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

Jiang Zhiyu came out of the director's office, and the door closed gently behind him.

There weren't many people in the corridor. It was lunchtime, and most of the trainees were in the cafeteria.

He started walking towards the training room, and as soon as he turned the corner, he bumped into Chen Yue, who was standing at the end of the corridor.

Their eyes met unexpectedly. Chen Yue's eyes widened in surprise, his pupils contracted slightly, and he quickly looked away.

Without even saying goodbye, he turned around and quickly left in the opposite direction, his back view looking somewhat hurried.

Jiang Zhiyu stood there, watching Chen Yue's figure disappear around the corner of the corridor, his brows furrowing slightly.

A strange feeling crossed his mind, but he didn't chase after him or dwell on it too much. He simply looked away and continued walking towards the training room.

When I opened the training room door, it was quiet inside; there wasn't even any music playing.

In the empty training room, only Yao Wei was sitting cross-legged in the corner, deep in thought. Hearing the door open, he immediately looked up.

The live-streaming camera inside the room was still lit up with a small red dot, pointing directly at the practice area in the center of the training room, synchronizing the footage with online viewers in real time.

Yao Wei glanced at the lit camera first, then stood up and walked quickly to Jiang Zhiyu: "It's lunchtime, let's go eat together."

The other party was clearly waiting for him. Jiang Zhiyu glanced at the empty training room, then looked at Yao Wei and nodded: "Okay."

Without saying anything more, the two walked out of the training room one after the other, and the door was gently closed behind them.

The live stream showed an empty practice area, but the screen was already flooded with comments.

[Something feels off about the atmosphere; every training room scene gives me a strange feeling.]

I also feel like something might have happened.

[Nothing should happen, right? Everything seemed normal this morning.]

Not long after Jiang Zhiyu was called away, he sensed something was amiss. Could it be that some dirt on Jiang Zhiyu had also been discovered?

[Hey, the person upstairs, stop spreading rumors about Jiang Huang's loans. Instead, spend your time voting for your own brother!]

Yao Wei led Jiang Zhiyu toward the cafeteria, deliberately avoiding the main corridor with public security cameras and choosing a secluded side corridor instead.

The cameras in this corridor are rarely turned on, and today they are completely off, with no indicator lights on.

After confirming that no one was around and there were no security cameras, Yao Wei stopped and turned to look at Jiang Zhiyu, his face filled with concern: "Brother Jiang, word has spread that your house was broken into. Are you alright?"

Jiang Zhiyu shook his head: "It's nothing serious, we've found the person."

"That's good." Yao Wei breathed a sigh of relief.

Just as the two were about to continue walking, they heard footsteps behind them.

Lin Sen quickly caught up with them, and when he saw them, his brows relaxed: "I've been looking for you all along, Zhiyu."

Lin Sen walked up to him and said, "Mi Lan went to the cafeteria to save us seats and told me to come find you so we could go together."

Yao Wei and Lin Sen exchanged a glance, then smiled and said, "Brother Jiang, Lin Sen, you two go first. I still need to go find Bian Zi'ang."

Clearly, the unspoken understanding between them was that Jiang Zhiyu should not act alone for the time being.

Jiang Zhiyu nodded: "Okay."

"Why doesn't he call me brother? You're younger than him, I'm the older one." Lin Sen scratched his head, not really caring, but teasingly.

After watching Yao Wei turn and leave, only Jiang Zhiyu and Lin Sen remained in the corridor. The two walked side by side toward the cafeteria, their pace neither of them fast.

Lin Sen glanced at Jiang Zhiyu several times, hesitated for a long time, and finally couldn't help but ask, "Zhiyu, did you just go to the director's office?"

Jiang Zhiyu hummed in agreement.

"So... what was the result?" Lin Sen's tone was concerned, with a hint of curiosity. "Has Director Hong finished questioning you? Did he say what exactly happened? Was the thief caught?"

Jiang Zhiyu didn't hide anything, summarizing simply: "It was discovered that staff members wanted to steal things at high prices and resell them to stalker fans, and it even involved internal personnel."

Lin Sen frowned and continued to press, "So what's the follow-up? How does the production team plan to handle this? They can't just let it go like this, can they?"

"I don't need to worry about what happens next; my agent will handle it," Jiang Zhiyu replied calmly.

Upon hearing this, Lin Sen was stunned for a moment, his steps slowed down, and a look of doubt appeared on his face.

broker?

He knew Jiang Zhiyu was an amateur contestant, and he had never heard him mention having an agent before. Most of the contestants on the show were managed by companies, with only a few being amateurs. Amateurs usually handle their own affairs and rarely have agents.

Lin Sen had some doubts, but then he thought that if it were Jiang Zhiyu, it would be quite normal for an agent to be optimistic about him and buy his shares in advance.

He didn't ask any more questions, and just nodded: "That's fine too, having an agent handle it will save me some trouble."

The two chatted and soon arrived at the cafeteria.

The production team's canteen is quite large and offers a wide variety of dishes; most of the contestants and staff eat there.

It was lunchtime, and the cafeteria was quite crowded. The sounds of talking and clattering bowls and chopsticks mingled together, making it much more lively than the training room.

Mi Lan had already found a spot in a corner by the window. When she saw them come in, she immediately waved. Two meals and a bowl of vegetable salad were already laid out on the table.

Jiang Zhiyu saw the light-colored salad and felt a bitter taste rising in his mouth.

"There's nothing I can do," Mi Lan said with a helpless smile. "The cafeteria lady hands me a salad as soon as she sees me getting my food, saying it's your lunch... It's okay, I've noticed that more and more people are being asked to eat salads lately, you're not alone."

Jiang Zhiyu sat down and said bitterly, "Thank you for your comfort."

"You're welcome, it's my pleasure." Mi Lan waved her hand with a smile, then asked seriously about the progress of the matter.

Jiang Zhiyu repeated his answer again. Mi Lan gritted her teeth: "This is a huge oversight by the production team. He stole something this time, but what if he didn't? What if it was something that led to more serious consequences?"

Lin Sen also sighed: "I hope things will be resolved soon."

The atmosphere in the cafeteria seemed lively, but undercurrents were actually running deep.

Many people kept glancing at them, and the whispers among themselves never stopped, mostly revolving around the "thief incident" from the previous night.

Just then, a shout suddenly came from a corner on the other side of the cafeteria, breaking the noise and instantly attracting the attention of many people around.

Jiang Zhiyu also subconsciously looked over.

Xue Guang was standing in front of Yu Wen, his face flushed red, his eyes filled with anger, and his chest heaving violently, looking extremely agitated.

Yu Wen was sitting in a chair, just picking up his chopsticks to eat, when Xue Guang yelled at him, and he looked up with a blank expression.

He looked at Xue Guang, completely bewildered: "Xue Guang, what are you doing?"

"What am I doing?" Xue Guang sneered, taking a step forward and staring down at Yu Wen, his tone full of accusation, "Yu Wen, were you spreading rumors everywhere? Was it you?"

Yu Wen frowned, put down his chopsticks, and looked puzzled: "What rumors have I spread? Explain yourself clearly, don't wrongly accuse me."

"You've been wronged?" Xue Guang's voice rose a few decibels.

People around stopped eating and looked over, and the whispering stopped too.

He glared angrily: "The entire production team is spreading rumors about me. You dare say you didn't do it? Besides you, who else would target me like this?"

"Why are they still so hostile towards each other?" Lin Sen asked, pleadingly, chewing on his chopsticks.

"What's wrong with them?" Mi Lan asked curiously.

"These two used to be roommates, but they had a falling out a few days ago. Apparently, Yu Wen complained to the dorm manager that Xue Guang was making loud phone calls late at night, disturbing his rest, and wouldn't listen, so he wanted to change dorms. As a result, Xue Guang's phone was found, confiscated, and he was warned."

Yu Wen on the other end was still completely confused.

"I really don't know what rumors you're spreading. Explain yourself clearly. What exactly is going on?"

Looking at his innocent expression, Xue Guang's anger flared even more. He thought he was a scheming womanizer and gritted his teeth, saying, "They're all saying I'm about to be disqualified from the competition, so before I leave, I colluded with outsiders to sneak in and steal things to sell for money!"

These words immediately caused an uproar, and those who had been discussing it privately now had complicated expressions.

Yu Wen was completely stunned. Looking at Xue Guang, he asked in a questioning tone, "Xue Guang, I didn't know anything about this before. I only heard about it when I was getting food in the cafeteria. How could such things be spreading?"

Xue Guang clearly didn't believe it. Previous conflicts had made him feel that Yu Wen was targeting him, and now that this rumor had surfaced, he immediately suspected Yu Wen: "Don't think I don't know, you've always disliked me, haven't you?"

"I didn't!" Yu Wen was also getting anxious, her face flushed, and her voice unusually loud, "Don't make false accusations!"

"If it's not you, then who is it?" Xue Guang completely lost control of his emotions.

He suddenly reached out and grabbed Yu Wen by the collar, pulling him forward with force, instantly closing the distance between them.

"You need to explain yourself clearly today: did you spread this rumor or not?"

Yu Wen felt his collar tighten as Xue Guang pulled him, making it hard for him to breathe. He reached out to push him away, but Xue Guang was too strong and he couldn't push him away at all.

The two were instantly locked in a stalemate, and the people around them panicked. Some wanted to step forward to mediate, but dared not do so rashly.

Just as tensions were about to rise, a clear, cold voice suddenly rang out: "Let go."

At the same time, a hand with distinct knuckles reached out and precisely grabbed Xue Guang's wrist, which was gripping Yu Wen's collar.

Jiang Zhiyu walked over at some point and stood beside the two of them, his expression calm, but the force in his hands was not light.

"Ugh..." Xue Guang felt a sharp pain in his wrist, as if it were being clamped by iron clamps. He involuntarily loosened his grip on Yu Wen's collar and let out a muffled groan of pain.

Jiang Zhiyu also released his grip and looked at Xue Guang: "Calm down."

Xue Guang clutched his aching wrist, looked at Jiang Zhiyu, his eyes red-rimmed: "Jiang Zhiyu, I really didn't do such a thing. I don't even know which dormitory room you live in."

Jiang Zhiyu looked at his reddened eyes, his expression unchanged, but he spoke with certainty: "I know it wasn't you."

Xue Guang suddenly raised his head, his eyes filled with disbelief: "You...you believe me?"

"Hmm." Jiang Zhiyu nodded, his tone calm yet convincing. "That night you were recording the e-sports variety show with me until very late, it wasn't you."

His words instantly shattered some people's speculations.

Xue Guang looked at him, his eyes reddening even more. He opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but couldn't utter a word. In the end, he just took a deep breath and turned to leave.

"Wait," Jiang Zhiyu called out to him, "Apologize to Yu Wen."

He didn't turn around, mumbled an apology, and quickly walked out of the cafeteria.

A few murmurs arose around them.

"With Xue Guang's temper, how does he manage to coax two women at the same time? I'd really like to ask him for advice."

"Are you crazy? Watch your words."

"What's there to be afraid of? There are no cameras here, and not everyone is as fond of tattling as Yu Wen." The speaker scoffed, his tone contemptuous, but then he suddenly choked up.

Jiang Zhiyu stood quietly watching him. Although he didn't say anything, Jiang Zhiyu felt immense pressure for no reason and immediately shut his mouth.

"Let's go, stop watching the show." The two pushed and shoved each other as they left.

Yu Wen straightened her collar, which had been tugged, and looked at Jiang Zhiyu, her tone sincere: "Thank you for helping me."

Jiang Zhiyu nodded: "It's nothing, I'm just returning the favor."

Just as he was about to leave, he saw the person in front of him hesitate for a moment, as if gathering his courage before speaking: "It's not a favor."

"Um?"

"We're friends...can we be considered friends now?"

Jiang Zhiyu chuckled lightly: "Of course."

After saying that, he didn't linger and turned back to his seat.

"You weren't the only one recording that variety show, so why did it have to be you, the person directly involved, to come forward and explain for him?" Mi Lan said in a low voice, frowning.

"To put it nicely, it's about protecting oneself; to put it bluntly, it's about being afraid of getting burned. Nobody dares to step forward and protect a 'tainted celebrity.'" Lin Sen took a big bite of the skinless chicken thigh. The flavor of the garlic and soy sauce enhanced the chicken's freshness, and he ate with great relish.

"Why are his scandals so widespread?"

"Well, there aren't many honest people in the camp who don't hide cell phones."

The aroma lingered around Jiang Zhiyu's nose. He sniffed, didn't say anything, and continued to quietly eat the rest of his salad.

He finished his salad, put down his chopsticks, wiped his mouth, and said to the two of them, "I'm done eating. I'll go back to the training room first. You two can eat slowly."

"So fast?" Mi Lan asked.

"It's awful." Jiang Zhiyu stood up and placed the plate at the food collection point.

"Wait, wait, wait—" Mi Lan and Lin Sen exchanged a glance, finished their last two bites of rice, and caught up with him.

On their way back to the training room from the cafeteria, they had to pass through the lobby of the office building. Just as they reached the lobby entrance, they saw a group of people walking in from outside with umbrellas.

The group of men at the head, dressed in police uniforms and with serious expressions, were walking into the office building together with several men in suits. They were talking in hushed tones, and the atmosphere was very tense.

Jiang Zhiyu glanced at it indifferently, then looked away and continued walking towards the training room without stopping.

As they rounded the corner, their angle allowed them to see the fans waiting outside the camp.

"It seems things can't be contained anymore." Mi Lan pointed to the subtly restless crowd outside the fence, who had also witnessed the scene.

At this moment, an atmosphere of restlessness and suspicion gradually spread.