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

Day 2 of camp.

It was early morning, just as dawn was breaking.

Suddenly, the dormitory's loudspeaker blared, its sound penetrating the entire dormitory building and waking the trainees from their sleep: "All trainees are requested to assemble in the main classroom within ten minutes. Those who are late will be punished with frog jumps."

The cold, mechanical voice repeated itself twice, its echo still reverberating in the corridor.

Startled by the sudden noise, Mi Lan froze, jumping up from the bed with a few stray hairs sticking out of her messy hair.

He rubbed his sleepy eyes, not fully conscious, and his gaze unconsciously swept towards the bed opposite him, whereupon he froze.

Jiang Zhiyu was already dressed neatly and sitting quietly at the table, staring at his phone screen with his fingertips tapping lightly from time to time, completely absorbed in his work.

Two thoughts instantly popped into Mi Lan's mind:

Did this person get up early, or did they simply not sleep all night?

Also, the phones provided by the production team were all disconnected from the internet, so what was he doing that made him so engrossed in watching?

Sensing Mi Lan's undisguised curious gaze, Jiang Zhiyu, the internet-addicted teenager who was engrossed in his phone, finally managed to pull his attention away from the screen and look back.

As if he could see right through Mi Lan's unspoken doubts, Jiang Zhiyu raised his hand and waved his phone at her.

On the lit screen, it wasn't some new software; it was the results screen of the single-player version of Snake.

Jiang Zhiyu has always been sensitive to sleeping in unfamiliar beds, and he found it particularly difficult to fall asleep in a new environment. Before dawn, he was already awake, lying on the unfamiliar bed with his eyes open, tossing and turning without any sign of sleepiness.

He accepted the fact that he had short sleep duration well, got up, glanced at the time, and decided to get up and wash up.

He had just gotten up so early that the entire dormitory building was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. He only knew the process of the talent show in theory, so he was a little lost and didn't know what to do to pass the time.

So, feeling utterly bored, he decided to find something to do to pass the time.

Before he could play for long, the loudspeaker above his head suddenly blared. The unexpected bang startled him, causing him to jerk and hit his own tail. The large "GAME OVER" on the screen left him unusually frustrated, as he had almost broken his personal best record in Snake before ending the game.

The large lecture hall was a circular classroom that could accommodate more than a hundred people. When they arrived, many people were already sitting on the circular steps inside, whispering to each other in hushed tones, and no one dared to make a loud noise.

The program host, Yu Lan, was standing in the open space in front of the steps, a gentle smile on her lips, holding a stopwatch in her hand, slowly timing the time.

Jiang Zhiyu was too lazy to join the crowd, so he chose a corner at the back and sat down on the ground, hiding himself in the shadows so that he wouldn't stand out.

The live stream had already started before the announcement, but there weren't many viewers online in the early morning, and the comments were sparse, but the atmosphere was still quite harmonious and interesting.

The ten-minute time limit passed in the blink of an eye, and the large lecture hall was already packed with people.

Most of the trainees looked disheveled, as if they had just been woken up: some looked haggard with dark circles under their eyes; some had messy hair and sleep marks on their cheeks; and some were dressed sloppily, with buttons fastened wrong and collars askew.

In contrast, Jiang Zhiyu, sitting in the corner, was neatly dressed and energetic, exuding a clear-headedness that was out of place with his surroundings. Even though he was trying to keep a low profile, Yu Lan couldn't help but take a few more glances at him.

Once everyone was seated, Yu Lan spoke: "How did everyone sleep the first night at camp?"

A jumble of responses immediately arose from the audience:

"good!"

"Oh no, he wasn't sleeping soundly at all!"

"I had insomnia all night!"

Yu Lan chuckled softly, her tone carrying a hint of meaning: "Whether you slept well or not, last night will be the most stress-free sleep you'll have before you officially leave camp."

After speaking, Yu Lan smiled mysteriously, tapped her earpiece, and signaled the backstage staff to play music.

A light and energetic melody suddenly rang out from the speakers beside Jiang Zhiyu. He subconsciously rubbed his ears, which were slightly itchy from the vibration, and listened intently.

"Under the spotlight, my heart is pounding."

With unyielding steps, it grows wildly.

……

Sweat is our light, courage is our oars.

Breaking through all confusion, I have my own edge.

……

Undeterred by storms, and worthy of our aspirations.

On this stage, I await my wild growth.

The song has a catchy melody and lyrics full of youthful passion and drive, which resonates with the theme of the "Shining Project" program and is full of youthful spirit.

"What you just heard was the theme song for 'Project Shining.' The dance portion has been sent to each of your phones via the intranet. You have 72 hours to practice. In three days, there will be a theme song assessment, and your class assignments will be reassigned based on your assessment scores." Yu Lan paused for a moment. "Time is tight, so I wish you all the best."

Seventy-two hours, just three short days, is a severe and urgent challenge for most trainees to not only memorize the lyrics and melody but also learn a complete dance routine.

"Alright, enough chit-chat." Yu Lan raised her hand to signal, "Dismissed. Head to your practice rooms to train."

As soon as he finished speaking, the classroom erupted in commotion. Many students stood up with serious expressions and hurried to their respective class's practice room.

Jiang Zhiyu stood up with the flow of people, but was blocked from leaving the house.

"Brother Jiang...can I call you that?" It was Wang Yan, who looked a little timid, who stopped him. "We in Class A should all be in the same practice room. If I have any questions later, can I ask Brother Jiang for some guidance?"

Faced with Wang Yan's earnest gaze, Jiang Zhiyu refused bluntly: "I'm not very good at it either. You can ask your teammates."

Being rejected didn't seem to be the norm for Wang Yan. He was somewhat taken aback, and his well-behaved expression almost crumbled.

Just then, a sneer that was not concealed came from the side. A figure brushed past Wang Yan's shoulder and walked quickly, the force of the impact making him stagger.

"Ugh—" Wang Yan reached out and covered the spot where he had been hit, without saying a word.

Jiang Zhiyu looked back and forth between Mi Lan, who had walked away, and Wang Yan, who was still standing in the same spot. Somewhat helplessly, he walked towards the direction Mi Lan had left in, which was the direction of Class A's practice room marked on the map.

Before leaving, he glanced at the still-working live-streaming camera out of the corner of his eye and figured his roommate's reputation probably wasn't looking too good lately.

What puzzled him was that during their brief one-night stay, he didn't think Mi Lan was the type with a bad temper or who liked to target people.

However, Jiang Zhiyu never liked to meddle in other people's interpersonal relationships, nor was he too lazy to bother with irrelevant trivial matters. After walking a few steps, he put this doubt behind him.

The practice room for Class A is spacious, and with only nine students in the class, everyone can have a comfortable practice space.

Jiang Zhiyu chose an open space away from the crowd, squatted down, put on his headphones, and repeatedly played the theme song, quietly memorizing the lyrics and melody.

He barely moved from his spot all morning. Only after he had memorized the lyrics perfectly and memorized the melody did he get up and walk to the mirror wall to learn the dance step by step from the instructional video.