Transmigrated into a boy group member

“Where is he? Why did it suddenly go quiet?”

“??? Gu Yi?”

“Why did he stop halfway through singing Clear Skies?”

“Did Gu Yi… faint again?”

Gu Yi stared blankly at the scene before him.

Just moments ago, he was having dinner with colleagues. Then, with a single blink, he found himself lying in a hospital room. The walls and ceiling were spotless, a faint scent of disinfectant lingered in the air. The bed beneath him was narrow, and beside it were two more empty beds—white sheets, white covers, the whole place sterile and quiet.

The door suddenly burst open with a loud bang. Before Gu Yi could react, a tall middle-aged man stormed in and started shouting right in his face:

“Gu Yi, are you looking to cause trouble again? Zhu Yu is doing just fine—he even got on that Qingning Channel variety show. And you? You’re back in the hospital every few days! The fans are making a fuss, and the company needs to give them an explanation!”

“If you pull this stunt again, don’t blame me for cutting you off completely!”

After a scathing scolding, the man slammed the door and stormed out, seething with anger.

…

Gu Yi blinked a few times and needed over half an hour just to piece everything together.

He had transmigrated. The person he’d become was also named Gu Yi—a member of the boy group Vic under Xingyao Entertainment. The man who’d just barged in was his agent, Shao Jing, who managed Gu Yi and another seven or eight members of the group.

Gu Yi knew absolutely nothing about the entertainment industry. He had assumed the original Gu Yi had at least some fame as a boy group member. But one online search later, he was stunned to learn that Vic had over 200 members.

Even his undergraduate chemistry class didn’t have that many students!

Out of those 200-plus members, the original Gu Yi was completely invisible—back of the back, what fans called a “perma-back.” He lived on a measly monthly base salary of 2,000 yuan, and his only time trending online was when he fainted from extreme dieting and had to be carried into an ambulance.

This time was almost identical. The original Gu Yi had been doing a live stream, interacting with fans. He hadn’t even finished his song before collapsing mid-performance, scaring the handful of fans watching him live.

Even though his stream usually had only a few dozen viewers, the fact that an idol fainted on stream was enough to cause a stir.

Gu Yi made it to the trending list again—which explained Shao Jing’s rage.

In the entertainment industry, Xingyao Entertainment was a low-tier company barely on the radar. Vic didn’t follow the traditional idol model of training, debuting, and fan-building. Instead, the company let the members fend for themselves. If someone gained popularity, they’d get handed a web drama or a spot on a variety show. While not premium opportunities, it was enough to reach C- or D-list status. As for those who couldn’t gain traction? Off to live streaming they went.

To put it bluntly, across the entire industry, there weren’t even 200 active actors, singers, and idols of this age group combined. Even if all the industry resources were poured into Xingyao, it still wouldn’t be enough to feed one group like Vic.

Xingyao was notorious for its poor treatment of artists. Fans constantly dragged the company’s CEO online to demand accountability. Now that Gu Yi had fainted and landed on the trending page again, the comment section on the company’s official Weibo was flooded with angry fans of Vic’s top members—not that many people were defending Gu Yi. But even so, Shao Jing insisted that Gu Yi should be the one to take the fall.

He managed nine members from Vic. Some, like Zhu Yu, were starting to gain traction in the industry. The rest, while not as successful, had at least built small fanbases and could attend minor events.

Only Gu Yi was losing money for the company.

When he first joined Vic, he had caused quite a stir. Even in a group that large, no one could match his looks. To get him on his roster, Shao Jing had even gone head-to-head with other agents.

But all Gu Yi had was a face. He couldn’t sing or dance to save his life—not that Vic’s top members all relied on talent anyway. The real issue was that he had no personality for the job. He didn’t know how to present himself, was socially distant, and after a few stage appearances, whatever fans he had gained for his looks quickly left.

Then, for some reason, he went off the rails—trying to copy others by going on extreme diets. He turned that once stunning face into something neither human nor ghost. Shao Jing had become the laughingstock among other agents because of it.

If Shao Jing were the boss, he would’ve kicked Gu Yi out long ago. Unfortunately, a big chunk of Xingyao’s income came from breach-of-contract fees. The moment a member couldn’t take it anymore and tried to quit, the finance department would be ready with an invoice. Unless absolutely necessary, Xingyao would never voluntarily terminate a member’s contract.

…

Gu Yi looked at his own hand—thin and claw-like. Then he turned to the mirror and saw a gaunt face, sunken and hollow.

He couldn’t help but shake his head.

Is this really considered attractive? He genuinely didn’t understand the entertainment industry’s beauty standards.

In his past life, he had studied a notoriously difficult major. He worked hard all the way to a PhD and had just secured a teaching position at a university. His career hadn’t even gotten off the ground before fate booted him into the foreign and bewildering world of showbiz.