People still could not forget that scene, as it was a scene that seemed to freeze time itself. A man whose fatherly love was pure, sincere, and selfless stood before a mirror, staring at his own reflection in a daze. In his eyes flickered a trace of reluctance, a sadness so faint that it was almost imperceptible. At that moment, Yu Ye seemed to have truly torn away a piece of his own heart.
Most viewers thought of Insect Flying.
They thought of the song Under the Sea, of the lonely melody beneath the ocean's surface.
They thought of his carefully crafted lines.
They thought of the moment he altered his voice and spoke as the First Emperor, his tone carrying the majesty of an eagle soaring above the heavens.
Little Shuying was only seven years old. Back then, she was preparing for an audition, so she carried only a few lines with her.
"Proud across the wilderness. You are unworthy of being my enemy. The day I return to this world, all rebellious ministers shall die."
"Within a hundred miles, women and children, young and old, all shall be slaughtered. Fire will consume the land until nothing remains but scorched earth. For ten thousand years, not a blade of grass shall grow."
"This story that began with a sword shall also end with a sword."
At the time, she had spent nearly two months immersing herself in the role. Even outside of practice, she could enter the mindset of the character at any moment.
In the bedroom, she rehearsed repeatedly. Again and again. And yet, voices continued drifting in from the living room.
"Only three lines? Do you really think people will remember you?" Yu Ye's voice was filled with teasing sarcasm.
Little Shuying immediately became annoyed. "What do you know? Those kinds of lines are rare."
Then she heard Yu Ye's deliberately exaggerated voice from outside. "There are so many novels. What? I united the six kingdoms, unified the world, built a Great Wall, suppressed the dragon veins of Kyushu... I am the First Emperor. Future generations shall..."
His mocking imitation was intentionally terrible and Shuying clenched her teeth. She tried to continue rehearsing, but every time she formed the image of the young Ying Zheng in her mind, Yu Ye's ridiculous version shattered it completely. Destroy it. Rebuild it. Destroy it again. Then rebuild it once more. Again and again.
It was as if Ye was deliberately forcing her to overturn every version of Ying Zheng she imagined and create a stronger one each time. An endless cycle of demolition and reconstruction. And with every reconstruction, the image grew more complete. More powerful. More terrifying.
This was progress. Cheng could see it clearly. From beginning to end, Ye had repeatedly forced Shuying to reject her own understanding of the role. Every time she thought she had found the perfect Ying Zheng, he would destroy that image. Then he would make her rebuild it. Each reconstruction pushed the character higher. More arrogant. More domineering. More regal.
Until finally, an image of Ying Zheng emerged that seemed to have stepped directly out of history itself. More importantly, that image became deeply engraved in Little Shuying's mind.
Cheng stared at the replay in disbelief. "Is this really you?"
His voice rose involuntarily. "This is you?!"
He had met Ye several times yet he had never seen this side of him. In his memory, Yu Ye had always been a rundown old man. Stubborn. Weathered. A little sloppy. Someone who appeared completely ordinary. Someone who didn't even speak very well. But now, as the replay continued, he felt his understanding of the man crumble.
The camera showed Ye sitting alone in the living room. There were no reference books around him. No historical materials. No scripts. He was simply writing, yet every stroke seemed filled with power.
On the paper were words that shocked everyone watching.
"I ruled the Six Kingdoms and unified the world. I built the Great Wall and controlled the Dragon Veins of Kyushu. I defended Great Qin and protected my nation. In the name of the First Emperor, I swear this oath!"
"As long as I live, I shall guard our borders, expand our territory, sweep away the barbarians, and establish an eternal foundation for Great Qin!"
"And after death, I shall become a dragon soul, forever blessing this land and ensuring its prosperity!"
"I am the First Emperor. Future generations shall follow. The second generation, the third generation, and countless generations thereafter shall inherit this legacy forever."
Every line Little Shuying had memorized was written there. The handwriting was sharp and elegant. Cold and proud, like unsheathed steel. The page itself felt worthy of being framed and preserved.
Yet after reading it once, Ye merely smiled, then he casually crumpled the paper into a ball. As Little Shuying continued reciting her revised lines, he nodded with satisfaction.
At that moment, countless viewers fell silent. Even at the elective course, Professor Shanzhan found himself speechless. As a professor of history, he had spent decades studying historical figures.
Yet while watching the broadcast, he discovered something astonishing. Ye's understanding of the First Emperor was no less profound than his own, especially his grasp of Ying Zheng's spirit. His ambition. His loneliness. His overwhelming dominance.
Professor Shanzhan sighed deeply. "Someone like this could teach character interpretation at a university."
Then he shook his head. "How could a person like this live an ordinary life?"
He truly could not understand as such brilliance should have illuminated the world. Unless... He had willingly extinguished his own light so that someone else's could shine brighter. Like a candle burning itself away.
The replay continued. Soon, the footage shifted to Little Shuying traveling to Jinling with the production team for the audition. Because she had previously released a song and had become somewhat known online, Director Xuejian personally came to greet her.
At that time, Xuejian was still relatively young. Yet the moment he saw Little Shuying, he froze. Something felt wrong. No. Something felt completely different. This wasn't the soft, adorable little girl who sang gentle songs by the sea, the child before him had changed.
The softness was still there but beneath it lay something far deeper. Her eyes sparkled with an extraordinary light. Her spirit seemed brighter than the sun.
As she slowly walked toward him, it felt as though she had crossed thousands of years of history. One glance. Just one glance. And it felt like ten thousand years had passed.
Xuejian unconsciously muttered, "It feels like... Ying Zheng."
The words escaped before he realized it, then he looked at Little Shuying. "What have you experienced during this time?"
Little Shuying blinked innocently. "Practicing. Preparing for the audition."
Such a simple answer yet it made Xuejian even more certain. This child was a genius. A true genius. Not because of talent alone but because she possessed an indescribable acting tension.
"Good child." Xuejian smiled and took her hand, then he personally led her into the audition room.
Years later, the older Xuejian could only laugh bitterly while watching the replay. Only now did he realize that Little Shuying's transformation had begun long before she arrived. A self-proclaimed father had planted the seeds. He had made her memorize every line. He had forced her to challenge weakness. To reject mediocrity. To reject cowardice.
Again and again, until the cold and majestic voice of Ying Zheng was permanently carved into her heart. So when she returned months later... She was no longer suited for a weak supporting role. She had become something else entirely.
Back in the audition room, the director, assistant director, producers, and even the young director were all present. Under the bright stage lights, Little Shuying wore the black robes of Great Qin. She stood quietly beneath the spotlight.
Then she remembered the voice that had once echoed through the old radio at home. "He walks out of the darkness without ever bowing his head."
Boom! Little Shuying slowly opened her eyes. In an instant, everything changed. A pair of lonely, icy eyes gazed forward. Firm. Resolute. Unyielding.
"He is destined to become king. Therefore, even if no road exists before him, he shall carve one out himself." The familiar voice echoed once more and her aura transformed completely.
She glanced around. No, it was not a glance. It was a ruler surveying the world. Cold. Proud. Untouchable. Like an eagle overlooking the earth from the highest heavens.
Then she spoke and her voice seemed to come from another age. "This era that began with the sword shall also end with the sword!"
Silence. Absolute silence.
The next second, Xuejian shot to his feet. His hands clenched the script so tightly that it nearly tore apart.
"Excellent!" He shouted so loudly that everyone jumped.
The assistant director stared blankly. "But Director... she's auditioning for a supporting role. The First Emperor's daughter..."
"Supporting role?" Xuejian exploded. "Nonsense! Making her play a supporting role would be a crime! This is Ying Zheng! This is the real young emperor! This is exactly how the First Emperor should have looked as a child!"
Without hesitation, he made the decision on the spot and Shuying was signed immediately.
The show contained fifty episodes and Shuying only appeared in the first three. After that, the role transitioned to older actors. Yet when the series finally aired... The internet erupted.
Major forums were flooded with discussions while countless netizens desperately searched for screenshots and wallpapers. Many refused to believe the role had been played by a seven-year-old girl. Because the image left on screen was unforgettable.
Noble. Arrogant. Majestic. As if a young emperor had truly stepped out of history.
And from that moment onward, countless viewers remembered the name Shuying.