"Alright, stop crying. If you go on like this, you'll really turn into a tear-streaked little kitty," Jack whispered into Emily's ear, gently teasing her.
Emily burst into laughter through her tears.
"You're the kitty here! Look at what you've done, making me cry like that. How are you going to make it up to me?" she pouted, still nestled in his arms.
"I'll take you on a crazy shopping spree tomorrow—how's that sound?" Jack straightened her up slightly and smiled.
"Hmph, you better mean it! I'm going to shop 'til you're broke!" Emily lifted her chin proudly.
"Sure, sure, whatever you say," Jack replied with a chuckle, thinking to himself: The more you spend, the more I earn. This is perfect.
Noticing that people around the restaurant were starting to watch them, Emily quickly pulled Jack up and led him out the door.
The girl in the white dress by the piano only snapped out of her trance when Jack had already left. Regret washed over her—she'd missed her chance to ask for his autograph!
On the drive home, Jack took the wheel himself—he wasn't ready to risk another heart attack from Emily's wild driving.
Back at the villa, Jack held Emily's hand as they entered the living room. He was just about to pour himself a glass of water when Emily suddenly hugged his head and kissed him on the lips. But right after, she pulled back with a frown.
"Eww, what's that smell? Your mouth is disgusting!" she gagged dramatically.
"Pig intestines," Jack said with a grin.
Emily froze for half a second before rushing to the bathroom, gagging all the way. Jack couldn't hold back his laughter and burst out into a hearty laugh.
"HAHAHAHA!"
That night, Emily sulked and decided to sleep alone. She fled upstairs and locked herself in one of the rooms on the third floor. Jack shook his head in resignation—he hadn't planned on bothering her tonight anyway.
Lying on his bed, Jack pulled out his phone to browse the news. Suddenly, an ad popped up: Dolphin Whale Live—one of the top livestreaming platforms in the country.
Curious, Jack tapped the ad and downloaded the app. He registered a new account: OrdinaryDreamer.
He was planning to send out some lavish gifts to earn "Spending Points," but quickly found out that gifting required a top-up. Scrolling through the gift options, the most expensive was the "Heart of Genesis"—10,000 dollars each. Quick math told him he'd need 10,000 of those to spend a hundred million.
Easy enough.
Jack opened the recharge page and typed in 1 billion.
Ding!
A message popped up:
"Recharge amount exceeds platform limit. The maximum single recharge is $100,000."
"You've got to be kidding me… At this rate, I'll still be topping up next year," Jack muttered.
He turned to the system in his mind.
"Hey system, can you transfer the money into Dolphin Whale Live for me?"
"Yes, Host. How much would you like to recharge?" the system responded mechanically.
"Wait—this money is legit, right?" Jack asked cautiously.
"Fully legal and traceable," the system assured.
"Alright then. Start with a billion," Jack said decisively. That amount should last a little while.
Just as he was ready to unleash his wealth, Jack realized another problem—there was a per-click limit. He could only send 99 "Hearts of Genesis" at a time.
"What kind of platform limits how much I can spend? Ridiculous," Jack muttered. But rules were rules.
He picked a random streamer who looked decent: FairyRong.
With a few taps, he sent 99 Hearts of Genesis in one go.
The screen went black.
Then, soft starlight flickered across the screen. A deep, resonating drumbeat followed. A massive, glowing heart materialized, pulsing on the screen like it belonged in a sci-fi epic.
Moments later, a golden dragon swooped in across the top of the screen, trailing a shining scroll that read:
"OrdinaryDreamer has sent 99 Hearts of Genesis to 'FairyRong'!"
The comment section exploded.
"THAT'S the legendary Heart of Genesis?! This is insane!"
"Bowing down to this boss!"
"Boss, need a sidekick? I'm available!"
"Wait, that's ninety-nine?! Not just one?!"
"Who the hell is this god-tier spender?"
"That's $990,000—just like that?!"
FairyRong, a college student who was just singing to make a little extra cash, was completely dumbfounded. She sat frozen as the storm of messages poured in.
When she finally processed that she had just received nearly a million in gifts, her heart nearly leapt out of her chest.
But just as she gathered herself and was about to speak—
BOOM. The screen went dark again.
Another round of 99.
FairyRong froze like she'd been hit by a spell. Luckily, the on-screen effects were covering her face—no one could see how pale and stunned she looked.
The comments rolled in:
"Now THIS is what a real whale looks like."
"Kneel before the King!"
"Two minutes, nearly two million… I'm just a mere mortal—I can't understand the world of gods."
"My poverty has officially crushed my imagination."
Jack didn't even bother reading the comments. He just kept tapping—99, 99, and 99 again. Eventually, his hand got sore.
"I can't believe I'm getting exhausted just from spending money… What a bittersweet pain," Jack murmured.
"Congratulations, Host! You've spent 3.3 billion dollars. Cashback received: 3.3 billion. Gained: 3 Spending Points."
Jack frowned. "Only three points for all that? What a stingy system."
He shut his phone and went to brush his teeth, ready to call it a night.
But while Jack slept peacefully, the internet was in chaos.
"Jack the Almighty! Three billion dollars, holy crap."
"I'm dying of envy. Even a 50/50 split with the platform gives that streamer over $1.5 billion!"
"All hail Jack! Jack the Supreme!"
Soon, he was trending everywhere:
#JackTheAlmighty
#OrdinaryDreamerJack
#Jack'sTrueIdentity
Jack's name dominated the trending charts. Celebrities who had just paid for their own hashtags could only watch in despair as their money went down the drain.
WhaleStream HQ
Even though it was already past midnight, the office building was brightly lit.
"Everyone's heard about Lord Jack by now," said Michael Dawson, the general manager, from his seat at the head of the table. "What should we do next?"
"Mr. Dawson," one exec said excitedly, "we have to lock him down. This guy's absolutely legendary! I'm telling you, with Lord Jack's influence, we could hit 500 million users in no time!"