"My god… what kind of divine performance was that?!"
No one knew how much time had passed before a single comment suddenly broke the brief silence in the livestream.
"I'm crying! I actually cried!"
"Top Student, did you write this song?"
"Top Student, are you trying to defy the heavens?"
"When is this song getting released?"
"That Gangzi vibe—it really is Gangzi's vibe!"
...
In an instant, the atmosphere reached its peak.
The barrage became so dense that the screen was almost impossible to see.
Zhang Yichen leaned back in his chair, calming himself as he wiped the sweat from his forehead.
In truth, the moment he decided to imitate those singers, he already had a grand plan in mind.
A plan big enough to shake things up.
He wanted to appear on the Spring Festival Gala.
And not alone—he wanted to take Chen Xiaoxi with him.
If this plan succeeded, he was seventy to eighty percent certain he would catch the attention of the Spring Festival Gala production team.
And once they contacted him, he was absolutely confident he could bring Chen Xiaoxi onto that stage.
Of course, the plan was still far from complete.
So he had no intention of telling anyone.
Especially not during the livestream.
After all, if he said it out loud and it failed, wouldn't that be slapping himself in the face?
This wasn't hype marketing.
Hype works because people love watching drama—especially when they can join in.
That kind of hype, he was very good at.
But the Spring Festival Gala was different.
He couldn't rely on hype.
If everything depended on hype, it would only show that he was too utilitarian.
And someone with that kind of reputation would never be invited to the Spring Festival Gala.
Of course, Zhang Yichen didn't deny that he had ambitions.
But his ambitions had never harmed anyone.
So his conscience was clear.
Since hype wouldn't work, he would plan instead.
And the first step of that plan was to cast the bait.
The bait… was the two songs he had just sung.
Now that the bait was in the water, all that remained was to wait for the big fish to bite.
"Family, how was it? Was my performance of Serve the Country with Utmost Loyalty passable?"
Though his words were modest, a confident, proud glint flashed in Zhang Yichen's eyes.
Chen Xiaoxi looked at him with undisguised admiration.
"Ah Chen… you're really… incredible."
Her voice was as light as a breeze, as if she were afraid of disturbing the lingering resonance of the song.
"Top Student, how is that just 'passable'? That was ridiculously overpowered!"
"When is this song releasing? I'll eat one less pack of instant noodles to support you!"
"The guy above is too stingy. One pack of noodles? I'll add a sausage—pure meat."
"I'll add two. Thick ones."
...
Looking at the completely derailed comment section, Zhang Yichen suddenly felt a tightness in his chest.
What kind of demons were these people?
Forget it. No point getting angry—there were important matters to handle.
"Family, I might disappoint you, but I don't plan to release these two songs for now."
"However, I'll upload the replay of this livestream to Xiaoxi's account."
"You can download it, edit it separately, and upload it to your own accounts to gain followers."
"Our company also has editing software—just search for 'Amuse' in the app store."
"Once you're done editing, you can post videos on 'Joy', but videos there can't be monetized directly."
"But that's not a problem. Our company also has an open news and information platform."
"It's called 'Today's Hot Search.' You can post articles, news, or mid-length videos there."
"Posting on 'Today's Hot Search' lets you earn money—earning over ten thousand a month is easy."
"That's all I'll say for now. If you have questions, download the app and try it yourselves."
Taking advantage of the peak popularity, Zhang Yichen smoothly promoted Amuse and Today's Hot Search.
Since their launch, both apps had been completely overshadowed by Joy.
But he wasn't worried.
Gold would always shine eventually.
He had great confidence in both products—especially Today's Hot Search, which had enormous growth potential.
At this moment, the barrage grew even denser, nearly flooding the entire screen.
"Top Student, is everything you said true?"
"Your company is insane! I'm downloading it right now!"
"Top Student, this ad is actually convincing—I want to try it!"
...
Zhang Yichen chuckled softly, a hint of slyness in his eyes.
"Family, this isn't an ad—I'm just trying to help everyone earn some living expenses!"
"Alright, that's it. Today's livestream ends here. Thanks to everyone for watching."
His fingers slid across the mouse, clicking the button to end the livestream.
The room instantly fell silent, leaving only the faint hum of the computer tower.
Zhang Yichen let out a long breath, his body finally relaxing as he sank into the chair.
Standing behind him, Chen Xiaoxi held a cup of warm water and handed it over.
"Drink some water. Your throat must be hoarse." Her voice was gentle and caring.
Zhang Yichen looked up at her, fatigue in his eyes—but also deep satisfaction.
"Thanks." He took the cup, his fingertips brushing against the back of her hand by accident.
The warmth made his heart tremble slightly.
Youth was like this—always hovering at the edge of something unspoken.
After drinking, Zhang Yichen opened the backend data.
"Today's livestream performed really well—far better than I expected."
His tone was calm, but the trace of pride in his eyes couldn't be hidden.
The stream lasted less than two hours, yet total views had already exceeded one hundred million.
During the talent segment alone, donations had surpassed forty million.
The biggest gain, however, was Chen Xiaoxi's album.
It had sold ten million copies.
Not only had Chen Xiaoxi herself never expected this—
Even Zhang Yichen hadn't dared to imagine it.
In the current Chinese music market, the highest album sales record was just over twenty-eight million.
Only five albums had ever exceeded ten million sales.
And now—
Chen Xiaoxi had done it.
If they did a few more livestreams, breaking twenty million wouldn't be impossible.
If nothing unexpected happened, tomorrow's trending list would likely gain several new topics:
Chen Xiaoxi & Zhang Yichen's joint livestream surpasses 100 million views
Chen Xiaoxi & Zhang Yichen donate 40 million in livestream rewards to the Red Cross
Chen Xiaoxi's comeback album sells over 10 million copies in just two hours
Zhang Yichen imitates both a Heavenly King and a Song King—clout-chasing or a calculated move?
Zhang Yichen publicly responds to the "kept man" scandal—he is actually Chen Xiaoxi's manager
All five topics had a strong chance of trending.
And even if they didn't—
Their biggest competition… would still be themselves.