Chapter 123: The Math Sister

Regarding the widespread fondness for watching game live streams, Bai Yao and Huang Guolun discussed the phenomenon: “Isn’t this similar to how fans watch sports? Fans watch games to appreciate the highest level of athletic competition. Watching game streams is quite the same. Nowadays, many games have become a form of competitive sport. People watch professional gamers like they watch professional athletes compete, and that’s genuinely engaging.” Huang Guolun, who usually doesn’t play games and never saw gaming as a sport, suddenly understood after Bai Yao’s explanation: “So that’s why so many people enjoy watching others play games.”

“I can understand watching others play games,” Bai Yao continued, “but nowadays there are so many live streams online that aren’t about gaming. Some streamers sing, dance, or just chat casually. Surprisingly, these streams attract many viewers, and people even send gifts to the streamers. That puzzles me. What exactly is the appeal of these streams? If you want to listen to good music, why not listen to professional singers? If you want flashy performances, there are plenty of short videos online. …Teacher, don’t look at me like that—I don’t enjoy these streams, but I know they’re everywhere. …But why do so many people watch streamers show off in all sorts of ways? Is it just because of the interactivity? Does chatting a bit with the streamer give viewers a sense of satisfaction and presence?” Huang Guolun replied, “I honestly can’t say why. You should talk in depth with Zhao Jing. She studies communications and probably understands mass psychology better.”

Bai Yao said, “Regardless of mass psychology, after seeing current online streams, I feel most of them are quite meaningless. If you want to relax, watching a movie or a soap opera is a better way to pass the time than watching live streams. If you want music, why not listen to polished, finished songs? Why do so many people insist on listening to those streamers singing? It’s not that I’m nitpicking, but after studying music with you for some time, I think most of those online singers are terrible. Their singing isn’t at a performance level at all; they just sing casually, no rehearsals, singing whatever comes to mind. What kind of performance is that? I still believe your attitude towards music is truly admirable. As you said, when we perform, we must practice diligently and present the best voice and music to everyone, not just casually sing to get by. But most streamers sing casually without even practicing. It’s like street performers playing tricks, singing randomly, putting out a hat for money, and yet people actually give them gifts—it’s baffling. Street performers usually have real skill, but many people in online streaming, I wouldn’t say all, but most lack real talent; they’re just selling their looks.”

Huang Guolun laughed, “You hit the nail on the head; seems you hold quite a grudge against online streaming.” Bai Yao explained, “It’s not a grudge. I genuinely think most online streams are boring, and there are too few streams with meaningful content and selling points. Such streams only entertain bored people, and once people are no longer so bored, this kind of streaming will lose its market. It has no sustainable value and wastes the advantage of interactivity.”

Huang Guolun remarked, “You’ve studied online streaming quite thoroughly.” Bai Yao waved her hand, “No, no, I’m just pondering what kind of streaming would create valuable content that can sustainably attract viewers and help them gain something, rather than just passing time.”

Curious, Huang Guolun asked, “Have you thought about what kind of streaming you want to do?” Bai Yao smiled modestly and said, “I have a somewhat immature idea—I’m not sure if it’s feasible. Do you know about the ‘Khan Academy’ guy in the US? Salman Khan. He shares free teaching videos and revolutionized education in America.”

As a teacher, Huang Guolun naturally knew about the achievements of this “math guy” who changed American education. Salman Khan was born in the United States, with a Bengali father and an Indian mother. His upbringing was challenging; his father died when Salman was young. Through relentless effort and innate talent, he was admitted to MIT to study mathematics, engineering, and computer science. After graduation, he worked on Wall Street as a financial analyst with a bright future.

However, a chance event altered Salman’s life path. In 2004, his young niece Nadia, in seventh grade, struggled with math and asked Salman for tutoring. Since they lived in different cities, Salman taught her math over the internet. Unexpectedly, Nadia’s grades improved rapidly. News spread among Salman’s friends, who asked him to tutor their children. Every child he tutored saw a sharp rise in their math scores.

Salman realized one-on-one tutoring was inefficient, so he decided to create videos and share them online for free. He locked himself in his closet with a camera and started recording. His teaching videos were vivid and could explain a math concept within ten minutes. In 2006, Salman began uploading these videos online for public viewing, and the phenomenon quickly snowballed.

Unlike traditional teaching videos with flashy visuals or verbose teachers, Salman’s videos were simple—usually just a writing board with no person visible. Traditional videos often featured a teacher lecturing from a high pedestal, but Salman reversed this, aiming to guide viewers to think step-by-step with him.

His videos became wildly popular in the US, overturning traditional education. Reports say over 20,000 US schools no longer need math teachers because students can learn from Salman’s videos. Many families rely on his software, yet Salman insists on free access and has rejected hundreds of millions in venture capital.

He founded Khan Academy, a nonprofit dedicated to free video education. Even Bill Gates praised the endeavor, with his foundation donating five million dollars to support it. Google also provides substantial support. Khan Academy’s videos have been translated into many languages and are popular worldwide.

Salman Khan graced the cover of Forbes magazine, hailed as the “Godfather of Math” in the internet age.

Upon hearing this, Huang Guolun immediately guessed Bai Yao’s intention and laughed, “You’re not thinking of doing math teaching videos like Salman Khan, are you?” Bai Yao’s eyes lit up, “Exactly. I want to combine teaching videos with live streaming. I’ve watched some of Salman’s videos, and some of my classmates have too, but I don’t think they’re perfect. There’s a big difference between Eastern and Western teaching styles, especially in math. If I explain math concepts from our domestic textbooks, I believe I can be clearer than Salman Khan. I’ve also seen some online school teachers’ videos—some good, some boring—but most are quite dull. If I were a student, I’d lose interest after a couple of sessions. I’ve tutored a few middle school students but my experience is limited. I want to use live streaming to interact with more students and explain math concepts to them. Through this interaction, I can also gain teaching experience to better help local Chinese students improve their math.”

This sounds like Bai Yao is gearing up to become a math teacher! Huang Guolun laughed, “It’s a bold idea to do teaching on entertainment platforms.” Bai Yao replied, “I don’t necessarily have to use entertainment-focused platforms like Qingtian or Douyu, but I noticed some streams there play old movies or music videos 24/7. If I can record quality math videos, I could have them play in a live stream loop. Once I build enough popularity and reputation, I could create a free educational site like Khan Academy, where people can request specific lessons for targeted learning.”

Bai Yao understood her strengths and dreamed aloud: “If I make teaching videos, it won’t be like Salman Khan’s style with only a board and no face. I want to create a unique persona as a ‘cool math sister’ so people feel learning math with me is fun. Even those who aren’t fond of studying but like watching attractive streamers might stop by my streams, and while watching, they’ll subconsciously pick up some knowledge.”

Huang Guolun chuckled, “You’ve thought this through quite a bit.” Bai Yao said, “Many people feel that what they learn in school is useless after graduation, especially math, which many see as a tough subject that’s pointless to learn. Years after graduating, who remembers formulas? They might forget even the simplest ones.” Huang Guolun embarrassedly admitted, “I can hardly recall any formulas myself. I don’t even know what ‘sn’ or ‘os’ stand for anymore.”

Bai Yao concluded, “Most people probably don’t remember, but that doesn’t mean learning math is useless. Math is the best subject for training logical thinking. Teacher Huang, much of your logical reasoning in daily life was formed during your school years through learning various subjects. Logical thinking shapes a person’s entire life. The influence math has had on your life is no less than music’s—you just don’t realize it.”