In the livestream studio.
"???"
"Damn, is this even human language?"
"God forbid, losing your life's direction, is this the trouble of having too big a house, too many houses?"
"Eating hot pot every day, longing for the taste of home-cooked dishes, I actually find it quite reasonable..."
"Heaven! I wish I had such troubles!"
"No kidding, hearing his words, I, a poor nobody, inexplicably felt moved, can you believe it?"
"But why would he say it so seriously, could it really be his true feelings?"
"Damn, he played it off!"
"Although I know he's pretending, I feel he's so real..."
"..."
...
Shuangqing City.
Gong Shixiong Hot Pot Headquarters.
Gong Youcai sat in the conference room.
Looking at Gong Juren on the projector.
Pride and guilt washed over him.
He was the founder of Gong Shixiong Hot Pot, and the founder of such a large commercial empire found his eyes welling up at this moment.
Below, the company's executives looked at him with complex expressions, daring not to speak.
After a long while, Gong Youcai sighed softly.
"So, Juren had so many worries since he was young. I, as a father, didn't do a good job..."
His tone was full of guilt.
Those below were first stunned, then their foreheads broke out in black lines.
What did that mean?
After the son pretended, the father was going to pretend too?
"Chairman, please don't say that. Young Master didn't blame you just now..."
"That's right, Chairman, Young Master is a big star now, you should be proud."
The executives collectively cooperated.
And hurriedly persuaded him.
"I know Juren doesn't blame me, but I blame myself."
"Thinking back, it was indeed my fault for not doing enough. I neglected his feelings since he was a child, making him not feel the warmth of home, and even... not even a single home-cooked meal!"
As he spoke, Gong Youcai patted the table with frustration.
He lowered his head and sighed repeatedly.
"Chairman, this is not your fault. You sacrificed your family for the greater good. To allow so many of us to eat, you neglected your child's education. This is everyone's responsibility!"
The head of the business department suddenly stood up and said righteously.
After he finished speaking.
There was a brief silence in the room.
Then everyone looked at him with confused expressions.
Gradually, they understood.
As expected of someone in business.
What a sycophant...
"Sacrificing family for the greater good... Xiao Yang, your words have touched my heart. Juren has been with you all these years and has learned a lot. You've worked hard, and your year-end bonus will be doubled this year!"
Gong Youcai's self-blame instantly disappeared.
He even started smiling happily.
Well, it turns out I'm so great.
Sacrificing family for the greater good.
Yes, that's exactly right.
"Heh heh, thank you, Chairman!"
The head of the business department's face lit up with joy.
Facing the envious glances of everyone, he continued, "I suggest that at the company's annual meeting this year, Young Master and Chairman sing a song together. This will not only increase their father-son bond but also allow our employees to hear Young Master's beautiful singing voice."
After he finished speaking, everyone exclaimed.
How did this guy think of such a good idea, and we didn't?
This guy beat us to it again!
"Haha, this suggestion is excellent. I'll leave this matter to you. If you handle it well, your year-end bonus will be super-doubled!"
Gong Youcai laughed heartily and immediately made a decision.
His son had become a star now, so of course, he wanted to show off at his own company.
Moreover, he could also increase his relationship with his son. It was a win-win situation!
"Don't worry, I'll get it done!"
The head of the business department patted his chest with conviction.
Adding a performance to the annual meeting wasn't that difficult.
This year-end bonus was practically free!
After he sat down, the executives all gave him a thumbs-up.
They had to admit, the super-doubled bonus was earned through sheer sycophancy!
...
On stage.
The applause lasted for a minute.
Before gradually subsiding.
At this time, the host, gritting his teeth and twitching his lips, walked onto the stage.
"Ahem... Since contestant Gong Juren has finished his introduction, let's officially begin today's finals!"
Sour!
The entire venue was filled with a strong sense of sourness.
And Gong Juren's opponent, Ah Shen, looked dejected.
What was the point of competing anymore?
Not to mention that the other party's song was written by Ting Yu.
Just based on his pretentious self-introduction just now, even if he won the championship, what of it?
Was the championship still important?
From the moment he was born, he had already lost...
...
In the finals, there were only the two of them.
After the competition, there would be a encore performance by previous singers.
The first to perform was singer Ah Shen.
He stood in the center of the stage, looking a bit awkward.
The psychological pressure was too great.
However, after a brief adjustment with deep breaths, he gritted his teeth and nodded at the accompanist.
"Music!"
He snapped his fingers.
He took off his jacket.
Revealing a black turtleneck sweater and overalls.
The music began!
An assistant tossed a basketball to him from the side.
He caught it and made a cool gesture.
Then, he started dribbling skillfully between his legs!
Next, he made a beautiful turn and tossed the basketball away.
The music was approaching its climax.
"Ji Ni Tai Mei!"
As the rhythm picked up, he began to dance!
...
Silence.
The expected cheers and screams did not appear.
The audience below remained silently indifferent.
Logically speaking, even if the song wasn't good, the audience would still give face and at least shout a few times.
However, at this moment, the audience had not yet recovered from Gong Juren's pretentious self-introduction and were still pondering the logic of his words.
But the more they thought about it, the more they found the logic sound; there was nothing wrong with what he said.
It was truly bizarre...
So no matter how hard Ah Shen tried, he couldn't get a response from the audience.
Gradually, his singing began to carry a hint of tears.
It had to be said, compared to his previous dry rap, this version had more emotion.
Finally.
He finished singing the song.
His face was already wet.
It was impossible to tell if it was tears or sweat, but it no longer mattered.
He walked off the stage without any lingering thoughts.
This stage was not worth staying on!
...
"Th-thank you to our student Ah Kun for this wonderful solo performance. Next, please welcome Gong Juren to the stage!"
The host cast a sympathetic glance at Ah Shen's retreating back, then turned to Gong Juren and said enthusiastically.
Roar!
When Gong Juren walked onto the stage.
A thunderous roar of cheers erupted from below!
"Ah! Lao Gong!"
"So handsome!"
"Lao Gong! I'm your die-hard fan!"
"Lao Gong is truly approachable!"
"Should be 'yi biao ren cai'!" (A play on words: 'yi biao' sounds like 'rich', and 'ren cai' means talent.)
"Damn, you gold diggers only have eyes for money. I'm different, I admire my husband's wealth and talent!"
"If Lao Gong doesn't win the championship, I'll be the first to object!"
"..."
Ah Shen, who had just stepped off the stage, was startled by the sudden cheers.
After a pause, he shook his head and sighed.
As if lamenting the unfairness of fate, or perhaps lamenting his bad luck.
"Champion?"
"Heh heh..."
This light chuckle conveyed a profound sense of desolation...
...