you do for a living?"
"Delivery driver," Charles replied.
Alice was speechless. Why wasn't he bragging now?
"Ha! So you're the legendary all-powerful delivery guy!" "Yeah, yeah! Maybe he's telling the truth! How dare you question the most mysterious team in our country?"
"Haha, you guys are idiots! If he's telling the truth, I'll eat my hat while doing a handstand!"
"Another one trying to scam us for food and drinks!"
As the interview continued, Alice was surprised by how popular her live-stream had become.
"Any more questions?" Charles asked, not interested in arguing further, as it was a waste of his time. Alice hesitated to ask anything else, unsure of what this guy might say next, she also realized that the surge in her live-stream's popularity was thanks to this mysterious delivery guy.
She shook her head slightly and said, "That's all for the interview, mister. Thank you for your cooperation!"
"No problem!" Charles Matthews replied with a smile.
Just then, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out and two slips of paper accidentally fell to the ground, unnoticed by him. He glanced at his phone, saw it was just an ad, and turned off the screen before walking away.
"Wow, this guy's got some nerve!"
"He sure can talk big!"
"Are all guys like this now?"
"Sigh! Only us women can be truly reliable!"
Alice was thrilled as she read the comments on her screen. Whether it was positive or negative attention, it had boosted her popularity significantly. She had even received many gifts at the start, making it all worthwhile.
Just then, as she looked down, she noticed a slip of paper where Charles had been standing.
Her eyes lit up, she addressed her live-stream audience, "Hey, everyone, did you see that? this must be something the guy from the interview dropped, let's take a look together!"
Her words immediately grabbed the attention of her viewers.
"Maybe it's a receipt!" "Stop dawdling and pick it up already!"
"Hurry up, hurry up! let's see how this millionaire spends his money daily, we need to learn a thing or two!"
"Today's hot topic: A mysterious millionaire heir spends less than a hundred bucks at the mall!"
"Streamer, open it up already! I can't wait to see what's inside!"
"If you keep stalling, I'm unfollowing!"