Free Web NovelChapter 33: A Token Gesture of Ten Emperors!
New Orleans, Twist Streaming Headquarters.
The senior management team at Twist Streaming was keeping a close eye on the platform’s biggest tournament of the quarter.
Inside the executive conference room, real-time statistics flashed across a massive wall display. User activity, gift revenue, retention rates, and engagement metrics updated every second.
Romero Dennis sat at the head of the table, watching the numbers climb with visible satisfaction.
The tournament’s performance had exceeded expectations. Traffic was surging, user spending was strong, and the platform’s quarterly targets had already been largely secured.
Not bad at all.
Then a thought suddenly crossed his mind.
Romero turned toward his assistant.
"Where’s Naomi Monroe?" he asked. "Why haven’t I seen her name on the rankings?"
Naomi herself wasn’t the reason she remained memorable.
The real reason was Luca Hale.
Romero still vividly remembered the mysterious young man who had casually invested fifty million dollars to acquire thirty percent of Twist Streaming’s shares.
Anyone capable of spending that kind of money for a single streamer was not an ordinary investor.
That was the kind of person people referred to as a true tycoon.
His assistant immediately answered.
"Chairman Dennis, I’ve been monitoring Naomi’s stream as requested."
"And?"
The assistant hesitated.
"Her performance today isn’t ideal."
Romero frowned.
"How is that possible?"
"Mr. Hale hasn’t logged into the platform today."
A look of understanding appeared on Romero’s face.
So that was the problem.
Without Luca’s support, Naomi’s room naturally couldn’t compete with the platform’s established giants.
Meanwhile, the situation wasn’t much better inside Naomi’s livestream.
The scrolling chat was moving so quickly it was almost impossible to read.
"Where’s Sober Tiger?"
"Did the boss forget today’s tournament?"
"We’ve sent him so many messages already!"
"Thank goodness Naomi barely made it through the qualifiers."
"Do you think Sober Tiger lost interest in her?"
"Honestly? That’s probably what happened."
"A rich guy like that probably found someone new already."
Naomi read the comments but maintained a calm expression.
She wasn’t worried.
Over the past few days, she and Luca had still been chatting regularly. Although they hadn’t met in person, their communication hadn’t changed at all.
More importantly, her instincts told her something else.
Luca wasn’t the kind of man who would suddenly disappear without a reason.
Yes, he was a flirt.
A terrible one, actually.
But abandoning people after losing interest?
That didn’t feel like him.
If he hadn’t appeared today, something important had probably delayed him.
As for the tournament itself, Naomi had never expected to win the whole thing.
Her original goal had simply been surviving the opening rounds.
She had already achieved that.
At the moment, however, the second round was nearing its end.
The countdown timer continued ticking away.
On the screen, Naomi’s score looked pitiful compared to her opponent’s.
The gap was enormous.
Across from her sat Queen Vee, a popular streamer known almost as much for her attitude as her appearance.
She glanced at Naomi and smiled mockingly.
"Oh, little sister."
Her voice dripped with sarcasm.
"Where’s your wealthy protector today?"
"Should I send you a gift myself? Your score is looking a little tragic."
Before Naomi could reply, Queen Vee actually sent a virtual airplane to her stream.
The gesture instantly triggered a flood of praise from her fans.
"So generous!"
"Queen Vee is too kind!"
"Our queen has such a big heart!"
More gifts flooded into Queen Vee’s room.
Rockets.
Airplanes.
Luxury cars.
Special effects exploded nonstop across the screen.
Queen Vee smiled sweetly.
"Thank you, everyone! Love you all!"
Then she looked directly at the camera.
"By the way, viewers on the other side..."
Her smile widened.
"Why not come visit my stream instead? I promise I’ll show you something much more interesting."
The implication was obvious.
The chat erupted immediately.
Even as the final minutes approached, Queen Vee showed no intention of stopping.
"Honestly, little sister, maybe streaming just isn’t for you."
She sighed dramatically.
"If you’re willing to learn, send me a private message later. I might teach you a few things."
A moment later she continued.
"Anyway, let’s finish this quickly."
She stretched lazily.
"I still have another round to prepare for. Unlike some people, I’m very busy."
Naomi’s viewers were furious.
"Someone mute her!"
"She’s unbearable."
"Acting this arrogant over fifteen thousand dollars?"
"Sober Tiger used to spend that much before breakfast!"
"Boss, please come save Naomi!"
"Forget it." freeweɓnovēl.coɱ
"We already lost."
The atmosphere sank lower and lower.
The countdown continued.
One minute remained.
Thirty seconds.
Twenty.
Ten.
Just as everyone was preparing to accept defeat, a familiar username entered the room.
Luca Hale had finally arrived.
The moment he saw the nearly finished timer and the massive score gap, he immediately understood what was happening.
’Good thing I made it in time.’
Another minute and Naomi would have been eliminated.
Then the system announcements exploded across the platform.
[Twist Streaming System Alert]
[Congratulations to user Sober Tiger for unlocking Emperor Status in this livestream!]
[Congratulations to user Sober Tiger for unlocking Emperor Status ×2!]
[Congratulations to user Sober Tiger for unlocking Emperor Status ×3!]
...
[Congratulations to user Sober Tiger for unlocking Emperor Status ×10!]
Golden light erupted across the screen.
Massive animated effects shattered through the interface one after another.
The entire livestream froze for a moment.
Ten Emperors.
Back-to-back.
That represented well over one hundred thousand dollars spent in seconds.
Then a message appeared.
Sober Tiger: "Sorry I’m late."
Sober Tiger: "I’ll drop ten Emperors as a small apology."
Silence lasted exactly half a second.
Then the chat exploded.
"HE’S HERE!"
"SOBER TIGER HAS ARRIVED!"
"Boss is still as terrifying as ever!"
"I thought you’d abandoned us!"
"Turns out Naomi is still the favorite!"
"I officially approve this marriage!"
"One hundred thousand dollars as a small apology is insane."
"Naomi, wake up! Your prince has arrived!"
Even Naomi herself looked stunned.
The ten Emperor effects were still filling her screen.
For several seconds she simply stared.
Then she finally recovered.
A bright smile appeared on her face.
"Thank you, Boss Sober Tiger."
"Thank you for the ten Emperors."
Her eyes sparkled with happiness.
Of course, the gifts guaranteed her victory.
But the real reason she was smiling wasn’t the money.
It was because Luca had shown up.
On the other side of the PK match, Queen Vee’s expression became increasingly ugly.
The moment the first Emperor appeared, she had a bad feeling.
By the time the tenth one landed, that feeling had become certainty.
She was finished.
Still, she refused to give up.
Putting on a pitiful expression, she faced her camera.
"Brothers..."
She pouted.
"Help Queen Vee out a little, okay?"
"The Emperor effects on the other side are so pretty."
"I want one too."
Unfortunately for her, the biggest spender in her room was merely a wealthy local businessman.
Someone worth a few million dollars.
Generous by normal standards.
But compared to someone casually throwing around six figures?
There wasn’t even a comparison.
Then, just as despair settled over her stream, a system notification appeared.
The user [Sober Tiger] has entered Queen Vee’s livestream.
For a brief moment, the entire room fell silent.
