“Welcome to: The Selection Scene of ‘My Youth’ Advancement Competition!”
The lights in the venue were dazzling, and the audience was abuzz with excitement as countless cameras focused on the contestants passionately singing on stage. Behind the stage, there was a flurry of activity; in the lounge, a group of youthful and vibrant teenagers was busy warming up their voices or getting their makeup done.
In a corner, a handsome young man with a slender figure was pretending to nap with his eyes closed. The next moment, his long, dark eyelashes fluttered as he opened his eyes and quietly surveyed the surroundings.
[Host, host! I missed you so much! I leveled up and came back!] The slightly noisy voice of 123 echoed continuously in his mind.
Lin Ya helplessly rubbed his forehead, letting go of the vigilance he had from the previous world so that he could silence it: “It’s too noisy, 123, keep it down.”
[Okay…! Host, I’ll transfer the original owner’s memories to you!]
“Mm.”
Lin Ya glanced around at the busy others before closing his eyes again.
The original owner was named Shi Xi. He was 18 years old, an orphan with both parents deceased, and had a younger brother and a grandmother. His grandmother was seriously ill and hospitalized, and his 12-year-old brother was still very young.
In order to take care of his ailing grandmother and his younger brother who was still in school, Shi Xi had to drop out and work, using his meager salary to support them.
The young man was good-looking and had a gentle and pleasant voice. One day, he accidentally encountered a talent scout named Zhong Jiacheng. Shi Xi had some prejudice against the entertainment industry, always feeling that it was filled with filth and did not wish to step into it.
However, the talent scout said that the champion of this program could win a prize of 500,000 yuan, which piqued Shi Xi’s interest.
But even though he was intrigued, he didn’t believe he had the ability to defeat so many people and take first place.
Zhong Jiacheng, understanding his difficult family situation, later said that as long as he made it to the top 20 in ‘My Youth,’ he would give him a signing fee of 100,000 yuan.
After thinking for a long time, Shi Xi focused only on the money, believing that with 100,000 yuan, he could save his grandmother’s life and return to school.
So, he agreed to participate in the auditions for ‘My Youth’ and quickly advanced, progressing to this stage—
The competition where the 50 contestants of ‘My Youth’ would advance to the top 20.
He succeeded in progressing and ultimately received an impressive seventh place in the top ten qualification round.
Thus, Shi Xi signed with Tianxing Entertainment, where Zhong Jiacheng worked.
This marked the beginning of his tragedy.
Tianxing Entertainment had a poor reputation in the industry; one could even say it was somewhat notorious. Outsiders were unaware of how dark Tianxing Entertainment was, despite once having promoted second-tier stars and award-winning actors and famous singers.
However, those in the industry knew better.
Tianxing Entertainment loved to sign new talent with good looks, and most newcomers signed ten-year contracts, facing astronomical penalty fees if they wished to terminate their contracts.
Shi Xi was no exception.
From the moment he entered the circle and was signed, his life ended within a mere two years.
At first, riding on the popularity of being seventh in ‘My Youth,’ his treatment was quite good, and his manager even arranged for him to release an album. However, as time passed, with the heat fading, he gradually became forgotten, with no work for three consecutive months, and naturally, no income.
The money he received from signing was largely spent on his grandmother’s medical expenses, leaving only a few thousand yuan. Since he was working outside and unable to return home often, he lived in dormitories arranged by the company, giving the remainder to his younger brother, Shi Yi. Although he was young, he was very sensible, so Shi Xi wasn’t worried about him spending it recklessly.
With no income for an extended period and facing exclusion, the cold disregard from his manager made the sensitive teenager feel increasingly depressed, and the days passed like this.
Then one day, his manager happily said he would take him out for a drinking party, claiming it would be a chance to meet some senior figures who might help him write songs. Shi Xi hesitated at first but eventually agreed after some persuasion.
That outing marked the beginning of the tragedy.
Shi Xi woke up in a hotel.
His face was pale, and he felt like a puppet; he staggered home while enduring pain all over, locking himself indoors for three days without going out.
It was only when Shi Yi returned home from school on the weekend to collect clothes that he discovered his brother was back. However, Shi Xi had been running a fever for three days. Fortunately, Shi Yi promptly had the door unlocked and took him to the hospital.
When Shi Xi woke up, his manager was leisurely peeling an apple, showing no remorse and even threatening him with Shi Yi and their grandmother. Shi Xi felt as if all hope had been extinguished. Thinking of the astronomical penalty fees, he felt numb for a long time but ultimately endured it.
After that, Shi Xi began to work hard to produce albums and make money. Meanwhile, he gradually developed depression, and his condition worsened over time.
Eventually, after saving several hundred thousand yuan, he felt that this money should be enough to support his brother and grandmother.
Thus, on the night of the Ghost Festival, July 15, Shi Xi jumped from the rooftop of the Tianxing Entertainment building.
The boy, who had always believed in science, couldn’t help but succumb to superstition in his final moments.
With a loud thud, the blood slowly spread, staining the ground he once nervously and excitedly stepped on…
……
“Shi Xi. Shi Xi. It’s your turn, wake up and get ready!”
The boy’s long eyelashes glistened slightly with moisture as he opened his eyes to meet the gaze of another boy who was kindly reminding him.
The two looked at each other, and the boy across from him was momentarily startled, scratching his head and nearly ruining his carefully styled hair. After a reminder from the makeup artist, he awkwardly put his hands down, still mumbling to himself: This guy is really handsome; he should be acting instead of singing.
“Thank you for the reminder.” Coming back to reality from the heavy despair and self-loathing, Lin Ya looked at him and learned his name from the original owner’s memories.
Su Cheng.
He was somewhat of a rich second generation; his father also owned an entertainment company. He was participating in the audition out of rebellion and seemed to withdraw after this advancement competition.
Previously, he heard that Shi Xi was going to sign with Tianxing and had subtly advised against it, but Shi Xi didn’t take his advice. Before the competition started, he had received a call from the hospital.