Chapter 178: No One Wants to Escape

Chapter 178: No One Shall Escape

Huya Platform, Bai Zhi’s concert livestream room.

As Meng Fan’s voice entered the song "A Long-Term Plan," the chat box was instantly flooded with his name, quickly overtaking the entire stream.

When Meng Fan streams now, an audience of one or two hundred thousand is common, and his follower count has already surpassed eight hundred thousand. Having spent the last few days promoting this concert, his loyal fans from the eight stations naturally flocked here to show their support.

Even if not all eight hundred thousand showed up, twenty thousand was a conservative estimate.

These fans had all heard him sing and knew he would be performing this piece. Once his voice rang out, they went absolutely wild.

With over five million viewers in the livestream, twenty thousand might seem like a drop in the bucket, but their concentrated barrage of comments was formidable.

"Fatty Meng is here!"

"Voice confirmed, it’s the fatty!"

"Boss Meng’s voice is damn good!"

"Boss Meng 666!"

"Legendary!"

"He’s out! Hahaha, I knew our Fatty Meng couldn't stay hidden—look at that tonnage!"

"He’s clearly not fat anymore, okay?"

"He’s actually looking a bit handsome!"

Seeing the chat suddenly hijacked by Meng Fan’s name, most of the regular viewers were baffled. Who was this "Boss Meng"? They’d never heard of him, yet he seemed incredibly popular.

Of course, some were already aware of him. Lately, every "inside scoop" regarding Bai Zhi’s concert seemed tied to Meng Fan; it was impossible to avoid. Some had even looked him up, discovering his world record for the seven-ball basketball arcade game—whatever that was—his run from Hangzhou to Shanghai, his reputation as a "concert smile maniac," and his artistic talents.

"Damn, a basketball arcade player who sings this well?"

"Isn't this streamer an artist?"

"He’s the one who adapted 'Spirits Underground' into a manga!"

"His voice is so charming!"

"Are all streamers this versatile now?"

"He sings really well!"

"Is this lip-syncing?"

"…He cracked! Definitely not lip-syncing!"

"That crack was so soul-shattering, hahahahaha!"

"I’m dying of laughter!"

"This is the most beautiful voice I’ve heard all year, bar none!"

"You’re the champion of The Voice of China this year!"

"666!"

The audience was there for the spectacle, and with Meng Fan’s soul-shattering voice crack, the chat was filled with ridicule and jeers.

Naturally, there were insults, too.

On stage, Bai Zhi was stunned by the sound. She instinctively sang a few more lines, but her voice wavered. It was as if she’d been struck by a laughing spell she couldn't suppress. Soon, laughter bled into her singing. Barely managing to finish her lines, she lowered her microphone and turned away to laugh as Meng Fan’s turn approached.

The audience couldn't see her face, but everyone saw her shoulders shaking.

What could Meng Fan do? He was desperate!

He didn't know why his voice had cracked. Perhaps the intimate eye contact or holding hands had rattled him, but the primary reason was likely his lack of stage experience.

Seeing Bai Zhi turn away to laugh, Meng Fan wished he could pull his hat down to hide.

It was his turn.

Meng Fan closed his eyes tight; he wouldn't dare look at the audience for anything.

After he sang a few lines, it was Bai Zhi’s turn again. She tried to compose herself, turned back, and saw Meng Fan with his eyes squeezed shut. She lost it completely, dropped her mic, and burst into laughter. She reached out to swat him, signaling for him to cover her parts while she laughed it out.

Meng Fan hesitated, but dutifully continued. It was a total train wreck, but he couldn't just stop. In his haste, he didn't crack, but he missed the beat, then went off-key. Perhaps his "Presence" stat was playing some metaphysical trick, but as he stumbled, he dragged the live band off-tempo with him.

Once the band lost the beat, Meng Fan couldn't continue. After forcing out two more lines, he lowered his mic and looked around, only to find that not only was Bai Zhi laughing, but the band and the audience were, too.

Laugh, laugh, laugh!

Go ahead and laugh!

No one shall escape!

What could he do? He held his microphone to his chest like a prayer and flashed a smile.

Truth be told, Meng Fan had no "malicious intent" for this concert. He had intended to sing earnestly. As for the "concert killer" mission or his infamous smile, he hadn't even thought about them.

But now, with the disaster at this stage, the only way out seemed to be leaning into his infectious grin.

Hopefully, once everyone was laughing hysterically, they’d forget about his cracked notes and off-key singing.

Meng Fan decided that if he was going to commit, he wouldn't rely on his smile alone—he’d unleash the full power of his voice, too. He raised the mic and said, "I didn't want this to happen."

Then, he joined the crowd in a silly, infectious chuckle that rang out clearly and piercingly through the speakers.

The result was inevitable: the scene from Su Qingcen’s Shanghai concert replayed at Bai Zhi’s show!

The venue erupted in laughter, and the livestream went wild.

"He’s insane, hahahaha!"

"It’s here! The legendary toxic smile!"

"Is he doing this on purpose?"

"He did this at Brother Shan Jin’s concert, and now here! Being funny is useless, hahahaha!"

"Today’s dose of joy acquired!"

"Damn, I’m laughing until I’m crying!"

"This guy is toxic!"

"It’s ruined! A perfectly good concert, ruined!"

"..."

Backstage, Su Qingcen, who had been touching up her makeup, clutched her head, her body convulsing with laughter. "I knew it! Hahahaha, I knew it!"

She struggled to stand, walked to the side of the stage, opened WeChat to Meng Caiwei’s profile, and started recording the scene. Her hands were shaking, her voice trembling as she narrated: "Sister Wei, your brother is truly toxic! The vibe of Bai Zhi’s concert has completely gone off the rails!"

She hit send.

A minute later, Meng Fan finally reined in his laughter. Ten seconds after that, the audience’s laughter began to subside, though those with a lower threshold were still wheezing.

"Ding! Completed 'Concert Killer' stage two; Reward: 100 points, Presence +1, Camera Presence +1, Singing Skill +1."

A prompt echoed in Meng Fan’s mind.

The lethality of the "Concert Killer" was a comprehensive score based on the degree of disruption caused to the concert. The system only calculated this once per hour. It must have sensed the laughter dying down and concluded the damage had peaked.

The final score: 97!

Having accrued the lethal impact from Su Qingcen’s last concert, the total damage surpassed one hundred points, instantly completing the second phase.

(End of chapter)