The first one created by capital

On the night of the live broadcast of the three public rankings, the training base's hall was filled with a tense atmosphere. One hundred electronic screens lit up simultaneously, the ranking numbers beating like hearts, casting flickering light on everyone's face. Yun Heng huddled in the back of the crowd, her fingertips clutching the edge of her clothes, the sweat in her palms nearly soaking through the fabric.

"Next, we'll announce the first place finisher from the third public performance—" the host's voice exploded through the speakers, its drawn-out final note like a sword hanging overhead. "Thanks to his flawless performance on the 'Starfall' stage, he took first place with a commanding advantage! Let's congratulate—Yun Heng!"

The spotlight blazed down on him, blinding him. The trainees around him turned and applauded, their eyes filled with envy, jealousy, and a complex, inexplicable feeling. Yun Heng froze in place, as if nailed to the floor. The cheers and congratulations in his ears became a vague buzzing sound.

The vote count on the electronic screen was blindingly clear—his name was followed by a staggering string of numbers, a full two million more than second-place Yu Xiao. The string of numbers was like an icy snake, wrapping around him and making it hard for him to breathe.

"Hurry up." The trainee next to him pushed him, his tone a little sour, "Yunheng, congratulations, you're first in the gap."

Yun Heng took each step, each one like treading on cotton. As he walked onto the stage to receive the trophy, his fingers slipped on the cool metal surface. The words "National Favorite Award" engraved on the base of the trophy burned his fingertips until they numbed.

"Do you have anything to say to your fans who support you?" The host handed the microphone to his mouth.

Yun Heng opened her mouth, but her throat seemed to be blocked, and she could only squeeze out a few words: "Thank you...everyone." Her voice was as dry as sandpaper.

The fans in the audience erupted in screams, their held-up light signs dazzling him. He scanned the glittering "Yunheng" signs and suddenly remembered the incoherent words Yu Xiao's assistant had said when he'd approached him the night before: "Young Master Yu has taken over the fundraising efforts of ten fan clubs and even had someone buy some overseas voting channels, saying... he wants you to take first place."

He thought it was just a joke at the time, but now looking at the huge gap in votes, his heart felt like it was being tightly gripped by something, causing him to feel a dull pain.

The live camera followed him closely, not even missing the slightest change in his expression. The entry #云昅裂层第一# quickly became a trending search, and the comment section was divided into two camps:

[Well-deserved! The third public performance was so explosive, it would be unreasonable not to take first place! ]

[Haha, what's so great about being number one thanks to capital investment? Look at the vote difference, is this a lie?]

[What are you being so jealous of? If you have the guts, why don't you let the capital attack you? Yunheng is already strong!]

[Don't try to wash it off, the gossip about the fundraising of ten fan clubs has been exposed. The prince really spent a lot of money to support people.]

Yun Heng walked off the stage, clutching the trophy, his steps light and airy, as if he were treading on clouds. The trainees gathered around to congratulate him, their politeness masking aloofness. Even the directors' smiles seemed glaring—as if everyone knew how he'd achieved first place, and he alone was still deceiving himself.

"Congratulations." Yu Xiao came over, holding a bottle of strawberry milk in his hand, and the smile in his eyes could not be hidden. "I said, I will let you win."

Yun Heng looked at him as if it was a matter of course and suddenly felt nauseous. He didn't take the milk or say anything, but turned and walked towards the lounge, the trophy shaking violently in his hands.

"Yun Heng!" Yu Xiao's voice sounded behind him, a little puzzled, "What's wrong with you?"

The lounge door slammed shut, shutting out the outside noise. Yun Heng stared at himself in the mirror, the trophy in his arms like a red-hot iron. He recalled his first stage performance, when he'd said, "I just want the 3,000 yuan pay for lost work." He recalled the excitement of staying up late to write original material, the earnestness of discussing the arrangement with Azhe—all that pure passion suddenly seemed like a joke in the face of this glittering trophy.

"This is not what I want." He whispered, his voice trembling with tears in his eyes that he didn't even realize.

The trophy was slammed to the ground with a harsh sound. The base hit the tiles, and a piece of paint fell off, revealing the gray metal inside, like a lie peeled off its gorgeous shell.

"What are you doing?" Yu Xiao pushed the door open and saw the debris on the ground. His face instantly darkened. "You practiced until four in the morning to get first place. Now that you've got it, why are you so angry?"

"Is this mine?" Yun Heng pointed at the trophy on the ground, her voice suddenly rising with suppressed anger. "You bought this with your own money! You bought it with the funds raised by ten fan clubs! Yu Xiao, do you think this is an honor?"

Yu Xiao frowned, but didn't deny it: "I just want to help you..."

"I don't need you helping me like this!" Yun Heng interrupted him, her eyes reddening like a trapped animal. "I want to win with my own voice and my own hard work! Not with your capital, your money, or your fan club! What's the difference between you and those capitalists who use shady tactics to support others?"

He pointed at the door, his voice trembling with despair. "Do you think I'll be happy like this? I feel sick just looking at this trophy! It's mocking me, saying all my persistence is fake, mocking me for being nothing more than a pet you've paid for!"

Yu Xiao was stunned by the scolding. Looking at Yun Heng's red eyes, his heart felt like it was being stabbed by needles. He thought he had done a good thing, that helping Yun Heng get first place would make him happy, but he never thought it would become a knife stabbing him.

"I thought... you wanted to advance." His voice was a little hoarse, with a hint of grievance, "You said you wanted grandma to see you standing on the stage..."

"That's not how it works!" Yun Heng's tears finally fell. "I'd rather be eliminated than have this stolen victory! What do you think of my hard work? What do you think of my dreams?"

The atmosphere in the lounge was as cold as ice. The trophy fragments on the ground gleamed coldly, reflecting the two men's confrontation. Yu Xiao looked at Yun Heng's resolute eyes and suddenly realized that he had made a mistake again - he always "gave" in his own way, but never asked the other party what they wanted.

"I'm sorry." His voice was soft, with a rare flustered tone. "I didn't expect you to care so much... I can ask them to change the votes back, or..."

"Change it back?" Yun Heng laughed, and her tears grew even more violently. "How? Tell everyone that this first place is fake? Make them laugh at me even more? Yu Xiao, can you please stop using your power to solve problems? Some things can't be bought with money and power!"

For example, sincere recognition, pure love, and untainted dreams.

The staff's voices came from outside, reminding them that it was time to go to the celebration banquet. Yun Heng wiped away her tears and picked up the broken pieces of the trophy on the ground, her movements as careful as if she were picking up her own shattered pride.

"I won't be going to the celebration party." His voice was as cold as ice. "You keep this first place for yourself."

With that, he turned and walked out of the lounge, leaving Yu Xiao standing alone amidst the debris, his fingertips clenched until white. The assistant walked in cautiously, "Master Yu, the car for the celebration banquet is ready, and... the chairman's phone number."

Yu Xiao didn't answer the call, staring at the debris on the ground. Suddenly, he realized that the glittering golden trophy was just as Yun Heng had described—ugly and glaring. He pulled out his phone and flipped through the chat log with the fan club president. The words "Payment transferred" and "Please arrange" now looked like mocking slaps in the face.

He originally thought that capital was omnipotent and could clear all obstacles for Yun Heng, but he never thought that the road he carefully paved would become the shackles that the other party hated the most.

Yunheng didn't return to the dorm, but instead ran to the rooftop. The evening breeze was chilly, making him shiver. He stared at the lights of the training base, which looked like a false sea of ​​stars. He suddenly missed the wheat fields of his hometown—where the wind was clean, the sun was warm, there were no capitalist calculations, no false victories.

My phone vibrated in my pocket. It was a video call from my grandma. The elderly woman on the screen smiled, her face wrinkled. "Heng, I saw you win first place on TV! That's amazing!"

Yunheng looked at his grandmother's proud expression, feeling as if a thorn was stuck in his throat, unable to utter a word. He fought back tears and forced a stiff smile: "Yes, Grandma, I did it."

After hanging up the phone, he squatted in the corner of the rooftop, hugging his knees and crying for a long time. The accumulated grievances, anger, and powerlessness washed over him like a flood. For the first time, he realized with such clarity how insignificant individual effort was in the face of absolute capital, and how fragile the purity he had desperately tried to protect was.

The sound of a car engine could be heard downstairs. Yun Heng looked down and saw Yu Xiao's black car slowly driving away. The figure in the back seat was blurred by the backlight, but there was an inexplicable sense of loneliness.

The wind was still blowing on the rooftop, carrying the hustle and bustle of the city. Yun Heng picked up a broken piece of the trophy and looked at it in the moonlight. Her reflection in the fragment looked tired and lost, like a child who had lost his way.

This victory, won with money, ultimately became the straw that broke the camel's back. And what separated him and Yu Xiao was never just a simple misunderstanding, but the chasm between capital and ideals, a collision of two worlds.

What Yun Heng didn't know was that Yu Xiao's car hadn't gone far, but had simply stopped at the entrance to the training base. Yu Xiao sat in the car, looking towards the rooftop, holding the bottle of strawberry milk he hadn't delivered until it completely cooled.

For the first time, he began to doubt whether his so-called "protection" was a mistake from the very beginning.