Chen Kai paused, his tone heavy: "This contract is like a golden birdcage. It's more beautiful, more comfortable, and even gives you a false sense of freedom than an iron cage. But once you're inside, you'll find that a cage is still a cage. What you sing, what you wear, what you say, what you do, even what you think, will ultimately be guided by an invisible hand towards maximizing profits. Your 'uniqueness' will be meticulously calculated and packaged into a best-selling image. At that point, will you still be yourself?"
A golden birdcage…
This phrase, like a cold needle, pierced the last vestige of hope in Lin Chen's heart.
He walked to the window, looking at the ever-flowing car lights below, like rivers of light lost in the city. In the mirror, he wore the program's uniform training clothes, his face weary. He tried to smile at the mirror, but the smile was stiff.
A double life.
He had to make a choice.
Is it to step into that dazzling golden cage, basking in the glory of being adored, at the cost of potentially losing one's true self?
Or to stay outside the cage, enduring the storms and the unknown, guarding that clumsy sincerity that may never be seen by the public?
He knew that the next time he stood on stage, he needed to sing more than just a song.
He needed to deliver his answer.
The following days were like walking a tightrope for Lin Chen. He carefully maintained a calm facade, training and participating in the show's recordings as usual, but the scales in his heart were swaying wildly. Xingyao's "special contract" was like a poisoned cake exuding an alluring aroma, constantly teasing his nerves.
Mr. Wang didn't urge him, but the silent pressure was omnipresent. Lin Chen could sense that the production team's attitude towards him had subtly warmed up again, as if he already had one foot in Xingyao's door. Once, during a rehearsal break, the female contestant he had previously saved from a drinking party secretly approached him, her eyes filled with complex emotions, and whispered, "Lin Chen, if... if a good opportunity comes along, don't hesitate. For people like us, grasping at a straw... isn't easy."
Her words were like a needle, gently pricking the softest spot in his heart. Yes, for people like them, without connections, struggling empty-handed, what Xingyao offered was nothing short of a lifeline, even if that straw might have barbs.
Just as he was fiercely struggling internally, almost blinded by the allure of that "golden cage," a phone call from his hometown, like a bucket of ice water, completely sobered him up.
The call was from his father, Lin Jianguo, his voice carrying undisguised exhaustion and a barely perceptible hint of fear.
"Achen…" his father's voice was a little hoarse, "How have you been lately…?"
"Dad, I'm fine, the competition went well." Lin Chen tried to sound relaxed. "Mom's medicine is almost finished, right? I have another payment coming in soon, I'll send it back."
"No, no need!" his father interrupted him hastily, his tone unusual. "The money… the money is enough. You… you haven't offended anyone, have you?"
Lin Chen's heart skipped a beat: "Dad, what's wrong?" There was a few seconds of silence on the other end of the line before his father's heavy voice came through: "A few days ago, Boss Zhang from town…" "...It's that guy who wanted you to work at his shop. His shop got vandalized, they say... they say he offended someone. Also, that farmhouse restaurant your Uncle Li runs in the mountain pass, they've been getting inspected a lot these past few days, saying it's not up to fire safety standards, doesn't meet hygiene standards, and has to close for rectification..."
Lin Jianguo's voice trailed off, carrying the fear of a small person facing invisible pressure: "I... I was just asking. Be careful out there, don't cause any trouble... Our family can't withstand any more trouble..."
After hanging up, Lin Chen stood in the empty stairwell, phone in hand, feeling icy cold, as if he'd fallen into a freezing abyss.