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

Jiang Zhiyu looked at the messages on his phone and felt nauseous. A feeling of disgust choked him, and he couldn't spit it out or swallow it down.

The images of those cold, sinister faces and that gloomy room involuntarily surfaced in his mind, and a dull ache throbbed in his temples until it turned into an unbearable, sharp pain.

Jiang Zhiyu closed his eyes, leaned back in his chair, and controlled his breathing. Cold sweat dripped down his back involuntarily.

Threatening curses, the screech of brakes, the dull thud of clubs striking flesh, and agonizing whimpers swirled in his mind, slowly fading into a chilling whisper close at hand: "I will not let you go."

The words echoed in his ears, repeated countless times, each time more forceful than the last, booming like thunder.

Suddenly, a familiar voice faintly rang out from the corner. Although it was very soft, it instantly shattered all these memories that haunted her like a nightmare.

"Live for me."

These were the last words Jing Chi left him, which became his lifeline during his countless struggles afterward.

It was after receiving Gao Shun's message that Jiang Zhiyu found himself entering a phase of complete loss of appetite.

So, it was dinner time again. The theme song group dance practice had just ended, the live broadcast camera had been turned off, and everyone was heading to the cafeteria in twos and threes. Only Jiang Zhiyu stayed alone in the practice room, turned off the music, and performed his solo dance moves on the solo stage.

Mi Lan and Lin Sen were walking forward with the main group, but when they saw that Jiang Zhiyu had not followed, they became more and more worried, so they simply turned back and pushed open the door to the practice room.

In the empty practice room, Jiang Zhiyu was practicing a series of rapid turns and landings in front of the mirror.

The continuous, high-intensity repetitive movements caused his waist and abdomen to sway slightly when he landed. The movement was very slight, but it was precisely observed by the two people who had returned.

"I'm telling you, you really need to take a break." Mi Lan stepped forward and put her hand on his shoulder, her voice low. "Do the math yourself—how many hours have you slept these past few days? Have you even had a proper meal?"

Lin Sen frowned and said, "Your body can't take this. Do you really think you're made of iron?"

Jiang Zhiyu stopped what he was doing, slightly out of breath but calm in his voice: "I'm not hungry, I'm fine, I know what I'm doing."

"You don't know your place," Mi Lan bluntly exposed him. "If you had any sense at all, you wouldn't be so careless about your health."

Mi Lan's tone was blunt. Before Jiang Zhiyu could even offer an excuse, she lowered her voice and asked, "Is your back bothering you?"

After he finished speaking, Jiang Zhiyu visibly paused, slightly taken aback.

Before he could speak, Lin Sen interrupted, "Yeah, did you twist your back? The way you were using your waist today seemed a bit strange."

His old back injury did indeed flare up slightly during a recent solo practice session.

The intense training over the past few days has caused his old injury to gradually change from a slight soreness to a persistent dull pain. When he exerts force, the sharp pain spreads along his spine, causing him to subconsciously tense his body.

Jiang Zhiyu never told anyone about this. He quietly adjusted his power exertion method to try to hide his physical discomfort and not affect his training progress.

But he didn't expect that Mi Lan and Lin Sen would be so perceptive.

Jiang Zhiyu didn't know how to explain, so he silently lowered his head, leaving only a slightly drooping whorl of hair for the two of them.

Mi Lan stared at him for two seconds, then didn't ask any more questions, but the worry in her eyes didn't diminish at all.

"Stop now." Mi Lan's tone was firm. "That's it for today, no more training."

Lin Sen immediately grabbed his arm, half-pulling, half-persuading, "Come on, let's go to the cafeteria right now! You have to have a proper meal today, no more half-hearted attempts!"

Mi Lan also took the opportunity to stand on the other side, blocking his retreat, her attitude clear: "Let's go eat."

Jiang Zhiyu couldn't persuade the two of them, so he could only nod slightly and follow them to the cafeteria.

The cafeteria was past its peak dining hours, and there were few people around.

Lin Sen personally selected warm food and light soup for him, filled a plate, and placed it in front of him.

"Eat more, don't be picky about food."

Jiang Zhiyu looked at the still-steaming food in front of him, obediently picked up his chopsticks, and slowly lowered his head to eat.

But he really had no appetite. The food was dry and greasy. Even his favorite potato stew with beef made him feel slightly nauseous with every bite.

He didn't even touch the lush green vegetables next to him; he completely abandoned the food he didn't like to eat in the first place without hesitation.

He forced himself to swallow small bites and managed to eat about half a plate of food.

Lin Sen and Mi Lan sat opposite him, watching him eat until he finished. Only when they saw him finally eating did their tense and worried hearts relax a little.

"That's more like it. You need to eat well to withstand the training." Lin Sen breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile.

Mi Lan nodded slightly, the deep worry in her eyes fading a little: "Eat slowly, don't rush, there's still plenty of time."

Jiang Zhiyu barely finished half of his rice, drank a couple of sips of soup, and nodded gently to the two of them, saying, "I'm done eating."

The three of them cleaned up their plates and walked out of the cafeteria together.

But as soon as Jiang Zhiyu stepped out of the cafeteria, he felt a sudden surge of nausea in his stomach, acid reflux burning his esophagus, and a wave of dizziness instantly swept over his body.

His face turned pale instantly, his lips lost their color, and his body stiffened slightly.

"What's wrong?" Mi Lan immediately noticed that something was wrong with him and asked.

Jiang Zhiyu raised his hand to his stomach, forcefully suppressing the overwhelming nausea, and said in a very soft voice, "It's okay, I'm going to the restroom."

Without waiting for their response, he quickly turned around and rushed into the nearest restroom.

The moment the door closed, my carefully maintained self-control shattered completely.

The food he had forced down his throat surged back up. He bent over, bracing himself against the edge of the sink, and violently dry heaved, vomiting up everything he had just eaten.

Stomach acid burned his throat, his whole body went limp, and he struggled to support himself, while the old injury in his waist and abdomen throbbed with pain.

Jiang Zhiyu lowered his eyes slightly, turned on the tap, and let the cold water wash over his palms. Looking at his pale face and tired eyes in the mirror, he quietly calmed his breathing.

Outside the door, Lin Sen and Mi Lan stood in the corridor, listening to the sounds coming from the restroom, and fell completely silent.

Filled with helplessness and heartache, they couldn't utter a single harsh word.

A moment later, the bathroom door was pushed open.

Jiang Zhiyu appeared calm, but his slightly pale lips betrayed his discomfort.

He looked calmly at the two people in front of him and said in a composed tone, "It's alright, let's go."

Lin Sen's throat tightened, and he couldn't utter a single word for a long time.

The worry in Mi Lan's eyes was so deep it couldn't be concealed. She looked at him intently, her voice tinged with helplessness: "No more practice today."