The muffled sobs were heartbreaking, but the outright wailing prevented the live stream audience from criticizing the woman.
Lin Yang and Zhou Ye watched the scene in the live stream with unwavering attention. They were tacitly silent, having followed Zhou Niannian's journey thus far. It was evident she had given her all.
Lin Yang glanced back at Zhou Ye, who appeared calm yet somewhat puzzled. "Aren't you worried about your sister? If she continues like this, something will surely go wrong."
"But this was her choice. She should have had this awareness when she became a streamer," Zhou Ye replied, his voice steady. His eyes remained fixed on the live stream, his thoughts known only to himself.
In Zhou Niannian and Jiang Fan's live stream, the barrage of comments momentarily paused, the audience struck by a mix of emotions. Countless memories of Zhou Niannian's joyful streaming sessions flashed through their minds. She was known for meticulously maintaining her image, presenting her best self to the viewers. Her current tear-streaked, contorted face was a stark contrast, making the viewers feel like heartless scoundrels for their momentary schadenfreude.
"Damn! Why aren't the rescue personnel helping her? Are they just letting her cry there?"
"I enjoyed seeing Sister Zhou lose it over the game, but not like this..."
"Alright, I think it's enough. She's done her best."
The comments reflected the audience's complex feelings. They all wondered why rescue personnel hadn't appeared. Was it because Zhou Niannian hadn't pressed the surrender button that no one was coming? If so, how absurd.
As they were contemplating this with indignation, the production team backstage could no longer bear it. The PD overseeing their segment found the director, hesitantly explaining the situation. "Director, perhaps we should have the rescue team bring her out. If she stays there any longer, I'm worried she'll suffer irreversible psychological trauma."
"I think it's best to rescue her. The person is more important. Besides, she's a top streamer on Shark Live. We can't let anything serious happen to her." The assistant director also looked at the director with a serious expression. Zhou Niannian was a highly popular streamer; any misfortune on their show could lead to their public condemnation by her fans. Even with the pursuit of realism, this had ceased to be necessary.
Their pleas rendered the director silent. To rescue, or not to rescue? When the contestant seemed incapable of pressing the 'give up' button, the decision fell to them. Listening to Zhou Niannian's desperate cries of despair on the monitor, even the director, with his hardened heart, could not utter a refusal. He sighed, opened his mouth, and was about to reach for the walkie-talkie to have her brought out, when his peripheral vision caught sight of a figure slowly approaching on the monitor. His spirits lifted. "Wait a moment longer!"
"Director!"
"Director!!!" The PD and assistant director were frantic, wishing they could snatch the walkie-talkie. But upon seeing the approaching figure, they were silenced.
Zhou Niannian's cries grew more desperate. She no longer cared if her sobs attracted wild beasts. Perhaps she even hoped her cries would attract something, anything, to alleviate her loneliness. Despair and pain, like an interwoven net, ensnared her, leaving her immobile. She felt suffocated.
"Someone... save... me..." From wailing to broken sobs, her heart plummeted to its lowest point.
The next second, a hand landed on her shoulder, pulling her up from the endless loneliness and darkness. Like a drowning person grasping at a straw, Zhou Niannian clung to the hand, unwilling to let go. She slowly turned her head to look—it was Jiang Fan, his face filled with helplessness. Despite his pale complexion, his eyes remained clear, instantly soothing the loneliness and pain that surged within her.
Zhou Niannian saw Jiang Fan standing behind her, bending slightly in sync with her movement. Though this was difficult for him in his current state, he didn't withdraw his hand. Seeing Zhou Niannian turn, Jiang Fan spoke with difficulty.
"Can you stand up?" His voice was weak from his cold. Yet, that voice was deeply etched into Zhou Niannian's heart. For a long time, this scene frequently appeared in her dreams and thoughts.
As this scene was captured by the camera, the previously downcast audience instantly became invigorated. "Holy crap, Jiang Ge is truly reliable! Even when he's sick, he's dependable!"
"Guys, I'm a grown man and I'm falling for him, is that right?"
"No, that's not right. We suggest you cut it off and join us as sisters [dog emoji]"
The atmosphere in the live stream instantly became lively. No one had expected Jiang Fan to appear and find Zhou Niannian. It was like a scene from an idol drama! What heartwarming camaraderie!
Backstage, seeing Jiang Fan and Zhou Niannian reunited on the monitor, everyone relaxed. The director stopped calling for the rescue team and instructed the PD, "Add Sister Zhou to the list of contestants to see a psychologist after the competition, and keep watching."
"Okay." With the two people watching and the live stream comments active, the PD didn't need to do much. He cheerfully agreed and turned to leave.
In the dormitory, Zhou Ye also breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Jiang Fan. Lin Yang, noticing this subtle shift, teased, "You were worried after all, she's your own sister."
"Stop with the nonsense and watch your stream," Zhou Ye retorted with an eye-roll, picking up his phone and leaving the dormitory.
Just outside the door, Lin Yang heard Zhou Ye on the phone reporting to their family that Zhou Niannian was participating in the competition and that everything was fine, so they shouldn't worry. After a brief silence, Zhou Ye added that he would specially edit clips and send them back, so there was no need to make a big deal of it. Lin Yang, knowing Zhou Ye's tendency to report good news and hide bad, and suspecting Zhou Niannian might have asked her brother to do this, couldn't help but shake his head. "Truly... birds of a feather flock together." "He's studying editing, could it be to help his sister with her videos?" The more he thought about it, the more it seemed so. What an obsessive older sister's fan!
Lin Yang nodded, but was seen by Zhou Ye, who had just finished his call. Zhou Ye looked at him with a puzzled frown. "You're imagining some dirty stuff, I can tell."
"Hehe, I'm not! Don't wrongly accuse me! Let's watch the stream, watch the stream!" Lin Yang, feeling guilty, quickly changed the subject.
At this moment, Jiang Fan was helping Zhou Niannian to her feet.