The barrage exploded with comments as Eliana froze for a moment.
"Oh my ears are pregnant!"
"That voice."
"How handsome would the person be?"
"Hey, did you all notice something?"
"Yeah, isn't that voice from the Ferris Wheel?"
"Ahhh, he looked so good, I wanna see his face!"
"Eli is stingy, she didn't show it."
"Stingy, stingy!"
"Ahh, ahh, hot stranger is here!"
"Wait, Deedee called him uncle."
"Hot stranger is Sio?"
"Sio? Hot stranger is Sio?"
"Oh, now I want to see him more."
"Me too!"
"Haha, I saw Eli get stunned again."
"Hahaha!"
Eliana glanced at the barrage, her expression deadpan. These people... they're so immoral.
Just then, she heard Elysio ask from the other end, "What are you doing?"
Deigo answered, "Playing with Big sister."
Elysio paused, then asked, "My account?"
Deigo chuckled nervously, "Well...Big sister's account level is so much higher than mine. It takes a long time to queue, so I used yours."
Eliana could almost hear the sigh on the other end of the mic.
Soon, she heard Deigo add, "Uncle, come play with us."
There was a pause, followed by the sounds of shuffling in the background.
A moment later, Deigo said excitedly, "Big sister, my uncle will play with you. He's very good!"
Before Eliana could even react, the barrage exploded.
"Sio will play?"
"What is this? A legendary livestream?"
"Hey, don't expect too much. He hasn't played in years. He might not even remember how."
"But still, that's Sio!"
"Eli, ask Sio to speak!"
"Yeah, yeah, make him talk!"
"I'll smash flowers for you if you do!"
"I'll smash flowers too!"
Eliana smiled helplessly and spoke into the mic, "Sio?"
A deep "Mn." came in response.
She then asked, "Will you play?"
Elysio's calm voice replied, "Hmm. You won't mind, right? It's been a long time since I played."
Eliana immediately said, "No, no, I don't mind at all."
Without wasting any time, she queued them up for a match. They chose to play in duo mode.
When it was time to land, Eliana asked, "Where would you like to land?"
"Anywhere you like," Elysio replied simply.
Eliana and Elysio landed at the port area, a wide, abandoned dock littered with old containers and scattered buildings. The moment they touched the ground, they split up slightly to scavenge faster.
Eliana quickly found a basic weapon and a few potions, stuffing them into her pack. From her headphones, she could hear light, steady footsteps — Elysio was moving swiftly and silently through the area.
They barely had a minute to prepare before a pair of players charged at them.
"Enemies, two o'clock," Elysio said calmly.
Eliana immediately ducked behind a rusty barrel and took a shot, knocking down the shield of the first enemy. The second opponent tried to flank, but before Eliana could react, a sharp sound echoed — the gleam of a blade flashed through the air — and Elysio struck, slicing cleanly through the enemy's defense.
"One down," Elysio reported casually.
The barrage went wild:
"Ahhh he's so good with blades!"
"Did you see that cut? Like a movie scene!"
"Sio is terrifying with melee weapons omg."
Eliana barely had time to catch her breath before another enemy approached, taking cover behind a broken container. A bullet grazed Eliana, knocking her shield down. She quickly crouched and tried to heal.
Elysio dashed forward. With quick, precise movements, he threw a knife straight into the enemy's side, staggering him long enough for Eliana to pop a potion and restore her shield.
"So cool," Eliana replied, genuinely surprised.
The barrage exploded again:
"Legendary save!"
"Sio even covers teammates like a pro!"
"Marry me, Sio!!!"
"Eli, he's saving your life!"
They moved deeper into the port, gathering upgraded weapons from the defeated enemies. Every time they killed, their equipment grew stronger, faster.
As they crouched behind a truck surveying the next area, Eliana found herself glancing at Elysio's character.
He hasn't played in years... yet he moves like this?
How is he still so good?
The barrage echoed her thoughts:
"This isn't a rusty hand… Sio is insane!!"
"Even after four years, this level??"
"Legend never fades, confirmed!"
"Sio's muscle memory is godly."
Eliana glanced at the barrage, where praise was pouring in like a flood. She smiled faintly and commented into the mic, "As expected of the top player. He's good."
From the other side, Elysio let out a low chuckle, a little lazy, a little amused. The sound seemed to ripple through the headphones, causing the barrage to explode once again:
"Ahhh my heart!!"
"Hot stranger's laugh is lethal!!"
"Eli you're blushing aren't you!!"
"They have such good chemistry omg."
Eliana ignored the chaos on screen, resting her chin lightly on her hand. She watched Elysio's character casually spinning a blade in-game, as if the whole intense match earlier had been nothing more than a warm-up.
"Did Sio really not touch the game for years???"
"Monster-level instincts."
"A true legend... skills engraved into his bones!"
"God-tier gaming sense!"
They continued clearing opponents efficiently. When enemies hid, Elysio would lure them out with silent throws or quick bursts of bullets. When someone tried an ambush, he was always half a step ahead, either blocking with a shield or dodging smoothly.
At one point, surrounded by three duos fighting in the ruins of an old ship, Eliana watched in awe as Elysio weaved through the battlefield, landing clean, efficient kills with nothing but a blade and a low-level gun that upgraded mid-fight with his streak.
Finally, after a grueling series of battles, only one duo remained aside from them.
Eliana turned to Elysio, "Last team."
Elysio said in his low voice, "Let's finish it."
The last duo was camping on the high cliffs near the port, taking advantage of the terrain. Eliana and Elysio crouched behind a half-destroyed crane, scanning the rocky slope above.
"They have the high ground," Eliana muttered, frowning.
Elysio looked up at the narrow paths winding up the cliff and said, "Split left and right. I'll draw their attention. You flank."
Elysio was already moving — swift and silent, his figure blending into the darkness.
Gunshots rained down immediately when the enemies spotted him. Eliana took the opportunity and darted toward the side path, climbing fast but quietly.
The barrage went crazy:
"A decoy?? What kind of professional strategy is this??"
"Eli move! Move!"
"Sio distracting them is too handsome!!"
Eliana reached a better vantage point just as one of the enemies reloaded. She raised her gun and fired — clean shot to the back. The enemy's shield cracked with a loud crack and they stumbled forward.
Meanwhile, Elysio, hid behind a rock, dashed forward at an impossible angle, and threw a blade straight into the second enemy's arm, stunning him briefly.
Seeing the opening, Eliana shot again — this time hitting the wounded player directly in the chest. A ping sounded — the enemy was eliminated.
"One down," Eliana announced.
Elysio didn't even reply — he was already moving. He charged the last opponent, switching fluidly between blade and gun. The final player panicked, spraying bullets wildly, but Elysio slid beneath them, closed the gap, and with a clean upward strike of his blade, finished the fight.
"Victory!"
A loud announcement echoed through the game. Their names flashed at the top of the screen in gold letters.
The barrage exploded instantly:
"AHHHHHHHH LEGENDS!!!"
"Sio is too good!! I'm crying!!"
"That final kill was a masterpiece!"
"Eli and Sio together = unbeatable."
"I'm saving the replay forever!"
Eliana sat back in her chair and chuckled softly into the mic and said, "That was amazing."
On the other side, Elysio's voice came low and lazy, "Good teamwork."
Diego's excited voice rang out, "Uncle and Big sister won!"
Eliana smiled, looking at the endless barrage of flowers and cheers flooding the screen.
Just then, the barrage began exploding with notifications.
"Sio smashed a Rose!"
A string of identical messages flooded the screen before a final notification popped up:
"Sio is now a VIP."
The live chat went wild.
"WHAT??"
"I'm breathing the same digital air as Sio?? I can die peacefully now!"
"Legend smashing flowers in front of our eyes!"
"A new tyrant has appeared—Sio just dropped 90,000!"
"That's insane!"
"Wait, why 90,000 exactly?"
"Because 9 is the maximum you can smash at one time!"
"Wait wait wait... are you telling me Sio is rich rich?"
"Someone hold me, I'm shaking—Sio just casually spent more than my salary for a whole year!"
"Who exactly is Sio?!"
In the viewers list, the account "Sio" now sat proudly at the top, his name framed with a dazzling, golden flower border — a visible badge of a top-tier VIP.
The platform Eliana used for her streams was called FlowerTV, where viewers could send gifts symbolized by flowers. Each flower had a different value — Carnations worth 10, Lilies 50, Peonies 100, Daisies 500, Lotuses 1000, Tulips 5000, and Roses a massive 10,000.
Elysio had just smashed nine Roses in a row — a staggering 90,000.
Eliana, stunned for a second, opened her mouth but couldn't immediately find words. Before she could recover fully, Elysio's calm voice drifted over the mic, "Thank you for playing with me."
Eliana blinked and quickly responded, "You're welcome." Then, as if realizing something, she added hastily, "But... that's a lot."
Elysio chuckled lightly and said, "If someone likes your stream, aren't they allowed to show it?"
Eliana replied, "They are, but—"
Before she could finish, Elysio said in a completely casual tone, "Then it's not a lot. It's just the maximum the app allowed."
Eliana: "..."
The barrage immediately erupted in laughter.
"SHOW OFF!!"
"When were you planning to stop if there was no limit??"
"90000 is not a lot? Bro just dropped a luxury car's worth and called it pocket change!"
"Tyrant behavior unlocked!!"
"Mom, I want to marry a Sio!"
"Deedee's uncle is not only handsome and good at gaming but also rich? God please give me one too!"
"I'm laughing, I'm crying, I'm applying to be Sio's personal assistant."
Just as Eliana was thinking that these people in the barrage were truly too immoral, new comments flooded in:
"Sio, are you going to keep playing?"
"Come back!! One more round!!"
"Sio-sio, don't gooooo!"
"Why did you leave gaming before?"
Looking at the barrage, Eliana sighed quietly. Today's live stream had completely gotten out of hand.
Elysio seemed to have noticed the barrage of comments, so he said calmly, "Busy with work. I didn't have time to play."
Diego quickly echoed, "Yeah, yeah, Uncle is super busy!"
Elysio chuckled and added, "Yes, and now you need to sleep."
Diego immediately protested, "Just one more game!"
Elysio's voice turned a little firmer. "No. Go to sleep, or I'll tell your mom."
Diego froze for a second but then sighed regretfully into the mic, "Big sister, I'll play with you later. I need to sleep now."
Snapped out of her thoughts, Eliana smiled and said, "Good night, Deedee."
The barrage immediately echoed with reluctance:
"Deedee, don't go!"
"Just one more round!"
"Please!"
"Well... will Sio keep playing?"
"Yeah, Eli ask him!"
"ASK HIM!"
"Also do a lottery and pull us into the team!"
"If you do it, I'll smash flowers for you!"
"Yeah, I'll smash too!"
Before the noise got out of hand, Elysio's voice returned through the mic, sounding a little amused, "Not playing for now. Got some work to do."
Eliana immediately replied, "Oh, well... thanks for the flowers. Good night."
Elysio's next words came softer than before, "Good night."
After that, the account "Sio" quietly went offline in the game.
Eliana turned her gaze back to the barrage and said, "I'm not doing any lottery. The stream's ending here. I have an audition tomorrow."
The chat exploded again:
"AHHH he left!"
"Wait, what audition?"
"Are you changing careers??"
Eliana casually answered, "For an acting course."
The reactions were instant:
"WHAT?!"
"You're going to the entertainment industry?"
"Well, with that face, it makes sense..."
"She's already popular, imagine her on screen!"
"Wait, so that's why she never joined an eSports team!"
"She rejected all those pro team offers for acting???"
Another wave came in:
"But can you act though?"
"Even if you can't, I'd still pay to watch!"
"I thought you'd choose something academic with your grades."
"Yeah, you're always first place, aren't you?"
"Wait, can you act?"
"I am a little worried."
"Eli, mom is worried."
"Very worried."
Eliana laughed and replied, "Of course I can act."
A few teasing comments floated up:
"I don't believe it until I see it!"
"Good luck, superstar!"
She was just about to end the stream when a message caught her eye.
"All the best."
It was sent by the account Sio.
Eliana paused for a moment, then smiled lightly and said into the mic, "Thank you."
After that, she shut down the game and closed the live stream. Silence returned to the room.
Leaning back in her chair, she fell into her thoughts.
When she had first decided to apply for acting programs three weeks ago, it had honestly been on a whim. But the more she thought about it, the more she liked the idea.
She had submitted applications to several universities, and one of the most prestigious—Central Film University—had even accepted her for an audition, despite her application being slightly late. It helped that her academic grades were excellent—and maybe her photo hadn't hurt either.
Tomorrow was the audition.
She wasn't too worried. She had lived through centuries, in many universes, learning countless skills—acting, singing, dancing, modeling. She had confidence in herself.
Still, even as she thought about the future, her mind drifted elsewhere—to Elysio.
Over these past three weeks, she realized she had thought of that man more often than she wanted to admit.
She wasn't sure why.
Maybe it was curiosity.
Maybe it was something else.
But she was undeniably... interested.