Chapter 174: Live Accompaniment

Chapter 174: Live Accompaniment

"Bai Zhi?!"

"What is going on!"

"A concert guest?"

"This is a lot to process!"

"Let me catch my breath!"

"Just what kind of existence is Fatty Meng!"

"..."

The number of viewers in the livestream soon hit ten thousand, and continued to soar.

In this day and age, celebrity livestreams are hardly a novelty. Across various websites, platforms, and apps, stars frequently appear on camera. After all, we have entered the era of universal broadcasting, and with capital flooding the market, major platforms have the funds to hire celebrities at any moment.

Moreover, livestreams have a market, a following, and they serve to boost popularity and exposure, making many stars quite willing to participate.

However, after the initial novelty wore off and the practice became normalized, even livestreams heavily promoted by stars struggle to attract massive audiences. In the end, it is usually just their own fan base and a handful of casual viewers watching.

The reason is simple: the core of this form of entertainment is interaction. Most celebrities—regardless of their status—find it difficult to drop their guard. Between the carefully crafted personas and the various constraints, they struggle to feel grounded, and the sense of authentic interaction is often lacking. In terms of pure entertainment value, they honestly can't compete with professional streamers.

Of course, there are exceptions—those who are good at gaming, those with down-to-earth personalities, or those who are genuinely blunt and real.

Some time ago, a platform invited a female star to share shopping tips and product recommendations. Many high-net-worth actresses, who usually dress according to their status, recommended clothes and cosmetics worth only a few dozen or hundred yuan, claiming they used them and loved them. It sounded relatable.

Then, suddenly, an actress who admitted she had poor taste in men gave a brutally honest recommendation for six-figure handbags, sharing her philosophy on diamonds: never buy anything under one carat, because "anything under a carat is just a diamond chip" and worthless... Although the viewers might not be able to afford the items, her display of authentic consumer values ended up winning her a massive wave of fans.

That said, after the initial celebrity livestream craze faded, it became quite difficult for stars to gain new fans through this medium. Still, it remains a promotional channel, and since it is not entirely abandoned, many stars continue to participate.

Conversely, the viewers' enthusiasm for celebrity livestreams has cooled significantly.

Interestingly, while viewers often ignore the heavily promoted livestreams from stars, companies, and platforms, the sudden appearance of someone like Bai Zhi in a stream makes them flock to it!

Why?

Spontaneity is one reason. Another is the subconscious belief that such unplanned appearances are more authentic, rather than the result of polished marketing—even if, in reality, there is no difference.

Of course, another crucial reason is that Bai Zhi appeared in "their" territory.

To use an imperfect analogy, it is like having little interest in the activities of a major star, but if even a minor celebrity appears in your hometown, you suddenly pay close attention!

And Bai Zhi is no minor celebrity!

Immediately, everyone began spreading the word, as if they had discovered something monumental.

"Wow, my Goddess Bai! So beautiful!"

"Goddess Bai looks so good in such a simple outfit!"

"Bai Zhi's figure is amazing!"

"Bai Zhi is so pretty even without makeup, her skin is so good!"

"You idiot, that's light makeup, not bare-faced!"

"Sister Bai looks so approachable!"

"Group photo for the memory first!"

"Hey, hey, hey, I just want to know what's going on!"

"How did Bai Zhi find Streamer Meng?"

"It's over, my Fatty Meng can't be kept a secret anymore!"

Bai Zhi had done livestreams before, so she naturally began reading the barrage. She noticed that the comments in Meng Fan's room seemed much more chaotic than her own used to be. Well, chaotic, but also more interesting. After watching for a while, she smiled and said to the viewers: "Yesterday, didn't you guys egg him on to sing? I thought he sang quite well, and my concert happened to be short one guest, and he happened to be in Hangzhou, so I invited him."

"The Goddess has an incredible eye!"

"Does the Goddess watch Boss Meng's stream too?"

"Did Bai Zhi know Fatty Meng from before?"

"Even though you're a goddess, I have to disagree with you saying we 'egged' him on. It was clearly coercion, okay?"

"Is Bai Zhi a fan of Streamer Meng's manga or his sports?"

Seeing that Bai Zhi was willing to interact, the viewers in the room became even more restless.

Over there, Tao Tao finished her rehearsal and walked over to greet Bai Zhi. She had intended to leave, but Bai Zhi pulled her back.

As for Meng Fan, he could go find a cool spot to stay; he wasn't wearing a hat, but his presence was minimal at that moment.

Seeing this, Meng Fan went to the stage. Since the band was free, he might as well rehearse.

He had no experience performing on stage, let alone singing with a live band.

Although he didn't fully understand the difference between live accompaniment and a recorded track, he knew at least that there was one. Singing to a track is usually fine, but coordinating with a band is not necessarily as smooth.

He greeted the band members and honestly admitted he had no stage or band experience. The band seemed to already know, but they remained enthusiastic.

"No worries. I'll run through it first, then I'll tell you when to come in on the drum beat. It's very simple." The band leader was a middle-aged man named Brother Mao. He wasn't bald; in fact, he had plenty of long, black, shiny hair tied in a small ponytail—very stylish.

After one run-through.

Brother Mao coughed lightly: "Uh, how about we go through it again?"

The band members knew Meng Fan was a streamer. Some had even looked up his videos and admitted his voice was good. Because Bai Zhi had mentioned he had no experience, they had mentally prepared themselves, but they hadn't expected... zero foundation. He didn't even know basic music theory!

The rehearsal was, to put it mildly, a struggle.

However, after two more passes, the band members breathed a sigh of relief.

Meng Fan did indeed have zero knowledge of music theory, but his singing ability included several fundamental skills. Beyond range, timbre, pitch, and quality, he possessed a natural sense of rhythm.

If pitch is about matching the note to the band, then musicality is about accurately grasping the melody.

Once Meng Fan became familiar with the accompaniment, he quickly used his musicality to find a rhythm with the band, gradually becoming more in sync, avoiding missed beats or rushing, and firmly locking into the groove.