Chapter 461

Chapter 461:

Sloane always thought of Neal as a wealthy streamer, given his popularity.

Levi chuckled and adjusted his glasses. “Neal’s careful with money. He’s generous when we’re together, but he doesn’t waste a single cent. He’s not the type to splurge. He enters any competition with a prize, saying that every little bit helps.”

Sloane nodded in approval, clicking her tongue with a grin. “That’s the right way to live. Being thrifty is a classic virtue.”

In his rented apartment, Neal sat down with a cheap takeout meal, his eyes fixed on the game’s loading screen.

The food was still warm, but he didn’t waste time, devouring it in large, quick bites.

On the screen in front of him, his streaming channel was buzzing with constant activity as comments flooded in.

As the game continued to load, he casually reached for his phone, his long, graceful fingers briefly appearing in the bottom right corner of the screen.

He always kept his face hidden during streams, only showing his hands. Levi and Alex often joked, teasing him that revealing his face could attract more fans, turning him into a heartthrob with both charm and skill.

But Neal wasn’t interested in that.

He didn’t want to destroy the image his audience had built of him. The last thing he wanted was for his fans to discover that he lived in a bare, unfurnished apartment.

The room felt cold and empty, with gray cement walls that surrounded him, the floor still rough and unpolished. A single incandescent bulb hung from the ceiling, casting a dim light over the space, making it feel even more desolate.

The furniture was sparse—just a plain wooden table, a plastic stool, a desktop computer, and a single bed—everything adding to the sense of loneliness in the room.

His fans often imagined him as a wealthy, handsome young man with a promising future. Some even left comments like, “If my favorite streamer is so amazing, what excuse do I have for not working hard? I must focus on my studies!”

Since his fans had already built this image of him, and it was having such a positive effect, there was no point in shattering their illusions. After all, reality and fantasy rarely line up—something everyone knows well.

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Neal finished the last sip of his drink and grabbed his phone, his attention immediately zeroing in on the game.

As night fell, he switched on a desk lamp, its light casting a soft glow on his hands.

The rest of the room stayed shrouded in darkness, but the screen of his backup phone, charging on the bed, flickered to life.

A message popped up. It was short and urgent: “Send me fifty thousand now, quick!”

Neal was so absorbed in his game that the soft buzz of the text notification barely grazed his awareness. Five minutes later, his phone erupted into an incessant ring, sharp and insistent, like a persistent knock on a locked door.

At first, he ignored it, keeping his focus on the heated match in front of him. But his fingers faltered, stiffening as his concentration splintered.

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