I don't deserve the C position
Chapter 16
The finals stage was transformed into a "Starfall Realm," with tens of thousands of LED lights swirling across the dome, as if transporting the entire Milky Way into the arena. Yun Heng stood in the center of the platform, her white gauze costume slightly lifted by the wind. Through her earphones came the excited voice of the director: "Hold on! Your solo is the ultimate killer move tonight. Make sure it blows the stage apart!"
He took a deep breath, his fingertips gripping the microphone. The moment the prelude began, the platform slowly rose—not the lyrical piano music originally intended, but electronic music suddenly interrupted by heavy drums. When Yun Heng raised her eyes, the confusion in them was replaced by a sharp gaze. The gentle voice she had originally intended to sing suddenly turned into an explosive and furious voice, like a sword tempered by fire, instantly splitting the clamor of the entire audience.
"This is not the battlefield I want. Who pushed me onto the gambling table?"
As soon as the first line of the lyrics dropped, the audience erupted in excitement. The "Yunheng" light signs held by fans surged like a sea of stars, and live comments exploded on the screen:
[Holy crap! This is a remake! Is this the Yun Heng I know who dances like a croak?]
[The angry voice is amazing! This energy is even more fierce than the third public performance of "Starfall"! Goosebumps all over the floor!]
[Did he cry? His eyes are as red as a rabbit's! But his eyes are so murderous!]
[Watch his moves! This backflip! Three months ago, he couldn't even do a cartwheel!]
Yun Heng's movements were filled with a desperate, untamed energy, no longer rigidly timed, but freely flowing in sync with the drumbeats. At the climax, he suddenly executed a sleek backflip—a move he'd secretly practiced for three months, leaving his knees bruised and battered, unnoticed even by the fellow trainees in his dorm. As he landed, his gaze swept across the instructors' seats before landing squarely on Yu Xiao, standing offstage, with a resolute, almost provocative air.
"I don't want to play the game of capital anymore. Whoever wants the C position can take it!"
As the final note hit, he slammed the microphone down onto the center stage. The crisp sound of metal hitting the ground pierced the accompaniment and echoed throughout the gymnasium. The audience was silent for half a second, then erupted in thunderous applause. Even the usually demanding dance instructor stood up and cheered. The director slammed the table in the control room and shouted, "Cut! This segment must be shown intact! Get all the trending searches ready!"
The live broadcast barrage was so fast that it seemed to burn through the screen:
[This is crazy! Is Yunheng planning a rebellion? Openly criticizing the capitalists?]
[Awesome! Finally someone dares to speak the truth on a stage like this! This is a true light chaser!]
[But he'll probably be banned like this... I'm so heartbroken! His voice could definitely become legendary just for his lyrical voice!]
[Am I the only one who noticed Master Yu's face? It's as pale as paper! His hands are shaking!]
Yun Heng ignored the commotion in the audience and walked off the stage. As he passed by Yu Xiao, he reached out to stop him, but just as his fingertips were about to touch his sleeve, Yun Heng dodged him. As they passed each other, Yu Xiao heard him say in a voice only they could understand: "Your stage is back to you."
As the siren call for the voting channel to close echoed through the stadium, Yun Heng was sitting in her dressing room backstage, removing her makeup in front of the mirror. The person in the mirror had reddened under her eyes, tears she had forced back when she sang "I Want to Go Back to My Wheat Field."
"Next, we'll announce the C-position of the Year—" the host's voice came through the speakers, the deliberately drawn-out ending like a sword hanging overhead. "He took first place with a huge advantage. Let's congratulate—Yun Heng!"
The spotlight shone again, and the camera lens was pointed in front of him. Yun Heng stood up and walked to the center of the stage. The vote count on the big screen was still scrolling - 5,201,314 votes, a full three million more than second-place Yu Xiao. The words "gap C position" following the number were as glaring as a red-hot iron under the light.
The couple's fans in the audience went crazy, holding up signs that read "Xiao Heng is locked in" and screaming, "It's true! They must be real! Master Yu gave the C position to his wife!" Meanwhile, the live streaming platform was flooded with comments from haters: [Is the capital feeding so obvious? Do they think the audience is stupid?] [Yun Heng, get out of the entertainment industry! Isn't it dirty to steal the C position?] [I feel sorry for Master Yu, he raised an ungrateful person!]
As Yun Heng accepted the crystal trophy, his fingertips slipped against the cool metal. The words "National Producer Choice" engraved on the base sounded like a silent mockery. He forced a smile into the microphone, uglier than tears: "Thank you everyone, but I don't deserve this C position."
The whole audience was in an uproar.
The live broadcast barrage froze for a moment, and a few seconds later, a barrage of question marks emerged:
What did he say? The center said he wasn't worthy?
[Are you crazy? Are you giving up the debut spot you've already secured?]
[I knew there was a problem! It was definitely the capital that was forcing him! His solo just now was clearly an accusation!]
[Combining the three public votes and this gap... it's terrifying to think about it!]
Yun Heng ignored the frantic gestures of the directors behind her, only holding up the trophy, her voice as calm as if she were discussing someone else's business: "I bought the tickets for the third public performance, and the center position for the finals was also arranged. I don't sing that well, and I don't dance that well, so I don't deserve everyone's love."
After saying this, he placed the trophy on the center stage, bowed deeply to the audience, and walked off the stage. The spotlight followed his back, as if to end this ridiculous farce.
The celebration banquet was held in the ballroom atop the gymnasium. Crystal chandeliers shone atop a champagne tower, creating a luxurious sheen. Trainees in custom-made gowns congratulated each other, while managers wandered around exchanging business cards. The air was thick with the sweet aroma of champagne and the whims of success.
Yun Heng didn't want to go, but was half-pushed and half-shoved by the staff towards the banquet hall, muttering, "Master Yu specifically told me to wait for you." As they passed the lounge, the door wasn't closed tightly, and Yu Zhenting's icy voice rang out like a poisoned knife:
"What's that little vote count? I just had the finance department transfer some money to give to those fan clubs as a bribe. Did he really think he won by singing alone? A peasant, he thinks he can run a dyeing factory after being given some color?"
"Dad!" Yu Xiao's voice was filled with anger, "You promised me not to tell him!"
"So what if he tells me?" Yu Zhenting sneered. "A nobody who rose to prominence through capital, how dare he turn the tables? Do you think his few fans can stand up to the Yu Group?"
Yun Heng's steps stopped, as if nailed to the spot. The light in the corridor was pale, shining on his face, even his lips faded to a pale blue. It turned out that the gap in the third public performance, the C position in the finals, and even the seemingly spontaneous fan fundraising were all the work of the Yu family father and son. The "rely on oneself" that he tried so hard to prove was just a play in the hands of others. Those late nights practicing dance, those original works that were revised to the point of collapse, those expression managements that were repeatedly practiced in front of the mirror... all became a joke.
"Yun Heng?" Yu Xiao came out of the lounge and his face changed drastically when he saw him. "Did you hear everything?"
Yun Heng said nothing, just staring at him, the warmth in her eyes slowly cooling, like burnt embers. He turned and walked back to the banquet hall. Yu Xiao tried to pull him back, but was violently thrown away—with such force, carrying three months of accumulated fatigue and anger, that a red mark was scratched on the back of Yu Xiao's hand.
In the banquet hall, the light reflected from the champagne tower was dazzling. When Yun Heng walked to the center and picked up the backup microphone, everyone fell silent. The live camera was still on him, and the entire network was waiting to hear what this "crazy center" would say.
"Thank you for your support, but I can't take this C position." Yun Heng's voice echoed through the speakers throughout the venue and reached the ears of hundreds of millions of viewers in front of the screen, "Because it wasn't won by strength, it was won by money."
He pointed in Yu Xiao's direction, his eyes as clear as a mirror: "Yu Xiao, thank you for your 'arrangement', but I, Yun Heng, don't want it."
After saying this, he ripped off the C-position badge on his chest, threw it on the ground, and walked out of the banquet hall. The light from the crystal chandelier fell on his back, like a gilded edge for a sober escape.
The live broadcast barrage was completely blown up, and the hot search terms were refreshed at a rocket speed:
#Yunheng refuses to take the C position# (explosive)
#Capital manipulation hammer# (hot)
#Yu Xiao Get Out of the Entertainment Circle# (New)
#This is the true nature# (hot)
#心疼云昅# (hot)
As Yun Heng exited the gymnasium, the sky was just beginning to turn pale. He looked up at the training base building in the morning light and suddenly felt relieved. Perhaps from the very beginning, he wasn't meant for the spotlight, for the game of capital.
His stage has always been in the wheat fields of his hometown - there is the accompaniment of wind blowing through the wheat waves, his grandmother's applause, and wheat ears picked by his own hands. There is no calculation, no manipulation, only pure love.
As for the entanglement that started with the draft, let it stay in this gorgeous cage and disappear with the arrival of dawn.
Yunheng stopped a taxi and told the address of the monastery.
Outside the car window, the outline of the stadium became smaller and smaller, like an abandoned dream.
He took out his cell phone and deleted all reminders about "debut" and "C position". Finally, he took a look at Yu Xiao's number - the contact he had blocked and secretly added back was finally deleted completely by him.
The moment the phone screen went dark, he seemed to hear the sound of the wind in the wheat fields of his hometown, clean and free.
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