Chapter 38: Two Phoenixes and One Dragon

Zhang Qiyang had never promoted his upcoming appearance on Zebra Live on Weibo, but Zebra Live had already defined this event as a "century live broadcast" and was blanketing the internet with publicity.

Netizens learned through various channels that Cannon was going to appear on a streaming platform, and were quite surprised. A large number of Cannon's fans and haters flocked to his Weibo, bombarding him with questions about whether he was really going to be on the platform.

It wasn’t until Tuesday noon that Zebra Live confirmed they would invite two popular female streamers to interview Zhang Qiyang together.

After confirming the details, Zhang Qiyang finally posted a promotional Weibo about the live broadcast.

His previous post was from last Saturday, flaunting two trophies backstage after winning the championship on "My Song."

That post had long been blown up, with over six million shares in just three and a half days, and the comment count had broken a hundred million, pushing it into the top twenty most commented posts in Weibo’s history.

However, ninety percent of those comments were insults—every kind of trash talk imaginable. Every time he refreshed, there were multiple screens of new curses, making Zhang Qiyang lose interest in reading or replying to the haters.

Taking the opportunity of his new post, Zhang Qiyang responded to the public’s abuse and doubts.

His new post read: "I’ve been busy with my new song these past days, no time for Weibo. To my loyal Cannon brothers, tune in to Zebra Live Wednesday night at eight, Cannon will be waiting there to answer all your questions. No one turned away—if you dare ask, I dare answer! With the east wind blowing and war drums beating, who does Cannon fear? As for those idiot trolls, stop being keyboard warriors. If you’ve got guts, insult me face-to-face! Wednesday night at eight, Zebra Live’s special studio—we won’t leave until we’re done! @ZebraLive @LordHuan @Zebra_Lydia"

The two people he tagged at the end were the female streamers who would be interviewing him live.

After learning Zebra Live’s arrangements, Zhang Qiyang did some research on the two streamers.

Whether by intention or coincidence, Zebra Live had chosen two women who were the same age as him—twenty-three.

The first, "Lord Huan," was chosen at Zhang Qiyang’s request: a popular female streamer who could sing. Her real name was Dong Huan, a native of the capital.

Despite her young age, Dong Huan was a veteran on Zebra Live. She started streaming and singing when the platform first launched, treating it like an online karaoke hall during her university days, singing every day with unabashed joy.

She’s been at it for five years, and with her self-deprecating humor and fresh style, Dong Huan has become a renowned internet singer.

Every day, tens of thousands tune in to her Zebra Live room to hear Lord Huan sing. She is widely recognized as the number one karaoke queen among streamers—a well-deserved reputation.

Her Zebra Live follower count is three million, the highest among female streamers focused on singing.

There are singing streamers on Hyena Live too, with higher follower counts and Weibo fans than Dong Huan, but anyone can see those numbers are inflated. In terms of influence, no female singing streamer surpasses Dong Huan.

Reportedly, when Hyena Live launched last year, Wang Dazhong offered astronomical sums to poach Zebra’s top ten streamers, and Lord Huan was among them.

But Lord Huan was sentimental and came from a well-off family, caring little for the money, so she wasn’t swayed by Wang Dazhong, becoming one of the only two major Zebra streamers not poached.

Originally, after confirming Zhang Qiyang’s interview, Zebra’s team planned for Dong Huan and Zhang Qiyang to do a one-on-one interview—a "lord" versus "lord" singing battle.

But they realized netizens cared more about Zhang Qiyang’s sharp tongue than his music.

If Dong Huan interviewed him alone, it might fall flat. Dong Huan excelled at singing and entertaining herself, but not at interviewing.

So, after much discussion, Zebra decided to add another female streamer with a talent for setting the tone.

Enter Lydia.

Lydia’s real name is Su Lizhen, an elegant beauty from Suzhou-Hangzhou, tall and striking, winner of several obscure modeling contests before turning to streaming.

Currently based in Shanghai, she’s flying to the capital just for Cannon’s interview.

Though a newcomer with less than two years in the field, Su Lizhen is immensely popular on Zebra, with 3.9 million followers—surpassing Dong Huan.

Zebra began as a game streaming platform, but after Wang Dazhong entered the industry and poached the country’s top gamers, it became hard for other platforms to make a mark in game streaming.

Thus, Zebra diversified into sports, variety, entertainment, and outdoor streaming, though game streaming remains its backbone.

After losing several top game streamers to Hyena Live, Zebra launched a star-making campaign, and Su Lizhen emerged as the leading gaming streamer.

Su Lizhen specializes in sexy dance and game streams, with a risqué personality. Netizens jokingly call her "Li Sassy," though she’s blunt rather than coquettish, favoring direct and bold commentary that resonates with viewers.

She’s currently being groomed as Zebra’s top female streamer, with a palpable aura of number one.

Upon hearing that Zebra had landed the son of the tycoon, Su Lizhen eagerly volunteered for the interview, wanting a face-to-face showdown with Cannon.

Zebra’s team considered her spicy style likely to spark with Cannon. Though she is risqué, she has boundaries and shouldn’t offend Zhang Qiyang too much. So, they decided on a duo—a literary and martial phoenix pair entertaining the legendary Cannon.

After Zhang Qiyang posted his promo, Su Lizhen immediately shared it, adding a mischievous comment: "Wednesday night at eight, Zebra Live, Cannon—we won’t leave until we’re done! @ZebraLive @Cannon"

Dong Huan quickly shared it as well, commenting, "Wednesday night at eight, Zebra Live—it’ll be a showdown between ‘lords’! Anyone wanting to see me and Cannon battle in song, hit 1! @ZebraLive @Cannon"

Dong Huan’s post was soon flooded with "1"s, with countless fans beating the war drums for her, wishing Lord Huan to crush Cannon, that notorious noise-maker.

Meanwhile, Zhang Qiyang’s comments section exploded.

Excited fans and jealous haters left messages:

"Are you gunning for the national heartthrob’s job now, Cannon? You’re playing with female streamers too?"

"Cannon, your path is getting more and more lowbrow!"

"Female streamers and internet celebrities spell trouble—stay away from them!"

"Shut up, you idiot, your mom’s the real trouble!"

"Cannon, are you streaming with Lord Huan? She always says her feet stink—can you help us confirm?"

"Give me back the champion, trash Cannon deserves the worst! There are millions in the Xuan family, and we’ll make sure you meet your doom!"

"Before I die, I just want a civilized look at Li Sassy’s big assets, Cannon—can you help undress her? Just one peek is enough."

"Cannon, be careful with Li Sassy, she’s full of dirty tricks—watch out for her!"

"Cannon worried about being led astray? He’s long since made peace with life and death—if you don’t like it, fight!"

"Are you skipping ‘My Song’ this weekend? How do you have time for streaming? We want to see you win three times in a row!"

"Cannon, can you sing your competition song for ‘My Song’ during the stream, so us little Cannons can get a preview?"

"Jealous of Cannon, he’s got the best seat for a civilized viewing—I want to stream with Li Sassy too!"

"Trash Cannon, all you do is copy songs and spew filth, truly a big idiot!—Hmm, perfect, my poetry is getting more and more rhymed."