Superstars of Tomorrow

Half a year later, the first successful batch of applicants to the Outer Space Immigration Plan was announced. During this time, the whole matter hadn’t cooled at all. Every corner of each continent was stirring excitedly and restlessly.

Netizens would discuss this topic every day when they were online. On the other hand, companies were still trying to capture the markets. Companies that had once said they wouldn’t need brand ambassadors now regularly invited celebrities for both online and offline activities in order to boost their brand recognition.

The general public felt that companies that could mobilize the most celebrities and experts were more prestigious.

These six months were very favorable to celebrities throughout all continents. Even those who had faded from the public eye also experienced a second spring.

As the Public Safety Bureau’s publicity representative and ambassador of the Outer Space Immigration Program, Fang Zhao never once faded from the public’s view. Although he didn’t accept a single invitation for any commercial activity, people still saw him when they took public transport, watched videos or visited places of entertainment.

Now, Fang Zhao’s only billboard endorsements were for Fiery Bird’s earphones and game consoles.

As the brand ambassador for the Diting series of earphones and 10th generation game console, Fang Zhao helped shoot a few commercials. Fiery Bird broke sales records and laughed all the way to the bank.

Final results for the Outer Space Immigration applicants had been released. Some people were excited. while others worried. But, as a whole, this was a good thing. It would forever be engraved in their memories.

Television stations from all continents, large broadcasting platforms and private media firms all started to follow-up a week before the first immigration ship was scheduled to take off. On the day of launch, everyone was fighting to publish news.

Yanzhou.

At the ground floor of an apartment complex, a youngster dragged his luggage out of an old and rundown elevator. He was holding onto live broadcast equipment at the same time.

“Hello, everyone! This is your host, Little Bug. I am setting off already!”

Nowadays, livestream host Little Bug had a neat, glowing appearance. Even his fingernails were neatly trimmed. Only his old fans would be able to recognize him as the host who always referred to himself as “lowly”.

This person had undergone a 180 degree turn. On the day he received the news that he had passed the audit, he had bawled his heart out before hundreds of thousands of viewers on his livestream. Following that, his outlook and attitude was no longer the same.

Little Bug dragged his luggage out of the murky shadows of the apartment complex. “I am moving! I submitted an application for welfare housing after my audit results came back, and it has already been approved. At least, I don’t have to worry about not having a place to stay or having to be in a dormitory. I also applied for a job and passed that audit too. Now, I just have to go for an interview there…

“Right now, I am heading to the district’s gathering point, where I’ll meet with others to go to the station. There, we’ll take flying transport to Yanzhou Spaceport. I heard that Fang Zhao is also headed there today. After we are done with the procedures at the spaceport, we might be lucky enough to get photos and autographs with him!”

As he walked along the pathway of the black streets, Little Bug glanced up at the crack of bright blue in between all the skyscrapers that reached beyond the clouds. This was the last time he would be seeing the sky in this manner.

The breeze brought the stale and putrid smell, but Little Bug’s outlook was completely different already.

Little Bug smiled and increased his pace. He spoke to his livestream viewers, “I see the gathering point! So many cars… Later on, everyone in our continent’s first batch will gather at Yanzhou Spaceport for identity verification. I’ll be busy later, so I’m stopping my livestream here. Everyone can watch the official live broadcast. This migration will be officially broadcast live~~~

“So, everyone, see you guys tomorrow on home number two!”

After shutting down the live stream, Little Bug went to register at the district’s gathering point before heading to the designated waiting room.

“Above the Blue Dome of Heaven” was being shown on screens in the waiting room. Currently, the series was in its second season, and many people watched it.

Everyone thought that the first season was already good, but when the second season came out, it received even better reviews, especially for its music. Streaming numbers for the second seasons were significantly higher than the first’s.

The first season couldn’t even be considered bad. The accompaniment music was interesting and infectious. Anyone hearing it would have an impression of it for some time. However, it wasn’t long lasting, and most people forgot it within a month. On the other hand, people actively searched for the second season’s accompaniment music online to save it.

Little Bug’s own music playlist for his lifestyle was filled with Fang Zhao’s pieces, ranging from old works to the current ones from the second season.

After waiting for some time in the waiting room, Little Bug was directed to board the vehicle.

He wasn’t looking at the screen, but the music continued to play in his mind.

The flowing sounds of strings combined with the piano’s layered notes to depict faraway stars.

In the quiet universe, glassy nebulae revolved rhythmically.

Tiny drum beats that pounded to the starry rhythm gradually became more distinct and persistent.

They broke through fogs and clouds.

The glorious lights overwrote the past with each new ray.

The mood became brighter with the added sunlight.

Their footsteps picked up more spring with the awe-inspiring emotional music.

Little Bug and others got aboard the leaving cars. Their apprehension gradually died down as they watched the tall apartment blocks gradually get smaller and the sky become brighter and clearer.

“Spaciousness feels really great.”

He wasn’t gifted nor a genius. He was just an ordinary person, but when he heard Fang Zhao’s music, he felt that he could become whoever he wanted.

Therefore…

“I really freaking love Fang Zhao!”

——

A certain hotel in Yanzhou, Qi’an City.

A proud Nanfeng was informing Fang Zhao of the upcoming arrangements.

He was no longer acting confident to maintain his image. Right now, he truly looked as though nothing in the world could faze him. Nanfeng himself reckoned that was the case too.

Many people who knew the Nanfeng of the past were very shocked by this change. They didn’t understand how he could have changed this much in such a short time.

When asked, Nanfeng would casually chuckle and joke with them.

Before, Nanfeng felt light and airy whenever he was praised. Now, he was unaffected by others’ flattery.

Others felt that he was pretentious.

Nanfeng… didn’t know whether he was being pretentious.

But, he was certain of one thing. In their little troupe, his status was slightly higher than Yan Biao or Zuo Yu’s.

“… At nine o’clock, Yanzhou Television Station interview…

“From ten to twelve, publicity representatives of the twelve continents’ space ports will have an online dialogue session and answer questions…

“The motorcade heads to Yanzhou Spaceport at two in the afternoon…

“At 3.30…

“At 4…

“Ships leave the spaceports at 5…

“You have a spaceport press conference at 8PM Yanzhou time. There will be a comprehensive live broadcast of this…”

Nanfeng went on to explain the remaining work arrangements for today, including some fine tuning of the schedule.

“Boss, you only have two hours in the afternoon to eat and rest. I’ll make sure this time stays clear of anyone or anything. Make the fullest of the rest time as it will get very busy after that. Also, you will need to see the stylist before leaving for the events in the late afternoon.”

“I’ll be heading out in the afternoon,” Fang Zhao said.

Nanfeng was taken aback but didn’t press for answers. “Then… shall I arrange a car?”

“No need, I will go out alone. You look after Curly Hair.”

Nanfeng understood that this was a private matter and Fang Zhao didn’t want anyone following him.

“Alright!”

Fang Zhao wanted to head out alone in the afternoon and wasn’t even bringing Curly Hair along. Nanfeng could only… play games together with Curly Hair.

After completing the morning’s work and having his lunch, Fang Zhao drove away from the hotel in an inconspicuous car.

As he passed the black street he had once lived in, Fang Zhao stopped his car for a bit.

Afternoon sunlight passing through the criss-crossed installations from above resulted in fragmented spots of light hitting the bottom of the black street.

A group of children playing around enviously eyed the flying cars above that were taking off.

“My mom says that we’ll be in the next batch to relocate!”

“My dad said it as well! Our entire family will be moving!”

“I heard our new home has vast grasslands. It won’t hurt to fall down there!”

The group of children shrieked excitedly and discussed whatever information they each heard.

Fang Zhao smiled and drove off. He soon arrived at the Yanzhou Cemetery for Martyrs and walked into the cemetery.

The cemetery guards here were already accustomed to the sight of Fang Zhao. They wouldn’t necessarily recognize the really popular celebrities, but they definitely knew Fang Zhao very well.

The first time they saw Fang Zhao here, the cemetery guards had thought that he was a dangerous person.

Afterwards, as Fang Zhao became increasingly popular, many of Fang Zhao’s songs were stored in their individual music playlists. They had also watched “Founding Era”, which Fang Zhao had acted in. However, their deepest impression stemmed from Fang Zhao visiting at least once every year.

However, on such a day and at this time, why had Fang Zhao come over? He was the ambassador of the Outer Space Immigration Program and was definitely really busy right now. Furthermore, he would have officially been invited to participate in the activities today. Why had he come over to the Cemetery of Martyrs at a time when the entire world had their attention of the first batch of Outer Space immigrants?

Because it was such a special time on a special day, the cemetery was practically devoid of tourists and people paying their respects. It was empty and very quiet.

There was a routine ID verification and registration.

The guards on duty were curious and asked Fang Zhao, “Why have you come here today? Looking for inspiration again?”

Fang Zhao nodded with a smile but didn’t say anything else.

“Alright, you musicians are indeed different from the masses.”

Fang Zhao walked past many other gravestones and arrived at his own. He brushed away the fine dust on the gravestone and sat down before it.

If each gravestone was a star, that era would also have been resplendent.

The exhausting rhythm of despair seemed to have been a very long time ago.

Fang Zhao looked up at the azure blue sky as if his gaze could see through the atmosphere towards faraway stars.

For the countless stars in the vast universe, everything that happened wasn’t new to them. Dynasties rose and fell. Golden ages came and went. Life and death meant nothing to them.

This planet beneath his feet was but a mere speck of dust in the vast cosmos. Only people who had lived on its surface would know its importance.

But now, humankind had already flown out from this little rock.

“Take off,” Fang Zhao muttered.

In the distance, ships were leaving, and the hums of engines gradually died down.

At the space station orbiting earth, huge transport crafts berthed at the side were about to embark on a voyage to faraway destinations.

More and more people would forget the scars of those arduous hundred years.

No longer would they have to worry about another apocalypse.

Perhaps one day in the future, everyone would forget this planet that had nurtured countless human lives.

The scars of those hundred years would only exist in the dust-covered annals of history.

Maybe in the distant future, those hundred years would just be summarized in a simple sentence.

Or perhaps, there would be people that would remember the resplendent stars of that era on certain dim and starless nights.

However, the era belonging to us has finally passed.

I came from the past, and I belong to the past.

Fang Zhao sat there in silence for quite some time. Finally, he got up and gazed at the rows of ash-colored gravestones before turning to leave.

…

In the hotel room, Nanfeng was playing games with Curly Hair. From time to time, he would glance at the electronic clock at the side. Boss, hurry up and return! We have to get you stage-ready!

————

(END)