The Federation Live Broadcast Company was the Federationâs largest live-streaming conglomerate, boasting billions of users. The traffic from a homepage feature was difficult to quantify.
If people clicked on it, a stream could get over a billion views in just an hour.
If no one clicked, it would just sit there, a mere decoration.
Food streams were relatively popular in the Federation, but the genre was extremely polarized. Streamers who made delicious food could rack up billions of fans, while those at the bottom sank straight into the gutter, sometimes starting a stream to an audience of zero.
After allâ
For a food stream, not tasting good was the cardinal sin.
In the Federation, people who could make truly delicious food were few and far between.
That was why the Federation Live Broadcast Company rarely featured food streams on its homepage. The popular ones were already packed with viewers without needing a feature, and featuring the unpopular ones everywhere would only make the company a laughingstock.
And yet, today, the homepage featured one.
And it was a newcomer with only four stars, no less.
This was truly a first.
-
Jiang Qiuqiuâs stream was packed to the brim.
The bullet comments were also a chaotic mess. Normally, in her own little corner of the internet, the viewers were all returning fans. Even if they hadnât tasted her food, they had smelled its aroma and were in awe of Jiang Jiujiuâs culinary skills.
But the people flooding in today were mostly passersby from the Food section.
#??? Since when can a four-star streamer get on the homepage? A four-star who doesnât even show their face???#
#Whoa, did we just find someone with Federation connections?#
#Look at this title, Gugu Beast Culinary Special? Are they here to study Gugu Beasts? Is this the official channel for the Dark Cuisine Gazette?#
An overwhelming number of new viewers announced their arrival with that three-part inquisition.
Others were curious. #What are they making? The streamer sounds so young.#
#The listed menu item seems to be Mala Blood Curd? "Mala"? What kind of flavor is that... And what in the world is "blood curd" anyway?#
The viewer count easily broke ten million and was heading toward twenty million.
Behind the screen, Meimei was a little worried that Jiang Qiuqiu wouldnât be able to handle this kind of situation, but her reaction soon proved Meimeiâs fears were baseless.
The young womanâs voice was sweet but remained perfectly steady. Just as Meimei was thinking they could probably ride this out...
She spoke again, "The dish Iâm making today is Mala Blood Curd. The main ingredient is sourced from the blood of a Gugu Beast."
âGugu Beast blood!?â Meimeiâs mind went blank. âThis ingredient is way too controversial.â
Sure enough, the moment they heard "blood," the crowd immediately began to clamor.
#??? What am I seeing? How many years has it been since we left the era of eating raw meat and drinking blood? And someone is still making a dish with blood?#
#What kind of ingredient is this???#
#Canât accept this. What is this crap? Is she doing this for shock value just to get on the homepage?#
Passersby always spoke their minds freely. One after another, they left negative reviews and jeered, accusing Jiang Qiuqiu of pulling a stunt to get attention.
Even the old fans of the channel felt their hearts sink. âBlood as an ingredient? Is she going to make a drink?â
âUsing that as an ingredient is terrifying! What if she messes up?!â
But before the old fans could even post their questions, a bunch of newbies from who-knows-where started spewing vitriol.
The old fans: ???
âWhat was that saying again? I can criticize my own streamer, but who the hell are you passersby to do it!!â
The two sides quickly squared off.
Newbies: Trash streamer doesnât deserve to be a food streamer.
Old Fans: Then donât you dare fight for a tasting spot later.
Newbies: Trying to get attention with this primitive blood-drinking crap.
Old Fans: Go on, keep running your mouth. Letâs see you not fight for a tasting spot later.
Newbies: Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey! What skill could a measly four-star streamer possibly have!?
Old Fans: ?? No skill? After sheâs done cooking, youâll be on your knees licking the plate clean!
Newbies: Pfft, a bunch of simps.
Old Fans: Donât you dare leave! Letâs see you have the guts to not fight for a tasting spot later!
#I wonât fight for it, so what? Who cares.#
#Fine by me. Who cares about trying it anyway?#
#The simps are unstoppable. Just a bunch of paid posters.#
#Iâve memorized your ID. Donât you dare fight for a spot. Not now, not ever.#
...
As everyone argued heatedly, Jiang Jiujiu tuned it all out and began her first step.
Processing the blood.