Actually, They Left a While Ago

[Oblivious streamer bottom x sunshine top donor top]

Wen Yan is a leading streamer with three million followers. His specialties are playing horror games without batting an eye and beating them in one life.

His fans hail him as a horror-game mastermind with no emotions. Games that make countless people scream and smash their computers are no match for his composure. He ignores jump scares and keeps searching for clues.

So plenty of haters are on the same channel, determined to find his weakness.

After completing the platform's daily task of streaming for three hours, Wen Yan sets down his mouse and quietly hugs himself.

It dawns on him belatedly: That ghost just now... was so scary...

He's alone in the bedroom. His roommate, who works the night shift, hasn't come home yet. Wen Yan hides completely under his blanket and doesn't even dare go to the bathroom.

Yu Jing is Wen Yan's top donor, and also his junior from school, who's had a crush on him for five years. He shows up in the stream every day right on time. Using his status as the top donor, he got Wen Yan's contact information, but has been too hesitant to send him even a single message.

Then one day, after Wen Yan's stream ends, an account with special notifications enabled, the only one he has set up that way, suddenly chimes.

Senior Wen: [What are you doing?]

Little Jing: [Thinking of you] (Message withdrawn)

Little Jing: [Having a late-night snack. What's up?]

Senior Wen: [Mm. I should have a late-night snack too.]

Yu Jing: ? Is this an invitation to eat together? Is my spring finally here?

Wen Yan stares nervously at his phone. He's finally found someone to talk to, but he's bad with words and has no idea how to make small talk with someone he doesn't know very well.

The next morning, he wakes up and realizes: Did Little Jing send something like... "Thinking of you"?

Every day after Wen Yan's horror-game stream, Yu Jing gets a friendly message from him. The first question is always, "What are you doing?"

Yu Jing finally realizes something is off.

Little Jing: [Are you scared?]

Wen Yan: [Mm.]

The next day, Wen Yan looks at his phone and realizes that his top donor already knows he's scared of horror games. He still hasn't figured out how to make him forget all about it.

Then another challenge comes Wen Yan's way: an in-person livestreaming competition. Pressured by his fellow streamers' taunts and his fans' expectations, he has to take part. But the event will last a long time, and he'll be exposed in front of everyone as someone who's afraid of ghosts.

I'm doomed. My career...

Wen Yan, emotionally exhausted, opens the door he's kept shut. A little daisy is waiting outside.

Little Jing: [Don't be scared. I brought you a flower.]

[Blurb saved on 2025.2.21]

Core message: Never give up.