Chapter 2: Viral Fame, Hidden Pain

After lunch, I went back to the dorm for a nap. While my roommates were still out, I grabbed my phone from the drawer and hid in the bathroom.

The cold tile pressed against my back, and the hum of the hallway faded as I shut the door. The phone screen lit up, $25,000 brighter. My thumb hovered over the TikTok app, the familiar jingle playing in my head. That was last night's livestream income.

Looking at my six-figure balance, I opened TikTok with satisfaction.

I've been on this platform for over half a year, posting a dozen or so singing videos with my face blurred out.

In just half a year, I've racked up millions of followers.

Sometimes I scroll through my comment sections and see the same usernames popping up with hearts and fire emojis. It’s surreal, the double life I lead. After uploading last night's edited singing video, I was about to turn off my phone when a new DM popped up.

"So happy, I got first place in the class today, and you happened to post a video."

The sender's username was "FrostByte," and the avatar looked oddly familiar.

Curious, I clicked into the chat. He'd been messaging me ever since I started livestreaming—over a hundred messages in total.

He'd confessed his fondness, shared his daily life, and even reminded me to rest when my voice sounded hoarse.

Lately, his messages had grown more frequent, and his words were full of affection.

I thought for a couple seconds, replied with a simple thank you, put away my phone, and headed to the classroom to do some practice problems.

A crowd was already gathered around my seat—Derek's rich friends, all excited about something.

The air around them practically buzzed with anticipation, like they were waiting for a celebrity appearance. "No way, she actually replied!"

"Derek really lucked out this time."

I sat down, and their conversation instantly died. Even the rare smile on Derek's face faded.

They quickly turned their jokes on me:

"Hey, glasses girl, I heard you like Derek."

"Tsk tsk, give it up. Derek's already got someone he likes—a female streamer with over a million followers. She's gorgeous, has a killer figure, and sings like an angel."

Expressionless, I pulled out a practice SAT test.

Before I could open it, Derek said coolly, "Enough. How could she compare to ROY?"

My hand froze.

ROY—that's my TikTok username.

Suddenly, I remembered the DM I'd replied to at noon.

No wonder that avatar looked familiar. So 'FrostByte' is Derek.

My stomach twisted. Of all the people to have as a secret fan… I almost dropped my phone.