Perfect Superstar.

While Lu Chen was enthusiastically chatting with his fans in the WeChat group from his basement hideaway, 10 kilometers away in Dorm 307 of the Beijing Institute of Technology graduate building, Wang Yu was patrolling his "territory."

It was already past midnight, and the dormitory had long turned off the lights. The room was shrouded in darkness, except for the dim glow from the laptop screen, which barely illuminated the small space in front of the desk.

Wang Yu's thin face looked particularly pale under the fluorescent light. His messy hair indicated that he didn't care much about his appearance, but the eyes behind his glasses sparkled with energy, showing no signs of fatigue.

His right hand gripped the mouse, swiftly maneuvering on the computer with remarkable skill.

As a moderator of the Beihai City Forum, Wang Yu was very passionate about his part-time job. Even in the dead of night, he diligently managed his board, using his moderator privileges to ruthlessly eliminate all violating posts, while handling disputes among members with meticulous care.

The Beihai City Forum, also known as the Beihai University City Forum, has a history of 20 years. It is a nationally renowned BBS community for university students, gathering a large number of students from capital universities, with high popularity.

The Beihai City Forum has numerous sections, including sub-forums for dozens of universities, as well as sections like [International Perspective], [Hot News], [Lifestyle Station], [Freedom Space], and more.

Wang Yu was one of the three moderators of the [Freedom Space] section. This section was quite popular on the Beihai City Forum, where many forum members enjoyed discussing various topics, sharing their stories, and posting about their studies, life, travel, and relationships. They also posted photos or videos.

The forum was a mix of good and bad. The more popular the section, the more issues it faced, such as advertisements, intermediaries, and hype posts, so moderators had to be vigilant in identifying and handling these to maintain harmony.

Wang Yu skillfully dealt with two advertising posts, banning the posters, and glanced at the bottom left corner of the screen. The time on his computer read 1:50.

Almost 2 o'clock!

He couldn't help but yawn, finally feeling a hint of drowsiness, and prepared to shut down and go to bed.

The body is the capital of the revolution; staying up late is harmful to health.

At that moment, Wang Yu's right-hand index finger moved unconsciously, and the mouse wheel scrolled half a circle, pulling down the page displayed on the screen, revealing a post.

''[Discovered a handsome guy and a great song at Houhai Bar last night!]''

The post title was long, posted at 20:15, by user: MinnieBaby. Judging by the title and ID, it seemed to be a girl. However, the post had only about 100+ views and 15 replies.

Such posts with little attention were too common on the Beihai City Forum. In the [Freedom Space] section, dozens or even hundreds of new posts could appear in peak times. Without an eye-catching title or constant replies to keep them afloat, these posts often lasted only a few seconds on the section's homepage.

Out of curiosity, Wang Yu opened the post.

The content was very simple, just a video with a duration of 3 minutes and 25 seconds.

Handsome guy? Great song?

Wang Yu disdainfully curled his lips and clicked on the video with the mouse.

He decided to watch the video before going to bed; if it turned out to be content hype, he would naturally deal with it accordingly!

The video started, and the sound of a guitar and singing immediately came through the laptop speakers.

Wang Yu was startled and quickly hit pause. He looked nervously at his already resting roommates and then put on a pair of headphones he wasn't very fond of.

He continued.

The video was recorded with a phone. The shooting location was clearly stated in the post title, and the shooter was undoubtedly taking a covert shot. The camera moved sneakily, and the recording quality wasn't very good.

Wang Yu, who had seen a lot, knew that many so-called covert recordings were actually pre-planned hype. However, this video didn't seem staged; the environment was very real.

The video captured a young man on stage at the bar, wearing a blue T-shirt and jeans, and holding a guitar. He looked somewhat like Little Shu but was far from breathtaking.

What truly moved Wang Yu was his singing.

"...You used to be very careful, borrowing half an eraser from me, and you once inadvertently mentioned, that you liked being with me."

Clear, clean, with a touch of nostalgia, evoking a hint of sadness and regret, it subtly touched his emotions and brought countless past memories to mind.

After listening to just a small segment, Wang Yu was captivated.

He thought of his middle school deskmate, a girl with a delicate appearance and shy personality who had been bullied by him but never complained. She had long faded from his memory but had once said she liked being with him.

Yet, at that time, Wang Yu didn't understand the heart of a girl.

Now, Wang Yu, nevertheless, was still single!

The 3 minutes and 25 seconds video ended quickly, and Wang Yu immediately replayed it.

He listened to it over and over.

He played it five times, still unsatisfied because he hadn't heard it completely. He then used a search engine, searching for keywords with one of the lyrics.

To Wang Yu's surprise, he couldn't find any similar or identical songs online!

Could it be an original song?

Wang Yu could hardly believe it, but the evidence was right before his eyes, and the poster hadn't left any additional clues, such as the name of the song.

The few replies to the post were mostly non-informative comments like "good song," "which bar," and "such a handsome guy!"— none of which provided the answers he wanted.

After some thought, he replied to the post: "This song is great; I'd like to recommend it to everyone. Could the original poster please let us know the name of the song? Thank you!"

Using his moderator powers, Wang Yu awarded the post a "Featured" tag.

He hesitated for a moment before also adding the "Moderator's Recommendation" badge.

Posts on the forum that receive the "Moderator's Recommendation" badge are automatically pinned at the top of the page for 24 hours, making them visible to everyone browsing the forum.

This high-level badge isn't unlimited; Wang Yu's authority allowed him to give out the "Moderator's Recommendation" badge only 10 times per month.

Most importantly, once a recommended post is pinned, it will be judged by countless people.

Therefore, moderators who value their reputation and status would never give out recommendation badges lightly.

Wang Yu had no regrets.

He watched the video once more before quietly shutting down his computer and going to bed.

The long night was restless.

...

Monday morning dawned gray and rainy.

As usual, Lu Chen got up early. After a quick wash and freshen-up, he changed into the sportswear and running shoes he had recently bought and set out to jog.

Since coming to Capital City alone, Lu Chen hadn't really exercised. Partly due to lack of time and partly because of financial constraints.

The saying "poor in literature, rich in martial arts" holds true. To develop a strong physique, one must first ensure adequate nutrition; without proper food and drink, it's impossible to build solid and vigorous muscles, and the effort would be counterproductive.

With Lu Chen's two part-time jobs, he barely had any rest, and his diet was irregular, often surviving on instant noodles. There was no way he could afford to push himself further.

Now, things were different. Lu Chen had found a new goal in life and even had ambitions.

Achieving his goals and ambitions required more than just a strong physique!

Stepping out, and facing the rain, Lu Chen ran along the riverbank until he reached the small park.

After running a certain distance, he completed his warm-up and began stretching his muscles, following the exercises from memory.

At 22 years old, Lu Chen's bones had already set, and his muscles lacked elasticity and resilience. Trying to perform the movements from memory perfectly was an impossible task.

After just a few simple exercises, he felt as if countless ants were crawling and biting all over his body, making him want to collapse and rest immediately.

But Lu Chen persisted.

As the old saying goes, "Only through enduring hardship can one become great." No one's success comes easily. Even if he possessed the treasures of the dream world, he had no intention or desire to be a parasite living off wealth.

Gritting his teeth, persevering, and pushing through!

Lu Chen completed each exercise diligently, his clothes drenched in sweat and his limbs growing numb. Ignoring the curious glances from other morning exercisers, he continued in the misty rain!

By the end of the workout, he was nearly exhausted, feeling as if his body didn't belong to him. He couldn't sit down to rest immediately and had to walk to relieve his tired limbs.

Without a strong will, he couldn't have kept going.

Years ago, when Lu Chen's family was still well-off, he wouldn't have tortured himself like this.

The death of his father and the hardships of life had forged his resilience and tenacity. Lu Chen hadn't bowed to fate. Because of this, he was much more mature than his peers and learned to cherish opportunities.

This memory of exercise came from Mo Ran, the actor in the dream world with notable acting skills and talent but who always remained a supporting character.

Mo Ran's memories told Lu Chen that as long as he persistently followed this exercise routine, his body would become more agile and powerful, able to perform many actions that ordinary people couldn't!

Lu Chen firmly believed this.

His once-heavy steps gradually became lighter, and a pleasant warmth spread through his limbs and bones— a reward for his hard work. He began to jog after starting with a walk.

Instead of going home, Lu Chen ran towards the place where he worked during the day.

He was going to quit his job.

(The End of This Chapter)