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

Jiang Zhiyu watched the staff member's hurried departure in silence, his back practically screaming: "I have a guilty conscience."

The corridor was deserted; apart from Jiang Zhiyu, there wasn't a single person in sight.

Jiang Zhiyu waited patiently in the same spot. The surrounding area was very quiet, and there were no other sounds.

After an unknown amount of time, a dull rustling sound suddenly came from the corner of the corridor.

Thump—creak.

The sound was deep and clear, especially in the quiet corridor.

Jiang Zhiyu subconsciously looked up and saw a man in a black program crew uniform walking out from around the corner.

The man was of medium height and rather thin, yet his shoulders were strong enough to support a huge solid wood box.

The box is over 1.2 meters long and wide, made of natural wood, and looks extremely heavy.

The corridor was narrow, and the wooden crates took up almost half of the passageway.

The man had his head down, was breathing heavily, his forehead was covered in cold sweat, and his steps were slow and unsteady.

The visitor's identity and purpose were unknown, as were the contents of the wooden box. Jiang Zhiyu instinctively sidestepped and pressed himself against the corridor wall.

When the two were only half a meter apart, the man seemed to slip, and his body instantly tilted uncontrollably toward Jiang Zhiyu's side.

The huge wooden crate shifted its center of gravity and tipped over in Jiang Zhiyu's direction.

At the critical moment, Jiang Zhiyu reflexively raised his hand, tensed his arm, and steadily supported the side of the wooden box.

The feel of the wooden box in his hand startled him. It was not as heavy as it looked; instead, it felt rather light. When his palm touched the box, it felt more like the texture of a styrofoam box.

This is?

The man gently placed the box on the ground in the blink of an eye, then let out a breath, as if relieved of a great burden.

Jiang Zhiyu looked admiringly at the diligent and dedicated man in front of him, determined to finish the performance no matter what, and said with certainty, "Hidden camera."

The man's expression visibly froze, his pupils dilated, and a look of shock flashed in his eyes: "How did he know?"

Immediately, the man straightened up, took a couple of deep breaths, and his tense expression instantly disappeared.

He quickly scanned the empty corridor from side to side, making sure there were no passersby outside the blind spots of the surveillance cameras, then leaned close to Jiang Zhiyu's ear, speaking in a mysterious tone and deliberately lowering his voice:

"Congratulations, Jiang Zhiyu, you have successfully triggered the program's hidden random mystery mission."

Seeing Jiang Zhiyu nod indifferently, the man gave a wry smile and decided to get straight to the point.

He straightened up, reached out and took out a miniature lapel microphone from his collar, and pointed it at Jiang Zhiyu: "Now that you've seen through it, let's get straight to the mission. This video will be played as a surprise after the entire stage performance is over."

"A 90-second timed rapid-fire Q&A session. Simply answer truthfully. Once you've answered all the questions, you'll receive a mystery gift. Is that alright?"

"Okay." Jiang Zhiyu nodded, leaning against the wall, his eyes fixed on the man's movements.

Under Jiang Zhiyu's gaze, the man seemed somewhat at a loss. He coughed twice before looking at the flashcards and starting to read the questions.

Q1: How do you interpret the song "Wild Star"?

Jiang Zhiyu did not hesitate: "Go against the wind and be a spark that is not bound or defined."

Q2: Are you confident about your group's performance in the third public performance?

Jiang Zhiyu: "Yes, everyone has given 100% effort, and we will present the best performance."

Upon hearing this, the man reading the card couldn't help but look up.

The boy in front of me had a sincere expression, but his eyes sparkled with confidence, revealing a dazzling youthful spirit.

He couldn't help but recall the scar that had been exposed not long ago, and his gaze unconsciously drifted towards Jiang Zhiyu's arm.

At the same time, a thought flashed through my mind: Yes, this is him. He is River, who always confidently pursues victory no matter what.

The man continued, "Do you like the stage?"

Jiang Zhiyu paused slightly, his mind flashing back to those unforgettable scenes since joining the crew.

He couldn't deny that he had been very relaxed these past few months.

Even though he was so exhausted from training that he couldn't speak, and even though many unexpected things happened, he still gained both physical and mental relaxation, and acquired many sincere feelings and pleasant memories.

He seemed to understand why Jing Chi rejected his family's offer to send him to the entertainment industry and instead insisted on participating in the talent show.

Jiang Zhiyu nodded and said, "I like it."

The man smiled and asked one last question in a gentle tone: "So, do you like blue?"

blue.

The blue that belongs to "River".

The blue lights that flashed every time RXG won a game.

When the official announcement of his temporary break was made, the screen was flooded with messages of anticipation for his return to the field.

The blue lake always accompanies us outside the camp.

The lake blue of the audience seats during the performance.

The most flamboyant expression of love in fan support is lake blue.

Jiang Zhiyu nodded again, a smile playing on his lips: "I like it."

The ninety-second countdown ended just as the man put the microphone back on his collar and bent down to open the box on the ground.

Inside the wooden box was a bouquet of bright lake blue flowers.

The interior was equipped with shockproof partitions, and the entire bouquet was carefully placed in the center of the box, so that it was not damaged in the slightest by the previous collision.

The man carefully reached out, took the bouquet from the box, and slowly handed it to Jiang Zhiyu.

At the bottom of the box, there was a hardcover notebook with a matte white cover, no prints, and only a line of silver lettering: To our rivers, lakes, and seas.

"The gift wasn't prepared unilaterally by the production team. It was crowdfunded by your fan club, reported to the production team, and delivered in person using the hidden mission process," the man explained truthfully.

"The preparation was rather rushed, but I collected a total of 1847259 valid handwritten messages in three days. I selected some of them and printed them in a notebook as a gift for you."

"They've turned the rest into a website, and you can go check it out anytime."

Jiang Zhiyu gently brushed his fingertips across the notebook cover; the texture was clear, with a slightly grainy feel.

The man said softly, "Take your time looking," and then turned and left the corridor with the large suitcase.

The corridor returned to silence. Jiang Zhiyu lowered his head and opened the notebook to the first page, which contained a single sentence: "Move forward, don't look back, we will be your boat in the future."

The notes inside the notebooks varied in length and were all printed from scanned handwritten originals.

"You don't have to be strong all the time. It's okay to make mistakes, to get tired, to stop. We don't need you to be dazzling, we just need you to be safe and happy."

"You don't need to prove yourself on any track. Wherever you go, we'll follow. Jiang Zhiyu, you'll never be alone."

"Let bygones be bygones. I hope that in the future, you won't have to hide away and deal with all the storms alone, and that there will always be someone to listen when you want to confide in someone."

"A single spark need not start a prairie fire; enough is enough to make it shine."

"Jiang Zhiyu, do you know that love has no reason, and love is not a burden?"