The Love Variety Cannon Fodder Becomes a Viral Streamer [Interstellar] - Chapter 1

Before the show The Gods Have Arrived had even officially begun, it nearly claimed a life. Despite the security alarms, Dr. Wang had been too anxious to sleep soundly. He arrived early for rounds, his mind heavy with worry.

It was still early; the sky outside remained a hazy gray. Dr. Wang moved through the deserted corridor toward the recovery room at the end of the hall, pushing the door open with practiced gentleness. When he looked up, he froze.

There, bathed in the warm glow of the rising sun, a youth sat upon the windowsill. His elbow rested on the ledge, his jade-like features shimmering faintly in the light, while the morning breeze caught his hair, turning the strands to spun gold. His lashes, dark as a butterfly’s wings, cast small shadows over his eyes. As he turned to look, a ripple of light seemed to flow from the slight upturn of his eyes, spreading like water.

In that moment, words failed to capture such tranquil beauty. It felt as though he had stumbled into a divine realm, and Dr. Wang’s breath hitched.

But then, realizing the boy’s position, his heart sank.

Frantic yet afraid to startle him, the doctor reached out a hand. “Mr. Pei, if you’re facing any difficulties, we can talk. Please, come down from the window first.”

Does he think I’m going to jump?

Pei Yueyan didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. He hopped down from the windowsill and gave Dr. Wang a polite, reassuring smile.

That smile instantly dissolved Dr. Wang’s suspicions. Feeling a bit foolish, he approached the bed, fussing with his medical equipment to hide his embarrassment. “Your body has mostly recovered. You just need one more injection of nutrient solution and then you can head back.”

Pei Yueyan pushed up his sleeve, revealing a faint, pink scar on his left wrist. As he looked at it, his gaze turned cold.

In his previous life, Pei Yueyan suffered from congenital heart disease. Weak since childhood, he was hospitalized more often than not. He had endured countless injections, yet despite the pain, his body continued to wither. His mother had never left his side, aging rapidly from the stress and grief. One night, after a particularly terrifying episode where he was nearly lost, his mother collapsed in tears by his bed. Seeing her like that, he had whispered a plea: “I want a brother or a sister.”

Because it was his wish, his mother eventually gave in. After his brother was born, his parents’ energy was naturally diverted. As the younger boy grew, the time they spent with Pei Yueyan dwindled to almost nothing. He once overheard his father telling his mother that it wasn’t wise to invest too much emotion into a child destined to die. Hearing that, he had stood frozen in a corner for a long, long time.

Truthfully, he didn’t like his brother at all.

During the final stretch of his life, his only companions were the books that lined the walls of his hospital room. Though they were inanimate, they had comforted him through countless lonely, sleepless nights. There were times when he felt regret—regret for giving away the love that should have been his. He felt envy, too, wondering why his life was so hollow that he had to face death from the moment of his birth, while others could squander their time so freely. But eventually, the ideas and convictions within those books soothed his anger and smoothed over his resentment. They allowed him to make peace with his illness, and with himself.

As he lay dying, his ravaged body twitching in pain, he wept silently. His supposed “peace” was a lie; he didn’t want to die at all. His life was a map of regrets: no dreams, no future, a lack of family warmth, and no experience of friendship or love. He had never traveled the world, nor had he left a single footprint behind. He really, truly did not want to die.

Then, a mysterious voice echoed from the depths of his soul, hooking into his deepest desire: Do you want a second chance?

Even through the fog of fading consciousness, Pei Yueyan reached out for that chance. He answered with every ounce of his remaining strength: I do!

“The pact is sealed,” the voice whispered, growing faint and distant.

When he opened his eyes, Pei Yueyan found that he had indeed been given a chance at rebirth.

If Pei Yueyan had to judge the original owner of this body, he would call him a little fool. Anyone who didn’t cherish life was a fool. Although the original Pei Yueyan grew up in an orphanage, he was healthy and possessed the face of an angel; his life hadn’t actually been that miserable. However, because he had been abandoned by his parents, he felt his life was ruined from the start, leaving him desperately starved for affection. During a random interview at the orphanage, his stunning looks caused him to go viral, earning him a massive following.

But public adoration is like sand in the palm; one gust of wind and it’s gone. In the interstellar era, influencers were replaced at lightning speed. Since the original Pei Yueyan had no unique talents to offer, his fans began to drift away. Realizing his popularity was plummeting, he accepted an invitation from the production team of The Gods Have Arrived.

This was the most famous variety show in the entire galaxy!

He believed that if he could get on this show, he would be loved by even more people. Those fans who left would surely come crawling back. Driven by this morbid obsession, the original owner accepted the invitation and began filming the pilot.

The show was broadcast live. Every guest had their own dedicated camera and channel, and the guest with the highest popularity received the most exposure and promotion. Popularity was tied to viewership and “gifts.” More viewers and gifts meant more promotion, which in turn attracted more viewers, creating a virtuous cycle.

That was exactly what the original owner wanted. To fight for the best promotional spots, he tried to be first in everything from the very start of filming. Initially, he did manage to capture the most attention thanks to his god-tier visuals. But as the show progressed, his ill-timed ambition became off-putting. The breaking point came during the final segment of the pilot, where ten Omega guests were to undergo “Talent Awakening” on camera. He had been full of confidence, but he failed.

He could not manifest his mental energy. He had the potential but no way to use it, which meant he was a “defective” Omega. The original owner had a mental breakdown on the spot. When he logged into his livestream to see the reaction, he found that his top-tier wealthy donors had moved to his roommate’s channel. His popularity plummeted in a single day. Consumed by resentment and convinced his roommate had used underhanded tactics to steal his fans, he threw all of his roommate’s belongings out of the room in a fit of rage.

Watching his roommate’s tear-filled eyes had given him a momentary rush of satisfaction. But that night, a video of him bullying his roommate off-camera was leaked and went viral across the star-net. Overnight, he was buried under a mountain of malice and hate. Unable to cope with the backlash, the original owner took his own life in a state of deep despair.

Desperate for love?

Pei Yueyan’s heart stirred, feeling a secret resonance with those hidden emotions. He let out a soft smile. Actually, he was someone who starved for love too. Was that why he had been reborn here? Because he and the original owner shared the same past of abandonment and the same deep-seated longing?

However, the original owner had used the wrong methods.

Pei Yueyan blinked, his long lashes fluttering like the wings of a butterfly. Leave your wish to me. I will do it better, and we will receive more love than you ever imagined.

Noticing Pei Yueyan’s odd expression, Dr. Wang asked, “Was I too rough? Just bear with it, it’ll be over soon.”

The cold medication was slowly pushed into his bloodstream through the syringe. Pei Yueyan snapped back to reality. He was so used to injections; how could he not be? Once Dr. Wang finished, Pei Yueyan thanked him, “Thank you, Dr. Wang.”

The doctor glanced over. The somewhat frail youth had pale lips, yet he offered a deeply sweet smile. His phoenix-shaped eyes crinkled into crescents, looking as if all the starlight in the sky had gathered in his gaze.

He’s so well-behaved and beautiful, Dr. Wang thought. He’s nothing like the person they describe on the internet.

Alas. Dr. Wang shook his head inwardly. It was too late now. A failed Omega would be quickly eliminated by the production team. This angel-like boy wouldn’t even get a chance to defend himself.

As Dr. Wang was packing up his supplies and preparing to give a few final instructions, the door to the recovery room opened. Three youths walked in, led by the roommate, Paige.

Paige was thin with blonde hair tied back. His features weren’t as deep-set as the typical Imperial citizen, and he carried a faint air of sorrow between his brows, making him appear delicate and easily bullied. Like Pei Yueyan, he had been an influencer before the show, gaining a small following by singing love songs. His fans adored his fragile vibe, but Pei Yueyan didn’t believe for a second that he was a pure “white lotus.” After all, every time the two were in the same frame, it was always Pei Yueyan who ended up looking bad.

Before the show, Paige had about 100,000 fans while Pei Yueyan had three million. Now, Pei Yueyan’s numbers had stagnated, while Paige had climbed to three million. Pei Yueyan found it hard to believe Paige was just an innocent soul. The fact that the original owner’s “whale” donors had jumped ship to Paige’s channel was suspicious enough, but the leaked video that led to the original owner being blacklisted was even stranger. The biggest beneficiary of that “victim” narrative was, after all, Paige.

Pei Yueyan remained silent, observing the trio.

He noticed small animals perched on each of their shoulders. Searching his memory, he realized these were “Mental Projections.” Paige had a white tiger on his shoulder. Beside him were Bei Di, with a small bird, and Wang Wang, with a small snake coiled on his shoulder.

Paige walked up to Dr. Wang, wearing a look of deep concern. “Doctor, Yueyan is my roommate. Is he alright now?”

“Don’t worry, there’s no major issue. You can all head back together in a moment,” Dr. Wang replied warmly, assuming they had come to pick him up.

“Thank you, Doctor. Could you give us a moment alone? we have something to say to him.”

“Of course.” Dr. Wang finished packing, handed Pei Yueyan an extra tube of nutrient solution, and left.

Once they were sure the doctor was gone, Bei Di closed the door and turned around. Seeing Pei Yueyan’s expressionless face, a surge of anger rose in him, and he sneered, “The doctor here is certainly nice to you. Probably because you’re the first case of a ‘disabled’ Omega he’s ever seen!”

“It’s probably karma! That’s what you get for bullying Paige. Now Paige is doing better and better, while you’re about to be kicked off the show,” Wang Wang laughed gloatingly.

Paige interjected, “Don’t say that, Yueyan is quite pitiful.”

“Paige, you’re too kind. How is someone like Pei Yueyan pitiful? You’re the one who was kicked out of the room, you’re the victim here!” Bei Di’s temper flared even more at Paige’s words. Seeing that Pei Yueyan still hadn’t spoken, he released the bird from his shoulder. The bird, a manifestation of his mental energy, grew rapidly in the air. With a flap of its pitch-black feathers, it knocked Pei Yueyan over.

“Pfft,” Bei Di laughed arrogantly. “So weak. He’s not even in our world anymore. He’ll be eliminated tomorrow.”

“This kind of person isn’t worth our time, let’s go!” Wang Wang added with a sneer, giving Pei Yueyan a disdainful look before turning to leave.

Paige, who had remained perfectly “invisible” throughout the confrontation, looked at Pei Yueyan sprawled on the bed. His hair was messy and he looked disheveled, yet his beauty was still undeniable, which left Paige feeling a bitter twinge of resentment.

Still, a defective Omega is useless, no matter how beautiful they are.

He bid Pei Yueyan a mock farewell: “Come back soon, Yueyan, everyone in the dorm is waiting for you.”

Paige followed the others out.

On the bed, the youth covered his eyes with his hand. His body began to tremble slightly. After a while, he moved his hand away, revealing a face full of smiles and eyes dancing with interest.

What a fascinating mental projection, and what a chaotic situation to be in. Life here is going to be very interesting indeed!

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