Cheng Fan picked up his chopsticks and instructed his assistant, "I want all the information on this PT contestant."
The assistant grinned and asked, "Found a promising talent?"
Cheng Fan thought for a moment, "Let’s observe a bit more. No rush."
In the penthouse suite of a hotel in Qingzhou, a teenager rose from his seat in front of the computer and stretched.
Three hours of intense focus left him utterly drained.
The sound of knocking echoed through the room, followed by the sweet voice of a staff member.
"Dear guest, your lunch has arrived."
The staff swiped their card and entered. A boy in black sank into the sofa, his exhaustion evident.
The screen of a nearby computer was still bright, and the gaming chair spun lazily in circles.
This suite was outfitted with cutting-edge professional gaming equipment, typically chosen as a haven by wealthy heirs and elite esports players.
The boy likely fit the stereotype.
The staff avoided lingering, pushing the cart to the dining table and laying the lunch out briskly.
The door clicked shut, leaving the room in absolute silence.
Shen You’an squinted and rested a while—ten minutes passed.
She took off her cap and mask, then headed to the dining table.
Cheese lobster pasta, creamy mushroom soup, caramel pudding...
The set meal was included with the room fee, typically offering a choice between Chinese and Western styles. That morning, when the hotel called Shen You’an to ask her preference, she had been in the middle of a match and missed the call. The default option had been the Western-style meal...
But she honestly couldn’t stand this stuff.
Oh well, time to make do.
Two days later, at nine in the morning, the question-and-answer competition came to an end.
The first-place result emerged, overwhelmingly leading the second place score by a mind-boggling tenfold margin, leaving everyone, including the contestants, in utter shock.
Apart from the judging panel, no one knew that this first-place winner, called PT, wasn’t a team—it was just one individual. Thɪs chapter is updatᴇd by novel⸺fire.net
This event didn’t impose any restrictions on competition formats; participants could enter as a team or individually. But no one would be foolhardy enough to compete solo against team-heavy matches.
Each person specialized in distinct areas, and collaboration brought out the best in everyone.
After all, for anyone competing solo, only an unparalleled genius could excel across multiple disciplines and somehow surpass the time-efficient teamwork of organized groups.
Thus, in everyone’s minds, the first-place winner had to be a small team of three to five people—an unfamiliar team with no prior reputation. They’d burst onto the scene with outstanding results, casting a shadow over the hearts of other competing teams.
The contestants were given a day off before facing the attack-defense tournament, scheduled for the weekend—Saturday and Sunday.
Shen You’an slept through an entire day and night in the hotel suite, unaware of any external happenings.
Her powered-down phone blocked all incoming messages.
And so, Shen You’an didn’t know that Zhao Heng was frantically searching for her.
On the twelfth, Jiang Han’s new album was released. Previously, he had been an unknown newcomer, entirely overlooked in the music industry—a place where rookies dropping albums barely caused a ripple.
Zhao Heng had spent a fortune on promotions across major music platforms. He and Shen You’an had discussed Jiang Han’s approach: focusing on pure original music while minimizing exposure outside of the music scene.
But unexpectedly, the album’s quality was exceptional, coupled with Jiang Han’s distinctive musical style. As soon as it launched, it took the music industry by storm.
Even the harshest and most critical reviewers in the field offered rare praise, hailing Jiang Han as the hope of a dwindling music world—a rising star with a unique style destined to leave his mark in music history.
Zhao Heng was overjoyed, his excitement uncontrollable. The boss’s prediction was spot on—true talent couldn’t remain hidden for long. Jiang Han’s brilliance was bound to explode into fame.
It’s just that Zhao Heng hadn’t anticipated things progressing this smoothly.
In just three days, the album sold out, individual tracks dominated music platform charts, and both sales figures and streaming numbers repeatedly shattered records.
Thus, Jiang Han rose unnoticed yet spectacularly, catching everyone off guard.
Every day, Zhao Heng was practically numbed by the thrill of new sales milestones.
——Boss, you’re amazing! How did you discover Jiang Han, this absolute genius?
——I’m now sleeping soundly to the tune of the latest record-breaking stats—or rather, I’m too excited to sleep at all.
——A moment of universal celebration can’t possibly be complete without you, Boss.
——??? Where are you? You weren’t kidnapped, were you? Ugh, shut up, what a jinx I am.