The suggestive statement, paired with that emoji, was enough to make even me picture her as both a victim and a fighter—let alone the brainless fans in the group.

I wasn’t eager to defend myself, but neither was I willing to let someone slander me so casually.

After thinking it over, I opened my private messages with Alicia. The chat history was almost entirely her checking in on me and sharing bits of her daily life, while I had rarely replied.

I recorded the entire chat log into a video.

The caption read.

[The innocent will be proven innocent. I’d rather give the money to a dog than to you.]

Compared to Alicia’s vague insinuations, my recording was clearly more convincing. Soon, bystanders in the comments began to speak up for me.

[This clearly looks like the streamer was rejected. Can a guy be accused of something just for saying a few words?]

[This world has truly gone mad. Apparently not spending money can also lead to online bullying. I’ve seen it all now.”]

[Look at me, big spender. I would never betray my brother.]

Of course, Alicia’s die-hard fans had their own say.

[What kind of clarification is this? Who knows if you deleted your own messages?]

[Exactly. And this was just a private message. If you’re so confident, why don’t you post the Tiktok records? You really think we’ll believe these screenshots?]

[Enough already. This is just an old man’s pathetic struggle. My dad wouldn’t even use a nickname like ‘Lifetime Peace.’ What are you, sixty? Go take your grandson to school, old man. You don’t even understand the internet.]

As my video spread, the buzz around the incident only grew.

By midday, Alicia’s live-stream viewership had skyrocketed. Normally, she had around a hundred viewers, but today it broke past ten thousand. After all, nothing draws attention online like money and emotional drama.

On stream, Alicia’s eyes were red, her bangs falling neatly over her forehead, giving her the look of a wounded puppy—pitiful and delicate.

The live chat scrolled rapidly.

[She’s so beautiful! Oh my god, I suddenly understand why the wealthy viewers are so generous. If I had money, I’d spend it too.]

[Is the streamer crying? I believe her. She doesn’t look like the type to lie.]

But not everyone was convinced.

[Is she trying to play the victim? The patron already posted a screen recording. What does she have to say about that?]

[The world really does belong to pretty women. She cries a little and suddenly everyone’s on her side.]

Alicia ignored the skepticism and continued sobbing as she spoke.

[I didn’t want to respond to this, but the hype around it just kept growing. So many people who don’t know the truth came to my account to insult me and it’s seriously affected my work and my life. I had to come forward.]

[I’ve always respected Brother Steve. He has supported me for a long time and I’m grateful. But I won’t sell my dreams for so-called money and fame.]

As she spoke, she pulled out her phone, angled the screen toward the camera and opened Tiktok.

The display clearly showed her chat history with someone whose username was Steve Glover.

The messages were shockingly explicit. The person behind the account named “Steve” used crude, provocative language to tease Alicia again and again and even sent her multiple selfies in revealing clothing.

Although his face was blurred, his build and attire unmistakably pointed to a middle-aged man.

Holding the phone up, she let the audience see the chat records while she continued her pitiful explanation.

“Although I know very well that if I agreed to his request, my life would be so much easier than it is now, I will never forget why I came here in the first place—to pursue my musical dreams!”

“If I don’t hold onto my principles, then I don’t deserve anyone’s love… and I certainly don’t deserve my dreams!”

Her tearful delivery instantly won over every viewer in the live stream.

[Good grief, it really is an old man. Look at that potbelly. I’ve lost my appetite for the rest of the day.]

[My goodness, no wonder this old man only dares to send private messages. Turns out he is this scandalous. I actually feel bad for the streamer for a moment. She must be having nightmares from those photos.]

[This old guy must have been spamming her with gifts, then ran out of money and tried to get something out of her instead. But he didn’t expect her to be so tough. Congratulations to the old man—he got exactly what he deserved.]

Her flawless “victim” act, paired with her undeniably cute and pretty face, instantly pulled in a flood of fans. Special-effect gifts exploded across the screen.

After all, she’s a streamer under our company, which means half of those gifts go straight into my pocket. The thought made me feel a lot better.

I was enjoying the glittering stream of effects when my phone buzzed. It was the secretary.

“Mr. Rick, the representatives from Cool Music Company have arrived at the office. You should come over right away.”

Cool Music Company was currently the largest idol agency in the country. Thanks to the recent boom in group live streams, they’d partnered with us, offering our top streamer a debut opportunity.

Back in the office, I reviewed the cooperation contract while the secretary stood in front of me, holding a thick stack of documents.

“Our company currently has sixteen girl groups, totaling eighty female streamers, all with strong live-stream performance and solid revenue,” the secretary reported, handing me the papers.

“Right now, the group bringing in the highest revenue and popularity is Alicia. She even held a solo live stream today at noon—viewer count and revenue were both through the roof.”

I raised an eyebrow. “Alicia?”

The secretary nodded. “Especially over the past month, her earnings have been higher than any other female group streamer.”

A month? That’s exactly the time frame I’ve been sending her gifts.

The secretary continued, “Next week, there’s a solo competition. All eighty streamers will compete and the one with the highest personal revenue will secure the debut slot.”

“At this rate, that spot is almost guaranteed to be Alicia’s.”

I looked up at the secretary, then pushed back my chair and started walking toward the dance studio.

“Almost guaranteed? What about the other one or two spots? Let’s head to the dance studio and see who actually gets the debut slot. Alicia doesn’t get to decide.”

“I get to decide.”

“I’ll see if a thousand Lion can knock her off the debut list!”