Extra Episode 3: Return

During the day, at a large comic convention.

Little Star was livestreaming on-site.

Of course, that was just her online handle. Today, she was strolling through the convention while broadcasting, giving her "fam" a virtual tour of the event.

She was just a small-time streamer, usually relying on casual chats for content.

After walking around for a while, she found a less crowded spot to take a break.

But then, with a mischievous smirk, she addressed her livestream: "Alright, fam, today at this con, I'm gonna pull off a stunt—something I recently learned. A super powerful magic trick!"

Little Star was being all mysterious.

Though a small streamer, she still had a few hundred viewers tuning in.

"Streamer, what is it?"

"I bet it's that trick where you make a small flame appear in your hand and turn it into a rose."

"Streamer's so confident, now I'm curious."

Reading the comments, Little Star was pleased with the reaction and decided not to drag it out. With a chuckle, she said, "It's the 'Vanishing Person' trick!"

She began her preparations. Her cosplay for the day included a cape, which she promptly took off.

"Take a good look, folks—just an ordinary cape."

She showed both sides, confirming it was indeed just a plain cape.

"Don't blink, because the miracle's about to happen!"

Little Star stretched out the cape, holding it up to cover herself as much as possible.

She swayed the cape, hyping up the moment.

"Now, let Little Star perform the ultimate magic trick—Vanishing Person!"

"Ta-da!"

She tossed the cape lightly and quickly dodged to the left, stepping out of the frame. The cape fell to the ground, and the stream could no longer see Little Star.

At that very moment, a dark spatial rift tore open, and a figure emerged from the void.

Nangong Xiyun, clad in flowing white robes, her long hair cascading, stood there with an icy yet breathtakingly beautiful expression.

She looked like an immortal descending into the mortal realm.

Little Star, unaware of the phenomenon behind her, was still off-camera, saying, "Well, fam? I just made a person disappear into thin air!"

Moments later, she jumped back into frame. "Fam, how was that? Impressive, right?"

But the comments were flooded with nothing but confusion.

?????

?????

?????

The screen was filled with question marks.

"Why is everyone spamming question marks? Haha, no need to be so supportive."

Little Star had just pulled a silly prank.

She never expected her "fam" to play along so enthusiastically—it almost made her feel guilty. She’d expected them to say things like, "This is kid stuff, refund!"

Soon, the comments returned to normal, but to Little Star, they still felt off.

"WTF, streamer, you’re for real?"

"What the hell? I swear I saw a void tear open."

"Special effects, definitely special effects. To add CGI to a livestream this seamlessly—streaming tech has come so far."

"Streamer, move aside, you're blocking the view."

Little Star was baffled. The most absurd part? They were telling her to move—this was her stream!

Still, she turned around to look—and froze. She had never seen anyone so stunningly beautiful in her life.

"Do you know Su Luo?" Nangong Xiyun asked.

"No," Little Star replied, then blurted out, "Sis, you’re so gorgeous."

Nangong Xiyun remained expressionless but was already scanning her surroundings.

Su Luo had mentioned this place before—the legendary "comic convention," where people wore all sorts of bizarre outfits.

The comments erupted again.

"Wow, Little Star, hurry up and give your spot to her!"

"This girl should be the real streamer."

Little Star pouted. "You guys are ruthless! But fine, for your sake, I’ll swallow my pride and ask if she’d like to join the stream. Fam, I’m really going all out for you here."

She knew how to play up the entertainment value and wasn’t actually upset.

Turning back to Nangong Xiyun, she asked, "Sis, are you here for the con too? Alone? Wanna team up?"

Nangong Xiyun shook her head. "No need. Someone’s here to pick me up."

Su Luo had already arrived.

"Xiyun."

"Su Luo."

Nangong Xiyun naturally looped her arm around Su Luo’s, resting her head against his shoulder as they walked away.

Though Nangong Xiyun was usually bold, this was a crowded place, so she didn’t dare be too affectionate.

Their intimate demeanor left onlookers envious.

Little Star could only return to her stream, where her audience was now a mix of jealousy and admiration.

"So she’s already taken. So lucky."

"Welp, streamer failed us. Let her slip away."

Little Star tried to console them. "It’s fine, you still have me."

But the conversation had already shifted to Nangong Xiyun.

"Streamer, what was that vanishing trick? That was insane. Was it a pre-recorded clip? But we didn’t even notice the switch. Impressive editing."

"Huh?" Little Star was utterly confused.

She checked the replay—and was stunned.

How was this possible?!

She insisted she had no idea what happened.

But since it was her stream, the audience assumed Nangong Xiyun was an actor she’d hired.

Little Star felt wronged. No matter how much she explained, no one believed her.

It nearly drove her mad—she was truly innocent!

She wanted to find Su Luo and Nangong Xiyun to clear things up, but they were already gone.

Strangely, though, the audience seemed to enjoy watching her panic.

So no matter how hard she tried to explain, the mood had shifted—they just wanted to see her flustered.

Ironically, this gave her a slight boost in popularity.

Realizing this, Little Star stopped stressing.

Hmph, I’ve been streaming for two and a half years. You think I’ll crack that easily?