Chapter 30: Holding Hands at the Launch Ceremony, Breaking Up at the Wrap Party

For over seven minutes, Xu Qingfeng sang a cappella. The interaction was minimal, yet the effect was unexpectedly stellar.

The livestream audience held steady at over 700,000, with rockets flying across the screen like rain.

[This song has some real bite!]
[Quite blunt. Feels a bit stinging to listen to.]
[What a waste to sing this for Jiang Wei!]
[This circle is truly a mess!]

Xu Qingfeng took a sip of water and began reading the comments.

"Some say this song is about Jiang Wei. I’d like to ask the brother who fixes keys: is he even worth it? How many keys does he deserve?"

"Folks, the streamer mentioned this was just an expression of feeling; there’s absolutely no intent to target anyone. If anyone feels offended, you might want to reflect on yourselves."

"Speaking of the entertainment industry, people say it’s chaotic. Let me ask you: what is chaos?"

Xu Qingfeng said solemnly, "Is the industry chaotic, or are the people in it? The chaos in the entertainment world exists because these absolute scum run wild, but that isn't the fault of the industry itself."

He sighed, "Of course, there are good people in the industry—like yours truly, a breath of fresh air. A gentleman living among scoundrels is not the gentleman’s fault."

[Oh my god, the streamer is a gentleman?]
[The day the status of 'gentleman' hit rock bottom.]
[LOL, neither of them are good things.]
[Got it, it was just a moment of impulse.]

"Speaking of impulse, I understand it. I get impulsive sometimes, too—I’d love to give those scoundrels a couple of punches. But that’s just an occasional impulse. Jiang the Beast is different; he stays impulsive, over and over again. Once he’s done, he doesn’t care about the consequences; he just pulls up his pants and leaves. He was that 'impulsive' a full thirteen times."

Xu Qingfeng shook his head and sighed, "That is the punishment for impulse."

[Holy crap, the streamer is a genius!]
[God-tier joke about being impulsive thirteen times.]
[That is truly beastly.]
[Just a pure-hearted boy, probably doesn't know how to use a condom, that's normal.]

Jiang Wei stood up and smashed everything in sight. "What is he doing? Is he trying to destroy me?"

"That animal! That damn animal!"

"What the hell is he barking about?!"

"I’m going to kill him!"

Jiang Wei had to explain himself. If this continued, even if he didn't admit it, the consequences would be dire.

"Boss, I didn't do it! I really didn't do it!" Jiang Wei wailed as if he were mourning at a funeral.

***

"You really didn't do it?"

After his rage subsided, Jiang Wei hung his head in defeat: "I..."

"Understood. Keep a low profile for a while."

The call ended. On Weibo, Jiang Wei became wildly popular, just as he had feared.

#The Punishment for Impulse#
#Did Jiang Wei really do it?#

The silent Jiang Wei and the manic Xu Qingfeng—two traffic magnets combined to create a terrifying chemical reaction.

This reaction was reflected in the download numbers of FlashPlay: in one hour, downloads surged by nearly a million.

The traffic was exaggerated; the heat was terrifying.

The number of reports on the FlashPlay backend skyrocketed, and even Lin Chen felt the pressure.

Xu Qingfeng decisively shifted his target. Jiang Wei had already been hammered into the ground; it was time to spread the heat.

He picked up his gold-rimmed glasses and put them on. "The song is over, let’s move on to the next one."

[Damn, you put on glasses just to call someone out?]
[What a classy streamer, followed.]
[Brother, you wearing glasses scares me.]
[Holy crap, glasses on for call-outs, glasses off for singing—the attention to detail!]
[So meticulous.]
[I have a hunch this pair of glasses will become the nightmare of the entertainment industry!]

With the attention of hundreds of thousands, Xu Qingfeng opened the Weibo trending list again.

"Jiang the Beast is so popular, I’m actually envious."

[God-tier 'envious'!]
[Damn, I’m dying of laughter.]
[Good man, didn't you do all this yourself?]

"I won't mention Jiang the Beast; after all, it was just an 'impulse.' Let’s talk about this person. Folks, this one is something else!"

"I have a hobby: I like to collect things. Figurines, cards, game skins, achievements—I like to collect them when I have time."

Xu Qingfeng pushed up his glasses, a cold glint flashing across the lenses. "But the things some people collect make me lose all faith in humanity. What does she collect? Heh, she collects men!"

"The men she’s 'collected'—let’s just say, I don't have enough fingers and toes to count them. She’s turned romance into a factory assembly line."

***

Xu Qingfeng took a sip of water and continued: "If it were just that, fine. There’s a saying: love is like looking for puzzle pieces; only the right one is the best choice. Some people don't quite get that and keep looking, which I understand."

"But there’s one thing I don't understand: playing the innocent flower on screen by day, and trading resources in the vanity fair by night—what kind of operation is that?"

"If it needs a name, I suggest 'The Love Trade.' If goods can be bought, why shouldn't love be for sale?"

[I’m jealous of your wit!]
[A great 'Love Trade' indeed.]
[As expected, I suffer from a lack of culture. The streamer says the same thing and it sounds poetic, but when I say it, it's just garbage.]
[Is it really this stimulating?]

Xu Qingfeng continued his output: "To summarize someone's dating pattern, I can use one phrase: 48-hour romance!"

"I wrote a couplet to describe this kind of love: First line: Holding hands at the commencement ceremony; Second line: Breaking up at the wrap party; Horizontal scroll: No waiting after expiration!"

"The shelf life of their relationships is shorter than the yogurt I drink. I can't even keep up with the drama of their breakups."

"For this kind of love, I’ll sum it up in one sentence: 'Scan code - Pay - Pick up goods.'"

Xu Qingfeng took a tactical sip of water and said earnestly, "Your love life: three months isn't long, three years isn't short, and you hesitate for a month just to hold hands. Other people's love lives: from meeting to finishing in under 24 hours. Folks, you still have a lot of practice to do!"

[That stings, brother.]
[I can't hold it, is this even love?]
[Master, I am enlightened.]

Xu Qingfeng chuckled, "Enlightened my foot. It took me a long time to figure out this operation. Certain Miss Wang here signed a traffic-betting agreement: official announcement equals a price limit up, breaking up equals a price limit down. The CP topic is like a growth enterprise market, and the star’s team colludes with fan-club leaders to chart the trends. Five romances and five breakups last year—the endorsement fees skyrocketed by 300%. The breakup count perfectly offsets the commercial value. Now that is a master!"

"I admit defeat." Xu Qingfeng cupped his hands in a salute. "Now, let’s see how 'Lotus Wang' handles this."

In front of her screen, Wang Yao was on the verge of a breakdown.

"You bastard! You bastard, I’m going to kill him!"

"Aaaaaah!"

After a series of high-pitched shrieks, Wang Yao began smashing things in a frenzy.

Her new LV bag was thrown to the floor, covered in footprints. Her designer necklace was snapped into pieces, and her phone screen was a web of cracks.

Wang Yao had completely snapped.

Her manager looked on with a cold expression. "He’s digging his own grave. We aren't in a rush. Let him jump around for a while, and when the time is right, we’ll join forces and destroy him."