Wang Chen looked toward the audience and said solemnly, "Even if I don't announce the final results, I'm sure you all know who scored higher, right?"
Wang Chen finished speaking.
The live chat filled with one name: Gu Luosheng.
Only a handful said Gu Luoxi, and they were clearly biased.
"Then I hereby declare Gu Luosheng the winner by a landslide in this singing showdown!"
A landslide meant Gu Luoxi hadn't even come close. Her performance hadn't been worth watching.
"A well-deserved victory!" Even the host was beside herself with excitement.
Gu Luosheng's song had won everyone's hearts.
"Host." Gu Luoxi coughed twice, signaling for her to watch herself. She was supposed to be the star of this show. What on earth were these people doing?
The host pressed a hand to her lips, looking a little embarrassed.
"Xixi, you certainly have some talent, but you're nowhere near Shengsheng's level!" The host gazed at Gu Luosheng with stars in her eyes. Clearly, she was now Gu Luosheng's number-one fangirl.
"Ms. Gu Luoxi, we even turned off the accompaniment earlier, and you still couldn't beat Shengsheng. Why don't you just admit you're not as good as she is?" Even the staff handling the background music couldn't stand it anymore and spoke up for Gu Luosheng.
They could all see who was better. They couldn't just lie through their teeth.
Gu Luoxi's expression turned utterly sour.
"This... must be fake! She's lip-syncing!" The moment the thought occurred to Gu Luoxi, she blurted out, "Yes, she must be lip-syncing! Have you forgotten that Gu Luosheng is tone-deaf? Her singing sounds like ghosts wailing!"
"Heh." Wang Chen laughed at that. "No one else can sing this song of mine. Where do you think she'd find someone to record it for her? You lost. Stop making excuses."
Gu Luoxi looked livid.
She refused to believe someone tone-deaf could sing such an earth-shattering song, but just as Wang Chen had said, no one else had ever managed to sing it.
Gu Luosheng stepped forward. "A bet's a bet. You said earlier that if you lost, first, you'd kneel and apologize to me, and second, you'd give everyone here a hundred yuan."
"Are you insane?" Gu Luoxi stared at Gu Luosheng, her face ashen.
Gu Luosheng spread her hands. "I'm not insane. You're the one who promised. If you don't believe me, roll the footage."
After Gu Luosheng said that, the host actually had those earlier remarks edited into a clip and played it on the spot.
-If you can sing this song well, I'll kneel right here and apologize for what I said earlier.
-How about whoever scores lower gives the fans here a little treat? A transfer of a hundred yuan each.
Those two lines played on a loop.
The corners of Gu Luosheng's lips lifted slightly.
"One thing at a time. First, kneel and apologize. Then make the transfers."
"Gu Luosheng, don't push your luck!" Gu Luoxi's eyes widened, and she started toward Gu Luosheng.
Suddenly, something tripped her. With a thud, she dropped straight to her knees in front of Gu Luosheng.
"Oh my, Ms. Xixi! I was only joking. Why did you actually kneel?" As she spoke, Gu Luosheng rummaged around for a while before taking out a red envelope. "I won't make you kneel for nothing. Here's a red envelope. Keep it safe. You might need it later."
-That was one smooth kneel.
-Hahaha, is this part of the show? This is hilarious!
-Gu Luoxi was so arrogant earlier. She deserves to kneel and apologize now.
-What a slap in the face. Are variety shows all this wild these days?
-Mom, I'm watching a dating show, not a comedy show! Ahahahaha! But I honestly love it.
-Xixi, get up! You can't kneel to some washed-up nobody. She doesn't deserve it!
Gu Luoxi gritted her teeth. She hadn't meant to kneel, but she had no idea who had tripped her.
Beside her, the host kept her eyes lowered and her expression innocent. This had absolutely nothing to do with her.
"Now that you've knelt, Ms. Xixi, don't forget to give everyone here a hundred yuan each." Gu Luosheng blinked and offered another reminder.
Gu Luoxi glanced at the viewer count. It was climbing faster than her heartbeat.
Gu Luoxi nearly fainted.
How many billions would that cost?
Gu Luoxi's face cycled through every color of the rainbow.
[Ding! Host, ten billion yuan has been credited to your account. You may distribute fan rewards on Gu Luoxi's behalf, but you must humiliate her!]
Holy shit!
Gu Luosheng's heart raced, and her hands trembled with excitement.
Ten billion!!!
Oh my God, I'm rich.
[The funds may only be used for fan rewards. You cannot pocket them.]
Gu Luosheng: ...
The little flame of excitement that had just sparked went out with a poof.
Gu Luoxi cleared her throat.
"Ms. Xixi, if you don't want to hand out these ten billion yuan, that's fine. Just do three things, and I'll cover the remaining money for you. How does that sound?" Gu Luosheng said unhurriedly.
"Huh?" Gu Luoxi raised her head as though she had heard something outrageous. "You? Ha! A girl from some mountain backwater has money?"
"That's none of your concern. You only get one chance. Do you agree?"
Gu Luoxi narrowed her eyes and sneered. Gu Luosheng was asking for this!
"Fine. I agree to do three things. Once I've done them, the responsibility for giving everyone a hundred yuan automatically falls to you." Gu Luoxi's lips curved upward. She had embarrassed herself in the singing contest, but she would soon turn things around.
There was no way Gu Luosheng could come up with ten billion yuan!
Gu Luosheng looked perfectly at ease. "Here comes the first thing."
"How about you do ten laps around the venue while barking like a dog? Make it convincing. If the livestream viewers say it doesn't sound right, it won't count." Gu Luosheng pressed her tongue against her lower jaw, found a chair, and sat down with her legs crossed, radiating authority.
Gu Luoxi's face flushed red with humiliation. "Gu Luosheng, are you doing this on purpose?"
Gu Luosheng smiled. "You figured it out. You're right, I am doing it on purpose. It's just to give everyone a laugh. Can you do it? If not, forget it. You can pay the ten billion yourself."
"Wait... wait. I agree." Gu Luoxi gritted her teeth so hard they nearly cracked.
But when she thought of how Gu Luosheng wouldn't be able to pay those ten billion yuan, she endured it.
At first, Gu Luoxi let out a couple of stiff, awkward barks.
-Hahaha, barking like a dog! Shengsheng is hilarious.
-What a little genius. Only Shengsheng could come up with this.
-That doesn't sound like a dog.
-Not even close. Do it again.
Gu Luosheng sighed. "Ms. Xixi, everyone says it doesn't sound right. You need to kneel, put both hands on the floor, and bark as you hop along."
Gu Luosheng even coached her from the sidelines.
Gu Luoxi lowered her head, her face so red it looked ready to bleed.
Yet she offered no resistance at all. Following Gu Luosheng's instructions, she forced herself to complete ten laps around the stage.
Meanwhile, the livestream chat looked as though everyone was walking a dog. The entire screen was filled with:
Woof, woof, woof...
When Gu Luoxi finally got up, she collapsed onto the floor, no longer caring about her image.
But Gu Luosheng had no intention of letting her off.
This... was exactly what Gu Luoxi deserved.
"The second condition." Gu Luosheng parted her red lips, a wicked smile curling at their corners. "How about taking off your makeup in front of everyone?"
Before you continue