Being a gigolo was too much for him, so he had to become a music superstar.

Is your voice hoarse?

Lin Buyi touched his throat. After practicing singing all day, his throat was indeed a little sore.

"I've been busy with the project, constantly in meetings and talking," he continued, continuing his lie about his internship at the company. "My throat is a little dry, I'll just drink some water."

"Brother, don't push yourself too hard," Lin Qingxue said with concern. "Your health is the most important thing."

"Don't worry, I know what I'm doing."

There was a moment of silence on the other end of the phone, and then Lin Qingxue's voice came through again.

"elder brother."

"Um?"

"Promise me that once I'm better, you'll take me to see the sea, okay? I've never seen a real ocean before."

Lin Buyi's throat tightened slightly.

"Okay. When you're better, I'll take you to Sanya to see the bluest sea."

"It's a deal!"

"It's a promise. Goodnight, Qingxue."

Goodnight, bro.

After hanging up the phone, Lin Buyi sat holding the phone for a long time.

He put his phone on the coffee table and turned off the living room lights.

In the darkness, he whispered:

"Qingxue, I'll go to the battlefield for you tomorrow."

……

It's 6:30 in the morning.

Lin Buyi had already tidied himself up.

A black hoodie, dark jeans, and canvas shoes—the exact same outfit he wore on the day of the primary. He didn't have any other clothes.

I slung my guitar over my shoulder and went downstairs.

In the living room, Su Nianwei's private driver, Lao Zhou, was already waiting. Su Nianwei herself did not appear, and the bedroom door was closed.

But on the coffee table sat a glass of warm honey lemon water. Next to it was a sticky note with messy handwriting, but you could tell it was written with great effort:

Don't let your voice become hoarse.

Lin Buyi picked up the cup and drank it all in one gulp.

He glanced at the note for two seconds, folded it twice, and put it in his pocket.

Get on the bus and let's go.

Outside the car window, the sky was just beginning to lighten, and the city's outline gradually became clear in the pale golden morning light.

Lin Buyi leaned back in the back seat and closed his eyes.

Everything that had happened in the past few days flashed through my mind: Su Nianwei's demands and restraint, my sister's smiling face on her sickbed, the hundreds of repetitions in the basement, and the rejections and affirmations from the preliminary judges.

Today, he is finally going to stand on that stage.

……

The venue for the official recording of Future Star Season 2 was a studio in the suburbs.

It was many times larger than the audition room for the preliminary rounds. It had nearly two thousand seats in the audience area, a central main stage, an LED screen suspended from the ceiling, and hundreds of stage lights.

Lin Buyi entered the backstage area through a side door.

Today is the recording day for the third group of eight contestants. There are already quite a few people backstage. Staff members are coming and going in the dressing room, waiting area, and lounge.

As an amateur contestant, Lin Buyi did not have a makeup artist or stylist team, nor was he assigned a private dressing room. He was placed in a corner of the public waiting area, next to a row of folding chairs.

He put down his guitar and sat down in the chair.

The eight contestants in the third group arrived one after another. Just like during the preliminary rounds, most people cast indifferent glances at Lin Buyi. He was alone, without a team or company logo, and dressed in plain, even shabby, clothes, making him seem out of place backstage.

As one of the contestants' agents passed by, he didn't lower his voice and said to his contestant, "Relax. Apart from Zhou Qian, who poses a bit of a threat in this group today, you don't need to pay too much attention to the others. Especially that amateur, you don't need to worry about him at all."

Lin Buyi heard this, but his expression remained unchanged.

He had gotten used to being ignored.

But he noticed someone else.

In a slightly secluded corner of the waiting area, a thin boy wearing large headphones and a black turtleneck sweater sat alone. He held a bottle of mineral water in his hand, his gaze was downcast, and his lips were moving slightly as if he were muttering something to himself.

His demeanor was different from the atmosphere here, not because of his poor clothing, but because of a natural aloofness that suggested he didn't need to interact with anyone.

When the staff came to register, they read out his name: "Zhou Qian, recommended candidate from the Vocal Performance Department of Longcheng Conservatory of Music."

Lin Buyi glanced at him. This was the classically trained genius with overwhelming singing skills that the assistant director had mentioned. He looked a little younger than Lin Buyi, but the calmness that emanated from him was unlike that of a twenty-year-old.

Zhou Qian raised her head, her gaze sweeping over everyone in the waiting area, finally settling on Lin Buyi. To be precise, it settled on the guitar beside him.

Their eyes met briefly. Zhou Qian didn't speak or show any expression; he simply looked away and continued reciting his lyrics.

Lin Buyi understood the message in that glance: not interested.

It wasn't contempt or disregard. Zhou Qian didn't care about background or clothing. He only cared whether his opponent could pose a musical threat to him.

In his view, the ordinary person carrying a guitar in front of him clearly did not qualify.

Just as Lin Buyi was waiting quietly in the corner, a girl carrying an old guitar carefully walked up to him.

"Um...is anyone sitting here?" Her voice was very soft, with a sense of caution as if she didn't want to disturb others.

Lin Buyi looked up.

She was a girl with delicate features but extremely plain appearance. She had no makeup on, her hair was simply tied in a low ponytail, and she was wearing a clean but clearly not designer plaid coat. In addition to her guitar, she was also carrying an old canvas bag.

Like Lin Buyi, she was an outlier in this backstage area.

"No, please sit down," Lin Buyi said.

The girl thanked him quietly and sat down beside him. She looked around nervously, clearly uncomfortable with such a large scene.

"Which company are you from?" she asked hesitantly.

"No company. I'm an independent trainee," Lin Buyi replied briefly. "And you?"

"Me too... independent." The girl gave a wry smile. "My name is Shen Yihe, and I'm a folk singer-songwriter. What about you?"

"Lin Buyi"

Shen Yihe let out a soft "Ah," and said, "You're the last one on the list to be added..." Realizing that her words sounded a bit harsh, she quickly corrected herself, "You're the one who was specially recommended by Xue Xinghe. I saw it on the forum; you must be very capable."

Lin Buyi shook his head: "It's not that impressive. It's just luck."

Looking at his expression, Shen Yihe felt that this person spoke slowly and deliberately, not just being polite, but genuinely felt that he was lucky.

"I'm actually really nervous," Shen Yihe said softly, her hands gripping the straps of her canvas bag tightly, her knuckles taut. "What about you? Are you nervous?"

"It's alright." Lin Buyi glanced at her. "Don't overthink it, just go up and sing."

Shen Yihe nodded, but her hands were still trembling.

The two outcasts crossed paths for the first time.

……

The scene shifts to the main stage.

The studio lights dimmed, and the Future Star logo appeared on the LED screen.

The audience, mostly fan groups from various companies and the event's atmosphere-building team, erupted in enthusiastic applause.