Chapter 233

Chapter 233
Lily's POV
William took me to a place where Nicholas would never think to look for us—the FX Club, my "big brother" Caleb's territory.
"I never imagined we'd come back here under these circumstances," I said, looking around the familiar gaming club with its dim lighting and computers everywhere, far removed from the luxury and pretense of high society.
William smiled. "I never thought I'd be running away with you like this either."
When Caleb saw us arrive, his face was full of concern. "So, you're planning to stay here?" He was afraid Nicholas would kill him if he found out.
"Big brother, you're practically my big brother now, aren't you? You wouldn't abandon me, would you?" I blinked, deliberately putting on a pitiful expression to soften him up.
Caleb sighed helplessly. "Lily, you know what Nicholas would do to you, and what he'd do to me. If he discovers you're here..."
"Don't worry, I'll never give you away," I promised him.
For now, the club seemed like the safest place. We just needed to avoid Nicholas's search until the storm died down.
Cameron, Basil, and Bernadette—the three gamers I'd played with before—were delighted to see me.
Cameron suggested with a smile, "Lily, since you're here again, why not stay for good? Join our team, you'd be a sensation."
"Yes, yes! Our team really needs an amazing ADC like you!" Bernadette chimed in excitedly.
Basil pulled out his phone to show off. "Goddess, I've been streaming lately. Since you've been gone, I've gained several hundred thousand followers. I think I'm not far from ten million!"
I couldn't help but laugh. "What are you streaming for?"
Basil answered excitedly, "Streaming lets me interact with fans who like me, and... it makes money too!"
"Money?" That word immediately caught my attention.
In the middle of our conversation, I suddenly received a call from Lucas: "Lily, we've got trouble! Something's happened to the company!"
His voice was anxious, as if he'd encountered a major problem.
I immediately became alert. "What's wrong?"
"Spencer Enterprises is putting pressure on our company. It's causing significant impact, and we're facing a cash shortage," Lucas explained.
"Can we get a loan?" I asked, already calculating possible solutions in my mind.
"I tried, but they said Nicholas has issued an order not to lend money to Azure." Lucas's voice was filled with helplessness.
I frowned. This was more complicated than I'd imagined. "Help manage things for now and reassure the employees. I'll figure out the money situation."
"This Nicholas is truly ruthless. Not only is he hunting William and me, but he's also trying to destroy my company." I was silently furious.
I finally understood why my mother had chosen to leave the Spencer family, giving up all that money and power.
After hanging up, I looked at William's face and sighed.
His eyes were full of concern, but also a trace of worry.
"Maybe we should lay low for a while?" William suggested. "We can figure out how to solve the company's problems after things calm down."
I firmly refused. "Why should we hide? I want to appear openly in front of everyone."
That was my style—I never avoided problems.
William asked in surprise: "So what's your plan?"
My gaze fell on Basil, and I had a flash of inspiration. "Livestreaming."
When Basil heard the word "livestream," he immediately perked up. "Lily, you're going to stream?"
I nodded. "Yes, my company's short on funds and can't get loans, so I might as well try streaming."
"That's great! I can teach you!" Basil said enthusiastically, but I shook my head. "No need, I already have an account."
I took out my phone and showed them an account called "mist."
The account's profile was simple yet elegant, with an astonishing number of followers.
When Basil saw the follower count, his eyes nearly popped out. "Eighty million?!"
This internet celebrity had never shown their face, but had an exceptionally pleasant voice and covered various fields. The account alone was worth a billion dollars.
In the streaming world, mist was a legendary figure.
"You're actually mist?" Basil's eyes lit up. "You could fill your company's deficit just by selling this account, let alone streaming. Goddess, you can definitely do this!"
Caleb was troubled. "But if you stream, won't you easily reveal that you're here?"
I reassured him. "Don't worry, I won't show my face. They won't find me, and not many people know it's me."
When William heard about my other identity, his lip twitched slightly as he gave me a complex look.
I understood his feelings—this was yet another identity he didn't know about.
I could only laugh awkwardly. "You know, I have quite a few identities."
After everything we'd been through, William was already accustomed to my suddenly revealed new identities.
He shook his head and smiled helplessly. "Maybe one day I'll truly know all of you."
"Let's stream at nine tonight, but... what should I stream?" I pondered, my fingers lightly tapping the table.
Basil jumped up. "Stream games!"
In the club, this was indeed a good idea. We were surrounded by professional gaming equipment, and the environment was perfect for game streaming.
My eyes lit up. "That works. I have a plan." I shifted my gaze to Caleb, my smile turning somewhat mischievous.
Caleb immediately became alert. "That expression... why do I feel uneasy?"
"Tonight's streaming theme will be challenging the entire FX Club," I announced.
Caleb's eyes widened. "Seriously? You're going to play against everyone in the club?"
"Why not? And Caleb, you'll be the final boss—otherwise, they might not agree to play with me." I winked, smiling broadly.
Caleb reluctantly agreed and posted the news in the club's group chat, causing a sensation.
Messages flooded the chat as everyone discussed this sudden challenge.
"'Mysterious streamer mist challenges all FX Club members'—how's that for a title?" I asked.
"Perfect!" Basil gave a thumbs up. "This will explode in popularity!"
Over the next few hours, the club became busy. Everyone was adjusting equipment, preparing the streaming setup, and establishing game rules. I found a quiet corner to discuss future plans with William.
"Are you sure about this?" William asked. "Isn't it too risky?"
"Nicholas has ordered a boycott of Azure. I need to find a solution," I said firmly. "Streaming income won't completely solve the problem, but it will at least ease the financial pressure."
William nodded. "Alright, I support your decision. I'm sorry I can't be of much help with this."
I held his hand. "With you by my side, I'm not afraid of anything."
At nine o'clock, the stream began on time.
I sat in a specially designed streaming room, with the camera focusing only on my hands, keyboard, and game screen, ensuring my face and location wouldn't be revealed.
I watched the viewer count rapidly increase—within minutes, a million people were watching, far exceeding my expectations.
Gifts and comments scrolled quickly on the screen as fans were incredibly excited to see mist suddenly appear on stream.
"I didn't expect such an enthusiastic response," I was surprised but mostly delighted.
"Hello everyone, I'm happy to meet you all on this stream. Today, mist is here for a small challenge..." I said in mist's characteristic voice. The chat exploded with gifts and fan interactions.
[The great mist is finally streaming!!!] [Ahhh is this really happening?! I'm going crazy!] [That voice, it's definitely the real person!] [Challenging the entire FX Club? This is so exciting!]
I chose Draven as my champion. For the first match, let's give them a visual feast.
The viewer count had climbed to three million and was still rapidly growing.
Gift notifications kept sounding, and comments filled the entire screen.
"The first challenger is Cameron, FX Club's support and mid-lane player," I introduced. "Cameron's skills are quite famous in professional circles. Let's see if I can defeat her."
Cameron laughed into the microphone: "Master mist, please go easy on me!"
As the game began, my fingers moved nimbly across the keyboard and mouse. My exquisite positioning caused Ahri to miss her skills repeatedly. Even with flash and her third ability, she couldn't catch my Draven.
Soon, I secured first blood.
The audience went wild, with comments flooding in even faster.
[That's too strong! Even pro players are no match!] [Those fancy moves!] [I've already recorded this—these techniques are worth studying a hundred times!]
I smiled and continued playing.
William, watching from the side, was also captivated, observing my performance with interest. This was his first time seeing my gaming skills, and his eyes revealed surprise and admiration.