Chapter 62: What Right Do You Have to Declare the Game Over?

As soon as the words fell, the entire audience burst into an uproar.

"Whoa, he—surely he didn't do it on purpose, right?"

"Everyone knows Shen Jixing faked his academic credentials. This is way too awkward..."

"If I were Shen Jixing, I'd just explode right there."

"The little brother just got the invitation and is too excited. I'm standing right here, let's see who dares to attack him! Besides, why shouldn't we mention Shen Jixing's dark past? The Venus Royal Academy is something to be proud of! Well done, brother, I'm supporting you!"

"Wait, sis, are you triggered? Who even attacked him?"

Meanwhile, the atmosphere in the venue tightened.

Yun Yichen seemed to realize belatedly, his face flushing and paling in turn, and he murmured anxiously, "S-sorry, I think I got too excited. Can we cut this part and re-record..."

Sheng Que, rarely showing any expression, said, "This is live."

"Oh, then..." Yun Yichen grew nervous and helpless, instinctively reaching for Zhou Yili's sleeve. "What should I do..."

Zhou Yili leaned back, dodging lightly, as if finally seeing something, and smiled carelessly.

"Why grab me? Go grab Shen Jixing."

Yun Yichen was satisfied with his reaction.

It really worked.

Once Shen Jixing's carefully constructed perfect image was shattered, Zhou Yili would be disappointed in him.

Not only could he show off real strength, but he could also ruin Shen Jixing's reputation.

For him, it was three birds with one stone.

Yun Yichen suppressed the smile at the corners of his lips and looked pitifully at Shen Jixing. "Emperor Shen, I'm sorry, it wasn't on purpose."

Shen Jixing's gaze rested on his face; beneath the thick foundation, his makeup was exquisite, highlighting his tender beauty.

He said little, "Let's continue."

Yun Yichen's lips curved in a slight arc.

Sure enough, Shen Jixing had no grounds to blame him, nor any dignity left.

The game continued.

Everyone folded their fingers, but he suddenly noticed something was off—why hadn’t Shen Jixing moved?

Yun Yichen, young and unable to hold back, blurted out, "Emperor Shen, you seem to have forgotten to fold your finger?"

Shen Jixing glanced at him. "I didn’t forget."

His voice was calm, and he asked the boy quietly,

"Is it really so difficult to receive an admission invitation from Venus Royal Music Academy?"

As those words landed, Yun Yichen froze.

From the other side, Zhou Yili's languid voice sounded, "Surely no one actually thinks Shen Jixing didn’t attend Venus Academy because he wasn’t qualified, right?"

"Whoa—" Cen Susu suddenly reacted, almost unable to stop herself from swearing.

Qi Yan quickly covered her mouth. "Idol girl?"

Even dared to swear.

"Oh my god, did Brother Shen also receive the admission invitation back then?!"

"More than that," Zhou Yili, unable to bear seeing him wronged, spilled it all, "He got the invitation with the top score in the major."

Zhou Yili glanced at Shen Jixing, an indescribable emotion flickering in his eyes.

"He just couldn't afford to go."

The day Shen Jixing left without saying goodbye, he returned all the tutoring fees to Zhou Hengyang.

After that, he disappeared from Zhou Yili's life like a dream.

Zhou Yili searched every corner of Blue Eucalyptus and Green Locust cities, but couldn’t find a trace of him.

Zhou Hengyang scoffed at the whole matter. "He told me himself. A teacher who faked his age, and you care so much?"

Zhou Yili glared at him, his eyes bloodshot.

Like a fierce little lion. Zhou Hengyang, recently satisfied with his progress, didn't provoke him further and simply left.

Zhou Yili couldn't figure it out.

Shen Jixing was about to start school, his tuition was almost saved up—why suddenly return everything and disappear without a word?

They had just started being together.

He had just embraced that lonely star.

A month later, Zhou Yili saw that familiar yet unfamiliar face on the TV screen.

He had debuted.

He had become a star in the spotlight.

And what about himself?

Did Shen Jixing still want him?

...

Yun Yichen was utterly stunned.

Shen Jixing had received the Venus invitation—so everything he did, from Shen Jixing's perspective, must have looked...

Across the retro European-style dining table, with fruits and candles scattered everywhere, Shen Jixing looked at him quietly.

Those cool, ascetic eyes seemed to say:

The naive boy wore his thoughts openly on his face.

Like a pure, innocent clown.

"Did you notice what Yun Yichen just said? He actually asked Emperor Shen if he forgot to fold his finger—he obviously did it on purpose!"

"I saw it too, his intentions are pretty obvious."

"Everyone wants to stomp on the star, but didn’t expect the star to stomp back."

"Star: ...unfairly slandered."

"So my darling just couldn’t afford to go to school, not that he wasn’t qualified—damn, my heart aches, who can relate..."

The game continued.

Qi Yan: "My college entrance exam score was over 700."

Everyone was eliminated, except one person.

"No way, darling—"

"Don’t tell me your score was over 700 too???"

"I checked: National top scorer, class of 2016, Shen Jixing, 736 points."

The comment section was flooded with question marks.

"Seriously, does your company know how to do PR?"

"Fake your credentials? You can’t promote a national top scorer, but you choose to push graduation from Venus Music Academy instead?"

"As a homegrown overachiever, I can’t sit still. If I pray to the star every day, can I get some of that academic luck?"

"The overachiever picked up my shoe with the hand that scored 736..."

Unlike the frenzy online, Shen Jixing sat quietly, unmoved.

Bo Yu glanced at him, amber eyes tinged with helplessness.

All of it was the result of his own stubbornness—he had only himself to blame.

Mu Si: "For training, I once went three days and nights without food or water."

Here came the tough one.

Several guests were already eliminated at their last finger.

Shen Jixing still hadn't moved.

He said softly, "When I was very young, I did."

Back then, the dean had just passed away. He couldn’t eat, and there was nothing to eat. He simply sat quietly by the tombstone.

Listening to the distant sound of Christmas bells.

He leaned against the gravestone, his soft, snowy black hair brushing gently against the dean’s chin, as if he could still feel the warmth of those aging hands.

He carefully tucked the red socks into his clothes.

Amidst the swirling snow, he blessed himself.

"Little Star, happy birthday."

There were few contestants left; soon it was the second round.

Sheng Que spoke boldly: "I was once punished by my uncle to kneel in the ancestral hall for a whole day and night."

Fingers disappeared one by one. This time, Shen Jixing still didn't move.

His actions needed no explanation.

He never lied, nor cared to lie.

"Stop it, I'm about to cry..."

"What has my darling been through, sob sob sob..."

"But Emperor Shen is so outstanding; he’s our role model, the person we want to be. He grew so well, all on his own."

"Enough."

Three people remained on stage. Bo Yu was the first to drop his hand, announcing calmly, "Game over."

The winner had already emerged; he didn’t want to hear any more.

Zhou Yili suddenly looked up at him, a complicated confusion flashing in his eyes.

He said coolly, "I’m still here. What gives you the right to end the game?"