He sighed internally.
It seems I miscalculated.
He observed her quietly, his thoughts drifting.
Su Yue noticed his intense stare and looked down at herself.
Is something wrong with me? Why is he looking at me like that?
Lin Feng's mind continued to race.
Su Yue might have even more potential than I initially thought.
If she started streaming, she could gain popularity quickly. Too quickly. Some agency might notice her, sign her away, and she'd disappear from his reach entirely.
He couldn't let that happen.
"Say," he said suddenly. "You mentioned you don't have much experience with streaming, right?"
"Yeah?"
"Then - what do you think about me becoming your manager?"
Su Yue's eyes went wide.
"Manager?" She looked at him like he'd grown a second head. "Aren't those expensive as hell? I've heard about it - managers take huge cuts, and some contracts are basically..."
She trailed off, not wanting to finish the sentence.
Lin Feng shook his head.
"You don't have to worry about that. I don't need any payment."
She blinked. "What?"
"Think of it as me wanting to help you," he explained. "I told you before - I want you to help me with marketing later. So I need to make sure you succeed first."
He shrugged.
"You can think of it as me guarding my investment."
Su Yue studied his face.
Then she shook her head.
"I can't do that."
"Hm?"
"I don't want to exploit your kindness like that." She fidgeted slightly, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks. "How about we split the profits instead?"
She looked away, embarrassed.
"I know it sounds weird to say that when I don't have any profits to show yet. But... still..."
Lin Feng smiled.
"You're really kind."
She glanced back at him.
"That said," he continued, "you're the one doing all the work. It wouldn't be fair to split profits evenly just because I'm acting as your manager."
He held up a hand before she could argue.
"How about this - I take fifteen percent."
Her eyes widened. "That's way too low! I looked it up, most managers take at least…"
"I really can't take more," he said firmly. "You don't know your own worth yet. If I took advantage of that, I wouldn't be able to live with myself."
Su Yue looked at him.
His expression was sincere.
She held his gaze for a long moment.
Finally, she nodded.
"I understand. Fifteen percent it is."
Lin Feng smiled.
He extended his hand.
"Pleasure working with you."
She looked at his hand, then back at his face.
A small smile tugged at her lips.
She reached out and shook it.
"Pleasure working with you too."
…
The two stepped out of the KTV building.
Su Yue exhaled softly, stretching her arms above her head.
"It's been a while since I've been here," she said. "That was fun."
"It was indeed," Lin Feng agreed.
She glanced at him. "Want to come again sometime?"
"I wouldn't mind," he said, raising his hand to flag down a taxi. "If it's with you."
A cab pulled up to the curb. They climbed in.
Lin Feng gave the driver an address.
Su Yue blinked.
"Huh?" She turned to him. "Aren't we going back to campus?"
"Of course not."
"Then where...?"
"Shopping," he said simply. "We need to get your streaming equipment. And also some popular cosplay outfits so you have them on standby for your first stream."
Su Yue's brain took a moment to process that.
"First stream?" Her eyes widened. "It's going to be today?"
Lin Feng nodded.
"Can't we do that another day?" she asked, a hint of panic creeping into her voice.
"Of course not. Today is the best day."
He held up a finger.
"It's Saturday. Most people are at home. By evening, they'll just be doom-scrolling on their phones with nothing to do. Statistically speaking, it's the perfect time for your debut."
He glanced at her.
"Are you nervous?"
She nodded slowly.
"I just thought I'd need more preparation..."
"It's just livestreaming," he said. "You shouldn't worry about it too much."
He paused.
"If it makes you feel any better, you'll probably have zero viewers anyway. So there's really no need to be nervous."
She hit him on the arm.
"Ouch."
He smiled.
Seems like she's lightened up a bit.
...
The taxi dropped them off near a commercial district.
They made their way to an electronics store first.
Lin Feng moved through the aisles, selecting items one after another. A high-definition camera. A ring light with adjustable brightness. A condenser microphone. A boom arm. An audio interface. Various cables and adapters.
Su Yue trailed behind him, watching as the shopping cart filled up.
"Do we really need all this?" she asked.
"If you want to look professional, yes."
He picked out the best of everything - no cutting corners. By the time they reached the register, the total came to 5,000 yuan.
Lin Feng paid without hesitation.
...
They stopped in front of another store.
Su Yue looked up at the sign.
Then at the displays in the window.
"Um... this is..."
She stared at the adult store before them.
Lin Feng shrugged.
"It's not my fault most cosplay is classified as such."
Before she could respond, he walked in.
She hesitated at the entrance, face flushing.
Then she quickly followed, keeping her head down.
The two navigated through the aisles, picking out a few outfits. A bunny girl costume. A maid outfit. Cat ears with a matching tail accessory. A sailor uniform that was... shorter than regulation.
"These should be enough," Lin Feng said as they stepped back outside.
Su Yue looked at him.
He raised an eyebrow. "What is it?"
She looked down at the ground.
"It's just... it was just equipment before. And now this too..."
The costs were piling up. She felt the weight of it pressing on her.
Lin Feng smiled.
"There's no need to worry about that. We already talked about this, remember?"
She looked up at him.
He stepped forward, continuing down the street.
"I told you - think of it as an investment. You can pay me back by succeeding."
She watched his back for a moment.
It wasn't easy for her to just accept all of this. But...
"Not coming?" he called back.
She quickly fell into step behind him.