Early Spring, 2000, in front of the main gate of Beijing Film Academy.
Wang Ling was walking with his head down, intently flipping through the pages of a script in his hands.
It was a screenplay he co-wrote with his good friend Tang Zhi, tentatively titled The Colour Of The Rain.
Jiao Xiongping, a filmmaker from Taiwan, really liked the story and had already decided to invest in the project.
With funding secured, Wang Ling became even more ambitious—he was determined to make this movie great and win a major award at one of Europe's top three film festivals.
Swishh---
"Move away!"
Hearing the voice, Wang attentively stepped aside however out of curiosity he looked at the running man.
Whoosh~
The man ran past like the wind, the early spring breeze they stirred up chilling his scalp.
As he watched the figure zoom past, a strange scene suddenly struck Wang Ling.
He quickly flipped a few pages ahead in the script, his eyes landing on a particular paragraph.
Under the setting sun, Xiao Jian rans past pedestrians in a hurry before the rain hit him, he wanted to make it home.
Though it wasn't sunset at that moment, Wang Ling was inexplicably struck by a sense of inspiration.
He suddenly broke into a jog, his short, stubby legs chasing after the figure disappearing into the distance.
"Hey, classmate, wait up…"
His legs somehow managed to catch up with the running man.
Not because Wang Ling had some hidden long-distance running talent—but because the man had barely made it a block before crashing to the ground...
"Senior, don't worry. Yu'er just crashed because she was riding too fast. The doctor said it's nothing serious."
The sharp smell of disinfectant and the voices outside the door pulled Cheng Yu out of his daze.
Had he ended up… in the hospital?
Yeah, he had drunk a bit too much last night. Couldn't help it—his heart was heavy.
He thought back to when he was twenty, bold and ambitious, setting out to be a film extra, dreaming of making it big and sleeping with every famous actress he could.
But after over a decade of struggling, he still hadn't had a role on TV that lasted more than three minutes.
Now, nearing forty, he was still stuck acting as a dumb villain getting slapped around in short low-budget web dramas.
After years of being slapped in the face by main actors, his cheeks had practically swollen into permanent puffballs. He had finally managed to land a villainous big boss role in a web film.
He'd placed all his hopes on that role to turn his luck around—then move into livestream sales and make some quick cash.
But right before the movie's release, the pretty-boy lead actor got caught in a scandal. The platform pulled the release.
Who wouldn't be pissed?!
Struggling to sit up in bed, Yang Zhihao suddenly felt something off.
Something… stiff under the blanket made it uncomfortable to move. That kind of morning reaction the kind that left you lying in bed a little longer before getting up—was something this almost-forty man hadn't experienced in years.
Almost at the exact moment he noticed this strange detail, a sharp pain hit his head, and memories that weren't his flooded in.
After about ten seconds, Yang Zhihao began to piece things together.
He'd reincarnated!
It was the year 2008 again, and he was back at the university. Thanks to his good looks, he was considered one of the heartthrobs in the class, but it didn't help me land a role later in life, though.
That morning, his previous self had gone with classmates Deng Chao, Qin Yue, and a few others to play basketball against the 2008 acting majors from the Beijing Film Academy.
The game had just ended when he received a text from his goddess-like senior, asking if he'd finished the book she lent him.
A seemingly trivial message—but it sent ripples through a young man's heart.
After all, this was the perfect chance to meet up with her.
While Yang Zhihaowas inwardly reflecting on how dumb and foolish he was, he suddenly saw a man and a woman walk into the room.
The man was quite handsome, though he somehow gave off a slightly annoying vibe.
The woman had long flowing hair, long legs, and fair, delicate skin. Her features were beautifully defined—an absolute goddess.
They were none other than his former self's dormmate Deng Chao, and the long-admired campus goddess, Senior Sister Zeng Li.
"Second brother, Are you okay now?" Deng Chao asked with genuine concern.
But Yang Zhihao had no time to deal with this future superstar. His eyes were fixed intently on Zeng Li's face.
Looking at her, he suddenly felt that the fall from his bike wasn't due to recklessness after all. If it had been him… hmm, he would've called a taxi.
Because this was Zeng Li!
One of the campus beauties, their university wasn't a science or arts major but the students were all trying to be future idols, so everyone had great looks.
Being one of the campus beauties in such college was no trivial matter.
Even in her forties, she had stunned younger actress let alone in her teens.
"How could you be so careless? Didn't I tell you not to rush? You scared me so much I ran over before even finishing rehearsal," Zeng Li said, a mix of blame and helplessness in her tone.
As she spoke, she reached out to brush aside Cheng Yu's hair, carefully checking for any wounds on his scalp.
Yang Zhihao suddenly felt his heart racing—not because the goddess senior he had admired was now so close he could smell the lingering scent of her shampoo.
But because the moment her hand touched his hair, a voice suddenly echoed in his ear:
[Great Acting System Activation!]
[Detected a potential target: Zheng Li!
Complete the following mission to obtain temporary boost:
1] Impress Zheng Li]
Yang Zhihao tried hard to stop himself from acting like a lunatic who had hit his head too hard.
Instead, he forced a polite smile and said, "Senior Sister, I'm actually fine now…"
His intention was to politely ask Zeng Li and Deng Chao to head back so he could be alone and figure out where that voice had come from.
But before Zeng Li could respond, another excited voice came from outside the door,
"Perfect! That's exactly the feeling I was looking for…"
In an instant, the three people in the room turned their attention to the newcomer.
It was a short, chubby man with glasses, rough skin, and a buzz cut—someone who looked like a Northeast street boss reading military strategy, full of contradiction.
"Um… may I ask who you are?" Deng Chao, closest to the door, asked cautiously.
The man scratched his buzz cut and replied with a grin, "Ah, I forgot to introduce myself. I'm Wang Ling, class of '95 from the Academy's directing program. I happened to be visiting my alma mater today when I saw this student running and getting crashed with a bicycle and helped bring him to the hospital. I used his phone to contact you guys."
Hearing that this man had brought Yang Zhihao to the hospital, Deng Chao immediately reached out to shake his hand:
"Oh wow, thank you so much!"
Halfway through his sentence, he suddenly realized the name sounded familiar. As he was trying to remember, Zeng Li suddenly spoke:
"You're the director of The Girl of flower!?"
The moment Zeng Li mentioned The Girl of flower, Deng Chao also remembered. Their school had once organized a screening of that film… Realizing this, his gratitude was joined by a sense of reverence.
"No need to thank me. It's what anyone would do."
Wang Ling shook Deng Chao's hand warmly, then turned to Yang Zhihao and said, "Since we know each other now, I'll just get straight to the point."
"I saw you running out of the Beijing Film Academy this morning, and just now, when you smiled—I think you perfectly fit the image I have in mind for the male lead in my new film."
"So, tell me—are you interested in being the lead actor in my next movie?"
[Congrats host! Zheng Li is mildly impressed!]
[You have temporarily got +20 physique]
'What the hell is even happening?'