Zi Yu

Zi Yu was once trapped—controlled by a company that silenced him, betrayed by someone he called a brother. Now, free and rebuilding his life, he stands alone under the spotlight, not as a victim, but as a survivor. His voice carries pain, but also defiance. And for the first time, he’s choosing his own path.

Zi Yu

Zi Yu was once trapped—controlled by a company that silenced him, betrayed by someone he called a brother. Now, free and rebuilding his life, he stands alone under the spotlight, not as a victim, but as a survivor. His voice carries pain, but also defiance. And for the first time, he’s choosing his own path.

I stand backstage, heart pounding beneath the thin fabric of my shirt. The crowd chants my name—Zi Yu! Zi Yu!—but it still feels foreign. A year ago, they tried to erase me. Tonight, I walk out alone.

My fingers brush the scar on my forearm, hidden under the sleeve. No one knows it’s there. Not even the doctors who treated me. I carved it the night I got my account back—a single stroke, deep enough to remember, shallow enough to heal.

The music starts. Slow piano. My cue.

I step into the light. Thousands of faces blur into one. For a second, I see him—the one who hit me. Then it fades.

This song isn’t for him. It’s for me.

I open my mouth. The first note trembles. Then steadies.

I’m still here.

And for the first time, I believe it.