Runaway starving for internet fame goes hungry

That’s one way to get your name out there.

A 15-year-old runaway in East China turned himself in to police after disappearing to follow his dream of becoming a celebrity livestreamer.

The aspiring web celeb Xiao Ming (pseudonym) made local headlines when he sought out officers in Changzhou, Jiangsu Province of Friday just two days after leaving home – because he was hungry.

Police said the teen hitchhiked about 200 kilometers from his home in Yancheng in search of a teacher to apprentice him in the ways of webcraft.

“He said he’s been watching a lot of livestreamers and thought it would be great to be one,” said Changzhou police officer Zhou Jun.

Xiaoming’s search for a teacher had previously taken him to Shanghai and Nanjing before he discovered a lot of “attractive” livestreamers were based in Changzhou, a city of about 12 million.

“There are a lot of good-looking people here, but I looked all day yesterday and couldn’t find a livestreamer,” Xiao Ming said in an interview.

However, the teen ended his search when his stomach started rumbling.

He soon went to a local police station, where officers contacted his father.

“The kid is going through his rebellious phase,” said officer Zhou. “His father has been trying to teach him but he never listens.”

Before leaving, Zhou told Xiao Ming to apologize to his father and to “stay in school.”