The rain poured over Haicheng like the city itself was crying.
Under a flickering streetlamp, Lin Chen stood, drenched, clutching the cold metal handle of a cheap food delivery bag. The neon lights from the KTV across the street reflected in the puddles, mocking him with their brightness.
His phone buzzed.
[Your debt repayment is overdue. Final notice before legal action.]
Lin Chen stared at the screen. Three years ago, he'd been an aspiring actor. Now, he was just another failure in the city — running orders, paying off debts from a disastrous "investment" a so-called friend had convinced him to make.
That friend was probably drinking champagne in some club right now.
"Pathetic…" Lin Chen muttered to himself, voice bitter. "I can't even afford my own bus fare tomorrow."
He started walking back to his tiny rented room in a crumbling apartment block. The night was quiet, too quiet, until—
SCREECH—!
A blinding set of headlights, a car hurtling too fast through the intersection. The impact came before he could even react.
Pain. Cold. Darkness
When Lin Chen opened his eyes again, there was no hospital ceiling above him.
Instead, he was staring at an old, yellowed calendar on the wall.
Date: September 12, 2012.
His breath caught.
This date… wasn't this the night before his Haicheng Film Academy audition? The very one he'd failed in his first life?
Heart pounding, Lin Chen stumbled to the mirror. The tired, worn face of a 28-year-old was gone — replaced by the youthful, sharp features of his 18-year-old self.
"I… I've gone back?"
Before he could process, a crisp, mechanical voice echoed in his head:
[Entertainment God System initializing…]
[Loading Host's talent archives…]
[Granting abilities: Perfect Acting Immersion, Future Song Library, Directorial Mastery, Business Vision.]
Lin Chen's jaw dropped. "A system? Like in those online novels?"
[Main Quest Activated: Become the undisputed king of the Chinese entertainment industry.]
[Initial Reward: One 'Perfect Audition' Card.]
The corners of Lin Chen's lips slowly curled upward.
In his previous life, he'd been humiliated, stepped on, forgotten.
But this time, he had ten years of knowledge, a cheat-like system… and a clear goal.
"Chinese entertainment industry?" He looked at the mirror again, fire burning in his eyes.
"Fine. I'll dominate it. I'll act, sing, direct — and I'll make them all remember my name."
A name surfaced in his memory: Yang Mei — the rising actress who had just founded StarShyne Media in this timeline. In his last life, she had gone on to become a legend.
In this life… she would become more than that.
Not only would he join her company — together, they would reshape the entire industry.
As the rain outside subsided, Lin Chen's heart beat with a rhythm he hadn't felt in years.
The night before everything changed had just begun.