Conquering the Stars and My Haters’ Hearts - Chapter 7

A hundred thousand Imperial Credits was no small sum. The moment the donation hit, a site-wide notification flashed across the streaming platform, briefly thrusting the broadcast onto the coveted front page.

Because Xie Anning had signed a high-liberty contract, the platform hadn’t planned on heavy promotion; they were taking a “wait-and-see” approach to his growth. A front-page recommendation was usually reserved for established stars.

As curious onlookers hovered over the notification, they froze. The donor’s name was Ferdinand. What?! Was it the same arrogant, high-and-mighty Ferdinand they all knew?

The room was instantly flooded with new viewers. No one could imagine the prideful Ferdinand dropping such a massive sum on a random streamer. If it were anyone else, people might suspect a paid promotion, but Ferdinand was famously above such things. Who on earth was this streamer?

Gossip-seekers who knew of the previous night’s clash flocked to the room in droves. Within minutes, the viewer count skyrocketed to 400,000. The holographic bullet-chat was a chaotic explosion of text, everyone demanding to know the relationship between the streamer and the young genius.

Helpful veterans explained that the streamer had saved Ferdinand’s life, but since neither party had issued a formal statement, the details remained murky.

Finding the truth to be surprisingly wholesome and lacking in “juicy” drama, many casual observers left. However, a significant portion stayed. They found the streamer’s “Call Me Daddy” persona intriguing and his combat style exceptionally clean. Between his skill and the Ferdinand endorsement, it was clear this newcomer was a rising star.

By the end of the session, the name “Call Me Daddy” had firmly etched itself into the minds of the public—though they had no idea just how much more sensational this streamer’s future would become.

Xie Anning was deep in combat. As he grew more familiar with the game’s mechanics, he realized he was virtually invincible at this rank. To keep things challenging, he stopped relying solely on his Mental Strength to “cheat” and began practicing manual maneuvers. Having S-class Mental Strength feels like having an aim-bot, he thought. If other pilots knew I was handicapping myself like this, they’d probably kill me.

Suddenly, a system prompt chimed: [A user has donated 100,000 Imperial Credits.]

Xie Anning’s hand slipped. Fortunately, his reflexes saved him from a catastrophic blunder. “What? A hundred thousand?”

Since transmigrating, he hadn’t seen that much money at once. His previous withdrawal had only been a few thousand, and he’d been living frugally, using a local internet cafe to stream.

He quickly finished off his opponent and checked the donation list. At the very top sat a name that stood out like a beacon: Ferdinand.

Xie Anning exhaled in relief. “I guess he’s thanking me for yesterday. It seems Ferdinand is actually a decent guy.”

He offered a graceful thank-you to the camera—though, due to his privacy settings, the viewers only saw a polite blur of pixels.

If anyone close to Ferdinand had heard Xie Anning’s assessment of him as a “decent guy,” they would have been speechless. The second young master of the Egret family was notorious for being difficult, prickly, and anything but “nice.”

Before logging off, Xie Anning followed the system’s advice and shared his new social media handle, instantly gaining several thousand followers. While his total subscriber count was still modest at 50,000, they were becoming a loyal, core fanbase.

Imperial Capital Planet, High-Security VIP Ward

An aide watched a scene that bordered on the paranormal.

Young Master Ferdinand was staring at the holographic screen, and his handsome face appeared to be carrying a faint, genuine smile.

Good god. The aide had only ever seen the Young Master smile when he was mocking someone—and even then, it was a cold, cutting smirk. He had never seen a smile that actually reached the man’s eyes.

The aide glanced at the pixelated figure on the screen, then back to the Young Master, who had just dropped a fortune on this “Call Me Daddy.” Has the Young Master actually developed feelings for this person?

“As long as you’re happy, Young Master,” the aide managed to choke out after a long silence.

“Who said I was happy?” Ferdinand’s expression flipped instantly. He snapped, “I am simply repaying a debt. Now, turn it off. I have no interest in watching low-level ranked matches.”

The Aide: “?”

But your eyes haven’t left the screen once, the aide thought. He didn’t doubt for a second that if he actually reached for the ‘off’ switch, his fate would be miserable.

[System]: Advanced Beginner Task Complete. Popularity: 180,000/100,000. You may draw a random reward and have unlocked 1 Inventory Slot.

[Bonus Reward for Over-performance]: Physique Enhancement Potion v1. (Boosts physical stats slightly. Process takes several hours; recommended for use at home.)

[New Task – End of Rookie Phase]: Stream on a major platform for one month. Goal: Reach 1,000,000 concurrent viewers at least once before the deadline.

[Reward]: Rookie Grand Prize Pack and 3 Inventory Slots.

Xie Anning knew the tasks would scale, but a million viewers felt like a massive leap for a “rookie” phase. He noted that the system counted concurrent viewers at the end of a stream, not temporary spikes. Still, considering the interstellar population, it wasn’t impossible.

“What happens if I fail?”

[System]: Nothing fatal. You will proceed to standard tasks, but you will permanently lose the Rookie Grand Prize Pack.

Xie Anning took the hint. The “Grand Prize” was likely something game-changing. With 210,000 popularity points banked, he had enough for two lottery pulls. “System, if I save up for a ’10-pull,’ do I get a discount or a guaranteed high-tier item?”

[System]: Host has not yet unlocked the authority for ’10-pull’ mechanics.

Xie Anning: “…” So it really does exist!

He decided to hold off on the lottery. With only one inventory slot, he didn’t want to draw something he couldn’t store. Right now, he wanted to get home and see what the Physique Potion could do for his weak body.

Meanwhile, the latest issue of The Galaxy hit the digital stands.

In this era, magazines were primarily electronic, delivered directly to personal terminals with much higher production value than standard web novels. Physical copies existed but were prohibitively expensive—luxury items for the elite who craved the tactile “nostalgia” of paper.

As a subsidiary of Tianji, The Galaxy was a bestseller and a kingmaker for short-story authors.

Alfred Gerst, the eldest son of the Gerst family, was a man born with S-class talent. He was also the man Xie Anning’s parents had betrothed him to years ago.

The Gerst family held a higher status than the Xie family. The engagement had been made before Xie Anning was even born, back when everyone assumed he would be a genius. By the time his E-class talent was revealed, the engagement was already a matter of public record. Breaking it would have brought shame to both houses, leaving them in a tense, silent deadlock.

Alfred Gerst was not a man who suffered fools, let alone the humiliation of his current engagement. Because of this “fiancé,” he had been a constant target of ridicule among his peers. Upon reaching adulthood, Alfred had investigated just how pathetic his betrothed truly was, but the breaking point came when he discovered the novels the boy had been secretly writing.

The prose had been atrocious, and the plot was an absolute mess. As a connoisseur of literature, Alfred found it intolerable. He had promptly ended the engagement with a wave of cold mockery. Fortuitously, the head of the Xie family and his wife were absent at the time, sparing him any tedious diplomatic friction. As for what would become of Xie Anning afterward, it wasn’t Alfred’s concern; he considered it an act of mercy that he hadn’t stayed to kick the man while he was down.

“Young Master Alfred, the latest issue of The Galaxy has arrived for you.” The butler stepped forward respectfully, handing a book to Alfred, who was lounging by the pool, soaking up the sun with a drink in hand.

Alfred pushed up his sunglasses, a smirk spreading across his exceptionally handsome face. “Thank you.”

With hair as radiant as sunlight and eyes the color of a deep azure sea, combined with a pedigree and talent that dwarfed his peers, Alfred was the most sought-after bachelor among the local noble houses. However, he was notoriously aloof—a trait common among geniuses of his caliber and he viewed his admirers with utter indifference.

Alfred’s primary passion was fiction. His favorite author was Wade, whose tragic, male-oriented interstellar epics in The Galaxy had completely captivated him. He felt a profound connection to Wade’s protagonists—men who were powerful yet shackled by destiny. Alfred saw himself in them, and his support for the author was borderline obsessive, involving both rapturous praise and massive financial sponsorships.

Having finished the latest update with his usual fervor, Alfred felt a lingering sense of dissatisfaction. He flipped through the remaining pages and noticed the very next entry also featured an interstellar setting. This immediately piqued his curiosity.

Wade was the pillar of The Galaxy. Because of his dominance in the “Interstellar Tragedy” genre, most other authors steered clear of the theme to avoid inevitable and unflattering comparisons. There had been many instances in the past where decent writers saw their careers crushed because Wade’s fans, their tastes refined to a fault, found anything else to be amateurish by comparison.

“Ning Xie? Must be a newcomer.” Alfred glanced at the title, his expression already clouded with preemptive disdain. “‘Time Will Eventually Fade’ what a small-minded title. I wonder who gave him the courage to publish an interstellar piece in The Galaxy. The sheer arrogance of it.”

He critiqued the title for a moment before scanning the opening. Seeing it was a female-oriented story (Nüzhu), he frowned. Most “angst” stories featuring female leads in this era relied on fragile, weeping waifs who did nothing but moan about their misfortunes—a trope Alfred detested. It reminded him too much of his introverted, spineless ex-fiancé. Alfred preferred strength.

Though it was a female-led story, Alfred began reading with the sole intent of tearing it apart. However, as the plot began to unfold, his sneer of contempt slowly dissolved into genuine shock.