Chapter 30: The Top Ranker, Bai Chuxia

With a massive donation of three million yuan, Lu Zi'ang was propelled to the top of the Shark Live popularity charts once again, even surpassing PDD, who had started his stream that night.

At the same time, this mysterious tycoon, "Bai Chuxia," snatched the number one spot on Lu Zi'ang’s donation leaderboard, pushing PDD down to second place.

"Number one?! Who is this person? They quietly knocked Teacher Piao down to second place!"
"The boss is incredibly generous! Looks like she’s a wealthy lady, too; the name definitely sounds like a girl’s."
"As expected of you, Falcon-Man—everyone in the esports scene is saying you’re the ceiling of good looks."
"He could clearly rely on his looks to make a living, yet he insists on relying on his skill. To Brother Falcon, I can only say: I admire you."
"One of the few in the esports world who could coast on his looks but insists on using talent."

Inside the chat, while some viewers felt a tinge of jealousy, many were genuinely thrilled and excited for Lu Zi'ang. The time spent streaming had earned him a loyal following; these fans waited punctually in the chat every day, anticipating his arrival. Many liked to call him "Falcon-Man," others "Brother Falcon," and some simply addressed him by his full name, Lu Zi'ang.

Lu Zi'ang was quite satisfied with the atmosphere in his stream. He was elegant, easygoing, and approachable. Despite his young age, he was remarkably steady and sophisticated, occasionally dropping witty remarks. Who wouldn’t like a streamer who was handsome, charming, and highly skilled? Even the notoriously abrasive and argumentative users of the "Anti-Bar" forum loved watching his streams. The reason was simple: since he started streaming, he hadn’t lost a single ranked match. Watching his climb was like a visual feast—every time a session ended, it left the audience feeling exhilarated and wanting more.

Seeing the flood of messages and the 666 super rockets that had just been gifted, Lu Zi'ang felt a strange sensation. A name flashed through his mind, but he immediately dismissed it, thinking it impossible. He opened his chat window and sent the name "Bai Chuxia" to Jelly.

Lu Zi'ang: "Bai Chuxia."

"Ah..."

In a spacious high-end apartment at Tomson Riviera in Lujiazui, a girl sitting before her computer was startled by the three words in the chat box. The single crutch leaning against her chair clattered to the floor with a crisp *thud*.

Lu Zi'ang: "Jelly, do you watch live streams? Someone named 'Bai Chuxia' just gifted me 666 super rockets."
Jelly: "Ah..."
Jelly: "You know I don't watch streams. I only occasionally check the LPL Spring and Summer Finals, the annual MSI, and the Worlds. By the way, wouldn't that many super rockets cost a fortune?"
Lu Zi'ang: "Yeah."
Jelly: "Why do you sound so strange?"
Lu Zi'ang: "Do I?"
Jelly: "Yes."
Lu Zi'ang: "I think you’re the strange one. We’ve known each other for over two years, right? You know my name, but I don't know yours."
Jelly: "Uh, why the sudden urge to ask? Isn't 'Jelly' enough?"
Lu Zi'ang: "Fine, Jelly."
Jelly: "You don't think I'm the one who sent those, do you? No way! I didn't even know you were streaming."
Lu Zi'ang: "Yeah."
Jelly: "(Aggrieved) Why are you being so fierce? (Frantic) It wasn't me, it wasn't me, it wasn't me! It just wasn't me! (Aggrieved)"
Lu Zi'ang: "(⊙O⊙)… When did I say it was you?"

Just then, a match was found, abruptly cutting off their conversation. Lu Zi'ang didn't pursue the topic further, though his intuition remained strong.

"Phew, that was close," Bai Chuxia whispered, patting her chest. Her beautiful face was covered in a light sheen of sweat as she thought to herself, "Is this what they call a psychic connection?"

As the game loaded, the two began their climb through the Master-tier ranks. The intensity increased, but for Lu Zi'ang and Jelly, it posed no real challenge. For them, the real ranked games hadn't even begun yet; these current matches were merely an appetizer. They had won 78 consecutive games without encountering a single professional player, and even "one-trick ponies" had only appeared once.

With their current win rate, the difficulty of their ranked matches grew exponentially with every victory, though, of course, higher difficulty meant more league points per win.

In Lu Zi'ang’s stream, the effect of the 666 super rockets was staggering. His popularity soared to 35 million, and his follower count surged by another 300,000, reaching over 2.6 million. Even PDD, currently streaming himself, was stunned by Lu Zi'ang's popularity and popped into the stream to watch the latest match.

"You're strong, Zi'ang. A week later, and you're already Master tier on the Korean server with 78 wins in a row. Your skill is on a whole other level!"

PDD sent a message in the chat, then grumbled to his own viewers: "Damn it, how did I get knocked off the top spot? Who is this 'Bai Chuxia'? How did they manage to drop 666 super rockets?"

Even on a top-tier platform like Shark Live, there weren't many tycoons who would spend over three million at once. Compared to PDD's record-breaking debut revenue years ago, it was a drop in the bucket, but the point was that PDD, formerly an IG top-laner turned streamer, had made a fortune through his humorous style. Whenever he streamed, his popularity was guaranteed to be in the tens of millions, often starting at 50 million, and sometimes exceeding 100 million during raffles or events.

PDD's popularity was built over years, while Lu Zi'ang was still a newcomer in the streaming world, yet he was already showing signs of breaking out beyond the gaming circle.

"Teacher Piao, keep gifting! Take back the number one spot from Zi'ang, it belongs to you!" the viewers in Lu Zi'ang's chat frantically teased.

PDD laughed, "My brothers and sisters, it’s not that I can’t afford it, but are you guys blind? The current number one is named 'Bai Chuxia'; the name alone tells you it’s a girl. Who knows, maybe it’s some wealthy heiress with a crush, trying to show her affection for Zi'ang. I shouldn't be jumping into that mess."

He added, "Let me tell you all: watch and cherish this now. With looks as sharp as his, once Zi'ang truly goes mainstream, he’ll have female fans by the boatload—definitely as many as any idol star! If you follow him now, you’ll be the 'OG' fans of a top-tier esports star."