Chapter Two: What Last Dance? I Am the King of the Dance!

"The male lead's name... let's call him Wei Yu."

Yu Wei was not bad at naming things; in fact, he was quite passionate about it. Sometimes he would spend an entire day writing, only to spend hours of that time researching character names. But right now, he truly didn't have the time. With his farewell performance approaching and a rehearsal at the company scheduled for the afternoon, he decided to just generate the name on the spot.

In Chapter One, the protagonist, Wei Yu, "wins" the "Lowest Score of the Year" award for an entertainer and is invited to a red carpet gala. The organizers, aiming for entertainment value, have specifically tailored a "lowest score" award just for him. The protagonist initially thinks he is only going to the event to be a laughingstock, but on the way, he awakens the "Entertainment Rating System." The closer his own ratings are to the system's ratings, the more generous his rewards. A difference of less than one point grants him entertainment works from an alternate world, while a difference greater than one yields skill experience points.

[Wei Yu decides to test the waters with a recent hit drama, "The Legend of Lu Ling." The app rates it 7.1, which is fairly standard. Considering the lead is a traffic star with plenty of paid shills boosting the score, he decides to be conservative and drops it by two points, ultimately giving it a 5.1. He has a bit of a stereotype against traffic stars, so his rating is somewhat aggressive. He expected the system's rating to be relatively objective, but to his surprise, the system finds him too conservative and gives it a 3.8. With a difference of 1.3, he happily earns singing experience points.]

Yu Wei takes a sip of the flat soda on his desk and continues writing.

After the protagonist enters the red carpet gala, few of his peers look at him properly; with tens of thousands of people rating him a 2.5, his reputation has long since hit rock bottom.

Then, in Chapter Two, the awards ceremony officially begins. During the interactive segment, the host, who is known for curating his attitude based on who he is dealing with, desperately cues him. While smiling and telling him not to take the rating to heart, the host repeatedly brings up that 2.5. Under the guise of livening up the atmosphere, the host is being snide and passive-aggressive. The protagonist flares up in a moment of anger and decides to simply open fire and retort.

["Why do you keep obsessing over this rating system? It will alienate the efforts of the stars."]
["Let me give you an analogy: a young idol has high traffic and many works, while a veteran artist has only appeared in a few, then the software gives a rating, and oops, the young idol gets the MVP!"]
["You look at the veteran artist—no traffic, no commercial value, no endorsements—a 'lay-flat dog.' The veteran artist is a 'lay-flat dog' with a rating of 3.0 in the entertainment circle."]
["The young idol has explosive data and countless hot searches, a 13.0 carry game. Can you calculate it like that? You tell me, is the veteran artist a 'lay-flat dog' or not!"]

Writing this, Yu Wei laughs. He has seen too many video edits of this meme, and now, he can automatically hear the voice in his head whenever he sees the template. The meme is good; he won't comment on the person.

The subsequent plot is simple: the protagonist strikes back directly. Based on the host's professional ability, industry reputation, and online feedback, he rates the host a 3.0, successfully obtaining a new song from an alternate world.

Yu Wei refines and edits the text before finding an email address to send the opening to a website editor—a process known as an internal submission.

"I hope I don't fail to get a contract."

Having been a struggling writer for years, he doesn't dare guarantee he can secure a contract. Many of his peers complain about editors, but in his view, the professionals are still the professionals. In the web literature market, an editor's eye is still quite sharp. His opening is just standard, perhaps even a bit stereotypical. If he doesn't get signed, he'll accept it, but he might not have enough time to write something new...

"Whatever, let fate decide."

Yu Wei closes his laptop and stands up to tidy up. His agent has already issued an ultimatum; he has to go to the rehearsal this afternoon whether he wants to or not. Despite Sister Liu's sternness, she is actually one of the few people who truly cares about him. He has been able to make a living these past few years largely thanks to her help.

After downloading a writer's assistant app on his phone, Yu Wei dresses neatly and leaves his apartment. If he can find a moment at the venue, he might even be able to squeeze in a few more words. He was never this diligent when he was a writer before; now that he is a celebrity, he is actually scrambling to write, truly a twist of fate.

***

When Yu Wei arrives at the Firefly Chinese Literature building, he sees his agent, Liu Ning, from a distance. She watches him approach, her eyes filled with not only resentment but also a touch of pity...

This time, she really cannot protect Yu Wei anymore.

Although the former Yu Wei was useless, he was at least a member of the RUIKO1 group on paper, so he could still scrape by. But once the group disbanded, he would have no popularity and no ability; why would the company keep him?

"Make sure to apologize to the teacher later, understand?"
"I understand."
"Practice hard during the rehearsal, don't slack off. Show them what you've got whenever you can and leave a good impression..."

Sister Liu is not tall and has a stout build, but Yu Wei, who is over 1.8 meters tall, still obediently lowers his head to listen to her lecture. It is already too late for all this, but Yu Wei still listens very carefully. Even when her words are laced with blame, he nods with a smile. Having lived a second life, how could he not know who truly cares for him?

"Go in and rehearse."

Liu Ning stays silent for a long time, but just before Yu Wei goes upstairs, she cannot help but add one more thing.

"You could interact more with Qi Yuan. You two used to be close."

Yu Wei freezes upon hearing this, but he quickly understands what she is implying. Qi Yuan is his teammate, someone he used to share an apartment with, but he has taken off and is now the most successful member of the group. Sister Liu's meaning is, of course, not for him to use his connections to beg for favor; it is already too late for that. Her suggestion of "interaction" is actually to encourage Yu Wei to shamelessly try to market a "CP" (couple pairing) with him...

Sister Liu certainly isn't trying to harm him. At a time like this, only by showing the company his value can he potentially stay, and creating a couple pairing is a form of value. It is a last-resort method—using a "shipped" relationship to save his career.

"Sister Liu, I've noted it."

Yu Wei certainly won't do that, but he appreciates the gesture. Even if he stops being a celebrity, he won't starve to death; there is no need to resort to such toxic traffic. Whoever wants to engage in male-male pairing marketing can go ahead, just don't involve him.

Yu Wei walks into the rehearsal room and finds the other six already practicing their transitions. He decides not to interrupt them and obediently finds a corner to continue writing.

The editor's reply arrived five minutes ago: "Can sign." Those two short words are, in Yu Wei's eyes, a lifeline, giving him a new possibility. To this day, he still cannot forget the joy he felt when he first got a contract; it was more than just being recognized—it was the gratitude of being saved.

The following process is familiar to Yu Wei: sending the book, adding as a friend, requesting the contract, and signing the electronic document. He had even brought his ID card specifically for this purpose.

As he is taking photos and filling in his information, the six artists on their break notice this teammate—the seventh person of the group who lacks any real presence...

They have no malice toward Yu Wei. On the contrary, Yu Wei is the most well-liked among them. Regardless of boy bands or girl bands, internal fan disputes are inevitable. The fans of the other six have had plenty of infighting and arguments behind the scenes. To avoid suspicion, they deliberately keep their distance, and over time, they have grown apart. But Yu Wei is different. He has no fans, and he has no schemes to leech off his teammates' popularity. In such a situation, only Yu Wei can be a genuine friend.

***

At this moment, Yu Wei is using his phone to photograph his ID card for the contract, but in the eyes of his six bandmates, this action is very strange.

Why is he photographing his ID card?

They all know he is about to have his contract terminated, and he hasn't made much money over the years. Could it be that he is so destitute that he is taking out a predatory online loan? That is a path of no return!

They haven't even figured out the situation when, in the next second, Yu Wei actually holds up his phone and begins facial recognition...

The six are shocked and hurriedly get up to crowd around him.

Yu Wei is startled by them, but fortunately, he is quick and succeeds in applying. Otherwise, with so many people around, it would have been difficult to operate.

"Brother, tell us if you're in trouble!"

Zhang Lingye is their leader, with rugged, handsome features; he is the only one in the RUIKO1 boy band who takes the "tough guy" route. He is a righteous person, though he can be quite caustic toward strangers. Yu Wei has heard him curse his own fans many times. Earning money from fans while cursing them—such behavior is clearly not associated with a good personality... but he has indeed been nothing but good to Yu Wei. He hasn't just helped him out many times; he even brings back local specialties for him when he goes out of town to film.

It can only be said that people are complex and not as black-and-white as in novels. Zhang Lingye might be a "trash-mob" young idol kicked aside by the protagonist in a novel, but in real life, he is undoubtedly a decent friend.

"No trouble at all. I'm just doing real-name verification for an app."

Zhang Lingye shrugs. He, of course, believes Yu Wei; after all, the kid isn't that stupid. Not being stupid is a good thing, but his mental state... is it a bit too good? He is about to be fired and have his contract terminated, so why is he acting like nothing happened? If he can't be a celebrity, what else can he do? Go back to his hometown to farm?

Zhang Lingye pats him on the shoulder and doesn't say much else. At such a critical juncture, talking about this would be like rubbing salt in a wound. Since that's the case, it's better to part ways amicably.

"Have you submitted your individual performance for approval?"
"Not yet."

The farewell night has fifteen segments scheduled. Two are group performances, and the rest are individual ones. The others have two individual stages each, but he only has one, and it's scheduled for last. There's no help for it—who told him he has nothing to show for himself? Being given a single farewell performance is already considered giving him some dignity, and for Yu Wei, it is enough.

Originally, this was to be his last dance in the entertainment industry.

But now, Yu Wei has decided to become the "Dance King" and dance for a few more years. The prerequisite is that he gets the song before the performance.

It seems he needs to hurry up and write.