Having secured 2,000 mugs from the factory for free through some clever maneuvering, Feng Ling once again felt that the future was full of hope.
No, the addiction to making money had kicked in…
The factory manager’s straightforward attitude had just filled her with confidence.
Now she was brimming with motivation to make money.
Not starting a stream at a time like this would be an insult to money itself.
She quickly canceled her transformation and walked out.
Before long, she was back at Feng Ling’s rented room.
Just as she entered and was about to open the streaming software, her phone rang, interrupting her.
It was a message from Lian Ge.
“Feng Ling, are you free tonight? You shouldn’t have any missions today, right?”
Feng Ling hesitated for a moment.
After learning things she hadn’t known before, she had now somewhat changed her mind, so she wasn’t opposed to spending more time with Lian Ge.
But the problem was that Lian Ge was inviting Feng Ling as this identity.
Since this identity would eventually be abandoned, it was better to avoid creating too many ties with her.
Moreover, making money was the priority now.
“I’m a bit busy. Let’s talk another time.”
Feng Ling casually brushed it off and then opened the stream.
The moment the screen lit up, her expression automatically switched to a sweet professional smile.
“Good afternoon, everyone. Feng Ling is here.”
Almost instantly, the comments started scrolling.
“Feng Ling actually streamed.”
“Streaming at this hour? Did the sun rise from the west?”
“Front row, front row.”
Feng Ling adjusted the camera angle while casually responding, “What do you mean ‘actually streamed’? If I don’t stream, what else would I do…”
As soon as the words left her mouth, the image of Lian Ge, who had just invited her, automatically popped into her mind.
She wondered if Lian Ge would see her stream.
And if she discovered that Feng Ling had turned down her invitation only to start streaming immediately, what expression would she have?
Forget it, stop thinking.
The more she thought, the more guilty she felt.
Better to focus on promoting her event.
The afternoon stream didn’t have many viewers; the online count was sparse.
Feng Ling deliberately lowered her voice and put on an air of announcing big news, but only said mysteriously, “There’s a little surprise today, but it’s a secret for now.”
Then she unhurriedly opened a game and started her afternoon slacking-off stream.
The comments naturally began endlessly guessing.
But Feng Ling pretended not to see those comments.
She opened the game she usually played, changed the stream title to “Good Things Happen Tonight,” and then focused on playing.
Feng Ling kept the viewers in suspense like that, but just wouldn’t say.
“Should be about time, right?”
“We’ve been waiting so long!”
“What exactly is the surprise? I’m dying of curiosity.”
Feng Ling glanced at the online count, estimated that it was about time, clapped her hands, and said:
“Everyone must be curious about the little surprise I mentioned this afternoon, right? Since there are more people now, Feng Ling won’t keep you in suspense.”
As she spoke, she placed her hands together in front of her chest, making a gesture like sharing a secret, and unhurriedly began telling a story.
“Actually, it’s something that happened a few days ago. When Feng Ling was passing by a factory, she happened to encounter a demon beast causing trouble and helped them deal with it. As a result, the people there were so enthusiastic that they insisted on giving Feng Ling a custom little gift as thanks.”
“At that time, I thought, since they could customize one, making a few more shouldn’t be a big problem, right? So I asked if they could make some for my fans as well.”
Feng Ling wagged her finger at the camera, her expression shifting to that smugly adorable look of someone who’d gotten a good deal.
“The factory manager agreed at the time, but didn’t say exactly how many they’d give. Today they messaged me that they’ll give a full 2,000, all for free to Feng Ling.”
Of course, Feng Ling wouldn’t say that she was the one who approached the manufacturer.
After all, using this kind of accidental story better showcased her innocence and the factory’s sincerity.
“Gifts!”
“Hey, we get gifts just like that? I just sit here without moving and get gifts? Ho ho ho.”
“Factory manager, good people live a peaceful life.”
“So how do we get them?”
Feng Ling continued:
“Feng Ling thought about it and decided to give them away like this: all fans who have subscribed to Feng Ling’s channel this month will each get one.”
“As for the remaining ones, they’ll all be given to everyone in the livestream through a lottery.”
“Also, everyone doesn’t need to worry about shipping costs. Feng Ling will cover that.”
“As for what the gift is…”
Feng Ling tapped her chin with her finger and tilted her head, letting the suspense linger for a few more seconds, then revealed the answer with a bright smile, “It’s nothing too valuable—it’s a custom mug with Feng Ling’s face on it. I hope that whenever you drink water, you’ll think of Feng Ling.”
Although it wasn’t anything particularly precious, since it was free, everyone cheered that Feng Ling’s kindness could never be repaid.
Of course, amidst the jubilation, a few comments raised less harmonious questions.
“They’ve probably made a fortune selling your bootleg merch. Feng Ling, don’t actually think they’re good people.”
“Feng Ling, be careful not to be used by merchants with ulterior motives.”
Feng Ling seized these comments to promote her own thoughts:
“In my opinion, those manufacturers don’t really have any issues. Magical girls are usually busy fighting demon beasts, so they really don’t have much time to respond to everyone’s desire for merchandise.”
“They also made that merch out of love for magical girls. Wouldn’t it be a shame if they were just shut down over licensing issues?”
“And besides, Feng Ling can now authorize them too. For example, the factory that gave Feng Ling the little gift this time has already received Feng Ling’s official approval. So the mugs everyone gets are legitimate official merchandise.”
With this combination of arguments, reasoned, emotional, and righteous, she not only said a nice word to the bootleg manufacturers to establish a magnanimous persona, but also subtly planted the concept of official licensing into the viewers’ minds.
The direction of the comments indeed instantly unified into praise mode.
“Feng Ling is so gentle. I’m really crying.”
“Subscribed, subscribed. Always support Feng Ling.”
“Feng Ling is someone who could be my mother.”
Feng Ling looked at the direction of the comments.
The effect was indeed great, so she continued:
“The production cycle will take some time. They told me it can be done within about two weeks. Everyone, please look forward to it. Feng Ling promises to deliver every little gift properly to your hands.”
Feng Ling rested her chin on her hand and watched the comments scroll for a while, sneaking a glance at the backend subscription data.
The numbers were rising even faster than expected—subscriptions had jumped significantly, and donation amounts were steadily climbing.
It was another successful marketing.
While thanking the generous donors, Feng Ling wrapped up the final part:
“Feng Ling will now post the event details in her feed, so fans who missed the live stream can also participate and not miss out. Everyone, remember to like and share.”
Feng Ling manually edited an event post, writing the giveaway rules and participation methods clearly.
After confirming there were no errors, she clicked send, and that was that.
The event was officially live.
Next was the daily streaming grind.
For the evening, collaborating with Chiyun would definitely yield the best traffic.
But Chiyun was still livestreaming product promotions and seemed unable to wrap up anytime soon.
So she couldn’t join.
No choice.
Tonight she’d have to go solo.
Feng Ling planned to play a game for a bit longer, then switch to a casual chat segment when the viewer count dropped late at night, and then she could call it a day.
She reopened the game and continued streaming.
Before she could play for long, the screen of her phone, lying face-up on the desk, lit up.
Feng Ling casually picked up the phone and glanced at it.
It was a message from Lian Ge.
Its content made Feng Ling jolt in her chair:
“Feng Ling, weren’t you really busy? Why are you streaming?”