Chapter 156: Just Asking You Guys If He's Handsome

Chapter 156: Just Tell Me, Am I Handsome?

The group took turns hailing taxis, leaving Meng Fan for last. As for ordering dinner, that was naturally left to Chen Daqiang.

Meng Fan still held his phone, which Qu Jingjing had just handed back to him; the livestream was still ongoing.

Although the Hangzhou leg of the CGL Basketball Championship had concluded, the enthusiasm in the chat room remained high. The viewer count was still substantial, with many refusing to log off, all waiting for Meng Fan.

It was much like the end of a major tournament: one watches their favorite athlete win the championship, witnesses the crowning moment, and sees the trophy presentation—only the post-game interview remains.

Well, this was their interview, not the reporters’.

Regardless, they were all eager to hear a word from Meng Fan, the creator of a brand-new world record. Even if many had never heard of this record before today, it did nothing to dampen their fervor.

If someone else broke a world record, those with a sense of collective pride might get excited, post a status, or share a link just to join the hype. But Meng Fan was different. Though few in the chat had met him in the flesh, they felt as though he were one of their own.

Many followers had been there from the start—from his painting streams to his runs, his jog from Hangzhou to Shanghai, and his arcade basketball sessions. In their minds, or perhaps subconsciously, they had walked this path alongside him. In a sense, it was not unlike the relationship between idol groups and their fans.

To put it plainly, they had watched, trolled, picked, supported, and tipped this streamer. To go deeper, Meng Fan carried a piece of their own dreams.

If you didn’t have a dream of painting, or at least a desire to possess that skill, would you watch a painting stream?

If you didn’t see in Meng Fan—the man who ran from Hangzhou to Shanghai—the perseverance you craved for yourself, would you follow him as if he were a television series?

If you… well, surely there were some just there for the spectacle.

Of course, one could argue that there are plenty of spectacles in this world, so why choose this one? Perhaps because the lines he drew were beautiful, or because of some other hook.

In short, when Meng Fan reappeared on screen, the viewers erupted, and the chat was flooded with praise and emojis.

"Hello everyone, I… I… I… seem to be lagging a bit. I’m going to restart."

Meng Fan took the phone, intending to chat for a while. He knew from Qu Jingjing that everyone had been waiting, and he had caught glimpses of the virtual screen—the gifts were pouring in. However, the unscrupulous streamer also noticed that his "Livestream Expert" achievement had reached 9.93 million total views, just 70,000 shy of the 10 million required for the fourth stage.

Those 70,000 views… with the stream about to end and few new viewers arriving, Meng Fan was desperate to finish the task. What to do?

Heh, log off and restart!

If Meng Fan ended the stream and started it again, the viewers would naturally refresh or re-enter. That in-and-out traffic would send the view count soaring.

To do this constantly would be an insult to his fans, but once in a while, they should understand… right?

Before ending the stream, there were nearly 200,000 people online. After a refresh, not everyone would return, but keeping 180,000 was a certainty.

They had waited this long; surely they wouldn't mind a quick re-entry?

"Ding!"

When the viewer count hit 70,000, a notification chimed in Meng Fan’s mind: total views had reached 10 million. He had completed the fourth stage of "Livestream Expert," earning 1,000 points and +1 Charm.

To date, the four stages of the achievement had granted him +4 Charm.

He now had 3,945 points, and he had already redeemed every piece of "black technology" from his triggered tasks, save for the microphone under the "Concert Killer" set.

Meng Fan ignored the surplus points; having them was better than not, and he had a vague intuition that they would come in handy eventually, though he didn't know when.

Meng Fan turned the camera toward himself. Looking at his own charming reflection on screen, he couldn't help but chuckle. He addressed the chat: "Just tell me, am I handsome?"

"Do you have no shame?"

Amidst a sea of comments that looked like a black-market organ trade, a few "traitors" emerged.

"Handsome!"

"Damn handsome!"

"Handsome enough to slap me in the face!"

"Are you sure you aren't slapping us in the face?"

"Look at the Monk, where is that thief?"

The viewers naturally assumed Meng Fan was asking if he looked handsome after breaking the world record. Only a small fraction had accidentally answered his actual question.

"Stop messing around, I genuinely think Meng Fatty is looking better and better!"

"Damn, this fatty really is a hidden gem. Once he loses weight, his looks just skyrocket!"

"What do I do? I used to like Meng Fatty for his talent, but now I’m starting to like his looks!"

"In the end, I’ve become a shallow person!"

The +1 Charm effect was effective. Since it wasn't a specific change to his facial features, everyone interpreted it as a shift in his aura or temperament after winning the championship, or perhaps they subconsciously felt their own perception of him had changed.

Indeed, a person’s charm is often a layering of halos—social status and temperament are part of that, and Meng Fan’s world record was clearly one such halo.

Da Fei, the hat-wearing man Ye Xiaoan, and Brother Pao had also been invited to dinner. Now, as they walked with Meng Fan, they heard him ask the chat if he was handsome and were left speechless.

This guy had just broken a world record—shouldn't he be a bit humble?

He was in front of hundreds of thousands of people!

Even if breaking a record was exciting, one usually becomes more modest in such moments, playing it cool to be more likable.

But not this guy; he went straight to showing off. Yet, somehow, he still seemed grounded. It was baffling.

After asking if he was handsome, Meng Fan added, "I will continue to be handsome," and then ended the stream.

The three men exchanged glances, while the viewers, staring at the black screen, were equally bewildered.

Had Meng Fatty become this brazen?

Hahaha, it seemed quite interesting!

Shameless, yet strangely likable!

Meng Fan put his phone away just as a taxi pulled up. He looked at the stunned trio and said, "Stop staring. Even if you stare, you can’t copy my handsomeness."

He opened the passenger door and gestured for them to hurry up.

Once inside, the three of them gave Meng Fan the middle finger, holding it up all the way to the Waterfront Restaurant, leaving the driver to cast several desperate, pleading glances at Meng Fan.