I Became the Top Competitor in a Talent Show Novel - Chapter 4
019: “No, you don’t want to.”
Chi Meng said nothing.
019: “No! You don’t want to!”
Chi Meng pressed the cleaning button on the table, hugged the blanket, pocketed the generous tip the guest had left, and left.
019 wouldn’t give up: “Do you still remember our motto? Stick to the standard plot, play the most ordinary extra, claim one hundred percent reward!”
It earnestly continued: “Don’t forget—in this book, we are meant to be the most unremarkable side characters. It’s not that I don’t want you to go, but think about it: in this entertainment circle, who’s going to shine the brightest in the future? Our female lead! Who gets the best scripts and the most resources? Our female lead! If you crazily push yourself, nothing will happen. You’d be better off continuing your last life’s path: go to a top university, enter a big company. With your past life’s experience, you’ll definitely be able to buy a big house in Huadu faster this time!”
“And then work overtime day and night,” Chi Meng countered. “And shoulder a thirty-year mortgage?”
“Die halfway while paying off the down payment?” she pressed on.
019’s voice instantly grew weaker: “But compared to your peers, you’d already be considered very successful… and you did it to save people…”
The cleaning lady came by pushing her cart. Chi Meng smiled and stepped aside, rolling up the flyer and tucking it into her pocket.
“Xiao Chi, how did your exams go?” the auntie stopped to ask on purpose.
Word had spread through the whole theater that she’d come to work on the very day of the college entrance exam.
Chi Meng’s voice was gentle. “It was okay.”
“Oh, good, good. Working at the cinema isn’t bad, you won’t go hungry.” Not knowing what gossip she’d heard, the auntie comforted her a little before pushing her cart away.
Chi Meng chuckled, clasped her hands behind her back, and stood in the empty hallway, recalling her past life.
It had only been two years, yet that life suddenly felt like some distant story. Things that once seemed so brilliant now felt dull—she couldn’t even immediately recall a single memory worth treasuring.
Instead, the two years since she’d transmigrated, living among backstreets and alleys, had been rich and interesting.
Since she had been given another chance, why make the same choices?
Chi Meng almost immediately made up her mind: “I only want to know one thing.”
She gently asked 019, “If I join this talent show, will it count as a violation?”
The mechanical voice in her mind went silent.
Later, when she went to the back office to use the washing machine and stared at the blanket spinning inside, 019 finally crawled back online.
“Calculation result: the host enjoys full freedom in this world. As long as you complete your missions on time, you are free to choose.” After the official report, its tone immediately weakened. “But I’m just a ‘background character system.’ Aren’t you worried that no matter what you do, you’ll end up ordinary?”
“How could you think that?” Chi Meng asked in surprise.
019 instantly remembered her title of “top-scoring student” and fell speechless, once again suspecting something was wrong with its programming.
But the next second, it heard her say seriously: “I’ve always been ordinary, haven’t I?”
019: “?”
Chi Meng’s tone was extremely sincere.
Isn’t everyone just an ordinary person?
She’d only pushed herself a bit harder than most people in her previous life—just a little bit.
This time, she planned to push herself in a different direction.
019: “……”
Fine. As long as the main system doesn’t issue a warning, whatever you say is right.
It silently closed the communication channel and opened its work card.
- Department: Transmigration Division
- System Type: Background Character System
- Code: 019
“Phew~” 019 let out a sigh of relief, stretched out a tiny virtual hand, and patted itself.
Good, good. Its program wasn’t broken. It could still recognize words.
How nice.
Chi Meng was a woman of action—once she decided, she acted.
She borrowed a computer from Sister Ling, spent ten minutes making a résumé, and sent it to the program’s email. After sending it off, she went back to her work. A few schoolgirls often came to the KTV and sometimes wandered near the VIP rooms. Whenever Chi Meng noticed them, she sent them back—each time, they blushed and thanked her.
Another time, a girl “got lost” and “just happened” to run into Chi Meng, who escorted her back.
Once, someone secretly opened the door to a private room just a crack. Pretending not to notice, Chi Meng smiled at the girl standing there, looking like she wanted to say something.
“Hold out your hand.”
The girl blinked and raised her hand.
“Whoosh.”
Fruit candies wrapped in shiny paper fell into her palm. Chi Meng had grabbed a big handful, enough that the girl had to cup them with both hands.
“Thank you!” The girl’s face turned even redder.
“No problem. But the entrance exam is over, so we’re free. You all still have to keep studying.” Chi Meng smiled. “Study hard, junior.”
From behind the cracked door came a chorus of “oh, oh!” teasing.
One girl boldly poked her head out. “I want encouragement too, Chi Meng-senpai!”
“Please grant me power with your academic god’s blessing!”
“Me too, me too!”
Teenage girls brimmed with energy, their faces glowing with enthusiasm that no one could imitate.
Chi Meng could only say helplessly, “All right. Keep it up, take care of your throats, and go home early.”
“Okay!”
She turned to leave, but just as she rounded the corner, a girl’s voice rang out behind her.
“Chi Meng-senpai! I’m going to get into J University! I’ll become your junior there! Wait for me at J University!”
Clearly, she hadn’t dared say it face-to-face and could only shout it through the door.
In her heart, Chi Meng said: I know. I’ll wait for you.
In the corridor, the noise drew out other people.
“Did you see Chi Meng?” someone asked the group of girls in surprise. “You’re from First High, grade one? We’re seniors! Same year as Chi Meng!”
The two groups excitedly gathered, instantly bonding over the name “Chi Meng.”
Li Yan and Liu Ting, who were delivering fruit plates, froze. Hearing words like “competitions,” “study god,” and “First High’s pride,” they connected it to that same girl who never gave the veteran staff any face.
Unbelievable.
Liu Ting curled her lips. “You’ve got the wrong person. The Chi Meng here is just an ordinary girl. She never even goes to class, has a bad temper—definitely not the good student you’re describing!”
The First High students went silent, especially the younger girls. They immediately stood, indignant.
“What are you talking about? Who has a bad temper? Chi Meng-senpai is pretty and kind! You think I wouldn’t recognize my idol?”
“Yeah! Do you even know how amazing Chi God is?” a boy added. “Her notes went viral across the entire city! And you said she skips class? That proves it—this must be my Chi God! She just likes experiencing life and working part-time! Who doesn’t know she won gold in the national competition and got a guaranteed admission to J University? If her teachers hadn’t wanted prestige, she wouldn’t even have needed to take the entrance exam! I swear on my head, this year’s top scorer in the province has to be my Chi God!”
“Hey, sis, since you look down on Chi God so much, your kids or relatives better not use her notes!” someone shot back sarcastically at Li Yan.
Li Yan was stunned. She couldn’t reconcile the cheerful girl she saw every day with the top student they were describing. Her face turned awkward. Liu Ting nudged her, signaling with her eyes, and the two hurried out after setting the plates down.
The door wasn’t shut tightly, leaving a crack. Inside, the students clearly heard the two women’s mocking voices.
Liu Ting sneered: “Don’t believe it. Even if it’s the same person, if she’s really that good, why would she be here working nights?”
“Kids exaggerate. What if Chi Meng asked them to say it on purpose, just because we said she’s bad at studying?”
Li Yan suddenly understood. “You’re right! That makes sense. With young people’s weird pride, nothing would surprise me!”
Inside, the girl who’d received Chi Meng’s candy widened her eyes in anger. “They said we’re putting on a show for her? Like we’ve got nothing better to do? And they look down on Chi Meng-senpai? Do they bully her often?”
“Ugh… you’re right. Wait—if I spend money here, doesn’t that mean I’m paying the people who bully her? No way, I’m out!” another hot-headed student slammed the table. “Let’s go!”
Teenagers were quick to anger and quicker to act. They stormed off in a rush.
It was peak hours, and when the lobby manager saw them all storming out in fury, he rushed over to ask what was wrong.
“Nothing, we just don’t want to come here anymore! Your service is terrible! I don’t like it!” they shouted over each other. Onlookers pricked up their ears. Hearing them declare they’d never come back—and would tell others not to either—the manager was dumbfounded.
“Not just us. We’ll make sure every high school student in the city who knows Chi Meng and has used her notes never comes here again!”
What did this have to do with Chi Meng?!
Sweating, the manager tried to usher them into a lounge, but they refused. Finally, when the bewildered Chi Meng was dragged over by Sister Ling, the students immediately surrounded her.
“Chi Meng.”
“Senpai!”
Though she had no idea what was happening, for the sake of the store’s business, Chi Meng quickly calmed her classmates down and led them to the break room.
The simple-minded students indignantly repeated the whole story. The manager and Sister Ling fell silent.
Chi Meng: “……”
019: “Wow.”
019: “Campus idol? Forget the talent show—you’re already famous.”
Its tone was fake and fawning.
“Truly famous!”
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Aaackk
This system is pretty funny lmaoo
It even has existential crisis from time to time XD