393: Chapter 393 Yanzi, don't contact me anymore, I'm afraid Brother Qiang will misunderstand.

Six days after the knockout premiered, it reached its twelfth episode and began its meteoric rise.

In this episode, Xu Jiang bowed out, adding the legend of AD Calcium Milk to the underworld lore, while also leaving behind countless iconic quotes.

"What kind of status do you have to use the same thing as me?"

"If I give him face, I call him Uncle; if I don't give him face, I'll put him in the ground!"

"In all these years in Jinghai, I've spent so much money and raised so many people..."

"When you eat, sit at the kids' table."

"Talking nonsense is useless; tell others to mourn as well."

Some were arrogant, others sounded quite rhythmic. As Gao Qiqiang's early-stage boss, Xu Jiang played the role to the point of being almost endearing; the actor's talent was undoubtedly exceptional.

In this episode, Old Mo, dubbed the most ruthless man in the knockout and the most charismatic villainous assassin in the entire series, made his debut. As the sharpest blade by Gao Qiqiang's side—the one who killed Xu Jiang—viewers began to look forward to his future performance.

In this episode, Chen Shuting had Gao Qiqiang flip out the collar of his shirt over his peaked-lapel suit. Upon learning that he had never been in a relationship but was very good at taking care of children, she inexplicably felt a bit more curiosity and affection toward him.

In this episode, introduced by Chen Shuting, Gao Qiqiang knelt and kowtowed before Uncle Tai.

"Uncle Tai, I heard you don't have any children, and my parents died early too. If you don't mind, I would like to take care of you in your old age."

The very next second, he was calling him "Godfather," and the second after that, he happily received his godfather's welcome gift, "Baijinhan"...

From then on, Gao Qiqiang rose to power.

At the end of this episode, Gao Qiqiang, wearing sunglasses and a white suit, walked down the old factory street. Running into his former friend An Xin, he took off his sunglasses and was about to walk up to greet him, but An Xin turned and walked away.

They walked different paths and could not conspire together; Gao Qiqiang did not force it. He put his sunglasses back on, and as they brushed past each other, they parted ways forever.

An Xin remained the same An Xin, but Gao Qiqiang was no longer the Gao Qiqiang he once was.

Viewers were filled with such mixed emotions that they felt like composing a poem:

Right and wrong cannot stand together; how can good and evil share the same path?

The flames of evil rise fiercely; the loyal and good lose with every step.

Thunder hides in the dark night; demons wreak havoc on the world.

The world mourns in sorrow; the righteous spirit of heaven and earth stands alone.

Want to know what happens next? You have to wait another day for episode 13... So this is what the feeling of urging for updates is like?

As for Lin Chuyan, just when the audience thought he was a nerd, he started going crazy.

Beating up a college classmate, crafting a makeshift pistol, and burning down his own Little Smart phone shop just to make his brother fight Xu Jiang to the end...

Damn, this guy is too crazy.

And yet, he wears black-rimmed glasses and sports an innocent-looking "student haircut"... What kind of character setting is Yanzi's? A psycho honor student?

Of course, no matter how crazy Yanzi is right now, everyone's focus is still on the character of Gao Qiqiang.

Overnight, it seemed everyone was talking about the knockout and Gao Qiqiang.

That goes without saying in the Mainland.

Lin Chuyan's streaming frequency had decreased these past few days, mainly because he was filming on location and the internet wasn't stable. Since that was the case, he simply stopped streaming; he didn't have any KPIs to meet anyway.

However, whenever he occasionally hopped on to stream for a bit, the words that flooded the chat were inevitably "Gao Qiqiang" and "Zhang Wentang."

[Yanzi, tell us about your senior brother, we want to hear it.]

[Bro, what kind of person is Teacher Zhang Wentang like in private? Let's chat about it.]

[Yanzi, what about Brother Qiang? Is he filming anything right now?]

[Yanzi, don't contact me, I'm afraid my Brother Qiang will misunderstand...]

Awesome, truly awesome. Others claim to be top-tier celebrities, but the popularity of his senior brother this time is simply heaven-defying.

Lin Chuyan didn't really need to go online to know that his senior brother had visibly become a breakout star.

What was the most exaggerated part? It wasn't just the young people watching his stream who liked Gao Qiqiang; even ladies like Su Lanxin and Chen Wanyi started asking him about Zhang Wentang...

This is national-level popularity.

This damn charm; he had people of all ages completely wrapped around his finger.

Beyond the Mainland, because of Lin Chuyan in this lifetime, countless people across Asia had been watching the show early on, so it exploded in popularity at the same time.

Take Japan, for example; Fuji TV's original promotion relied on the golden brand of "Lin Chuyan," and viewers were watching for his sake. Who would have thought that after six days, the character of Gao Qiqiang would also become a hit over there.

It's the same principle: a show that can become this popular here, as long as there aren't too many cultural barriers in the content, logically shouldn't fail to make a splash over there either.

The people are famous, and the show is famous. It's burning brighter and brighter, with countless people discussing it on every platform at every hour.

What was the last show to be this popular? Maybe My Fair Princess? Lin Chuyan couldn't really say for sure...

However, he, Lin Chuyan, and Zhou Ze, who played An Xin, probably wouldn't reap many benefits. The former is a top-tier celebrity at the height of his popularity, so this success is just icing on the cake; the latter is a veteran film actor who already had a constant stream of offers.

But for the other actors besides them, the explosive success of the knockout was undoubtedly a timely help.

These past few days, Lin Chuyan has been congratulating his friends from the knockout.

To be honest, the actors who played Mad Donkey, Old Mo, and Chen Shuting had acted in many roles before and were good at acting, but they weren't really known to the majority of people.

Now, one could say they have finally tasted the fruits of their labor after enduring hardship and have finally seen the light of day.

Not to mention anything else, these actors will definitely be able to land more roles in the future, and those with good images like Chen Shuting will surely be able to secure some endorsements.

And as for Zhang Wentang, who was at the center of the storm...

Lin Chuyan specifically sent his senior brother a WeChat message, just to give him a heads-up.

"Senior brother, no one is perfect. Some things should be deleted if they need to be, and hidden if they need to be hidden..."

Zhang Wentang: "?"

"Um... it's just that... in the past, nobody cared about you, and you were free to do whatever you wanted. But now, senior brother, you are different; you need to be careful. There may be many good people in this world, but there are always more bad people on the internet."

Actually, one can't blame Lin Chuyan for saying this, nor is it a case of "judging a gentleman with a petty mind." It's just that the creature known as "human" is too complex, and the internet is just as complex. Who can guarantee they have never said a wrong word or done a wrong thing?

For example: Have you ever posted an inappropriate image in a group chat? Or have you ever used profanity while venting to someone?

If you are an ordinary person, it doesn't matter; who cares about you?

But if you are a celebrity, and someone is out to get you, they will use a magnifying glass to dig up everything you've ever said or done, pick apart your words, pass judgment, and then you will instantly turn into a disgusting, sleazy, uncultured pervert, and you won't even be worthy of being called a human.

Lin Chuyan isn't afraid, but there is only one Lin Chuyan in the entertainment industry.

And even he, seemingly reckless and wanton when calling people out, has never used profanity in public.

This is the rule. In this industry, everyone must follow it.

So the question arises: Can Zhang Wentang withstand people digging deep? Even if he can withstand one round of digging, what about two or three?

Zhang Wentang only replied with one sentence: "Don't worry, Xiao Yan, focus on your work."