The Cannon Fodder Dad of Three Villainous Cubs - Chapter 6

When it came time for the second day’s livestream, Ji Yanyan was still asleep.

Ji Zhiqiu knew that the fans were here to watch him raise his kids, but he refused to treat Ji Yanyan like a money-making tool. Even though he knew the child was sleeping soundly, he wouldn’t force him awake just for the sake of the livestream’s metrics.

After starting the stream, he looked at the rising number of viewers and said apologetically, “The baby is still sleeping, so it’s just me today. Sorry about that.”

The viewers in the stream had come to find a sense of companionship here. Seeing how sincerely he apologized, they all expressed that they didn’t mind.

【It’s fine. I usually leave the stream on in the background while I work just to listen to the sounds anyway.】

【The streamer is such a good dad. Other parenting streamers I’ve followed would livestream until the middle of the night just for traffic, forcing their kids to stay up with them.】

【Since the child is sleeping, you could try a different streaming format—the platform offers all sorts of ways to play.】

【You’re trying to hit your full-attendance bonus, right? Don’t worry, I’ll leave the livestream running in the background so you won’t drop below the minimum threshold.】

Moved by these heartwarming comments, Ji Zhiqiu immediately opened the backend settings to follow the suggestions in the chat. Not knowing much about livestreaming, he subconsciously chose the most popular option: PK (Player vs. Player) mode.

In the next second, his screen shrank to half its size, and the other side displayed a call interface. Within three seconds, another streamer accepted the PK.

Livestream PKs had become popular, and by now, the formats were diverse and the rules well-established. To prevent streamers from “ghosting” or intentionally messing with others’ mental state, the platform mandated that once both parties clicked “confirm,” they could not pull out unless they both agreed to forfeit.

While this rule was intended to ensure good content, some unscrupulous streamers exploited it to bully smaller ones. Unfortunately, Ji Zhiqiu’s luck was poor; he had matched with one of the most toxic players on the platform.

The streamer on the other side didn’t give Ji Zhiqiu a chance to back out. He clicked confirm immediately and said arrogantly, “Let’s start. If you lose this PK, you have to crawl like a dog and bark!”

He let out a weird, mocking laugh, as if he could already see the scene. He took pleasure in trampling on others’ dignity, and his fans were clearly cut from the same cloth, working themselves into a frenzy in the chat.

【Awesome! Wish I were there to see him lick my shoes.】

【Congrats to this lucky guy! Doge.jpg】

【Our Brother Zhou is a top-tier streamer. The scraps he leaks are enough for others to drink for a year. It’s an honor to PK him, don’t be ungrateful.】

In contrast, the chat in Ji Zhiqiu’s room was sparse and vastly different in tone.

【Ahhh, run away fast!】

【Why is it him? Let me light a candle for the streamer first.】

【I’m sorry, I was the one who suggested PK to the streamer. I really didn’t know this would happen I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry.】

Ji Zhiqiu, still new to this, looked confused. Even without knowing the full context, he felt a strong disgust for this “Brother Zhou” and wanted no part in the drama.

“I don’t accept,” Ji Zhiqiu said. “Let’s both just change to someone else.”

Brother Zhou had been waiting for this reaction. The more dignified and self-respecting his opponent appeared, the better the “content” for his stream, and the more it satisfied his fans’ vanity.

He laughed until the fat on his body shook and threatened maliciously, “Think carefully. I have so many fans in my room. If you dare to mess with them, I can’t guarantee they won’t report you. Getting your channel banned for ten or fifteen days would be normal. Plus, they have a ‘shame pillar’ where you’ll be hung for a long time, and your future streaming environment won’t be pleasant. Don’t blame me, my fans’ time is precious, after all.”

A ban meant losing one’s livelihood; most small streamers just took the loss. It was a tried-and-true tactic.

Brother Zhou was good at sizing people up. Discovering Ji Zhiqiu was a single father who just livestreamed parenting daily, he laughed even more sinisterly. “How about this? I see it’s not easy for you to raise your kids, so I won’t make you bark like a dog. How about doing some ‘borderline’ (suggestive) content?”

As soon as he said this, his chat exploded, and his fans were thrilled. They loved grinding others’ dignity into the dust. Nothing was more humiliating than a single father performing suggestive content he’d have no face to face his kids, and he’d be spat upon by his fans.

Brother Zhou expected fawning or begging, but the other side remained quiet. After a few seconds, a calm voice came through: “Fine. I agree.”

Brother Zhou froze, staring at the screen. Sadly, the streamer on the other side was wearing the mascot head effect, so he couldn’t see if the guy was putting on a brave face or had an ulterior motive.

He squinted, revealing a mouthful of yellowed teeth. “I hate people who don’t show their face. Are you wanted for a crime? What are you feeling guilty about? Fine, if you lose this PK, you have to take off the mask!”

Ji Zhiqiu said calmly: “That’s the third condition you’ve changed. If you can’t afford to play, don’t play.”

Brother Zhou: “…” His fans: “…”

He had met an incredibly tough small-time streamer for the first time. He looked dazed and stuttered, it only lasted a few seconds, but it meant he had lost the upper hand.

The livestream wasn’t just filled with twisted people looking for kicks. Seeing this, another group of people began to speak up. Brother Zhou was a cancer on the platform. Many people hated him but felt powerless. Now, Ji Zhiqiu’s words helped them vent their anger.

【Hahahaha, well played!】

【Thanks, that felt good.】

【He really thinks he’s an emperor, bossing people around. Changing the rules three times? He’s the one who can’t afford to play!】

【I’m strangely excited. This is the first time I’ve ever topped up on this platform—my gifts are ready!】

【Just for that line, I’m making sure you win today!】

Brother Zhou had always been fearless, believing that no matter how many people opposed him, they were just a bunch of nobodies with no organization. But seeing the trend, he started to feel unsure.

Fortunately, his fans were usually a powerful fighting force; the chat volume doubled, giving him a false sense of confidence. A tiny streamer, no matter how many people support him, can’t possibly beat me.

“Who are you saying can’t afford to play? Fine, if you lose, you do a suggestive dance. If I lose, I’ll fulfill both requirements!”

Ji Zhiqiu nodded and clicked confirm.

The PK began.

Brother Zhou felt a strange sense of crisis and frantically campaigned for votes. Using reverse psychology, he taunted, “Brothers, show him what’s up! Let everyone know how strong we are no one looks down on us!”

In contrast, Ji Zhiqiu was very calm. “Thank you all for the support. I can feel the anger in your hearts, but please spend rationally. Living your own lives well is the most important thing. The online drama is just fleeting don’t pay it too much mind. And don’t worry about me. I may not be very powerful, but I can handle this kind of trash.”

At first, Brother Zhou held a massive lead, and he felt smug but he couldn’t laugh for long.

The gifts he received practically stalled, while the numbers on the other side kept climbing, reaching a point where they might even overtake him.

Brother Zhou’s smile faded. The fat on his face twitched, his expression turned ferocious, and he grew resentful. “Don’t you all support me? Didn’t you say you only find respect and joy here? Now is the time for you to do your part why are you quiet? A bunch of poor losers!”

He had accidentally said what was on his mind.

He was that kind of person himself, which was why he knew how to exploit this mentality. People who lived miserable, frustrated lives in reality came to his stream to vent and satisfy their twisted desires but their nature remained the same. These people cared most about themselves; they had no real money in their pockets, so how could they be genuinely supportive online?

Brother Zhou knew this, which was why he only ever bullied small streamers.

But retribution would come sooner or later. Brother Zhou’s entire body shook as he continued to provoke his room, trying to stir up the fighting spirit of his “poor losers.”

His chat remained busy, filled with dirty language, cursing not only Ji Zhiqiu’s ancestors for eighteen generations but also the viewers who sent him gifts. Yet, nobody backed down. Eventually, the number of gifts Ji Zhiqiu received surpassed Brother Zhou’s.

Brother Zhou’s face turned ash-gray, and he broke out in a cold sweat. If you looked at follower counts, he was a top-tier streamer, but only he knew the struggle behind the scenes. He absolutely could not lose otherwise, these fans would be the first to trample on him. He would be left friendless, destitute, and with nothing!

In the last minute, he gritted his teeth and used an alt account to frantically dump gifts on himself, enduring the mental pain of the cost.

He opened his gift list and nearly fainted. No wonder I’m lagging behind most of these are free gifts! These poor losers are treating me like a beggar!

Meanwhile, the gifts Ji Zhiqiu received weren’t huge amounts that big streamers would ignore, but they were many. Everyone was putting in their own effort.

In the final second, the two sides were neck-and-neck. Brother Zhou used his alt account again, barely squeezing out a win.

He felt a wave of dizziness when he looked at his balance. He had won, but he felt no satisfaction only a forced sense of bravado. “You lost, so you have to accept the punishment. Call your son over and let him watch you do the suggestive dance!”

His fans were celebrating again, their comments so filthy they triggered platform warnings.

Ji Zhiqiu smiled. “You clearly only said ‘suggestive dance’ before, without any limits or conditions. You can’t just add new ones now.”

Brother Zhou was dumbfounded. He hadn’t expected Ji Zhiqiu to be so crafty. For the sake of face, he gritted his teeth. “Fine. I’ll leave you a way out.”

“Alright, I’m starting.” After saying this, Ji Zhiqiu didn’t stand up immediately; instead, he brought his hand to the camera, fiddling with something.

The screen shifted. Due to the filter, there was “light pollution,” and all the lines were distorted. Standing Ji Zhiqiu looked inhuman, thin as a chopstick his head and feet were almost the same width, to say nothing of his shoulder lines.

The platform’s head-tracking effect was reliable, locking onto Ji Zhiqiu’s face firmly even under these conditions. The combination of two completely different, distorted effects was eerie he looked like a candied hawthorn stick with just an orange stuck on it. Seeing this late at night, one could easily be scared into a cold sweat.

“Alright, I’m going to dance now.”

He must have bent over, but it looked like a chopstick snapping in the middle. The “broken” parts began to rotate, and then the chopstick stood back up and rotated three more times. The scene was incredibly bizarre, yet strangely funny.

It was just a simple action, but because he had no training and used too much force, everyone in the livestream saw him crack he folded into two segments and slammed into the wall, looking like half his body had been flattened.

“…” Bro, stop, I’m scared.

Everyone’s nerves were already frayed, and then the childish voice was the final blow: “Daddy, why did you turn into a frog?”

Ahhhhhh, it’s haunted! Where did the kid come from?

Why is there a wiggling pile of pink pixels next to the stick-man!!

Both livestreams fell silent. This was practically a physiological attack. Brother Zhou couldn’t even tell whose punishment this was supposed to be.

After the song ended, Ji Zhiqiu returned to disable the filters. As the screen returned to normal, everyone saw a little boy with a mascot head trotting over, saying in a milky voice: “Daddy, you did it wrong. Frogs don’t jump like that.”

Ji Zhiqiu’s body was as stiff as a steel plate; he couldn’t dance, and all his movements were exaggeratedly forceful, which was why Ji Yanyan thought he was trying to imitate a frog.

He smiled and stroked Ji Yanyan’s soft cheeks, teasing him deliberately. “Then how do frogs jump? Can Yanyan teach Daddy?”

Ji Yanyan nodded earnestly, crouched on the ground, hopped twice, and mimicked the frog’s call.

The viewers were melted by the cuteness, having long forgotten the earlier scene.

【Where did this little frog come from? Let Auntie give him a kiss!】

【So cute! He’s my dream child! Little one, what color sack do you like?】

【Hahahaha, the one above, are you sure? You haven’t seen this kid when he’s being a brat.】

【This is a brat?! I totally can’t tell.】

【The streamer is really interesting with the kids. Don’t miss out, click follow and let’s all be good sisters in the livestream room.】

Ji Zhiqiu not only received many gifts, but his follower count also began to soar, forming a stark contrast to Brother Zhou, who was losing fans.

Brother Zhou watched this, his heart aching with bitterness. “Who told you to use filters so you can’t even see what a person looks like! Dance again who’s the one who can’t afford to play now?!”

Brother Zhou expected the audience to support him when he threw Ji Zhiqiu’s earlier words back at him, but the viewers were entirely on the streamer’s side.

【You weren’t clear there were no conditions or limits. You can’t blame the streamer for that.】

【You just said ‘dance’ or not, don’t talk about ‘affording to play’.】

【Laughing to death. That move won’t work. Why hold ‘good people’ to such high moral standards? He gets cursed for small issues, so who would want to be a good person? You harass small streamers all day reflect on yourself first!】

【Most satisfying episode ever. Evil meets evil. Besides, the streamer just used a small effect; what’s his problem?】

Brother Zhou was dumbfounded. He had always known that it was easier to incite a mob against a “good” person than a shameless thug. He’d succeeded many times before, but not this time.

Not only couldn’t he refute them, but what hurt most was the surging popularity of Ji Zhiqiu which he had helped create.

Why?!

Ji Zhiqiu hugged Ji Yanyan, the smile in his eyes deepening.

The biggest hero was Ji Yanyan. If he didn’t have any personality or talking points, even if he got a lot of attention, it wouldn’t last. But Ji Yanyan appearing suddenly to imitate a frog, and being this cute, naturally won everyone’s love. Plus, his “bratty” side created a contrast that piqued everyone’s curiosity after they followed, they’d see more.

Yanyan really was his little God of Wealth.

Ji Zhiqiu’s fatherly affection overflowed, and he couldn’t resist kissing Yanyan.

Such a cute kid he absolutely had to raise him well. This was the greatest love he could give as a father.

It was just a pity Yanyan didn’t appreciate it. He touched his wet face, gave Ji Zhiqiu a look of disdain, and said: “Daddy, don’t get your spit all over my face, it’s dirty, orz.”

Ji Zhiqiu: “…”

The fans in the stream thought it would be a heartwarming father-son moment, but it turned into them roasting each other. They laughed and started spamming the chat in support of Ji Yanyan.

Brother Zhou watched the other side’s lively, warm atmosphere it felt like they were doing it on purpose to show him and his mind grew more twisted. His fans were also jumping in agitation.

After the PK ended, the screens switched back automatically. Brother Zhou glared at Ji Zhiqiu with venomous hatred, not caring that a child was present, and cursed: “Don’t get cocky. Who do you think you are, daring to fight me? Do you think I and my fans are pushovers? You won this time, but don’t even think about having a peaceful livestream again. If I don’t drive you out of Qingmang, I’ll change my last name!”

Brother Zhou had zero dignity, losing his face in front of everyone.

Normal people don’t want to get stuck in the mud, but the internet users in the chat grew panicked, genuinely worried for Ji Zhiqiu.

In contrast, Brother Zhou’s room was in a frenzy, his fans cursing him with the most vicious language imaginable.

【Just you wait. Every time you go live, I’ll snipe you. You’ll never be able to stream again and will have to kneel under Brother Zhou’s crotch calling him Daddy.】

【Your room is full of delicate little girls; I could crush two of them with one hand. You really think they can protect you?】

【**** kid, just you wait. I’ll make you regret being born, I hope you and your son commit suicide by burning charcoal together.】

The words grew increasingly foul and horrifying.

Ji Zhiqiu knew Yanyan couldn’t read, but he didn’t want him to be exposed to such malice too early. He covered Yanyan’s eyes with his hand, but his expression didn’t show the slightest fear. He smiled and said, “It’s fine. Everyone is welcome to come to my stream. I’ll just turn off the comments, and then the viewer count will just keep climbing.”

“I can only get the minimum attendance bonus now, but maybe I’ll get a bit more later. How is this any different from someone stuffing money into my pocket? How could I be embarrassed?” Ji Zhiqiu sneered. He had three “villainous cubs” and was facing a dead-end plot compared to that, this was just a light drizzle. How could he possibly be afraid?

Brother Zhou and his fans: “…”

They were instantly enraged. People like them seemed powerful, but they were actually just bullies who feared the strong. Ji Zhiqiu stood up to them, didn’t care about his own face, and instead seized their weak point.

Brother Zhou was so angry he lost his sanity. He was just about to start shouting, but before the sound could come out, the PK session ended automatically, and he vanished from the other side of the screen.

Without all that garbage, Ji Zhiqiu checked the chat with a refreshed spirit. The fans were praising his bravery, and he couldn’t help but feel a bit smug.

Though he was a tired, dull, pre-thirty middle-aged man, he didn’t have those memories at his core, he was still just a college student.

And college students are upright and righteous we don’t look for trouble, but we aren’t afraid of it either!