Chapter 23: The Show Begins (3)

Everyone who has persevered through hardship deserves to be praised.

Not everyone has the strength to remain optimistic and mentally healthy after enduring such trials.

The fact that Ye Qinghe — completely paralyzed, with no medical cure in sight — had still kept on learning and was willing to appear before the public filled everyone present with deep admiration.

The comment stream flooded the entire screen in an instant. Countless viewers, tipped off by friends, poured into the Stand Till the End live broadcast room.

Zhao Qingyang watched the viewer count climb steadily, his grin spreading almost to the back of his head.

Totally worth it!!!

Setting everything else aside, Ye Qinghe's segment alone was worth every penny they had spent on him.

"Give the staff member who brought Ye Qinghe's application to us a bonus of a thousand yuan!!!"

In high spirits, Zhao Qingyang announced it directly over the intercom for everyone to hear.

Talents like this needed to be discovered more often — that was the only way the show could keep burning bright.

"Though paralyzed from head to toe, confined to a narrow sickbed, Qinghe has never bowed his head to fate.

With unyielding tenacity and a spirit that meets every hardship with a smile, he faces adversity head-on.

There is light in his eyes and fire in his chest. In days overgrown with thorns, he lifts his gaze and presses forward. How could anyone not admire a spirit that grows Toward the Sun like this!"

After hearing Ye Qinghe's story, the host Xiang Ge turned to the camera, visibly moved, and spoke from the heart.

"Indeed. When I first heard that a paralyzed contestant was coming onto our stage, I honestly didn't believe it — it seemed impossible to me. But the moment I actually met Qinghe, I understood just how precious it is to turn that impossibility into reality!"

Xiao Min's face was equally full of emotion.

"Now I'd like to ask everyone here in the studio, and everyone watching on television or on their screens, to give Ye Qinghe the warmest applause once more!"

At Xiang Ge's words, everyone in the studio — the defending champions, the staff, every single person — rose to their feet and gave Ye Qinghe a thunderous round of applause.

Each of them privately admitted that, if they were in Ye Qinghe's position, they weren't sure they could have done the same.

Ye Dali watched everyone stand and clap for Ye Qinghe, heard them call out that he was incredible — and his eyes filled with tears.

"Of course, we must also give our applause to Mr. Ye Dali. Over the years since Ye Qinghe fell ill, he sold his company, sold his property, and never left Ye Qinghe's side — traveling all over the country seeking treatment, giving Qinghe the greatest support anyone could offer!"

Noticing Ye Dali's tear-streaked face, Xiang Ge immediately realized there was another person who deserved recognition.

Ye Dali hadn't expected applause for himself. He froze for a moment, then pressed his palms together toward everyone and bowed deeply.

The applause went on for a long time. Only when the director gave the signal did Xiang Ge bring the room back under control, asking everyone to settle down so the show could return to its normal flow.

"Qinghe, whether or not you make it to the end today, in my heart you are already the champion — from the very moment you stepped onto this stage."

Before the competition resumed, Xiang Ge shared one last thought from his heart, directed at Ye Qinghe.

Ye Qinghe smiled at him but said nothing.

"That said, now that you're on our show, we still have to follow the proper process. You'll now choose one of these ten defending champions as your first opponent today.

If you lose, that champion will become the new challenger…"

Xiang Ge skipped the lengthy preamble and moved straight into the procedure.

Ye Qinghe swept his gaze across the ten contestants on stage. Each one waved at him when his eyes landed on them.

"I'll go with number seven. Seven is my lucky number — let's start with contestant number seven."

After scanning the lineup, Ye Qinghe called out number seven.

"Alright! We invite contestant number seven to enter a 1v1 quiz battle with Qinghe. Each question allows twenty seconds to answer. Question types include multiple choice, fill-in-the-blank, and more. An incorrect answer or a timeout means elimination and removal from the podium.

I should also mention to Qinghe: as the challenger, you have one pass — you may transfer a single question to your opponent to answer instead.

…"

Xiang Ge delivered the mid-segment transition introduction. Ye Qinghe had already been briefed on all of this the day before, so he simply nodded.

[Which country is the world's largest landlocked nation by area?]

"Kazakhstan!"

[Who wrote the lines "Since ancient times, who has not faced death? Let my loyal heart illuminate the annals of history"?]

"Wen Tianxiang!"

[In physics, the unit of force is named after which scientist?]

"Newton!"

……

[The poem praised by Qing dynasty scholar Wang Shizhen as "a single poem that overshadows all of the Tang dynasty" — which work is it?]

"…"

Contestant number seven visibly opened her mouth at this question, then seemed to second-guess herself and pulled the words back before they came out.

She thought it over, and with the twenty-second clock nearly expired, she answered with some uncertainty: "Spring River Flowers Moonlit Night?"

"Correct!"

Hearing that she was right, contestant number seven let out a visible sigh of relief.

Next came Ye Qinghe's turn.

[During the Warring States period, which School of Names thinker proposed the logical proposition "A white horse is not a horse"?]

When this question appeared, quite a few people in the studio furrowed their brows — it was a tricky one.

"Gongsun Long!"

But before they could even begin to think, Ye Qinghe answered without a moment's hesitation.

"Correct!"

From the very start, Ye Qinghe had been answering virtually every question in an instant, with no visible deliberation at all. It caught many people off guard.

"This Ye Qinghe really does have the goods! The questions have clearly gotten harder, and he still doesn't need even a second to think!"

"I genuinely feel like heaven is jealous of his talent. If he were in school, he'd definitely be at a top institution like Qingmu University or Jing University!"

"What a shame — even without going to school, he could have become a famous actor or idol long ago!"

The stronger Ye Qinghe performed, the more those watching ached for him. If not for this illness, he would surely be living so much more freely, so much more brilliantly, wouldn't he?

[The philosophical work written by Han dynasty literary figure Yang Xiong in imitation of the Analects — what is it called?]

The moment this question appeared, contestant number seven's expression shifted. This was squarely in her blind spot; she had absolutely no idea.

"Contestant number seven, you have five seconds remaining!"

"Five!"

"Four!"

…

"One!"

"Congratulations — Ye Qinghe has won the challenge!!!"

Xiang Ge hadn't even noticed that throughout the contest, while he hadn't shown any favoritism, he had unconsciously treated Ye Qinghe just a little differently.

"Amazing!!!"

"At first I thought he was just a gimmick the production team brought in — someone to make a brief appearance and then step off. I never expected him to actually have the skills!"

"Right? That answering speed is the fastest I've ever seen on any show — not a single moment of thought needed. Incredible!"

"Maybe the next champion will be Ye Qinghe!"

"Wait, you can't call him the standing champion — he should be the sitting champion. He's been in his wheelchair the whole time!"