Chapter 133: The Buzzing of Mosquitoes

"Word on the street is you've been acting pretty cocky lately, Pao-ye! Trying your hand at rap, but just becoming a laughingstock! You start roaring whenever you're stuck in traffic on the Fifth Ring Road; now that you've come to the home turf of 'Infinite,' we're going to keep making you howl in defeat!..."

Pan Ziwen barked this out at Zhang Qiyang in a cool, affected tone.

It was an aggressive challenge.

If it had stopped there, it wouldn't have been entirely out of line. In variety shows like this, picking at an opponent's weaknesses to create entertainment value is common practice. However, given that his target was Pao-ye, it was truly shocking that Pan Ziwen dared to provoke him like this.

Xiao Qiang and Shen Yulin, both seasoned veterans, saw the look in Pan Ziwen’s eyes and knew something was wrong. This bastard was pulling a dirty stunt to grab the spotlight. A very ominous feeling immediately arose in their hearts.

But this wasn't the end. It was merely the beginning of Pan Ziwen's onslaught!

As if deliberately showing off his rapping skills in front of Zhang Qiyang, Pan Ziwen went on for over two minutes, whipping up a miniature rap whirlwind on set! He simply wouldn't stop. He boasted wildly about his own rapping prowess while trashing Zhang Qiyang's as mediocre—he might as well have said Zhang Qiyang’s rapping was like garbage.

Anyone with eyes could see that Pan Ziwen was blatantly provoking Zhang Qiyang.

The sound engineer on set was stunned. Xiao Qiang signaled him several times to cut the music or turn it down to stifle Pan Ziwen’s momentum, but the guy was so bewildered by the relentless flow of Pan’s rap that he couldn't find a gap to cut the track.

Pan Ziwen was fully committed to giving Zhang Qiyang a massive blow right out of the gate! No matter how the staff gestured with "cut" signs or held up cue cards, he ignored them all. He was determined to talk Zhang Qiyang into the ground in one go!

Wang Dawei was usually quick-witted and good at controlling the stage, but he hadn't anticipated this opening move. Caught off guard, he let Pan Ziwen ramble on, finding no opportunity to interrupt.

People like Lu Kai, who didn't care much for Zhang Qiyang, were secretly thrilled to see him take such a harsh hit right from the start! At the same time, they were amazed at "the Mosquito’s" audacity. To snag some fame, he had truly gone all out!

Lü Cheng, watching Pan Ziwen push his luck, felt a vague sense of unease. Pan’s rap was too biting, like throwing chili powder in Zhang Qiyang’s face; if it angered him enough, Zhang Qiyang might just walk off set! Today was their final recording, and Lü Cheng didn't want any trouble. He was just about to step in and interrupt when—

Pan Ziwen started to wind down on his own.

Whether it was because he realized he’d gone too far, or because he was genuinely unnerved, he started stuttering toward the end, as if afraid Zhang Qiyang might hit him. His rap challenge came to a hasty conclusion, but he still took a jab at Zhang Qiyang in his final line: "In today's competition, we will be the winners! From the start of this battle, I'll make sure you can't hold your head up! If you're not convinced, then go ahead... go ahead and roar! You're number one when it comes to volume, but a battle is never won just by being loud. And rap is never just aimless howling, ho-ho!"

The final "ho-ho" sounded like the forced effort of a spent force; his momentum had drained away, far from the overbearing arrogance he’d started with. Throughout the process, he never dared to take off his sunglasses to meet Zhang Qiyang’s gaze. Still, he struck a haughty pose at the end, as if to tell Zhang Qiyang: "That noise of yours is just howling; what I do is called rap!"

After finishing, whether out of guilt or something else, Pan Ziwen let out a dry, awkward laugh and retreated to his team, not daring to get anywhere near Zhang Qiyang.

The atmosphere on set turned incredibly awkward. Everyone was watching Zhang Qiyang, waiting to see if this legendary "Pao-ye" would fly into a rage.

Lu Kai wanted to applaud, but seeing that no one else on the team was cheering, he had to stifle it, offering only two silent claps.

Wang Dawei was absolutely furious! Pan Ziwen was creating a disaster for him! With the situation this tense, how was he supposed to smooth it over? Xiao Qiang, Shen Yulin, and the others were breaking into a cold sweat. Was Pan Ziwen’s brain pinched by a door? Provoking Pao-ye like this! If he blew up, how would they finish the recording?

During the provocation, Xiao Qiang and Shen Yulin had been observing Zhang Qiyang’s reaction. The young master wore a forced, insincere smile—it was hard to tell if he was suppressing anger or just despising the "Mosquito." But it was clear he was in a very foul mood. It felt as if a volcano were about to erupt at any moment!

If Li Xuan hadn't been separated from Zhang Qiyang by several other guests, she would have gone over to advise him not to lose his temper—it wasn't worth it to get worked up over a small-minded person like the Mosquito.

Zhao Lijing, standing right next to Zhang Qiyang, felt her skin crawl the moment Pan Ziwen started his tirade. She was terrified that Zhang Qiyang would explode, but even more annoyed by Pan Ziwen’s pushiness.

Zhao Lijing had been in the industry for over a year and had seen plenty of obnoxious artists—those who would go out of their way to provoke others just to stir up headlines. They were the absolute worst! She hadn't expected Pan Ziwen, who usually played the funny, goofy character, to be one of them. And he was even more despicable! If this stunt caused Zhang Qiyang to blow up and ruined today's recording, every one of them would be affected!

Pan Ziwen was sacrificing everyone else's interests just to manufacture a scandal for himself! It was infuriating!

Zhao Lijing cherished this recording of "Infinite Challenge" and didn't want anything to go wrong. Even though the show was nearing its end and the ratings were pitiful, a strong final episode could still pull in decent numbers. After all, the guests included a super-diva like Li Xuan and the current media sensation, Zhang Qiyang. If this episode were filmed well, the ratings might even break 2 percent! Making a good impression on a show like this would be a massive boost to her career. But now, with Pan Ziwen’s stunt, if he ruined the day, they would all be out of luck!

How could such an annoying person exist in this world?

Zhao Lijing was so angry she clenched her fists. She kept glancing at Zhang Qiyang, praying with all her heart that he wouldn't get angry.

But how could Zhang Qiyang not be angry after being provoked like that? Even if he weren't, the original spirit of this body would be ready to lose it. Chen Ke was right! Participating in this kind of show really did attract idiots looking to stir up trouble. And they started right from the opening! He had never seen such an impatient fool!

Fine.

I'll let you stir up trouble.

I'll let you stir up high-voltage electricity!