As promised, Rain's livestream began precisely 30 minutes later.
As the camera focused on him, the audience immediately took notice of his striking appearance.
With a chiseled jawline, piercing black eyes, and a head full of dark, wavy hair, Rain exuded an air of effortless cool.
Dressed in a simple white t-shirt and a pair of snug-fitting jeans, Rain looked every bit the part of the trendy, young gamer.
He was perched on a sleek gaming chair, his long legs crossed casually in front of him.
The glow of his computer screen cast a soft blue light across his face, emphasizing the sharp lines of his cheekbones and the fullness of his lips.
As he settled into his gaming setup, the camera zoomed out to give viewers a glimpse of his well-toned physique.
After a few moments of silence, the chatroom erupted in a frenzy of activity, with viewers clamoring for Rain's attention.
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#Wetgirl: So handsome… I am already wet…
#fiercecat: Upstairs, get off your hands. He is mine.
#Yami-chan_is_best: You normie explode!
#I.am.single: This man is surely handsome.
#Sunny_day: Wow, he's definitely a looker.
#Curious_cat: I wonder he is virgin or not.
#Music_lover: He's got that certain je ne sais quoi, don't you think?
#Fashionista: His outfit is not on the point. He should wear better and fashionable clothes.
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The chatter in the chatroom was all about Rain's looks. The girls were practically swooning over him, while the guys looked on with envy and jealousy.
The girls from the academy were particularly disappointed that Rain hadn't shown up in person.
They had heard so much about him and were eager to see him perform.
But for now, they would have to content themselves with watching him on the livestream.
"Hello, everyone. My name is Rain, and I'll be livestreaming every other night under the name 'NightSoul'," he said.
He introduced himself with a smile and a wave, his voice sounding smooth and pleasant to the ears. It was effect of the singing skill Rain got from the system.
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#life_is_best: Wow, Rain's voice is incredible. He's got some serious talent!
#detective's_child: Did you guys notice that he just said Rain, not Rain Holmes? I wonder why he's not using his full name?
Maybe he got thrown out of his family.
#Sweetangel: I heard that Rain was never thrown out of the family, so I don't know where Detective's Child got that idea.
#Idon't.care: Upstairs, what do you know? Maybe you're just a fangirl who can't see the truth. Hmph.
#Fierce_lion: Hey, bastard, what did you say? ████ I will just █████!!
#mystery_writer: I wonder what Rain's life is like behind the scenes. It would make a great story.
#social_butterfly: I heard that Rain is really cold in person. It's hard to believe, considering how confident he seems on camera.
#musiclover101: Hey Rain, where are you streaming from? The background looks awesome!
#academyfan: Why didn't you come to the Academy, Rain? We were all hoping to see you there.
#detective's_child: Rain, why didn't you use your full name? Are you not a part of the Holmes family anymore?
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"Okay, calm down guys," Rain said in a reassuring tone. He then explained, "Just to clarify, my family did not disown me, but it's true that I am no longer a member of the Holmes Family."
Chat started flooding with questions asking for the reason behind Rain's decision.
"I made the decision to break off with them because I wanted my freedom."
With a smile on his face, Rain spread his hands out, expressing his newfound sense of freedom.
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#life_is_best: Ah, now it all makes sense.
#catgirl: It's understandable, wanting to break free from something.
#i.like.seas: Freedom is important to everyone, I suppose.
#mystic_knight: Interesting. I'm curious, though - what made you disappear in the first place?
#sunnydays: I'm happy for you, Rain. You deserve to live life on your own terms.
#gamergirl: Wow, I didn't expect to hear such a big announcement on a gaming stream.
#bookworm: I wonder what it's like to be part of a wealthy family like the Holmes'. Must be complicated.
#foodie: All this talk about freedom is making me hungry. Anyone else want to order pizza?
#musiclover: Rain, can you sing us a song to celebrate your newfound freedom?
#horrorfan: I hope you didn't break off with the Holmes' because of some dark family secret.
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The chatroom was abuzz with questions about Rain's disappearance from the public eye.
"Okay, I will explain the reasons for my disappearance from the public," Rain said.
As he spoke, the audience listened intently. "You know as a child of a high-class family, everyone has high expectations from you. Your actions will be monitored. You have to prepare as an heir candidate."
Rain let out a sigh. "It's quite tiring. You can't make friends with many people because they might not approach you, and you can't approach them directly. I don't even have a single friend."
The audience was silent, perhaps empathizing with Rain's situation. Some viewers typed out their thoughts in the chat.
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#Sweetangel: Poor boy… sob…sob…
#sunflower: That sounds really lonely.
#music_lover: Yeah, I can imagine how hard it must be.
#bookworm: But why disappear completely?
#adventurer: Yeah, why not just take a break?
#detective's_child: Hey, you're lying, man. As I researched your information beforehand, you have three friends - Arya Hillson, your classmate; Kaya Holmes, your sister; and Emma Rose, your fianceé. See?
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"Okay, you are quite informative." Rain said, his tone calm and collected. "But let me tell you the truth," he continued, his voice gaining a hint of frustration.
"Arya Hillson and I are just classmates. We had never met anywhere else than school," he explained, his words punctuated by a sigh.
"About Kaya," he hesitated, his expression troubled. "Although we are siblings, our relationship is complicated," he admitted, his tone conveying a sense of sadness.
"And the main thing about Emma Rose," Rain paused, his voice heavy with emotion. "Is that we broke off our engagement contract a week ago," he revealed, his words tinged with regret.
As he finished speaking, Rain glanced at the live chat, wondering how his "pretending" words would be received.
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#life_is_best: Maybe they were just classmates who happened to be in the same place at the same time.
#i.like.seas: Complicated? What does that mean?
#fasttrack: Wtf! Breaking news…
#Wetgirl: So now my hubby is single, huh. Fufu…
#mystic_knight: "Oh no, I'm sorry to hear that. Are you okay?"
#life_is_best: "That must have been tough. But now you're free, right?"
#Ye_fan: You are a true man who never bows to anyone. I approve of you.
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After this, the live stream continued for 20-30 minutes.
During the live stream, Rain answered numerous questions from the chat room participants.
Some asked about his daily routine, while others were curious about his personal preferences, such as his favorite color.
But there were also questions that Rain didn't feel comfortable answering, like whether he was single.
"Okay. Now it's time to turn off the live stream. From now on, I will stream every second day at night." Rain said.
Before he shut off the camera, Rain scanned through the chat one last time. He noticed that some viewers had already left, but others were still typing away.
"Thank you all for tuning in today. I appreciate all the questions and support." he said, his voice laced with gratitude.
"Goodnight, Sweet dreams." Saying this, he closed the live stream.
However, a new storm was rising, and he was at the eye of the storm.
***
After closing the live stream, Rain headed to the kitchen to cook his dinner.
As he prepared another new Korean dish called "Bibimbap" which was a mixed rice bowl with vegetables, meat, and egg, he couldn't help but think about the impact of his live stream on social media.
"Now I've thrown every piece of news on social media. They're going to have a lot of fun in the academy. It's so satisfying," he thought to himself, a smile forming on his lips.
"I'll definitely grow my fan base with all this hype. I can also talk about the academy's events as a former Holmes Family heir and indirectly influence the plot for now." He thought as he put small piece meat in his mouth.
"However, from the second or third year, I might have to get involved in the plot directly." Rain assumed. He knew that after he influence the plot indirectly many times, some variables will surely arise.
"But not now. The situation isn't that bad yet. I'll become stronger while enjoying my vacation." He smiled and continued his dinner.
After enjoying his dinner, Rain went to bed, feeling content and happy.
He fell asleep soundly on his comfy bed, ready to face whatever challenges would come his way in the future.
***
On the other side, the news about Rain started trending on social media with the hashtag #PoorRain.
Many people sympathized with him and criticized those who had made his life difficult.
One user, who claimed to be Rain's friend, wrote a 5700-word post about how lonely Rain was and how he didn't have any friends.
The post garnered a lot of attention, and many people started messaging Carla, Charles, Emma, and Kaya to ask about Rain's situation.
It was interesting to note that nobody seemed to care about Arya.
Carla was crying uncontrollably and couldn't respond to the criticism.
Charles, on the other hand, felt the need to address the situation on social media.
He posted a message saying, "Yes, it's all true. It's our fault, and we take responsibility for it.
However, it's not like our family has the only strict standards out there, and they are in place for the safety of our children.
As for Rain's engagement, it was entirely his and Emma's decision, and we did not interfere with it."
His response managed to calm down some of the criticism, but not all of it.
Both the Holmes and Rose families used their influence to try and take the news down, which resulted in a slight decrease in the hype on social media.
However, by then, the news had already spread to a considerable number of people.
Kaya, who was known for spreading rumors about Rain in the past, was now under suspicion from everyone because of Rain's statement, "We are siblings, but our relationship is kinda complicated."
She received a lot of criticism, and her followers began to decrease rapidly.
In response, she said, "Every sibling has a complicated relationship, so let's not make small things bigger."
She then posted a childhood photo of her and Rain playing in the park, but she also lamented how their relationship had become complicated.
Despite the constant messages flooding her inbox, Emma remained soundly asleep.
The cancellation of her engagement with Rain was a mutual decision, but many people knew there was more to the story.
Rumors were spreading like wildfire, and old classmates were sharing stories of Rain's struggles with training alone and Emma's cold treatment towards him.
As the night wore on, the speculation and gossip continued, fueling the fire of #PoorRain's trending status.
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