Future Pet Shop

Chapter 68: Director, We Don’t Want to Watch Singing

"Mr. Shen, please take your seat on the main platform." Li Yinchen led Shen Yibin to the center of the stadium, which was concealed by a curtain. The area had already been converted for the show. The judges’ panel was situated at the back, while the stage for the contestants’ performances was at the front. Several chairs were arranged on the main platform, with Shen Yibin’s naturally being in the very center. Beside him sat the Gold Medal host, whom the organizers had paid a hefty sum to invite.

They had also custom-built a small chair on the platform for Cheeky. On either side of the chair were various fresh Amazonian fruits, exclusively for Cheeky to enjoy.

Of course, Hah’Er had a spot as well. The organizers had placed a high chair to the right of Shen Yibin’s seat for him, allowing him to poke his head over the platform table. A panda was a powerful tool for attracting fans, after all. How could they possibly overlook that?

They had already rehearsed here twice before, so without any help from Shen Yibin, Hah’Er deftly climbed onto his chair. His eyes darted between the juice and the fruit basket, as if pondering which one to sample first.

Meanwhile, Cheeky flew to the platform with practiced ease and sat down, letting the staff adjust his microphone before happily picking up a Jabuticaba to eat.

Soon, it was time for the talent show to officially begin. The curtain slowly drew back, revealing two lavishly dressed hosts in the center of the stage. "Authentic good milk tea, authentic good music. Welcome to the show brought to you by the leading milk tea brand..." Right from the start, the host showed off his signature skill, rattling off a list of sponsors that seemed a hundred words long in a single breath. Then, he smiled, ready to receive the audience’s enthusiastic applause.

"We want to see Cheeky! We want to hear Cheeky talk!" But the audience’s first reaction wasn’t applause, but a chorus of boos. Yes, compared to Cheeky, this unoriginal routine held little appeal.

This was awkward. ’I can’t believe it. I’ve dominated the entertainment industry for years without a single defeat, and today I’ve been upstaged by a bird. The worst part is, the bird hasn’t even said a word yet.’

His female co-host quickly shot a pleading look toward Cheeky. Since things had already come to this, it seemed pointless to deliver her prepared lines.

"This Jabuticaba is pretty good." Cheeky struggled to swallow the pulp in his mouth. "Ugh, since everyone’s here, let’s just get started. I’ve got more Jabuticaba to eat." Cheeky flapped his wings and picked up another one.

The crowd erupted in thunderous applause. These completely meaningless words were met with a wild ovation. Countless people turned to whisper to each other, "He’s just like in the videos! This parrot speaks so clearly. The tickets were worth it!"

Cheeky’s opening line also had an unexpected consequence. The Brazilian-grown Jabuticaba quickly went viral online. Countless well-connected shop owners began adding pre-order options for Jabuticaba to their online stores, and they raked in a fortune.

The audience watching the show also wanted to taste the fruit so beloved by Cheeky. The volume of Jabuticaba exported from Brazil to the country immediately skyrocketed several times over, and the price multiplied as well. The Brazilian ambassador was so delighted he probably wanted to fly to the venue and award Cheeky a medal.

"Alright, let’s welcome our first contestant, the famous streamer from the Dou Niao Platform, ’Sheep Who Doesn’t Eat Grass’! He will be performing for us a..." Cheeky had successfully settled the audience down, so the host quickly introduced the first contestant. He was a man of about twenty-seven or twenty-eight, who looked refined and gentle with his glasses.

He already had a huge online following. His live-singing streams were quite popular, and his fans called him President Yang. The Dou Niao Platform also happened to be Li Yinchen’s company. After some intense negotiation, he had secured the chance to be the first performer.

"President Yang! President Yang!" As soon as he appeared, the plants the organizers had placed in the audience got busy, waving their glow sticks and cheering loudly for him. President Yang, with the air of a superstar, waved back to his fans.

"President Yang, you’re a well-known streamer. I often watch your singing streams myself." The Gold Medal host stepped forward again, first establishing a friendly connection with President Yang before asking, "May I ask what motivated you to participate in this talent show?"

’Duh, for the money, of course,’ President Yang thought. ’If I can take Cheeky home, I’ll become the hottest streamer on any platform in no time. Making tens of millions a month and over a hundred million a year would be a piece of cake.’

That’s what he thought, but he couldn’t say it out loud. President Yang first launched into a speech about his passion for music, then began praising Cheeky’s singing ability. Finally, he stated his goal: Cheeky was the musical partner he had long been searching for, and he hoped to win this opportunity to take Cheeky home.

The fans, naturally, erupted into another round of screams and applause. The host then turned to ask Cheeky, "Mr. Cheeky, what are your thoughts on President Yang’s speech?"

"Anyone who knows what’s going on would think you’re here for a music competition. Anyone who doesn’t would think you’re here to do stand-up comedy," Cheeky retorted, crossing his legs. "What’s with all the talk? In the end, isn’t it your singing that matters?"

"AHAHAHAHA!" The audience in the stadium and those watching on screen roared with laughter. Cheeky’s sharp tongue was truly merciless.

The host and President Yang were left flustered on stage. ’Why don’t you play by the rules? Aren’t you supposed to exchange some pleasantries and butter each other up before the performance starts?!’

"Excellent, the ratings are climbing again. Get the host off the stage and start the performance for real." Li Yinchen couldn’t care less about the awkwardness; as long as the ratings went up, it was a good thing.

"The song I’ve prepared for Cheeky and for all of you in the audience is ’The Brightest Star in the Night Sky.’ I hope you enjoy it." President Yang was a man who had seen his share of big events. He quickly regained his composure and prepared to sing.

However, another accident occurred at that moment. Hah’Er, sitting at the main platform, accidentally knocked an apple from the fruit basket onto the floor. The apple rolled and rolled until it came to a stop at President Yang’s feet.

Hah’Er quickly slid down from his chair. He waddled to the center of the stage on his short legs, picked up the apple, then looked around and scratched his head, seemingly confused about the situation.

"AHAHAHAHA! That roly-poly is so cute!" His adorable antics instantly charmed countless people. President Yang was completely forgotten by the audience.

Hah’Er returned to the main platform, and the director refocused the cameras on President Yang, ready for him to begin singing.

But the audience wouldn’t have it. Countless people started spamming the live stream’s bullet-comment screen: "Director, we don’t want to see singing, we want to see the roly-poly! Director, we don’t want to see singing, we want to see the roly-poly!..."

Li Yinchen and the on-site director were stunned by this sudden turn of events. They looked at each other, utterly stumped. What were they supposed to do now?