“But I passed,” Yi Heye quickly said. “Everyone was nice to me. I didn’t do anything, and they were all willing to let me pass.”
Xiao Wang suddenly had a flash of inspiration, his eyes lighting up as if they held searchlights: "Passed?"
Yi Heye nodded.
Xiao Wang couldn't believe it and turned to check the data with Renren. Yi Heye obediently sat on the bench by the corridor and waited for him to come back.
In the corridor in front of them, countless newcomers came and went, following in the footsteps of the "talent scout" who had discovered them. Sitting in this endless corridor, their eyes were full of longing, as if behind those tightly closed prison doors lay the magnificent and famous world they dreamed of.
He overheard someone asking a talent scout, "After signing a contract, will I really be able to act in Director X's movies?"
The talent scout next to him said, "Of course, you have formal training and your foundation is better than theirs. If you train hard these few months, Director X will come directly to us to select people."
Yi Heye saw the gleam in the boy's eyes; he couldn't wait to enter through that door—
But his beautiful dream could only last for a second before the door opened. Only Yi Heye knew that the next moment, he would be greeted by an abyss from which he could not escape.
Yi Heye knew there was nothing he could do, so he simply lowered his head, refusing to look at those about to go astray. He just sat quietly until Xiao Wang came running excitedly from the other side.
"Congratulations!" Xiao Wang hugged the money tree he had his eye on, shaking it excitedly as if trying to shake handfuls of gold coins off its head. "I told you you could do it!"
Yi Heye didn't dare to say anything more and could only let him shake him.
Then, Xiao Wang led him back to the room they had just been in and used the key to open the door leading to the real entrance—
Behind the door lies a completely different world.
A door on one side opened, and a young man walked out looking dazed. He seemed not to have realized what had happened, and he was walking with a limp, clearly having suffered serious harm.
Then, Yi Heye saw a young boy, completely naked, being carried out of the room through the other door.
His entire body was covered in strange wounds, his lips were swollen and red, and his Adam's apple was bitten and bruised.
His limbs hung limply like mud, and his gaze was completely unfocused—Yi Heye didn't even know if he was still alive.
He thought of the missing people, wondering how many of them had been completely cut off from the world from this point onward.
Xiao Wang patted Yi Heye on the shoulder and said, "You are really lucky. This is the first time I have ever seen someone come out of there unscathed."
Yi Heye remained silent—his good fortune seemed almost glaringly obvious in the long corridor before him.
Xiao Wang noticed that Yi Heye was in a bad mood and comforted him, "Just think of this as their first step in being reborn from the ashes. If you want to survive in this industry, you have to be mentally prepared for this."
Yi Heye didn't know what to say, so he just nodded again.
"Now that you've passed the entrance exam, you've officially become one of our trainees." Xiao Wang led him through a long corridor and took a private elevator to the company's living area. "I'll take you to your dormitory here in a bit. There's a restaurant, gym, and recreation room nearby. But I suggest you be more disciplined, because you'll be surrounded by competitors here."
Yi Heye looked around as he followed Xiao Wang to his dormitory.
This dormitory has eight beds, bunk beds. At this time, everyone else is busy with training or exercise, and the room is empty.
Xiao Wang patted the innermost lower bunk, telling him that this was his bed, and then carefully slipped something into his hand.
Yi Heye opened his palm and discovered that it was a coin engraved with a goat's head.
"You'll be given daily necessities and a course materials kit in a bit. Normal training will begin tomorrow." Xiao Wang pointed to the coin and said, "Congratulations, you've been selected."
Even after Xiao Wang left the dormitory, Yi Heye was still staring blankly at the coin—he didn't know what it meant. Ke Yu had one, Chen Mu or Chen Sang either had one, the boss of Doomsday Wheel had one, and now even he had been assigned one.
If only those who have undergone consciousness transplantation can obtain it, then how can I and Ke Yu explain it? But if this coin represents an admission ticket to ISSAC, then Chen Sang and the owner of Doomsday Wheel seem to be exceptions.
What does "being selected" mean when Xiao Wang talks about it? Awei seems to have said the same thing to Ke Yu. Does it simply mean being selected to become a trainee, or is there some other special reason behind it?
Pei Xiangjin shared his confusion. He heard a rustling sound in his head, and then the police officer cleared his throat and asked him, "Yi Heye, have you ever experienced death?"
Yi Heye: "...I think it's you who would like to have this kind of experience."
After finishing his rant, Yi Heye put the coin in his pocket, and then there was a knock on the dormitory door.
Upon opening the door, a small delivery robot brought over the daily necessities needed for accommodation, as well as a package of course materials for tomorrow's classes.
He received the package, but he couldn't imagine what kind of training he would face, or what kind of assessment he would ultimately have to undergo. If he was to sing and dance, he felt that he would be letting down the people of Jiangdong who supported him.
But the moment he opened the schedule, he realized that everything was not quite what he had imagined—"Training 1: Meditation, Training 2: Sitting Meditation, Lecture 1: Master Class on Mind Purification..."
Yi Heye stared at the timetable in silence for a long time before finally exclaiming, "Am I going to debut as a celebrity or become a monk...?"
Pei Xiangjin couldn't understand such a profound lesson either, so she kept comforting him and telling him to wait and see.
Yi Heye was very unhappy, so he could only open the small box of personal belongings and tidy up his bed first.
Although it's not a legitimate company, their logistical support is really good; the small box contained everything you need, including mattresses, duvet covers, and toiletries.
Yi Heye slowly made up the bed until he picked up the pillow covering the box, and a cute little sheep doll was revealed at the bottom of the box.
He stared at the lamb for a long time, then carefully took it out of the box.
He placed it next to his pillow, so it would be in front of him when he slept.
Author's Note:
Good night~
Chapter 99, No. 099
After settling into his little nest, Yi Heye took a change of clothes and went to take a shower. The facilities here were quite good, with top-notch temperature control and many small robots coming and going to help out.
Such good living conditions seem to be intended to numb and soothe their pain. This has indeed made some people who are used to hardship forget their suffering, but many others still endure great pain.
As Yi Heye came out of the private bathroom, drying his hair, he heard suppressed sobbing coming from the next stall. The voice was young, and the person was clearly trying hard to control the volume; it was almost inaudible amidst the rushing water.
Just as Yi Heye was about to leave, he heard the crying turn into unbearable vomiting, followed by a "thump" as someone fell to the ground.
Yi Heye stopped in his tracks, thought for a moment, and then asked, "Do you need any help?"
The sobbing inside abruptly stopped, and then, struggling to control herself, she said, "I'm sorry..."
Yi Heye didn't know why he was apologizing to him, but he stood at the door and asked, "Is this your first time here today too?"
The boy's voice trailed off for a few seconds, then broke down as he sobbed, "Waaah... I..."
Yi Heye was bad at comforting people; he stood there, unsure whether to leave or stay.
The boy cried in the bathroom for a long time before finally bursting out, "It hurts so much... I really didn't know it would be like this..."
Yi Heye knew that he still wanted to talk to him, so he sighed and stopped at the door: "Come out and take some medicine later."
The boy was terrified: "Waaah... Will I get a contagious disease?"
Yi Heye knew he had misunderstood him: "I meant to take some painkillers and anti-inflammatory drugs..."
But after thinking about it, he still said, "It would be best to take some preventative and blocking medication."
The boy burst into tears again.
Yi Heye realized he had said the wrong thing; perhaps he shouldn't have brought up the topic of taking medicine at that moment.
"If I'd known it would turn out like this... I would have been better off working on a construction site..." After a while, the boy's voice came again, broken and fragmented, "I'm a guy... How come they're messing with guys too..."
Yi Heye was worried that he would cry himself to sleep in the bathroom, so he asked, "Um...why don't you want to get dressed and come out before you cry?"
The boy could only sob as he agreed.
After dawdling for about ten more minutes, Yi Heye finally saw a boy who looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old stagger out of the bathroom.
He was wearing a short-sleeved shirt, and the skin exposed on his limbs and collar was bright red, clearly from a vigorous scrubbing.
His eyes were swollen from crying, and it seemed difficult for him to even open them.
Even so, you can tell that he has good facial features and a clean-cut appearance, the kind of person many people would like.
Yi Heye stood by the door, unsure how to show concern for the man. He only saw him staggering and about to fall, so he quickly reached out to support him.
As a result, the boy, who was clearly about to lose consciousness, sprang up as if electrocuted the moment Yi Heye touched him.
He hurriedly took several steps back before painfully leaning against the wall and saying, "I'm sorry, I'm currently allergic to physical contact..."
Yi Heye then raised his hands, indicating that he would not touch him again.
He didn't know when it started, but he began to meddle in other people's business. Yi Heye didn't mind this, though he couldn't deny that he also wanted to get more information out of the boy.
After the boy calmed down, he was finally able to manage to say some complete sentences.
He glanced at Yi Heye and felt a surge of affection for this handsome young man with red eyes who had taken the initiative to approach him. He immediately stammered and began to confide in him as if he had grasped a lifeline.
The boy's name is Xia Tian. He just turned eighteen a few days ago. He was chosen to become a star because he was too poor and desperate to make money.
“I never wanted to be a big star,” Xia Tian said. “I can’t sing, I can’t dance, let alone act… I just want to make some money.”
Because his father was in debt from gambling, Xia Tian had to go out and make a living before graduating from high school.
After being driven to the brink of despair time and time again, Xia Tian, like everyone else, tried every possible way to make money. In the end, with a try-it-out mentality, she agreed to the so-called talent scout's request.
“They told me that all I needed was a face, saying that the money I earned from shooting magazine covers and advertisements would be enough to supplement my household income. I just wanted to shoot a couple of freelance photos to tide me over…”
In the summer, he felt excruciating pain all over his body after just a few steps. He wanted to sit on a bench by the corridor and rest with his face covered, but as soon as he sat down, he felt something was wrong with him and started limping back to the dormitory.
"Because it's a big company, I thought there wouldn't be any problems... How could this happen... Why hasn't anyone exposed it online...?"
Yi Heye found this question easy to understand—ISSAC's large-scale recruitment of trainees was only a recent event, and based on the current information, no one could safely return to their original world with the information inside.
Yi Heye was afraid that if he said that, he would cry again, so he kept quiet.
Summer was somewhat aware of his current situation, saying, "We can't fucking leave now..."
Yi Heye asked curiously, "Why?"
Xia Tian was surprised that the person in front of her didn't even know this, and asked with some suspicion, "You don't mean...?"
"I was lucky," Yi Heye confessed. "The person in charge of 'testing' me ran into some problems halfway through, and before I could do anything, it was stopped..."
Summer cried again upon hearing this, this time with more regret and jealousy.
“Because of the photos, videos, and breach of contract fees…” Xia Tian said, “If I escape now, I’ll be a penniless person who has died a social death.”
These people are truly ruthless, blocking their escape routes in almost every way, making them unwilling to push open the door to leave even though they have two feet to walk on.
Yi Heye didn't know what to say, so he could only offer some random words of comfort: "Since we can't leave, let's think of something positive. At least the money we earn is real."
For a long time after joining the company, Ke Yu was sending money home, which at least proved that his income was guaranteed.
Xia Tian seemed comforted, and nodded with red eyes: "I just want to save up some money so my mom can run away. As long as she's doing well, I don't care what happens to me."
When Yi Heye escorted Xia Tian to her dormitory, he discovered that, apparently based on the contract signing time, the two of them were actually in the same room.