Chapter 22: The Show Begins (2)

Kuai Jie was already inside the television station, waving to the audience as she made her way toward the studio.

"I hope everyone will support me!"

The camera then cut to an ordinary contestant. Although this person had dressed up for the occasion, their figure and overall appearance still fell noticeably short of Kuai Jie's. Virtually no one in the live chat was talking about this contestant.

"Hello everyone, I'm Zhu MM — I'm an online author, and I'm thrilled to be here for this recording!"

The third contestant was a female author with straight-cut bangs, large bright eyes, and a cheerful, open smile.

"Are all female authors this beautiful? I'm in love!"

"I honestly didn't expect this — I always imagined female authors wearing thick glasses with a total bookworm look. Never thought she'd be this pretty!"

"I'm going to go look up what kind of books she writes!"

"Zhu Dada, you're neglecting your duties — wouldn't it be better to write a few more chapters instead of appearing on a show? Are you trying to get us to mail you razor blades?"

Zhu MM had a number of fans who had tuned in to watch the show; she had mentioned it in her book, so there were quite a few fan comments in the live chat as well.

Unlike Kuai Jie's fans, however, hers were mostly complaining that she was appearing on a show instead of updating her chapters — though most of it was good-natured teasing.

One contestant after another appeared on camera — five men and five women: authors, internet celebrities, university students, a driver, and a programmer.

The most popular were the author and the internet celebrity, and the live chat grew livelier and livelier with each new contestant.

When Ye Qinghe appeared on camera, he was already in the backstage lounge of the studio, seated in his wheelchair. The show's makeup artist had styled his hair into a neat, spirited look, and a light layer of foundation had been applied to his face.

"Is that the guy who's fully paralyzed? Oh my god, it's heartbreaking just to look at him!"

"So handsome — what a shame!"

"Why does looking at him make my heart feel like someone's squeezing it?"

"Heaven is jealous of the gifted! I've never felt the truth of that phrase so viscerally before. He's so handsome — you just want to hold him close and cherish him!"

Ye Qinghe's delicate, ethereal quality — like a beauty touched by illness — came through the lens and lodged itself in the minds of everyone watching the livestream. Many people remembered him instantly.

The live chat exploded with comments, surpassing the combined total of the previous ten contestants. Even Kuai Jie and the female author, who both had dedicated fan bases, couldn't match Ye Qinghe.

"Excellent! Choosing Ye Qinghe was absolutely the right call. That aura of his, that fragile quality — it's completely captivating!"

Watching the frenzied live chat and the climbing viewer count, Zhao Qingyang felt an overwhelming sense of relief that he hadn't turned Ye Qinghe away because of his physical condition.

"Give Ye Qinghe more camera time — especially close-ups of his face. I want every viewer online to be drawn in by that aura of his!"

Picking up his walkie-talkie, Zhao Qingyang issued the order to his crew.

He had already sensed before that Ye Qinghe would be the trump card of this episode. Now that Ye Qinghe had appeared on camera, he was even more certain of it.

Even if Ye Qinghe happened to lose this episode, he felt it was worth finding a way to bring him back. Nothing else needed to be said — as long as Ye Qinghe appeared on the show, he would draw a crowd.

This young man was simply born for the camera.

If he also had a healthy body, becoming a top-tier celebrity would be absolutely no problem at all.

For today's stars, having a single defining feature that makes people remember you at first glance is incredibly hard to come by.

At half past ten, the recording officially began. On camera, the contestants entered the studio, and the audience filed in, searching for their seats.

Ye Dali pushed Ye Qinghe into the studio, though they didn't take the stage yet — as the challenger, Ye Qinghe was meant to appear last.

Once everyone was in position and the audience had settled, the hosts, Xiang Ge and Xiao Min, walked onto the stage with bright smiles.

"Good evening to our live audience and viewers at home! Welcome to Stand Till the End, exclusively sponsored by Honor Mobile — I'm Li Xiang."

Xiang Ge delivered the opening lines with a rousing, energetic voice.

"Hello everyone, I'm Xiao Min!"

Xiao Min's voice was warm and gentle.

"This is the nation's most thrilling quiz battleground. Tonight — one challenger, ten defending champions. Who will become the new champion of this episode? Who will claim the title of new podium holder?"

"Who will Stand Till the End? The answer — is about to be revealed! Put your hands together and welcome our challenger!"

With Xiang Ge and Xiao Min's passionate opening, stirring music filled the venue and spotlights swung toward the stage entrance.

Ye Qinghe sat in his wheelchair, a blue blanket draped over him to cover his body. Ye Dali stood behind him, gripping the handles.

As the lights came on, following the procedure the crew had explained beforehand, Ye Dali slowly pushed Ye Qinghe to the center of the stage.

"Today's challenger is unlike any other — one could say he is the most extraordinary challenger we have ever had."

Xiang Ge walked over to Ye Qinghe's side and spoke in a gentle tone.

"Indeed, our challenger today may well be the most unique contestant any variety show has ever seen."

Xiao Min knelt down on one knee beside Ye Qinghe.

"Qinghe — may I call you that?"

"Of course!"

Ye Qinghe smiled.

"Would you like to introduce yourself to everyone?"

Xiao Min held the microphone up to Ye Qinghe's mouth.

"Hello everyone. I'm Ye Qinghe, nineteen years old. Three years ago I suddenly fell ill — my limbs lost control, and now I have no sensation in any part of my body below the neck."

Although the show had already shared some details about Ye Qinghe's situation beforehand, and many people knew the challenger was a fully paralyzed contestant, hearing Ye Qinghe describe his own condition in such a calm, matter-of-fact tone still made many emotionally sensitive viewers tear up.

"Nineteen years old — he's only nineteen, the same age as my son. How did things end up like this for him?"

"If this happened to me, I think I'd just end it all. Ye Qinghe — you're incredible!"

"You're incredible! Ye Qinghe! You're the best!"

"He fell ill at sixteen — spending three years slowly feeling his body slip out of his control, then losing all sensation entirely. After going through all of that and still being this composed... what a man. If it were me, I'd have had a complete breakdown long ago."

"Exactly — just thinking about it is unbearable. To still be this emotionally steady and come on a show like this — what a man!"

After hearing Ye Qinghe's introduction, the live chat was flooded with nothing but praise for him.

Ye Qinghe's presence, combined with his story, stirred a deep sense of compassion in everyone who saw him. They felt that heaven truly was jealous of the gifted, and that Ye Qinghe was truly extraordinary in his strength.

"Qinghe, you're incredible!"

Zhou Waner was in class at the time, but she had quietly slipped out her phone, put in her earphones, and was watching the livestream right there in the classroom. Seeing Ye Qinghe speak about his experiences with such calm composure, she opened the live chat and posted a comment of her own.