Chapter 111

The cousin responsible for driving was named Chu Yu, seemingly the third eldest among all the cousins. When Chu Tingwu called him "Third Brother," he responded with particular enthusiasm, though he seemed to have something on his mind.0

The system chimed in: "He's been your fan for a while, already at level 14."0

To ​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​‍reach that level, he must have either watched your streams for a long time or spent a considerable amount on donations—clearly a dedicated fan.0

Finally, the cousin spoke up: "I bought your merchandise… but I didn’t manage to snag the VR live-streaming knee pads…"0

Arthur interjected: "Yes! VR live-streaming!"0

Cousin Chu Yu shot him a look: "Why is this stranger suddenly butting in?"0

Arthur, who had visited China once before, had picked up some everyday phrases and mixed them with English. Chu Tingwu checked with the system and promised her cousin a set of knee pads. She then learned from Arthur that he had come specifically for the VR live-streaming—and not just that, he had flown over immediately after finding out Chu Tingwu would be returning to Luofeng City today.0

Shao Lingwu muttered to himself: "How did he find out…?"0

Chu Tingwu: "…" She didn’t know either, but it definitely didn’t involve writing elementary school winter break homework.0

Unlike viewers who wanted to experience different sceneries under the guidance of their favorite content creator, Arthur wanted to become a content creator himself.0

He said:0

"When I saw the impact of your live streams, I felt like you had created a miracle… No video creator could resist the allure of VR live-streaming. In fact, those who get their hands on this equipment first are standing at the forefront of the new video era! That’s why I’m here!"0

He was thrilled: "WU! Even if you refuse, it’s fine. Just let me watch you live-stream from the sidelines!"0

He had produced many parkour videos—creative and story-driven speed runs, seemingly dangerous high-altitude stunts, and even instructional content. He had once founded a parkour teaching club and ran a related forum.0

However, Arthur wasn’t one of the earliest parkour enthusiasts in America. He was just more passionate, with a wider circle of friends. He was the type who would say, "Let’s do it that way," and actually make it happen. And now, he had found a new goal—0

"VR live-streaming is an amazing plan. It can help promote niche sports and lower the barrier to understanding them!"0

Some people might fall in love with parkour after mastering a difficult move or a series of combinations through relentless practice. But with VR equipment, more people could experience the thrill of the sport at a low cost, feel that sense of achievement, and become interested in learning more.0

Chu Tingwu poured cold water on his enthusiasm:0

"But this equipment will actually affect your movements."0

Although the system had tried to minimize the weight and remove unnecessary parts, the entire setup still had some heft to it.0

Moreover, the equipment was designed specifically for Chu Tingwu, not for other humans. So, in reality, the only live-streaming equipment in the world suitable for use was tailored to her. The system hadn’t even considered making it for anyone else.0

Of course… the government had recently approached her, seemingly interested in customizing similar equipment, but the discussions were still ongoing.0

Parkour with added weight would feel different from normal parkour. If Arthur wanted to use the equipment, he would first have to wait for a custom set, then adapt to the physical constraints, and finally face the biggest issue—0

He was likely to get injured.0

Arthur looked relieved, as if to say, "That’s it?"0Nôv(el)B\\jnn

"When I was eight, I climbed like a monkey from my house to my neighbor’s. My neighbor, who was a parkour enthusiast, told me I could learn to move faster from him, but I would definitely get hurt," he said, pointing to his leg with a smile. "He wasn’t lying. I’ve been injured many times, but the joy parkour brings me far outweighs the pain. And the thought of sharing that joy with others makes it feel even more rewarding."0

He knew that if he hadn’t happened to know Chu Tingwu and had some rapport with her, he wouldn’t even have this chance to "get injured."0

Then there was another issue, though it wasn’t a major one… the current audience for VR live-streaming was too small.0

Chu Tingwu leaned against the car window:0

Why did it feel like, aside from her cousin, there was now another person in the car urging her to expand her company?0

The system assessed the situation and spoke up:0

"Currently, our app is region-locked and only collaborates with Fenghua Media because you stream on Fenghua Network."0

In fact, with VR live-streaming as a unique feature and the ability to produce related equipment independently without accepting external funding, Chu Tingwu could easily start her own video platform, quickly sign a bunch of creators, grow it into a powerhouse within a few years, climb the rich list, and even buy Disney… Well, that last one was the system’s goal.0

However, she had been streaming on Fenghua Network for a while and had a good relationship with them. She wasn’t keen on starting a new platform from scratch.0

For one thing… it would mean downloading another app on her phone.0

Since the knee pads weren’t available for sale internationally and the app didn’t have a global download channel, if Arthur wanted to live-stream, he would first need to register an account on Fenghua Network.0

Arthur: "I already have one."0

He had downloaded and registered it when Chu Tingwu streamed about wild wolves on Fenghua Network’s overseas site, though he hadn’t verified it and used it as a private account.0

Now, with Chu Tingwu’s help, he completed the account verification. Arthur then suggested: "Why don’t you sign me?"0

Chu Tingwu: "Huh?"0

Arthur had thought it through: "My live-streaming contract with Vt is about to expire, and I’ve been looking for a new platform. If the content I create next has to be published on this site, I’ll likely stay in this country for the long term. But I don’t want to sign directly with the platform—"0

He had done that before and got somewhat burned.0

Now, even though Chu Tingwu wasn’t an adult and might seem unreliable to others, Arthur trusted her. Besides:0

How could anyone who loves parkour be a bad person!0

Chu Tingwu: "=="0

She noticed Shao Lingwu nodding.0

Chu Tingwu: Why are you nodding?0

Fenghua Network did have studios and companies that signed smaller content creators and had them create content as required. But when Chu Tingwu checked Arthur’s follower count on Vt—0

27.42 million.0

Then she looked at her own follower count: 5.17 million.0

How could an employee be more popular than the boss?0

-0

The signing matter was temporarily put on hold because Chu Tingwu wasn’t sure if she wanted to start a company just to sign a friend… It might make more sense to consolidate the companies under her name into a more cohesive brand.0

Currently, she had four companies, one hospital, and some other assets she wasn’t even aware of. Some fans knew they belonged to her, while others were completely unknown even to her. But for long-term development, it would be better to establish a nominal parent company and add a new brand logo to all the products.0

The system suggested: "How about ‘WU’? The logo could be a crow."0

The brand design for the "WU-Flying" knee pads was quite good, and the crow from the logo could be adapted for reuse.0

The U-shaped basket design hadn’t gone to waste either—it was now the logo for the VR plugin app.0

The system also shared some good news with Chu Tingwu—0

Although she wasn’t planning to create a new platform, Fenghua Network seemed to sense the urgency and proactively reached out, wanting to host future VR live-streaming on their site and integrate the "U" app directly with Fenghua Video.0

After some back-and-forth, they seemed to have completed a share swap. While Chu Tingwu was dozing on the plane, she became a shareholder of Fenghua Video Network without even realizing it.0

——There had been rumors for a while that the top UP owners of the website held shares in the site. And now, those rumors turned out to be true.0

Chu Tingwu wasn’t very familiar with business matters, but she knew she wouldn’t be short of money, so she simply asked:0

“Are you one step closer to buying that amusement park or whatever?”0

The system: “Haha.”0

What a weird laugh!0

When Man Xing sent someone over, Arthur was supposed to follow Chu Tingwu, so he ended up joining her for several meals—after discussing with the Chu family, they booked a hotel and hosted a banquet to thank many of the people Chu Tingwu knew.0

Even the system was unfamiliar with this process. After checking, it said, “It’s similar to a graduation celebration banquet.”0

It seemed to be a local custom to host a feast to express gratitude when a child graduates. Teacher Zhang, Auntie Mei, and the great-grandparents naturally sat at the main table, while Chu Tingwu’s elementary and middle school teachers, uncles and aunts from the village, people she knew from Little Sun Pet Hospital, Mr. Yang, her first investor, You Zhenzhen, who made time to attend along with her company subordinates, Teacher Li, the assistant of the promotional video director, and a few friends she met through the cultural and tourism bureau… all were present.0

Chu Tingwu sat beside her great-grandmother, staring at the dishes on the table as if trying to make flowers bloom out of them.0

There were… a lot of people.0

This event, though called a graduation celebration banquet, was more of a gratitude banquet… It also seemed to be a way of telling others: Thank you for taking care of our child. She’s a Chu, and she’s part of our Chu family.0

As the banquet reached its latter half, Chu Tingwu turned to look at her great-grandmother and felt as if she was seeing her own grandmother.0

After a moment of silence, she spoke up:0

“After today, can we also invite the cats I know?”0

Chu Xiao, sitting beside her, quipped: Are you a cat?0

The great-grandmother smiled warmly: “Of course, of course. You can pick the place and the menu, and it’ll just be our family.”0

That big orange cat would probably be able to eat to its heart’s content.0

The system, meanwhile, was still observing the format of this “graduation celebration banquet” and eventually said, “We can host another one when you get into university!”0

In Jin City, inviting the Chu family, teachers, classmates, neighbors from the community, the cats of Jin City, the police, and Three-Five-Five’s friends… they’d probably need more than one banquet hall in a hotel!0

Chu Tingwu smiled: “Sure.”0

After the “graduation celebration banquet,” Arthur continued to follow her eagerly, though he knew that such customizations wouldn’t be completed quickly.0

But the next day, Chu Tingwu received an air-shipped package, and upon opening it, it looked strikingly similar to the VR live-streaming equipment she used before!0

Arthur: “!?”0

Chu Tingwu: “It’s not for you.”0

Arthur: …So you have another cat outside.0

But he didn’t get to voice his complaint, as Zhou Qiang helped open the package, and everyone gathered around. Chu Tingwu called out, “Three-Five-Five.”0

Three-Five-Five didn’t come.0

Chu Tingwu: “Meow, meow~”0

Three-Five-Five: “==”0

How old are you now!0

She jumped down, and Chu Tingwu helped her put on the equipment—0

She didn’t have another cat outside; how could her cat mom count as someone else’s?0

After being reminded by a fan, Chu Tingwu realized that part of her account’s followers were also fans of her cat mom, so why not let Three-Five-Five do a live stream? But a VR live stream from a cat’s perspective… that would truly be a ride with a cat driver.0

She signaled the system to start the stream and let Three-Five-Five have fun:0

Fans, please board the cat bus.