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

A month later.

The recording scene of the first stage of "Shining Project".

The studio was well-air-conditioned, and Jiang Zhiyu sat on a soft sofa in the corner, watching the staff and all sorts of contestants walk around.

The backstage waiting area was a bit noisy, but most people consciously kept their voices down, and a tense atmosphere permeated almost all the contestants.

Jiang Zhiyu, relaxed, stood out in the tense atmosphere. He wore a simple white shirt and a paper bracelet on his wrist, symbolizing his status as a contestant.

His fingertips rested lightly on his knees, without any unnecessary movement. Combined with his exquisitely handsome face, which seemed to be on a different level from his surroundings, he attracted many subtle, scrutinizing, or admiring glances from those around him.

Even before his official performance, he had already become the focus of the entire audience thanks to his outstanding appearance.

Jiang Zhiyu glanced at the baby-faced boy who had been pretending to be busy but actually lingering around him for five minutes, raised his eyebrows slightly, and did not speak. He maintained his original lazy and relaxed posture, his fingertips still resting lightly on his knees, without even changing his posture.

The boy was caught off guard when their eyes met. He froze for a moment, then scratched his head awkwardly, clenched his fist, and leaned closer: "Hi, have we met before?"

Before Jiang Zhiyu could even respond, the boy blushed instantly and said, "I'm sorry, I know it's presumptuous of me to ask this. Please don't misunderstand, I'm not trying to hit on you... I just really think you look very familiar, like I've seen you somewhere before."

Jiang Zhiyu nodded slightly and chuckled reassuringly, "It's okay, maybe I just have a rather generic face."

A generic face...?

The boy stared blankly at the perfectly proportioned face in front of him, as if it were a model, and was convinced that this person was making excuses for him.

The overhead lighting in the studio was somewhat dim, but the overhead light above Jiang Zhiyu's head cast his thick, long eyelashes under his eyes, making the mole under his eye appear and disappear in the shadows.

"Perhaps... you've seen ZPL?" The baby-faced boy couldn't resist asking the question that was nagging at him.

"Um."

Jiang Zhiyu glanced at the boy's bright red earlobes and, feeling somewhat uncomfortable, hid his face further into the shadows.

The boy stared intently at Jiang Zhiyu's face, his gaze wandering over the upper half of his face, repeatedly checking his eye shape, brow bone, and the iconic mole under his eye.

Not long after, his eyes lit up as if he had confirmed something.

He was about to lean closer to speak when he belatedly realized Jiang Zhiyu's discomfort and took two steps back as if waking from a dream: "I'm sorry! R...@&$# Brother..."

The name he almost blurted out was like a hot potato; it rolled around on the baby-faced boy's lips before he swallowed it back down.

Although he couldn't understand why someone who could be called a legend in the contemporary e-sports circle would be sitting backstage at "Shining Project" with a bracelet symbolizing a player on his wrist, the excitement of seeing his idol in person made his head spin.

After calming down a bit, the baby-faced man chose not to ask or bring it up. He looked up at Jiang Zhiyu, his big eyes sparkling: "Hello! My name is Yao Wei!"

"Jiang Zhiyu".

Sensing the kindness and restraint in the other person's eyes, Jiang Zhiyu took the initiative to extend his right hand and gently shake hands with him.

Not far away, someone shouted Yao Wei's name.

Yao Wei immediately turned around and responded, then turned back, so excited he was almost incoherent: "Um...we...we'll talk later!"

After receiving Jiang Zhiyu's slight nod of approval, Yao Wei darted away like a little rabbit, his steps light and quick, his back view revealing his barely suppressed joy.

The little incident in the corner didn't attract much attention. Most of the trainees gathered in twos and threes, grouped together by their companies, making the most of their last moments to repeatedly recite the lyrics and practice their movements to the beat, racing against time to prepare for their debut stage.

Not long after, a young election official rushed over and handed Jiang Zhiyu a name tag.

Jiang Zhiyu took it and glanced at it. It read:

Individual trainee

Jiang Zhiyu.

He peeled off the backing film from the name tag and stuck it to the hem of his clothes.

Almost at the same second, the overhead loudspeaker blared, and a mechanical female voice echoed throughout the backstage area: "Attention all trainees, the studio is now officially live. Please enter in the order drawn to select your seats."

Seat selection is an unchanging opening procedure in talent shows, and it is also the most crucial first step for amateur trainees to gain screen time and create memorable moments.

For ordinary contestants, excluding those from the "royal family," this is the fastest way to be remembered by the audience.

The atmosphere backstage instantly became even more tense. The trainees had different expressions: some were nervous, some pretended to be calm, and some were eager to try. They all held their breath and waited for their names to be called.

Jiang Zhiyu's starting position was relatively far back, and he could already faintly hear the commotion from the front of the field from backstage.

He touched the area under his eye where the mole was, recalled how long it had taken Yao Wei to recognize him, and decided that he shouldn't just go on stage so bluntly.

"Sister, could you help me cover up the mole under my eye?"

Jiang Zhiyu wandered around backstage and finally found a makeup artist who seemed to be available.

Hearing the voice, the makeup artist turned around and was immediately met with a delicate face. Seeing the young man still standing there waiting, she quickly replied, "Sure! Here, let me touch up your concealer."

The makeup artist took out concealer and applied makeup to Jiang Zhiyu's distinctive mole under his eye.

"Thank you." Jiang Zhiyu looked at the River anti-counterfeiting label in the mirror, which had been so eye-catching that it was almost invisible to the naked eye, and thanked her sincerely.

At this moment—"Jiang Zhiyu".

The corridor leading from backstage to the studio wasn't long. Jiang Zhiyu walked forward step by step, clearly feeling his breath and each footstep.

The light at the end of the corridor was bright and warm, and under the light, there seemed to be a shadowy figure smiling brightly at him.

Without pausing or hesitating, Jiang Zhiyu resolutely brushed past the illusory figure and pushed open the studio door.

The studio is a huge circular plaza, at the end of which is a row of pyramid-shaped seats extending upwards, and more than half of them are already occupied.

The plaza is surrounded by countless cameras that broadcast live to every corner of the hall.

Jiang Zhiyu stepped closer to the seating area, and the rows of spotlights on the ceiling made his outstanding figure even more eye-catching.

There was some commotion in the seated trainees' area, partly due to the cameras and partly because they were genuinely amazed by Jiang Zhiyu's appearance.

At this moment, the chat in the official live stream room of "Shining Project" suddenly became very active.

— [Good heavens, this is the kind of good food I deserve!]

—【So that's why that old scoundrel Hong refused to release the official photos beforehand, he was waiting for me here?】

— [Is this a complete amateur debut? His face practically screams "Going to be a hit!"]

- [The moment I saw his face, I frantically searched for "Jiang Zhiyu" on all the major platforms, but I couldn't find any information at all!]

— [Director Hong, I want this!]

— [He's so handsome—but why does he give me this strange feeling of familiarity?]

All eyes and spotlights were focused on Jiang Zhiyu.

For him, being in the spotlight as a top figure in the e-sports circle is a common occurrence, but taking off his mask and leaving his comfort zone to become the focus of public attention in an unfamiliar field is also a challenge for him.

Jiang Zhiyu closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

He then looked up and stared directly at the top of the pyramid.