A black “31” sat dead center on a gray screen.
Su Yan, No need to be so poor.
She asked, both annoyed and amused, “This is what you call ‘a lot’?”
Xiao Ya nodded seriously, “Of course! Master, you must know, your video had no official recommendations, nor was it on TV. Just from your personal page, gaining this much is already amazing!”
Su Yan asked, “Then how do I get official recommendations and TV appearances?”
“TV is easy; just participate in a formal variety show, and you can be on TV. As for official recommendations, you need to be quite famous, and the video needs many brilliant touches to possibly get one!”
Su Yan nodded.
Just being “quite famous” seemed out of reach.
With her current follower count, she guessed she wasn’t even an eighteenth-tier celebrity.
Xiao Ya suddenly slapped her forehead, “Oh, right! I almost forgot why I called you here! Master, you’re about to participate in your first show, tomorrow.”
Su Yan froze, “Didn’t you say it’s once every two months? It’s that soon? Why did you tell me so late?”
Xiao Ya spoke helplessly, “Master, your last recording wasn’t a formal show, so the ‘two months’ rule didn’t apply. As for why I told you so late…”
Her expression looked resentful, like a lonely young woman, “Isn’t it because you haven’t logged into this app for twenty-eight days straight? I had no chance to tell you! This time, it’s only because of system rules that I could vibrate your phone to remind you of my existence.”
Knowing it was her fault, Su Yan was flexible and immediately admitted, “I was wrong, I was wrong.
Next time, I’ll log in every day. Do I need to prepare anything beforehand?”
Xiao Ya hadn’t actually been angry.
Hearing this, she said seriously, “Actually, nothing much, mainly about clothing. Try not to wear skirts or similar items; if you encounter games like parkour, it’ll hinder your performance. Besides that, just bring glasses.”
Su Yan nodded, indicating she understood.
This game was quite convenient.
She didn’t often wear skirts herself, so it wouldn’t affect her at all.
***
The next day, Su Yan woke up early and opened the app.
Xiao Ya seemed nervous about her artist’s first show, pacing constantly.
Seeing Su Yan enter, her eyes lit up, “Master, Master! I specifically asked the seniors. As a newcomer to the game, you must listen more and speak less.”
As Su Yan nodded, she continued, “Oh, right! Also, don’t attract the attention of some veteran guests. When they don’t understand the rules, they might use new people as scapegoats.”
“Didn’t you say to maintain a positive image?”
Su Yan asked, puzzled.
“That’s for most people, but some guests just don’t follow the norm. You should know, sometimes, being unconventional can attract fans. Especially in these death-themed variety shows, after all, not everyone can calmly face the fear of death, even if they won’t truly die.”
Su Yan understood and nodded, “I’ll try not to speak much then.”
At this moment, Xiao Ya’s expression suddenly tensed, “It’s here!”
Before Su Yan could ask what was “here,” a new envelope appeared on her phone screen.
Xiao Ya directed, “This is the show’s invitation. Tap it to enter.”
Su Yan gently pressed her finger, and the moment the envelope opened, her soul seemed to be sucked into the phone.
Before going in, she barely made out the words on the envelopeā
“Crossing the River of Colors.”
When Su Yan felt her soul settle, to her surprise, she didn’t arrive at the show.
Instead, she was in deep darkness, with a person in front of her.
…No, Su Yan suddenly realized, this person wasn’t someone else; it was herself.
And she was now observing her own body from a third-person perspective.
The girl in front had short black hair, and her darker eyes added a mysterious touch to her whole presence.
She wore a pair of black-rimmed glasses, which made Su Yan’s already delicate skin appear even fairer.
The circular frame didn’t appear dull; instead, it added a touch of liveliness.
Of course, the highlight was the two pairs of cat ears on the glasses, looking extra cute.
To match these glasses, Su Yan specifically found a white cat-head shirt today.
The black hoodie also gave her a mischievous vibe, paired with the cat head on her chest, it was very adorable.
For her lower body, Su Yan specifically wore sweatpants and sneakers.
If it were a running game, this outfit wouldn’t restrict her.
“What’s going on?”
Su Yan asked. Just then, Xiao Ya’s voice echoed in her ear, “Master, this is the preparation space. The game hasn’t officially started; all guests are in this state. Once you enter the show, your face and voice will automatically change.”
Su Yan relaxed, “That’s good. Once inside, I’ll follow all instructions, right?”
Xiao Ya shook her head, saying urgently, “Rules must be followed, but never listen to the staff’s plans. They don’t want guests to do well!”
Seeing Su Yan’s doubtful expression, Xiao Ya explained, “The show’s staff get bonuses for eliminating you. And the more popular the eliminated guest is, the larger their bonus.”
Su Yan’s eyes widened, “It works like that?!”
Xiao Ya nodded proudly, “Exactly! That’s why the show always stays exciting. Our entire ‘Childhood Games’ has always been a confrontation between the production team and the guests. This is why we’ve remained popular.”
Although this was her first time as a guide, Su Yan could tell Xiao Ya deeply admired the production team.
Su Yan herself admired such a setup; just hearing about it made her want to watch.
Suddenly, a mechanical female voice chimed, “Guests, please prepare; the game will begin shortly.”
Xiao Ya immediately said, “You’re about to go in. Don’t forget what I said: be careful, and use your items well!”
Su Yan nodded, silently repeating the keyword she’d just seen, “Crossing the River of Colors.” She had played this game as a child and was very familiar with it. This realization brought Su Yan relief; knowing a game was better than not recognizing it at all.
Suddenly, the countdown began.
“Five.”
“Four.”
“Game start.”
Su Yan felt her soul spin wildly again.
When she opened her eyes, she was on a green grassy field.
Su Yan subtly raised an eyebrow, quietly observing her surroundings.
No matter where she was, observing the environment was always a smart person’s first choice.
There were many people around her; most, like her, stood on the turf, looking bewildered.
However, a few quickly distanced themselves from others and, by coincidence, looked in a certain direction.
Su Yan immediately emulated them, distancing herself from others, then followed their gaze and froze.
Standing there was an extremely tall, thin man in a black robe and hat.
***
She couldn’t tell if it was male or female, as the person’s hat brim was very low, almost completely covering their face.
The remaining opening was also very dark, revealing no face.
Su Yan just instinctively thought it was a man.
Nevertheless, this outfit certainly didn’t look like a normal person’s.
Especially since black mist seemed to emanate around them, Su Yan realized almost instantly that this must be a staff member.
At this moment, this episode was already being globally live-streamed on Nix Star, with countless viewers commenting in the chat.
“Finally, today’s show has begun after waiting so long!”
“The host is my favorite Black Robe, give the production team extra drumsticks!”
“Brother Black Robe usually doesn’t stir up trouble; if there are newcomers here, they’re lucky.”
“I see Brother Hu! Finally, Brother Hu’s game is here!”
“Go, Brother Hu! Crush them!”
“To be honest, from this opening alone, I’ve already spotted quite a few newcomers.”
“Huh? There’s a new face among the old players? I haven’t seen that girl in black before?”
“Above, I’m a veteran viewer who hasn’t missed an episode, and I haven’t seen her either. But her reaction doesn’t look like a newcomer’s?”
“Go, Xiao Liu! Lose one more round and you’re out!” “Bets are open! How many of these people can clear the game?”
Su Yan naturally couldn’t see these comments.
She was subtly observing the veteran players’ actions, trying to make herself appear experienced.
Those people were seasoned and surely had their own survival tricks.
Most other newcomers, though panicked, remained silent.
Before entering, their guiding pixies had already warned them, it’s okay not to understand the situation, but never actively seek death.
However, a small minority always ignored instructions.
“Ice Dream Tear” was a rebellious young woman who had dropped out of school and just turned adult.
Her entry into this game was quite similar to Su Yan’s, also through an escape room.
***
The difference, though, was that she had played that escape room before; this was her second time.
So she was very clear on many clues, and clearing it was effortless.
Upon receiving the show’s invitation, she, brimming with chuunibyou, immediately downloaded the app and eagerly learned about the entire game.
“Ice Dream Tear” felt her destiny was finally arriving.
At adulthood, she had successfully activated her protagonist halo and was about to embark on a journey to conquer another world.
Isn’t that how novels often wrote it?
The female lead enters another world, uses her charm to gather powerful figures under her wing, then conquers the world by conquering men.
During the initial test, “Ice Dream Tear” encountered almost no danger, and having been poisoned by certain novels, she felt no fear towards this show, only longing.
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