Chapter 50: Stealing the Spotlight

“All right, Charles, don’t be upset. I’ll ask the boss to give you a bonus,” Steve comforted the Flying Pig. After all, streaming in women’s clothing was a considerable sacrifice; a consolation prize was essential.

“The bonus doesn’t matter. It’s all for the future of the company. But I think He’s popularity is much higher than mine. If we could get He to wear women’s clothes and stream together, the ratings would go through the roof,” Barkley said.

He was a man of action; since the cross-dressing stream was inevitable, he wanted to drag Xinghui He into it. Embarrassing things are easier to bear with a companion.

“That’s a great idea, He, what do you think? Interested? If you agree, our station can offer you a million as an appearance fee,” Steve tried to entice Xinghui He with money. He had no other options—He wasn’t a TNT employee.

“No, Steve, you’re wrong. I’m a young, handsome, popular idol. My image is important to me…” Steve was a bit deflated at this, though he had expected it.

But Xinghui He continued, “If you want me to cross-dress, you’ll have to pay more.”

He imitated Ding’s famous scene from “Brotherhood of Blades,” creating a dramatic twist.

“Hahaha…” Kenny Smith was already rolling on the floor laughing, and the other staff were nearly doubled over from He’s witty remark.

Barkley’s eyes lit up, overjoyed.

Steve, seasoned as he was, managed to suppress his laughter and said, “No problem, whatever amount you want can be discussed.”

If Xinghui He could cross-dress and stream at TNT, it would be an immensely successful marketing event.

“One hundred million,” Xinghui He replied with a grin.

His words made it clear he was joking. Cross-dressing was out of the question—never, unless TNT genuinely wanted to spend a hundred million. Obviously, that was impossible.

Steve realized he’d overthought it, but he wasn’t disappointed; he hadn’t expected much from the start.

The cross-dressing stream was best left to the dedicated Sir Charles.

“Charles, the cross-dressing stream is your task. Do your best. If you work hard enough, one day you might help the boss become the richest man alive,” Xinghui He patted Barkley’s shoulder.

“Damn it, get lost, I hate you, I never want to see you again,” Barkley erupted. He had just been consoling himself with thoughts of a bonus, but He’s words reminded him that the more he earned, the more the boss earned; the harder he worked, the greater the gap between him and the boss. It was frustrating.

“I hate you?” What was with this coquettish phrase? The cross-dressing hadn’t even begun, yet he was already getting into character.

Xinghui He quickly made his escape; being entangled by a cross-dressing Barkley would be troublesome.

After He left, the TNT staff were still reminiscing, and all their discussion revolved around Xinghui He. This collaboration had left them with so much to talk about.

They were thoroughly impressed by Xinghui He.

“All right, let’s get to work. This is a golden opportunity. Let’s work overtime, promote well, launch a subscription deal, and seize the ratings share…” Steve clapped his hands and assigned tasks.

“Work overtime, and help the boss become the richest man alive?” Smith borrowed He’s catchphrase, and everyone burst out laughing.

“Come on, we’re all adults here. Think of your kids at home, think of your mortgage,” Steve urged.

The next day, sports news headlined Xinghui He and Barkley stealing the show. The front-page story wasn’t the Lakers vs. Heat score, nor the feud between Shaq and Kobe, but TNT’s live broadcast.

There was so much to report from that stream.

[Barkley: I never want to hear the word ‘championship’ again.]

During the broadcast, He mentioned ‘championship’ twelve times, rubbing salt into Sir Charles’ wounds twelve times. He, are you the devil? Three seconds of sympathy for Sir Charles.

So, next, let’s talk about championships.

[Barkley gets pranked, loses his temper three times.]

Yesterday on TNT, Barkley and He bickered, Barkley lost badly, got pranked several times, and at one point, grabbed He’s neck live. It must be said, only brothers can joke like this…

[Following kissing a donkey’s backside, Barkley will stream in women’s clothing.]

Barkley stumbled again because of a Chinese player, lost a bet, and now he has to wear a dress and stream a game. My God, I can’t wait to watch that broadcast.

[The most irreverent, yet most entertaining commentary.]

He isn’t a professional commentator, but in terms of entertaining the public, he’s a master—more skilled than many seasoned hosts and commentators. The others should feel ashamed…

These reports left Stern speechless for a time. In the end, he muttered, “We’ll have to schedule him for next year’s Christmas showdown.”

There was no choice; if Xinghui He stole the headlines again, the league would be in an awkward position.

After the news broke, Stern wasn’t the only one frustrated—there were others who felt even worse.

Executives at ABC, FSN, ESPN, and other networks were all feeling the strain.

TNT had played dirty, launching a surprise attack that caught them off guard, and their viewing share had noticeably dropped.

“Why? Why couldn’t you think of inviting He as a guest, and let TNT take the lead?” ESPN’s general manager Lawrence fumed.

His question left everyone speechless; before this, who could have imagined Xinghui He would do commentary?

“Boss, TNT didn’t expect it either. Apparently, He volunteered,” an ESPN staffer explained.

“I don’t want excuses, only results. We must come up with countermeasures. We can’t let TNT keep stealing the spotlight. Barkley’s cross-dressing stream is in two days—we need to act,” Lawrence set the task, leaving the details to his team.

The other networks were in much the same situation. In the past, everyone was about equal, but now TNT was rising fast.

“How about we do a cross-dressing stream too?”

“It’s useless. Barkley’s cross-dressing is because of a bet; viewers will praise him for keeping his word. If we cross-dress for no reason, people will just call us crazy.”

“Then let’s contact He and see if we can get him to guest for us.”

“That won’t be easy. He just did this on a whim, and he’s not going to make a career out of it—he still has games to play. Besides, we don’t have any advantage over TNT.”

They argued back and forth, unable to come up with a viable solution.

“Damn it, couldn’t this guy just play his basketball quietly? Why does he have to meddle in commentary?”

At that moment, many silently cursed Xinghui He in their hearts.