Chapter 001 Chapter 1
At night, the streets are brightly lit and bustling with traffic. The lights on the tall buildings in the night sky all declare the fierce competition in this city.
The decorative clock hanging on the wall was ticking in the quiet space. It was late at night and the hour hand had reached 11 o'clock in the evening.
The scorching light shines on a tall money tree in front of the floor-to-ceiling window. Its branches and leaves have already reached the ceiling, but unfortunately the leaves are a little wilted. A faint smell of smoke can be smelled from a close distance. A closer look reveals a few half-eaten cigarette butts stuck in the soil in the pot.
In front of the money tree is a row of office areas. The lights shine on the printers that are still working. In the quiet office area, there are only the sounds of printers printing and keyboard typing?
In the high-rise building, you can’t hear the chirping of cicadas in summer, you can only hear the occasional sound of keyboards typing.
"Da da da da" Zhou Xiao looked at the computer screen expressionlessly, her hands typing quickly on the keyboard. She was so numb that she didn't know how many times she had modified the client's plan.
Her colleagues in the company were luckier than her and did not receive any notice about making temporary changes to the plan to be submitted to Party A the next morning when they were about to get off work.
Zhou Xiao's eyes had begun to feel dry and itchy from staring at the screen for so long. She paused, knitted her brows, and skillfully reached aside to pick up the eye drops and expertly dripped them into her eyes.
She closed her eyes and waited for a while, swallowed the bitterness of the eye drops in her throat, and reached out to the water cup beside the keyboard, ready to get rid of the bitterness. When she brought the cup to her lips, she found that only a little water was left at the bottom of the cup.
She sighed, swallowed a few times, propped up the table with one hand, and prepared to go to the nearby water dispenser to get a cup of hot water.
Suddenly, my head started to hurt and I felt dizzy. My hand loosened and the water cup hit the table, making a gurgling sound.
Covering his still dizzy head, Zhou Xiao vaguely saw the water cup smashing on the table, leaving round water marks on the paper plan.
She saw the blurry words stained by scattered water stains, which were shimmering under the refraction of light, and the dizziness in her brain became more and more severe.
As the discomfort spread, Zhou Xiao heard a very clear "beep" sound in his mind, and the sound seemed to be ringing deep in his brain.
She was already slumped in the chair, raising her hand with difficulty and rubbing her temples vigorously with her thumb and middle finger.
[Ding! Congratulations to the host, you have successfully activated and automatically bound this system! Please claim the task and complete your main quest!]
A series of voices came out of her head again. Zhou Xiao, who was still a little dizzy, was a little confused. Was this a hallucination?
[Host, please accept the mission. Attention, this is not an illusion!] When Zhou Xiao was surprised, the electronic voice in his mind sounded again -
[Name: Zhou Xiao, Age: 23, Gender: Female, Native Place…]
"It's okay." Zhou Xiao swallowed subconsciously as her throat became dry. Just as she was thinking about saying something, her fingers rubbing her solar plexus paused. She found that the dizziness she felt before had completely disappeared.
"Let's talk about it when I get back?" Zhou Xiao said in her mind. The electronic voice seemed to be waiting for her words and immediately replied: [Okay]
Zhou Xiao buried her head in saving the document, then quickly packed up her things and left work. The company had surveillance cameras. Whether it was fantasy or reality, she needed a safe place, at least to avoid being mistaken for madness.
After hailing a taxi, Zhou Xiao sat quietly in the back seat, wearing a mask and watching the lights and pedestrians receding outside the window. The lights outside the window flickered, and Zhou Xiao couldn't help but lose her mind...
The night in early May was a little chilly. Zhou Xiao hadn't looked out the car window like this for a long time. Her life during this period was basically busy going back and forth between points every day. She would feel sleepy and tired as soon as she got in the car. It was completely different from what she had imagined.
"System," Zhou Xiao muttered silently, and the electronic voice of "Yes," immediately replied. Hearing this electronic voice, she couldn't help but think of the artificial intelligence developed by various developers...
After opening the door with a click, she turned on the light in the room. She had been renting this small room for almost a year. The room was not big, a proper single-bedroom apartment. The room was simple but clean and tidy.
As soon as the door is opened, you can see the green ivy at the door. The green plant has grown so lush that it has spread out. Of course, this is also because Zhou Xiao often works overtime and fails to trim it in time.
This cottage is more than half an hour away from the company by taxi, which is considered a good commuting time in Shanghai.
"Please explain it for me." Zhou Xiao poured a glass of water and placed it on the craft coffee table in front of her. She sat on the small sofa she had bought in the dormitory and spoke seriously to the empty air in front of her.
[This system is a sister system, which can help the host complete the task]
As soon as the electronic voice in her head fell silent, a holographic projection as big as a computer screen appeared in front of Zhou Xiao's eyes. The screen was relatively simple, displaying only her personal information and the main task marked with a red exclamation mark.
On the way, Zhou Xiao thought about it. In addition to taking a leave tomorrow to go to the hospital for a check-up, the most urgent thing was to understand this so-called system.
Although she didn't read many novels, she had read works with similar themes during her college years and knew the meaning of the system.
She looked at the screen in front of her, then flicked on the main quest marked with a red exclamation mark. The projection in front of her immediately opened the electronic frame and displayed—
[Main Quest: The lens makes a superstar [Station Sister System], please choose the artist to be filmed and help him/her become a superstar through your efforts, Quest (0/1) (Please claim it)].
"Standing sister?" Zhou Xiao had seen this term when surfing the Internet, but only glanced at it.
System: [Yes! The host will receive the status of a fan club member, find the artist they identify, and help them grow their fame by taking photos and supporting them!]
"Are there any restrictions on the artists involved in the filming?" Zhou Xiao quickly grasped the key point and asked the system.
System: [The selected artist's initial fame value must be less than 10,000]
Zhou Xiao stared silently at the fame value in front of him, and asked with a puzzled tone, "What is this fame value?"
[Numbers generated by genuine attention/familiarity cannot be cheated.] The system's cold electronic voice rang out.
"The task is (0/1). Can I only choose one artist?" Zhou Xiao pointed to the task bar on the holographic screen.
"Yes! The host can only select one person during the mission. If the mission fails midway, you can choose to give up and reselect the artist." The system replied, "Mission failure includes but is not limited to situations where the selected person retires from the entertainment industry, breaks the law, or is unable to continue their career."
Zhou Xiao felt that this task was a bit too difficult. If she had a keen eye for discovering big stars, she could become a talent scout. She didn't want to be bound by this unknown system and mistakenly believe that she was going to die suddenly on the job due to long hours of overtime.
After getting a general understanding of the system, Zhou Xiao sorted out his thoughts, returned to his desk, opened his laptop, and continued to finish his unfinished work.
Anyone else in her situation might have assumed she was the protagonist and immediately abandoned her work, but she couldn't. Without any certainty about the system's authenticity, she still had to revise her report for tomorrow. She'd better wait until after tomorrow to discuss the system.
The next morning, Zhou Xiao held a meeting with his leader and Party A. Perhaps the workers' will had been worn down enough, and the difficult Party A finally approved this version of the plan.
After the client nodded in agreement, Zhou Xiao almost wanted to fall asleep. She had already revised it more than a dozen times, and she had done it at insane hours. Her boss liked to deal with the accumulated work before leaving work.
After seeing off Party A, Zhou Xiao looked at her leader who was still kind and nagging to her with a flattering face, and asked for half a day off. The leader agreed very generously and told her that she could have more rest and that she didn't have to worry about her attendance this month.
After taking a leave, Zhou Xiao returned to her workstation and took away the computer and bag on the desk. Compared with her colleagues who like to decorate, Zhou Xiao's workstation is obviously minimalist.
A colleague nearby saw her packing up at this hour and curiously asked about the situation. When he learned that Zhou Xiao was going to the hospital for a checkup, he couldn't help but show sympathy on his face.
Everyone has gone through the rookie stage, and they all did the dirty and tiring work. But regarding Zhou Xiao's many overtimes, she and other colleagues discussed during their break in the tea room whether Zhou Xiao had offended someone.
After saying goodbye to her colleagues, Zhou Xiao got up and left. As she neared the entrance to the city hospital's psychiatric department, she made a sharp turn and ran upstairs to the self-service number machine to print out the number she had reserved on her phone before returning upstairs.
The psychiatrist sitting at the examination table reviewed Zhou Xiao's recent CT scan results and the data she had filled out, combined with her recent sleep and rest schedule. He concluded, "There's nothing wrong. It's just that staying up late lately might have affected you. Go home and get some rest."
Zhou Xiao licked his dry lips under the mask, exhaled, thanked the doctor in front of him with a gentle smile, picked up the report from the table and returned to the rental house.
After returning home, Zhou Xiao, who had calmed down, asked the system seriously: "What will happen if I refuse?"
The system was silent for a moment, and a dialog box popped up on the screen, [Cannot be rejected! Otherwise, the automatic destruction process will be activated to find the next host!]
"How will you help me?" Zhou Xiao took a deep breath and looked at the screen in front of her. She was already prepared for the result, but when she saw it this way, her heart still ached for a moment.
[Ding! The host's mindset has changed. The [Station Sister System] has officially been activated to distribute the novice gift package. Please check it out!] Zhou Xiao looked at the novice gift package that suddenly popped up on the screen. Fireworks were exploding around the package in celebration. She hesitated, but raised her hand to open it.
An electronic sound rang in Zhou Xiao's mind [Congratulations to the host for obtaining: Camera*1, Computer*1, Artist Schedule Card*2, Popularity Exposure Card*2] Zhou Xiao looked at the screen in front of him and clicked to obtain.
"Camera? Computer? What's the difference between them and ordinary ones?" Zhou Xiao asked the system in confusion. Then she saw [Camera: System-produced (Photography: Master Level, Upgradeable), Computer: System-produced (Image: Master Level, Upgradeable)] on the system page.
[The system's cameras and computers are both high-tech auxiliary equipment that surpasses the current level of technology in this plane. The camera can help you take more perfect photos. The computer contains tens of thousands of highly praised templates for the host to choose from. Templates must be exchanged for fame points. To upgrade skills, you need the host's hard work and self-improvement!]
Zhou Xiao silently thought of the word "camera," following the pattern she'd read in novels. Before she could even see how it would appear, an exquisite device suddenly appeared on the table. She weighed it and found it was significantly lighter than her phone. It was indeed a system of advanced technology...
The same is true for calling out the computer. Although it looks cooler, its weight is so light that it can surpass all brands of computers on the market.
It was already completely dark outside the window, but Zhou Xiao was too busy to turn on the lights. He sat at his desk, his laptop screen glowing dimly. On the screen was a Reuters photo of Star 101 (Note 1).
Zhou Xiao relied on his memory to search for information for nearly half an hour, and then found this program in the hot search recommendation section of a certain blog.
There was a massive talent search for "Star Path 101" a while ago. Zhou Xiao had a vague impression of it, but not a deep one. Fortunately, he finally found this amateur star-making program.
——Its address is Huashang Times Square, a newly built large commercial area in Shanghai’s Huashang District, and she is in Shanghai.
——A certain blog——
@拉面館陶老师V: The contestants of Star Path have finally moved into the dorms! [Picture][Picture][Picture]
The audition is finally here! Crawling in the dark (distorted)
[The dormitory is so beautiful, I spent a lot of money]
[The contestant list is out, right? By the way, is that person on the list? They've been trending twice!]
[Replying to the above, yes, I just saw his fan page post a Reuters picture [picture]]
[Please, please serve it to me quickly, I need to eat.]
[Forever young, forever innocent, forever in love, forever hurt by talent shows]
[Looking forward to Chu Cheng and Xiang Rui! These two can actually participate hahahahahahahaha]
【When will it be broadcast? 】
【……】
Zhou Xiao looked up the address of the program's recording on her computer. Being a person of action, she planned to take her camera there tomorrow to see if she could take any pictures of people.
I quickly applied for a secondary Weibo account and followed some marketing accounts that posted information about the program "Star Path", as well as some contestants that were rumored online.
Through the watermark under the fangirl's photo, Zhou Xiao searched for the fangirl's account, followed her casually, and browsed her Weibo.
The latest Weibo post from the account that posted this photo shows that the posting time is 7:49, which means that if she wants to catch up, she must wait there before 7 o'clock and see if she can meet the trainees from Star Path at work.
After thinking about it, Zhou Xiao asked for two days off from his leader, using the excuse that he needed to go to the hospital for another physical examination. This time, the leader was more straightforward than Zhou Xiao had imagined.
——Forum——[May 1]
【Topic】A Little Melon: Initial Evaluation
Main Building: Preliminary evaluation recorded today (10:36 AM)
1L
Results Results Results
2L
Thank you Xiaogua, looking for the artist of Fei Niao Ji
6L Sunflower
According to gossip, all the trainees just gathered together a few days ago.
7L
Wow, it looks like there are connections upstairs too.
34L (7:56 PM)
It's already evening, and there's still no result?
45L
Don't worry, based on my experience watching talent shows, the recording may last until the early hours of the next morning.
65L OP: A Little Melon (May 2, 2:19 AM)
8A, a favorite made a mistake.
76L
Help, who made the mistake?
86L
Early favorites: Choose one among Wang Quan, Xiang Rui, Chu Cheng, and Duan Jiamu?
87L
Ah... not really, they are all contestants who have debuted.
93L
Judging from his strength, why does he look like Chu Cheng?
153L
Stop fighting! How can you start a quarrel over something like this? It's so toxic!
161L
Listen to the melon but don't believe it, whoever steps on it will be unlucky
…
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