001

Jiang Huali stood quietly in front of the full-length mirror, looking at herself in the mirror.

She wore a simple black slip dress, her smooth black hair fell over her shoulders, and her eyes were slightly upturned at the corners with a small red mole at the end.

His eyes, however, were calm and indifferent, like a stagnant pool of water, unable to stir up the slightest ripple.

This is her body.

Jiang Huali slipped on her soft slippers and returned to bed. She looked out the window at the misty drizzle and the gray sky for a while before turning her gaze away.

It was quiet all around, with only the soft patter of rain. Jiang Huali rubbed her eyes and said to the air in front of her:

"system?"

[Hello host, would you like to receive the storyline of this world?]

A cold, electronic voice echoed in my mind.

Jiang Huali was somewhat dazed. She had died unexpectedly and was bound to a system that required her to complete designated tasks in three thousand small worlds to obtain corresponding points. When she had enough points, she would be able to get a chance to be reborn.

Jiang Huali touched her wrist, clearing her mind of unnecessary thoughts, and replied, "Yes."

As the words fell, unfamiliar memories began to flood Jiang Huali's mind.

This world is derived from a novel about the entertainment industry.

The novel mainly tells the story of the female protagonist Yun Xin, who goes from being an unknown starlet to becoming a top-tier artist through her own efforts, and falls in love with the male protagonist Gu Huayu, achieving success in both her career and love life. It's a story of face-slapping upgrades.

But all of this has nothing to do with Jiang Huali.

Because she ended up wearing the body of an unnamed background character.

The original owner of the body was named Jiang Huali. She was born in a small village and lost both her parents at a young age. She was raised by her grandmother.

My grandmother passed away when I was seventeen.

After her only relative died, the original owner of this body lost her support and dropped out of school to work in a big city. There, she was approached by someone who claimed to be a talent scout.

It's hard to say whether the original owner was lucky or not, but in a society where nine out of ten talent scouts are scammers, she managed to find a real one.

Thus, the original owner entered the entertainment industry.

After playing minor roles for more than two years, he was lucky enough to be noticed by a famous director because of his outstanding appearance and was cast in a small role in a movie.

It was this role that made the original owner a little bit famous.

But from then on, it seemed that the original owner's luck had been used up.

At the time, another actor in the entertainment industry was about to get that small role through inside connections, but it was intercepted by the original owner who "came to the profession later in life".

The role was chosen by the director, but the director had powerful connections and was unwilling to change the role; no one dared to force him.

In the unpredictable entertainment industry, the original owner of this body had no power or influence, making her the easiest target for suppression.

Then, false and baseless rumors surfaced, she was accused of using her body to get the role, her background was exposed, she had plastic surgery, and countless taunts and insults came crashing down on her. She was quickly suppressed, and the original owner was blacklisted.

Everything came and went quickly, like a fleeting dream.

She signed a ten-year contract with the company, and she couldn't afford the penalty for breach of contract. Being sidelined would undoubtedly be a death sentence for her.

The original owner could only make a living by doing odd jobs.

Five years after being sidelined, the original owner was diagnosed with stomach cancer and eventually died on a cold, windy night.

She was twenty-six years old when she died.

I'll be turning twenty-seven in a month.

People's memories are updated quickly, so no one will pay attention to the original owner's death.

They lacked a strong enough background and the luck to truly stand out.

All I can say is that the original owner's life was a tragic yet ordinary reflection.

After receiving the plot, Jiang Huali let her feet dangle naturally over the edge of the bed, swaying back and forth casually. Her eyelids drooped naturally, and her beautiful face remained expressionless, as if she were lost in thought.

A task panel emitting a shimmering white light appeared before her eyes, and the system's voice rang in her mind once more:

[Dimensional Mission: Return to the entertainment industry and win the Best Actress award.]

Task Points: 1000

Jiang Huali looked at the task, thought for a moment, and asked, "You said before that you were collecting wishes?"

System: [Yes, our goal is to fulfill the wishes of our target in the three thousand minor worlds and collect their power.]

Jiang Huali nodded.

According to the information provided by the system, Yun Xin and Gu Huayu are equivalent to the male and female protagonists in this novel world, with extraordinary luck. Jiang Huali was a little puzzled: "According to what you said, the original owner was just a supporting character in the novel, so why was her wish chosen?"

The system's statement is concise: [Random.]

As long as there is willpower to collect, the Time and Space Bureau doesn't care who the mission target is.

Of course, this is on the premise that the wishes of the person being asked to do the task are not illegal.

"How many missions do I need to complete to come back to life?"

The system paused for a moment, then said uncertainly, "[...Not many, right?]"

Jiang Huali frowned: "Right?"

The system apologized: "The amount of wish power collected for each task varies, and the points earned will naturally differ, so..."

"So you're just making empty promises?" Jiang Huali said casually.

[...]

The system hesitated for a moment before asking: "[Does the host really want to return to their original world?]"

Jiang Huali tilted her head and said matter-of-factly, "Of course, you're all tied to me because I want to live, right? Otherwise, who would work for you?"

She gave a smile that could be described as sweet.

The system considered it for a moment and said: [Host, you can talk to me in your mind.]

She didn't need to talk to thin air. Her behavior was a little frightening to Tong.

Jiang Huali: "I know."

"But there's nobody here now."

...

Jiang Huali got out of bed and muttered, "Your system is so boring."

The system pretended not to hear: [Host, what are you going to do?]

Jiang Huali patted her stomach: "Go buy a pack of instant noodles."

The original owner is twenty-one years old this year, and this is the first year of being sidelined. With the money she had saved from her previous part-time jobs and extra work, as well as the pay she received for playing that famous role, she is not doing too badly at the moment. The company did not arrange accommodation for her, and she lives alone in an old neighborhood.

Jiang Huali noticed many notes on the table about improving acting skills.

It can be seen that the original owner had not lost hope for the future that year.

The refrigerator was empty. Not wanting to starve, Jiang Huali put on her slippers, threw on a light jacket, and decided to go downstairs to the small department store next door to buy some food.

She just checked the original owner's phone; there was still some money inside.

Not many, but enough to live on for a while.

Jiang Huali took a ham sausage, the standard accompaniment to instant noodles, and went to the front desk to pay.

The department store was run by an elderly woman. As she checked out, she muttered, "Autumn is coming, it's going to get cooler."

Jiang Huali did not respond, but just looked at the tree branches outside that were swaying incessantly in the wind.

Fortunately, the old lady didn't care whether there was a response or not, and just kept repeating her random words.

Jiang Huali returned home, prepared the instant noodles, covered them with a lid, but her hands didn't stop. She turned on her phone and dialed the number labeled "Sister Li".

This "Sister Li" is the original owner's agent.

Jiang Huali dialed the number but no one answered. Her expression remained unchanged as she continued dialing.

When I dialed the fifth number, the call was finally answered.

"Hello? Sister Li, this is Jiang Huali."

Jiang Huali knew from the original owner's memories that this agent named Li Huan was very shrewd in his dealings with people. He would never get involved in anything that did not benefit him, but he also did not easily break ties with others.

A woman's voice came through the phone, her tone somewhat perfunctory:

"Oh, it's Hua Li. I was busy with something just now. Is there anything I can help you with? I have to go discuss a film contract later."

Jiang Huali lifted the lid of her instant noodles, seemingly unconcerned about the other person's tone, and uttered words completely at odds with her nonchalant expression:

"Sister Li, it's like this, I saw that Director Chen Mansheng is currently preparing a movie, and I'd like to try out for the role of Jue Li."

After a long silence, Sister Li's voice finally came from the other end:

"About this, there are plenty of people who want to be cast in Director Chen's new movie. I've already told you before that I don't have any extra resources to give you. There are too many people in the industry that you can't afford to offend, and I can't afford to lose my job because of this, right?"

After saying that, the call abruptly ended.

Jiang Huali raised an eyebrow but did not dial the number again.

She put her phone aside, opened the instant noodle lid, and started eating.

It has a Sichuan pepper flavor and is slightly numbing.

The system was puzzled: [Host, given the original owner's current situation, asking others for help is obviously useless.]

Jiang Huali took a sip of instant noodles and said, "I know."

System: [Then why are you doing such pointless work?]

Jiang Huali finished eating, took a tissue from the side to wipe her mouth, and casually sprawled on the sofa. She smiled slightly upon hearing this.

"Of course, I'll let you know in advance."

-

"Mr. Meng, thank you for your investment."

In the reception room sat two men in suits.

The older man, with a round face, was all smiles as he reached out to shake hands with the person opposite him.

Meng Zhiling, the younger one, did not reciprocate the handshake, but simply said:

"No need, I have long admired Director Chen's talent."

The voice was casual, as clear and crisp as water after snow melts.

Chen Mansheng withdrew her hand. The man in front of her was only twenty-seven years old, yet he had already achieved something that was difficult for ordinary people to reach, far ahead of the younger generation.

Chen Mansheng was also surprised that Meng Zhiling would invest in his own film in his personal capacity.

After all, Meng Zhiling's company focuses more on the technology field, and Meng Zhiling himself doesn't seem to care about the entertainment industry. It's unlikely that he wants to squeeze people into the film crew.

"Um, Mr. Meng, there will be casting for the role of Jue Li in 'Above the Clouds' the day after tomorrow afternoon."

Chen Mansheng scratched his head and tentatively said.

"I heard you were interested in this role before. If you are interested, we look forward to your arrival and your suggestions for casting."

"I definitely will if I have time."

Meng Zhiling raised the watch on his wrist. His jawline was sharply defined, and his face was expressionless, giving people a sense of untouchable aloofness.

"Okay, sure."

Chen Mansheng nodded hurriedly. This was a god of wealth, and as long as the people he put in weren't too badly treated, he would try his best to please them.

"That's all for today. My assistant will bring you the details of the contract and agreement later."

After Meng Zhiling finished speaking, he stood up, raised his head slightly, and walked towards the door.

Assistant Liu nodded to Chen Mansheng, and then went out as well.

Chen Mansheng watched the two figures disappear into the distance and sighed.

The film "Above the Clouds" is adapted from the novel of the same name.

It mainly tells the story of how, after the great war in the divine realm, the gods fell and evil arose in the world, and how mortals embarked on a journey to find new hope.

Jue Li, the last god in the world, slept for a thousand years after the war that shattered heaven and earth.

A wisp of her soul unexpectedly drifted to the mortal realm and was reborn as the daughter of the sect leader of the Li Huo Sect.

This character was quite arrogant and domineering in the early stages, and because she was in love with the male lead, she targeted the female lead who was his childhood sweetheart.

But later, during the great war, she died in the battle. Her spirit returned to its rightful place. As the last god in the world, she exhausted her divine power to help the protagonist destroy the evil spirits. In the end, her soul was scattered and returned to the world.

This character has a significant role in the original novel and can be considered the second female lead.

Chen Mansheng has produced many high-quality works and is very particular about casting.

The difficulty of portraying Jue Li lies in the transformation from beginning to end.

If a suitable person cannot be found, accepting a substitute is not unreasonable.

Chen Mansheng looked down and opened her phone. When she saw the new notification that popped up, she suddenly remembered someone.

He waved to his assistant, who was not far away, "Chen Lie, come over and send an email."