Esports world champion, debuted as the center of a talent show

A young-looking boy stood in the center of the stage, wearing a faded white T-shirt and jeans, with soft, fine hair plastered to his forehead, gripping the microphone tightly with both hands.

To Jiang Zhiyu's surprise, this seemingly youthful boy had a deep, husky, and magnetic singing voice.

He sang folk songs with great passion, as if gently telling a story.

The sound filled the entire studio, and the story-filled singing touched almost all the audience members present. The contestants who were whispering among themselves gradually quieted down.

Tang Zhuo nodded repeatedly as he listened. He really liked contestants with their own personal style; Jiang Zhiyu was one before, and this one was another.

After the boy finished his performance and bowed to the audience, he eagerly picked up the microphone: "Hello, Yu Wen. Your profile says you came to participate in this program right after finishing your college entrance exams. I'd like to ask what prompted you to choose 'Shining Project'?"

Yu Wen clutched the hem of her clothes with her left hand and held the microphone in her right, stammering, "Being a singer has been my dream since I was a child. I signed up as soon as I saw the program's promotion this year."

"Then why didn't you go to the singing competition show next door, but instead chose an idol audition program?"

The boy blushed slightly, embarrassed by the questioning: "Because this program offers a higher registration fee."

Some good-natured laughter rang out from the players' stands.

Tang Zhuo couldn't help but smile and shake his head; he knew Yu Wen's true situation.

Yu Wen was born into a single-parent family, and the absence of his father led to him being bullied by his peers during his childhood.

He and his mother depended on each other for survival, and he started doing odd jobs at a young age to supplement the family income while also studying.

Unfortunately, his mother collapsed before his college entrance exam. Years of hard work had caused the middle-aged woman, who had just raised her son to adulthood, to develop a brain tumor.

However, Yu Wen's mother kept the truth from him until after his college entrance examination, when she finally told him about his illness.

To pay for her mother's medical treatment, Yu Wen worked odd jobs after the college entrance examination. When she saw the recruitment notice for the "Shining Project," she submitted her resume on a whim and was surprised to be selected.

Tang Zhuo cherishes talent and wants to help this young man who has been suppressed by fate.

Appropriately revealing one's own suffering is a shortcut to gaining audience sympathy and thus greater fame, which also helps him go further on the show.

Seeing that Yu Wen didn't intend to play the victim, Tang Zhuo didn't press the matter. Instead, he admired the young man who remained resilient despite being battered by storms even more.

Yu Wen's performance was recognized by all the mentors, but unfortunately he knew nothing about dancing and rapping. His overly specialized skills earned him a mere B grade.

He seemed quite satisfied with the rating. Jiang Zhiyu sat quietly in his seat and watched Yu Wen skip and hop off the stage.

The initial stage evaluation is still ongoing.

Ahn Joon-young, as expected of a former leading figure in the underground rapper scene, had excellent rhythm and rhyme. He unsurprisingly earned his second A grade with his melodic rap and quickly learned dance.

On the contrary, Deng Sushui's performance surprised everyone. Everyone thought he was just an actor trying his luck, but he turned out to have solid singing skills, good technique, and a relaxed stage presence, clearly showing that he had received professional training. He stood out among the mixed group of trainees and won his third A grade.

At this point, the live chat was flooded with question marks. Some were shocked that Deng Sushui had kept a low profile and hidden her talents, while others questioned whether her level was too high. Meanwhile, Deng Sushui's fans ignored the questions and flooded the chat with congratulations.

Jiang Zhiyu was getting a little tired of watching, so he leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes to rest, listening to the music on stage and the occasional comments from the mentors.

He only slowly opened his eyes when he heard a series of light footsteps and a slight vibration from the steps.

It's time for the five-member group from Feixing Entertainment to come on stage.

Several boys lined up and walked down the steps next to him, preparing to go up onto the stage from the side.

Jiang Zhiyu was too lazy to move, so he shrank back in his chair to make room for them, glancing around casually without paying much attention.

Just as the group passed by him, one of the boys in the middle suddenly became unsteady on his feet and lurched towards Jiang Zhiyu.

Jiang Zhiyu reacted extremely quickly, almost instinctively reaching out and grabbing the boy's arm with a steady and precise force, just enough to keep him upright and prevent him from falling on him.

After being forced to stand up straight, the boy was stunned for a moment, seemingly not expecting to be supported.

He opened his eyes wide and looked innocently at Jiang Zhiyu. After thinking for two seconds, his eyes suddenly reddened, and he turned back to look at Mi Lan standing behind him with a wronged expression.

Mi Lan, still holding out her hand, was caught off guard when her eyes met the boy's, and she instantly realized what was happening.

He abruptly pulled his hand back, and his face, as black as the bottom of a pot, was fully displayed on the live stream by the camera.

Mi Lan narrowed her eyes, let out a clear click of her tongue with a hint of disgust, and walked past him without looking back onto the stage.

The boy standing there looked at Mi Lan's back, then at his other teammates who had already walked up the steps and were gradually spreading out, and frowned.

He didn't linger. He pushed away Jiang Zhiyu's hand that was supporting him, quickly caught up with his teammates, jogged onto the stage, and returned to his position.

At this point, the live chat was filled with insults:

- [Is Mi Lan now openly bullying her teammates?]

[Milan was trying to push someone? That's too much! Isn't anyone going to do anything about it?]

- [The crown prince is really something else, acting like a local tyrant in the troupe]

Poor Wang Yan, I feel so sorry for him.

Jiang Zhiyu withdrew his hand, watched the boy's retreating figure with slightly faster steps, felt a slight stirring in his heart, but didn't think about it any further, sat up straight again, and looked at the stage.

He had initially thought that the little incident earlier would affect the team's performance, since almost falling on stage and having a minor tiff could easily disrupt their rhythm.

Unexpectedly, as soon as the music started, the five boys immediately got into character, their movements were perfectly synchronized, and their singing and rapping were perfectly coordinated. Each person's part was performed flawlessly, creating a powerful stage presence, and there was no trace of the accident that had just occurred.

The entire performance was seamless and flawless, with an unexpectedly high level of completion. Even Wang Yan, who almost fell down just now, had an exceptionally bright performance on stage. His eyes were firm while singing, a stark contrast to his aggrieved and innocent appearance offstage.

After the performance, the five performers stood in a neat row, waiting for the mentors' comments and scores. The atmosphere was somewhat quiet. The mentors exchanged a few words with their heads down, then picked up the microphones to announce the scores.

Based on their stage performance, teamwork, and individual abilities, they were ultimately rated two A grades and three B grades.

Despite her arrogant demeanor, Mi Lan is actually the strongest member of the group, easily earning one of the A grades.

Wang Yan, who appeared timid offstage, was the most outstanding besides Mi Lan, and thus received another A besides Mi Lan.

This result is quite impressive for a group performance on the initial stage, which is enough to prove their strength.

"Kui Shuang is finally back." Yao Wei suddenly spoke up from beside him.

Jiang Zhiyu followed Yao Wei's gaze and saw the blond man waiting to go on stage.