Chapter 22: The Number One Paparazzo

When Meng Wei's slanderous post appeared on Weibo, it wasn't Zhang Qiyang who lost his temper first, but Qin Xueyang who flew into a rage, pounding her pancake in frustration. "That parasite again! Garbage!"

Zhang Qiyang took a deep breath, feeling the anger simmering in his gut.

Meng Wei had a long-standing feud with Zhang Qiyang. Back when Zhang Qiyang had just debuted, it was Meng Wei's Shenhui Studio that first exposed the news of him retaliating against provocation in a bar. The studio's paparazzi had been tailing and secretly photographing him, capturing countless shots of Zhang Qiyang lingering in nightclubs and several videos of him getting into altercations in bars. In the entertainment industry at the time, this was explosive first-hand material. But due to the influence of the richest man's family, Shenhui Studio didn't dare release it; instead, they hoarded it all.

At Wang Dazhong's behest, Shenhui Studio had been shadowing Zhang Qiyang since the very day he stepped into the limelight. Eventually, they provoked him too far. On the anniversary of his mother's death, Zhang Qiyang drove alone to the cemetery outside the city to pay his respects. The paparazzi, unaware of his destination, assumed he was up to something shady and followed him until he noticed. The realization that even his visit to his mother's grave would be photographed infuriated him. He used his sports car to force the paparazzi's vehicle off the road, got out without a word, and smashed their car with a baseball bat, breaking the bones of the two paparazzi who had been tailing him.

The incident blew up. Meng Wei was livid, and with Wang Dazhong's encouragement and backing, Shenhui Studio launched a direct attack against Zhang Qiyang, releasing all the dirt they had collected. It was from Shenhui Studio's exposé that the public began to realize just how arrogant and explosive this super-rich second generation truly was.

Later, high-level friends of the richest man's family privately warned Shenhui Studio, and Meng Wei no longer dared to continue shadowing Zhang Qiyang or leak any more dirt. Shenhui Studio stopped troubling Zhang Qiyang, but he never let them off the hook. That day, his altercation with the paparazzi meant he spent the entire day detained at the police station and missed his chance to honor his mother.

Zhang Qiyang couldn't let it go. He was determined to crush Shenhui Studio until he was satisfied. Rumors had long circulated in the industry that Shenhui Studio extorted celebrities for hush money by capturing their private moments. Zhang Qiyang spread every bit of gossip he heard about Shenhui Studio's extortion, regardless of truth. If he heard it, he exposed it, never caring about authenticity.

This not only enraged Shenhui Studio but also upset the celebrities he named. His lack of tact was apparent.

Thus, the animosity between him and Shenhui Studio deepened over time.

Shenhui Studio had been holding onto some bombshell material about Zhang Qiyang, but his predecessor had been relatively clean, without many vices. He didn't indulge in women or drugs. His only vice was drinking, seeking solace in alcohol to numb the pain of life. Even with daily surveillance, Shenhui Studio found nothing of real value, so they eventually gave up tailing the richest man's son to avoid wasting time.

Yet their antagonism toward Zhang Qiyang never waned. Rumors in the paparazzi circle claimed Shenhui Studio was offering a hefty reward for explosive dirt on him—anyone who could provide juicy material would be handsomely paid, and the studio would expose it immediately. Allegedly, Wang Dazhong was secretly backing this, providing the funds.

In short, they were determined to fight Zhang Qiyang to the bitter end.

That night, as public opinion began to shift, with everyone accusing Zhang Qiyang of hyping and fabricating, Meng Wei crawled out of his shell and kicked him while he was down.

The title of "Entertainment's Top Paparazzo" wasn't undeserved. His exposés were always accurate, and many fans blindly believed his reports. As soon as he began his smear campaign, claiming that Zhang Qiyang's latest hype was entirely fake, a wave of netizens followed suit, turning on Zhang Qiyang.

Soon, the conversation shifted from whether "Night Star" was a good song to accusations of fraud. Zhang Qiyang's Weibo was flooded with haters and paid trolls, bombarding him relentlessly, leaving him no mood to banter with fans.

He singled out Meng Wei's post and, with full fury, commented and shared it, cursing, "You bastard! All you care about is money! You blackmail celebrities with dirt, hiding behind the law while doing filthy deeds! This time, I'll blackmail you! If you can find evidence that 'Night Star' wasn't written or sung by me, I'll pay you a hundred million! Not just the money, I'll livestream myself eating my phone! If you can't, you must post a statement on Weibo admitting you're a complete fool—and pray to the gods to get run over as soon as you step outside! Dare to bet?"

Zhang Qiyang's forceful stance instantly whipped his fans into a frenzy. This was the "Cannon King" they worshipped! The war had reignited!

Crowds of fans flocked to Meng Wei's Weibo, some cursing, others urging him to take the bet. Those seeking entertainment relished the chaos, setting up their chairs and munching sunflower seeds, ready for a show.

Meng Wei, having climbed to the top of the paparazzi world, had his own tricks—chief among them being concept-shifting and a face thicker than a tire. With no evidence, he dared to retort, "Bet? Let's bet! Who's afraid? Get ready to eat your phone, Cannon King! I've already got your dirt."

Meng Wei's post sent the netizens into a frenzy, flooding Zhang Qiyang's Weibo, all eager to witness him eat a phone.

Compared to Zhang Qiyang's established persona, netizens trusted Meng Wei more. When he claimed to have dirt, they accepted it without question, convinced Zhang Qiyang was doomed and Meng Wei was telling the truth.

Seeing Meng Wei's confidence, even Qin Xueyang wavered, asking Zhang Qiyang, "What dirt did he get on you? He's so sure."

"You believe him? People like him talk nonsense— the louder the noise, the more attention they grab! If he really had dirt, he wouldn't be yelling so much. It's the quiet ones that stink up the room."

Fueled by the resentment lingering from his predecessor, every confrontation with Meng Wei left Zhang Qiyang brimming with anger. "Parasite, garbage—if heaven won't deal with him, I will! Just wait, I'll get him one day!"

Qin Xueyang, nibbling her thumbnail absentmindedly, asked quietly, "This 'Night Star'... you really wrote it, right?" She worried he might end up eating a phone.

Zhang Qiyang sighed, glancing fiercely at her. "Of course! If I didn't write it, who did— you? Why don't you believe me?"

"I'm not doubting you, it's just Meng Wei's tone is strange. Feels like he knows something."

As Zhang Qiyang's anger grew and things spiraled out of control, Qin Xueyang advised, "Forget it, let them do what they want. Don't join in their insults. The sudden flood of haters and posts must be orchestrated; don't fall into their trap."

Her words reminded Zhang Qiyang of Wang Dazhong's dead-fish eyes. He knew Meng Wei and Wang Dazhong were close, and Meng Wei's appearance was surely instigated by Wang Dazhong.

He couldn't let himself be caught in their snare.

With his current reputation, words were useless. No matter how he explained, netizens wouldn't believe him.

So he said nothing.

He would let his actions speak.

Everyone doubted "Night Star" was his style, doubted it was his song to sing.

Fine.

This week on "I Sing," he would perform a song worthy of the Cannon King.