Chapter 42: A Showy Entrance

Li Diao was the first to notice Zhang Qiyang entering, accompanied by a chubby assistant girl wearing a black mask.

Her charming eyes instantly sparkled with excitement.

That night, Zhang Qiyang wore a fitted black T-shirt paired with black jeans—a look both casual and stylish. The two bold, gold-embossed characters on his chest, “Ostentatious,” were particularly eye-catching.

His appearance was rather understated and approachable, nothing like the wild stage makeup or spiked hair he sported before; he’d simply styled his hair casually, looking more like the mischievous, handsome guy next door than a celebrity, much less the heir to a tycoon’s fortune.

While singing, Dong Huan also noticed the arrival of the legendary “Cannon King.” The moment their eyes met, Dong Huan’s hand trembled, and she giggled nervously, unable to continue her song.

Zhang Qiyang, however, gestured for her to go on. He found the song rather amusing and wanted to hear the rest.

He was curious to see what kind of image these ordinary, small-time entertainers had of him.

So Dong Huan carried on singing.

But now, face-to-face with Zhang Qiyang, she dared not mock him as boldly as before, afraid he’d just turn around and leave. She laced her teasing with a hint of flattery, making it far less entertaining than her earlier performance.

The song ended rather abruptly.

The audience, however, was left wanting more—

“Master Huan, are you out of material? That wasn’t nearly savage enough! You should’ve roasted his lip-syncing and song-stealing too! Zhang the Big Cannon deserves no mercy! Long live the Xuan’ai Family!”

“Your songs are always more pleasing to the ear, Master Huan—so fresh and down-to-earth! A thousand times better than Zhang’s pointless shouting!”

“Master Huan’s songs are always relatable. You’re the coolest!”

“Keep going, Master Huan! Sing about his rigged votes and fake numbers! Isn’t your stream all about exposing blowhards? Give Zhang the Big Cannon a taste of what true talent sounds like!”

“Don’t stop, Master Huan! I’ll send you a rocket! Keep roasting him—I love it when you mock Zhang!”

…

Dong Huan set her guitar down and smiled at the audience. “Don’t egg me on. Now that Cannon King is here, I wouldn’t dare roast him.”

Li Diao stood and applauded enthusiastically. “A warm welcome to Cannon King!”

“Welcome, welcome!” Dong Huan also rose to clap for Zhang Qiyang.

Zhang Qiyang stepped into view holding two glittering “I Am Singer” championship trophies—radiant and imposing!

“Boom—!”

In an instant, the special live room exploded with gifts! The high rollers, swept up in Zhang Qiyang’s arrival, sent in armadas of battleships and other extravagant gifts in his honor. Rockets, planes, sports cars—virtual presents rained down relentlessly.

Most of Cannon King’s fans were from humble backgrounds, but even they could afford the ten-yuan virtual bicycles. The comment section was awash with wave after wave of these bicycles, rolling by without pause.

After Zhang Qiyang’s entrance, the most common gift flooding the stream was the “Cheap Bone,” which cost a mere dime each—a name that spoke for itself.

Those who disliked Zhang Qiyang were incensed to see him swaggering in with two trophies, wearing a shirt emblazoned with “Ostentatious.” Their anger knew no bounds, and they bombarded him with “Cheap Bone” gifts.

By rough count, in just the first thirty seconds of Zhang Qiyang’s appearance, nearly a hundred thousand “Cheap Bones” had been sent! Some viewers’ gold-plated mouse buttons were nearly worn out. The flood of insults made it impossible to keep up in the chat, so they vented their fury by sending endless “Cheap Bones.”

This barrage nearly crashed Zebra’s servers.

The Zebra team now felt, firsthand, the terrifying, tornado-like influence of Cannon King!

With his appearance, their special live room stole the spotlight and audience from every other stream on the platform. It wasn’t even eight o’clock yet, and their real-time viewership had already soared past three million—on the verge of a new record!

Hyena Live’s total traffic used to be double that of Zebra’s, but as soon as Zebra’s blockbuster stream began at eight, the gap vanished instantly.

The scales of battle tipped violently in Zebra’s favor, much to Wang Dazhong’s fury!

That scoundrel was glued to Zebra’s stream, anxious Zhang Qiyang would mention him or, worse, rip open his old wounds. Seeing Zhang Qiyang make such a triumphant, swaggering entrance, he couldn’t stand it any longer. He registered a new account and, slyly, in an obscure film-looping stream on Zebra, sent an entire fleet of carrier gifts, publicly hurling abuse at Zhang Qiyang across the platform—

“Dumbass Zhang the Big Cannon! Plagiarist! Hype-monger! Vote-rigger! Absolutely useless, all packaging and no substance! Anyone who likes him is a fool! Don’t be deceived by his idiocy—he’s the most brainless, fake piece of trash in showbiz! —From: The Guy Who Exposes Zhang Qiyang”

His barrage was quickly drowned out by the welcoming fleets sent by Brother Burial Flower and the others, but many viewers still saw the targeted insult.

A group of haters seized the moment, unleashing a torrent of abuse in the chat.

The comment section of Zebra’s stream became a cesspit of vitriol, forcing moderators to block some of the more extreme messages.

Even so, sarcastic and mocking comments about Zhang Qiyang continued to flood the chat.

Clearly, many people couldn’t stomach his showy attitude.

Neither female host had expected Zhang Qiyang would bring both “I Am Singer” trophies to the show, placing them front and center at the bar, directly in the camera’s view, the word “Ostentatious” on his chest—this was blatant, unabashed boasting!

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, the two beautiful hosts, fragrant with perfume, began chatting with Zhang Qiyang.

Li Diao was the first to flatter him: “Cannon King, meeting you for the first time is truly unexpected.”

“In what way?” Zhang Qiyang asked, easygoing as ever, turning to the eye-catching host beside him in her blue-and-white qipao.

“I always thought you were a very cool, high-class type. In real life, you seemed to disdain everyone, aloof and untouchable. Even when recording ‘I Am Singer,’ you barely acknowledged anyone. On stage, you’re so extreme and unconventional, it feels like you’re from a different world altogether. But now, meeting you in person, you’re actually very down-to-earth and approachable.”

Dong Huan chimed in, “That’s because you’re a beauty—Cannon King is only friendly to beautiful women. If you weren’t, he wouldn’t give you the time of day.”

Zhang Qiyang laughed at Dong Huan, “I see—it’s true what they say, your tongue is sharper than hers.”

“No, no, I’m just voicing what everyone thinks. I bet that’s how most people see you.”

“So you see me that way too?”

“Not at all, really,” Dong Huan replied with a mischievous grin, waving her hands in denial. Facing the famously unpredictable Cannon King, she dared not push her luck.

Li Diao laughed, nudging Dong Huan into the spotlight: “Don’t pretend, Master Huan. You were roasting Cannon King harder than anyone just now. He heard your song ‘My Name is Zhang The Big Cannon’—don’t try to deny it.”

Dong Huan shot Li Diao a helpless look. “That was the audience egging me on!”

“No worries, tit for tat. I’ll dedicate a song to you later—let’s roast each other. That’s what I do best.”