Chapter 1: Acting Is Impossible

Hengdian.

Inside a cheap rental room.

Qi Hui, bare-chested, stood before the yellowed washbasin, staring blankly at his reflection in the mirror.

He touched his face.

Very handsome, with deep, layered features and a rugged countenance, chiseled as if by axe and knife.

Hmm, starved into shape.

Great physique, one meter eighty tall, six-pack abs with sharp edges, pectoral muscles clearly defined.

Hmm, slimmed down into shape.

"Didn't expect to transmigrate..." Qi Hui felt somewhat melancholy, instinctively reached into his pocket, pulled out a pack of Liqun, took out a cigarette, and lit it.

Before transmigrating, he was in civil engineering.

Studied engineering, did technical work, a veritable engineer.

Tongliao, officially employed.

Still remember when he first graduated and started the job; everything was so beautiful.

Exquisitely packaged onboarding kits, an imposing headquarters building, a group of them, clear and foolish university graduates, gathered together full of vigor.

Team building, group meals, attending training, discussing life; everything looked so normal.

However, once training ended and they were assigned to the construction site, everything changed.

Endless reports to write, endless concrete to pour.

Endless nights of staying up, endless bitterness to endure.

Open your eyes in the morning, and you must prepare to pour concrete.

Before closing your eyes at night, your mind is still on the reports.

Getting any sleep was a blessing; pulling all-nighters pouring concrete was a common occurrence.

Once you enter civil engineering, it's as deep as the sea; from then on, the mortal world is a stranger.

Those who started at the same time ran away with their buckets within a few days.

Some went back to take postgraduate entrance exams, some went back to take civil service exams, and others went back to inherit the family business.

Before leaving, they complained endlessly: "Civil engineering? Even a dog wouldn't do it!"

However, Qi Hui didn't run; he gritted his teeth and persisted.

The watershed of life is the amniotic fluid.

Some are born in Rome, while Qi Hui is merely a mule or a horse.

He struggled to graduate, work, and earn money; with not a single coin, how could he go back?

Just like that, he endured for a few years, passed the Second-Class and First-Class Constructor exams, and became a manager.

Learned the ways of the world, and became smooth.

Literally smooth.

His belly rose, his neck disappeared, and the top of his head went bald.

The only thing worth being gratified about was that his salary increased, and he was striving to secure the position of Head of the Engineering Department.

And at home, they introduced him to a Miss, urging him to marry and have children quickly.

Qi Hui accepted an invitation for a blind date, but the girl's conditions were high, and she even looked down on him, calling him a "down-to-earth man" who was clearly ordinary yet overly confident.

At that moment, Qi Hui was so angry he almost slammed a plate onto her face.

Ordinary and confident man?!

I am a decent son of the Republic, with a clean family background and an unblemished lineage!

Placed in the Great Qin, that would be the bold old Qin who swept through the six states, struck north against the Xiongnu, and campaigned south against the Baiyue.

Placed in the Great Han, that would be the second or third son who settled the Central Plains, collected the Western Regions, destroyed the Xiongnu, and pacified the Southern Yue.

Since then, Qi Hui lost all interest in any so-called romantic love stories.

He thought of only one thing:

Make money!

What's the use of envying others? He must take action, get promoted and receive a raise, and become richer than others!

Pure love? Where is pure gold better?

Finally, in 2024, he successfully achieved this in that year.

He obtained the long-desired position of Head of the Engineering Department in the bureau, got promoted and received a raise, with a bright future ahead.

But just as the celebratory banquet ended, on his way home, a dump truck loaded with soil debris struck him from the side.

The last thing in his memory was the sharp honking of the car horn and the blindingly bright car headlights.

When Qi Hui opened his eyes again, he had arrived here, arrived in the Hengdian rental room.

He had become a graduate of the Performance Department at the Beijing Film Academy.

Just like when he first joined the company, equally in the prime of life, equally young and handsome, equally clear and foolish.

Oh... and equally empty-pocketed.

Qi Hui quickly felt the leather wallet in his trouser pocket.

Inside, besides his ID card, there were only a pitiful five one-hundred-yuan Renminbi notes, and some loose change coins.

This was his only savings at present.

"A clear and foolish university student..." Qi Hui shrugged, saying helplessly.

The original owner was a graduate of the 2005 cohort of the Performance Department at the Beijing Film Academy.

On the very day the graduation ceremony ended, he was full of spirit, vowing to become a world-famous superstar like Andy Lau or Jacky Cheung.

But unfortunately, though he was undeniably handsome and had excellent grades, no director wanted him, no film crew wanted him, and not even a single talent agency was willing to sign him.

Graduation meant unemployment, that's what it was.

Yet the original body was unbearably proud, unwilling to beg classmates, and even less willing to beg others.

The original body had a junior student he was very close to, and he had helped that junior student a great deal.

"Can't handle the physical training class?"

"Senior brother is here to tutor you."

"Missing people for the rehearsal?"

"Senior brother is here to act with you."

Over the years, the two developed a very good relationship.

And that junior student's father was a famous director and producer.

With just a bit of pulling strings, landing a role would be a piece of cake.

But the original body, stubbornly clinging to his pride, felt that while at school it was him who took care of the junior student, so after graduation there was no reason whatsoever to ask the junior student for help.

"I, Qi, make friends based on the other person's status..." the original body thought with such stubbornness.

Unfortunately, life slapped the original body in the face; shortly after graduation, he quickly found his expenses exceeding his income, to the point where even eating became a problem.

To make a living, the original body headed south to Hengdian and started working as an extra.

Preparing to rise from being an extra to becoming a Best Actor.

Unfortunately, reality is cruel.

Being an extra is no easy task; waking up early and sleeping late, exposed to wind and sun, enduring beatings every day, being hoisted on wires, and soaking in cold water.

It was hardly any easier than working overnight shifts mixing concrete.

The only thing to be grateful for was that his appearance was better than others' and his education higher than others', so he managed better than the average extra, and before long he had saved a thousand or so yuan.

Rising to become a Best Actor or a superstar was unrealistic, but eating full and saving some money was no problem.

But unforeseen events occurred; a few days ago, the original body got a scene involving water, rolled around in the water for several hours, and returned with a high fever that wouldn't break.

With no other choice, he had to go to a clinic and spend money on treatment.

After a few bottles of saline and several days of medicine, a few hundred yuan were gone.

Not only was the money gone, but the high fever kept recurring.

With a blink and an opening of the eyes, Qi Hui, who had been sent off by a dump truck, arrived.

Gazing at the memories in his mind, flipping through the shriveled wallet in his hand.

Qi Hui took a deep drag on his cigarette, and gloom and discomfort churned along with the smoke:

"I've already worked so hard to earn money, so why am I still so poor?"

Tapping the wallet in his hand, Qi Hui pondered in his mind how to survive next.

"Maybe... go back to mixing concrete?" Qi Hui touched his firm pectoral muscles and his sharply defined abs.

Although mixing concrete would make these long-lost things disappear, making money isn't shameful.

As for acting... there's no way he's acting.

There's no way he'll act in this lifetime.

No background, no resources, what the hell is there to do in the entertainment industry?

"..."

Starting over, Qi Hui tragically discovered he didn't even have the chance to change his way of life.

Knock, knock, knock~

Just then, the door was knocked upon.

Qi Hui extinguished the cigarette in his hand and opened the door.

Outside stood a young, handsome lad, with a touch of youthful innocence on his face, holding a document in his hand.

"Senior brother, long time no see..." Zhang Ruoyun greeted him, then glanced behind Qi Hui and couldn't help but complain:

"Huh? Your room is nice, truly completely visible at a glance."

The bed, the toilet, the showerhead, and the washbasin were all placed together, with no separation facilities in between.

Not only were there no separation facilities, but the entire room was also very small.

"Haha..." Qi Hui let out a dry laugh, about to explain a couple of things.

Ding~

At that moment, a faint sound echoed in his mind.

Qi Hui was slightly stunned, and a phantom panel appeared before his eyes:

【Host has contacted actor Zhang Ruoyun, obtaining one lottery draw opportunity. Shall you draw?】