Chapter 027: The Challenge to a Fight

Lin Feng’s three consecutive posts on Weibo showed no mercy to Jiang Kai and Zhou Ziqian, striking them directly at their most vulnerable spots.

The reason Jiang Kai has never managed to rise to the top tier is mainly his much-criticized acting skills. Despite being a film and television actor for over a decade, the awards he’s won in his field are painfully few, and the two “Best Actor” titles he boasts are nothing but second-rate trophies—practically handed to anyone who attends. So, attacking Jiang Kai’s acting was the most fitting choice.

As for Zhou Ziqian, when he first debuted, his company packaged him as a musical prodigy, claiming that every song on his first album was self-composed. Riding on the success of this original album, he quickly rose to fame and then released two hit singles that solidified his standing in the music industry.

But Zhou’s glory didn’t last long. He was soon embroiled in a plagiarism scandal: his two smash singles were discovered to share over ninety percent melodic similarity with two Japanese songs. The rights holders of the Japanese tracks even took Zhou to court, though the matter was ultimately settled out of court and the Japanese side pursued it no further.

Zhou’s explanation for the incident was that it was not plagiarism, merely “borrowing inspiration.”

Over time, the controversy faded from public memory, but this episode remained the last thing Zhou wanted dredged up from his past. Yet Lin Feng chose to target him precisely on this sore spot—merciless indeed!

There’s a saying: don’t hit someone in the face, and don’t expose their shortcomings when you insult them. But Lin Feng’s approach was to slap faces and reveal flaws—because, after all, who told them to provoke him?

After Lin Feng’s Weibo posts, the fans of Jiang Kai and Zhou Ziqian only grew more furious, their insults coming in droves.

Soon after, both Jiang Kai and Zhou Ziqian responded with their own Weibo posts.

Jiang Kai: "Lin Feng, who the hell do you think you are? Does an athlete like you have the right to comment on my acting? When I was acting, you were still playing in the mud!"

Zhou Ziqian: "I really can’t understand how Ruolin could fall for a low-class clown like you. And what would a country bumpkin who only knows how to play ball possibly understand about music?"

Reading their responses, Lin Feng couldn’t help but laugh. These two idiots really had a problem with their intelligence. It was one thing to insult him, but they actually dragged all athletes into it. Wasn’t this just asking for trouble?

"So, in your eyes, all of us who play sports are worthless? Unqualified to comment on acting and ignorant of music? Fine, you have the louder voice. I’ll stay quiet. After all, I’m just an athlete," Lin Feng promptly posted another Weibo update, directly placing Jiang Kai and Zhou Ziqian in opposition to the entire basketball community.

After seeing Lin Feng’s post, the two finally realized their error and hurried to clarify on Weibo, claiming their remarks were directed only at Lin Feng. But their explanations only made things worse.

At that moment, Lin Feng updated his Weibo again: "I genuinely worry about some people’s intelligence!"

He didn’t name names, but it was obvious he was mocking Jiang Kai and Zhou Ziqian.

In this timeline, the world hadn’t yet been saturated by overused internet catchphrases, so each one felt fresh to the local netizens. That’s why Lin Feng’s phrase "Can I insult people?" had caught on so quickly. Likewise, "I genuinely worry about some people’s intelligence" was new and witty, sparking a wave of laughter and shares among countless users.

Jiang Kai and Zhou Ziqian were livid, their celebrity status forgotten as they vented their anger at Lin Feng in a barrage of online insults.

Soon, Lin Feng replied again, updating his Weibo: "Trading insults is pointless—such a cowardly way! My principle is: if you can settle it with action, don’t waste time arguing!"

"Jiang Kai, Zhou Ziqian, let’s have a showdown! You pick the time and place!"

"Pfft~!"

With that post, netizens burst into laughter once more.

"A showdown? Isn’t this a bit old-school?"

"Hahaha, if you can settle it with action, don’t argue—what a classic line!"

"Lin Feng is hilarious! Who challenges people to a fight these days?"

"I don’t know why, but I’m starting to like Lin Feng! Last time he asked a reporter, ‘Can I insult people?’ at the post-game conference, and now he’s calling for a showdown on Weibo. I love this fiery temper!"

"……"

At the recording site of "Original Good Songs," during a break, Qin Ruolin took a sip of water, pulled out her phone, and happened to see Lin Feng’s showdown challenge.

"Pfft!"

The water she’d just sipped sprayed all over her phone screen.

"A showdown? This guy really is something…" Qin Ruolin shook her head with a laugh, grabbed a tissue to wipe her mouth and phone, then posted a Weibo update: "You athletes really know how to have fun… But I suggest you schedule it for after the finals, just in case anyone gets hurt and can’t play…"

Though she didn’t mention anyone by name, it was obvious to everyone that she was responding to Lin Feng’s showdown post.

Netizens exploded yet again.

"Is this a public display of affection?"

"More like rubbing it in for the rest of us!"

"Even the diva is supporting Lin Feng’s challenge. I’m speechless."

"It’s over; the diva has been led astray by Lin Feng…"

Qin Ruolin’s post was quickly and widely shared. Very soon, news of Lin Feng’s public challenge to Jiang Kai and Zhou Ziqian was splashed across major online media outlets. Amusingly, because Lin Feng was a basketball player while Jiang Kai and Zhou Ziqian were from the entertainment industry, both the entertainment and sports sections devoted extensive coverage to the incident.

As the showdown drama went viral, a stream of negative comments followed, accusing Lin Feng of being crude, disregarding social norms, and openly spreading bad influences online…

To address the criticism, Lin Feng updated his Weibo again: "It’s necessary to clarify what I meant by ‘showdown.’ First, I’m not someone who believes in solving problems with violence. Second, as a professional athlete with a sense of ethics, I could never get into a fight. By ‘showdown,’ I meant challenging Jiang Kai and Zhou Ziqian in their respective fields. If I’m lucky enough to win, I hope they’ll apologize for their previous slander. I wonder if they dare to accept the challenge?"

"You want to challenge me in music? My god, am I reading this right? Do you really think anyone can just dabble in music? Ignorance truly is bliss! Lin Feng, if you manage to beat me at music, I’ll quit the industry for good!" Zhou Ziqian was the first to respond.

"Quit the industry? No need to go that far! I’ve never had any personal grudges with you, and I don’t want you to lose your livelihood over this. Impulsiveness is the devil, so I advise you to think twice," Lin Feng replied.

"Hmph! Too arrogant! I admit you’ve achieved something on the basketball court, but that doesn’t mean you can excel at music. I, Zhou Ziqian, state this here and now: if you can beat me in music, I’ll leave the industry forever!"

"Fine, if you insist, I won’t try to talk you out of it anymore. As the saying goes, good advice can’t save those destined for doom. Better start making arrangements for your musical legacy…"

"Damn you!" Zhou Ziqian, provoked again, cursed outright.

"Lin Feng, if you really have the guts, face me on ‘Music PK Arena.’ Let’s duel in front of the whole nation! If you lose, kneel and apologize to us—do you dare accept the challenge?"

"Music PK Arena" is currently one of the most popular music variety shows in the country. Each episode invites two original musicians, who each bring three compositions for a three-round faceoff. The winner becomes the reigning champion and continues to accept new challengers in subsequent episodes, with increasing rewards for consecutive victories.

Normally, the show features mostly newcomers or faded artists; someone of Zhou Ziqian’s stature rarely appears unless there’s a special reason.

So when Zhou Ziqian issued his challenge on Weibo, the show’s producer Zhao Tong quickly responded: "A warm welcome to Mr. Zhou Ziqian and Lin Feng! Our production team will fast-track you both—pick any time and date you wish."

With an opponent and a platform set, Lin Feng was delighted. For someone eager to break into the entertainment world, wasn’t this the perfect opportunity to prove himself?

"No problem, I’m ready anytime!" Lin Feng replied without hesitation, updating his Weibo.

…