Chapter 5
Back to last night.
Dai Mengmeng, a loyal customer of Berry Bliss Yogurt, never gets tired of this drink no matter how much she consumes it. Her close friends can’t understand her obsession, but whenever Berry Yogurt releases new packaging, Dai Mengmeng ensures she stocks up on three cases.
She even went the extra mile to follow Berry Bliss Yogurt’s official Weibo account.
Unfortunately, the official account isn’t great at promotions. Their advertisements are bland, and even the sponsored variety shows they participate in are lackluster — shows like Treasure Adventure… Seriously, who watches that kind of show these days? Not Dai Mengmeng, for sure.
At 8 PM that evening, while scrolling through Weibo, a repost from Berry Bliss Yogurt’s official account appeared on Dai Mengmeng’s feed:
“@BerryBlissYogurtOfficial: We’re definitely not shills [facepalm] //@TreasureAdventure: Behind-the-scenes footage for this episode! Any handsome guys or lovely ladies catching your eye? [video]”
Initially, Dai Mengmeng hesitated to click on it.
But the video thumbnail was too intriguing. The featured guy’s looks were off the charts — those eyes, that dimple near the corner of his eye — it was almost illegal. As a visual creature, Dai Mengmeng couldn’t tear her eyes away for a good ten seconds.
However, she quickly regained her composure. She knew this was the usual routine for variety shows: most contestants on Treasure Adventure were internet celebrities. Their heavily filtered photos looked stunning, but once the camera started rolling, the truth emerged. And the intense physical challenges? Those could ruin anyone’s makeup.
Still, despite her expectations of disappointment, Dai Mengmeng couldn’t resist clicking. After all, she was a sucker for handsome faces.
The behind-the-scenes footage lasted six minutes, and the featured guy appeared around the thirty-second mark.
At first glance, Dai Mengmeng was floored.
As a seasoned face-con, she rarely felt this stunned by mere looks. And she could tell — the guy in the video, Wen Xingze, wasn’t wearing makeup, and there were no filters. His natural face was enough to carry him.
He was ridiculously good-looking! Why bother being an internet celebrity when you could skyrocket to fame based on looks alone?
Dai Mengmeng couldn’t tear her eyes away from the screen.
In the video, a crew member asked Wen Xingze, “You’ve been in the industry for five years? Did you take a break due to illness or something?”
“…No,” the guy blushed a little, speaking candidly. “I just lack skills and motivation.”
Dai Mengmeng burst into laughter. It felt so genuine, so relatable. She’d expected the usual sob story, but this guy’s unexpected response hit her funny bone!
Continuing to watch, the video transitioned to an advertisement for her beloved Berry Bliss Yogurt. Wen Xingze enthusiastically gave it a thumbs-up:
“Super delicious! Let’s see what prize I won,” he said, examining the bottle cap. “A romantic seven-day trip to France.”
Seeing the unmistakable “Grand Prize” label on the cap, Dai Mengmeng’s expression mirrored that of the crew members and the cameraman: “???”
As a devoted Berry Bliss Yogurt customer, she knew about the legendary grand prize — a rare occurrence with odds so slim it defied belief. To prove its legitimacy, the company would always promote the winners on their official account…
For a moment, Dai Mengmeng wondered if this was all staged by the show. But then she remembered: both Berry Bliss Yogurt and Treasure Adventure were notorious for being penny-pinching!
If they have spare money, why would they intentionally spend it on something like this? And their promotion is so lackluster? The awards are equally unimpressive?
Moreover, Berry Bliss Yogurt has sponsored more than ten seasons, and there were no grand prizes before. There’s no reason for this season to be special.
But what shocked her even more came next.
— When Wen Xingze and another female contestant were sitting in the waiting area, he gentlemanly unscrewed the bottle cap for her. And guess what? It was the familiar grand prize.
This time, even the director was dumbfounded and turned to discuss it with the assistant.
And Dai Mengmeng? Well…
Could this be the legendary “human koi”? She used to dismiss those promotional human koi as marketing gimmicks, but now she witnessed it firsthand. (Note: human koi = someone who's superrr lucky)
Suddenly, Dai Mengmeng was eagerly anticipating the unaired episode of Treasure Adventure.
She replayed Wen Xingze’s entrance scene in the video several times, still not getting enough. Curious, she searched for Wen Xingze. To her surprise, he was indeed a celebrity — a rather obscure one. Dai Mengmeng had never seen such an obscure artist; his Weibo had only seven followers…
His latest post was from a few hours ago, a fan’s birthday wish with a photo of Wen Xingze riding a beat-up tricycle loaded with old electronics — TVs, refrigerators, and ancient computers.
Yet even in that photo, Wen Xingze’s otherworldly handsomeness remained intact. He blended seamlessly with the background, no forced posing. It was delightfully playful.
Dai Mengmeng couldn’t help but burst into laughter again: “Hahaha!”
She saved the image, added the caption “The harder you work, the luckier you get,” and posted it alongside the behind-the-scenes video from Treasure Adventure.
Dai Mengmeng managed a Weibo account called “Admire Handsome Faces,” where she shared photos of attractive men and women. It had tens of thousands of followers.
This post deviated from her usual style, but the subject of the meme was genuinely handsome. The combination of image and caption was amusing, and it quickly sparked a huge response:
[Hahaha, as long as I pedal my tricycle fast enough, bad luck won’t catch up with me.jpg. Riding a tricycle to collect junk and sell leeks — only seven fans! Is this really a male idol? I’m in love!]
[No way, sir! Does this kind of divine handsomeness really exist?!!]
[As a girlfriend fan, I’m here! We’re not just seven fans anymore. Tonight, we gained a new member — our Dragon Ball team officially upgraded to Eight Immortals Crossing the Sea. Check out our beautiful A’Ze’s candid shot [images]. Collecting junk is just a side gig! Seriously!]
Soon, the meme spread from Weibo to Moments, becoming one of the night’s unexpected trends…
________________________
The next day at 9 AM, in the Shengtian Entertainment conference room:
Wen Xingze had been dragged out of bed by the boss, still half-asleep. He nibbled on half a bun, phone in hand, opening Weibo. He muttered, “Was my account really not hacked?”
For the first time ever, he saw the badge next to “Retweet” and “Comment” hit 99+.
Morning light streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, outlining Wen Xingze’s profile. It had a softness that made hearts flutter.
Undoubtedly, in a parallel universe, the chicken squawking had begun again.
[Marry the Emperor Squad: Good morning, rivals! His Majesty looks so handsome!]
[aushudg: Good morning, but wait, I pulled an all-nighter. I was thinking about where the Cub lives all night… It can’t really be that storage room, right? It can’t be.]
[Strawberry Pudding: I also stayed up all night, heart attack. The Cub is so, so good.]
[Summer Ignorance: I was so angry I couldn’t sleep. I went and bombed the asteroid belt. If it’s really like that, I’ll destroy that universe.]
Fortunately, Cub Raising Program is just a game. If all this were real—
The Emperor living in the basement is real, bad luck and savings are real, and this kind of life has persisted for twenty-four years. They would spare no effort to destroy that universe and snatch the Cub away.
This is the true sentiment of all citizens.
Even though it’s just a game, even though they can’t find a way to travel to parallel universes, countless parents were still too angry to sleep last night.
According to the Universal Alliance report, last night, over a thousand abandoned planets were destroyed by the baseless rage of the citizens of Muse Empire. This even included four asteroid belts. The Universal Alliance entered level four alert mode overnight, almost thinking war was imminent.
This was already a country with outrageously powerful combat abilities, especially when it came to matters related to their emperor — they’d explode over anything.
However, the Universal Alliance never expected them to do something like this because of a game. The game modeled a character after their Emperor, and his life was miserable. But the citizens couldn’t spend money outside of missions. So, they bombed over a thousand desolate planets out of frustration??
It was absurd! Unbelievable!
And the absurdity didn’t end there.
—Last night, using the unique space leap of the Silver Dragons, thousands of giant dragons simultaneously appeared beneath the capital’s Light Tower. This was an armed force capable of destroying an entire galaxy.
The awe-inspiring dragon presence enveloped the surface, even causing abnormal weather — strong winds and sudden rain sweeping across the entire planet.
If any other race had done this, it would be considered a major crime tantamount to rebellion. But no one would doubt the Dragon Clan. Because just ten years ago, all the dragons pledged loyalty by offering their heart scales to the Emperor.
It was equivalent to entrusting their lives to the Emperor.
And indeed, that’s what happened. Their sudden arrival in the capital wasn’t for rebellion. It was for... intimidation.
Intimidating the Light Tower.
The crystal core, which supplied the main energy for the Light Tower, was firmly under the dragons' claws. They took this opportunity to present three conditions to the Light Tower. The other two remained unknown, but one of the conditions was to modify the lottery ticket success rate to 100%.
Moreover, today’s spending limit of ten million star coins was almost depleted, all spent by the dragons, and no one knew what they used it for.
At 7 PM last night, right after choosing to participate in the lottery, the system issued two notifications:
“Ding! The lottery system has been successfully activated. Congratulations, player, for triggering a 100% fate-changing opportunity for the Cub. No other prizes will be awarded this time.”
“The Dragon Clan filter has been activated! Current level: lv1 (Milk Dragon Roar).”
The reward received from the beginner’s mission, “Filter *1,” was directly fixed as the Dragon Clan filter. It might have been random, or perhaps influenced by the event.
Although this was overall a good thing, it still stirred jealousy and comparison among some citizens.
The Emperor activated their own clan’s filter, as if he belonged to them.
What an honor.
________________________
When Wen Xingze finished devouring the entire bun, the conference room door finally opened.
A woman in silver-gray professional attire walked in briskly. She had wavy curls and delicate makeup. Talking on the phone as she walked, her brow furrowed, her voice cold: “Yes, it’s me. When is that audition scheduled… Don’t give me the runaround.”
She nodded at Wen Xingze, a form of greeting.
On his way here, Wen Xingze had already been briefed.
Jiang Ye. One of Shengtian’s top agents.
Honestly, Wen Xingze was surprised. It was already miraculous that a big company like Shengtian was willing to acquire Daomei. But how did Jiang Ye end up being assigned to manage him? It was beyond comprehension.
Buzz.
Before Jiang Ye entered the room, Wen Xingze had already silenced his phone to avoid disturbances. However, at this moment, the screen of the phone lying on the desk suddenly lit up.
Someone had sent him a text message, and the preview looked all too familiar:
[Light Tower Logistics: Mr. Wen, greetings! The private plane reserved by the Dragon Clan parents for you is about to arrive. Please…]
No way, these scam messages were too much.
Light Tower Logistics? Dragon Clan? What nonsense. Wen Xingze didn’t pick up the phone; he merely glanced at it and turned the screen face-down.
By now, Jiang Ye’s phone call was coming to an end. Since she entered the room, her gaze had been fixed on Wen Xingze, assessing him while she continued her conversation.
Her direct gaze carried evident judgment.
“…That’s it for now. I have other matters; I’ll call you back later.” After saying this, she casually placed her phone on the table, sat up straight, and suddenly asked Wen Xingze, “Do you like Chi Yan?”
Wen Xingze admitted, “Yes.” She must have seen the lock screen on his phone.
Jiang Ye nodded and added, “Hmm, he holds 39% of Shengtian’s shares. You can look forward to that.” Then she changed the topic, “Did you create your resume yourself? Not acceptable. Your photo doesn’t even capture one-tenth of your actual appearance. We’ll arrange a photoshoot for you this week.”
Wen Xingze was the only actor Jiang Ye had seen whose resume directly featured an ID photo. And it was probably taken during the college entrance exams—free and so blurry that his face was barely recognizable. Before meeting Wen Xingze in person, Jiang Ye hadn’t held high expectations for him.
However, at this moment, she was genuinely surprised, even if she didn’t show it on her face.
Of course, it wasn’t just because of Wen Xingze’s looks.
This kid had talent.
Jiang Ye was the kind of no-nonsense agent who said what she meant. Wen Xingze listened quietly, and then replied, “Okay.”
Honestly, he was a bit bewildered.
Chi Yan had 49% of Shengtian’s shares? That Chi Yan? What was there to look forward to? What did she mean?
Could she please be clearer?
“Don’t worry, I don’t eat people,” Jiang Ye said, noticing Wen Xingze’s bewildered expression. She softened her tone, “Who was your previous agent?”
Wen Xingze answered, “You might not know him. His name is Wu Youjin.”
Jiang Ye chuckled, “Oh, him.”
“Oh?” Wen Xingze suspected she was mocking Wu Youjin.
Jiang Ye didn’t mince words, “I’ll be direct. Your previous agent got terrible job offers for you. You’ve taken many detours, and these past five years have been unproductive.”
She flipped through Wen Xingze’s resume, unable to find anything remotely impressive.
Buried completely.
Several coincidences led to Wen Xingze sitting here now, and Jiang Ye didn’t bother digging deeper into the reasons. Since she had taken over, she wouldn’t let Wen Xingze repeat past mistakes.
“…,” Wen Xingze was taken aback by her straightforwardness.
“I’m strict, so be mentally prepared,” Jiang Ye continued, pushing a script toward him. “Enough chitchat. Take a look at this.”
The script was titled "Encounter with the Dragon," a fantasy drama currently in pre-production . The director’s previous idol drama had been a hit throughout the summer season. The male and female leads for Encounter with the Dragon were already confirmed — both well-known and talented.
Although it was just an audition opportunity, Wen Xingze had never expected to qualify for such a notice.
Encounter with the Dragon is also an important drama in the original book. Xu Baijing played a significant supporting role in it. His performance wasn’t outstanding, but his chemistry with the male lead in the play successfully gained a large following of fans who shipped their characters.
Wen Xingze flipped to the first page, and the weariness that had been evident earlier vanished. With unprecedented seriousness, he began reading.
As he read, Jiang Ye sat across from him, her gaze unwavering.
Wen Xingze’s pupils were slightly lighter in color than usual. When facing the light, they took on a beautiful, pale golden hue, somewhat reminiscent of a mixed heritage. His appearance didn’t fit the typical internet celebrity mold. When he wasn't smiling, he exuded a hint of weariness and detachment. His overall demeanor was… impressive.
In simpler terms, he looked sophisticated, versatile, and could be both salty and sweet.
And perhaps it was an illusion, but whenever Jiang Ye saw him, she couldn’t help but associate him with a creature that existed only in fantasy.
—Dragons.
It was truly peculiar.
“I have a feeling you’ll be well-suited for this role.”
Jiang Ye patiently waited for Wen Xingze to finish reading the script before smiling.
She still held another script in her hand but didn’t rush to hand it over to him.
The cover of that script bore only two words:
One Day.
Wen Xingze widened his eyes.
This was the debut film directed by Chi Yan, and it had a same-sex theme. In the original book, Chi Yan himself didn’t appear in it. However, as his directorial debut, One Day had received critical acclaim. Although there were regrets, the flaws didn’t overshadow its brilliance.
For the first time, before Jiang Ye spoke, Wen Xingze preemptively asked, “Do you want me to choose?”
Jiang Ye countered, “What if I said yes?”
One Day and Encounter with the Dragon — for Wen Xingze, who had stumbled through life for years, these two opportunities were like a famished person suddenly getting presented with a lavish banquet and a fast-food combo in the desert.
Of course, he couldn’t just take them at will. Considering the destiny bestowed upon him by this book, the most likely outcome was that both would remain elusive dreams.
Before, he never had a choice.
Wen Xingze fell silent for a few seconds and then said, “Only children make choices.”
He wanted it all.
Jiang Ye responded with an intrigued “Oh,” raising her eyebrows:
“I didn’t realize you were so ambitious.”
Ambition wasn’t a derogatory term. Personally, Jiang Ye liked artists with ambition.
Like the look in Wen Xingze’s eyes right now — that, she liked.
In the main storyline progress of Cub Raising Program, the popularity value had already reached the target of one thousand, and the “favor of industry seniors” had just become (1/2) in that very second.
Wen Xingze’s reply was, “Because you haven’t been as clueless as I have.”
Surprisingly, Jiang Ye didn’t take offense. She asked in return, “How clueless were you?”
Wen Xingze replied, “My mom didn’t even know I’d acted in any films. She thought I was involved in a pyramid scheme here.”
Jiang Ye quipped, “…” That was quite clueless.
________________________
At eleven in the morning, as Wen Xingze exited the conference room, he received another strange scam message, albeit with a different subject:
[Manli Hotel: Dear Mr. Wen, hello! Your exclusive private plane has already arrived at its destination. Please proceed to parking spot 3 at the Manli Hotel. The Dragon Clan and other parents have booked the space exclusively for you. Please don't worry about security issues.]
Wen Xingze wondered: What did they mean by Dragon Clan? And this wasn’t a game. Was it some kind of code name?
When it came to the Manli Hotel, he could only think of one — the five-star hotel nearby. He remembered that the protagonist, Xu Baijing, loved going there because one of his wealthy dads had shares in the Manli Hotel.
But from what he recalled, not even Xu Baijing had ever booked the entire Manli Hotel.
The elevator’s arrival chime sounded, and Wen Xingze temporarily pushed the matter aside, stepping inside.
“Ding—”
Someone pressed the button outside, causing the closing doors to reopen. A man entered.
“Sorry,” he said.
Wen Xingze was already tall, yet this man was even taller, casting a shadow over him.
In his peripheral vision, Wen Xingze noticed the man’s slightly aloof eyes. Their shape was unusually attractive — deep-set, with a rich yet cool ink color.
His eyes resembled distant mountain snow.
For some inexplicable reason, Wen Xingze thought of this metaphor.
…These eyes were too familiar. With just one glance, Wen Xingze recognized them, although this was the first time he saw them without a screen separating them.
So, this was what Jiang Ye meant by “look forward to it.”
From Wen Xingze’s perspective, he could see faint dark circles under the man’s eyes. Had he been pulling all-nighters? Was it related to casting for One Day, or perhaps jet lag?
The man glanced at Wen Xingze, then returned his gaze to his phone screen, seemingly uninterested.
Wen Xingze: “…”
What should he do when he was sharing an elevator with his idol? Anxiously waiting online!
The elevator doors began to close again.
But just as they were about to shut completely, urgent footsteps echoed from outside. A chubby man rushed toward the elevator, his face twisted in anger.
He reached for the buttons, teeth clenched, and said, “Chi Yan! I’m begging you. I finally made it to the company. Can’t you give me some face? Is your damn limited-time game mission more important than work?”
“If you stay up all night playing Love Nikki - Dress Up Queen, you’ll drop dead for real!!!”
Chi Yan: “…”
Wen Xingze: “…”
Chi Yan stayed up playing Love Nikki - Dress Up Queen?
Had he overheard something he shouldn’t have?
The scene felt incredibly awkward to Wen Xingze. What should he do?
In the next second, Chi Yan unexpectedly reached out and pressed the door-close button. Then he hesitated and pressed it three more times.
Chubby man: “You—”
The elevator doors closed completely, leaving the chubby man in shock and disbelief.
An even more awkward silence filled the elevator.
After a while.
Chi Yan’s gaze remained on his phone. His voice turned icy as he explained, “I’m a bit pressed for time.”
Wen Xingze: “I understand.”
“…And it’s not because of Love Nikki - Dress Up Queen,” Chi Yan added.
Wen Xingze gave him an understanding look. “You don’t need to explain. I really get it.”
Chi Yan: “?”
________________________
Author’s note:
A certain unnamed film emperor: It’s Chi Yan from Love Nikki - Dress Up Queen.
Just to clarify and prevent wild guesses, the seme is not from Muse Empire, but he’s also one of the parents.
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