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

The summer that marked Jiang Zhiyu's twelfth birthday was hot and humid with frequent rain.

Outside, a torrential downpour was falling, the raindrops pounding heavily on the ground with a deep, rhythmic sound. Xiao Jiang Zhiyu, with a fever-reducing patch on his forehead, squatted angrily under the table, while a young man stood before him, smiling helplessly.

"The rain is too heavy, and Mom and Dad's flight was canceled. They really can't make it back today. Your brother will take you out to play by himself today, and we'll celebrate your full birthday tomorrow, okay?"

Jiang Zhiyu pursed his lips, neither saying yes nor no.

But in the end, he opened his arms and was pulled out from under the table by the young man. He buried his head in the crook of the young man's neck, his voice tinged with grievance: "Brother, I hate rain."

"Jiang Zhiyu—a master of coquetry!"

A clear, youthful voice made Jiang Zhiyu, who was feeling down, turn around abruptly. He gritted his teeth and said, "Jing Chi! You just wait!"

He kicked his legs and shouted, "Brother! Put me down!"

The young man smiled and shook his head, then obediently and gently placed his struggling younger brother on the ground.

Jiang Zhiyu chased Jing Chi all over the house, yelling. When they reached the study on the second floor, Jing Chi, panting, called out, "Okay, okay... I won't bother you anymore... I brought you a gift!"

"What is that?" Jiang Zhiyu pressed the fever-reducing patch that he had loosened a bit, his eyes widened, and his gaze searched the boy in front of him.

"Ta-da!" Jing Chi pulled a small tiger-shaped pendant out of some pocket and showed it off like a treasure.

The little tiger had a crooked mouth and slanted eyes, which was quite comical. Jiang Zhiyu couldn't help but burst out laughing, his eyes crinkling into slits.

Jing Chi also curled the corners of his lips, but quickly spoke up, feigning displeasure, "What are you laughing at, Jiang Zhiyu? This was made for you personally by your brother Chi!"

"oh--"

Jiang Zhiyu drawled out the last syllable as he carefully examined the strange-looking "tiger." He could tell that Jing Chi was there to amuse him, but they both had an unspoken understanding not to expose each other.

He nodded: "Okay, I forgive you."

"But when will your fever go down? It's been going on for several days now."

"It'll be soon, you're much better today, I even have the energy to hit you."

"Don't give me that, wasn't it because I let you win?"

"Huh? Let's have another match then!"

"No, no, no! I give up!"

The rain outside the window gradually subsided, and the dense dark clouds in the sky gradually dispersed.

The raindrops, which had rolled twice on the eaves, finally fell heavily to the ground.

tick-

Bright red blood splattered on the ground, but was quickly washed away by the dense raindrops, and Jiang Zhiyu's world was enveloped in dark red.

Jing Chi, his body soaked in blood, was weak with his eyes half-closed. Blood kept flowing from the wound on his chest. Jiang Zhiyu tried to cover it with his hands, but it was all in vain.

The two were on a mountain road, surrounded by scattered vehicle debris. A rough male voice approached from afar, muffled by the rain: "Hurry up and find them, they're nearby. Don't let those two get away!"

At this moment, Jiang Zhiyu's mind was almost unable to think, but he suppressed the urge to cry and let the large tears disappear with the rain.

"Jingchi, hang in there, I'll take you to the hospital right away."

Jiang Zhiyu tried his best to lift Jing Chi onto his back, but was stopped by a blood-stained hand, which was both weak and firm.

Jing Chi grasped Jiang Zhiyu's hand, which was still trying to struggle, and took a couple of breaths: "Don't worry about me, let's go..."

"No!" Jiang Zhiyu's eyes were red and filled with tears.

He wanted to pick up Jing Chi's increasingly limp body, but froze at Jing Chi's next words: "Go... and I'll forgive you."

The rain was heavy; the pattering sound of the raindrops exploded in his world, clear and terrifying.

The body in his arms trembled slightly, but he didn't know if it was his whole body shaking.

Jing Chi's voice trailed off: "You can't stop here... You will... achieve your dream... You will... live for me..."

His body gradually grew cold, and the hand that was holding Jiang Zhiyu eventually fell limply to the ground.

pat-

Jiang Zhiyu suddenly opened his eyes, his back soaked with cold sweat.

He turned to look out the window, where dense raindrops pattered against the glass.

"How are you?"

A low voice came from beside her.

Jiang Zhiyu stared intently at the rain and said, "It's nothing, just a dream."

"Nightmare?"

He couldn't find a reply, and after a while, he spoke, but his answer was irrelevant: "I hate rain."

"I hate it too! It's so annoying! All the clothes I hung out to dry are soaked!"

Lin Sen's boisterous voice pushed in from outside the door. He was carrying a handful of obviously wet clothes, and his complaints dispelled the somewhat oppressive atmosphere inside room 310.

Lin Sen, who was never one to "read the room," sat down heavily in his chair and sighed, "How long is this rain going to last? It's going to be a hassle to get to the training building."

Jiang Zhiyu glanced at the rain and thought it didn't look like it would stop anytime soon: "It'll probably rain for a while longer... I'm going to take a shower, and then it'll be about time to go to the large classroom."

Mi Lan nodded, carefully observing Jiang Zhiyu's expression. Seeing that he seemed normal, she agreed, "Okay, I'll go ask Brother Wang about the progress of checking the surveillance footage."

The three split up. Lin Sen hung his wet clothes back up in a well-ventilated area indoors, Mi Lan went to the dormitory manager's office to find Brother Wang, and Jiang Zhiyu quickly took a shower in the public bathroom.

Many trainees had already gotten up by this time, and they were all busy walking around, washing up, and styling their hair. The dormitory building was filled with the vitality of strangers.

Jiang Zhiyu draped a towel over his shoulder, water droplets sliding down his hair. He raised his hand to brush the wet hair from his forehead to the back of his head and walked back without a care.

As soon as I stepped out of the bathroom, I was met by Wei Shuang, who was wearing loose sportswear. Her face was covered in a thin layer of sweat, and she was breathing slightly faster.

"Morning exercise?"

"Um."

Wei Shuang frowned as she looked at the man in front of her, whose hair was still dripping wet. Her gaze lingered on his expressionless face, and she couldn't help but say, "You'll get a headache if you don't dry your hair."

Jiang Zhiyu was taken aback, not expecting to hear words of concern from the other person. He paused for a moment before replying, "I'll go back and dry it right away."

A series of approaching footsteps came from the corridor not far away. Wei Shuang didn't say anything more, just grunted and went into the shower room.

Unaware of what was going on, Jiang Zhiyu continued walking forward and encountered a sleepy-eyed Yao Wei at the corner.

When Yao Wei saw Jiang Zhiyu, his eyes lit up, then widened as if he had discovered something. He leaned closer mysteriously and whispered, "Brother Jiang, you're not covering your mole!"

Upon hearing this, Jiang Zhiyu froze, scratching his head in exasperation: "Thanks for reminding me..."

When Jiang Zhiyu finally finished tidying up and returned to 310, Mi Lan had been waiting for him in the dormitory for a long time.

His expression wasn't too good: "Brother Wang said they found the surveillance footage, and someone did go in, but they haven't found out who it was yet."

Jiang Zhiyu plugged in the hairdryer, quickly dried his hair a couple of times, and then stood in front of the wardrobe to change his clothes: "I'll go check on things after the first public selection song is recorded."

As Mi Lan was racking her brains trying to figure out the identity of the "suspect," she caught a glimpse of the deep and shallow lines on Jiang Zhiyu's bare arm. Before she could even process it, the owner of the arm had already quickly put on his clothes, still wearing a long-sleeved shirt over a pink training uniform.

Just then, Lin Sen, dressed neatly, came out of the bathroom, interrupting his thoughts. He didn't think much of it and assumed it was a visual illusion caused by the light.

"Let's go," Jiang Zhiyu said.