Chapter 27: Jiang Wei? The Pinnacle of the Art of Manipulation
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At that moment, Xu Qingfeng still had no idea what was happening on Weibo. He was recording songs in the studio. FlashView had a professional recording studio, so he was taking the opportunity to record a few extra tracks.
When he stepped out of the studio, he saw Pineapple Honey looking at him with an extremely complicated expression.
Something was wrong. Very, very wrong. That was already the third or fourth time that day he had seen that look on her face.
Could she have taken a liking to him?
Even if she were a rich woman, that would not do. Even a beautiful rich woman would not do. It was not that he considered himself too pure for that sort of thing. He simply had no interest in barbed wire.
Xu Qingfeng took an inconspicuous step backward. “What is it?”
“Weibo has exploded. Quite a few people are openly or subtly attacking you.”
Xu Qingfeng sighed in relief. “I thought it was something serious.”
“…”
“The platform has received a lot of reports.”
“Are you going to ban my account?”
“No. You have not violated any rules so far, but receiving too many reports will still have an impact.”
“Good.”
Xu Qingfeng smiled. He had been wondering how to fire back at them, and now they had practically thrown themselves in front of his gun.
“Perfect. Tonight, we’ll turn up the heat for them.”
Xu Qingfeng gave a cold laugh. “Prepare a few more accounts for me. Tonight, I’m going to show the entire entertainment industry what a self-destructing truck looks like.”
Pineapple Honey: “...Take it easy, will you?”
Weibo was overflowing with abuse, but Xu Qingfeng did not respond. After dinner, he began tonight’s livestream.
The moment the stream started, the number of viewers began climbing at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Ten thousand, twenty thousand, thirty thousand... one hundred thousand. In less than three minutes, the audience had broken through one hundred thousand.
“Welcome, everyone, to the livestream. What shall we stream today?”
[Streamer, streamer, everyone on Weibo is cursing you.]
[What exactly did you do? Why does it feel like the entire entertainment industry is attacking you?]
[Everyone, watch while you can. The streamer is broadcasting one day fewer every day.]
[Maybe tomorrow the streamer will be stabbed eight times in the back and declared a suicide.]
“I heard someone has been cursing me? The streamer isn’t angry. I’m not going to stoop to their level.”
Xu Qingfeng casually changed the livestream title to The King of Hell Takes Attendance.
The moment the title changed, the viewers noticed.
[Holy crap!]
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[The King of Hell is out here taking attendance!]
[“Not angry” and “The King of Hell Takes Attendance”?]
[I can’t hold it in. You call this not being angry?]
[In all fairness, the streamer’s ability to remain composed is genuinely impressive.]
[Hurry up, hurry up! Kill, kill, kill! Wipe them all out!]
[Put on some music! Let’s hear “Tears Behind Bars.”]
As soon as the title changed, the number of viewers surged, shooting straight up to five hundred thousand—an even more outrageous figure than on the first day.
Before Xu Qingfeng could do anything, Pineapple Honey had already started playing “Tears Behind Bars.”
“Those iron gates, those iron windows, those iron chains...”
The moment the music began, gifts started flooding the livestream.
[Now that’s more like it.]
[That hit the spot. This is exactly what I came for.]
[I’ve even changed into prison clothes to enhance the immersion.]
[I heard this song in another streamer’s room, but it just didn’t have the same flavor.]
In just a few minutes, several rockets had been sent into the livestream, and even Xu Qingfeng nearly lost his composure.
[Call names! Hurry up and start calling names!]
Xu Qingfeng hummed a couple of lines, then wasted no more time and got to work.
“Everyone’s been talking about a certain cesspit. I haven’t paid much attention to it lately. For reasons everyone knows, I can’t speak over there, but that’s all right. Tonight, we’ll begin our roll call with the cesspit.”
Xu Qingfeng opened Weibo, cast it into a small window, and skillfully opened the trending chart.
Then he pulled out a pair of gold-rimmed glasses and put them on.
Refined and mild-mannered.
[Why did the streamer put on glasses?]
[I remember this guy isn’t nearsighted.]
[He really looks like a cultured animal.]
Xu Qingfeng pushed up his glasses. “Let’s start calling names from this trending topic. Oh, Jiang Wei is number one. Let’s see what he has to say about the streamer.”
“Singing? That’s hilarious. Does this guy genuinely not know what he sounds like when he sings? Let me find a video for comparison and we’ll see.”
Xu Qingfeng opened FlashView, found a video, then located one of Jiang Wei’s performances and placed them side by side.
“Pay attention, everyone. If you’re wearing headphones, turn the volume down. If you have one handy, you might want to grab a peach-wood sword. True art is about to begin.”
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Xu Qingfeng started the videos. On the left, a Taoist priest was performing an exorcism, his whole body twitching like he was suffering from the shakes, bouncing and jerking wildly. On the right, Jiang Wei was convulsing on his knees onstage, flinging his head around and drawing talismans in the air, his limbs spasming more violently than the priest’s.
“This is what he calls art. He has the nerve to sing it, but I can barely bring myself to listen. Anyone playing his songs should keep a black donkey hoof and some sticky rice on hand. Other people strain their throats when they sing; he risks his life. The moment he lets out one of those howls, every demon and monster within ten miles comes running, and every Taoist priest in the area has to spend the night writing a resignation letter.”
“How is this a concert? It’s a spirit summoning. Perfectly good twenty-first-century electronic music, and he has turned it into the savage atmosphere of ancient sorcerers dancing to summon the gods. The mystical energy is overwhelming. Even a caveman would kneel and submit.”
“Mixing suona with electronic music, he makes it sound like a power drill boring into your temples. His convulsive dance moves are like an epilepsy match between exorcists. It is honestly difficult to tell whether this is music or demonic possession. This is the pinnacle of performance art. I suggest the music platforms create a separate underworld category just for him, with the Grim Reaper’s warrant pasted directly onto the album cover. Rename the lead single ‘March of the Scattered Souls’ and it’ll sweep the Underworld Grammys.”
“I suggest psychiatric hospitals use his music videos as entrance exams. Anyone who can watch three full minutes without throwing their phone should be admitted immediately. Anyone who listens with relish should be placed under observation in a high-dependency ward. What is he, a singer? He is plainly a walking machine for manufacturing brain damage!”
“Seriously, a person like this is a genius. If he had lived in ancient times, he could at least have earned himself the title of Celestial Master.”
“As for his singing ability, that so-called ‘throat singing technique’ is nothing more than a fig leaf for breathy, leaking vocal production. Deliberately squeezing the vocal cords violates the principles of human phonation. There is no resonance in the chest, and his diction is sticky and slurred. Brother, with skills like yours, you still dare to hold concerts? You would be better off lip-syncing!”
“You spend every day criticizing this person and that person. Do you even have the ability to back it up? Forget everyone else—you’re miles below the streamer.”
Two videos and one round of commentary sent the number of viewers straight to six hundred thousand, while gifts flew across the screen.
[I’m jealous of your cauliflower.]
[Holy crap, what a vegetable!]
[That was freaking perfect. This guy really does sing like he’s performing an exorcism. His singing makes me want to throw up.]
[The most disgusting thing about him is that he’s young but acts so important, criticizing this person and that person every single day.]
[This is killing me. The singer of the underworld.]
[I really can’t understand how someone like this became a top star.]
Xu Qingfeng took a drink of water. “Let’s continue. As everyone knows, the streamer is a positive-energy streamer who rarely comments on other people’s professional abilities. After all, my own professional abilities weren’t exactly impressive back in the day.”
[Such an honest streamer. I love him.]
[I’m dying. He’s roasting himself too, isn’t he?]
[Keep going! Wind God, keep talking!]
[This is even more entertaining than a comedy routine.]
“That aside, I can actually understand why Jiang Beast performs rituals to summon souls. He has another hobby, you see. He rather enjoys beating children.”
“Some people say that there are too many unruly kids in society these days, and that sometimes beating them is the only way to teach them. But the children Jiang Beast beats aren’t the kind everyone is thinking of. He beats the children in people’s stomachs—in other words, babies.”
“Brothers, you understand what I mean, right? The God of War among the dead, the founder of ghost-baby cultivation. Without learning a few exorcism techniques, he simply wouldn’t be able to control himself.”
The livestream chat was completely drowned in question marks.
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