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

Previously, Qi Sixian had mysteriously drawn the blackout curtains and refused to turn on the lights, saying it was for the sake of atmosphere, so that Jiang Zhiyu could immerse himself in his arrangement.

So the training session was dimly lit, with only the computer screen emitting a cold light that made Qi Sixian and Jiang Zhiyu's profiles appear and disappear.

Qi Sixian stared at the computer screen, his fingertips resting on the keyboard. Jiang Zhiyu sat next to him, his fingers gently tapping his knees in sync with the melody playing in his headphones.

The melody in my headphones was playing the daytime part. The first half of the melody was relatively calm and restrained, without any extra fluctuations, which perfectly matched the state of "I put on a silent mask in the daytime" in the lyrics.

The pre-chorus is a transition, with a slightly more upbeat melody than before, gradually building up the emotions while still maintaining a sense of restraint, like the helplessness suppressed deep in one's heart during the day.

The next second, the chorus suddenly started, the rhythm quickened, and the intensity increased significantly. The originally gentle melody became sharp, with a tense sense of power, which perfectly matched the feeling of "glamour is an invisible chain that binds me".

Jiang Zhiyu listened to the first half with his eyes closed; the next part was about the night.

The interlude is very expansive, smoothly transitioning into the second half of the melody.

The latter half is filled with emotional catharsis, the rhythm gradually quickens, and the sound of light rain in the background blends with the guitar strings, creating a more intense atmosphere.

Jiang Zhiyu rested his index finger on his earpiece, his thoughts drifting away with the sound of raindrops falling.

For some reason, he suddenly thought of Chen Yue's face, which appeared and disappeared in the dim light.

Amidst the increasingly urgent melody and the sound of rain, he recalled his first meeting with Chen Yue.

It was a rainy night two weeks before I came to "Project Shining".

Jiang Zhiyu's dance studio is located in an entertainment industrial park on the outskirts of the city. The park is home to many recording studios, dance studios, and talent agencies, catering to artists and trainees. Security is very tight, with security guards at the entrance, preventing unauthorized individuals from entering. The privacy is also excellent.

He practiced all day long, from nine in the morning to ten at night, and his muscles ached all over, and he looked exhausted.

Large raindrops pounded on the ground, splashing up countless tiny water droplets.

After finishing his practice, he changed into his casual clothes, put on a black hood, pulled the brim down to cover most of his face, then casually picked up a black umbrella from the doorway, and walked straight across the street to the convenience store.

That was the only convenience store in the entire industrial park. Usually, both artists and staff would come here to buy things. It was always very lively, with people coming and going, and it was noisy.

But it was late at night, and it was pouring rain. There were almost no pedestrians on the road, and the convenience store was deserted with hardly anyone inside.

Raindrops trickled down the umbrella ribs, splashing onto the ground with a crisp, dense sound, which made Jiang Zhiyu feel slightly annoyed.

He quickened his pace, walked to the eaves of the convenience store, closed the umbrella, shook off the water droplets, and put it into the temporary umbrella holder in the corner. There were two other people's umbrellas in the holder, leaning forlornly in the corner.

The convenience store cashier was a young man in his early twenties, who was lazily leaning back in his chair behind the counter, scrolling through his phone. Hearing the noise outside the door, he only glanced up and then did nothing else.

Jiang Zhiyu came to buy water. He walked around the shelves and found the room temperature water shelf at the very back of the convenience store.

The water dispenser was filled with various drinks, mostly soda and tea, the colorful bottles neatly arranged. However, due to recent adjustments to his medication regimen to align with the draft cycle, these were things he couldn't touch.

His gaze naturally swept over these varieties, lingering on the soda water at the bottom of the water rack.

The lighting there was dim, much dimmer than in other parts of the convenience store, making it difficult to read the small print on the labels; you could only vaguely make out the shape of the bottles.

He bent down slightly, focusing intently on identifying the object.

Just as he was carefully examining the labels, he suddenly heard a low voice from across the shelf, sounding somewhat urgent: "Buy me a pack of cigarettes, I'll pay you back next time."

Immediately afterwards, another male voice came through, his tone full of helplessness: "I'm broke too, I can't even pay the rent this month... and you already owe me 20,000 yuan."

Jiang Zhiyu didn't look at them, but silently continued searching. Finally, he found the brand of soda water he usually drank in a corner on the ground floor. He bent down, casually pulled out a bottle, straightened up, and was about to turn around and walk towards the cashier.

Suddenly, a muffled "bang" came from behind. The person who owed money was a little angry and suddenly pushed the shelf in front of him. Fortunately, the shelf was heavy and only moved slightly.

"Don't talk about these unimportant things. Since you're short of money, just ask your family for some. I'll wait for you."

Jiang Zhiyu lifted his foot to avoid a bottle of water that had fallen due to the sudden force, then casually put it back on the shelf before turning and walking towards the cashier.

The boy opposite that person was clearly annoyed, but for some reason he forced himself to hold back.

"Maybe next time, it's really not possible today."

The lights at the checkout counter were bright, creating a stark contrast with the dim lighting near the water dispenser. Jiang Zhiyu took out his phone to scan his payment code for the cashier, but at the same time, his gaze inadvertently swept over the two people, and he suddenly stopped.

The two were slightly tugging at each other in front of the liquor cabinet, and were locked in a stalemate.

The liquor cabinet was on the other side of the convenience store, and the lighting was even dimmer than that of the water shelf. In order to create a so-called atmosphere, the store owner deliberately dimmed the lights several levels, making it dim and gloomy, and you could only vaguely see the two figures.

In the dim light, Jiang Zhiyu's gaze fell on the profile of the boy whose collar was being pulled, and his heart skipped a beat. In a daze, he seemed to see Jing Chi.

"Hello? Your water?"

The cashier's call brought him back to reality; the cashier's hand, holding the soda, was suspended in mid-air.

"Okay, thank you." Jiang Zhiyu snapped out of his daze and took the water bottle. At the same time, the cashier's expression changed drastically. Her lazy expression vanished instantly, replaced by a look of terror. Her eyes widened as she stared intently at what was behind him, her mouth slightly agape.

In the blink of an eye, a huge sound of glass shattering came from behind. The sound of "crash—" rang out repeatedly, piercing and loud.

Fragments from the explosion landed at Jiang Zhiyu's feet.