Realizing the potential significance, the viewers spontaneously started searching online for any information related to Sky Beyond Entertainment.
This search actually yielded crucial intel.
"Holy crap! The streamer really is a signed artist!"
"No way, no way! I get to watch a celebrity live stream every day?"
"Artist? Celebrity? Lockpicking? Daily side hustles? What kind of dramatic script is this?"
"Are you kidding me? Maybe it's just someone with the same name?"
"Seriously, no joke. You see people with the same name, but have you ever seen someone with the same name AND the same photo?"
[Lin Xia's profile picture.jpg]
"HOLY CRAP!"
"HOLY CRAP!"
"HOLY CRAP!"
"…"
Shock rippled through the live stream.
Meanwhile, Lin Xia had finally seen off the company's head agent.
From the conversation between the two, the viewers became even more certain that the information they'd found was correct.
Lin Xia was indeed a signed artist under Sky Beyond Entertainment.
It's just… he was kinda niche.
So niche he'd barely appeared on any major screen.
"My heart aches for the streamer. The entertainment industry is brutal."
"My heart aches for the streamer +1. The streamer has it so rough."
"My heart aches for the streamer +2. A D-list celeb's life is worse than a dog's. No wonder he needs side hustles."
"My heart aches for the streamer +3. Looks like the streamer's about to get dropped by his company soon."
"The streamer is so unlucky, but why do I only feel like laughing?"
"You're not alone, poster above. I've been holding it in for ages, pffft hahahaha~"
"Hahahaha! This is killing me. A celebrity gets himself arrested for lockpicking? This is prime headline material!"
"Booking a spot on the trending list. I can see a new star rising."
"Streamer, don't forget us when you make it big!"
"…"
Watching the viewers' teasing comments, Lin Xia's lip twitched involuntarily.
"Celebrity gets arrested lockpicking?" What a load of nonsense.
That might apply to a major star, but for a D-list nobody like him? He had zero heat.
"Alright, brothers, no more lockpicking today. I'm heading home to rest!"
With that, Lin Xia directly ended the live stream, went home, slacked off, and crashed.
Unbeknownst to Lin Xia, while he was sleeping, video after video about him began popping up online.
---
Skywalk Studios
Yang Mi, having finished her day's work, habitually opened a short video app to find some entertainment. After a busy day, scrolling through videos was her way to relax. Sometimes, if she was lucky, she'd even stumble upon some promising talent. Several artists in her company now were ones she'd initially discovered through short videos.
[Celebrity Gets Arrested Lockpicking? Lock Picked in the Morning, Person In by Afternoon?]
Seeing this push notification, Yang Mi instinctively clicked on it. She was curious to see which celebrity in the circle was this… talented. Although, from her perspective, this was most likely just a publicity stunt.
Opening the video, Yang Mi's eyes lit up. "Huh? This young guy isn't bad looking. But… I don't think I've seen him in the circle before?" She knew many people in the industry, but searching her memory several times, she couldn't place Lin Xia's face.
As the video played and she saw the clip of Lin Xia opening the small Luban lock in a second, she couldn't help but exclaim, "This guy is seriously skilled!"
Actually, Yang Mi had watched plenty of similar videos before. She even found those lockpickers quite impressive. How they could open any lock with just a piece of wire or a pin, like magic—it was incredibly cool!
Besides that, Yang Mi also watched all sorts of unique skill performances.
Every trade has its master. Sometimes, an accidental discovery could bring promising talent to Skywalk. This was also part of why Yang Mi had become the boss of Skywalk. While others truly relaxed during downtime, she relaxed while simultaneously scouting for potential assets for the company.
Then, Yang Mi continued watching. The latter part of the video was edited by netizens—the segment at the police station.
"Name!"
"Lin Xia!"
"Registration ID number."
"I don't have one…"
"You don't have one? Then how dare you go around picking locks for people? And charging money?"
"Pffft haha~" Seeing this, Yang Mi could no longer hold back and burst out laughing, holding her stomach. This young guy was just too funny.
At that moment, Dilraba hurriedly ran in from outside, looking flustered.
"Boss! It's baaad!!"
"Huh? Boss, what are you watching? Why are you laughing so happily?" Dilraba asked, confused.
Yang Mi gave Dilraba an unamused glance. "What is it? Why the panic?"
"Oh, right." Dilraba remembered the urgent matter and immediately lowered her head, admitting her mistake. "Boss, I accidentally lost your car keys."
Yang Mi: ????
What??
The car keys again??
Why "again"?
Because Dilraba had already lost one set before. There were two keys originally; now both were lost. This girl was unbelievable!
"I… I was just holding them, but then in the blink of an eye, I don't know where they went," Dilraba explained, her face bright red. She knew full well this wasn't the first time she'd done something like this. Car keys, house keys, dorm keys… It seemed like Dilraba had a grudge against keys. She'd managed to lose every type. The locksmith uncle nearby was practically becoming a regular visitor to Skywalk. Every time he came, he'd always say to Dilraba with a chuckle, "Oh, little girl, lost your keys again?" The scene was so awkward Dilraba wanted to find a hole to crawl into.
"Boss, I'm sorry. You'd better contact the dealership quickly and have them send a new key over," Dilraba said, bowing her head in a sincere apology.
However, Yang Mi didn't respond directly. Instead, she rested her chin on her hand, deep in thought. After a moment, she said to Dilraba, "Rabba, go ask Sister Zhao to find this person's information for me. Get me his phone number."
Dilraba looked at the picture of Lin Xia on Yang Mi's phone, her eyes also lighting up briefly before quickly turning to shock. "Aiyo, Sis Mi, I'm talking about a serious problem here! How can you be in the mood to look for men right now?"
Yang Mi: Look for men??
When was she looking for men??
She just wanted to see this guy's lockpicking skills in person, okay??
"Get out of here! What's going on in that little head of yours? Watch this video, and you'll understand."
Ten minutes later, after Dilraba had also finished watching the video, she was similarly laughing uncontrollably. "Hahaha, this poor guy! He's hilarious! But the netizens say he's a celebrity? How come I've never heard of him?"
"Probably a minor artist signed to some company. That company really doesn't know how to manage him. With this kind of topic heat, these unique skills, plus his looks—they could easily debut him with a bit of packaging."
"Sis Mi, you don't plan to poach him, do you?"
"Not necessarily, but we can make contact and see."
"Oh, okay. I'll go ask Sister Zhao to find his info. I'll have it in front of you within five minutes!"
"…"
---
Meanwhile, in a rental apartment in an ordinary residential complex, Lin Xia was hugging his phone, reading a web novel. He was completely unaware of the viral videos about him online.
Right then, his phone rang again.
Another unknown number.
Who could it be at this hour?
Lin Xia looked puzzled. "It couldn't be a viewer pulling a prank, asking me to open a lock, could it?"
Hesitating for a few seconds, Lin Xia still answered the call.
"Hello? Who's this?"
…
…