Empire Superstar

“Hey, big bro? Big bro?”

A voice echoed near his ear, rising and falling, ethereal and sweet as the sound of wind chimes swaying in the breeze.

Who is it?

His muddled consciousness began to clear, drawn by the persistent call.

Liao Yuan wanted to respond, but found his body unbearably heavy, as if filled with lead, making movement impossible.

“Wake up, big bro!”

Who is it, really?

Like a crack of spring thunder, a jolt stirred within him, and the pounding of his heart sounded in his ears, resonant as a morning bell or evening drum.

I’m not dead?

Liao Yuan struggled, attempting a deep breath...

In the next moment, sensation slowly returned to his cold limbs as blood surged through his veins. Yet his chest felt as though it had been flooded by a torrent of mud and stones, leaving him suffocating, as if drowning.

“Forget it, I’ll leave you be. I’m about to be late. We’ll talk when I get back.”

The wind chime voice drifted away.

Within the darkness, points of light flickered.

Gradually, those specks of light swelled, brilliant as the sun, blinding in their intensity.

Liao Yuan felt a prickling in his eyes. Unbelievably, tears welled up and spilled down, and sensation returned to his body. At last, he managed to open his eyes, finding himself lying on his side in bed, the pillow damp with tears.

Through blurry vision, he saw a girl with waist-length black hair, hastily slinging a schoolbag over her shoulder as she slipped out the door. Her slender white legs, revealed by her pink a