"Really?"
"I love Kunkun, Chengcheng, and...!"
Lin Xiaoman’s eyes were sparkling. She never imagined her brother had connections like these.
’If I’d known, I wouldn’t have fought with him. Wouldn’t it be great to have my brother take me to meet all kinds of idols every day?’
"Alright, that’s enough."
"You’re the head of the Streamer Alliance now. Why are you still acting like such a little fangirl?"
"If you act like this when you’re leading your team, what’s going to happen when you run into a male celebrity at an event? You’ll just go up and throw yourself at him!"
Lin Feng was truly exasperated.
It was true that Lin Xiaoman was only twenty years old.
She was still a young woman through and through, but her position didn’t allow her to be so immature.
If she led her team like this, it would cause huge problems down the line. Besides, the people under her were no pushovers.
Yes, those streamers had given her their full support back then, helping Lin Xiaoman take down that massive company, but they only did it because it was in their own best interest.
Besides, the income they made from that incident was substantial.
To maximize the incident’s impact and galvanize more people into action...
...Lin Xiaoman had decided at the time that all revenue from that day would be distributed as activity funds to everyone who participated.
’So these so-called comrades who fought alongside you weren’t offering their help for free.’
’They smelled the business opportunities this event would create for their future; they sided with you for the immense profits.’
’And if you didn’t have me in your corner, I doubt these people would have had the confidence, much less the courage, to follow you and do something so momentous.’
This was precisely why Lin Feng was suddenly being so harsh with Lin Xiaoman.
In the office, he had been sarcastic and cutting, doing everything he could to criticize her and hit her where it hurt.
He did it because he wanted his sister to understand that the world wasn’t as simple as she thought.
’If you only think about whether someone is nice to you, if you only measure relationships by how close you feel, and then unconditionally trust them and give them resources without signing contracts or establishing any checks and balances... ’
’...then that management style will eventually become a massive hidden danger.’
’The risk of your entire senior management team jumping ship or even betraying you will always be there. By the time you’re left with no tears to cry, lamenting how cruel the world is and what a harsh lesson you’ve learned so young, you will have already lost far, far too much.’
"Do you know why I wanted to become a streamer in the first place?"
"It was because I wanted more chances to get closer to my idols! And I wanted to stand in the spotlight, too!"
Lin Xiaoman’s voice grew louder.
It’s true that becoming a streamer has become a major social trend, with most pretty girls who have a bit of talent wanting to enter the industry to make some quick cash.
Of course, some girls simply want more people to see how beautiful they are.
But for Lin Xiaoman, her decision to join the industry was mostly driven by a desire to get closer to the idols in her heart. Every fangirl wants to be seen by her idol.
"And the reason I’m so passionate about building the Streamer Alliance and making it bigger..."
"...is because I’ve seen how many idols in fan culture are held hostage by investors, and even by their own fans. They’re forced to do things they don’t want to do—things they know will destroy their careers—but they have no choice."
"It breaks my heart. But that whole industry has already developed that way, and it can’t be changed."
"Now, I finally have the ability to change some things in *our* industry. So I don’t want to give up, and I don’t want to just stand by and let our industry turn into the same kind of toxic fan-driven world."
Lin Xiaoman had spoken her heart, and this was exactly what Lin Feng had been waiting to hear.
’That’s right,’ he thought. ’After all, from the very beginning...’
Lin Feng never believed that Lin Xiaoman became a streamer just to make money, or simply because she didn’t want to rely on their family.
After all, the family could provide her with a princess’s life, ensuring she would never have to worry about a thing.
The streaming profession, on the other hand... It was said you just had to sit there every day. You didn’t need much education, just the ability to communicate, a bit of talent, a pretty face, a good figure, and a thick skin.
But the behind-the-scenes effort and the grueling work of streaming for hours every day was a hardship most people could never understand.
So, for Lin Xiaoman to choose an industry with relatively low social status and recognition, one that demanded so much hard work and dedication...
’It couldn’t have just been about the money. In fact, it was probably never about the money at all.’
’It seems my little sister is much stronger than I ever imagined.’
’She doesn’t just have lofty ambitions; she’s already thinking about changing the status quo of an entire industry. That kind of thinking, that level of awareness, makes her ten million times stronger than I was when I first got the System.’
"The reason I wanted to leave Douhu without a second thought, the reason I wanted to strike out on my own, is because I want to create a more equal and just environment. I want to lead everyone in protecting our original aspirations and our dignity. And I also want to make this industry more stable and prosperous."
In truth, this was what Lin Xiaoman had been pondering all day.
After she left, she had really thought about it: why had she been so determined to stay in this industry? Why had she joined forces with her brother, willing to pay any price to overthrow the previous, corrupt management?
At the very beginning, Lin Xiaoman was indeed just in it for the idols.
But the longer she stayed in the industry, the more she became aware of its flaws.
Even when she first started to fight back against the executives at Douhu, Lin Xiaoman hadn’t truly realized what she was up against or what her actions would mean for the industry.
But now, she completely understood what she had to do. She understood what she was fighting for, and she understood the profound impact her success would have on the industry and even society as a whole.
Having figured all this out...
...her resolve became even firmer, and her gaze as she looked at her brother grew more steadfast.
If before she had been a little girl who could only depend on her brother, relying on his help and needing his guidance for every little thing...
...then the Lin Xiaoman of today wanted to be just like him—a pillar of strength, someone who could lead others to create a better life, someone who could even forge a whole new paradigm.
No one wants to hide behind another person forever, even if it’s their own brother. No one wants to spend their entire life doing nothing, just drifting aimlessly.
This is true even of the life of a wealthy heir—a life most people can only dream of and envy from a distance.
But only those who have truly experienced it know how boring and tasteless it can be.
Lin Xiaoman’s words landed with force and conviction.
Even Su Ruoxi had never expected that this little sister of hers would one day transform into such a powerful woman.
"You’re absolutely amazing, Xiaoman."
"I’m so proud of you. To have these kinds of ideas, to have transformed so decisively, and to have such lofty ambitions... I’m just so happy for you."
"Come on, we have to celebrate after a speech like that. I’ll go open a bottle of champagne."
Su Ruoxi turned and headed to the wine cellar to pick out a bottle of sweet dessert champagne she had been saving for years.
WHOOSH...
"I never imagined you’d thought things through so clearly. I really need to apologize. The reason I was so harsh, the reason my words were so cutting, was because I thought you didn’t know what you were doing or understand the significance of your actions."
"And I was being too narrow-minded. I was trying to boil everything, every alliance, down to whether it could be monetized, whether it could make money. But now I see that not everyone is just focused on how much wealth they can extract from a business."
"Everyone has their own pursuits—finding value in their own life, changing an industry they love, contributing to the stability of society... I really, truly underestimated you."
With that, Lin Feng stood up. Very seriously, very solemnly, he gave her a deep, sincere bow.
He truly hadn’t realized how badly he had misjudged his own sister.
"Whoa... Bro, you don’t have to do that!"
"I only really solidified this goal today after thinking about it so deeply."
"Even though I was heading in this direction before, I hadn’t properly thought it through. After all, creating something like a guild involves considering and balancing so many different things."
"So, I’ll probably still need your help with a lot of things in the future. I hope you won’t hold a grudge and resent me for arguing with you, okay?"
Now that everything was out in the open, Lin Xiaoman was no longer so reserved.
Just like when they were kids, she walked over, threw her arms around her brother’s neck, and spoke in a playfully coquettish tone.
"Of course! The day our Young Palace Master shows such great ambition, such a broad vision, and such a magnanimous heart... I couldn’t possibly be happier."
"So when it comes to your venture, I will give you my full support in the future."

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