A Guide to Lying Flat in a Talent Show

Su Yuefeng is about to retire.

As a top employee at the Quick Transmigration Administration with a perfect record over the course of many years, he has worked diligently for hundreds of years, helping countless people fulfill their wishes in life. His only wish is to leave his post with a flawless record and retire in style.

But on his final mission, he gets struck by lightning.

His soul is damaged and his body is on the verge of breaking down. Forget returning home in glory, even his quality of life in retirement will take a major hit. His longtime coworker, the System, can't bear to see this and takes it upon itself to give him an easy retirement mission: join a boy band survival show, take care of his body, and coast through the work.

But his current body can barely manage a full dance. After walking a few steps, he wants to lean against a wall. The System gives him a kindly reminder: "Host, please get plenty of rest, avoid strenuous exercise, and stay cheerful."

"...You want me to drag this busted body onto a survival show?"

Fine. The word "failure" isn't in a workaholic's dictionary. Su Yuefeng absolutely refuses to let anything tarnish his perfect record at the last minute before retirement. Even if his body's about to fall apart, he'll show off a workaholic's spirit and crawl his way to the original owner's peak of success!

Unexpectedly, the original owner has left him a grand welcome gift. He proudly refused the company's contract to serve as a supporting act, preferring death to becoming a stepping stone for his teammates.

At his first performance, he draws on the powerful presence and stage skills honed through years of missions, delivering a stunning performance in a battered body.

Then the show's first episode airs, and he doesn't even get a profile shot. He's edited out completely, without a single frame left.

...Very well. You won't let me sit at the table and eat?

Then I'll flip the whole table over.

*

After news breaks that the production team deliberately edited out popular contestants before the competition and stirred up controversy to rake in hate-fueled traffic, public opinion explodes. The show is forced to issue a public apology and make changes, and it releases the full, unedited footage.

At first, viewers only want to see the truth behind the heavy editing, but as they watch, something seems off.

The standout moments from the first performance, the impressive practice-room scenes, and even the fierce rivalries crackling between popular contestants have all been cut down to a picture of peace and tranquility.

Viewers soon realize that the same previously unknown trainee keeps appearing in the footage that was cut.

He's got everything: skill, buzz, and entertainment value. How did the production team manage to cut every last bit of it before?

The night the full footage is released, Su Yuefeng's name shoots straight to the top of the trending list, and his ranking keeps soaring through the night.

Su Yuefeng is very satisfied. Who says you can't coast and still be the top salesperson?

Reader's notes

0. The protagonist's body will recover after the special stage.

1. The competition format draws on 101 and 999-style shows, but includes a lot of original worldbuilding. No characters are based on real people, so please don't draw parallels to reality.

2. There is a lot of forum-style content, including plenty of fans shipping couples. The protagonist has no pairing and no romance plot.

3. There is a light ensemble cast. The protagonist isn't overwhelmingly powerful. A center who rises to the top through fierce rivalry between equally matched contestants is more impressive, but all supporting-character scenes revolve around the protagonist and won't steal the show.

Premise: Have the courage not to bow to fate.