In the middle of summer, Daomei Entertainment.
The air conditioner in the office was set to 18 degrees Celsius. Wen Xingze gnawed on a lollipop, cradling his broken phone in the fabric sofa. His long legs rested unceremoniously on the armrests, his pale calves dangling in the air.
When the boss and the agent walked in, they saw this scene.
Manager Wu Youjin glanced at his phone and almost fainted: "Wen Xingze, what are you doing?"
Wen Xingze: "Help Xiaolu check in on my super topic, what's wrong?"
This "Xiao Lu" is one of Wen Xingze's only seven active fans. I heard that Xiao Lu was preparing for the college entrance examination and had lost her internet connection. Since she didn't want to interrupt Wen Xingze's super topic check-in, she gave her Weibo account to Wen Xingze and asked her to help check in.
It's rare for an artist and his fans to have such a close relationship.
"I know you checked in for her," Wu Youjin said, "I'm talking about the picture you posted! What celebrity would post a picture like that?"
Xiaolu had the habit of posting a blessing on Weibo every day, along with a photo of Wen Xingze. Wen Xingze, entrusted by her, also continued this habit.
There was nothing wrong with the text on today's Weibo post, but the accompanying picture was: Wen Xingze was riding a broken tricycle, biting a fifty-cent stick of crushed ice cream, and there was a cardboard in front of the tricycle saying "Recycle color TVs, refrigerators, and old computers."
Before Wu Youjin could stop him, Wen Xingze had already sent the Weibo post, and then explained: "She wanted to use a photo of me, and I really couldn't find a picture she hadn't used before." So he used a photo that his neighbor took for him yesterday.
Wu Youjin: “…”
"Forget it," the chubby boss said, trying to smooth things over. "I understand. Xiao Wen doesn't have many announcements, and not many people read the super topic."
Just as he'd said, after the post was published, it received zero likes and zero comments for a long time. It was only after a long while that Daomei Entertainment staff and Wen Xingze's six or so followers started to like the post.
Wu Youjin, the only ambitious person present, was hurt a second time.
Wu Youjin stared at the photo of Wen Xingze riding a tricycle.
Looking at the entire entertainment industry, there are only a handful of people who can achieve this level of makeup-free beauty under the same poor filming conditions. Wen Xingze's bones and skin are both one in a million.
Unfortunately, Wen Xingze always encountered various setbacks: auditions always met with people with connections, and variety shows were always canceled due to funding. He had just finally landed the eighth male lead in a palace drama, but the radio and television authorities just happened to be cracking down on exaggerated works.
Otherwise, his face would have turned red long ago!
Then their company would not have fallen into this situation.
On the sofa, Wen Xingze made room for the boss.
The boss sat down, wiped his forehead with a sweat towel, and started drinking tea.
"How could I be so unlucky to run into two losers like you?" Wu Youjin was furious as he looked at the two useless people sitting on the sofa. He raised his voice suddenly, "Wen Xingze! I told you you don't work hard. You've taken all the opportunities given to you, but you can't earn a single one. Do you deserve that face of yours?!... Look at Xu Baijing, who debuted at the same time as you, and then look at you!"
Ever since Wen Xingze debuted, Wu Youjin had always compared him to Xu Baijing, as they had both come from the same talent show. At first, they were barely comparable, but later on, they were completely unmatched.
Xu Baijing has become a popular star, while Wen Xingze is still an 18th-tier star.
He lived in a ten-square-meter basement, rode a small tricycle, and occasionally set up a stall selling leeks he grew at home, living like a retired old man. Wu Youjin was always narrow-minded and mean-spirited, and after all these years, he was almost like a sourpuss.
Wen Xingze: “…”
Wen Xingze thought to himself, how could he compare with Xu Baijing? The other one was the protagonist of the cool novel, while he was just a poor cannon fodder in the control group.
Yes, Wen Xingze lives in a book.
The name of this book is "The Rich Koi is Super Rich". As the name suggests, the protagonist Xu Baijing is the popular celebrity who has the fate of a koi and five wealthy fathers.
Wen Xingze is his control group. He was born in poverty but coveted fame and fortune. Because he was jealous of the protagonist, he persisted in opposing him and ended up in a miserable state.
The original owner's last appearance is near the end. The protagonist sees the original owner at a car repair shop, now a mechanic. He's covered in filth, his once stunning face now obscured by a cloud of oil. He's numb and sluggish, unrecognizable to the protagonist.
The protagonist felt pity and gave the original owner some money. The original owner was so excited that he knelt down to express his gratitude.
Then he was sprayed in the face by the exhaust gas from the Lamborghini.
In short, poverty is the fate that this book gives Wen Xingze.
He even won 20,000 yuan in the lottery, but was robbed before he could deposit it in the bank. He also broke his leg and had to pay for medical expenses. Wen Xingze's wealth could never exceed four figures.
Since he was born poor, it is impossible for him to become famous. After all, if he becomes famous, he will definitely make money, which goes against his fate.
“…”
After Wen Xingze briefly recalled the plot, Wu Youjin on the other side was still grumbling, "It's been five years, and the marketing accounts selling coupons are more popular than you—forget it, there's no point in talking about this now. After all, I'm your agent."
Wen Xingze only then realized that Wu Youjin's tone was off. He had been saying, "Why did he seem particularly harsh and irritable today?" It turned out to be...
"Is our company going to go bankrupt?"
Wu Youjin: "Hmph, you ask him." He pointed at the boss.
The boss desperately wiped his forehead with a sweat towel.
After a long while, the boss, nearly crying from Wu Youjin's glare, said weakly, "It's not like we're going to go bankrupt. It's just that the operating conditions aren't very good. For the time being... well, we're going to go bankrupt, wuwuwu."
No one is even interested in acquiring a crappy company like theirs that only has one 18th-tier artist.
Wen Xingze sat up straight, feeling a little sad.
All good things must come to an end. Although both he and the company are not doing well, they have been together for so many years and have developed a close relationship.
Because the company had always been like this, Wen Xingze had known this day would come. It might have been a little sudden, but he had been preparing for it long beforehand—even borrowing a tricycle to collect scrap. He figured if his boss had nowhere else to go, he could invite him along.
“…”
At this point, Wu Youjin could no longer lose his temper.
After all, he and his boss, Wen Xingze, had started a business together before, and they had spent a lot of time together. But people always strive for higher positions, and he couldn't keep wasting his talents in this shabby place. Wu Youjin sighed:
"Wen Xingze, I'm going to tell you the truth. I'm also going to change jobs and go to Yuwen to teach Xu Baijing's fellow apprentice. He's better than you and works harder than you."
"This afternoon's variety show is you
The last announcement."
The boss ordered pizza takeout for lunch. The boss, who had always been stingy, finally became generous in the end.
"Today, you can turn on the air conditioning and use the Wi-Fi as you please... Oh, the Wi-Fi is down," the boss said. "Then let's play poker. It'll give us a start and an end."
When the company was just starting out a few years ago, the three of them were here supervising the decoration team while playing poker, but their mentality is different now.
They played a few rounds of poker, and during a break, Wen Xingze casually opened a game app. His phone was five years old, and launching a game would get it so hot it could fry an egg, so he rarely logged in lately.
He was so addicted to the game that he had to quit. It was painful at first, but after a few months, he finally got used to it.
The name of the game is "Desolation: King's Awakening", and the description is "In the smoke-filled era of the universe, recruit heroes and unify the world! Build an empire that belongs to you from scratch——"
Although it looks shameful and shoddy, it's actually quite fun.
As the "king" of this world, the player must start building an empire from a barren planet, gradually expanding from a small tribe, attracting subjects of various races, and cultivating his own confidants and army. The ultimate goal is to create a kingdom that dominates the universe.
Most importantly, the game offers a high degree of freedom and the details are incredibly worthy of scrutiny. Several times, Wen Xingze felt as if this world truly existed.
There was no strategy guide available online, so Wen Xingze spent a full three years to achieve his interim goal: to dominate the world.
The Empire became the overlord of half the universe, facing off against the hostile nation on the other side of the universe, and restraining each other. After achieving his goal, Wen Xingze didn't log in for several days, wondering what was going on inside.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he logged in, he was reminded to download the update package, saying that it was necessary to update the functions.
Moreover, before he could check the no button, the download started automatically.
Wen Xingze gasped: "Hiss——"
His traffic!
He had only subscribed to the cheapest plan, and downloading a single update had already exceeded his limit. Wen Xingze's heart was instantly broken, and he had no choice but to temporarily subscribe to a data plan. Now, his phone bill was about to be in arrears.
Wen Xingze turned off the screen, unable to bear to watch any more, and continued playing cards.
The variety show started recording at three in the afternoon, and the venue was a bit far from their company, so Wen Xingze set off two hours in advance.
The fat boss, with his beer belly, saw him off at the door and seemed to wipe the corners of his eyes with a towel. The sunlight was glaring, and Wen Xingze couldn't see clearly.
"Although this variety show isn't very well-known, the content is actually pretty good. It has a puzzle-solving segment..." Wu Youjin casually told Wen Xingze about it and sent him to a taxi. Not long after getting in the car, Wen Xingze couldn't help but doze off.
Just as he fell asleep.
The broken screen phone on the side suddenly lit up, and a message from "Desolate: King's Awakening" popped up:
【Update package has been installed! 】
To thank you for your contribution to the construction of the parallel universe, the new feature [Reverse Cub Raising] is now online. The citizens of the Muse Empire are eagerly looking forward to your arrival. Come and interact with them in real time! ]
The phone screen remained lit for a long time before gradually dimming due to reduced battery power and finally going out completely.
…
In the 243rd year of the Galactic Era, the Muse Empire.
Today was a day that everyone was looking forward to. Wuya, the cabinet secretary and an elf, had risen at five in the morning to wash and get ready for work. Like almost everyone else in the empire, she still didn't feel the slightest bit of fatigue or sleepiness until two in the afternoon.
Moreover, as that time approached, her heart beat faster and faster.
According to the reminder from the Light Tower, the "Cub Development Plan" will be launched today.
Wuya had served in the cabinet for several years and had only met that lord a few times, but she had never regretted it. And now, she was extremely grateful: it was precisely because of her service in the cabinet that she had been given this opportunity that everyone in the empire dreamed of.
——She got a spot to participate in the internal test of the “Cub Development Plan”!
As the name suggests, this is a development game where players can accompany and raise the cubs in the game, helping them grow by completing tasks or spending money.
This type of game is not uncommon, as it has existed for hundreds of years, but "Baby Raising Plan" is very special. Because just last week, Guangta released a game trailer:
The sky was azure blue, and the cicadas chirped long and loudly. A young man with black hair and pale eyes appeared in the frame from afar. His hair, slightly damp with sweat, lay against his cheek, and his amber eyes seemed soaked in the youth of an entire summer.
The protagonist of the promotional video has a teardrop mole at the corner of his eye.
He was tall and well-proportioned, riding a recycling tricycle through the bustling city, appearing both nonchalant and carefree. The whole scene had a cinematic quality that made it impossible to look away.
...It was this trailer that ignited the enthusiasm of the entire universe. The modeling of the protagonist of this game was incredibly beautiful, but the focus of their crazy screams was not the protagonist's appearance, but -
This protagonist looks exactly like His Majesty!!!
Everyone speculated from the trailer that this was a game modeled after their king, with not only the face but also the personality being exactly the same as the king.
God knows what kind of uproar the long-silent Light Tower suddenly released this news, sending shockwaves through the universe. Not only were there only a thousand spots available for the beta test, but even the registration process for watching the live game stream was paralyzed within half a second. Only one in ten thousand people in the entire galaxy was lucky enough to qualify.
After all, who doesn’t want to have a king in their own terminal?
Their king is good in every way, the only drawback is that he rarely appears in front of the media.
There is no way around this. After all, Wang has some special disease. He spends 80% of the day sleeping and has not woken up once in the past month.
In the past, Wang would only wake up for a few hours each day, dealing with paperwork, territorial inspections, and diplomatic affairs. He always had too much to do. If people wanted to see him, they had to watch the few news interviews over and over again.
But now it’s different. As long as you download the “Cub Development Plan”, you can see Wang anytime and anywhere, and even accompany Wang’s growth.
It was like a dream. Wuya hugged the terminal happily.
“…”
As everyone was anxiously waiting, time passed by minute by minute, and finally it was three o'clock in the afternoon.
"Cub Development Plan" is launched simultaneously across the empire!
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