The group moved forward quickly. Business was unusually good today. The Zhang couple were making rice cakes inside, while Jian Xingsui was helping out outside, doing things like collecting payments. At first, he didn't know how to do it and was a bit flustered, but after learning for a while, his movements became much smoother. Although he couldn't compare to any professional, he was still quite organized when dealing with customers.

Amidst the cacophony of voices around him, as he busied himself making change and preparing pastries for others, the next person in the line was approached. A slightly deep male voice rang out above him: "Hello, two servings of glutinous rice cakes to go, and one of your signature set meals."

Jian Xingsui froze.

Some familiar voices entered his ears. It was an ordinary afternoon, but Jian Xingsui's heart suddenly skipped a beat. He looked up abruptly and saw a person in front of him wearing a brown coat, sunglasses, and a mask. Even though he couldn't see the face clearly, his hands began to tremble uncontrollably, and even his breathing became tight. If you've been a fan of someone for many years, you can recognize their identity just by their voice.

Zhang Xia's voice came from behind: "Sui Sui, this dumpling is ready."

Jian Xingsui quickly snapped out of her daze and said to the customer, "Okay, please wait a moment."

His mind was in turmoil. The noise around him, coupled with the woman's interruptions, made his initially resolute heart waver. Why would Actor Fu come to a place like this? It was impossible even for a fool. There might be two people in this world with very similar voices. Besides, how could a villainous cannon fodder like himself possibly have the good fortune of the protagonist?

Stay calm and don't panic; that's definitely not going to happen.

Zhang Xia placed the prepared meal on a tray, and Jian Xingsui packed it up and handed it to Fu Jinxiao. He was much calmer, so he said, "Hello, the total is 67 yuan. Would you like to pay in cash or by scanning a QR code?"

Fu Jinxiao: "Cash."

The man took out his wallet from his pocket. It was a pure black wallet, the brand was indistinguishable, and the style was classic. There were neatly arranged cards inside. He took out a hundred-yuan bill and handed it to Jian Xingsui. His slender fingers were fair and clean, and there was a strange sense of familiarity about them, which made Jian Xingsui momentarily lost in thought.

Fu Jinxiao raised an eyebrow, her gaze falling on him as she asked, "What's wrong?"

Jian Xingsui quickly snapped out of her daze, even blushing with embarrassment.

He was staring blankly at a stranger's hand! That's utterly indecent behavior, so embarrassing!

"No, it's nothing!" Jian Xingsui hurriedly put away the money. He opened the cash register and started taking out the bills to make change. Because of the movement, his sleeve slipped down, revealing a wound that had not yet fully healed, but he did not notice. He handed the change to Fu Jinxiao: "Here's your change."

Fu Jinxiao nodded calmly: "Thank you."

The man glanced at his change, took out a twenty-yuan note and handed it to Jian Xingsui, saying, "You gave me too much change, just give me a ten-yuan note."

I was so flustered that I even gave the wrong change!

Jian Xingsui felt so embarrassed that he didn't know where to put his face. He quickly took the money and bowed, saying, "I'm sorry."

The Zhang couple behind them cast inquiring glances. Jian Xingsui quickly found a ten-yuan note and handed it to Fu Jinxiao, adding a casual reminder: "Try not to eat too many of the two portions of dumplings you packed for dinner, as they are not easy to digest. If you can't finish them, you can freeze them in the refrigerator."

Fu Jinxiao took the change: "Thank you for reminding me."

Jian Xingsui's heart was still in turmoil. She wanted to be sure but dared not be sure. In the middle of summer, she was suffering from both extremes of heat and cold. What should she do? What should she do? The person was leaving. The person was leaving.

Just as he was starting to panic, a voice came from above: "Then let me give you a heads-up too."

Jian Xingsui was taken aback and looked up in surprise.

A tall man stood across the counter, picked up the items, and said in a slow, deliberate voice, "If you're injured, you should take good care of your wounds. It's hot, and they're prone to getting infected."

Jian Xingsui froze on the spot. The wound on his arm hadn't fully healed because it hadn't been properly treated. However, after spending several days together, the Zhang couple had ignored it, but the man in front of him, whom he had just met, had noticed it. This feeling was strange, and a warm feeling welled up in his heart. Upon closer inspection, he discovered that there was actually a band-aid on the counter.

He put it there.

For some reason, Jian Xingsui cast aside all his hesitation at that moment, and said to the departing figure, "Thank you!"

Picking up the band-aid, it was still warm, as if the man's body heat still lingered. It might be his idol, it might be him. If she missed this opportunity, she might never see him again. Jian Xingsui mustered her courage and looked at him, saying, "May I know who you are? Next time... I'll thank you properly."

The man stopped and turned around: "It was nothing."

Strangely, even though his face wasn't fully visible, Jian Xingsui's heart still pounded erratically as he stood in the sunlight. The tall man exuded an air of elegance, and he smiled, "As for who I am..."

Jian Xingsui met his gaze, and saw the man wave at him, his tone seemingly containing a hint of teasing laughter, yet it touched his heart deeply: "Just a passerby."

...

evening

The shop closed for the day, and Jian Xingsui returned to her room.

He sat on the edge of the bed, still recalling what happened that afternoon. He really couldn't mistake Fu Jinxiao's voice. No matter how much he told himself it was impossible, he still felt that the person must be Fu Jinxiao. If it were someone else, they would be so well disguised that it wouldn't be possible to be sure just by hearing a voice. But he was no ordinary person; he had been a fan of Fu Jinxiao for ten years.

Fu Yingdi debuted as a singer at the age of nineteen, while Jian Xingsui was only fifteen. After hearing his singing on a street corner by chance, he became obsessed and pursued him silently for countless years. He witnessed Fu Jinxiao's rise from obscurity to fame and fortune, from being envied and criticized online, to losing fans and turning against him, to finally becoming a star and ascending to godhood. Throughout this time, he never left.

Is it really him...?

Jian Xingsui held the band-aid in her hand, reluctant to use it, and stared at it intently, turning it over and over.

Recalling the happy ending in the original novel where Actor Fu and Jian Anran finally became a couple, his heart ached. According to the laws of the world, could even a villainous cannon fodder character have such an opportunity? Lost in thought, Jian Xingsui suddenly froze, remembering a plot point—

According to the plot of the previous life, because he clung to her and refused to leave home, An Ran was still living in the rice cake shop. That means that the people who should have met this afternoon were An Ran and Fu Jinxiao!

Because I was reborn and made different choices, the butterfly effect, with just a slight flap of its wings, has led to the current situation.

Jian Xingsui lay down on the bed and let out a long sigh: "No way..."

"Ring ring ring"

A cell phone rang.

Jian Xingsui answered the phone, only to find it was his agent whom he hadn't contacted in ages. Yes, he had also been signed to an entertainment company, but he was still just an ordinary person. This was partly because he had just graduated, and partly because he had been focused on his battles with An Ran and hadn't really thought about doing business properly.

The agent said, "Xiao Sui, how have you been lately? I've heard about what happened to you. Life is unpredictable, so don't overthink it."

"Brother Wang," Jian Xingsui said honestly, "Don't worry, I'm fine."

The agent breathed a sigh of relief and said, "It's good that you're alright. I have a talent show running right now, which has invited over a hundred ordinary people to participate and eventually form a group to debut. I think it would be quite suitable for you. Do you want to participate?"

Jian Xingsui remembered the show; he also remembered a talent show from his past life, so he asked, "Is it that 'Starlight'?"

Agent Wang was shocked: "How did you know?"

Jian Xingsui couldn't explain, and could only say, "I've only heard a little about it, and I don't know the details."

Brother Wang, holding the phone, said, "This is a good opportunity. It will give you more exposure and allow you to showcase your talents. If you're lucky, you can debut as part of a group, and then your future will be limitless."

Jian Xingsui knew that it was impossible for her to debut as part of a group.

In her previous life, the protagonist An Ran became a sensation through this variety show and eventually debuted as the center of attention. The heavyweight mentor invited by this variety show was none other than Fu Jinxiao, the current top-tier actor. This was an indispensable plot point in the novel where the protagonist and actor Fu developed a relationship. However, in her previous life, she did not participate because she had just been kicked out of her home and was feeling sorry for herself in a hotel with a check in her hand.

Brother Wang asked him, "So, are you going or not?"

Jian Xingsui hesitated for a moment: "I'll think about it."

Of course he wanted to go; if he went, he might be able to meet his idol. Besides, being unemployed and without income wasn't a solution. But he didn't want to have anything to do with An Ran or the Jian family anymore. His death in his previous life seemed vivid in his mind. Going against the protagonist never ends well. Now he just wanted to stay far away from An Ran and never see her again in this lifetime.

Brother Wang sighed: "Then think it over in the next couple of days and call me when you've made up your mind."

Jian Xingsui responded.

The phone call had barely ended when there was a knock on the door.

Jian Xingsui sat up: "Please come in."

Zhang Xia opened the door and said, "Sui Sui, come down for dinner."

Jian Xingsui responded and followed him downstairs. He was still living in this small study. The problem was that there was no air conditioning in the study, only an electric fan. It was very hot in the summer. Fortunately, the air conditioning was on downstairs, so it was much cooler.

Zhang Xia served him a bowl of noodles: "Sui Sui, is this enough?"

Jian Xingsui said, "That's enough."

Instead of sitting down to eat, he went into the inner room and got chopsticks and a bowl to help.

After Zhang Xiangyang closed the outer door and came in to eat, everyone sat down at the table to eat. These past few days, Jian Xingsui had been coming over to help in the afternoons and eating dinner with them every night.

Zhang Xia said, "I counted today, and we sold more than a thousand copies."

Zhang Xiangyang nodded and said, "Business is definitely better on weekends now."

“I roughly calculated the quantity and ingredients of the rice dumplings and other pastries, and we probably made a little over two thousand today.” Zhang Xia is a very shrewd woman: “But the quantity we sold the day before yesterday was about the same, yet I saw that we made three thousand.”

Zhang Xiangyang said while eating noodles, "It must be because of the different types of goods. An Ran helped collect the money the day before yesterday, but now it's Sui Sui. I'm not sure."

Jian Xingsui finally understood what the main purpose of this meal was.

“I’ve entered every single transaction into the machine,” Jian Xingsui said, putting down her chopsticks. “If there’s anything you don’t understand, you can check it out.”

Seeing that he was a little unhappy, Zhang Xia quickly said, "Sui Sui, that's not what I meant. You see, when a gentleman came this afternoon, you seemed to have given the wrong change. It must have been an accident. It must have been hard on you. You used to be a young master, you must have never done this kind of work before. How about I collect the money from now on, and you can help Xiang Yang in the back..."

These past few days, Jian Xingsui had only thought of helping out at the cashier because the store was too busy. He never expected to face such skepticism. Looking at Zhang Xia's face, he suddenly thought of An Ran and finally understood where the protagonist's act came from—how similar they were!

Jian Xingsui smiled sarcastically and said, "No need."

Zhang Xia was taken aback.

“I’m going to work in a couple of days, and I’ll most likely be staying in the company dormitory. I probably won’t be coming back here.” Jian Xingsui stood up. “If you two are really busy, you should hire a helper for the store. I have no experience as a free cashier, so I’m really not up to the task.”

Zhang Xiangyang hadn't expected this. He glared at his wife and quickly said, "Sui Sui, don't misunderstand. Your aunt...your mother didn't mean that. Why did you move out?"

Jian Xingsui stood by the table, taking in the expressions of the two men. He opened his mouth and said, "I think you know better than I do whether you mean it or not. I am indeed not as good as An Ran, but I have clean hands and I would not do anything dishonest for a few hundred yuan. I don't know why you see me like this. If I had changed my mind about the past twenty years, I may have indeed wronged An Ran, but I have not wronged you."

on the contrary

The source of this tragedy is that the babies were switched at birth; you are the ones who have wronged the children.

After making his statement, Jian Xingsui didn't say anything more. He turned around and went back upstairs. He closed the door, took out his phone and called his manager: "Brother Wang, I'm sorry to bother you. I just wanted to tell you that I'm going to that talent show."