My Food Got Stolen by a Witch After I Returned to the Modern World

Chapter 51

While Kakayan nursed her cold at home, the view-count on their newest video crawled to thirty thousand and refused to budge.

Jiang Li had hoped the momentum from their last viral hit would keep snowballing. Instead the numbers nose-dived.

The book debuted exclusively on 𝕥𝕨𝕜𝕒𝕟.𝕔𝕠𝕞.

But being a creator is just a matter of stepping over a few hundred potholes.

"Jiang Li, we didn't make any money this time, did we?"

Kakayan propped her cheek on her palm, face nearly pressed against the monitor, staring at the flatline of data.

Jiang Li had told her that the prettier the footage, the more people watched, and the more cash poured in. Yet after days of refreshing, the views inched upward like a tortoise. The spike had lasted two days before stalling; now only three viewers remained online—and one of them was Kakayan herself.

"This one's a flop," she sighed.

Jiang Li peeled an orange segment and handed it over. "Don't worry. Every new channel struggles at the start. We've only posted two videos. Once we have more content, the traffic will come—and so will the money."

He sounded confident. Before being yanked into another world, he'd already earned the Rising-Creator badge on the platform. His editing had market proof. And Kakayan's on-camera looks? Straight-up SSR-tier.

Even with this misfire, the measly thirty-thousand views had netted them over five-hundred new followers. If they ever hit a million, Jiang Li didn't dare imagine how fast the numbers would skyrocket.

"Mm..." Kakayan mumbled around the orange slice, still anxious. After a pause she asked, "Do you think I should... dress up more?"

She'd been proud of herself after the last video's success; Jiang Li had even taken her out to celebrate. But this sudden plunge shook her confidence. Maybe humans on Earth had bizarre taste.

"No need," Jiang Li said. "Your face looks great on camera. You just need to talk more—watch the other creators, learn how they speak onscreen."

Kakayan blinked, slipping the rest of the orange into her mouth. It might have been the first time he'd praised her outright. Usually he called her stupid, clumsy, a lightweight. Hearing "pretty" made the orange taste sweeter.

"Jiang Li, what did you just say? I didn't catch it."

"I said study the other creators and talk more onscreen."

"And?"

"And... also that your face—"

Jiang Li hesitated half a second, sensing mischief. He glanced sideways. Kakayan had leaned in, chin resting on her fingers, eyes sparkling with playful intent.

He frowned. "I take it back. A pretty face won't pay the bills; you still need more skills. I'll have to develop a few more for you."

Black lines appeared over Kakayan's forehead. Why did compliments come with instant refunds? So stingy.

"Fine, if you're going to 'develop' me, I should get to 'develop' you too." She punched his arm. ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ noⅴelfire.net

"Kindly add the word 'skills' after 'develop,'" Jiang Li muttered. The woman learned two phrases of Chinese and already used them wrong—way too easy to misinterpret.

"So how would you like me to develop you?" he asked, lips twitching.

Kakayan straightened, hands on hips, chest lifted with confidence. "Your swordsmanship is amazing—teach sword classes! And all those tricks you learned on the continent of Aze—sell lessons."

"And while I'm out teaching, what will you be doing?"

"I'll wait at home," she said, chin high, "and maybe cook for you."

Cook? That was a blatant lie.

Jiang Li chuckled dryly. "The skills I picked up on Aze won't work here. Probably no one wants to learn. Still, I'll keep your idea in reserve. If the videos flop, I'll try taking disciples."

"Mm-hmm." Kakayan nodded, satisfied.

"Tuition I earn will be split—half to my family, half for me."

"What about me?" She tilted her head.

"What about you? It's my money."

Useless woman—sleep under the bridge.

"You—!" Kakayan gaped, cheeks puffed in outrage.

"Don't get worked up; we're not there yet." Jiang Li split the last orange segment and stuffed half into her mouth to stop the tirade.

"So to keep us from failing—and you from getting kicked out—you'd better binge some creator videos and see how they perform on camera."

"Hmph." Kakayan turned away, cheeks bulging as she chewed. A moment later she faced him again, spotted the remaining half-segment in his fingers, and without hesitation snatched it, popping it into her mouth before grabbing the mouse to start her research.

Jiang Li stared at the coffee table. He'd bought plenty of oranges. Did she really need to steal that last bite? Who even knew why.