Ye Zhou was completely bewildered, almost doubting if there was something wrong with his hearing.
“What?!”
Xu Wei was no less shocked than Ye Zhou when she saw Chi Yu’s “special talent” listed. She blinked her eyes repeatedly and re-checked the information, but it remained unchanged.
Snapping back to her senses, Xu Wei said to Ye Zhou in a daze, “It might be a system input error. Should I call that child over and ask him about it?”
Recalling the youthful and ethereal aura of the boy, the deeply perturbed Ye Zhou reluctantly nodded and agreed to Xu Wei’s suggestion.
Xu Wei stood up and approached Chi Yu’s location. Bending down, she whispered something in the young man’s ear, and he lifted his head to glance in Ye Zhou’s direction.
The agitated emotions within Ye Zhou somehow miraculously calmed down when their eyes met. He even had the strange thought, “So what if it’s ‘breaking bricks with chest’? It’s just a talent, no need to make a big fuss.”
This thought persisted until Chi Yu averted his gaze, prompting Ye Zhou to realize the absurdity of his previous thoughts.
“That’s ‘breaking bricks with his chest’ for God’s sake! Talents are usually singing, dancing, or playing instruments, right? Who the hell puts ‘breaking bricks’ as a talent in a talent show?!”
While Ye Zhou was questioning his own sanity, Xu Wei had already brought Chi Yu over to him.
Ye Zhou looked up, once again unexpectedly locking eyes with Chi Yu. His near-collapse mental state somehow calmed down again, his mind becoming serene and free from worldly troubles.
It was Xu Wei’s voice that finally broke this tranquility, bringing Ye Zhou back to reality.
“Xiao Yu, I’d like to ask about the ‘special talent’ listed on your application form. Was it a mistake, or was it maliciously altered by someone? Don’t be afraid. Mr. Ye and I are here, and if you’ve been bullied, please tell us. We’ll stand up for you.”
Regaining his senses, Ye Zhou nodded along with Xu Wei. Recalling the two magical experiences he fet just now, he discreetly shielded his eyes, no longer daring to make direct eye contact with the young man.
He was afraid that if he locked eyes with the boy again, he might suddenly see the light, become indifferent to worldly affairs, and decide to shave his head and become a monk. To prevent such a tragedy from occurring, Ye Zhou firmly gave up the idea of making eye contact with the boy.
Hearing Xu Wei’s question, the young man’s cold expression turned slightly puzzled as he hesitantly replied, “No one bullied me.”
Xu Wei’s most reasonable explanation was quickly dismissed. Seeing the slightly dazed yet adorable expression on the young man’s face, her heart softened, and she gently said, “Okay, since you don’t want to talk about it, I won’t press you further.”
“The competition is about to start soon. Could you tell me one more time what your special talent is? I’ll help you change it back.”
Chi Yu seemed slightly confused, not quite understanding why Xu Wei needed to ask again when he had already clearly stated it. Out of politeness, he answered, “Breaking bricks with my chest.”
Perhaps Chi Yu’s voice was just too normal, as he spoke of this talent without a hint of humor, sounding completely serious. If not for the sheer fantastical nature of the talent, it would not have seemed out of place coming from him.
Xu Wei’s expression froze, and she discreetly glanced at Ye Zhou, seeing the same bewildered look on his face. She then asked Chi Yu again, “By ‘breaking bricks with your chest,’ do you mean a type of… classical stage performance1I’m not sure about this, but the Shi that I translated to bricks can be translated as an instrument. 石 (shí) – rock / stone / stone inscription / one of the eight categories of ancient musical instruments ?”
Hearing this, Chi Yu’s brow furrowed slightly, surprised that Xu Wei had never even heard of such a common stunt.
“No,” Chi Yu directly broke Xu Wei’s illusion, calmly explaining, “It’s a type of stunt where a person lies down and a stone slab is placed on their chest, and their companion uses a hammer to forcefully shatter the slab.”
Xu Wei: “…”
Ye Zhou: “…”
Perhaps sensing their expressions of utter bewilderment, Chi Yu thought for a moment and then added in a flat tone, “If you’re not familiar with that, how about splitting bricks with one hand?”
Ye Zhou collected his thoughts and slowly asked, “Is there a talent that has a relatively lower risk factor?”
“These don’t have much danger to them,” Chi Yu replied, his confusion even more apparent.
Ye Zhou was at a loss for words, pausing before saying, “This is a talent competition, not a martial arts contest. I heard your Sister Xu say you had previously listed the guitar as your talent. Why don’t you change it back to that?”
Chi Yu glanced at Xu Wei, seeing her expression of agreement. After a long silence, he shook his head.
“It won’t work.” Chi Yu said, quickly moving his hands behind his back. Before they could ask further, he held his hands out in front of them, calmly stating, “My wrist is dislocated. I can’t play the guitar.”
Xu Wei was startled seeing his clearly abnormal wrist, her voice becoming anxious, “What happened? When did you get injured? Why didn’t you say anything, kid? I’ll call a doctor right now!”
Ye Zhou was also taken aback by Chi Yu’s limp wrist, about to call emergency services, but his hand was grasped before he could dial.
“I’m fine, this happens often,” Chi Yu stopped Ye Zhou, releasing his hand and moving it to his dislocated wrist. Before their eyes, he ‘cracked’ it back into place.
The two were stunned by his actions. Xu Wei suddenly seemed to realize something, urgently asking, “Is it because your wrist dislocated when you were young? You can’t exert force on it, so it keeps dislocating habitually. Is that why you changed your talent?”
Even though Chi Yu did not say anything, Xu Wei’s active mind had automatically pieced together the heartbreaking reason behind his talent change.
Hearing Xu Wei’s words, Chi Yu’s obsidian eyes briefly lit up. “That’s right.”
Seeing his eyes, Xu Wei sympathetically patted his slender shoulder, gently advising, “You’ve worked so hard, but you can’t ignore your body’s condition for the sake of the competition, understand? Don’t push yourself. You’re still young. I can help you temporarily withdraw and retain your status as a contestant. When your wrist has recovered, we can re-enter the program next time, okay?”
Chi Yu really wanted to agree, but with his current financial situation, withdrawing would likely force him to take to the streets and perform for a living. This body was simply too poor – aside from a closet full of flashy and colorful clothes, his bank account only had a two-digit balance, and he was deeply in debt.
All things considered, withdrawing was definitely not an option.
Thinking about these circumstances, Chi Yu sighed imperceptibly, looked at Xu Wei and Ye Zhou with eyes as clean as water, and said firmly: “I want to participate.”
Xu Wei wanted to dissuade him, knowing the intensity of the competition, the tight schedule, and the interconnected stages. Could they really let this child go on stage to perform feats like breaking stones with his chest or splitting bricks with one hand?
What about his body? What about his wrist?!
However, Ye Zhou interrupted Xu Wei before she could speak. Looking at the youthful, ethereal-looking young man, he hesitated for a moment before asking, “Can you really break bricks with your chest without getting hurt?”
Chi Yu had expected to be dissuaded, so he finally relaxed upon hearing Ye Zhou’s question.
“Yes, I guarantee I won’t get hurt.”
Merely breaking bricks with his chest, how could that possibly injure him? Having cultivated to a certain level, even if this body lacked true cultivation, the powerful spiritual energy within would be more than enough to make it impervious to blades and arrows.
Not to mention breaking bricks with his chest, even more brutal acts were no concern.
Ye Zhou thought it over. In his original world, he had seen this kind of stunt before, and those with genuine skill usually didn’t get injured, even if the young man’s frail appearance didn’t seem like someone who had practiced this art. But…
Chi Yu’s profound, ethereal aura somewhat convinced Ye Zhou.
Perhaps he was a disciple from a reclusive sect, out on a journey of cultivation, just like in the novels.
Moreover, this fictional world they were in could not be explained by science – otherwise, how could he have transmigrated here and lived in this world for so long?
Considering all this, Ye Zhou ultimately nodded in agreement. However, after giving his consent, he called Boss Jiang, asking him to arrange for medical staff to be on standby in the audience during the evening broadcast, so they could provide immediate assistance just in case things didn’t go as planned.
Ye Zhou had initially only intended to come and take a quick look, not planning to stay for long. But due to the unexpected appearance of Chi Yu, he ended up spending the entire afternoon at Orange TV.
Exactly at 8 o’clock in the evening, with only an hour left until the broadcast, the dressing room was already bustling with makeup artists touching up the contestants. The contestants themselves were also doing one final rehearsal.
At 8:50 PM, the once lively dressing room had grown quiet. The large screen occupying two-thirds of one wall was now playing the television drama aired by Orange TV.
Ye Zhou declined Xu Wei’s invitation to join her in the control room, opting to stay in the dressing room and watch the first episode of “Starlight Youth” from a normal viewer’s perspective. This would allow for a more objective evaluation – once he saw tonight’s program, he would have a general sense of the quality of this talent show.
As the ending theme played and the commercials began, about 5 minutes later, when the final ad finished, the screen shifted to a brief behind-the-scenes segment. Then the brightly lit screen gradually dimmed.
In the darkness, the words “Starlight Youth Development Program” gradually lit up on the screen like stars, connected by a fine line to form a beautiful miniature constellation.
After the title sequence ended, the image slowly brightened, revealing a pure white room with a white chair in the center.
Approaching footsteps could be heard, the originally pure white room suddenly gained a touch of color, and a young man in a blue polo shirt suddenly appeared in the frame. He first examined his surroundings with obvious curiosity and nervousness, then turned and silently asked something off-screen, “Is it starting already?”
Seemingly receiving an affirmative answer, a flash of panic crossed the boy’s face, and his previously relaxed posture immediately tensed up. He gave a deep bow towards the camera, his youthful awkwardness almost palpable.
After bowing, the boy stepped back and sat properly in the chair, politely introducing himself to the camera, “Hello everyone, I’m contestant number one, Ji Wenxuan.”
As soon as he finished speaking, stylized text with special effects popped up on the screen: “Three minutes – let the audience remember you!”
The text disappeared, and a countdown timer accurate to the millisecond appeared in the top left corner, immediately starting the countdown.
With the appearance of the timer, the program seemed to have been fast-forwarded, skipping the usual introductory segments and creating a sense of heightened urgency for the audience.
Though he had rehearsed many times and was familiar with the process, this being the first time Ji Wenxuan was facing so many cameras and appearing on television, he was extremely nervous.
This type of nervous state was only seen in old-school talent shows. As talent competitions have become more standardized and formulaic over time, contestants hoping to stand out have undergone extensive training, facing the camera with composure and poise, ensuring every expression they show on screen is flawless, avoiding such rookie mistakes.
The anxiety of facing the camera can be eliminated through proper training – if Xu Wei wanted to, she could easily avoid such lapses. However, she did not, because this was the effect she was aiming for.
Despite the nervousness, the contestants’ genuine, youthful awkwardness immediately bridged the gap with the audience. They may have looked handsome, but that nervous, raw quality made them feel so alive, like real people living next door.
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