Chapter 21

"You've got to be kidding!" Yao Liangsheng could no longer hold it in. "Aren't you deliberately trying to scam us?"

"How is that a scam?" Cheng Lang looked innocently at the two Yao brothers.

"You deliberately provoked us, waited until my fellow disciples couldn't hold back and hit you, then went straight to the hospital. You accused us of intentional assault and demanded compensation. You even wanted my fellow disciples to pay you a hundred million. Isn't that extortion?"

Cheng Lang suddenly understood. "So deliberately going to provoke someone, waiting for them to retaliate because they can't hold back, then claiming you were hurt and demanding compensation—that's called extortion!"

Yao Liangsheng and Yao Liangjing exchanged glances, suddenly feeling that something was off.

Cheng Lang said with a grin, "Then what do you call deliberately going to provoke someone, waiting for them to retaliate because they can't hold back, getting hurt because you weren't skilled enough, but not asking for compensation?"

For a moment, the stage and the audience fell silent. Then everyone caught on.

"Good!"

"Well said!"

"What a brilliant punchline!"

Not only had he landed the punchline, he had also given the Yao brothers a warning with a few sharp blows. Then again, Grand View Stage and White Jade Capital had always been two separate worlds that kept out of each other's way. Just because some guests who had gone to support them had said a few things, Grand View Stage's crosstalk performers had come to White Jade Capital to "seek instruction." Put mildly, it was an exchange across professions. Put harshly, it was crashing the venue. Fortunately, Cheng Lang was quick with his tongue and managed to handle it.

Otherwise, things really would have turned awkward today.

The Yao brothers had figured it out by now too. Cold sweat broke out all over them.

Cheng Lang hugged his guitar and smiled. "I'm very grateful to these two guests for helping set the stage for me tonight. But I'm really not a crosstalk performer. I'm a resident singer who makes a living off his face..."

Cheng Lang paused slightly, waiting for the guests below to heckle him for being shameless. Instead, someone in the crowd suddenly shouted, "Our Langlang doesn't rely on his face—he relies on talent!"

In an instant, others eagerly joined in. "That's right. Our Langlang relies on talent!"

Chapter 21

"It was too noisy—I didn't hear you clearly!" Startled by the enthusiasm of the guests below, Cheng Lang cupped a hand to his ear. "What did you just say?"

"We said you conquered the audience with your talent," the guests below repeated enthusiastically.

"...I never imagined that my image in everyone's hearts would be so lofty!" Cheng Lang hugged his guitar and remarked bashfully. "To be honest, ever since I was little, people have paid more attention to this face of mine than to me myself. It once gave me the illusion that my talent had been obscured by my looks. Who would've thought that everyone here would have such discerning eyes? As expected of the best in every profession—you were all able to discover my astonishing talent beneath my peerless beauty—"

"It wasn't easy!" The guests below could no longer take it and interrupted Cheng Lang's self-praise. "Digging out that talent of yours from beneath your astonishingly thick skin took all we had."

"Good!" Thunderous applause and cheers immediately erupted throughout the bar. Clearly, everyone had been thoroughly disgusted by Cheng Lang's previous speech.

The band members onstage were too embarrassed to laugh out loud. Each of them clutched their stomachs and bent over as though they had switched on vibration mode.

Cheng Lang's heartfelt speech came to an abrupt halt. He looked helplessly at the audience below.

"Can't you give me a little face?" Cheng Lang said sadly. "Can't you see someone's trying to crash the venue? They're the star performer of White Jade Capital, after all. They need to save face too!"

"You have one of those?" Wang stood below the stage with his arms crossed and asked in great surprise, "Didn't you say you were going to conquer White Jade Capital by being shameless?"

The guests below burst into laughter, laughing so hard their eyes nearly watered.

Cheng Lang looked at Wang and could not help asking, "How many days have you been holding that one in?"

Wang answered frankly, "A gentleman's revenge can wait ten years."

Cheng Lang shook his head with a wistful look. "Before my venture is even halfway done, I'm already beset by troubles from within and without. As expected, only mediocre people escape jealousy!"

Wang: "..."

The guests below slapped their thighs and cheered wildly. Even at a time like this, he never forgot to seize every opportunity to hype himself up. His skin truly was unbelievably thick.

"At this very moment, I have a song I'd like to dedicate to myself." After joking around for so long, Cheng Lang took the chance to steer the topic back on track. But before he could announce the song title, a guest below interrupted him again—

"Men Cry, It's Not a Crime!"

Cheng Lang looked speechlessly at that guest. "Why is it you again? Brother, do you have a special fondness for songs like this? If there's anything making you unhappy, you can tell me—"

"You want to comfort me?" the guest asked.

"Not really." Cheng Lang shook his head. "I just want to hear how you're unhappy, so I can be happy for a bit."

The guest: "..."

Amid the bar patrons' laughter, the guest who insisted on requesting that song every night said, "I'm not unhappy about anything. I just think this song suits you especially well."

Before he had even finished speaking, the man turned his head toward a female guest sitting not far away. "Wouldn't you agree, Lü?"

Lü smiled at Cheng Lang, took a sip of her drink, and said casually, "He's not even a man yet!"

"Eee!" The guests below started heckling again. Someone could not help chiming in, "Does Lü want to turn our Langlang into a man?"

Lü smiled and took over, "I do have that intention."

After a pause, she added, "Unfortunately, he can't do it!"

"Eee!" The moment those words came out, the heckling below grew even louder.

Cheng Lang hugged his guitar and trembled. When it came to this domineering female CEO who had always wanted to turn him from a boy into a man, Cheng Lang truly did not want to provoke her.

"Let me sing everyone a song!" Cheng Lang held strong against the jeers from those troublemakers. "Here's Cold Wind Blows." To cool you all down.