Chapter 18: Truly Impressive, You Scoundrel—Hmph!

In the streaming room, Bai Qingming's enchanting and slightly hypnotic voice rang out.

“Why were you rejected by a Leo man?”
“Isn't it just because you're not good-looking?”
“Why were you rejected by a Pisces man?”
“Isn't it just because you're not good-looking?”
…
“Why have you been single for so long?”
“Isn't it just because you're not good-looking!”

At first, the viewers were having a great time, joking with friends who'd been rejected by someone of the zodiac signs mentioned in the song. But as the song went on, a sense of unease began to creep in. Especially when Bai Qingming sang those last two lines, everyone suddenly realized—damn it, he was including everyone!

“Why couldn’t I just mind my own business and go to sleep? Why did I have to click on this live stream?”
“Can someone call the police for me? I just shared the stream with my bestie, and now she's outside my door with a knife, claiming she's brought a big sweet watermelon to cut for me.”
“Hahaha, don't panic up there—call your neighbor and have them pick up the takeout instead!”

Bai Qingming's stream exploded in popularity, with followers about to surpass a million.

On the other side, Dazed Girl was fuming with rage. Bai Qingming’s song was like a spell, bringing back memories of her university days. Back then, she really had confessed to a Leo guy and been rejected—not because of her looks, but because, as he said, her zodiac sign was incompatible with his dog’s.

“Dog of a man!”
“Dog of a man!”
“Dog of a man!”

She wanted to vent, but the thought of her mother overhearing made her shrink back, so she took her anger out on the pillow beside her.

Seeing this, the viewers in the stream were even more delighted.

But then, Dazed Girl suddenly stopped, a look of calm crossing her face as if she had realized something.

“Could it be that this guy already knows who I am?”

The thought flashed in her mind.

“That must be it. He knew my identity all along and is deliberately making fun of me!”

She'd figured it out—she understood everything now!

So that's how it is! Fine! You’re really something!

“Everyone, that’s it for tonight’s stream. See you all tomorrow!”

Utterly embarrassed, Dazed Girl couldn’t bring herself to continue and ended the stream in an instant.

She had never been so humiliated. She simply couldn’t swallow this indignity! She was determined to confront Bai Qingming and ask him what she could possibly have done to deserve his mockery, when they were both streamers.

Dog of a man.

Hmph!

…

Meanwhile, Bai Qingming was a little puzzled. He was only halfway through his song when the gaming companion on the other end abruptly hung up the call and disappeared. Was she just going to forfeit her payment? After tormenting her all night, Bai Qingming had even thought about tipping her a few dozen orders as compensation.

Looking at her support stats—zero kills, ten deaths—he seemed to understand. She must have realized how terrible she was, felt too ashamed for holding back the boss, and simply fled.

Well, that suited him just fine. Bai Qingming loved the thrill of getting something for nothing.

At this moment, a few troublemakers appeared in the stream. No matter how famous a streamer is, there will always be haters, and Bai Qingming was no exception. Most of these haters were self-proclaimed advocates for women's independence, and they immediately bombarded Bai Qingming with criticism.

“Seriously? It’s the twenty-first century and people still judge women by their looks when choosing a girlfriend?”
“Exactly! Who said you can’t find a boyfriend just because you’re not good-looking? Society values equality; love is about what’s inside. If you truly like each other, you’ll be together.”
“Beautiful faces are dime a dozen, but interesting souls are rare.”
“This streamer is disrespecting women! We demand an apology!”

The haters went on and on, throwing out all sorts of accusations.

Faced with their aggressive comments, Bai Qingming remained unfazed and continued singing.

“You think he cares about whether a girl has substance?”
“No, you’re wrong. He only likes girls who are beautiful!”
“You think that if you like him, he’ll like you back?”
“No, you’re wrong. He won’t, unless you’re good-looking.”
“You think being good-looking is enough?”
“No, you’re wrong. He’ll still want someone even prettier!”
…
“Now, do you all see the truth?”
“It’s all because you… are just too ugly!”

With the last word, his voice echoed through the streaming room.

The male fans fell silent, the female fans were moved to tears, and the haters were utterly defeated.

Even though Bai Qingming hadn’t deliberately responded to them, they were left completely speechless.

“Seven o’clock tomorrow night—don’t miss it!”

With the final note, Bai Qingming ended the stream without another word.

Even as the stream was closing, loyal fans were still sending messages, saying they wanted to bring him some hometown specialties in person, leaving him rather touched.

He never expected to be so popular.

Perhaps this was the power of personality.

Ding~

[Popularity has reached one million. Reward: one globally limited edition Bugatti Veyron.]

Just as he shut down his computer, Bai Qingming felt something heavy in his pocket. The car key had arrived.

In the next moment, detailed information about the sports car popped into his mind. He couldn’t pronounce the model—just a string of letters—but he knew there were only eighteen of these supercars worldwide, each costing tens of millions, and even the wealthy struggled to get their hands on one.

For some reason, instead of putting the car in the garage of his billion-dollar penthouse, the system had parked it by a street in the city center.

“If such an expensive car gets scratched or dinged, what am I supposed to do?” Bai Qingming muttered.

“Oh wow!” His eyes lit up as realization struck him.

Brilliant! The system’s choice of parking spot was absolutely perfect! What happens when a top-tier luxury car appears in the city center? Obviously, it draws a crowd!

Wasn’t this just setting him up to show off?

He had to admit, this system was just too considerate!

Who could possibly refuse such a golden opportunity to flaunt their wealth?

Bai Qingming certainly couldn’t.

That night, he slept more soundly than ever.

Overnight, following the explosive popularity of “The Song of the Single Dog,” a new song titled “Isn’t It Just Because You’re Not Good-Looking” took the internet by storm, performed by Bai Qingming, whom netizens affectionately dubbed the “Godfather of Singles.”

Meanwhile, in the same city, Dazed Girl tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The events of the night left her more and more agitated, her chest aching with anger until she couldn’t help but pound the wall a few times.

“What are you doing? Why aren’t you asleep at this hour?” came her mother’s voice.

“It’s nothing, Mom,” Dazed Girl replied meekly.