Great! I'm surrounded by villains!
Chapter 312 - 231: The next question

Chapter 312: Chapter 231: The next question

After nightfall, the registration ceremonies in the various districts were drawing to a close.

Duan Mingyuan and Owl sat side by side in the studio, facing the camera.

This was the last program of the day, and once it ended, they would each return to their own homes, concluding a day’s worth of busyness. However, before that, they had to present themselves in a manner that would leave a good impression on the viewers.

As a diversion from the registration ceremony, the live broadcast team had come up with a Q&A segment well received by the audience, where they could ask questions to Duan Mingyuan. Questions from lucky viewers selected would make their way to the studio.

But Owl noticed a problem.

Duan Mingyuan was sparing with his words, or rather, he had entered the "business mode" he adopted when facing the media. His longest answer would not exceed a single sentence, and the enthusiasm in the live comments cooled down at a visibly rapid rate.

The atmosphere of the Q&A interaction was crucial. The eloquence and humor of the special guest would directly determine the quality of the program. Worse still, given Duan Mingyuan’s special status, the initially selected questions were all about political topics related to the United Front, Chamber of Commerce, and the corporations.

The viewers were eager to know Duan Mingyuan’s standpoints.

Such topics were not only sensitive, but also prone to instigate flame wars.

After just three questions, the live broadcast room had turned into a battlefield commanded by keyboard warriors, who began to furiously bombard people from different camps.

This made Owl extremely uncomfortable. He urgently needed some perceptive buddies to divert the conversation. The apparent conflict between three forces was essentially a flame war between the supporters of the Chamber of Commerce and the corporations. The Rebels of the United Front had few supporters; they were often used as a punching bag to attack the opposition, and even those who seemed to be speaking up for the United Front were merely attacking the inadequacies in many policies of the rival camp.

The war of public opinion between the two sides had reached an intense phase, where just a spark was enough to set the entire battlefield ablaze.

From Duan Mingyuan’s position, he could clearly see the barrage of comments floating continuously in the live broadcast room.

Every time he saw people getting red in the face over issues that had nothing to do with him or attacking a stranger personally, he found it very amusing.

He felt his "justice value" had decreased.

The heated arguments were stirred up by him. Though his answers were short and impactful, they precisely teased the sensitive spots of both sides as if he had walked into a warehouse labeled "Flammable and Explosive" and then struck a match.

He did it on purpose.

This was a broadcast aimed at the entire universe, and the number of viewers in the live broadcast room had already reached nine digits. The direction of the discussion in the room was a microcosm of current public opinion.

The supporters of the corporations and the Chamber of Commerce were roughly at a fifty-fifty split.

Duan Mingyuan could only silently marvel at the Universe Company, truly the largest interstellar force. Even after a recent defeat and more than a month of media bombardment, their supporters were still able to go toe-to-toe with the Chamber of Commerce. If the current situations of the two sides were reversed, the Chamber of Commerce would probably face endless slander in a completely one-sided manner.

To put it in terms of the esports environment, it was like the supporters of a team that was out in the first round were on par with the supporters of the season’s champion team, which was absurd enough.

With a more detailed segmentation, it was not difficult to see why the Universe Company, despite having so many supporters, was still being chased and criticized by the Chamber of Commerce in the recent public opinion battle.

Supporters of the Huagang Consortium criticized the Iron Guard Consortium as impressive in appearance but useless in practice. Known for its warfare, its much-hyped invincible fleet shattered at the first contact with the Rebels and had to retreat from the Star Zone in disgrace.

Iron Guard Consortium supporters argued that these problems originated from the Cosmic Relations Coordination Department, and with even the chief auditor under internal review, how do you have the shame to be yelling here?

The Mandala Consortium supporters played the role of peacekeepers, claiming that mutual cooperation and development among the different powers was the mainstream. Why not put aside prejudices and become friends?

The Ashen Consortium supporters, however, thought, "A bunch of **".

Soon, a comment with the nickname "May your coffee be infested with caterpillars" was banned for 24 hours for a mass-trolling.

Duan Mingyuan always felt the nickname was somehow familiar.

It seemed to be from an enthusiastic netizen who had painstakingly explained how to pilot a spaceship into the cosmos in the Q&A section.

Perhaps it was because the hegemony of the Universe Company had been maintained for so long in the universe, leading to the habit of infighting within it.

Jiuyue, who was outside the prison, was also paying attention to the live broadcast.

She lay on the bed in her pajamas, her long hair pinned up, with several cucumber slices stuck to her face, watching Duan Mingyuan through the large screen. The experience was novel and delightful. Seeing Duan Mingyuan in the spotlight lifted her spirits.

Just the thought of Mr. Mingyuan finishing the live broadcast and calling her once he returned to his room made her even happier.

Ah, so this is what it feels like to be in a relationship with a celebrity.

Even when they were not together, she could often see him on the screen.

However, she wasn’t skilled at discussing political topics and rarely debated such issues online.

She had only sent three bullet comments, all of which were purely emojis.

A cartoon fox with clear, bright eyes.

But Jiuyue’s good mood didn’t last long; a discordant voice appeared in the live stream.

Owl selected a lucky viewer and read out loud with his booming voice, "Is Mr. Duan Mingyuan still single? What type of girl does he like?"

This abrupt question put an end to all political debates.

Immediately afterward, people sharply questioned the person who asked the question.

Why must it be a girl?

How dare you assume someone else’s sexual orientation?

Where are you from?

What are your intentions?

!?

Jiuyue’s eyes widened in shock, and a slice of cucumber fell off her face in irritation.

You’re the one who likes boys; your whole family likes boys!

As if the question wasn’t infuriating enough, the bullet comments managed to be even more exasperating.

And you, Owl, what are you laughing at? Don’t tell me you think you’ve cleverly resolved a conflict?

Where is my keyboard!

Jiuyue immediately went into battle mode and brought her keyboard to the front.

Duan Mingyuan’s response to the question was very brief, simply saying, "No."

"Uh, Mr. Mingyuan, everyone in the live stream is very interested in this. Could you share more about your partner, like what kind of person she is? How did you two meet?"

Owl was still trying to salvage the atmosphere of the live stream.

It had taken him quite an effort to steer the conversation back to ordinary life, as this was meant to be an entertainment program after all!

"Next question."

At that moment, the barrage of comments in the live stream suddenly seemed dull to Duan Mingyuan.

He still preferred the atmosphere from earlier when everyone was accusing and swearing at each other, as if they were real enemies despite never having met; he could understand the opinions of different Star Zones on recent major events through the viewers’ spicy words.

"...Alright then."

Owl gave the production team a look.

A moment later, they selected a viewer with the nickname "Fox Demon 930#." Upon seeing the question, his expression also turned somewhat strange, "Ahem, this lucky viewer asks, please share your favorite type of girl, and explain why it’s the Fox Demon?"

Tip: You can use left, right keyboard keys to browse between chapters.Tap the middle of the screen to reveal Reading Options.

If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.

Report