The atmosphere at the scene was so awkward that I felt embarrassed for him.

Zhou Xun looked at Jian Xingsui in disbelief, and then at An Ran. Actually, he was also eager to lash out after being kicked for no reason, especially since he felt humiliated in front of his sweetheart. But if he were to hit Shen Xingchen... he didn't dare.

After all, Zhou himself had to admit that the Zhou family was just a nouveau riche family, but the Shen family had a really strong background, and he didn't want to make such a terrible enemy on the first day.

After kicking the person, Shen Xingchen took out a name card: "I just saw a name card by the sink. Who lost it?"

An Ran's eyes lit up. He reached out his hand, a small, fair and pretty hand, and looked at Shen Xingchen with a pitiful expression: "I lost it."

If it weren't for this incident, the pretty girl who lost her card and the handsome young man who found it would have had a wonderful encounter. But because of this incident, the whole thing was completely ruined.

Shen Xingchen hissed and handed the card to An Ran: "Is this the card you lost?"

An Ran took it and nodded softly.

"Then why don't you go inside to look at the sink? What are you thinking about from here?" Shen Xingchen didn't understand: "You're even here shoving people around, trying to steal my card."

Shen Xingchen's imposing manner made An Ran's eyes well up with tears of shame: "I...I didn't mean to."

Seeing his beloved being bullied like this, Zhou Xun couldn't help but speak up: "Young Master Chen, this can't be blamed on Ranran. Actually, you don't know about this person next to us. He has serious character issues and has bullied Ranran before, which is why we made a mistake."

Jian Xingsui never expected that she could be stabbed while standing.

However, he also sighed inwardly, guessing that the young master Shen in front of him would no longer defend him after hearing Zhou Xun's words. After all, who would have a good impression of a cannon fodder?

However, Shen Xingchen looked at Jian Xingsui suspiciously for a few moments, then sneered, "Do you think I'm blind? The first thing I saw when I came out was a bunch of you surrounding a bunch of gangsters like they were demanding money from you. Is he the one bullying you? If I hadn't come out, I would have lost my credit card!"

Zhou Xun choked up, unsure of what to say.

An Ran tugged at his arm and whispered, "Let it go, Ah Xun. Young Master Chen, we're sorry, it's our fault. Don't take it to heart."

Shen Xingchen didn't know why, but he actually quite liked pretty boys. If it weren't for this incident, he might have felt good and admired such a pretty boy, and even felt protective of him. But now he was in a bad mood and even found this guy's crying and whining really annoying: "Why are you apologizing to me? If you want to apologize, apologize to him too."

An Ran looked at Jian Xing Sui. He was always the one being apologized to, and he never imagined that he would have to apologize to Jian Xing Sui one day. At this moment, his eyes were red, as if he had suffered a lot of grievances, and he whispered, "I'm sorry."

Jian Xingsui felt a chill run down her spine: "It's okay, it's okay, you should go quickly."

The apology the protagonist received was simply outrageous. What if the Heavenly Dao disliked him and made him die tomorrow? In the eyes of Zhou Xun and his group, his attitude was like a bully taking advantage of his master's power and looking down on people. Immediately, the others looked down on Jian Xingsui and cast unfriendly glances at him before escorting the obviously emotionally wounded An Ran away.

After they left, Shen Xingchen turned her gaze back to Jian Xingsui: "You..."

Jian Xingsui was a little afraid of him: "Well, I'm leaving too, goodbye."

"Come back, come back!" Shen Xingchen pulled him back, puzzled. "Why are you running? I haven't finished talking yet!"

Jian Xingsui froze: "What are you trying to say?"

Shen Xingchen raised an eyebrow: "Do those people have a grudge against you?"

"...That's not entirely true."

"Does it exist or not?"

"...a little."

"I knew it!" Shen Xingchen said like a delusional young man: "I noticed the moment I came out. They clearly didn't like you and were picking on you. I hate bullying and taking advantage of others the most!"

Jian Xingsui discovered that this young master Shen was bursting with a sense of justice and loved to protect the weak. Indeed, a truly kind-hearted person doesn't necessarily have to look docile; this spiky-haired guy in the leather jacket might be one too.

"Thank you so much." Jian Xingsui said sincerely, "If it weren't for you, I probably wouldn't have been able to explain."

Shen Xingchen was praised, and the young man got a little cocky. He wanted to be proud but was afraid of damaging his image, so he pretended to be profound: "What's the big deal? I didn't even care about that group of people. You're here to participate in the talent show too, right? I only helped you because you helped me get the name card. Don't worry, if they come to you again, just mention my name."

Jian Xingsui thought he was so cute.

Regardless, today's incident served as a wake-up call for Jian Xingsui. He realized that his "vicious cannon fodder" constitution meant he was guaranteed to encounter the protagonist's antagonist buff, so he couldn't stay on the show any longer. He had to deal with the first episode's recording in a couple of days so he could make a quick getaway. Therefore, whether he was protected or not was meaningless.

However, Jian Xingsui was still very grateful for his kindness, so she sincerely thanked him: "Thank you."

...

the next day

The recording of the show officially began, and 108 contestants gathered outside the square.

The production team didn't show up; only a group of photographers did. The contestants' positions were also carefully chosen. Those from slightly larger companies, those who had already debuted in the industry, those with influence, and those the production team wanted to promote were all positioned in front and received more screen time. Some amateurs and those without connections were positioned in the back.

At the same time, major live streaming apps began recommending and broadcasting the live streams on their homepages, attracting a large influx of viewers.

"I'm here right on time!"

"Brother Fu! Brother Fu! I came here for Brother Fu!"

"Ah, I can finally see my brother!"

Even though she was just a mentor on a show, Fu Jinxiao had a huge following. Just her name alone propelled the entire show to its peak popularity.

At the recording site, someone with a megaphone said, "Everyone, please take your luggage and come with me into our 'Starlight' camp. On the first day of camp, please choose your dormitory on your own."

One contestant asked, "Do we really choose our own dorm rooms?"

The staff member nodded: "Of course!"

At the command, all the contestants were ready to go and rushed into the rooms. Everyone knew that if they could grab the dormitory early, they could get a good spot sooner. So, many contestants rushed in as soon as they heard the horn.

Of course, there are exceptions.

That was Jian Xingsui, who was swaying back and forth. He didn't want to join the running group because he didn't care where he lived. He figured he'd only sleep for two days before being eliminated and sent home.

The camera pans across the screen, and the audience begins to get to know the new contestants:

"This one looks pretty good."

"This young heartthrob is not bad either."

"Am I face-blind? They all look so similar."

As the audience began to speculate and gossip, a figure gradually came into view. It was Jian Xingsui, who was loitering in the back. He didn't try to steal the spotlight or look at the cameramen. Unlike other contestants who would deliberately make exaggerated statements or do cool moves to get screen time and audience attention, or fight for dorm rooms in groups of three or five, he had a rather plain face and a buzz cut that was different from the other young heartthrobs. While others were playing PUBG Mobile, he looked like an old man taking a stroll.

Some viewers were amused:

Who is this?

"Why are you so relaxed? Are you sure you're coming to participate?"

"Young man, have you come to the wrong place?"

So what should have been a first meeting where newcomers made their mark ended up being a disappointment for many who tried so hard, but Jian Xingsui slowly but surely came into the public eye later on.

The competition for dorm rooms may seem illogical, but it actually has underlying unspoken rules. People from big entertainment companies tend to live together with other big companies. Some of these people are either talented or have been pre-selected by others, making them natural targets for many people to curry favor with and prioritize befriending them.

When it was Jian Xingsui's turn, most of the dormitories were full. The kind photographer reminded him, "There's still an empty seat in the room ahead."

Jian Xingsui said, "Thank you."

He guessed that if there were still dorm rooms left with available spaces, then the people inside must really be ordinary people like him, the kind who don't have any charm or fame. However, when he actually arrived at the door of that dorm room, before he even stepped inside, he heard a familiar arrogant voice coming from inside: "What's wrong with this year's students? Have they all found roommates yet? How come there are still two beds left?"

...

Upon hearing this voice, Jian Xingsui had a terrible premonition.

But as he stood completely at the doorway, he looked up and met the eyes of the arrogant spiky-haired man inside. Shen Xingchen raised an eyebrow in surprise and smiled: "It's you!"

Jian Xingsui smiled wryly: "It's me."

"Did you come here specifically to see me?" Shen Xingchen was completely unaware that everyone else didn't want to share a dorm room with him because of his bad temper. He grinned and said, "I didn't expect you to be so thoughtful. Okay then, since we'll be roommates from now on, you'll be my little brother, and I'll protect you from now on!"

"..."