Chapter 39: The Battle of the Livestream

Wednesday evening.

A war without gunpowder began.

In order to prevent Zebra from stealing the spotlight, Hyena Streaming launched its offensive at 6:30 PM, with all eight top gaming streamers going live on the platform's hottest game, "Fires of the Front." Many renowned professional teams had been roped in by Wang Dazhong to compete, determined to lock gaming fans onto the Hyena Game Channel.

At 7:00 PM, the Hyena homepage featured a high-profile live stream entrance, with the hotly rumored starlet Bai Lili—currently linked with the Best Actor—appearing as a guest on the Hyena Entertainment Channel for a sizzling interaction with over a million viewers.

By 7:30 PM, Wang Dazhong had paid handsomely for pop diva Luo Fei to go live in the Hyena Music Channel, where she interacted with fans in the studio and sang live. Meanwhile, cinema sweetheart Yu Liying was broadcasting from her film set with her phone, sharing amusing anecdotes about filming with the audience.

Multiple fronts, one concentrated effort—Hyena Streaming was pulling out all the stops to draw viewers in before Zhang Qiyang took the stage.

Their efforts were indeed effective. From 6:30 onward, Hyena Streaming’s traffic surged—more than tripling the usual numbers for that hour. Several livestream rooms exceeded a million viewers each, and though a good 60% of those were artificially boosted, having so many rooms break the hundreds of thousands in concurrent viewers was still a new record for Hyena since its inception.

After 7:30, the number of real active users on Hyena soared from 1.5 million to 2.5 million, greatly boosting the team’s morale.

Their top streamers had all gone all-in this round, truly living up to the image of a pack of hyenas on the African savanna—undaunted even by lions, determined to bring down any opponent.

Over on Zebra Streaming, the team was glued to Hyena’s every move. Seeing Hyena’s numbers climb to unprecedented heights, anxiety set in.

Normally, Hyena and Zebra’s traffic would be neck and neck at this hour. But tonight, Hyena’s efforts had pushed their numbers far beyond Zebra’s, making the Zebra team restless.

Tonight, except for their superstar guest, Cannon Master, Zebra had nothing to counter Hyena’s offensive. If Cannon Master couldn’t boost Zebra’s numbers, this could be a huge blow for them in the industry—possibly leaving them trailing behind Hyena for good.

Zebra’s management was intensely focused on this night’s battle. As the situation worsened, their anxiety grew. The head of Zebra's PR department personally called Qin Xueyang to ask about Zhang Qiyang’s whereabouts. If he could arrive early, they hoped to start the stream ahead of schedule.

Hyena had already unleashed its offensive. If Zebra didn’t pull viewers over soon, those captivated by Hyena’s streams might be lost for good, making it much harder to win them back later.

But there was nothing they could do. Zhang Qiyang and his team were stuck in traffic on the Third Ring Road—the worst of rush hour, cars crawling slower than bicycles on the side roads. Making it by 8:00 PM would be a feat; arriving early was out of the question.

Upon learning this, Zebra Streaming decided they couldn’t wait any longer. At 7:40, the head of the livestream team gave the order: Dong Huan and Li Dai, both primed and ready, were to start the pre-show.

These two were Zebra’s top draws. If they didn’t go live while Hyena was making its push, Zebra’s loss in popularity would be too great. They had to go live immediately to draw viewers.

To welcome Zhang Qiyang, Zebra’s headquarters had specially prepared a lavish, resplendent studio, complete with a crystal bar where the two hosts would receive him. If Zhang Qiyang fancied a drink, they were even prepared to join him for a few glasses—making it easier to get him to open up.

Earlier, Zebra’s team had called Zhang Qiyang to discuss boundaries for the interview and even tried to coordinate a script, proposing a list of questions for his approval. Zhang Qiyang’s response surprised them: he refused to go over a script, making only one request—no questions about his family’s private matters. Everything else—teasing, jokes, even negative remarks—was fair game. He intended for this to be his most candid, down-to-earth livestream yet, presenting his truest self to everyone.

This open attitude left the Zebra team both flattered and exhilarated. They sensed that, if executed well, tonight’s stream could generate a host of explosive topics—much like his previous appearance on "My Song," which had dominated entertainment news for days.

Such high engagement was crucial for Zebra, besieged as they were by Hyena’s assault. They were determined to make this stream a hit.

The two hosts understood the significance of tonight. For days, they had done nothing but prepare for this exclusive with Cannon Master.

Arriving at Zebra’s headquarters that evening, both women had dressed with special care. Dong Huan stuck to her signature look—a cartoonish white T-shirt with a tawny vest, exuding a fresh, youthful vibe. But she’d had her hair redone, opting for a stylish middle part that transformed her round face into an elegant oval—flattering both on camera and in real life. She’d also brought her beloved folk guitar, intending to challenge Zhang Qiyang with it live.

Li Dai, meanwhile, cherished this face-to-face with the billionaire’s son. She went all out, donning the most expensive piece in her wardrobe—a cobalt-blue, custom-made short cheongsam with exquisite Jingtai enamel embroidery, tailored by a renowned fashion consultant. She’d only ever worn it once before, to crash a red carpet event, never on a livestream. Tonight, to welcome Cannon Master, she unveiled this elegant and alluring dress.

Having indulged herself lately, Li Dai had put on a few pounds, making the dress fit her even more snugly—accentuating her curves dramatically. The effect was especially pronounced across her chest, where the fabric seemed ready to burst at any moment, offering a visual impact that was impossible to ignore.

At 7:45 PM, the two hosts officially entered the special studio to warm up the room. Their star power was undeniable—viewers quickly flooded in, and within minutes, the audience count soared to 350,000, claiming the top spot on Zebra for the night.

Once inside, viewers were immediately captivated by Li Dai’s elegant, seductive cheongsam and the long, bare legs she displayed beneath the crystal bar. Beside her, Dong Huan, not singing, was all but invisible.

The comments surged toward Li Dai like a tidal wave:

“Damn, Sister Dai, you’re clearly angling for a rich husband—everyone can see it!”

“Sis, why no cleavage tonight? Give us a civilized way to watch the show!”

“I’ve seen that cheongsam at a street stall—three for eighty bucks, and you could bargain down.”

“Fiery red lips and heavy eye shadow—I can tell, tonight you’re barefaced! Absolutely barefaced!”

“Li Dai, you’re really going for it—those slits go all the way up to your armpits!”

“Sister, trying to seduce Cannon Master to death, are you?”

“No cleavage? Thumbs down!”

“Cannon Fodder was here!”

“Where’s Cannon Master? Why isn’t he here yet? Seeing how you’re dressed, are you planning to pounce on him when he arrives?”

“Is that cheongsam a last-minute borrow? Looks a bit tight to me…”

Accustomed to teasing, Li Dai was unfazed, chatting with Dong Huan and bantering about Zhang Qiyang.

At that moment, Zhang Qiyang was still stuck miles away on the Third Ring Road, reclining in the back of his van with his eyes closed, resting. Qin Xueyang, scrolling through Weibo, saw that Zebra’s stream had started and quickly tuned in—just in time to hear Li Dai joking about Zhang Qiyang:

“What do you all think? Isn’t Cannon Master just like a honey badger? He fears no one and takes on anyone. On the African continent, he’s the fiercest—taking on lions, cobras, pythons, leopards, wild boars, you name it! He’s not afraid of anything, and he always goes all out. In his eyes, you can always see these words: ‘Life and death hold no sway; provoke me and you’re done!’ The best part? He’s immune to venom—no matter how many poisonous tongues try to bring him down, he just doesn’t die. Whoever attacks him, he fights back. It’s like he was born to take people on… Oh, you’re all terrible, leaving messages telling me to insult Cannon Master. I wouldn’t dare—I’m afraid he’d come after me.”

Dong Huan, taking a sip of water beside her, nearly spat it out, shooting a bemused look at Li Dai as if they were from different worlds.

Zhang Qiyang was woken by Qin Xueyang, opened his phone to the stream, and caught Li Dai comparing him to a honey badger. Amused, he linked his “Cannon Master Official” account—tied to a limitless credit card—and immediately sent a fleet of virtual aircraft carriers worth 5,000 yuan to Li Dai.

Whenever an aircraft carrier fleet is sent, the animation plays across every stream on Zebra, displaying the sender’s message.

Zhang Qiyang’s message blazed across all streams in response to Li Dai:

“I’m not a crotch-grabbing honey badger! I’m a tiger! —Cannon Master Official”

As everyone was still reeling in surprise, he sent another fleet:

“But I do agree with one thing you said: Arrogance isn’t in my nature, but if you provoke me, it’s suicide. —Cannon Master Official”

Boom!

The chat exploded!

Everyone realized at once—with such swagger, this had to be the real Cannon Master speaking!