"I finally get why you wanted to die."
Inside the office of the Director of the Arts Channel at Xiongxifu Radio Station.
James Reed had just fused with the original host's memories. Staring at Lisa Taylor’s greasy face as she leaned in with that disgusting smirk, he who once mocked this guy’s suicide attempt, suddenly understood everything.
He’d only transmigrated last night. First day on the job, and it’s already a nightmare.
A 48-year-old woman, heavyset, caked in makeup, and his immediate superior, trying to force herself on him... in her office!
How's this supposed to play out?
*Slap!*
James smacked Lisa Taylor across the face.
She clutched her cheek, utterly stunned.
This kid, always shy and submissive, enduring her sleazy touches in silence, now suddenly snapped?
Meanwhile, James was roasting the former owner in his mind. “Man, you’re a Gen Z and still let people walk all over you? Time to clean house in this office.”
He shot Lisa Taylor a cold side-eye. “You know why you’re so ugly?”
She blinked, still in shock. “Why?”
“Because you’ve been living in a fantasy.”
James looked at her with exaggerated disgust. “You think you're the swan and I’m just supposed to throw myself at you? Lady, calling you a toad would be an insult to toads. You’re a dung beetle rolling crap for fun. And now I’m pretty sure all that crap’s replaced your brain.”
“James Reed, are you trying to get yourself fired?” Lisa screamed, pointing at him furiously.
“You threatening me? You’re just a channel director, not the station head. Get outta my face.” James turned, swung the door open, and walked out.
“James, you son of a b—!”
Lisa sat in the office, fuming, eyes filled with rage and malice. “Fine. If I can’t use you up, I’ll ruin you. Let’s see how cocky you are then!”
James snorted. “Took dying once to learn it: being meek and spineless gets you nowhere.”
“The people, the culture, the history here on Sky Sphere are pretty much Earth 2.0. Since I got this second shot, I’m not just living for myself—I’m going to shine. No more hiding behind the scenes. I’m going full superstar.”
“Lisa Taylor? She’s nothing.”
As he strode back to his desk, James felt unstoppable—back straight, head high, every step filled with purpose.
*Ding!*
A voice pinged in his head, making him flinch.
[Received 1 Popularity Point. Popularity System activated!]
[Host can trigger all kinds of emotional reactions from others. Once the emotional fluctuations meet the required threshold, they’ll be converted into Popularity Points. Use them to enter the lottery.]
[Lottery rules: 100 points for D-level chest, 1000 for C-level... up to S-level chest.]
[Generating starter pack… S-level chest awarded.]
[Congrats, Host, you’ve obtained S-level skill: "Vocal Virtuoso."]
James stood frozen at first. Then his eyes lit up.
Now THAT’S what you call a golden ticket!
Wait... did he earn the point by slapping Lisa, or dissing her?
Only one way to find out.
He turned back and pushed the office door open again.
Lisa was slumped in her chair, still breathing heavily from rage. Seeing James poke his head back in, her eyes went wide.James Reed looked at the mess on the floor and chuckled. "Director Taylor, is your husband blind or just plain clueless?"
Lisa Taylor frowned, clearly not following.
He added, “Either way, he’s got problems. I mean, what kind of guy would marry you? And if he did, how is he still alive? Just being near you for one second feels like a punishment!”
"James Reed, I—
bleep——bleep——bleep——
!"
Lisa Taylor shot up, furious, cursing as she grabbed a cup and hurled it at him.
Clang!
The cup shattered against the wall. James had already ducked out the door.
Just as he stepped into the hallway, the system chimed in his mind:
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You've gained 1 Point of Popularity.]
Ha! That explains it.
Call me the real-life Emotion Whisperer.
...
On the Tianqiu continent, James Reed was born in the year 2000—your typical Gen Z guy. At 23, he had graduated from Xiongxi Media University with top grades and decent looks, landing a spot at Xiongxi Broadcasting.
Hardworking and reliable, he put in long hours, but just after becoming a full-time employee, he caught the eye of Lisa Taylor, the new director of the Arts Channel, transferred over from Xiongxi TV.
Though the original James was shy and introverted, his solid upbringing gave him the backbone to resist the unspoken rules of the workplace with silence.
Lisa, seeing that he wasn’t caving in, kept him stuck in the role of assistant anchor, shuffling him onto the midnight show “Starlit Whispers.” Basically, a program where listeners called in to vent their problems, and he had to offer generic encouragement.
Awful time slot, bland content—the show was dead last in ratings and bonuses were a joke.
To make things worse, the main anchor, John Harris, followed Lisa’s lead and constantly made things hard for James, adding even more stress to his already heavy burden. Between the harassment and the pressure, the original James finally broke.
“Bro, rest easy,” James muttered, staring blankly at the ceiling from his workstation. “I’ll take care of your grudges and your duties. I got this.”
“Hey James, can you grab my package from downstairs?” Susan Allen called out after hanging up her phone, as if it was routine.
James eyed her up and down.
“What are you staring at?” she asked, confused.
He scratched his head. “Just wondering why you need me to fetch it—your legs seem to be working fine.”
“You... you...” Susan pointed at him, stunned speechless. The docile James Reed she thought she knew just clapped back at her.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You've gained 1 Point of Popularity.]
...
“James, can you go upstairs and make some copies?” another female coworker handed over a stack of papers.
James picked up some A4 sheets from his desk and handed them over instead. “While you’re at it, mind copying tonight’s script for me?”
“I meant *you* should do it,” she snapped.
“I’m not your dad. Why should I cater to you?” he replied with a smirk.
“You... are you feeling okay today?!”
She stomped away in a huff.
[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You've gained 1 Point of Popularity.]
...
At 7 PM, John Harris, the lead host of “Starlit Whispers,” strolled into the office. As he passed James’ desk, he tossed a line without looking: “James, go order us two coffees. Make sure they're from KebaStar.”