I Became the Top Competitor in a Talent Show Novel - Chapter 1

June 8th, 5:00 p.m.

Chi Meng handed in her exam on time and stepped out of the school gates to the sound of cheers.

The moment she walked out, a group of teachers from First High, who had been waiting by the gate, immediately surrounded her. Their eyes were full of expectation as they fussed over her, clearly reluctant to let her go, but also looking like they had something more to say.

Chi Meng accepted the watch from her homeroom teacher and fastened it onto her wrist, her eyes curved into a smile.

“Pretty good. I’m confident.”

As soon as her words fell, several teachers visibly breathed a sigh of relief. Smiles bloomed across their faces as they patted her shoulder and reminded her to rest well. Chi Meng responded to each of them obediently, bouncing away under their reluctant gazes. Her lively, energetic back disappeared around the corner—and the moment she was out of sight, her steps returned to normal.

“Host, do you remember you’re eighteen now?” a mechanical voice sighed resentfully in her mind. “You’re more excitable than a kindergarten kid.”

Expression calm, Chi Meng accepted the jab without batting an eye. “You don’t know how old I am?”

System 019 shut up.

After a while, it unwillingly muttered in a “small voice,” “What kind of background character ends up as a top scorer…”

“Strictly speaking,” Chi Meng reminded it, “it’s forbidden to publicize top scorers now. I’m just a classmate who did relatively well.”

019: “…”

“Congratulations then, Classmate Chi Meng, who did relatively well!” 019 mocked.

Her smile curved even brighter. “The results aren’t out yet. Low-key, cautious. And when I asked before, you clearly told me that studying hard in an entertainment novel doesn’t break the rules.”

019 again: “…”

What could it even say to that!

The mechanical voice fumed and rattled off a tongue-twister: “The classmate who did relatively well in the last life is re-taking it this life—if you don’t do well, are you worthy of all those classmates who studied so hard they coughed up blood?”

Thinking of that, 019 grew even more depressed. “What is the main system even thinking! I’m obviously a background-character system. Why would they assign me someone this high-quality and hardworking? Do I deserve this?”

Chi Meng calmly reminded it: “I’m not overworking. I sleep seven hours every night.”

Seven hours a night—what kind of grind is that?

019 instantly quieted. “Please mute yourself, Host.”

Chi Meng obediently fell silent, tossing her exam envelope into the basket that held all her belongings. With one push of her foot, her bicycle rolled steadily onto the road.

The shadows of trees swayed gently in the breeze, falling across her blue-and-white jacket. The plastic zipper swung loosely, clinking faintly. When the light turned red, Chi Meng unzipped the jacket and rolled her sleeves up to her wrists, the movement casual and cool.

The fabric fluttered in the wind like wings—or perhaps like a battle robe of youth, leaving behind a poetic silhouette. The evening sun was still bright, the roadside trees lush and green. The soft light slanted down, making the scenery along this street seem more beautiful than anywhere else. Passersby couldn’t help but glance at her once, then again.

When she arrived, Chi Meng locked her bike and walked into the KTV.

It wasn’t busy yet; the place was nearly empty. Behind the front desk, a colleague lounged idly, brightening when she saw her.

“Afternoon, Ling-jie,” Chi Meng greeted.

“Congratulations on finishing the college entrance exam and escaping the sea of suffering—now you’re one step closer to the miserable working life ahead!” Ling-jie said cheerfully, pointing to the side. “Tonight’s boxed meal comes with a drumstick, want to eat first?”

“I’ll eat in the changing room,” Chi Meng replied, circling around the counter to clock in with her fingerprint before picking up the now-cold meal box.

“Alright. Oh, and these next few days after the exams there’ll probably be more people coming in. If anyone from the private rooms calls you over, just ignore it,” Ling-jie warned quietly.

Chi Meng’s eyes curved again. “Mm, I know.”

She worked here part-time on weekends and holidays, usually night shifts. The pay was good, the place quiet, and when it wasn’t busy she could even work through a set or two of competition problems.

Most importantly—it included free meals and lodging!

After eating her fill, she changed into her uniform and came back out.

At the ticket machine across from the staff passage, two little girls froze when they spotted her, staring openly as she walked past.

Ah—so pretty!

The colleague at the counter was busy but caught sight of her. She quickly waved. “Xiao-Meng, perfect timing. We’ve got a VIP guest booking for the whole night—can you take her to her room?”

She handed over the room card.

“Okay.”

Chi Meng noticed the mysterious guest at the counter. Instinctively, she raised a gentle smile. “This way, please.”

The guest was wearing a dark dress, a fisherman’s hat pulled low, big black sunglasses, and a mask that covered her face. Her presence was heavy, almost suffocating, though the pair of long pale legs showing beneath the skirt seemed to glow. Dressed like this, she looked every bit like a celebrity sneaking out in disguise.

Without a word, the guest followed Chi Meng.

The VIP hallway was dim. Bands of deep blue light drifted slowly along the futuristic corridor, like schools of fish in the deep sea.

Chi Meng slowed her pace, wondering whether the guest could even see clearly through those sunglasses. The tiles here were much harder than her head.

Luckily, they reached the innermost private room without incident. Chi Meng swiped the card and opened the door.

The guest’s first words were: “Turn off the lights.”

Her voice was low and hoarse, like pouring honey into a glass of rich red wine—two things that shouldn’t blend, but somehow did, thick and sticky, mature yet tinged with sweet allure.

But Chi Meng was like a monk who had trained in Shaolin for a hundred years. Before the last note of the guest’s voice had even faded, she’d already flicked the light switch off, smiling in the dark as she bent to hand over the tablet.

“Would you like to order? Drinks, snacks, fruit platters,” she asked softly.

The girl’s hand paused on her sunglasses. She made a short sound—“Mm”—that sounded more like a scoff of disdain. Tossing the sunglasses onto the table, she took the tablet.

The tablet’s glow illuminated her face.

Leaning slightly, Chi Meng was startled to see she was extraordinarily beautiful—likely a real celebrity sneaking out.

Especially sensitive to being looked at, the girl pressed her lashes low and snapped impatiently: “Put on a movie. Ghost Ridge.”

“Alright.” Chi Meng smoothly shifted her gaze to the big screen, queueing up the film for her esteemed guest.

Would it be strange to watch a movie in a high-end KTV?

Not at all.

Soon, deafening sound filled the room. Handing the tablet back, Chi Meng slipped out. Preparing the order, she found the guest had selected only alcohol—nothing but row after row of wine.

Standing in the liquor room, she picked up a bottle of red, pressing her finger to the earpiece. Her voice was light.

“Ling-jie, is this guest of age?”

Since the VIP packages required ID, the cinema side couldn’t serve alcohol to minors.

“Yeah, just turned legal,” Ling-jie answered.

Only then did Chi Meng return with a cart full of wine.

As soon as she opened the door, the enormous screen flared—on it, a blood-soaked female ghost with flying hair lunged forward screaming, her dead eyes pressed right against the screen.

Chi Meng: “Tsk.”

So close to dying of fright!

Are kids these days really this fearless?

Still keeping her polite smile, she crouched down and began opening the bottles one by one, setting them neatly on the long table.

On the screen, mist thickened over eerie mountain forests, and the room’s brightness shifted with the film’s rhythm.

Click.

In the darkness, a flame flared—illuminating half the girl’s face. Long, slim fingers pinched a cigarette, her jawline tightening as she tilted her head. Her full lips parted slightly, teeth biting the filter, and with a flick of her wrist she tossed a small object aside.

Clink.

The silver lighter hit a black wine bottle with a crisp sound.

The glow from the screen refracted faintly through the glass, landing in Chi Meng’s eyes.

She stilled for a second, long lashes lowering.

Her smile remained poised as she cleanly opened the last bottle. The cap dropped into the trash with a clatter. Dark liquid poured into the crystal glass, which she then placed at the girl’s hand.

Amid the horror film’s soundtrack, she caught the faintest trace of laughter.

Despite her youth, the girl’s posture was sultry—legs crossed as she lounged against the armrest, a cigarette between her fingers. Loose black hair shifted with her lifted arm, smoke curling from her lips and blurring her eyes.

With one finger braced against her temple, the other hand holding the cigarette, her unfocused gaze slid lazily toward Chi Meng. Her tone was careless.

“Not allowed?”

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