Sakura Fubuki skillfully operated the game interface and began the live content of version 1.5.
As the loading animation finished, the game screen presented a familiar scene.
On the screen, Little White Lotus was approaching Hiyakura with a serious expression.
She opened her mouth and said, "Little Hiyakura, I have something important to tell you."
Hiyakura nodded, signaling her to continue.
Little White Lotus took a deep breath and explained:
"Near Coral Port, at the boundary of the Sea Nation and the Land of Dawn, we discovered an underground river. There are very large fluctuations of妖力."
"妖力 fluctuations?" Hiyakura furrowed her brows and asked.
Little White Lotus nodded in confirmation: "That's right. I have already contacted the administrators of Coral Port. They will send someone to support us in this operation."
"…"
As the plot continued to evolve.
Sakura Fubuki controlled the character and completed a series of missions in Manju Academy.
Soon, the extraordinary team composed of Hiyakura, Jasmine, and Laurel, plus an Abyss Dragon that Little White Lotus had forcibly included, began their journey to Coral Port.
"Wow, this main storyline mission is too easy to play, right?"
Sakura Fubuki complained while manipulating the controls, "I'm getting bored."
As Sakura Fubuki spoke, the bullet comments immediately followed:
"Snow Dog, do you think you could play this easily without spending money?"
"LOL, if I had the streamer's account, I'd be killing harder than the streamer!"
"Don't get cocky; there might be a big boss waiting for you later."
As the game progressed, Sakura Fubuki also occasionally interacted with the bullet comments.
Before long, the main character team had contact with the extraordinary team from the Sea Nation.
Sakura Fubuki's expression instantly became confused.
"Wait, what's going on here?"
She frowned, "Why are all the people from the Sea Nation wearing masks? Is this some sort of act?"
The bullet comments in the live stream also began to express their opinions:
"Indeed, it feels a bit pretentious!"
"Maybe it's to create a sense of mystery."
"I think it's pretty cool, like some secret organization."
However, at that moment, a peculiar bullet comment caught Sakura Fubuki's attention:
"Wait... is it just me, or does someone in the Sea Nation's extraordinary team look a lot like Tao Yao?"
Following this, more similar bullet comments began to appear:
"That's right; I noticed that too!"
"Is that white-robed person Tao Yao?"
"Are your eyes that sharp? How did you tell that was Tao Yao?"
Glancing through the bullet comments, seeing that someone was inexplicably questioning whether the person on the other side was Tao Yao.
Sakura Fubuki couldn't take it anymore and, somewhat frustrated, remarked:
"Seriously, what are some of these bullet comments thinking?"
"Like, that person is wrapped so tightly, Tao Yao's taste in clothing isn't that bad, right?"
"Besides, how could Tao Yao casually appear here?"
However, as the game story developed, even Hiyakura's gaze began to linger on the white-robed person suspected of being Tao Yao.
Even though Zhu Jin had clearly introduced the other party as Peach, Hiyakura still seemed to doubt the identity.
At this point in the plot, the bullet comments seemed to be barely able to contain their excitement:
"What the hell? Is it possible that it really is Tao Yao?"
"I feel like it's highly likely!"
"This is definitely Tao, but the ridiculous Snow Dog insists it isn't."
Facing the audience's reactions, Sakura Fubuki showed some impatience.
She had never liked to go along with others' thoughts; the more the audience said it was, the more she felt it wasn't.
"Come on, think about it! How hot is Tao Yao right now? How could she return so easily?"
Sakura Fubuki rebutted, "Moreover, if it really is Tao Yao, there's no reason she wouldn't actively come forward to identify herself."
As she spoke, Sakura Fubuki maneuvered her character to approach the character named Peach.
She pulled up the game's built-in camera and began to closely observe the model of the other party, even comparing it 1:1 with Tao Yao's four-star character.
"Okay, this definitely isn't Tao Yao!"
After carefully comparing the character models, Sakura Fubuki confidently declared, "If you don't believe it, go compare it yourselves! This person named Peach has a better figure than Tao Yao; how could she be Tao Yao? Don't be ridiculous! If she is Tao Yao, I'll let the streamer do a handstand."
The bullet comments were immediately flooded with a series of question marks:
"???"
"Alright, alright, the Snow Dog is at it again, trying to scam!"
"Snow Dog, not to be rude, but can you stop making coarse remarks dressed as Tao Yao?"
"Don't believe what the Snow Dog said; last time she even ate her keyboard."
"Right? When did the Snow Dog eat the keyboard?"
Seeing these bullet comments, Sakura Fubuki immediately retorted:
"Did the things I mentioned as a streamer not happen? That keyboard cake I ate last time, you guys just pretended not to see, right? Do you even know how expensive that keyboard cake was?"
The bullet comments had become accustomed to bickering with the streamer and immediately started bombarding the screen:
"If that kind of thing counts, then the streamer is dead!"
"Snow Dog, can that cake even be called a keyboard? It doesn't even have good keycaps!"
"Streamer, do you have some misunderstanding about keyboards?"
"I vaguely remember, the Snow Dog said last time that Tao Yao was the antagonist, and then she got slapped in the face."
"Looks good! The Snow Dog said this isn't Tao Yao; then this Peach must definitely be Tao Yao!!"
Seeing this, Sakura Fubuki decided to go all in:
"Alright, if you don't believe it, then let's switch it up."
"I bet this scoundrel Peach isn't Tao Yao; after all, the figures don't match! If she's Tao Yao, I'll let Snow Bao give everyone a handstand!"
Once this was said, the bullet comments seemed to find it hilarious and quickly increased:
"?!?"
"Are you serious?"
"The Snow Dog understands live-streaming audience engagement."
"Streamer, are you sure? Don't regret it!"
"I've recorded it; this time you can't back out!"
"Snow Dog, you're playing with fire!"
"Alright! I'll invest heavily today and bet a pack of spicy strips that this is Tao Yao!"
Watching the bullet comments flood in excitedly, Sakura Fubuki maintained a smile but didn't show much on her face.
But in fact, deep inside, she felt very unconvinced.
Actually, she had always had a mental block.
Until now, she had not forgotten that erroneous judgment made at the beginning of the game.
It was precisely because of that mistake that she bore the title "Snow Dog," carrying that shame while live-streaming up to now.
Every day, there were people calling her a dog.
Various insults and mockeries targeted her.
The pace of the insults had never stopped.
How could Sakura Fubuki not feel angry about this?
She claimed at the time that Tao Yao was the antagonist, saying Tao Yao would inevitably wash away her reputation; was that wrong?
Everything she said, she believed, was based on the content released by the game at that time, and her own judgment.
Though it ultimately turned out to be false.
She indeed made a wrong judgment, misleading a large number of players.
So she admitted her mistake, even changing the title of the live-stream to "She is Tao Yao's Dog" for an entire version.
But that didn't mean she actually accepted it in her heart.
Now, she once again keenly sensed the opportunity to redeem her past humiliation.
And that opportunity was to prove that she, Sakura Fubuki, could make accurate judgments and predictions too!
She understood Tao Yao well now, having memorized her figure data.
She could guarantee!
This so-called Peach definitely could not be Tao Yao!
This time, she was going to make all who looked down on her kneel down hard!
Sakura Fubuki quietly swore to herself that this time she would prove her judgment was correct.
Carrying that firm belief, with utmost confidence, Sakura Fubuki controlled the main character Hiyakura and clicked on the dialogue with Peach.
The game story continued to progress. Hiyakura questioned Peach:
"You are Tao Yao; you must be Tao Yao, not some Peach."
Peach's response made Sakura Fubuki more confident in her judgment: "Tao Yao? I remember that name; she is a notoriously evil妖精's apostle. Although I don't know why you think I'm her, I'm sorry; I'm not her and have nothing to do with her."
After this dialogue appeared, Sakura Fubuki excitedly patted the table and then shouted:
"See? I said this isn't Tao Yao, right? You dead bullet comments are still arguing with me!"
The bullet comments immediately retorted in unison:
"Snow Dog, don't be hasty."
"Exactly, Peach hasn't even taken off her mask; what's the streamer in such a hurry for?"
"It's simple; just like when you said you're not a dog, do you think anyone believes it?"
Seeing these bullet comments, Sakura Fubuki stubbornly replied:
"Alright! You don't believe it, right? Let's continue to see."
Sakura Fubuki was now full of enthusiasm for this version.
Because now, she was pretty much sure that this Peach was definitely not some Tao Yao.
After all, even the voice was different!
You must know that, in her impression, Tao Yao's speaking voice was very gentle.
But this Peach, although her tone was calm, had a hint of coolness and distance to it.
Even if she was deliberately disguising herself, it would be hard to completely hide such a difference in voice.
"Ha ha ha, I'm set now. This definitely isn't Tao Yao."
Sakura Fubuki secretly rejoiced, her heart blooming with joy.
At the same time, she was also calculating whether to pop open that bottle of champagne she bought earlier but hadn't dared to open!
To celebrate well?
As the plot continued to advance, the main character team began heading to the Pearl Shell Hotel.
During this process, they encountered the members of the apostle cult, Shiro and Zhu Jin.
Zhu Jin detonated a bomb, throwing the entire hotel into chaos.
In this chaotic explosion, Hiyakura accidentally injured her arm.
That new character, Peach, who was wrapped tightly and wearing a mask, personally treated Hiyakura's wound.
Just then, two options popped up on the screen:
[Follow your heart; she is Tao Yao! (Take off her mask)]
[Perhaps... she isn't Tao Yao. (Thank her)]
Glancing at these two options, Sakura Fubuki unhesitatingly chose the first one.
With the confirmation of the choice, Peach's mask was removed in the game screen.
However, it was not Tao Yao's face that appeared.
At that moment, Sakura Fubuki suddenly stood up from her chair, excitedly shouting:
"Look! What did I say, huh? With a face this ugly, how could it be Tao Yao? You fools are still arguing with me!"
All those pent-up emotions, all the long-suppressed dissatisfaction, were completely released at that moment.
Sakura Fubuki finally had one day where her judgment was right!
Finally, she had waited for such a day!
Perhaps unable to contain her excitement,
Sakura Fubuki left her seat, directly grabbed the champagne,
and, in front of tens of thousands of viewers in the live stream, popped the champagne open.
No need to wait until the stream ended; she was celebrating right now!
Sakura Fubuki raised the champagne high, her face beaming with victorious joy.
The champagne foamed out, just like the joy bubbling up inside Sakura Fubuki at that moment.
She gulped down the champagne, feeling the slight drunkenness brought by the alcohol, enjoying this hard-won moment of victory.
"Did you see that? This is my strength!"
She announced loudly to the camera, "I said long ago, this Peach is definitely not Tao Yao. Now do you believe it?"
As Sakura Fubuki excitedly declared her victory, the live stream chat erupted into chaos.
The audience's reactions ranged from confusion to disbelief, then to anger, with dramatic emotional fluctuations.
"This... how is this possible? The Snow Dog actually guessed right?"
"Seeing her look so smug makes me mad!"
"It's impossible; how can Tao Yao look like this?"
"Snow Dog, don't celebrate too early; maybe there's a twist!"
Just as Sakura Fubuki was about to continue boasting,
a sudden system prompt appeared on the screen, freezing her smile:
[Your live stream has been temporarily banned for violating platform regulations. Reason: Drinking behavior occurred during the live stream, causing adverse effects. Please immediately stop related activities and make corrections. During the correction period, live streaming features will be restricted.]
This sudden turn of events left Sakura Fubuki dumbfounded, while the viewers in the live stream erupted in boisterous cheers:
"Good ban!"
"You deserve it! Taught you to be arrogant!"
"Ha ha ha, the Snow Dog finally got punished!"
"Good ban, don't drink and stream in the future!"
A few minutes later, Sakura Fubuki finally resumed her live stream.
Though she had already put the champagne away,
her face still wore an undeniable smug smile.
Her back was straight, and she radiated an unprecedented glow of confidence.
"Everyone, let's continue."
Sakura Fubuki took a deep breath, trying hard to calm her excited heart, "That was just a small interlude; it won't affect our game moving forward."
As the game plot progressed, Coral Port fell into chaos.
Members of the apostle cult were causing disturbances throughout the city,
and the妖力 index detected by the main character team was continually rising, indicating that the main mission target was about to awaken from its slumber.
The main character team immediately split into two groups.
Hiyakura and Jasmine, along with Peach and Forget-Me-Not, formed one group.
They held maps and headed towards the underground dark river, preparing to control the suspected Disaster Beast.
However, just as they were about to reach the entrance, Zhu Jin led a group of apostle cult members to block their way.
A fierce boss battle thus commenced.
Perhaps due to finally avenging her past humiliation, Sakura Fubuki's performance today was exceptionally bold.
Usually, when encountering elite monsters or mini bosses, she would often need to retry multiple times to clear them.
But today, she breezed through all the checkpoints without a hitch, completing all levels in one go.
"Did you see? This is the embodiment of strength!"
Sakura Fubuki proudly said to the camera, "I'm in fantastic shape today, this game is a piece of cake in my hands!"
As the plot continued, just as Zhu Jin, who was responsible for stalling, was about to jump into the underground dark river, Shiro suddenly leapt out from the river.
"You're not Shiro!" Zhu Jin exclaimed.
Then, along with a tense dialogue, the game screen was suddenly enveloped in special effects.
When the effects dissipated, Shadow Fairy appeared before the players.
Sakura Fubuki controlled Hiyakura to engage in a fierce battle with the Shadow Fairy.
However, just as she had been feeling confident moments ago, she quickly faced a tough battle.
The difficulty of this boss far exceeded her expectations. Even though her account had spent quite a bit of money, she still found herself stuck here for a long time.
"Damn it, why is this so hard to beat?"
Sakura Fubuki gritted her teeth, "But it's okay, I refuse to believe I can't beat it!"
After a long and arduous fight, Sakura Fubuki finally managed to barely pass the challenge.
However, the game plot didn't end there.
Even with Forget-Me-Not's snow fairy blessings, the main character team still couldn't completely defeat the powerful Shadow Fairy.
Just as they were on the brink of disaster, the game entered a cutscene.
A flurry of pink petals suddenly fluttered before the main character Hiyakura.
Then, a familiar pink figure appeared in the players' field of vision.
Sakura Fubuki had long been immersed in the plot, holding her breath and staring at the screen.
Until Hiyakura's voice sounded, she finally came back to her senses.
"Tao Yao? You claimed you weren't Tao Yao?"
As Hiyakura's voice echoed, when Tao Yao's face revealed itself.
Sakura Fubuki's beautiful face instantly turned exceptionally ugly.
She stared incredulously at the screen, murmuring:
"What the hell? How could this Peach possibly be Tao Yao?"
Sakura Fubuki's brain raced, trying to comprehend everything happening before her.
She had been so confident, so sure this "Peach" was absolutely not Tao Yao.
But now, the truth had slapped her hard in the face.
"It's impossible... This is absolutely impossible!"
Sakura Fubuki nearly screamed hysterically.
However, no matter how she denied it, the fact was right before her eyes. The bullet comments in the live stream exploded once again:
"Ha ha ha, the Snow Dog flipped over again!"
"This is what you called 'absolutely not Tao Yao'?"
"It seems someone's going to give a handstand now~"
"The Snow Dog's judgment is still as accurate as ever!"
Sakura Fubuki sat dumbfounded in her chair, her face pale, lips trembling slightly.
She felt as if she had returned to the moment when she was branded with the title "Snow Dog."
All her confidence, all her pride crumbled to dust in that instant.
Sakura Fubuki's eyes widened in disbelief, staring at the screen.
Her brain seemed to short-circuit, unable to comprehend everything happening in front of her.
Her lips trembled slightly, her voice filled with confusion and disbelief.
"Not... how is this possible? Why is this Peach qualified to be Tao Yao?"
She murmured, her voice gradually rising,
"The figure's wrong, the voice is wrong... what's the basis?"
Sakura Fubuki's brows furrowed tightly, her gaze flickering with dissatisfaction and suspicion.
Suddenly, as if she thought of something, she slammed her palm on the table and loudly declared:
"I know! This is fake! This is definitely a fake Tao Yao! The Shadow Fairy disguised as Tao Yao!"
Her tone was filled with conviction, as if she had found the last lifeline.
However, the viewers in the live stream weren't buying it.
The bullet comments surged like a tide, full of mockery and disdain.
"Can the streamer stop being so stubborn?"
"Although it's a bit different... but this is definitely Tao Yao, right?"
"That iconic pink petal; who else could it be if not Tao Yao?"
"The Snow Dog is babbling nonsense again; it's truly laughable."
"Weren't you confident? Why aren't you speaking now?"
Faced with this overwhelming skepticism, Sakura Fubuki still refused to give in.
She clenched her teeth, continuing to push the plot forward, as if that would prove she was right.
However, the outcome was not in her favor.
At that moment, a system prompt suddenly popped up:
[Prim Fairy·Tao Yao (Trial) has joined the team.]
Looking at this message, Sakura Fubuki fell into complete silence.
Her face turned ashen, lips quivering slightly, her eyes filled with disbelief and despair.
As it turned out, Peach was indeed Tao Yao, and it was the fairy form of Tao Yao.
This twist sent the viewers in the live stream into a frenzy.
The bullet comments exploded instantly, filled with joy and mockery.
"Alright, alright! This is the kind of fun that should be in the Snow Dog's live stream."
"Ha ha ha, taught you to be arrogant? Here's the handstand for you!"
"The Snow Dog's face was slapped so hard, it's too satisfying!"
"This is what you referred to as 'absolutely not Tao Yao'? I'm dying of laughter!"
"The Snow Dog's judgment is indeed as accurate as ever!"
Facing such intense mockery, Sakura Fubuki's face quickly turned red, clearly feeling embarrassed.
Not only that, some blood vessels even appeared in her eyes, a bit of a reddened sensation.
Her fingers gripped the mouse tightly, her knuckles whitening from the exertion.
Seeing Sakura Fubuki like this, the bullet comments cheered even more.
"Ha ha ha, the Snow Dog is so mad, her face is all red!"
"This expression is great; another new meme in the making!"
"Snow Dog, don't get too angry; be careful of high blood pressure!"
"This is the consequence of being overly clever; you deserve it!"
Sakura Fubuki took a deep breath, trying to calm her agitated emotions.
Though at this moment she had completely lost the mood to continue live streaming, this was still her job.
Adhering to her professional ethics, she forced herself to calm down and continued pushing the game forward.
However, fate seemed to continue to toy with her.
The fairy form of Tao Yao displayed astonishing strength.
With a few seemingly haphazard skills, she effortlessly demolished the Shadow Fairy, which had previously given the main character team a hard time.
"This... this intensity is way too over the top?"
Sakura Fubuki couldn't help but exclaim, her tone filled with surprise and a hint of dissatisfaction.
As the boss battle concluded, the plot continued to progress.
Due to Hiyakura falling unconscious during the fight, Sakura Fubuki started controlling Tao Yao's perspective and explored the dungeon of the underground dark river.
In the process, she successfully rescued Shiro.
Although Sakura Fubuki still felt a bit unwilling, she had to admit that the experience of controlling Tao Yao was indeed very smooth.
Every move, every skill, was filled with elegance and power.
This contrast made her heart feel a mix of emotions.
As the plot slowly progressed, the unconscious Hiyakura finally woke up and met Tao Yao again.
Faced with the impending departure of Tao Yao once more,
this time, Hiyakura erupted with an intense emotion.
She refused to let Tao Yao leave her side so easily.
To this end,
she was even willing to resort to force, determined not to let go of Tao Yao...
...
When the plot advanced to this point,
the game screen slowly faded to black.
Then, a new animation short began playing in the live stream.