Chapter 1: A Novice Begins Back to Basics, Let's Get Started!
"Hello host, you are about to die."
A cold, mechanical voice echoed in her mind. Shi Yao slowly opened her eyes, her brain filled with an unfamiliar, dull pain that almost made her lose her ability to think.
But she hadn't forgotten the voice she'd just heard, and instinctively retorted, "Who are you cursing?"
As soon as she finished speaking, she was stunned for a moment. Whose voice was that, which sounded like a broken bellows? It couldn't be hers, could it?
"That's right, host, that's your voice." The mechanical voice appeared again, its inorganic tone carrying a faint hint of excitement. "Just now, you transmigrated—no, you transmigrated into a book!"
"……ha?"
Shi Yao blinked blankly, and in the next instant, countless memories flooded into her mind, making her brain, which was already unable to think due to pain, even more swollen and numb.
The mechanical voice continued its excited introduction: "Hello host, this world is an entertainment novel called 'Shining Star'. You have transmigrated into the body of Shi Yao, a female supporting character with the same name as you. Your main mission is to reverse the original tragic ending, change the male and female leads' impressions of you, and gain their favor. I am System No. 084793, responsible for assisting you in completing your mission. You can call me 084793!"
Shi Yao: "..."
Her head was already aching, and hearing this long, illogical string of numbers made it hurt even more.
Who could remember that!
"Could you change your name?" Shi Yao cleared her throat and tried to speak, but she coughed so loudly that it shook heaven and earth after only uttering a short sentence.
She patted her chest for a while to calm herself down, then struggled to move to the edge of the bed and tried to reach the mineral water bottle on the table.
Feeling much better after drinking the water, Shi Yao leaned weakly against the pillow and asked listlessly, "Is my persona that of a sickly, prematurely deceased, and unattainable ideal woman?"
The system subconsciously replied, "Of course not. You are in a world of entertainment industry fantasy, not a world of painful and tragic stories. There is no such thing as a 'white moonlight' character."
After replying, he realized that Shi Yao's words were not a question but a complaint, so he weakly added, "It's like this, host, you only have seven days left to live, and your health is very low, so you will look rather sickly... Therefore, you must complete the mission quickly, otherwise you will really die when your lifespan reaches zero!"
During the time the system was rambling on, Shi Yao had already silently reviewed the plot the system had given her in her mind, and couldn't help but sneer as she read it.
Well, her character is practically the biggest victim in the whole book!
The original owner of this body was high school classmates with the female protagonist Qiao Xi and the male protagonist Cheng Muzhi in this world. The relationship between the three of them is a simple and common story: she likes him, but he likes her. Originally, the three of them agreed to take the entrance exam for the Capital University together, but the male and female protagonists unexpectedly became famous in their senior year of high school and switched to art exams. The original owner also wanted to go with them, but was stopped by her parents. In the end, she still took the entrance exam for the Capital University, but on the first day of school, she changed her major to drama literature, just so that she could have more common topics with the male protagonist.
The art college of the capital university was practically a nominal institution; its admission scores were far lower than those of the original owner's original major. The original owner's parents were furious about this, and from then on, the original owner cut off all contact with her family.
Shi Yao: I'm furious too.
As someone with a lifelong obsession with academic qualifications, I simply cannot tolerate this kind of storyline where someone gives up a higher education for love!
Although the art school of the capital university can be said to be close to the entertainment industry, it is ultimately no match for the students of the film academy who are formally trained. The original owner's path to the industry was very difficult, starting from playing minor roles.
In order to catch up with the male and female leads as soon as possible, she started running around to film sets from her freshman year of college. As a result, she missed a lot of classes, and her final grades were always at the bottom, with her GPA among the lowest in the entire year. She could only barely avoid repeating a year.
Shi Yao: The lump is pinched and tied tightly.
Try giving up your studies for love again!
After running around film crews for two years, the original owner finally got a small role with some lines, which caught the eye of a talent agency and led to her signing a contract. Thus began her lukewarm career in the entertainment industry.
At this time, the male and female protagonists in the book had already become somewhat famous in the entertainment industry.
The Capital Film Academy is highly prestigious, and its undergraduate students in the acting department are considered the future stars of the industry. They don't need to start from small film crews; the resources introduced by the school's teachers are all from well-known directors in the industry. The original owner couldn't get a single effective role from ten film crews.
As the male and female leads became more and more popular, the original owner was afraid that she would drift further and further away from the male lead. So she began to intentionally or unintentionally reveal on Weibo and variety shows that she and the male lead were old acquaintances. On the few occasions when they could attend together, she would always try to stick close to the male lead and find opportunities to be in the same frame. The male lead's fans hated her to death and thought she was a crazy woman who loved to leech off him. As a result, the original owner had a very bad reputation.
In the later plot, the original owner received an invitation to become a regular on a variety show, where the male lead Cheng Muzhi and the female lead Qiao Xi were also on the show. When the original owner saw that the male lead was there, she couldn't wait to accept the offer, but little did she know that this was the beginning of her tragedy.
In the variety show, the original owner always tried to find opportunities to get closer to the male lead, but unexpectedly, it promoted the relationship between the male lead and the female lead. Seeing the two being sweet and affectionate in front of her, the original owner's mind became more and more twisted, so she began to try to create misunderstandings between the two, but all of them were seen clearly by the live audience. The original owner was scolded by the entire internet and finally committed suicide because she could not bear it.
Shi Yao: Huh?
She rubbed her head irritably, finding it hard to understand this kind of thought process, something she, as someone who only wanted to be in love with money, couldn't comprehend.
Seeing Shi Yao start rubbing her temples, the system guessed she had probably finished reading the plot and thoughtfully explained, "Host, you've already received a variety show invitation. Don't worry, you can accept it with confidence. With my help and the mission rewards, all you need to do is avoid the original plot and try your best to gain the male lead Cheng Muzhi's favor..."
Unexpectedly, the frail girl lying in bed suddenly sat up in shock: "No need, I want to retire from the entertainment industry!"
"Uh-huh??!"
The system was bewildered; the graduation handbook hadn't mentioned this situation. It assumed Shi Yao was frightened by the plot's ending with suicide after the variety show, and tried to comfort her, "Don't worry, host. The main storyline has only just begun. We can see the entire plot unfold, so it's easy to avoid..."
But Shi Yao had no interest in listening to what it was saying. Instead, she excitedly flipped through the plot in her mind, her eyes shining as she said, "This top star will have his career ruined, this unknown actress will become an overnight sensation, and this young actress will be hated by the entire internet..."
Shi Yao rubbed her hands excitedly; she was about to strike it rich!
The system looked bewildered: "...Huh?"
Shi Yao finally remembered that there was a system she had left aside, and cleared her throat, saying, "System, do you know what I did before I transmigrated into the book?"
The system weakly shook its head; it was just a novice system and didn't have that kind of authority.
Shi Yao smiled confidently, without answering, but silently calculating her plan in her mind.
Before transmigrating into the book, she was a professional super fan. She had followed top celebrities and also supported obscure idols. She was successful in every fan circle. A casual remark from her could generate thousands of reposts. Even the studios of the celebrities she was involved with would contact her privately to coordinate and cooperate on promotion.
She controls dozens of accounts and can easily create trending topics. She once accompanied a nobody to the top of the Golden Horse Awards and won the Best Actress award, and she also contributed to the downfall of a top star.
It's no exaggeration to say that a big fan can even determine the fate of a celebrity's career, and she is one of the best examples of this.
The system was somewhat confused. Shi Yao remained silent, so it could only brainstorm on its own, constantly pondering whether to continue trying to persuade the host or report to the center for help.
The system manual doesn't mention what to do if the host's choice is reversed from the storyline!
After much hesitation, it ultimately chose to give up asking for help in order to maintain its excellent score, and weakly said, "Host... you only have seven days left to live. If you don't complete the mission, you will really die when the seven days are up."
Shi Yao saw through the hidden meaning of this little system and chuckled, "Are you threatening me now?"
What? It's that obvious!
"No, no, no, how could that be? I was just worried about you, so I was just trying to be helpful."
The system was so frightened it almost stammered, and while trying to explain, it crossed out the sentence marked in red in the system manual: "If the host does not cooperate, appropriate coercion and inducement may be used."
Isn't it said that when a host first arrives in another world, they will subconsciously choose to obey the system's orders? Why is this not the case at all for me?
The system was in a terrible state, staring at the crossed-out message, when suddenly a brilliant idea struck it.
"Host, the rewards for completing the mission are very generous, and you can gain favorability points by winning over the male lead. These favorability points can be used to exchange for items in the shop, which will be of great help to your entertainment career!" Seeing that Shi Yao didn't interrupt, the system thought it had successfully lured her in with its promises and continued in a tempting tone.
"Your mission is not to be with the male lead. You just need to change his image in his mind and gain his favor. You can get the mission rewards by winning him over. Then you can dominate the entertainment industry and become the next female top star!"
"Favorability rating?" Shi Yao seized on the key phrase. "Mission rewards?"
"That's right!" The system was so excited that it almost cried when it saw that Shi Yao was finally interested. "Affection points are the universal currency in the shop, and can also be used to exchange for life points to extend lifespan. The newbie mission is only available for seven days, and the rewards are very generous, so don't miss it!"
As it issued the task, a ding sounded in Shi Yao's mind, and then a transparent dialog box appeared in front of her.
Task 1: Gain at least 5 points of favorability from the main character or any important supporting character.
Rewards: New Player Gift Pack (Contains: 15 HP, Beginner Exposure Coupon [1 day], Acting Skills Buff [12 hours], 1 Lottery Draw)
Time limit: within seven days
"Your life points represent your remaining lifespan. Completing the initial mission will add a full fifteen days! Host, you can live for another half month!"
Shi Yao said coolly, "Wow, that's so generous."
The system ignored the subtle sarcasm in her words and continued to explain: "Host, your health is your most important attribute, without exception. Once it reaches zero, you will really die. Apart from mission rewards, you can only exchange it through the favorability of key characters or money. You really have to do missions."
Shi Yao noticed the keyword, and her somewhat sickly eyes suddenly lit up: "Can money buy life?"
The system paused for a moment: "Yes, life points and money can be exchanged for each other. 1 life point can be exchanged for 100,000 yuan, but the reverse is required to exchange 1 million yuan for 1 life point."
Shi Yao clenched her fist: "...A swindler!"
The system smiled simply: "After all, we can't let people take advantage of loopholes."
Shi Yao was initially thinking of giving it a try when she heard that money could extend one's life, but when she heard how outrageous the price was, she immediately gave up. Given the original owner's lukewarm career, it would be good if she had a hundred thousand or so in savings. A million was simply wishful thinking. Not everyone in the entertainment industry can earn that much money.
Thinking of this, she opened her phone, intending to check the body's financial situation. After quickly switching through all the savings apps, Shi Yao fell silent.
WeChat balance: 5.87
Alipay balance: 98.2
The total amount owed to the other bank cards was a little over three thousand yuan, but luckily at least I didn't incur any online loan debt.
No, although the original owner wasn't very famous, she was still a fourth, fifth, or sixth-tier actress. Although her reputation wasn't great, she never stopped working after entering the industry. How could she only have so little savings?
"Ahem, because the original owner would buy the male lead designer gifts every time she saved up a certain amount, so..." the system explained.
Shi Yao fell silent: "Did he accept it?"
System: "No, the original owner didn't get the male lead's private address. All the documents were sent directly to the male lead's fan club, and the fan club pocketed them all."
Shi Yao: "………………"
What should I do? I really want the male lead to give me a million dollars out of nowhere.
Seeing that Shi Yao's blood pressure was rising, the system quickly comforted her, "It's okay, host. Actually, the original owner didn't earn much before. As long as you complete the task seriously, we can earn this money back in no time."
Shi Yao: I really feel comforted.
Shi Yao's phone suddenly vibrated. She unlocked it and found a text message from her agent: "[Shi Yao, you should have seen the contract, right? This time, Cheng Muzhi, whom you want to work with, is in it. Why don't you sign it quickly?]"
"Host, sign it. We need to meet the male lead quickly to increase his favorability and complete the mission."
The moment the system finished speaking, Shi Yao quickly typed "No" and then pressed send.
After replying to the text message, Shi Yao didn't turn off the screen. Instead, she opened the group messaging assistant and casually asked while editing the message, "System, what is your dream?"
The system was caught off guard by the question and stammered for a long time before finally daring not to speak.
How could you ask such an embarrassing question to a complete beginner?!
The girl on the bed quickly typed the last line of text, pressed the send button, and a triumphant smile appeared on her pale and thin face. Her eyes, which had been somewhat dim due to her illness, were now sparkling with starlight.
"Whatever your dream is, I can make it come true for you. You just need to follow me, understand?"
The system was stunned by these domineering words and couldn't help but ask, "Then what is your dream, host?"
"Make money." Shi Yao said without hesitation, "My only dream is to make money."
Regardless of whether the show is good or bad, or the plot, don't let it stop her from making money!
She knew what the system was worried about, and stopped it from saying anything more: "Don't worry, I know I only have seven days left to die, I won't risk my life."
“…Oh.” The system was stunned by the coaxing. Although Shi Yao was so weak that she had to gasp for breath to say a word, the power in her words made people want to believe her unconditionally.
Shi Yao's phone suddenly started ringing incessantly, and the red dot number in the agent section had clearly become a double digit.
"Host, what did you just send a mass text message?"
Shi Yao quickly glanced at the unread messages, then opened the agent's chat window, scrolled to the one she had just sent to the group, and said succinctly: "Investment promotion text message."
【Dear customer, Tomorrow's Star Studio is officially open for business starting today.】
Have you ever felt lost about your current situation? Have you ever been dissatisfied with your career plans? Or are you currently in the eye of a media storm and eager to find a quick way out? In any case, our studio is your best choice.
Our studio's projects include: custom-made fan sites, high-quality image websites, reputation reversal, and persona building, etc. There are no restrictions on your needs, and customization is welcome.
Projects are categorized as either one-time or long-term, with the final fee determined by the specific complexity. The fee schedule is as follows:
Single session: Regular: 100,000-200,000 doses/session
Difficult: 300,000-400,000 doses per session
Difficulty: 500,000 or more per instance
Long-term: Regular: 50,000-100,000/day
Difficult: 150,000-300,000 per day
Difficulty: 400,000 and above per day
First-time orders receive a 10% discount, monthly subscriptions enjoy discounts, and returning customers receive random discounts.
Today's grand opening special offers: customers who place an order can enjoy a one-day free trial!
Limited-time offer, first come, first served.
The system read it quickly, then read it repeatedly. As an outstanding graduate of the 1823rd class of the System Academy, it couldn't understand the host's intentions!
“This is called going back to your old ways.” Shi Yao comforted the system, her tone tinged with nostalgia. “You have no idea how profitable my old profession was.”
The original owner's relationship with her agent was so-so; to be precise, she was somewhat subservient to him. This was because she had been struggling alone in the film and television industry for too long, and after finally being signed, she dared not disobey the company if they said anything harsh, which led her to take on a bunch of random roles.
The agent used to arrange work without any discussion, just throwing the contract at the original owner and he would sign it. This variety show was the same; he knew Shi Yao liked Cheng Muzhi, so he didn't worry about signing the contract at all.
Although that position was a clown role, as long as she could get close to Cheng Muzhi, why would Shi Yao refuse?
She actually didn't agree!
The agent was also puzzled and was just about to ask his artist what was going on when he received a mass text message that left him speechless.
What kind of studio is this? 500,000 RMB per session?!
Startled, he grabbed his phone and frantically typed question marks. When there was no response, he immediately switched to voice call and dialed back. Fortunately, the other party wasn't playing dead and answered the phone quickly.
"Shi Yao, what the hell are you doing? Has your account been hacked?!"
The voice on the other end of the phone sounded rather lazy: "No."
"What did you post? Why did you post it on your Moments? Delete it right now! Didn't you see the contract link? Sign it now!" The agent noticed that Shi Yao's profile picture lit up next to the Moments post. He clicked on it and found that it was indeed that shocking mass message from before. He was so angry that he almost fainted.
"Didn't I say I wouldn't sign?"
The agent panicked upon hearing this and skillfully threatened, "What do you mean? You don't want to work? Have you forgotten what I said before? Our contract has expired. I'm only offering you a job because I'm doing this out of kindness for the company. If you don't go, we'll terminate the contract!"
The voice on the other end of the phone remained nonchalant: "Fine, then let's terminate the contract." Then the call ended.
The agent stared blankly at the black screen for a moment, then angrily dialed back, only to find that he had been blocked. He then cursed loudly in anger.
"Host, you're just terminating the contract like this? You're really leaving the industry?" The system was increasingly alarmed, as this turn of events was completely unexpected.
While typing another post on her WeChat Moments, Shi Yao said, "Of course, why would I wait to be ripped off if I didn't terminate the contract?" She had been worried about what to do if she terminated the contract, but she didn't expect it to have expired long ago. Only the original owner of this body was a fool who obediently listened and worked for free.
The agent discovered that his phone number had been blocked, so he switched back to WeChat and tried to make a voice call. He then found that Shi Yao's profile picture had reappeared in his Moments.
[Shi Yao: I forgot to mention earlier that I am officially retiring from the entertainment industry starting today. I will no longer be an artist. The business opportunity post I just posted was serious; my account wasn't hacked. Interested customers can contact me for more information. Free trial slots are limited!]
The agent was so angry upon seeing this message that a sweet taste rose in his throat. The next second, he exited WeChat, found his boss's number, and made a call.
Shi Yao wasn't in the mood to care about her agent's thoughts. She leisurely scrolled through her unread message list, looking for potential clients.
To her regret, although she had a lot of people on her contact list, she didn't seem to be very popular. Few people replied to her messages, and most of them were asking if her account had been hacked.
Suddenly, several messages popped up at the top, and the dialog box was then pinned to the top.
[Fang Xuran: What? Your account has been hacked?]
[Fang Xuran: What do you mean by your WeChat Moments post? Are you serious?]
[Fang Xuran: 500,000 yuan at a time? You must be crazy to have failed, hahaha]
[Fang Xuran: Do you really think anyone would believe you like this?]
[Fang Xuran: How do I try it out? I'm trending on Weibo right now, want to see how good it is?]
Shi Yao smiled and said, "We've got some work to do."
A note from the author:
Xiao Fang (previous second): Does anyone believe that?
(Next second): How to try it out?
Shi Yao: Why doesn't anyone believe me? Aren't you one?
I highly recommend my pre-order novel, "I Became the King of Jade Gambling in 1990s Hong Kong." If you're interested, please add it to your favorites. I'll notify you when it starts circulating!
The news that the Ning family's youngest daughter had been found shook Jade Stone Lane. Every household sent their younger relatives to the Ning family's shops to inquire about the situation, but they all returned dejectedly.
He was sent back by the eldest son of the Ning family.
Some people say, "I heard that the Ning family's youngest daughter has become mentally challenged and can only smile foolishly at people. The Ning family was already barely surviving, and if this news gets out, all their old customers will probably leave!"
Everyone felt sorry for them.
"That little girl from the Ning family is a genius at gambling on stones. When she was just a tiny little girl, she was even more accurate than her father."
"Back then, everyone said that the Ning family had produced such a genius, and they were destined for great things. Who could have imagined..."
"It seems the Ning family is really doomed. What a pity!"
The crowd dispersed, leaving behind a scene of schadenfreude.
To everyone's surprise, Ning Fengkai, the eldest son of the Ning family, made an unprecedented appearance at the public auction three days later, accompanied by a fair-skinned and pretty young girl!
Just as everyone was wondering who this little girl was, they saw Ning Fengkai take her advice and spend all his savings to bid on a pile of waste rock that had been piling up on the plate for three years, weighing a full eighty tons!
The Ning family has truly gone mad. It seems that their youngest daughter becoming mentally challenged has been a huge blow to them, and they've all started to give up on themselves.
After the stone was opened, it turned out to be completely filled with green, with a burst of spring purple on the side. The cut surface was smooth without a single crack, and the starting price instantly increased a thousandfold, making everyone green with envy.
Young Master Ning just smiled mysteriously, ignoring everyone's orders, and went home with the young girl, carrying the stones.
Wait a minute, who is that little girl?
Yesterday, Ah Rong, who had squeezed into the Ning family's shop, suddenly stammered, "She...she's the Ning family's youngest daughter!"
*
Ning Xu was different from others from birth; she could sense the state of a jadeite rough and knew what it looked like inside without cutting it open.
When she was three years old, she met an old Taoist priest who insisted that she had extraordinary talent and took her to travel to various worlds. She followed the old Taoist priest through various worlds for eighteen years, seeing countless stones, until the old Taoist priest passed away and sent her back.
When she returned home, her parents and brothers were initially overjoyed, but then deeply saddened, saying that before she left, her family was a traditionally wealthy family in the jade gambling industry, but now that she had returned, they were just a dilapidated household.
Ning Xu smiled nonchalantly and said, "So what? I'll help our family revive. Who cares about the Hou or Song families? From now on, the Ning family will be the only leader in the jade gambling industry."
Her brother smiled and patted her head without saying a word.
Ning Xu didn't care what he thought, and simply said: "How about this, brother, you come with me to the public auction, and we'll gamble on stones again, how about it?"
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