Chapter 30: Brilliant Star Path
In the city of H.
The first rays of morning sunshine illuminated the tallest skyscraper in the city center, Jin Mao Tower, marking the dawn in what’s known as the “City of Entertainment.”
The soft light gleamed on a billboard at the very top of a shopping building, reflecting a stunning golden hue. The light gradually descended from the top of the billboard, slowly revealing the model featured on it.
Thick hair, striking eyebrows, a prominent nose, light thin lips.
And a beauty mark by the corner of his eye, his characteristic tear mole.
Dressed in the latest high-end brand trench coat, his tall, superior figure was highlighted, and his long, straight legs looked as if they were about to step right out of the billboard.
Beside his hand was a flamboyantly inscribed golden-autograph—
An Ye.
In the month that the billboard was displayed in the city center, countless people paused and looked up as they passed by, admiring his handsome visage and god-like cachet from high above.
Even standing there expressionless, this billboard had made countless sales for this trench coat, making it the hot-selling item across the whole country last winter.
For a high-priced, high-end brand, this was nothing short of a miracle in the industry.
"Hurry up and take down the poster, it's bad luck!" commanded a worker wearing a safety helmet on the rooftop, "You've got ten minutes to change it into something else. Otherwise, if the supervisor sees, you'll lose all your wages!"
Right after the Spring Festival, this gigantic billboard had fulfilled its mission.
The reason was straightforward: An Ye was out of favor.
Not just out of favor, but fully washed-up. He was now like a rat that everyone wanted to avoid on the street.
A post on Weibo summarized it well: As fast as An Ye rose to fame, he fell out of it just as quickly.
Two years earlier, An Ye had become a national idol within a month thanks to an idol drama. His first endorsement was for an international brand, something other newcomers could only dream of. After that, An Ye's career was smooth sailing, making him one of Xing Entertainment's top pillars.
However, just a month ago, An Ye was exposed by paparazzi for having a private meeting with a married actress. At first, Xing's PR department firmly denied the allegations, but with the leakage of various raunchy photos, the massive wave of criticism instantly destroyed this idol's star career.
The taste of going from heaven to hell made An Ye miserable, and he felt like he was living on the edge of a knife every day.
On the twenty-eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, An Ye, who was only 21 years old, chose to commit suicide in the bathtub at home.
Meanwhile, thousands of kilometers away from City H, a minor celebrity named Lin Yunan tragically died in a car accident.
"So, you're saying that this is a story in showbiz about rebirth," Cheng Xuyuan, fittingly dressed in a formal black suit, drove into the car park of Xing Entertainment. "And I’m supposedly the manager of the main character?"
The system calmly answered, "Exactly. In the world of 'Starry Path', your mission is to help the reincarnated Lin Yinan, now known as An Ye, become a superstar."
Cheng Xuyuan asked in confusion, "But, how can I, as just a manager, be considered an advantage?"
"Because you're not an ordinary manager." The system patiently responded, "In this world, your name is Zhou Yuanzhe, a legendary figure in Xing Entertainment. Not only do you have unimaginably vast connections, but you're also incredibly decisive. There isn't an artist Zhou Yuanzhe can't make famous in this world."
"I see," Cheng Xuyuan said as he opened the car door, "which means my contribution is essential to An Ye's rise to fame."
"Correct."
As Cheng Xuyuan exited the vehicle, closing the door behind him, the system's voice traditionally echoed in the moment.
"The mission in the world of 'Brilliant Star Path' officially begins. Survival difficulty: Two stars. Countdown: One and a half years."
Cheng Xuyuan adjusted his mentality and walked into Xing Entertainment's main entrance with relaxed steps.
"Hello, Brother Yuan."
"Brother Yuan, you look great today."
"Brother Yuan, your suit looks fantastic."
As soon as he walked through the revolving door of the company, countless staff members greeted Zhou Yuanzhe. They were used to addressing Zhou Yuanzhe as "Brother Yuan," and since Cheng Xuyuan also had a "Yuan" in his name, he happily accepted their greetings, taking it as respect for himself.
Judging from everyone's friendly attitude, Zhou Yuanzhe had an incredibly high position within the company.
At the same time, Cheng Xuyuan noticed a very peculiar detail. He asked the system, "Why do I feel… that the employees in this company are all exceedingly attractive? But their attire doesn't indicate they are artists…"
"That's because the president of Xing Entertainment is famously eccentric," the system's voice echoed in his mind. "His criterion for hiring employees is: appearance first, ability second. Initially, Zhou Yuanzhe was chosen to be a manager based on his looks, and only later did he gradually display his abilities."
Cheng Xuyuan's mouth twitched, finding the president truly unique.
As he pushed open the office door, he saw a minimalist Nordic-style décor, revealing that the character setting of Zhou Yuanzhe had excellent taste.
It has always been the case that the artist management department does not assign individual offices for managers, but Zhou Yuanzhe was an exception. The reason behind this was as the system previously mentioned: whoever he promoted became famous without failure, generating massive profits for Xing Entertainment.
Originally, An Ye was one of Zhou Yuanzhe's artists, and making him famous was among Zhou Yuanzhe's achievements. A year ago, dissatisfied with Zhou Yuanzhe's aggressive marketing tactics, An Ye requested the company to change his manager.
At the time, Zhou Yuanzhe agreed readily. Clearly, after leaving Zhou Yuanzhe, An Ye, despite still being popular, lost the previous level of nationwide appeal.
It can be said that with Zhou Yuanzhe's help, resolving the scandal of An Ye's private meeting with the actress would not be difficult at all.
Sitting down in the office's leather swivel chair, Cheng Xuyuan went through the knowledge database in his mind, becoming familiar with the work style of a celebrity manager and began handling paperwork.
During this time, several popular celebrities under his management sent him messages on WeChat to say hello, and he patiently replied with "Good morning" while also sending them their work schedules for the New Year.
This surprised the celebrities quite a bit — usually, Zhou Yuanzhe was an iceberg that would only send messages like "Hmm", "Hehe", and "Come to my office"! His cold demeanor could only be surpassed by President Xiang!
"By my estimation, the male protagonist An Ye will come to see you shortly," the system reminded Cheng Xuyuan, "Here, I need to remind you to keep the plug-in rules in mind: First, when the protagonist is in danger, you need to…"
"Enough, enough," Cheng Xuyuan rolled his eyes, "The protagonist never encounters danger, I'm the one who faces danger. Sometimes, the protagonist is the most dangerous."
Thinking of his previous miserable experiences, Cheng Xuyuan sighed. Suddenly, a thought came to him, and he asked, "Who is the female protagonist in this world?"
The system hesitated for a moment before answering, "This is a love story from Jinjiang Literature City (Note: jjwxc), and there is no female protagonist."
"What?!" Cheng Xuyuan's pen dropped onto the table, his eyes as wide as copper bells.
"The original setting of 'Brilliant Star Path' was a strong dominant and a strong submissive, with the CP being Xiang Boyan x An Ye," the system didn't care whether Cheng Xuyuan was listening or not, it just continued to provide him with terrifying information. "In this world, An Ye is utterly popular. After Zhou Yuanzhe helped resurrected An Ye regain popularity, he also fell in love with him."
Cheng Xuyuan quickly denied the situation with a triple response: "I refuse! I can't do it! I can't possibly fall in love with him!"
The system went on: "In the end, Zhou Yuanzhe falls in love with An Ye and tries to drug his drink and elope with him. Xiang Boyan discovers the plan in time and as a result, Zhou Yuanzhe gets one of his hands chopped off and is left to fend for himself on a deserted island."
Cheng Xuyuan shrieked like a mole, "Ah — just kill me with one stab! What kind of twisted plot is this?!"
As Cheng Xuyuan angrily protested to the system, the office door was pushed open.
Entering the room was a stunningly attractive young man with broad shoulders, long legs, a perfect body and exceptional looks.
After his rebirth, An Ye's demeanor changed significantly. He shifted from a docile sheep-like image to a mysteriously sophisticated figure.
He locked the door behind him, turned, and looked straight at Zhou Yuanzhe, who was sitting behind his office desk.
Zhou Yuanzhe, noticeably startled, raised an eyebrow and asked him, "An Ye...? What are you doing here?"
An Ye walked directly towards him.
He was dressed simply in a white shirt paired with light-colored jeans. There was no makeup, no scent of cologne, yet his charisma was markedly elevated. In his previous life, Lin Yunan was a highly skilled method actor, however, in a cruel twist of fate, he died in a car accident before his big break.
This life, given such a rare body by the heavens, he certainly intended to fulfill his dream of becoming a superstar.
The start of this dream to become a superstar had to begin with Zhou Yuanzhe.
An Ye was very smart. After his rebirth, he carefully gathered information regarding Zhou Yuanzhe and arrived at a bombshell conclusion: Zhou Yuanzhe liked men.
Thus, in his new life, An Ye chose to seduce Zhou Yuanzhe from the very start to demonstrate his allure.
Cheng Xuyuan was not aware of this detail. He assumed that the other party had come seeking his help and so he put on an aloof facade, calmly watching him approach.
However, the scene that unfolded next nearly made Cheng Xuyuan's eyes pop out.
An Ye slightly curved his lips. His slender and fair fingers slowly moved to the buttons of his shirt and methodically unbuttoned it from top to bottom, revealing his clavicle, chest muscles, and abs.
His shirt was completely open. His superb physique and fair skin nearly made Cheng Xuyuan scream out loud - just what on earth did this kid want to do?!
An Ye was quite satisfied with the surprise in Zhou Yuanzhe’s eyes, it at least proved that the latter was interested in him.
Feeling confident, An Ye took a step further, placing his hands on the desktop of the office desk. His handsome amber eyes bore straight into Zhou Yuanzhe's face.
"Do you want to consider me again?" An Ye slowly began, his voice enticing and compelling, "I promise that this time, you won't be disappointed."
Cheng Xuyuan was dumbfounded. He opened his mouth, but no words came out.
An Ye looked at the other party's silly appearance and thought to himself that Xing Entertainment's ace agent didn't seem to be as elusive as he thought.
So, daringly, he reached out his hand and lifted Zhou Yuanzhe's chin, reciting the classic lines from the original work word by word.
"Brother Yuan, I'm different from those good-looking yet uncharismatic stars."
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