Digimon: I really didn't want to be the Digimon Emperor!

The students were stunned by their duel, as if they were watching Saiyans from Dragon Ball exchanging beams. The holy light bullet and the lightning ball collided in mid-air, exploding with dazzling light. The two exchanged blows, neither able to gain the upper hand.

Even if they tried to break through at high speed, they were blocked by the power grid.

"Stalemate! Zhao Lu advances!" Xu Xin announced.

Cheng Yuan wiped his sweat: "Did you all go out and sneak some 'Growth Happiness' drinks over the weekend?"

The other students weren't so lucky; they were all dejectedly recording their battle data.

Tonight is destined to be a sleepless night—I need to figure out how to crack kite tactics and develop unique strategies for my own Digimon.

During the lunch break between academic classes, Cheng Yuan was struggling with a math problem while biting his pen when Zhao Lu suddenly slammed her phone on the table, startling him so much that he almost swallowed the pen cap.

"I'm so angry! Yun Yao is being slandered so badly!" Zhao Lu gritted her teeth, looking just like a cat with its fur standing on end, and even the Gear Beast on her shoulder started to whirr and whirr.

"Huh?" Cheng Yuan paused, his pen poised.

“The latest episode of ‘Digital Queen Producer’ aired last night,” Zhao Lu said, shoving her phone right in front of his nose, the screen almost touching his eyelashes. “Although Yun Yao is still in the center position, the new song doesn’t have the magical effect of ‘Butterfly’ that makes Digimon gain attributes. Those haters suddenly went on a wild party!”

Cheng Yuan squinted and leaned back to see the contents of his phone.

The comments section was a complete disaster:

[That's it? She dares to call herself a genius creator? I suggest she change her name to 'Queen of One Song'] (accompanied by a dog emoji). [She definitely bought the rights to "Butterfly," right? Now her true colors are out, haha] This was followed by three laughing-crying emojis.

[I suggest investigating the financial backers behind this, haha]

"What the hell is all this?!" Zhao Lu stomped her feet in anger, her ponytail swinging back and forth. "It must be paid trolls hired by our competitors! Look at this account, it was praising another contestant yesterday, and today it's attacking Yun Yao!"

Cheng Yuan stroked his chin thoughtfully.

When I met Yunyao at the coffee shop a couple of days ago, she mentioned that she might be targeted by capital.

I didn't expect them to act so quickly, not even giving me time to observe for two episodes before resorting to underhanded tactics.

“The world of capital…” Cheng Yuan muttered to himself.

The afternoon training continued in full swing. With the experience gained in the morning, the students were even more proactive in challenging Cheng Yuan.

Meanwhile, Cheng Yuan continuously optimized his tactics during this process.

The shadow clone lures the enemy deep into the territory, using a feint attack;

The Holy Light Bullet can change direction and launch a surprise attack, making it impossible to defend against;

A high-speed collision followed by a puppy's roar interrupts a skill combo...

"The class representative has improved a lot." Xu Xin stroked his chin. "Looks like he's been practicing a lot over the weekend."

Cheng Yuan chuckled twice, thinking to himself: That's for sure, he played 11 games in two days, and his wallet is bulging.

Throughout the afternoon, Cheng Yuan continued to meet the challenges from his classmates. In the process, he also received training from the little dog, gaining more insights into skill combinations and innovative applications.

As school was about to let out in the afternoon, Cheng Yuan's phone suddenly vibrated.

It was a location message sent by Yun Yao, with the message: "The production team wants to hold me under house arrest, help me..."

Chapter 29 House Arrest?

"Beep...beep..." The moment the call connected, Cheng Yuan heard a strange gurgling sound.

"Hello? Cheng Yuan?" Yun Yao's voice came from the phone, accompanied by an eerie echo.

"Where are you? It sounds like you're..."

“The toilet stall,” Yun Yao replied in a low voice. “The production team locked me in the recording studio, saying it was for ‘seclusion and creative work,’ but actually they just wanted to force me to sign that exploitative contract.”

Cheng Yuan raised an eyebrow: "Then why don't you just leave?"

"There are two security guards standing at the entrance!"

"You're a beast tamer, why are you afraid of two security guards?"

Yun Yao said angrily, "They said it's 'for art,' and if I force myself to leave, they'll edit it into a scene of me acting like a diva."

Cheng Yuan glanced at the time—17:04 PM. He sighed, "So you want me to..."

"Get me out of here!" Yun Yao's voice suddenly rose, then quickly lowered again. "If my dad finds out I'm being held captive, he'll definitely drag me home right away. Then all the independent career I've worked so hard to achieve will be ruined!"

The Star Beast and the Dial Beasts chirped in agreement from the other end of the phone.

Cheng Yuan rubbed his temples. Logically, this matter shouldn't concern him, but the thought of the substantial profits brought by the song "Butterfly"...

"Alright, wait for me." He hung up the phone and turned to the little dog on his shoulder, saying, "Little dog, our sugar daddy is in trouble."

"Woof?" The little dog tilted its head, looking completely innocent.

"Simply put, someone is trying to steal our money," Cheng Yuan put it another way.

"Wang?"

"Ahem, to put it simply, someone's trying to steal our sacred feast, data burger, Rubik's Cube baked lobster, energy sashimi..."

"Woof woof!" The little beast immediately perked up its ears, its eyes blazing with fighting spirit.

Cheng Yuan took a taxi straight to Qianhai District. This is the cultural center of Pengcheng, with towering buildings and major entertainment companies gathered here.

"Master, to the Creation Camp Company," Cheng Yuan reported his destination.

The driver glanced at him in the rearview mirror: "Young man, are you going to a talent show?"

“No, we’re going to retrieve people.” Cheng Yuan smiled mysteriously.

The company behind "Produce Camp" is an entertainment company that has emerged in recent years. It started by copying various hit shows, but has never really taken off.

This year, they took a different approach and launched "Digital Queen Creation Camp," where trainers and Digimon team up to create and compete. Unexpectedly, "Butterfly" became an instant hit.

It was already six o'clock when they arrived at their destination. Cheng Yuan rubbed his rumbling stomach: "Let's fill our stomachs first."

He randomly picked a fast food restaurant, looked at the menu, and ordered the signature dish – "Fried Potatoes with Rice".

At the same time, I used the Grimoire to order a sacred bread for the puppy beast in the store, -JPY200.

"Your rice bowl is here."

Cheng Yuan was about to eat when he suddenly looked annoyed: "Boss, what kind of food did you serve?"

"Potato stew with rice, that's right," the waiter said.

"Then why are there only potatoes? Where are the potatoes?" Cheng Yuan poked at them a few times with his chopsticks.

"The potatoes are in there too," the waiter said. "The slices are potatoes, and the shredded ones are potatoes."

"???"

Cheng Yuancai realized that his understanding had been shattered. Oh, it wasn't beef stew with potatoes. Excuse me.

"Actually, it's just plain braised potatoes. The owner makes the menu seem more elaborate to reach a certain word count. Otherwise, if you want to eat braised beef with potatoes for 10 yuan, you're dreaming," the waiter bluntly stated.

The little dog was enjoying a 200-dollar data bread, showing no interest in the human word games.

"Okay, okay, let's eat."

Cheng Yuan shook his head and stopped arguing about it.

After a satisfying meal, Cheng Yuan straightened his collar and strode confidently toward the Creative Camp building.

"Who are you looking for?" the security guard stopped him.

"I'm here at the creative camp company on the 15th floor for an interview as a creative assistant. You know Yunyao, right? She registered online."

Following the pre-arranged protocol with Yun Yao, he was successfully led into the building and taken the elevator to the 15th floor.

As soon as the elevator doors opened, Cheng Yuan was stunned by what he saw—the entire floor had been transformed into a huge recording studio, with a dazzling array of stage sets, staff moving back and forth, and celebrity contestants posing for the camera, being photographed or interviewed.

"You're here for the interview to become Yun Yao's assistant?" A shrill voice came from behind.

Cheng Yuan turned around and saw a man with a small braid and wearing a tight suit pointing at him with a blue finger. The man's affected manner made the security guard turn his face away.

The security guard couldn't bear to look, so he simply said, "I've brought the person," and then, his eyes burning with embarrassment, entered the elevator.

“Hmm, I’d like to give it a try.” Cheng Yuan sized up the other person.

"This is not a place for children like you to play. Let's go back."

The man turned to leave, never once opening his eyes to look at Cheng Yuan.

"What's wrong with Yun Yao? He said he was looking for an assistant, but he didn't want any of the many excellent people he had seen. What's so good about this person? He brings all sorts of random people to the company. The only cute thing is the pet dog on his shoulder."

"I haven't even had my interview yet!" Cheng Yuan shouted.

"The interview is over!" the man said in a high-pitched voice.

After saying that, she turned and walked away, leaving Cheng Yuan standing there dumbfounded.

"Woof!" the little dog barked in dissatisfaction, clearly displeased with the term "cat and dog."

But now that we've come this far, we have no intention of giving up halfway.

Cheng Yuan stroked his chin: "Let's sneak in and take a look first."

Seeing that the androgynous man had already gone far away, Cheng Yuan swaggered to the entrance of the studio.

He looked around and quickly spotted a black vest and baseball cap on the prop box, with the words "Director's Crew" printed on them.

"Clothes are left lying around; they have absolutely no manners."

Cheng Yuan calmly picked up a black vest and baseball cap, put them on, and then put on a mask, instantly transforming from a high school student into a staff member before walking into the studio.

He strolled around the shed with an air of nonchalance, nodding occasionally to the busy staff, and surprisingly no one suspected anything.

“Recording room 1530…” Cheng Yuan silently recited the room number Yun Yao had given him, and quickly found his target.

Sure enough, two burly men were standing at the entrance, idly playing with their phones.

Cheng Yuan took a deep breath, straightened his back and walked over, turning to the side to intentionally or unintentionally reveal the three words "Director's Team" on his back: "It's shift change, you guys go and rest."

The security guard looked up at him suspiciously: "Didn't you receive any notification?"

“It was just decided.” Cheng Yuan lowered his voice. “The directing team needs to rearrange the set. This time, we’re going to create an authentic live recording studio scene. All irrelevant people will be cleared out.”

The two security guards exchanged a glance, and one of them hesitated before saying, "But the deputy director instructed..."

"Deputy Director? You mean that sissy?" Cheng Yuan scoffed. "He's getting a real dressing down from the head director right now, he doesn't have time to worry about this."

Seeing the security guards still hesitating, Cheng Yuan added fuel to the fire: "Why don't you go and ask them yourselves? But the head director isn't in a good mood right now..."

This remark worked; the two security guards quickly got up and left, fearing they would be drawn into the power struggle among the higher-ups.

After they had gone some distance, Cheng Yuan immediately knocked on the door: "Yun Yao? It's me."

The door opened a crack, revealing Yun Yao's wary face. Upon recognizing Cheng Yuan, she pulled him inside.

"Why did you take so long to come!" Yun Yao complained, her eyes red. "I was about to go crazy!"

Star Beast pounced and hugged Dog Beast, and the two little guys rubbed against each other affectionately.

The recording studio was piled high with snack bags and drink bottles, so it seems the production team's "house arrest" treatment was pretty good.

"So what exactly is going on?" Cheng Yuan asked.

Yun Yao sat down angrily: "They want me to write a new song that can rival 'Butterfly,' or they won't let me leave the recording studio."

"Then write it."

"If I could write it, would I still be asking you?" Yun Yao rubbed her hair in frustration. "Ever since I heard 'Butterfly,' all the songs I've written have been like garbage!"

The Star Beast nodded vigorously, indicating that it deeply agreed.

Cheng Yuan shook his head helplessly: "So they didn't really intend to imprison you, they were just using this method to force you to create?"

"Pretty much." Yun Yao pouted. "They even hinted that if I signed the contract, they could 'appropriately relax the requirements'."

Cheng Yuan asked thoughtfully, "How much revenue did Butterfly generate from subscriptions last week?"

Upon hearing this, Yun Yao's eyes immediately lit up: "It's doubled! A full 200 ​​million! According to the agreement, your share is 20."

Cheng Yuan's heart raced instantly—20 wealth points!

“However…” Yun Yao winked mischievously, “we can only ‘divide the spoils’ after you rescue me~”

Cheng Yuan narrowed his eyes: "Are you trying to trick me?"

"Please~" Yun Yao stuck out her tongue, "I know your talents are far more than this?"

"Never mind, I happen to have one. I'll borrow your equipment here to test it out and see what effect it has!" Cheng Yuan wanted to know if the other songs had any effect, and whether the problem was with the songs or with his voice.