Reborn to Make Games: My Girlfriend is a Game Streamer

"You can do it now." Jiang Yiting chewed on the refreshing bok choy and watched Chen Bainian eat the obviously spicy fish without changing his expression. She teased, "I remember clearly that the first time a certain comrade ate the wontons I made, he stopped after only half a spoonful of chili sauce. In the end, he was sweating profusely and used up a whole bunch of tissues."

Chen Bainian slowly swallowed his food before replying unhurriedly, "You get used to the taste."

He pointed with the tip of his chopsticks at the plate of blanched bok choy that had been seasoned almost entirely with salt and oil: "Conversely, now someone who can't live without spicy food can eat my 'health-preserving' dish without batting an eye, right?"

"That means your cooking skills are really good." Jiang Yiting shrugged, then precisely picked up a piece of tender fish with her chopsticks. "Besides, it's good to change things up occasionally and cleanse your stomach after eating spicy food all the time."

"Oh, right." Halfway through the meal, Jiang Yiting seemed to remember something, "I signed the contract with Douyu and sent it back."

"How many years did you finally agree on?" Chen Bainian asked casually, picking up a piece of food with his chopsticks.

Chen Bainian was well aware that the first long-term contract that a live streaming platform offered to a streamer was often quite demanding.

This is somewhat similar to the "child labor contract" signed by newcomers in the entertainment industry.

The term is often very long, and the revenue sharing model is rarely adjusted flexibly as the streamer's popularity increases, but the penalty for breach of contract is set very high.

He recalled that next year would see a "battle of a thousand live streamers," with each platform willing to spend heavily to poach top streamers from other channels in order to grab traffic.

At that time, streamers will switch platforms very frequently.

Many streamers are easily attracted by the generous offers from new platforms, which often make promises and guarantee that they will help resolve the breach of contract penalties with their former employers.

But the reality is harsh; many new platforms are not firmly established and may only be popular for a short time before they can't sustain themselves.

Their previous promises could not be fulfilled, and the streamers not only did not receive the compensation under the new contract, but also had to bear heavy penalties for breach of contract.

Although in Chen Bainian's memory, Jiang Yiting stayed on the Douyu platform until his rebirth and developed quite steadily.

But given the gravity of the matter, he felt it necessary to offer a reminder that it's always good to be safe than sorry.

"Thanks to you, after half a month of back and forth, we settled on a two-year term, and even left room for future priority upgrades." Jiang Yiting smiled broadly, clearly quite satisfied with the result. She raised the grass jelly beside her, "Let me toast you with milk tea instead of wine. Thank you for your guidance, Teacher Chen."

As she spoke, she held up the herbal jelly next to her.

"You're welcome. You'll notice these details yourself if I don't mention them." Chen Bainian picked up his cup and clinked it against hers.

The subtle worry that arose in my heart because of the "prophet" then dissipated.

"That's different," Jiang Yiting muttered softly, looking down and sucking hard on the grass jelly that was blocking the straw.

She knew that Chen Bainian's initial planning and the wave of popularity generated by "riding the wave of the night breeze" were crucial to her rapid rise from an ordinary streamer to the top and securing this negotiable contract.

More importantly, this feeling of being silently cared for is completely different from a pure exchange of benefits.

Just then, Chen Bainian's cell phone, which was on the table, rang, and the screen lit up with the caller ID "Mom".

He mouthed "It's my mom" to Jiang Yiting, who looked up at the sound, and answered the phone: "Mom."

The mother's usual concerned greetings came from the other end of the phone, before she naturally got to the point: "A-Nian, Qingming Festival is next weekend, are you coming back? Your dad has been talking about you these past few days."

In the background noise, you can faintly hear the father's amused defense: "It's clearly you who misses your son..."

Chen Bainian leaned back in his chair, listening to his mother's nagging while unconsciously stretching his legs, which had been bent under the table for a long time.

The dining table wasn't big, and when he stretched out his foot, he accidentally kicked Jiang Yiting's ankle lightly across from him.

Jiang Yiting was focused on picking out the fish bones when she was suddenly touched. She instinctively retaliated by gently kicking his shin with her toe.

She even raised her eyes and glared at him, silently mouthing, "What?"

Chen Bainian wanted to laugh at her childish reaction, but he had to hold it in, and his expression was a little strange for a moment.

The mother on the other end of the phone seemed to hear a slight noise and asked in confusion, "A-Nian, what's that sound on your end? There's a rustling sound."

Chen Bainian immediately composed himself and calmly shifted the blame: "Oh, it's nothing, Mom. It's my cat that's making a fuss under the table."

As he spoke, he deliberately nudged the "big brother" who happened to be strolling over with his foot.

The "big brother" meowed, seemingly unaware of what was going on, which perfectly confirmed his statement.

Jiang Yiting heard everything clearly from across the room. She tried to suppress her laughter so hard that her shoulders trembled slightly, and she quickly lowered her head to eat her rice to cover it up.

After chatting for a few more minutes, Chen Bainian used his busy work schedule as an excuse to say that he probably wouldn't be going back for the Qingming Festival. He then told his parents to take care of themselves and hung up the phone.

"Phew..." Chen Bainian breathed a sigh of relief as he put down his phone. He looked at Jiang Yiting, who was still chuckling on the other end of the line, and said, "What are you laughing at? It's all because of you."

"I didn't do anything." Jiang Yiting put down her chopsticks, blinked innocently, but her eyes gleamed with a mischievous light, clearly not intending to let him off so easily.

"Yes, yes, you didn't do anything." Chen Bainian nodded seriously, following her words. "It's my... uh, my cat, that's more lively and active."

"Oh—?" Jiang Yiting drawled, leaning forward slightly, resting her arm on the table, and looking at him with a bright, inquisitive smile.

"Teacher Chen, please elaborate? How did I become 'your pet cat'? When did I quietly end up on your household register, huh?"

Her question was direct and somewhat provocative, her eyes sparkling as she waited to see how he would respond.

Chen Bainian remained unfazed, even leisurely picking up another piece of bok choy with his chopsticks: "This is a metaphor, a rhetorical device. It describes someone who is quiet like they are sunbathing, and when they are noisy..."

He raised his eyes and glanced meaningfully in the direction of her leg that had just retaliated: "...Quite energetic too."

"Tch, that's just sophistry." Jiang Yiting snorted, picked up her chopsticks again, but didn't really take it to heart. Instead, she continued the conversation along the lines of the topic.

"But seriously, your mom called to urge you to come home for Qingming Festival, and also... to check on your personal life, right?" She used the word "check on," but her tone was full of understanding and sympathy.

Chen Bainian sighed, tacitly agreeing: "It's basically a regular feature now. Is it similar on your end?"

"It's more than just about the same." Jiang Yiting rolled her eyes slightly, her expression vivid.

"It's gotten even worse. Ever since I graduated and got a stable job, my mother's focus has shifted from 'finding a good job' to 'finding a good partner as soon as possible'."

Every other sentence is filled with "So-and-so's son is very good" or "Your dad's friend in Lin'an wants to introduce a promising young man"...

They're even more eager than the moderators in my livestream room to urge me to start streaming.

The shared experience of being in the same boat instantly bridged the gap between the two as they vented their frustrations.