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

However, team cohesion is a significant challenge. The formation of a ten-person stage can easily appear crowded if not handled carefully. Therefore, arranging the overall rhythm is the most important part of this stage.

To ensure the quality of the finale, the production team, concerned about potential mishaps by the trainees, hired a professional choreography team to assist them with stage choreography.

With the help of professional teachers, they reduced a lot of pressure and made considerable progress in just two days.

Jiang Zhiyu, feeling no pressure, stared intently at the increasingly fast-scrolling bullet comments on the screen.

[I'd like to ask about the background of the song "River". Did Jing Chi discuss this with you when he was writing the song?]

Jiang Zhiyu's eyes flashed, and after a brief pause of a few seconds, he raised his hand and brushed his hair back, revealing his smooth forehead.

He replied casually, "When Jingchi wrote this song, he was at an important juncture in his life. He told me about the difficulties and troubles he encountered, but we didn't talk about this song."

Jiang Zhiyu's tone was like chatting about everyday things, gentle yet tinged with nostalgia; once he started reminiscing, it was hard to stop.

"When he's creating, he shuts himself off, and no one can contact him, not even his closest friends."

"But he doesn't allow others to do that. What's that saying again... enjoying other people's private space."

"Yeah, he had no sense of propriety, so he stayed with me until the very end."

Jiang Zhiyu stopped talking, realizing that he hadn't been able to resist taking the topic too far. He pursed his lips and stopped speaking, quietly watching the flashing comments.

Judging from Jiang Jiang's tone, Jing Chi seems to be a very close friend.

They must have a really good relationship, otherwise why would he send a song so readily? May their friendship last forever!

[Xiao Jiang is so pampered by her friends, her charm is off the charts!]

[Hmph, though she says she's being inconsiderate, her eyes are full of smiles; she's clearly enjoying herself!]

Hmm... I feel like the last sentence sounds really weird.

The live stream chat briefly focused on Jing Chi and the song "Jiang He," but Jiang Zhiyu didn't continue the topic. He deliberately skipped all the comments probing into the personal relationship between the two, answered a few mundane questions in a standard manner, and quickly moved on from that part.

A particularly eye-catching question popped up at the top of the screen, clearly within his field of vision:

[R God, what are your thoughts on RXG's recently adjusted temporary roster for the upcoming competition?]

Upon seeing this text, Jiang Zhiyu was slightly taken aback, secretly surprised: They've made it official so quickly?

Then he remembered Lin Shi's consistently decisive and efficient style of doing things, and felt that this speed was reasonable.

After a moment's thought, he gave an objective and neutral answer, without any personal bias: "I believe the club can integrate the new lineup well, and the players who temporarily come on as substitutes are themselves very strong and fully capable of standing on the field."

The moment his words were finished, a clear buzzing and vibration of a cell phone suddenly broke the brief silence between questions and answers from the table beside him.

Jiang Zhiyu subconsciously turned his head and looked at the phone lying flat beside him. The screen suddenly lit up, and a text message pop-up from an unknown number appeared.

I forgot to turn off my computer.

These five words flashed through his mind.

The staff behind the camera instantly tensed up, looking flustered. They made a big X sign at Jiang Zhiyu, their lips moving rapidly as they exclaimed in an exaggerated, silent voice: Don't click on it! Don't look!

Jiang Zhiyu subtly withdrew his gaze and turned it back to face the live broadcast camera.

At the same time, he quietly reached his hand out of the camera's field of view, his fingertips landing on the phone's power button. He pressed it for a few seconds, and the screen instantly went out, and the phone was completely powered off.

The viewers in the chat didn't notice these subtle movements and remained happily engrossed in the live stream.

However, the calm and harmonious atmosphere of the bullet comments did not last long.

It's unclear when exactly it started, but a bunch of discordant comments began to pop up all at once. They were flooding the screen faster and faster, and in greater and greater numbers, completely disrupting the atmosphere of the live stream and making a strong impression.

Why is my phone off? Why is my phone off? Why is my phone off?

[My brother turned off his phone after seeing our messages because he cares about us.]

[Not replying to messages and having their phone off—what kind of manners are they? They deserve to be punished with a knife.]

【Are these stalker fans insane?】

Are you all going to die? What's with this crazy behavior? If you're sick, go get treated!

Before long, the atmosphere in the live stream became increasingly tense, with inexplicable accusations and overwhelming support clashing, and a large-scale war of words seemed imminent.

Fortunately, the staff controlling the situation reacted very quickly. Seeing that things were not going well, they immediately activated the IP blocking mode and quickly identified users who made sarcastic or provocative comments in the barrage of comments, and blocked them all.

Within moments, most of the malicious spam was cleared, the tense atmosphere of confrontation in the live stream was abruptly cut off, the emotional outburst was contained, and the conflict was prevented from escalating completely.

Several moderators frantically operated the backend, their fingers flying across the keyboard. They finally managed to bring the live chat environment back on track before they had a chance to glance at Jiang Zhiyu on the broadcast screen and subconsciously assess his current state.

The staff in charge of the live broadcast were on tenterhooks, anticipating seeing Jiang Zhiyu's cold face or irritable mood, and had even quickly come up with dozens of public relations strategies in their minds.

But Jiang Zhiyu's reaction was completely unexpected.

Jiang Zhiyu, within the camera's viewfinder, kept his gaze steadily fixed on the rapidly scrolling bullet comments.

He clearly saw every single word of those highly aggressive texts, but his face showed no negative emotion.

This is completely unlike the mindset that a newcomer of this age would have.

Having worked in the entertainment industry for many years, he has seen many young people break down under pressure, and he has also seen many veterans of the entertainment industry remain calm and composed in front of the camera.

It's not uncommon to be unmoved by honor or disgrace, but to be able to face overwhelming malice with such composure and remain unaffected by external opinions is truly a first for Jiang Zhiyu. He couldn't help but feel a sense of awe.

He and another staff member next to him exchanged a glance, and they saw deep admiration in each other's eyes.

The onlookers watched with admiration as Jiang Zhiyu remained calm and interacted with the subsided comments. Then, thinking about his two years of hard work in ZPL and the countless cyberbullying attacks he had endured, they felt somewhat understanding.

Compared to "River's" terrifying number of fans and haters, the friction between fan groups in the waning entertainment industry is nothing more than a minor squabble.

The chat in the live stream gradually calmed down, and Jiang Zhiyu responded to each of the non-sensitive everyday questions as usual, in a gentle tone, as if the chat conflict had never happened.

After answering five or six everyday questions in a row, he noticed that one comment was being repeatedly flooded by different people:

I want to hear Jiang Jiang sing a cappella!!!

This comment was copied in large quantities, and in the blink of an eye, the entire comment section was filled with the four words "Want to hear a cappella".

Today's solo live stream is a Q&A session only; segments like a cappella singing are not included in this session's schedule.

Out of respect for staff and the schedule, any task that goes beyond the plan requires the consent of the person in charge.

Jiang Zhiyu's gaze swept across the screen filled with almost identical requests. He gently rubbed the empty mineral water bottle beside him with his fingertips, pondered for two seconds, and then looked up at the staff behind the camera with a questioning look in his eyes.

The staff in charge of the live broadcast were caught off guard by his "Can I sing?" signal, and hurriedly nodded and gave an OK sign.

So Jiang Zhiyu looked at the camera again and softly replied, "Okay... then I'll sing a section of 'The Unopened Letter' a cappella."

"The Unopened Letter" was Jiang Zhiyu's first choice song, and it was also his first stage victory on this talent show stage.

He sat up slightly, his back still pressed against the soft cushion, lowered his eyes to adjust his breathing, and slowly opened his mouth after a few seconds.

Without any accompaniment, his clean and pure voice was clearly transmitted throughout the live broadcast room through the microphone on the camera. His unique and cool voice contained suppressed emotions, and the low part was as soft as a whisper.

"This unopened letter holds the warmth of half a lifetime."

Every word and phrase is waiting for someone.

Later, separated by mountains and seas, we no longer cared about the passing of spring and autumn.

Only longing remains, gently covered in dust.

In the quiet training room, only Jiang Zhiyu's voice could be heard. His clean, unadorned singing was particularly emotionally moving.

There seemed to be a faint sense of oppression in the air, causing the audience to unconsciously slow their breathing until Jiang Zhiyu's a cappella performance ended, at which point they seemed to wake from a dream.

[“The Unopened Letter” is definitely a work from Jiang Jiang’s comfort zone. Every time I listen to it, I am deeply moved by the intense emotions it contains (crying)]

[The first performance stage, my eternal white moonlight!]

[A cappella singing is supposed to be a revealing mirror for singers, but in Jiang Zhiyu's case, it's practically a curse!]

[I feel that if Jiang Zhiyu were to act, he would be a complete method actor; he's so immersed in every stage performance these days.]

After finishing his song, Jiang Zhiyu relaxed and leaned back on the cushions in his chair, his gaze sweeping over the cameras and professional equipment around him before finally settling on the floor.

His own reflection was faintly visible on the ground, and his familiar face held a vulnerability that seemed somewhat unfamiliar to him.

He closed his eyes slightly, feeling a little uncomfortable. When he opened them again, Jiang Zhiyu in the camera had returned to his usual calm and silent demeanor.

The light shone on the floor tiles of the training room, intertwining with the reflections of the recording equipment, as if adding a mask to the reflections on his face.

The comments kept flooding the screen, asking all sorts of questions. Jiang Zhiyu sat silently for a long time, finally unable to resist looking at one of the comments that had been consistently sent since the start of the broadcast.

How long after your debut will you return to the competition?

No one expected him to answer questions related to his return to the competition during the live stream. The name "River" carries too many expectations, and no answer could be perfect.

After softly uttering the question, he paused for a moment amidst a screen full of question marks and expressions of shock, then calmly addressed the camera:

"I can't give a definite answer about the exact time of my return right now, and my subsequent schedule is still unclear, so I can't plan anything about the competition at the moment. But what I can say for sure is that I will definitely go back."

[Always looking forward to River returning to ZPL!!!] x9999

[It's okay, Brother Jiang. Once you come back, I'll automatically become a devoted fan. If we win, I'll openly show my devotion; if we lose, I'll secretly show it. Before you come back, I'll be a devoted fan, swearing to defend Brother Jiang's undisputed number one popularity rating to the death! Salute!]

[It's good that you're willing to come home... Son... Don't run wild outside and forget to come home...]

[After eating this pancake, I will immediately transform into the Victorious Fighting Buddha to protect the River God's selection process (serious)]

The staff member off-camera glanced at the live stream duration, which had reached the one-hour limit, and looked up at Jiang Zhiyu, making an end gesture.

Jiang Zhiyu looked up at the other person, understood the signal, and slightly adjusted his posture to face the live broadcast camera.

"That concludes today's Q&A live stream. I will work hard to refine my group stage performance of 'Sailing' and my solo song 'River' over the next few days. See you at the finals!"

As soon as he finished speaking, he stood up from his chair, a smile on his lips, and gave a slight bow.

Amidst the audience's reluctant wails, the off-site director simultaneously shut down the live stream, the screen went dark, leaving only a black screen displaying "loss of signal," officially concluding this exclusive solo live stream.

After the live stream ended, the staff immediately approached Jiang Zhiyu to review the entire broadcast. Their tone was a mix of lingering fear and admiration: "The massive backstage back office was almost overwhelmed with banning accounts due to the massive backstage backend attacks, but you were completely unaffected."

"I'm used to it." Jiang Zhiyu picked up his phone, which had been stuck on a black screen, and casually stuffed it into his training uniform pocket, his tone indifferent.

Several staff members were packing up the live streaming equipment. Jiang Zhiyu raised his hand to say goodbye to them and went alone to the large group training room to meet up with the other nine members of Group A, "Sailing".

The live stream of the individual training room was shut down an hour ago and hasn't been restarted, but the live stream of the large training room has never been interrupted.

As soon as Jiang Zhiyu entered the large training room, he was immediately spotted by Jiang's fans who were eagerly staring in the direction of the door.

[See you at the finals? No! I want to see you right now!]

[Hehe, here's the advantage of watching live variety shows: no downtime!]

I came, I left, and I've come again!

"Brother Jiang, I heard you just did a solo live stream?" Yao Wei lowered his voice and sneakily approached Jiang Zhiyu.

"Hmm," Jiang Zhiyu nodded, "What's wrong?"

Yao Wei scratched his head with a pained expression: "It's my turn tomorrow, but I'm a little nervous. It's so hard to control the flow of a solo live stream."

"Yeah, yeah, wouldn't it be embarrassing if we couldn't come up with a single word?" Yu Wen leaned forward and joined the conversation mysteriously.

"Answering questions was actually not too bad; the time flew by." Jiang Zhiyu recalled the hour-long live stream he had just finished, sharing his experience, which wasn't exactly his own, with a serious expression.

While the three furry heads huddled together for a somewhat unprofessional experience exchange, the other members of Group A had gradually arrived.