Chapter 120: No Justice Left

That night, the fans of Zhang Qiyang gleefully roasted him with relentless firecrackers, going on well into the deep hours.

Not only was the “I Sing” forum overwhelmed and its servers nearly crashed by the flood of posts mocking him, but Zhang Qiyang’s Thursday night Weibo, in which he declared his retort to the haters would be remembered for a hundred years, was also reshared by millions of his critics in a frenzy of ridicule—

“Remembered for a hundred years? (laughing so hard I’m pounding the floor) Zhang’s got three votes? Please stop making this century’s biggest joke; you’re about to give me laugh cancer, hahahaha!”

“Three votes! Hahahahahaha! I’m laughing so hard I’m cramping!”

“Official declaration: I, Zhang ‘Big Cannon,’ hereby rename myself Zhang ‘Three Votes’! If anyone calls me Big Cannon again, I’m seriously gonna lose it!”

“Hahaha, Zhang Three Votes, does your dad know you’re acting this cocky on Weibo?”

“No votes and a slap in the face—karma is real, the heavens never spare anyone!”

“Look up and see for yourself—no one gets away with anything!”

“Zhang Three Votes, are you still tough on the outside? Without your dad, you’re just a useless idiot! Remembered for a hundred years? More like remembered for stinking a hundred years!”

“The Anti-Pollution Committee gives you ten thousand likes!”

“Zhang Three Votes, you really are an anomaly. Even when you get slapped in the face, it’s got a rhythm to it. You’re such a hilarious clown!”

“My wife just finished her bath and is waiting for me in bed, but I’m not going to her tonight—I’m only here to deal with you! Zhang Three Votes, hahahaha, let’s see how arrogant you can be from now on!”

“What happened to those dumb fanboys? Why aren’t they speaking up? Weren’t you all so confident? Now you’re all cowards?”

“Those dumb fanboys are like championship fans: they show up when their team wins, and if not, no one even knows who they are!”

“Zhang Big Cannon, you lost tonight, but I have to say you lost like a man! You didn’t buy votes or bribe the audience. I give you half a fierce thumbs-up! And one more thing: if you don’t want to play anymore, just get lost—stop polluting our eyes.”

“Reliable sources say Zhang Three Votes’ hardcore fan Wang Mingming failed to get a kiss and has fainted crying in the bathroom.”

“I wish I could take the Cannon away and not argue with these idiots.”

“Don’t be discouraged, Cannon. We’re all here—your fans will always support you!”

“I was at the live show tonight, wearing a red T-shirt, sitting in row 5, seat 8. Seeing you all trash-talking Zhang Big Cannon, I have to say, he was truly impressive tonight! Really! I’ve never heard a live performance like that before. Thinking back now, it was still amazing. When it came to voting, I hesitated a long time before giving my vote to Xuan Shen because I’m part of the Xuan Love family. But I have to defend Zhang Big Cannon—his live singing was really awesome. A few people next to me almost voted for him, but in the end, they voted for Xuan Shen. Hehe, after all this, what I want to say is that Xuan Shen is the best!”

“I was also at the live show tonight, sitting in row 2, seat 12, wearing glasses—the big chubby guy over there is me. I’m not a paid shill, and Zhang Big Cannon didn’t pay me to whitewash him. I just want to share my honest impression. The competition tonight was fantastic live; every singer performed at their best. But honestly, Li Xuan’s performance was a cut above the rest—not because of her vocal skills, but because her song ‘At Least I Have You’ was so moving! After she left the stage, many audience members said it was the best song they’d heard in years, unforgettable after just one listen. So Li Xuan winning tonight was well deserved. Damn, too many words—I can’t write more. Just one last thing: Zhang Big Cannon’s performance was epic! A dark epic! If you’d heard him live, you’d know how amazing he was. Unfortunately, he ran into Xuan Shen and went on too early. Otherwise, he would’ve won for sure. Seriously, Zhang Big Cannon’s live singing was incredible! Don’t believe me? Go to the live show yourself! In my heart, Xuan Shen is first, Zhang Big Cannon is one and a half.”

“Those self-righteous fanboys, stop pretending to be live audience members defending Zhang Big Cannon! Without buying votes, he’s just dead last trash!”

“Haha, you deserve those three votes. With your mumbling, you call that rap? You should learn to control your tongue first!”

“Tonight Zhang Big Cannon’s rap invented a new style in the rap world: brain-dead rap. Agree? Hit me with ten thousand likes! (9998)”

“Was it unfair that Zhang Big Cannon got only three votes tonight? I wasn’t at the live show, I watched the livestream at home, and I thought his song ‘Outlier’ was great! My sister and I were dancing and hyped up by it—haven’t heard such a thrilling new song in ages. Is going first such a disadvantage?”

“I also think those three votes for Zhang Big Cannon were suspicious—could the show producers be trying to get rid of him? Though he’s shameless, he’s fun! Can the producers cut him some slack and keep this clown on the show? Watching him act tough and get slapped is one of life’s greatest pleasures!”

“The Xuan Love family is watching closely! Zhang Big Cannon, trying to steal our Xuan Shen’s championship? You deserve to be roasted and slapped!”

“Haven’t been on Weibo for a while, but I logged in tonight just to see how badly you’ve fallen.”

...

Judging by the situation, this uproar was bound to last a whole week.

After being slapped in the face by so many people, Zhang Qiyang almost lost his temper and refused to go home to celebrate his father’s birthday!

He impulsively wanted to bring Qin Fatty to the party and sing “Love in Hiroshima” as a duet with his father and Li Xiaoxiao.

But in the end, he decided against it.

Since so many people were slapping his face, he resolved to work even harder next week and return the favor by slapping their faces back.

Life, after all, was just a matter of you slap me once, I slap you once.

Let’s see who can make whom give up first!

This week, for Zhang Qiyang and Li Xuan, preparation time for “I Sing” was going to be compressed because on Wednesday they had to attend the filming of “Infinite Challenge.”

The preparations for “I Sing” needed to be advanced as soon as possible.

Having won championships consecutively while wearing the cobbler’s new shoes, Li Xuan was beginning to love the thrill of showing off those new shoes.

That Tuesday night, as usual, Li Xuan invited Zhang Qiyang to her music studio to measure her feet for custom new shoes.

Since Zhang Qiyang had achieved shocking results last week, Li Xuan felt a bit guilty asking him to make her new shoes this week.

She had been winning with Zhang’s new shoes on her feet, while Zhang himself was growing slower and slower in his own shoes—anyone would feel the psychological gap.

Would Zhang Qiyang still want to make her shoes properly?

Chen Ke and Li Xuan were both worried that Zhang Qiyang’s mindset might change drastically.

After last week’s “I Sing,” seeing Zhang’s sullen expression, they didn’t dare invite him out for late-night snacks—they only offered carefully measured words of consolation.

For someone as strong-willed and proud as Zhang Qiyang, such setbacks made any consolation feel like an insult.

So they just let him digest the result on his own.

When they invited Zhang Qiyang over this time, the moment he walked in, his face had already returned to its usual calm and confident smile. Chen Ke and Li Xuan both breathed a sigh of relief, realizing he had recovered well over the past couple of days and probably wouldn’t dwell on last week’s outcome.

Yet unexpectedly, Frog, the awkward and blunt fool, upon finally seeing Zhang Qiyang, immediately ripped open the old wound: “Young Master Yang, the live audience at last week’s ‘I Sing’ was just stupid! You performed like that and only got three votes—that’s just unfair!”