Gu Anqi POV
The morning after the gala arrived without permission.
Sunlight slipped through the curtains like it was testing whether I was awake enough to deal with it. My phone buzzed on the bedside table, the vibration rattling against the wood in a way that felt much louder than necessary.
I groaned and rolled over, burying my face into the pillow.
Everything hurt.
Not in a tragic way. Just… heels-are-a-crime, smiling-for-hours-should-be-an-olympic-sport kind of hurt.
I blinked blearily at the ceiling.
Okay, I thought. Inventory time.
Feet: sore.
Head: slightly foggy.
Heart: doing something suspiciously awake.
That last one annoyed me.
I sat up slowly, hair falling into my face, and reached for my phone. Notifications exploded the second the screen lit up.
Messages.
Mentions.
Clips.
Oh no.
"Oh no," I whispered.
I scrolled.
Someone had posted a short video from the gala. Nothing dramatic. Just a few seconds of dancing. Me laughing. Shen Zhi speaking quietly to me. The lighting was soft, flattering in a way that made it look more intimate than it had felt in the moment.
The caption read:
Who is she?
I stared at it for a long second.
Then I laughed.
Not because it was funny.
Because if I didn't laugh, I might panic.
"Okay," I told myself aloud. "We're fine. This is fine. Everything is fine."
The universe, predictably, did not agree.
My phone buzzed again.
Lin Xu:
You awake?
Me:
Unfortunately.
Lin Xu:
Good. Don't open social media yet.
I stared at the screen.
Me:
Too late.
Three dots appeared. Disappeared. Appeared again.
Lin Xu:
…I warned you too late, didn't I.
Me:
I survived the gala. I can survive this.
That was mostly true.
I padded into the kitchen, made tea, and leaned against the counter while the kettle heated. The quiet of my apartment felt grounding after last night's noise. Familiar. Safe.
As I waited, my thoughts drifted back without asking.
The dances.
The glances.
The way Shen Zhi's voice had sounded when he said I didn't have to perform.
Felix's calm, steady presence.
Lin Feng's polite smile that lingered a little too long.
It all felt unreal in daylight.
Like something that had happened to a braver version of me.
The kettle clicked off. I poured the water, wrapped my hands around the mug, and breathed in the steam.
My phone buzzed again.
A new message.
Unknown Number.
For a split second, my chest tightened.
Then I opened it.
Unknown:
You did well last night.
No emojis. No unnecessary words.
Just that.
I stared at the screen.
I didn't need to ask who it was.
Me:
Thank you. I was very stressed internally.
A pause.
Shen Zhi:
I noticed. You handled it anyway.
My lips curved into a smile before I could stop myself.
Me:
My shoes did most of the suffering.
Shen Zhi:
I'll remember that for next time.
Next time.
That thought lingered.
Before I could overthink it, another notification popped up.
Felix had gone live.
I hesitated, then tapped in.
The stream opened to his familiar setup. Calm lighting. Soft background music. Felix leaned slightly closer to the mic than usual, eyes thoughtful.
"Good morning," he said. "I won't be streaming long today."
Chat exploded.
He smiled faintly.
"Some of you asked about last night," he continued. "It was… nice."
His gaze flicked briefly off-screen, then back.
"Sometimes," he added quietly, "you meet people who remind you why you started in the first place."
My chest tightened.
I watched in silence, not typing, not reacting.
Just listening.
When the stream ended, I sat there for a moment, tea cooling in my hands.
Too many feelings.
Way too early in the day.
I checked my calendar.
Stream scheduled tonight.
Of course it was.
I sighed, then straightened.
"Alright," I told my reflection in the darkened screen. "One thing at a time."
The gala had happened.
People had noticed.
Something had changed.
But I was still me.
Gu Anqi.
Streamer.
Girl who laughed too easily and felt too deeply and sometimes surprised herself.
I opened my streaming app and began setting things up.
Whatever came next—
I'd meet it awake.
By the time evening rolled around, I had talked myself out of panicking at least five times.
That felt like progress.
I sat at my desk, hair tied loosely, oversized hoodie on, bare feet tucked under the chair. The familiar glow of my monitor washed over the room, soft and comforting. This was my space. My territory. No chandeliers. No heels. No people staring at me like I was a mystery they wanted to solve.
Just me.
And chat.
I hovered my mouse over the Start Streaming button.
"Okay," I whispered. "Let's not be weird."
I clicked.
The familiar chime sounded, and within seconds, the viewer count began to climb.
Chat exploded.
[SunnySquad]: ANQI!!!
[PixelDuck]: QUEEN IS LIVE
[TeaAddict]: DID YOU SURVIVE THE GALA
[NoSleepGang]: blink twice if you need rescue
I laughed, tension melting instantly.
"Hi," I said, waving at the camera. "I survived. Barely. My feet are suing."
The chat flooded faster.
[HeelHater]: TELL US EVERYTHING
[???]: you looked beautiful last night
[PigeonFan]: emotional pigeons checking in
"There will be no detailed breakdown," I said firmly. "Because if I relive it too much, I might combust."
I leaned closer to the camera, lowering my voice conspiratorially. "But I will say… it was scary. And nice. And my shoes were evil."
Donation alert chimed.
[Anonymous]: glad you're home safe
I blinked.
"…Thank you," I said softly. "That's really kind."
More messages rolled in.
[SunriseKid]: you looked so confident though
[LanternLight]: u belonged there
[QuietWatcher]: u always belong
That one made my chest tighten unexpectedly.
I smiled anyway.
"Hey," I said gently. "If you're here tonight, that means you made it through today. That counts. I'm proud of you."
The chat slowed for half a second.
Then hearts flooded the screen.
I booted up the game I'd planned to play, fingers settling naturally on the controls. Muscle memory took over. The nerves faded. This was familiar ground.
As I played, I talked.
About silly things. About accidentally waving at someone important. About how galas smelled like flowers and money and stress.
"At one point," I said, laughing, "I forgot where I was and almost asked for snacks."
[SnackFirst]: AS YOU SHOULD
[CEOsnacks]: snacks > capitalism
I snorted.
But between the jokes, something else slipped out.
"You know," I said slowly, eyes still on the screen, "I used to think places like that weren't meant for people like me. That I was just… visiting."
I paused, character idling on-screen.
"But last night," I continued, quieter, "I realized maybe belonging isn't about permission. Maybe it's about not leaving just because you're scared."
The chat went still again.
Not silent.
But attentive.
[SoftCore]: that hit
[LanternLight]: stay
[QuietWatcher]: we're staying too
I swallowed.
"Yeah," I said with a small smile. "Me too."
Another donation alert chimed.
[FelixV]: proud of you
My heart stuttered.
I stared at the username for half a second too long.
"…Thank you," I said carefully, warmth creeping into my voice. "That means a lot."
The chat noticed.
Oh, they noticed.
[DetectiveDuck]: WAIT A MINUTE
[NoSleepGang]: IS THAT WHO I THINK IT IS
[SunSquad]: anqi don't combust on stream pls
"I am not combusting," I said quickly. "I am calmly existing."
Lies.
Absolute lies.
Another message popped up, not in chat this time, but in my private notifications.
Shen Zhi:
You seem more relaxed now.
I smiled without thinking.
Me:
This is my natural habitat.
A pause.
Shen Zhi:
I can see why.
I felt my ears heat up.
Focus. Stream.
I finished the level, celebrated dramatically, and stretched in my chair.
"Okay," I announced. "Last round. My brain is full."
[StaySafe]: take care anqi
[SunriseKid]: thanks for tonight
[QuietWatcher]: light stays on
When I finally ended the stream, the room fell quiet again.
Not empty.
Just peaceful.
I leaned back in my chair, staring at the ceiling, heart steady.
The gala had pulled me into a world that used to terrify me.
The stream brought me back to myself.
Maybe both could exist.
Maybe I didn't have to choose.
I picked up my phone, thumb hovering over the screen.
Outside, the city hummed softly.
Inside, for once, I didn't feel like shrinking.
I felt… present.
And whatever came next—
I was still here.