Chapter 106: Confrontation with an Online Acquaintance

The latest episode of "Brewing Wine and Discussing Music Heroes" sparked widespread debate. Many listeners felt enlightened after Zhou Miao’s in-depth analysis of the current state of the music scene, yet no effective solutions emerged from the discussion.

These issues hadn’t appeared overnight. Was Zhou Miao the only one who noticed them?

Not at all. Plenty had seen them, but no one could—or perhaps no one wanted to—solve them. After all, none of it affected the flow of money.

Unsurprisingly, Zhou Miao and Liangzhu were heavily attacked by a swarm of fan club members. Though neither named anyone explicitly on the show, these fans eagerly assigned the criticisms to their idols.

They felt Zhou Miao’s words were utterly outrageous, painting their idols as toxic elements in the entertainment industry. How heartbreaking that must be for their idols—they were pained just thinking about it!

“Do you know how hard our baby works? Practicing dance even with a forty-nine-degree fever! You know nothing! You only care about yourself!”

“What kind of era is this, still blaming the decline of Chinese pop music on idols? Survival of the fittest. If you lack talent, don’t blame others for stealing your spotlight. It’s laughable!”

...

Zhou Miao scrolled through the comments expressionlessly, fingers tapping rapidly on the screen as he fired off replies to these clueless fans.

“Dancing with a forty-nine-degree fever? Looks like his brain really was fried—now he’s as brainless as you lot.”

“Demand shapes the market. The dominance of idols means this generation of listeners is weak, stuck in the shallowest appreciation of mere appearances. Also, this isn’t survival of the fittest; it’s bad money driving out the good. You wouldn’t understand.”

...

Hu San groggily woke to find Zhou Miao still glued to his phone, arguing with netizens.

“What time is it? Why aren’t you asleep yet?”

Zhou Miao glanced at the clock. “Two in the morning. It’s fine, you go to sleep first. I’ll finish roasting these hundreds of fans and then sleep.”

Hu San sighed and wrapped her arms around him. “You told me not to fight with those trolls, but you’re going at it way harder than I am.”

He kissed her forehead. “I told you not to because I worry you can’t win against them. But me? I can take on a hundred.”

Hu San exhaled with resignation. “Just get to bed early, you’ve got driving school tomorrow.”

“Got it, goodnight.”

The next morning, Zhou Miao’s verbal sparring with hundreds of fans became headline news. His sharp retorts were hailed as gospel by many netizens, and some even spotted a business opportunity.

They printed Zhou Miao’s biting remarks on T-shirts, creating a batch of “Zhou Miao Culture Shirts” that sold like wildfire.

At a driving school on the outskirts of Beijing, Zhao Li flipped through a collection of Zhou Miao’s classic quotes gathered by netizens, laughing like a hen about to lay an egg.

“Cluck cluck cluck! Brother Miao must have been excellent at language arts—his insults come in such neat, polished packages.”

Zhou Miao, sporting dark circles under his eyes, stifled a yawn, tears welling from exhaustion. He’d only gone to bed after four a.m. yesterday.

Toward the end, he realized something was off; many random strangers pretended to be crazed fans just to bait him into replying. They’d snap screenshots of his responses and post them online immediately.

“Holy crap! Brother Miao replied to me!”

...

Absolutely insane!

Hearing Zhao Li’s laughter, Zhou Miao glared at her. “Your turn to practice driving. Stop laughing!”

With only a few days until the CBA Finals, Zhou Miao and Hu San decided to enroll in driving school. When Zhao Li heard about it, she came along to join the fun.

Lately, Zhao Li had been in a low mood—no business deals, no variety shows, just staying home all day. Yet she always logged in whenever Zhou Miao played games.

After meeting up with Zhou Miao and Hu San, she seemed much cheerier, even managing a silly smile.

Having just completed a driving round, Hu San handed the driver’s seat to Zhao Li and sat in the back, panting. “I’m sweating—driving’s so hard.”

Zhao Li strapped herself in under the instructor’s guidance.

Mimicking Hu San’s earlier approach—slowly releasing the clutch, gently pressing the gas—the car began to move, but suddenly it shook violently, bouncing like it was at a disco.

“W-what’s happening, coach?” Zhao Li panicked.

“Don’t rush to drive—pull the handbrake first,” the instructor reminded.

Zhao Li hesitated mid-air, then grabbed the lever on the left side of the seat and yanked hard.

Suddenly, the driver’s seat reclined fully backward. She screamed in shock, hitting Zhou Miao’s head.

“Ouch!” Zhou Miao grimaced.

“Are you stupid? The lever on the left adjusts the seat, the handbrake is on the right!” Zhou Miao snapped.

“Sorry, sorry! My bad!” She readjusted the seat and pulled the handbrake, restarting the car.

Clutching the steering wheel tightly, her eyes nearly pressed to the windshield.

Zhou Miao asked curiously, “Can you even see the rearview mirror like that?”

“Don’t talk! I’m driving!” Zhao Li was already nervous; his voice only made her more flustered.

Zhou Miao smirked, already foreseeing one future road hazard.

Once Zhao Li got a bit more comfortable, Zhou Miao took the wheel. Though the school offered automatic transmissions, which were easier since you didn’t have to use the clutch, Zhou Miao found it embarrassing for a man to learn automatic. Zhao Li and Hu San agreed to join him in learning manual.

Grasping the steering wheel, Zhou Miao felt a surge of excitement—this was true masculine romance.

Ignition on, handbrake pulled, clutch released, set off!

The car lurched forward then stalled immediately. Zhao Li burst out laughing in the backseat.

“The clutch’s too quick—ease off slowly, keep it steady,” the coach patiently instructed. These three would be the school’s shining stars in the future.

“Even Zhou Miao is learning here! You coming too?”

Men generally picked up driving faster than women. After a few stalls, Zhou Miao quickly found the rhythm and drove smoothly, circling the lot repeatedly, reluctant to stop.

With no classes for Zhou Miao and Hu San, and Zhao Li free as well, they practiced from morning until mid-afternoon before leaving.

That evening, the trio went for hotpot. Zhao Li squeezed in some time to study for the written exam.

“These questions are pretty easy. I’m sure I’ll ace it with a 75—totally nailed it.”

Zhou Miao dropped a slice of beef into the pot. “What’s to brag about with 75? You need 90 to pass.”

Zhao Li froze. “Ninety to pass? That hard?”

“It’s just a set of questions. Study them a few times, you’ll get it,” Hu San assured her.