49. Ji Fanxing, Who Cannot Be Judged by Appearances

Before the live broadcast began, Ji Fanxing received a few messages and replied to each one.

Hailan: “Fanxing, are you really going live tonight?”
Ji Fanxing: “Yes, you’re welcome to come and support me tonight (happy).”
Chu Hao: “Have you… made up your mind?”
Ji Fanxing: “I have.”
Ning Ze: “See you at eight tonight, don’t be late! (flower petals) (flower petals)”
Ji Fanxing: “Alright! (spinning around)”

At exactly eight in the evening, Ji Fanxing started her live broadcast on time.

This collaboration between DouHand and “King of All Singers” was marked by genuine sincerity; as soon as her stream opened, her room was pushed onto the trending list.

Countless netizens, both those lying in wait and those who stumbled in by chance, flooded her broadcast.

“Eh, is it working now?”

Those who entered the room saw Ji Fanxing’s face, enlarged as she adjusted the camera. Though only half her face was visible, the viewers were instantly struck by her beauty. Her cheeks were like fine jade, the skin so delicate not a single pore could be seen. Her slender nose stood out gracefully, and under the lights her lips were dewy and tinged with red, the corners of her mouth carrying a subtle smile.

That face was truly enchanting, leaving people enthralled.

When Ji Fanxing finally sat back down, everyone noticed that her live stream looked nothing like the others. Behind her, a watercolor painting she’d made herself rested casually on the floor, with a guitar propped up beside it. In front of the camera stood a simple yet tasteful black microphone.

“Hello everyone, I’m Ji Fanxing, a contestant on ‘King of All Singers.’ This is my first live broadcast. If there’s anything you’d like to talk about, feel free to write in the chat.”

By now, the chat was already flooded.

[This girl is so pretty. Is she a new streamer?]
[Wow, it really is Ji Fanxing! So the trending topic was true.]
[How much beauty filter did you use? This looks fake. Turn off the filter, let’s see your real face.]
[You’re dressed way too much, lower your neckline and I’ll send you a big rocket.]

Within just a minute, most viewers were old hands at watching DouHand streams, and the comments grew increasingly inappropriate. Ji Fanxing looked at her phone screen with calm indifference; those vulgar remarks had no effect on her, leaving some viewers feeling defeated.

Some, a bit disgruntled, left the stream.

For a moment, the chat cleared up, but before Ji Fanxing could interact with her audience again, a swarm of haters poured in from nowhere.

[Ji Fanxing, you really have the nerve to go live? Because of you, all the contestants on ‘King of All Singers’ have had their reputations dragged down.]
[Damn, you’ll do anything for money. You don’t deserve the songs you write. Get out of the entertainment industry and stick to being a borderline influencer!]
[Get out of the ‘King of All Singers’ competition! Get out of the public eye!]

Their attacks were organized and aggressive, taking many unsuspecting viewers along with them. The chat instantly turned into a barrage of insults, and those who had left, dissatisfied, returned to join in.

[What?! She’s a celebrity? Amazing, even celebrities are streaming for money now.]
[No wonder she’s pretty. Hey, leave your contact info backstage. If we hit it off, I’ll make you the top supporter.]
[You get praised sky-high online, but do you deserve the efforts of the other contestants on ‘King of All Singers’? How are they supposed to survive in the industry after this?!]

The comments grew more and more vitriolic, as everyone excitedly trampled and belittled Ji Fanxing, whose demeanor was worlds apart from other streamers, as if she were some irredeemable villain.

Ji Fanxing’s eyes deepened with amusement as she read the comments. To be faced with outright insults—another in her place might have broken down at such a start.

But for someone already impervious to all attacks, it meant nothing.

Most of those tuning in at the start were just casual viewers, applying the usual assumptions about live streams to her room. The abuse in the chat flew by rapidly, mixed with a few messages from fans. With her sharp eye, Ji Fanxing even caught a fleeting comment from Ning Ze.

[Damn! May the rumor-mongers’ mouths rot for a hundred years! Fanxing, don’t mind these words!]

Ji Fanxing smiled. Even after being stuck in the mountains so long, Ning Ze’s performance was as steady as ever. She could already imagine Ning Ze furiously firing off comments.

In her previous life, he’d spent a whole night fiercely debating with her haters, only to get himself dragged into trouble in the end…

She no longer insisted on interacting with the audience. In situations like this, saying more only invited worse abuse. Ji Fanxing decided to let her strength speak for itself and silence them, paying no heed to the haters stirring up trouble.

Her singing would be her best defense. Since Ning Ze rarely had internet access, rather than letting these malicious comments ruin his mood, it would be better for him to hear her sing.

She stood to pick up the guitar behind her, preparing to sing and play live.

This movement, however, was misinterpreted by others as a sign of retreat.

At DouHand’s headquarters, in the high-level conference room, the largest central screen projected Ji Fanxing’s live broadcast.

“It looks like it’s not going to work,” the marketing manager said with a frown.

“Yeah.” The low, skeptical voice from earlier remained unconvinced. “Judging by the public sentiment, tonight’s probably a bust.”

After so much discussion, it seemed Ji Fanxing, who’d been trending online for so long, was nothing special.

Seated at the head of the table, Feng Teng took a deep breath and was about to stand and announce the meeting’s end.

This attempt had failed; next time, they’d try a different approach. Maybe they could find some influencers with good reputations for the next session?

“Wait! Someone else just went live!”

Feng Teng’s thoughts were interrupted, and he looked at the screen.

On either side of the main broadcast showing Ji Fanxing, two previously dark sub-screens lit up.

“Hello everyone, I’m Chu Hao, a contestant from the first season of ‘King of All Singers’…”

“Hi, I’m Hailan from the ‘King of All Singers’ program, and I love rock music…”

Chu Hao and Hailan, at the same time, had started their own live streams to interact with viewers.

Everyone present was surprised, and then delighted.

Now, all three of the top contestants from ‘King of All Singers’ were live. Even if Ji Fanxing couldn’t hold the fort, the other two had plenty of appeal.

Especially Chu Hao, who already had a solid fan base. His specialty in rap was perfect for streaming, and years of overseas experience gave him a singing technique far beyond those who merely shouted into the mic.

Everyone settled back in their seats, pinning their hopes on Chu Hao, and marveled at how the producer Liu Qi turned out to be much more capable than he appeared, managing to get the top three on the show to go live.

Not bad at all!

On screen, Chu Hao stood center stage—over six feet tall, broad-shouldered with a narrow waist and long, straight legs. The wildness in his eyes stirred a desire for conquest in those who watched.

Seeing the audience had mostly arrived, he continued:

“I’m here for Ji Fanxing’s sake to take part in this event. Here’s a song, ‘Landscape Scroll,’ for everyone. Hope you’ll support DouHand and ‘King of All Singers.’”

As he finished, the background music began to play…

With just this one sentence, Chu Hao not only made it clear that the live broadcast was a collaboration between “King of All Singers” and DouHand, but also openly stated that he was participating for Ji Fanxing’s sake.

The DouHand executives exchanged bewildered glances—what was going on?

Just then, Hailan spoke up as well.

Clearly unprepared and inexperienced with livestreaming, she looked a little lost. Judging by her expression, her comment section wasn’t exactly friendly either.

But Hailan still persisted in interacting with everyone.

“No, no, Fanxing is wonderful. If it weren’t for her encouragement, I wouldn’t have had the courage to livestream at all…”

It turned out Liu Qi wasn’t the only one who shouldn’t be underestimated—Ji Fanxing, too, was full of surprises!

It wasn’t until then that everyone noticed Ji Fanxing had already sat back down with her guitar in hand.

Her fingers strummed the strings, and notes danced from her fingertips.

“Given the circumstances tonight, I’ll start with a guitar version of ‘Sea of Flowers.’ I hope you all enjoy it.”