Become a mother in a night

Chapter 69

Michelle Xia had never formally delved into the world of live streaming. Her only two encounters with it were during her previous side gigs. During that time, she coincidentally teamed up with a rather well-known streamer who appreciated her gameplay and wanted to collaborate.
Michelle, oblivious to her teammate being a popular streamer, agreed to join forces. Once their session was over and she had swiftly completed her task, she silently removed him from her friends list, disappearing without a trace.
It was later disclosed to her by someone else that she had unknowingly teamed up with a streamer from the "Xtube" platform and that their entire gameplay had been recorded. They urged her to watch it.
Rumor had it that the moment the streamer was about to ask Michelle when she'd be online next, she promptly removed him from her friends list. This scene quickly became a widespread tale among the gaming community.
Upon viewing the edited clip, Michelle had to admit the situation did look quite intense.
Aside from Michelle Xia and Brandon Su, the promotional live stream for the game "Star Path" also featured an experienced game show host and several game streamers who would make appearances later. As narrative designers for the game, both Michelle and Brandon were expected to be present throughout the 90-minute broadcast.
The stream was segmented into various sections. Michelle and Brandon primarily took part in the opening where they introduced the game's narrative, discussed their inspirations, and shared amusing anecdotes from the game's development process. In between, some game streamers were invited to share their thoughts. The last 20 minutes were dedicated to a Q&A session with the audience.
Most of the audience were fans of Brandon, eager to finally see the face behind the famous writer. Others were there for the game or were fans of NexRealm Studios. But since the game's rights were provided by Brandon, essentially everyone was there because of him.
Another portion of the audience consisted of fans of the live stream host and the well-known game streamers, present to catch a glimpse of their idols.
Michelle was undoubtedly the least known in the stream. Before the stream began, viewers only recognized "Mizzy" as the narrative designer for "Star Path" and a handful might have known her as a signed author with ScribeSphere.
Their lack of expectations meant that when the stream unveiled Michelle's radiant beauty, the viewers were doubly astounded. The chat was filled with comments like, "Whoa, who is she? So gorgeous!" and "She looks stunning!"
The sheer influx of messages about Michelle and Brandon's unexpected chemistry caused the stream to lag.
The experienced host, Bunny Su, greeted the audience and introduced the two game designers beside her. Bunny, teasingly said, "I thought the audience would be thrilled by Brandon's dashing looks. But it seems they're more excited by our beautiful lady here. It goes to show, beauty always triumphs over talent."
Before Michelle could respond, Brandon laughed, "I disagree. Who says Michelle only surpasses me in looks? Maybe she's not just more beautiful, but also more talented than me."
Bunny feigned a realization, "Oh, that's why I'm so smitten by her and felt nothing for you, Brandon."
Michelle thought to herself, "You guys are so theatrical." She even wondered if there was a script they were following that she wasn't aware of.
Due to Brandon's existing popularity and his propensity to stir discussions, "Brandon the Legend" quickly trended. Several influencers contributed to the discussion, effectively advertising the game.
It must be said, NexRealm Studios was fortunate that day; there was no major gossip from the entertainment industry to overshadow their stream.
#BrandonSuTheLegend#
#StarPath#
#StarPathTeamBeauty#
#Mizzy#
#BrandonSuRomance#
The above topics continuously appeared on the trending list of the social media.
The last two topics were so closely timed and positioned on the trending list that somehow, there were rumors about a romance between Brandon Su and Mizzy.
The two who were still live-streaming had no clue about this development. NexRealm Studios' publicity department saw the trend and debated whether to use this opportunity for some extra buzz.
However, before they could make a decision, the Ye Corporation's PR team had all the rumors concerning a potential romance between Brandon Su and Mizzy removed from the trending topics.
A golden opportunity missed, and the publicity department was filled with regret.
...
That evening, Alyssa was glued to her computer screen early on.
Knowing that Michelle Xia was streaming with Brandon Su and other renowned game content creators, she was worried that Michelle might be overlooked and feel awkward.
So Alyssa invited her group, "CyberMaraude," to boost Michelle's visibility and flood the stream with comments.
In all honesty, Alyssa was a tad curious about Michelle's looks.
If Michelle was attractive and if she invited Alyssa to meet in person next time, Alyssa considered giving it a thought.
However, when Alyssa saw Michelle's delicate features and soft, gentle contours, she couldn't help but be amazed by such a breathtaking beauty.
They MUST meet!
She'd make arrangements for them tomorrow!
Seeing Michelle's beauty, Alyssa suppressed the thought of, "With looks like that, why write at all?" and excitedly typed away, showering Michelle with flattering comments in the live stream chat.
After a while, she remembered their primary goal and quickly checked the trending topics on the social media.
While most of the trends were expected, the #BrandonSuRomance# made her a bit uneasy.
But she didn't have time to delve into it. Alyssa's mission was to equate the trending "Mizzy" with the ScribeSphere's "Mizzy" to drive traffic to Michelle's works.
Alyssa had previously coordinated with Damien and the new media operations team, who were more than willing to go the extra mile to promote Michelle.
As the StarPath game promotional live stream began and the moment "Mizzy" hit the trending charts, the media operations team used the official ScribeSphere account to post on those social platforms. Then, the paid promoters Alyssa had arranged boosted the campaign's visibility.
Perhaps it was the allure of Michelle's beauty, but everything went smoothly, easily achieving the desired outcome.
The live stream wasn't even over, and the stats for Michelle's columns and works skyrocketed, with her instagram followers increasing even faster.
Watching the continuously rising numbers, Alyssa mused, "Maybe this is the power of beauty, after all."
The live stream, initially scheduled to end at 9 p.m., was extended by ten minutes, mainly because the response was much better than anticipated. The project team decided to extend the "Q&A" session.
Indeed, viewers were very interested in the "Star Path" game, asking numerous questions about the game's storyline, as well as many about the original plot. Both Michelle Xia and Brandon Su patiently answered each one.
However, a portion of the audience seemed more intrigued by the personal lives of Brandon and Michelle, making unrelated comments and inquiries.
"Hey, Miss! Look at me! Are you single? Looking for a boyfriend?"
"Don't box yourself in by gender, sis. Brothers and sisters are both options!"
"If you don't reply, does it mean there's something real between you and the great Brandon Su?"
Seeing these comments, Michelle felt a bit speechless and chose to ignore them.
Brandon, though, couldn't resist teasing her, "It seems our Miss is more popular than the great Brandon Su."
To which, Michelle chuckled and replied, "Don't say that, or people might think I'm trying to ride on your coattails."
At 9:10 p.m. on December 30th, the live promotion for the "Star Path" game concluded.
Michelle wouldn't describe herself as extremely nervous during the stream, but there was a hint of tension. Throughout the live stream, she remained alert and focused. Now that it was over, she felt a sudden surge of fatigue, hunger, and a bit of sleepiness.
NexRealm Studios had prepared meals and hot drinks for the staff and guests. Once the stream ended, Leonard Chen handed Michelle a hot drink, worried that her blood sugar might be low. She looked so frail and delicate, especially since she hadn't eaten anything the entire evening and had stayed up for three hours.
Michelle took the milk tea from him with a simple "Thank you." Taking a few sips, the sweetness invigorated her, making her feel alive and awake. Originally, she planned to head home right after the live stream, but knowing that her child would already be asleep, she wasn't in a hurry and decided to have dinner first.
Holding her meal, Michelle was looking for a place to sit when she saw Alex Ye walking out of Leonard Chen's office. He seemed to spot her instantly, walking straight toward her.
She was momentarily surprised to see Alex here, but then again, he was the boss of NexRealm Studios, so his presence wasn't that unusual. Regardless, she couldn't help but ask, "What brings you here?"
What she really wanted to ask was, "Why aren't you at home with Lizzy?"
Alex looked her over. She was still wearing the same aqua-blue qipao. The exquisite makeup highlighted her features even more, adding a touch of brilliance she usually didn't possess. The only letdown was that her light brown eyes were too straightforward, lacking any hint of allure.
Trying to suppress the stirrings in his heart, Alex shifted his gaze away from her face before answering her earlier question, "I came to pick you up."