TGPA Chapter 2: Song God Ability
Chen Hao had a dream, a very realistic one. Unlike any other dream he had ever experienced, he woke up from his slumber with a complete and vivid memory of the dream's contents.
Shaking his head, he looked up at the familiar ceiling. He smiled and sat up. Dreams were just dreams, no matter how incredible they seemed. They were merely fleeting thoughts of the mind. Life had to go on. Yesterday's life was just that—yesterday. Remembering it was important, a way to stay grounded and retain a sense of self-reflection. Today was where hope lay. There was no need to dwell on tomorrow. To be successful, one must live well in the present.
Descending from the bunk bed, he observed the now-empty lower bunk. The traces of Liu Dong were gone, including the broken and abandoned laptop. Perhaps he realized that those willing to lend you money in times of need without expecting anything in return didn't care about material things. Or maybe he just couldn't bear to part with a laptop that might not even be completely broken. Either way, Chen Hao didn't mind. Friendship meant remembering the good things about someone without compromising your own principles. Opportunities for reunions in this lifetime were rare. Remembering was important. It allowed for future conversations, like saying, "I had a friend back in the grasslands."
On the other bunk bed, two people were sound asleep. Looking towards the other side of the room, the four capsules within the adjacent four-door compartments were all open. The room still carried the lingering smell of smoke. This was why this rented house was so popular—it kept up with the trends and attracted enough tenants.
With internet entertainment booming, online anchors rising to fame, and Lele Voice dominating the scene, the online entertainment industry had become the new entertainment circle. While the path to fame in reality was difficult, the barrier to entry online was low. Once you achieved success, you were no less than a real-life celebrity. Some even appeared more approachable since they had climbed up from the bottom. They had more fans than real-life celebrities and sometimes earned more. The cities of Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou were hubs for online entertainment guilds, attracting many young people who hoped to ride the wave of success while balancing reality. Chen Hao and Liu Dong were among them.
The rented room was tiny, with four capsules separated by a wall on one side. Essentially, it provided each of the four occupants with a space for broadcasting. The landlord had even generously added some soundproofing material to the walls. While it wasn't perfect, it was better than nothing. For Chen Hao, a low-level drifter in Beijing, it was already quite good. If he moved elsewhere, whether the landlord or his roommates would agree or not, the neighbors would surely object. Singing loudly into a microphone in the middle of the night was disturbing.
Opening the window, a gust of wind blew in. The occupants on the beds merely wrapped themselves tighter in their blankets. Everything was a familiar routine. Liu Dong's departure hadn't caused any ripples in the room. Perhaps there was a bit of blessing in his leaving. Struggling here in bustling Beijing, how many people could achieve something each year? Going back home, enjoying the warmth of family, having a livelihood to support a family, marrying and having children, living a simple life—wasn't that better than staying here? Moreover, if Liu Dong said goodbye but continued to struggle after returning home, he could still livestream. The biggest advantage of online anchors was the lack of geographical restrictions. In the three major cities, it was simply a way to get closer to the guild management and gain access to resources. For bottom-level anchors like Chen Hao, it was normal. If they didn't understand, they wouldn't come to Beijing. They'd just stay in their hometowns.
Taking a basin filled with towels and toiletries, Chen Hao walked to the washroom on the first floor, greeting the familiar faces he encountered. Standing near the mirror, he turned on the tap, filled the basin with water, and began to brush his teeth. He had a habit of humming a few lines of a song while brushing. After all, it was his profession. Singing anytime, anywhere was a subconscious habit.
"Wanna take you and elope, to the farthest town..."
Suddenly, Chen Hao froze. With the toothbrush still in his mouth, his previously indistinct singing abruptly stopped. He stared blankly at the mirror in front of him, his gaze not even focused on his reflection.
"As a perfect anchor, you should have your dignity. When you are not sitting in front of the computer as an anchor providing audiovisual entertainment for others or being given commercial performance opportunities because of your status as an anchor, please refrain from performing. That is not your stage, and it will tarnish your talent. The system will also limit all your abilities."
"The Perfect Anchor System is activated. Currently in the first stage of unlocking mode, activating the Song God ability, possessing the strongest singing skills. Friendly reminder: To become a true Song God, understanding of songs and emotional singing are essential."
"First activation, granting the Song God subsidiary ability—Smoky Voice."
"Youngster, strive for the goal of the Perfect Anchor!"
"The Perfect Anchor beginner's mission is now activated: Within thirty days, obtain one hundred true fans, receive gifts worth over two thousand yuan in total. Completing two of these criteria will fulfill the beginner's mission and randomly receive a beginner's reward. Failure to complete the mission will result in the random revocation of one of the anchor's abilities. Currently, you only possess one ability, Smoky Voice. Failure of the mission will result in the direct loss of the ability to sing with a Smoky Voice."
Every word was clearly imprinted in Chen Hao's mind. He was certain he was awake and not continuing the dream from last night. So, if this wasn't a dream...?
He sang a couple of lines, his usual standard, unchanged. Was it a dream after all? No, wasn't this about the anchor system? Singing had to be done in the capacity of an anchor.
He didn't even feel like washing his face anymore. Quickly rinsing his mouth, Chen Hao couldn't wait to try and figure out whether this was just a daytime dream or if he had somehow acquired some inexplicable ability.
Hopefully, it was the latter. There had been times when Chen Hao had fantasized about getting three wishes from an Aladdin's lamp. Wouldn't that be great? He had also wished to turn back time...
Entering his "broadcasting room," closing the door, he had to be careful moving around in the cramped space. With less than a meter of width, even the computer desk had to be the smallest available.
Turning on his cheap desktop computer, adjusting the lowest-end equipment from his set of anchor gear, Chen Hao opened Lele Voice, logged in with his ID, received a phone verification, and had to use his phone for fingerprint verification to obtain the login code. This ensured the utmost security for his account.
Entering the music channel, he navigated to his usual sub-channel for singing, "Passionate Singing." Seeing over twenty thousand people inside, Chen Hao became even more eager. There were so many people here already, even though it was only past nine in the morning. "Passionate Singing" was just an ordinary channel within the music category, without any well-known anchors. Having over twenty thousand people online at this hour was remarkable.
Entering the room, Chen Hao instinctively clicked on the "get on stage" button. Ding! A dialog box popped up: "Sorry, you don't have permission to go on stage!" Below the dialog box were instructions on how to obtain stage permissions, how to become an anchor, how to sign with a guild, how to choose equipment, and how to undergo assessments. Clicking on the prompt link would provide detailed information. Lele Voice could become dominant and unify the online entertainment platform thanks to its inclusive attitude and continuous improvement of the platform. As long as you carefully read the beginner's guide here, you wouldn't make mistakes due to ignorance.
Chen Hao clicked on his avatar. The badge belonging to his guild was gone, and so was the badge of a network anchor. In this room, the blue horse member's vest was also gone. In this room, only blue horse members had the privilege to go on stage. As for the time slot for going on stage, there were online supervisors to monitor it.
Leaning back, Chen Hao smiled with a hint of sarcasm. He had forgotten that since yesterday, he was no longer an anchor signed with a guild. He didn't have the basic permission to go on stage across the entire Lele platform anymore.
Looking at the familiar interface, Chen Hao was dumbfounded for over ten seconds. Then, he suddenly leaned forward toward the computer, excitement evident in his eyes. He realized he could soon sing as an anchor. Registering as an anchor meant starting from scratch unless a guild had scouted and signed you. It was like wanting to be a star without attending a professional school or having any connections. Being an extra might be the most realistic opportunity.
In Lele, there was an anchor assessment channel. After registering as an anchor, the first step was the simplest assessment: having a professional sound card and microphone with no background noise when the microphone was turned on. Only then could you proceed to the second round of assessment.
In the official channel, there was a very special channel named the "Talent Show," aptly named by the official management. As the name suggested, this was where all major guilds needed professional managers to reside. Here, hundreds of people underwent assessments every day, with each person having a 180-second talent display. If you were exceptionally good-looking, you could be scouted directly by a guild based on your appearance, without needing to go through the talent show. You could go straight to the guild offline and sign directly.
You performed, and below were all the managers of Lele Voice's guilds. If you were outstanding enough and your talent was attractive enough, congratulations, your private chat would explode, with many guild members contacting you for further discussions and more in-depth assessments. You didn't have to worry about encountering scammers. Lele Voice was very thorough in this regard. All contracts had to be in triplicate and signed under the witness of official personnel or through offline or online notarization. Regardless of how strict the guild's signing conditions were, as long as the anchor accepted them, the officials wouldn't interfere. They would only archive the contract to ensure the rights of both parties.
After passing the first round of equipment testing in the sub-channel and obtaining the light green temporary guest vest, Chen Hao returned to the Talent Show. Now, he had the permission to go on stage. The moment he stepped onto the stage, although he noticed that he was ranked 176th, what shook him even more was an intuitive feeling that he could sing a song that would shock everyone. He had the ability and the confidence. He was eager, clutching the microphone. He wanted the next one to be himself. He knew he could make a splash. The Perfect Anchor system must be real. This feeling, touching the depths of his soul, couldn't be wrong.
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