Chapter 1: Unemployment, Streamer, Magical Girl

The office air conditioner was acting up again, humming noisily as it blew out gusts of wind that alternated between hot and cold, like it was struggling to breathe.

“Xia Hui, I remember all your contributions to the company over the years.”

The boss sat behind the desk, rubbing his teacup and letting out a soft sigh.

“Well, but you know… for a company to survive, someone has to step off the boat first, right?”

The boss looked at Xia Hui, who could only remain silent in response.

Xia Hui was twenty-four years old this year. He had worked at the company for three years and currently held the position of Marketing Director.

Unfortunately, the overall environment had been poor in recent years, the market was sluggish, and the company’s sales performance had hit new lows year after year.

As the Marketing Director who had failed to deliver results, Xia Hui had naturally come under the boss’s scrutiny.

As for fighting to keep his position? He no longer saw the point. The boss’s lines had been rehearsed so smoothly that the ending was already written.

The dignity of adults sometimes meant quietly accepting the compensation agreement, nodding, gathering your things, and leaving.

Half an hour later, Xia Hui stood on the subway platform, briefcase in hand.

The announcement for an incoming train echoed in his ears. At this time, there were very few people waiting for the subway.

“Haah…”

Xia Hui couldn’t help but think.

Losing his director-level job meant that with his savings, he could still cover household expenses for a while. But what about after that? Three years of marketing experience sounded decent, but most of the resumes he sent out would probably sink without a trace. Or should he just start delivering food instead?

Buzz buzz.

The phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated twice, pulling Xia Hui back to reality. He took out his phone, swiped to unlock the screen, and a conspicuous red notification dot landed on a video app.

“Oh… I streamed a bit yesterday.”

He opened the app and entered the creator backend. The data appeared clearly before his eyes.

ID: Magic Uncle from Another World
Followers: 23
Posts: 124
Fans: 2,137,000
Private Messages: 99+
This month’s total earnings (including gifts): 27,485.54 yuan

Xia Hui focused on the account’s earnings data for a moment, and the gloom of unemployment suddenly eased considerably.

“Back in the day, getting into video and then live streaming really saved my life.”

He couldn’t help but sigh with emotion.

‘Magic Uncle from Another World’ — this was Xia Hui’s personal account.

As for how the account came about, a year ago Xia Hui had already considered starting a side hustle as a backup plan. Making videos as a content creator only required a computer or phone, plus some voice acting and editing skills.

With motivation and basic ability, the question was what the video content would be.

“Take you into the happy life of a single man after work”? Or “What’s it like raising your sister, who’s twelve years younger than you, like a daughter”?

Xia Hui had thought of all these, but the short video space was already overcrowded. Ordinary content struggled to create any new waves. Videos needed explosive points or gimmicks.

What he chose instead was…

Boom!

A sudden sonic boom rang out from overhead. Xia Hui looked up. It wasn’t a passenger plane roaring past, but two streaks of colored light—one gold, one blue—trailing behind them, led by two girls wearing strange, exotic dresses.

“People over there! Evacuate the platform immediately! There’s a disaster beast!”

The girl’s voice clearly reached Xia Hui’s ears. Shouting from such a distant height defied common sense; even with a megaphone, it shouldn’t have been this clear.

Unless, of course, they were magical girls.

Xia Hui stood in place, watching the girls fly into the distance. His expression remained calm, and he remarked with a hint of familiarity:

“Magical girls… still rookies, huh. Looks like I have material for tonight’s review.”

The “review” Xia Hui mentioned was precisely reviewing magical girls.

The appearance of magical girls dated back thirty years. What had seemed like a peaceful city suddenly began spawning monsters, which were called — disaster beasts.

These disaster beasts easily tore through the steel and concrete that humans were so proud of. They feared neither bullets nor artillery, and they successively destroyed human armies, cities, and even entire countries.

Just as humans were about to abandon the coastlines and retreat deep inland, contract fairies appeared, and magical girls emerged out of nowhere.

They fought to defend cities and reclaim the territory humans had lost. They also patrolled the skies of major cities for public security and justice, eliminating disaster beasts that invaded urban areas, just like today.

Naturally, magical girls became heroes in the eyes of the public, receiving widespread admiration and reverence.

However, being a hero came at a price.

Magical girls often faced unknown risks. They would encounter disaster beasts they couldn’t defeat, and sometimes they would run into danger because they didn’t fully understand their own ability development.

Xia Hui discovered that no one had ever made review videos about magical girls.

Conveniently, he had a very deep understanding of magical girls, and he was even familiar with most types of disaster beasts.

With the intention of helping magical girls know themselves and their enemies, Xia Hui opened up an entirely new video niche: an “outsider uncle” reviewing magical girls and giving suggestions. This caused the account ‘Magic Uncle from Another World’ to explode in popularity.

In his review videos, he never showed favoritism toward any magical girl. He purely analyzed fighting styles and techniques, with straightforward comments and a rigorous attitude, like a battle-hardened veteran who had retired to the rear lines.

As a result, the comment sections and live chat were often filled with teasing remarks: “Uncle, be honest — were you a magical girl in your past life? How else would you know so much!”

And the combination of “uncle” and “magical girl” was inherently hilarious, which was another reason Xia Hui’s account became famous.

In the videos, the voice was clearly that of a calm, steady adult male, yet the content was a serious discussion of magical girls. This strange contrast itself carried a peculiar appeal.

During live streams, the effect was even stronger. Fans of various magical girls would flock over, eager to hear what kind of review this Magic Uncle would give to their “pushed” girl.

And once the audience grew large and popular, gifts and paid comments naturally poured in, along with sponsorship deals.

Of course, Xia Hui also had anti-fans, but that didn’t matter. Whoever wears the crown must bear its weight! He always comforted himself this way and continued to persist, determined to speak the truth, even if sharp comments might invite backlash and abuse from black fans.

Looking back at his current unemployment predicament, Xia Hui stared at the backend data on his phone, and an idea suddenly sprouted in his mind.

What if… he went full-time with this?

Stream at fixed times in the evenings, focus on making videos during the day, take on sponsorships, turn the side hustle into a full career, invest more time in in-depth research, and produce higher-quality content. The earnings would surely be substantial.

More importantly, he would have time freedom. He could pick up and drop off his little sister from school, attend her parent-teacher meetings, and be there for her whenever she needed him.

After all, before their parents left, they had repeatedly urged him to take good care of his sister.

Ding.

The train arrived on schedule, unaffected by the disaster beast. Xia Hui snapped out of his thoughts, stepped into the carriage, and as he took that step, it felt like he had made up his mind about something.

“I should give it a try.”

As the train doors closed, Xia Hui’s figure became somewhat blurred through the glass. The reflection on the window, which should have shown the back of an adult male, somehow looked small and delicate at that moment.

Even… like that of a little girl.