Chapter Twenty-Nine: Utterly Defeated

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The staff around them began whispering among themselves as well, and the tide had clearly turned in Han Lishan’s favor.

After all, a figure of 3.75 million was no laughing matter.

“Three million seven hundred and fifty thousand! My God, Teacher Han is about to take off!”

“Exactly! Those numbers are absolutely outrageous! Cheng Ziqiu is probably finished this time.”

“Tsk, tsk. Young people are always too cocky. Looks like he’s finally kicked an iron wall.”

Han Lishan was basking in the joy of victory.

With an arrogant air, he walked up to Cheng Ziqiu, wearing the smile of a winner.

“Master Cheng, I concede the round! Looks like experience really does count for something!”

Cheng Ziqiu remained unmoved, merely smiling faintly.

“Teacher Han, don’t forget that my numbers haven’t been released yet.”

The smile on Han Lishan’s face froze for a moment before he let out a disdainful snort.

“Keep pretending! Go ahead and keep pretending! Let’s see how long you can keep it up!”

Chen Churan’s delicate brows drew together, and a hint of worry appeared in her beautiful eyes.

Han Lishan’s figures had indeed made her heart tighten.

More than 3.7 million was no small amount.

Although she trusted Cheng Ziqiu’s abilities, the situation before them was undeniably unfavorable.

Chen Churan could not help but worry for him.

Could this guy really end up capsizing in a shallow ditch?

Without showing it, she walked over to Cheng Ziqiu and asked in a low voice, “Ziqiu, are you confident? Han Lishan’s numbers look terrifying.”

At her words, Cheng Ziqiu turned his head and gave her a reassuring look.

“Don’t worry, President Chen. This is only the beginning. The real show is still to come.”

Seeing the two of them whispering to each other, Han Lishan grew even more pleased with himself.

He cleared his throat and raised his voice.

“Cheng Ziqiu, I think you can stop putting on an act. Three million seven hundred and fifty thousand isn’t something that can be surpassed casually. If you admit defeat now, I can still save you some face.”

Cheng Ziqiu gave a light laugh, a trace of mockery in his eyes.

“Teacher Han, your provocation is rather clumsy, isn’t it? When have I, Cheng Ziqiu, ever been afraid of a challenge? Until the numbers are out, no one knows who will win or lose!”

“Fine! Fine! Fine!”

Han Lishan laughed in fury, repeating the word three times.

“Then let me see what you’re really capable of, Master Cheng!”

At that moment, the young man from the analytics team stepped onto the stage again and began compiling Cheng Ziqiu’s figures.

The next second, the analyst’s eyes widened as he stared fixedly at the numbers on the screen.

He instinctively rubbed his eyes and checked again, but the numbers remained unchanged.

The analyst’s ghost-stricken expression made Chen Churan even more uneasy.

Could Cheng Ziqiu’s numbers be terrible?

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So terrible that even the analyst had been frightened senseless?

Chen Churan’s heart lurched, and a chill shot from the soles of her feet straight to the crown of her head.

No way. Had this guy really gone too far and messed everything up?

With that thought, Chen Churan hurried over to the analyst.

“Xiao Li, what’s wrong with the figures? Is there a problem with the system?”

The analyst came back to himself and pointed, trembling, at Cheng Ziqiu’s livestream figures on the screen before him.

“President Chen, you’d better see for yourself.”

Puzzled, Chen Churan stepped forward.

The moment she saw the screen, she drew in a sharp breath, covered her mouth, and stood rooted to the spot.

The surrounding staff craned their necks, eager to find out how Cheng Ziqiu’s figures had turned out.

Han Lishan, meanwhile, stood with his arms crossed, looking smug and superior.

He was convinced that Cheng Ziqiu and Chen Churan were putting on an act.

In his eyes, earnings of 3.75 million were already an insurmountable peak.

“Keep pretending. Let’s see how long you two can keep it up!”

Han Lishan curled his lip disdainfully.

He decided to see for himself what exactly the two of them were scheming.

With measured steps, Han Lishan sauntered over to the analyst and cast an apparently casual glance at the screen.

The next second, the smile froze on his face.

His pupils suddenly widened. He involuntarily staggered back two steps and nearly collapsed onto the floor.

“This… this… this is impossible!”

Seeing Han Lishan in the same state, the staff could no longer contain themselves.

“Xiao Li, hurry! Put it on the big screen!”

The analyst, Xiao Li, fumbled through the controls.

On the enormous screen, a set of glaring red numbers stabbed into everyone’s eyes.

8.88 million!

Silence.

A deathly silence in which one could hear a pin drop.

Everyone stood there dumbfounded, frozen as if their pressure points had been sealed.

Even the sound of breathing seemed to vanish.

This was no longer a simple crushing victory. It was an absolute, overwhelming blow from an entirely different level!

Earlier, Han Lishan’s earnings of 3.75 million had seemed astronomical to everyone.

But compared with Cheng Ziqiu’s figures now, they were utterly insignificant.

How on earth had this guy managed to do it?!

Chen Churan was the first to recover.

She blinked hard, rubbed her eyes, and, after confirming that she had not read it wrong, drew in a sharp breath.

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This Cheng Ziqiu guy had actually created a miracle!

Overwhelmed with excitement, Chen Churan grabbed Cheng Ziqiu by the arm. She squeezed so hard that her fingers nearly dug into his flesh.

“Cheng Ziqiu! You… you…”

Cheng Ziqiu, however, remained completely composed, even wearing an infuriatingly smug smile. He patted the back of her hand.

“President Chen, stay calm. It’s nothing special—just standard procedure.”

Only then did Chen Churan realize that she had lost control of herself. She quickly released him, her pretty face flushing slightly.

But a tremendous wave of joy surged through her, and she could hardly stop herself from laughing aloud.

The surrounding staff erupted into chatter as well.

Before this, they had assumed Cheng Ziqiu was merely showing off and putting on an act.

Now they finally understood that he truly possessed the ability to back it up.

And not just a little ability—he was overflowing with talent!

“Holy crap! These numbers are terrifying!”

“More than eight million! My God! That’s got to be a record!”

“What kind of monster is this guy?”

“Incredible! Absolutely incredible!”

“President Chen really has a keen eye. She actually managed to uncover such a hidden gem!”

The staff discussed it excitedly, their eyes filled with awe whenever they looked at Cheng Ziqiu.

Even Xiao Li, the analyst who had previously looked down on Cheng Ziqiu, now admired him completely.

Han Lishan finally came to his senses as well, but his expression was uglier than if he had swallowed filth.

More than eight million!

How was that possible?!

The achievement he had been so proud of was nothing but a joke in front of Cheng Ziqiu.

“These… these figures… could they… could they be wrong?”

Xiao Li shook his head in bewilderment.

“Teacher Han, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with them. I checked them repeatedly.”

“Impossible! Absolutely impossible!”

Like a madman, Han Lishan grabbed Xiao Li by the collar.

“You must have taken their money! You deliberately falsified the figures! I’m going to report you!”

Xiao Li’s face went deathly pale with fright as he hurriedly explained, “Teacher Han, I didn’t! These figures are real! Ask anyone else if you don’t believe me!”

The surrounding staff nodded one after another, confirming Xiao Li’s words.

Han Lishan let go limply and collapsed onto the floor.

At that moment, the livestreaming career he had been so proud of completely fell apart.

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