Reaching the Spotlight, Falling to the Abyss

"Jin Zhi Yuan!! Call your co-members its time for your group to perform!30 minutes preparation!"

"Prepare your voices,get some vocal rehearsals but don't overdo it, you guys cannot fail this time. Remember this is your last chance to shine on stage."

...

Different boygroups rushing and running around behind the stage in total chaos. All of them trying to aim for the brightest spotlight shining above them as they perform. Jin Zhi Yuan, aged 23, the center and main vocal of a boygroup..uhh.. unfortunately, they are still nameless.

"Yes, Mr. Wen. I'll call them this instant." Jin Zhi Yuan responded and smiled genuinely.

And so, Yuan turned his back in that direction and rushed his self to the dressing room, not minding whoever he bumps on. Simply and repeatedly saying an insincere "Sorry" without even sparing a glance to who it was. He has no choice, he has to. Or else..

"Zhi Yuan, you slow as a turtle! Is that how you rush? You're gonna drag your co-members down!"

"That's right! Quit it as early as possible! You have no talent!"

"You stinky brat! You wish to be a famous superstar? Dream on! Hahahaha..!!"

Shouted by all those people around him. One of the reason why he has to rush: Avoid being exposed to those people. Pay no mind. Don't get their attention. The reason why he was always being bullied, he doesn't know. He keeps asking himself, 'What have I done wrong?' but whatever, in all those years he's been a trainee, he was used to it. All those curses and bruises he get were all nothing to him already.

Ever since he stepped foot on the path of this entertainment industy, he's been degraded and dragged downwards by nearly everyone who sticks their on him for an unknown reason. He traversed through his past experiences, seeking for the flaw he made that is reasonable enough for him to be treated like this. So, he steeled his heart not caring for those harsh words that rangs in his ears in his daily life.

Just as he was about to reach the dressing room, still in a rush. Less than a meter away is a foot and a leg extended right in front of him. Shock painted in his face instantly. He tried to stop running, but he was running to fast. The next second he felt his body going with the gravity. Falling with a thud.

Fortunately, he's body responded to save himself from completely falling. He supported his upper body by extending both his arm on the floor and somehow half-kneeling.

He raised his head to look around and back trying to find the person who tripped him. He keeps looking and looking but all he saw was still people running in chaos, all doing their own business. Suddenly from afar behind, he saw a tall and cold man walking relaxed. Too relaxed that it seemed strange. With the man's back facing him, he tried to remember that physique and aura just to be wary of him in the future.

He then stood up slowly. Before he even able to straighten his back, he felt a sore pain in his ankle that made him fall again, half-kneeling. Luckily, he felt a hand supporting him up before he completely knelt on the ground again like a devoted worshipper of nowhere and no one.

"Aiyo, Yuan-didi, why are you so clumsy? Get up this instant, are you worshipping me now? Is that how good I am? Get up,get up." a voice of a man sounded by his side, saying half-jokingly while laughing.

He looked at that man. Sweats running down his face. Breath rushing. Seeing a familiar smiling and kind face, and wearing the same stage uniform as him, he relaxed.

"Ying-ge..." he uttered. He got up straightly...not really straightly. He cannot press his right foot on the floor.

"What's with that shocked face? You look like you've seen a hero from a Marvel movie! haha! Come take a seat here first, I think we have enough time to fix that sprained ankle of yours." says Ying as he took Yuan to the side hallway benches. Ying called out a medic to bring an aid kit to personally patch up that sprained ankle.

Shen Pei Ying, or simply Ying, aged 24, the main rapper of their 'nameless' boygroup and also Jin Zhi Yuan's cousin. And might also consider as his best friend. Besides, he has been Yuan's only support since childhood. Playing the same games, going on the same school, dreaming the same career and passion. Everything. Including sharing the same house.

That's right. Jin Zhi Yuan lives with Pei Ying since he was young. Around 2 or 3 years old. He's parents was gone by his side when he was not even uttering a complete sentence yet. But not necessarily "gone" as in "dead". It's just that he never heard of them, not a single information about them, not even their names. And so, he was raised by his aunt and uncle. He's fortunate enough that they are treating him just fine and as a family. With proper clothes, decent food, no maltreatment, and with ease and comfort. Or else, he have long since lived.

"Yuan-di, how come you're always like this? Ever since when we were kids running in the courtyard to play, you were always the one to fall and I am always the one to heal you. Ah, right, can you perform later like this? It's still sore, you should take a rest and let this pass." says Pei Ying in one breathing while wrapping up the bandage around his foot up to his lower leg.

"No!", shouted Zhi Yuan, still dazed from the shock. After a short while he calmly continued, "Gege, I have to. The whole group also lies on me. If I don't show up then it will be questionable. Moreover, Mr. Qing will yell at me again."

Hearing this reason, Pei Ying didn't dare to stop him and said, "Right. of course you can do this. There,there. Just tell me if you really can't, I will tell Mr. Qing to give us a consideration."

"Don't worry, Ying-ge. I really can." Jin Zhi Yuan replied, forcing a smile.

With the bandage wrapped around Zhi Yuan's leg tactfully, Pei Ying put his cousin's shoe back on and stood up to sit beside him on the bench. He leaned on the wall and put his arms crossed on the back of his head and closed his eyes. When silence longed between them, Pei Ying opened his right eye a little to peak at that tensed and stupefied expression of the man beside him.

He called out, "Didi..", he called a few more times before Zhi Yuan snapped out of his unknown thoughts and responded with a sound of acknowledgement and turned his head to face Pei Ying. When Pei Ying finally caught his attention, he continued his words saying, "Didi, when we successfully win this Company-handling competition, we will be handled by the strictest entertainment company in China."

"Yes, Ying-ge. What about it?" He replied as he process that information and analyze where this conversation is heading.

"What? You're not worried? With a bunch of rules and regulations, maybe it will even be able to fill up a book. Ah, just think about it suffocates me. Surely, that no-relationship-during-contract thingy will be included there. Aiyo, this..." he said mockingly. He put down his arms and sluggishly let out a sigh.

Hearing this, Zhi Yuan can't help but laugh a little and replied, "Ai, Ying-ge, that's just your problem. Between the two us, you're the flirty one, either women or men. Having that rule implemented, that won't be a problem for me, just you! Hahahaha.."

Pei Ying then laughed with him. Seeing his cousin's mood lighten up and leaving no trace of that previous expression, he finally relaxed. They continued their conversation, going back and forth with different topics, to let the time pass.

...

"Alright! 30 minutes is up! Next group, uhh...what is this groups name? Ugh, whatever! Group 9 stand on the rising stage now! Hurry up, do not delay!" the stage crew announced. And so, Zhi Yuan, Pei Ying , and the other five members of the group that just came out of the dressing room went to the prepared rising stage.

"What happened to you, A-Yuan? You seem unwell." says the main visual of the group that first noticed Zhi Yuan being unsteady and quite dazed, Feng Han Liu.

As the other four members heard their senior's words they couldn't help but also take a look at Zhi Yuan up and down, and spoke:

"Yeah. I think so too. Yuan-gege, are you alright? Are you sure you can perform?" asked by Gan Jiu Er worriedly.

"What happened to your ankle? Why is it bandaged?" says Gan Jiu San also in a worried state.

"Aiyo, gege, don't force yourself to perform. We'll find you an excuse" Ye Dan Sheng said with a somehow calm promising expression.

"You need to rest, Yuan. We'll take care of this. Go on." Zhen Dao Feng sounding with a tone of like 'rest assured'.

Sudden questions and comforts started flooding on Zhi Yuan's ears. "I...I must perform..." Zhi Yuan uttered those words forcibly. Trying to supress the soaring pain from his ankle to his legs and to his thighs, making it feel numbed. It's just a sprained ankle, how come it effected up to his thighs?

"Fine, gege. If you say so, no matter what happens it's all on us together. We can do this!!" shouted their second lead, Zhen Dao Feng.

A few moments passed, the rising stage started moving up. A faint light shone above them. It grew and grew until there are bright blinding spotlights surrounding them everywhere. Among those bright light came silhouettes of thousands of people staring on their direction.

"..."

Silence. A deafening silence surrounded them. It's not the usual scenario when a boy group haven't started showing up on stage and yet we hear ear-shattering screams of the fans during the concert. Well, what do you expect? They are a 'nameless' boy group.

Instead of screams, you will hear buzzing sound of machines, making the atmosphere rather awkward. People thought to themselves 'Who are they?' 'I haven't heard of them.' 'Are they good' 'Let's find out' 'Meh! I don't know them! Not interested!' ' Why are they just standing there? Come on, do something!'

Every glare of the people surrounding them was felt by Zhi Yuan and so as the other members of their group, seeming like a cold piercing on their neck. They kept to themselves the nervousness they felt at this moment and rather showing a confident aura.

The first beat of the music started playing. Behind them is a big screen flashing the name of their first song, Wu Ming. (Nameless)

All of them synchronized with the moves and sways, dancing with the averaged beat. And the first verse was about to be sang.

"I~ I once faced the track,

Never looking back,

To the shadows of my past

Remnants of my sorrow,

Wounds and bruises of today

Were nothing, nothing...

To what I am now!"

Zhi Yuan sang the first verse of the song with a warm and soft hushed voice pleasing to the ears as if listening to a meditational music on a spa salon or during a peaceful ceremony of the ancient times.

As the audience heard the first syllable of Zhi Yuan's voice, their souls were roused and their eyes that was full of doubt suddenly glittered with bright light of anticipation and pleasure. Their lightsticks turned to bright neon yellow as themed with the stage and the performers stage uniform and they started waving it with the beat.

The chorus of the song went out with an average to fast beat, harmoniously sang altogether. Sychronized changing of formations, swift movements, pleasing voices like birds singing with the tone of the wind.

But in the middle of their performance, the audience felt something is not quite right. The man in the middle started struggling with the moves, turning stiff and unsynchronized with the others. They also started hearing a faint sound of hoarse and out-of-tune voice coming from the speakers.

Zhi Yuan also felt something off with himself. Tons of sweat running down his forehead to his neck partly because of the heat of the lighting on stage, partly because of the difficult choreography that requires large movements, partly because of the pressure of those gazes in their direction, partly because...

He felt that he's about to fall.

His legs turning numb again, making it difficult for him to move and change steps. He tried to support himself wholly with his left leg and the right leg just lightly pressing down on the floor. He thought this way he could keep up and maintain his balance.

But... Another but. Another unfortunity of this young man. His life full of unfortune as usual.

But then, he remembered something again. The finale step. 'Can I do it?' He thought to his self. His pupils contracted and shrank out of shock and nervousness rushing to his head. Due to this, he could no longer sang, he became unfocused through the second verse and last chorus. The outro was coming and the pressure continuously rushing, 'I shouldn't mess up' he thought to himself again.

"I will soar and fly~

Never to lose another feather again!

Keeping up with the clouds

I'll be seen by the whole world,

And someday I will not be nameless!"

And there it was, the finale step, the last beat, the last syllable. A turn, a rush forward to the edge of the stage, then a jump and a half kneel kneel on the ground. Nothing really much difficult for the pros. But for Zhi Yuan, his fate was too rough for him. Just as he was about to get back to the ground. He, again, felt his body leaning forward. And right in front of his eyes is a pitch black floor as if an endless fall to the abyss.

Pa!

A loud crash on the floor sounded in the hall.

"Zhi Yuan!"

"Yuan-gege!"

"A-Yuan!"

His co-members shouted worriedly, not caring of their just-finished performance poses that the should maintain for a minute. Instead, they can't help looking at the faint image of Zhi Yuan almost crouching in the floor in pain. They wanted to go down to save their friend, but the stage is too high and risky to jump on and there are no stairs to run down. All they could do is to hope for the better and that Zhi Yuan can stand up after a moment.

The audience was shocked with the sudden scenario. The front line of the audiences stared curiously on that dark area below the stage while those behind the back are chatting, asking each other of the sudden commotion.

Zhi Yuan still felt the numbness in his right foot to his legs. His head aching from the pain. His vision started blurrying. With his back facing the spotlight from the stage and his front facing the audience, all he could see is the blurried silhouttes of the ocean of audience. He felt a sudden strike of pain in his legs that forced him to let out an 'ah!' that he is holding back for long. Because of this, he caught greater attention from the surrounding people.

He tried to stand up again, but this time he really couldn't. All he could do is wait for somebody to reach a hand to help him again.

And not long after that thought, an unfamiliar figure from the audience came running towards his direction. With his still blurred vision, he couldn't identify who it was. That person started checking his pulse. He felt that person's warm hand holding his arm. But although that person's aura was somewhat strong, the hands that held his arm were light and somewhat tender. Eventhough he felt embarassed in his current situation, he felt comfort on that person touching him.

Zhi Yuan's ears could only hear buzzing sounds and so he couldn't hear what that person was saying. He opened his mouth to speak but there's no sound coming out from his mouth as if his throat has a soundproof wall blocking the entrance.

The next moment he felt his body lifted on the ground. Arms wrapping around the back of his knees and around his shoulder. He's being held in a bridal carry. His face and ears turned red from being pale, out of embarassment. 'How come this tender woman is so strong to carry a man?' , he thought to himself.

He felt a tinge of comfort being carried like this and his embarassment slowly faded away. He looked up to take a glance at that person's face but he felt the immense headache going stronger, his vision blackening. He failed his attempt to see that person's face. He could no longer supress the pain from his leg and head. He rested on that person's chest that felt somewhat flat and hard.He didn't mind thinking about that and closed his eyes and completely falling to unconciousness.