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

Once the division of labor was finished, Jiang Zhiyu pulled up a chair from the side and sat quietly in the corner of the training room.

He opened his blank draft notebook, but instead of writing anything, he closed his eyes, leaned back in his chair, and gently rested his arms on the armrests of the swivel chair, letting the chair sway slowly with him.

There is a huge chasm between an idea and putting pen to paper. He closed his eyes and pondered, carefully considering the words in his mind, outlining the most basic contours of the song.

After a while, Jiang Zhiyu opened his eyes, picked up his pen, and the pen tip landed on the paper.

He subconsciously wrote down a sentence that had been lingering in his mind ever since he saw the words "day and night": "I put on a mask of silence during the day, concealing all my vulnerabilities."

Looking at this sentence, countless subtle yet real emotions surged in Jiang Zhiyu's heart. His pen continued to move, slowly unfolding line by line.

"Come to the world, put away your obsessions."

Before the lights and people, she plays the role of a perfect spotlight.

Hide the shards that still haven't healed all over your body.

They dared not succumb, nor did they dare to argue.

The glamour is what traps me, an invisible chain.

... "

Time passed slowly, and while Jiang Zhiyu was engrossed in writing lyrics, the exclusive forum for "Shining Project" was buzzing with heated debate because of the new information released by the gossip blogger.

- [Has the Shining Project Shined Yet?] Forum

#Is it true that the filming location for the second round of team leader selection was provided free of charge by Jingcheng, a leading entertainment company in China?#

[1L: What's going on? Hasn't Kyungseong not sent any of its own trainees to participate in audition programs for several years? I remember someone saying before that Kyungseong's attitude towards auditions started to change unusually a few years ago.]

[2L: Did their trainees secretly sign up for this year's Shining Star competition?]

[3L: Wouldn't they want to buy shares in any individual trainee, so they're intervening in advance to pave the way for him?]

—Reply: [If this person really exists, I'd guess it's Emperor Jiang; he perfectly fits the selection criteria used in Keisei before!]

[4L: Keisei is?]

—Reply: [Is the original poster a fangirl over their first love? Jingcheng is the largest entertainment company in China, with all sorts of entertainment businesses under its umbrella. Several of the debut spots in talent shows a few years ago belonged to Jingcheng artists.]

—Reply: [Then why haven't you participated in talent shows in recent years? Are you shifting your focus to film and television?]

—Reply: [Who knows? There have been rumors, but no one dares to confirm anything, after all, this matter is a bit sensitive.]

[5L: That film studio was indeed Jingcheng's. Everyone in the industry knew at the time that Jingcheng was going to build it into the largest real-life film studio in China as a coming-of-age gift for their "true prince," but for some reason it was shelved later.]

—Reply: [Why was it shelved? This involved a huge investment; how can you just stop like that?]

—Reply: [I don't know the specifics either. If the gossipmonger hadn't pieced together the information, I wouldn't have guessed it was from Jingcheng. Back then, all information about that film studio—its address, construction progress—was kept secret, supposedly to give the prince a surprise.]

—Reply: [Just a conspiracy theory, could it involve some insider financial dealings?]

[6L: Kyosei has indeed kept a much lower profile in recent years, with most of its business moving behind the scenes. That's why many people who are only following Kyosei in recent years don't know how popular it used to be; it was practically a household name.]

……

[23L: Everyone upstairs, stop guessing. Jingcheng is a Jing family business, understand?]

—Reply: 【Wow, the Jing family?】

[24L: I understand now...]

—Reply: 【What do you mean, "You understand now"? What are you talking about? I know about the Jing family, but what does that have to do with this matter?】

……

[51L: I'm speechless. Everyone's just spouting riddles. I'll be blunt... The only son of the Jing family died in an accident a few years ago. It even made the news. You can find out by searching keywords. Apparently, all of Jingcheng's businesses were originally meant to pave the way for the crown prince, but... that's why things turned out this way.]

—Reply: [I actually found it by searching the keywords! It's such a pity he was so young. But the news said two boys were kidnapped together, what about the other one? Why is there no information about him?]

—Reply: 【Don't ask anymore, I still need to live.】

—Reply: [Because the other one is a member of the Jiang family, all information has been suppressed by the Jiang family and cannot be disclosed. Those downstairs, please don't pry further; don't ruin our little "Shining Project."]

—Reply: 【Holy crap? Could it be the Jiang family?】

—Reply: [This is not surprising; the Jiang family and the Jing family have always had a very close relationship.]

……

[90L: Wait, back to the main storyline, so why is Kyoto getting involved in the talent show again? And why did they start that film studio again??]

—Reply: [Join Shining Unsolved Mysteries.]

"Oh my god, I'm getting goosebumps."

Jiang Zhiyu was getting tired of writing, so he got up and went out of the training room for some fresh air. He also went into the restroom and turned on the tap to wash his face and refresh himself.

He had just scooped up a handful of water when he heard two people talking in the cubicle. The voices weren't loud, but they reached his ears clearly.

"What's wrong? You're slacking off on the forums again."

"Look!"

"Let me see... Holy crap! That film studio from yesterday was Jingcheng's?"

These words were like a needle, piercing Jiang Zhiyu's heart. His hand froze instantly, and the water he had scooped up in his palm dripped through his fingers, splashing onto the sink and creating tiny water droplets.

After a long while, he reached for the faucet again.

The cool water washed over his slightly trembling fingertips. The people in the cubicle were completely unaware that someone was outside and continued chatting.

"So that's why the production team was suddenly so generous; it turns out it's free."

"But why did Keisei suddenly intervene? Which trainee are they trying to sign?"

"If they're going to sign someone... Jiang Zhiyu? Isn't he the most popular solo trainee?"

"That's possible!"

The two walked out of the restroom together and were caught off guard when they saw Jiang Zhiyu standing in front of the sink.

They stood there awkwardly for a moment, exchanging glances with embarrassed expressions.

One of them chuckled twice: "Oh, what a coincidence, Zhiyu, you're here too."

Jiang Zhiyu looked up at himself in the mirror. Water droplets slid down his cheeks and wet his collar.

He then turned to look at the two of them, his face expressionless, and replied indifferently, "Yeah, just came out for some fresh air."

Then, he suddenly changed the subject: "Could I borrow it to take a look?"

"What?" The two were clearly stunned.

Jiang Zhiyu pointed to one of the men's somewhat bulging pockets: "Forum."

"Ah, sure." The man was quite straightforward, immediately stepping forward and furtively taking out his phone from his pocket, handing it to Jiang Zhiyu.

Jiang Zhiyu took his phone, and as soon as he unlocked the screen, the first thing he saw was a post titled "#It is said that the filming location for the second public performance team leader selection was provided free of charge by Jingcheng, a leading entertainment company in China?"