Chapter One: The Biggest Spender in the Universe

"Your studio light is coming through the curtains like a funeral home hosting a rave." "I'm working." "Three people count as a livestream?" "Jesus started with twelve followers." "Jesus paid his rent." Before Gu Ye could explain early-stage cash flow, the screen went black. A purple-gold effect tore across the stream, as if someone had wrung out the Milky Way above his shabby room. [Viewer ZERO donated: ONE COLLAPSED STAR.] [Platform value: 1,000,000 coins.] Gu Ye stared at the zeroes. First he assumed a software error. Then he wondered whether the collection agency had adopted psychological warfare. Zero's profile showed a black avatar, a registration date 4.6 billion years ago, and a location called Local Bubble.