Chapter 21

This was the internet, after all, and it was their first time chatting, so Brynn didn’t say it outright. Instead, she phrased it more carefully.

Dominic, reading Brynn’s message, suddenly felt a headache coming on. He had never dealt with situations like this before. He looked up at Declan. “Declan, you’ve at least been in a few relationships. How am I supposed to reply to this?”

“How would I know? The ones I dated only ever asked me for money!” Declan shrugged. “Brynn won’t even take the money… I’ve never come across this kind of woman before.”

Dominic’s face immediately dropped. He didn’t say a word, but Declan could read his face loud and clear – Seriously, Declan! You still don’t get it? All those dates you’ve had were for nothing.

Declan felt utterly wronged. But after thinking it over, Dominic suddenly remembered the donation campaign he had just seen on Brynn’s profile. A spark of inspiration struck him. He pulled out his phone and started to reply.

DJHS: The money I tipped you was approved by my wife. She’s a huge fan of your…

BrynnieBee: [Huh? Really?]

DJHS: Aren’t you raising funds for children in remote areas? My wife asked me to support you.

“This should work, right?” Dominic murmured to himself.

“Well, well, now this is rare – seeing Mr. Johnson look so anxious!” Declan chuckled, but his laughter was cut short when Dominic shot him a blank stare.

A few seconds later, Brynn replied.

BrynnieBee: [Can I ask for your wife’s account? I’d love to get to know her and thank her.]

Reading the message, Dominic felt both relieved and troubled. He was glad to see that Brynn was cautious enough, but also felt troubled because he now had to cover up one lie with another. Where was he supposed to find a “wife” now?

Frowning, Dominic pondered for a moment. Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed Declan in the video call enjoying his predicament. His brows relaxed as he smirked at Declan. “You have an account on this app, right?”

“Yeah…” answered Declan. “Wait, what are you planning?”

Declan immediately tensed up, feeling that something was off about the way Dominic was looking at him. Like he was about to get dragged into a trap. And sure enough, the next words out of Dominic’s mouth nearly made Declan spit out his drink.

“Then you can pretend to be my wife for now.” Dominic commanded.

“Seriously?” Declan was completely dumbfounded. His brain short-circuited.

Dominic’s tone was indifferent, but his words absolutely outrageous.

Excuse me? Declan thought with confusion. “Where’s the basic respect? Why am I suddenly a part of your little couple’s roleplay?!”

“No!” Declan rejected him on the spot without hesitation. “Are you kidding? I’m a grown man. There’s no way I’d pretend to be someone’s “wife” – not even as a joke.”

“Really?” asked Dominic.

Declan’s expression was firm. “Of course!”

“I see…” Dominic nodded. “Looks like that bottle of Islay whisky won’t be given away after all.”

Declan swallowed hard at the mention of the whisky, but he held strong. It was just a bottle of whisky – he believed his dignity couldn’t be bought.

“Oh, and that McLaren Sabre? I guess it’ll just sit there collecting dust,” added Dominic.

Declan froze. The McLaren Sabre wasn’t even that expensive to him, only 3.5 million – but it was limited edition. He knew there were only fifteen in the entire world. He had desperately wanted one when they were released but couldn’t get his hands on it. It had haunted him ever since.

“Mr. Johnson, you know… being your wife doesn’t sound so bad,” Declan changed his mind immediately.

“It’s just pretending.” Dominic corrected him.

Declan nodded furiously. “Right, right! So, I just need to send a message to Brynn, right? On it! I’ll change my profile now!”

Beaming, Declan whipped out his phone and edited his profile. After all, Dominic was offering way too much. He couldn’t say no.

Within moments, Declan, now under a new alias, sent a message to Brynn.

CandySweety: [Hey BrynnieBee, I’m DJHS’s wife, and I was the one who asked him to tip you!]

Reading the message, Dominic couldn’t help but frown slightly. He found the tone really disgusting.

“Hey, Dominic, what’s with that face! I’m doing this for you, alright,” Declan protested. “You think I don’t feel grossed out too?”

Disgusting or not, the plan worked. Brynn finally relaxed.

BrynnieBee: [Oh, so that’s how it is! Thank you guys so much!]

Letting out a relieved sigh, Brynn realized she had been overthinking things. She had worried she was dealing with some sleazy guy trying to take advantage of her.

“See? You needed me after all!” Declan smirked smugly.

Just to play his role convincingly, he even used his fake account to spam her stream with gifts for Brynn’s live channel, making the chat explode with excitement.

Smugly, Declan said, “I need to do a full performance when I’m getting paid, right?”

With the sheer number of gifts rolling in, Brynn’s live channel skyrocketed in viewership, quickly reaching the number one spot on the trending list. More and more people joined. Brynn glanced at the time. She had been streaming for quite a while. It was time to log off – if she stayed on, this wealthy couple might keep spending money. They might be rich, but Bees, the platform, would take a huge cut from the tips. It would be better if they just donated directly to charity.

However, just as she was about to end the live chat, a PE challenge request suddenly popped up on her screen. The challenger? A user named “XOXO.” Brynn had no intention of accepting, but as she reached the close button, her hand slipped and accidentally hit “Accept.”

In the next second, she was surprised to see Kylie’s face appear on the left side of the screen.

“Hey there,” on the left screen. Kylie greeted with a sweet smile.

Kylie had no idea who she was up against. She had been number one on the viewership list until her ranking suddenly dropped, leaving her in second place. Furious, she decided to challenge the new top streamer to a live battle just to see what they had. But she didn’t even see their face.

“Hah, you won’t even show your face! And you think you can compete with me?” Kylie scoffed internally. When she saw that her opponent, BrynnieBee, only had around a hundred thousand followers, her confidence soared.

“What do you do? Why aren’t you turning on your camera?” Kylie’s voice was sweet, but her words were laced with arrogance. “Are you shy, or are you just ugly?”

Kylie didn’t think much of BrynnieBee, but the top gifters from BrynnieBee’s live channel had spent tens of thousands in one go – clearly, they were loaded. She knew she had to snatch those rich fans away.

Brynn hadn’t planned on engaging, but Kylie’s snide attitude pissed her off. What was even worse – Kylie’s fans had started invading Brynn’s live channel, spreading malicious comments:

[Why isn’t she talking? So rude!] [Oh, I know her! She’s an escort, isn’t she?] [Seriously, people actually support someone like this?] [Voice actor? More like a gold digger!]