Chapter Five: Jiang Yun’s Agent, The Challenger!

The young woman before him looked to be around twenty-one or twenty-two years old, strikingly beautiful, dressed in jeans and a white short-sleeved shirt, her hair tied back in a ponytail, radiating youthful energy from head to toe.

"Who are you? Is there something you need?" Jiang Yun asked.

"Are you the one cooking?" The girl sniffed the air, seemingly oblivious to his question. Her eyes darted around the room, making her look like a would-be thief.

Her stomach let out a loud rumble, and she looked a bit embarrassed.

Jiang Yun quickly figured it out—this girl hadn't eaten and was here to scrounge a meal.

He didn't call her out on it. "You haven't eaten yet, have you? Come in and eat with me!"

"Really?" Her large eyes sparkled as she reached out her right hand. "Hello! My name is Li Lulu."

"Hello! I'm Jiang Yun!" He extended his hand as well.

They shook hands.

"Jiang Yun? Why does that name sound so familiar?" Li Lulu muttered, thinking for a moment but finding no answer, then shrugged it off. Never mind—of all things, food takes precedence.

She went straight into the room and sat down without ceremony. Jiang Yun served her a bowl of rice.

Li Lulu wasted no time, immediately picking up a piece of beef brisket and popping it into her mouth.

She ate heartily, finishing a bowl of rice in no time.

Jiang Yun twitched at the corner of his mouth. In just this short time, the four dishes and a soup had almost been polished off.

Li Lulu slumped back in her chair, limbs limp, looking utterly spent.

She patted her stomach. "I'm stuffed!"

Jiang Yun's eyelids twitched. "How long has it been since you last ate?"

Li Lulu held up her index and middle finger. "Two days!"

"What?" Jiang Yun was astonished. "You're something else—to go that long! Impressive!"

"What can I do? I haven't been able to find a job! Every interview ends in rejection!"

Li Lulu and Jiang Yun quickly grew familiar with each other.

"What did you study?" Jiang Yun asked casually.

"Talent agent!"

Jiang Yun’s eyes lit up. It was exactly what he needed. He knew he couldn't handle everything by himself in the future—a talent agent was a must.

Could it be that fate had sent him an agent right on cue?

He cleared his throat, feigning seriousness. "Why don't you be my agent?"

Li Lulu paused, giving Jiang Yun a careful look. "You know, now that you mention it, your face is really familiar! Have we met somewhere before?"

"Take a good look at who I am," Jiang Yun said, turning his face for her to see.

Li Lulu studied him intently.

"You, you—you're that ballad prince, Jiang Yun?" She sat up abruptly.

Only now did she realize his identity. Jiang Yun nodded. "So? Want to be my agent? The monthly salary is twenty thousand!"

"Twenty thousand?"

She gulped. "Are you serious? You’re not lying to me?"

"Why would I lie?" Jiang Yun replied.

"Then it's settled, boss!"

They signed the contract.

Li Lulu practically skipped out of the room in delight.

The next morning, Jiang Yun brought Li Lulu to the studio of "You're So Talented."

Upon arrival, the director in charge explained the rules of the challenger round.

The outcome depended on a combination of audience and judge votes. The contestant with the higher total stayed; the one with fewer votes was eliminated.

It was a brutal system—no matter how talented you were, too few votes meant immediate elimination. However, those with true ability could compete in the revival round.

"I never imagined the grand prize for this contest would be a million," Jiang Yun marveled.

"That's right, boss! You have to win it!" Li Lulu encouraged him.

"I’ll do my best," Jiang Yun thought to himself. Winning that million would bring him a step closer to buying a home.

Meanwhile, in a small backstage room at the studio—

"I was supposed to be the challenger! Why did they replace me?" a handsome young man complained.

"Young Master Zhou, it's the director’s decision! Besides, you can still compete in the advancement round, can't you?"

"I, Zhou Ziqian, have never suffered such a setback! I’ll see who took my spot!"

"Nonsense!" A middle-aged man walked over.

"Dad!" Zhou Ziqian was surprised, then immediately overjoyed. "Dad, you’re the director of this show. Surely you have a way!"

The man, Zhou Qiang, sighed. "Even as the director, there’s nothing I can do. President Zhou recommended this person, and both the chief director and producer arranged it. What can I do?"

"But, but..." Zhou Ziqian stammered.

"Enough. Just focus on the advancement round," Zhou Qiang declared.

Out front, at the performance venue, the host took up the microphone and announced loudly, "Now, let's welcome contestant number three to the stage for the challenger round!"

Jiang Yun handed a USB drive to the staff.

Wearing a mask, he walked slowly onto the stage. The mask was to prevent popular contestants from relying on their fanbase for extra votes.

His opponent was a male performer specializing in cross-dressing acts.

All three judge lights passed, and the contestant received a whopping 576 votes.

Jiang Yun felt immense pressure and was extremely nervous.

He took the microphone. "Hello, everyone."

His voice shook with nerves.

The three judges frowned, quickly concluding that Jiang Yun lacked stage presence.

Their first impression of him was poor.

"I will be performing an original song for everyone."

"'Heartbroken Pacific.' Please enjoy."

As the rhythmic intro began, Jiang Yun’s confidence surged.

"Is leaving really so cruel?" He began, and the audience was instantly captivated, metaphorically dropping to their knees in awe.

A wave of applause swept over the crowd as people stood up, the atmosphere electric.

Perhaps gentleness is what’s truly shameful,
Perhaps the lonely feel nothing at all,
No day, no night, no conditions.
Is it really dangerous ahead?
Perhaps betrayal is kindness,
Perhaps escaping is just easier,
Wind and rumor, wind-blown sand.

Jiang Yun followed the beat, pouring emotion into his performance.

"One step forward is dusk."

"Dusk—" His voice echoed across the vast studio.

"One step back is life."

"Life—"

I’m waiting for a ship that never comes,
Waiting for someone who never understands,
Loneliness sinking, silently swallowed by the sea,
Though the future is gone, I remain—
If the tide goes, my heart goes too,
If the tide comes, and you still don’t,
Drifting memories rise to the surface,
Memories return, but you are gone—

As the chorus arrived, the drumbeat intensified, the rhythm blazing. Jiang Yun moved with it, bouncing his right leg and tapping his foot on the stage.

"One wave hasn't yet subsided, another comes crashing in, a raging storm in a sea of people."

"Oh, oh, oh—" The backing track echoed with choral voices.

One wave not yet over, another has already passed,
A lifetime, a dream from which I awaken,
Deep at the bottom of the Pacific, deep is the heartbreak.

A thousand audience members stood as one, giving him a standing ovation.

Jiang Yun took a deep breath, relieved at the success of his performance.

All three judges had left their lights on, a clear sign of approval—now it all depended on the audience’s votes.

The host stepped onto the stage. "Now it’s time for our voting segment."

"Judges and audience, please cast your votes!"

"Ten points!" announced the male judge.

"Ten from me as well," said the female judge in the center.

"I’m giving nine," declared the last judge, holding up a card with a 9.

The audience erupted in surprise.

Jiang Yun’s smile froze. He was certain he hadn’t offended this judge...

The host jumped in to smooth things over. "A perfect ten from a judge equals a hundred votes. Our Teacher Zhao gave a nine, that’s ninety votes. But don’t worry."

He continued, "We still have the audience vote. As long as the audience votes outnumber the challenged contestant, our challenger will stay."

"Audience votes and judge scores combined—that’s the final result for our challenger!"