hooklinebooks Chapter 41 I Want to Be a Female Celebrity, No, I Want to Be a Singer
Chapter 41 I Want to Be a Female Celebrity, No, I Want to Be a Singer
When Li Si'an returned to the shop, it was almost 10 p.m.
The roller shutter door slammed down, plunging the shop into complete darkness, with only a sliver of dim yellow light leaking from the second-floor window.
He went upstairs in the dark and gently pushed open the door.
Tang Yun was leaning against the headboard, holding an English book in her arms, her head nodding, looking as sleepy as a chick pecking at rice.
Wearing a loose short-sleeved shirt and athletic shorts, her fair and slender limbs were exposed under the warm light of the table lamp, exuding a clean and tender aura.
Standing at the door, Li Si'an witnessed this scene, and all the things she had been repeatedly considering in the car came to mind—
Whether or not he should enter the entertainment industry, become a singer, or the connections and opportunities that Wang Xiaojing mentioned during the meal... all of that was instantly forgotten by him.
He strode to the wardrobe, opened the door, reached into the bottom stack of blankets, and pulled out a metal box. Inside, a row of small raincoats were neatly arranged.
Tang Yun was shy and absolutely refused to let the thing be placed in the bedside table, fearing that someone might see it one day. He could only hide it in the wardrobe, and every time he took it, he felt like a thief.
The person in bed was startled awake by the sound of the door opening. She groggily opened her eyes, but before she could say anything, she saw Li Si'an walking towards her with an iron box in her hand.
What are you doing?
Before she could finish speaking, he leaned down and kissed her firmly.
Tang Yun's English book fell to the floor with a "thud".
……
(Turn on the light)
Li Si'an glanced at the alarm clock; the hands were just past 11:40.
Tang Yun, nestled in his arms, had already fallen into a deep sleep, her body limp as if all her bones had been removed.
Her breathing was shallow, occasionally letting out a soft hum, and later she even started purring softly, as gentle as a cat curled up in your arms.
Li Si'an glanced down at her, a smile unconsciously creeping onto his lips.
He gently pulled his arm out, got out of bed, went to the bathroom to take a hot shower, then brought back a basin of hot water, wrung out a hot towel, and carefully wiped Tang Yun clean.
Tang Yun didn't wake up the whole time, only whimpering twice when touched, then turning over and continuing to sleep. She fell asleep almost instantly the moment it ended, not even having the strength to put on her clothes.
He put that oversized old T-shirt on her and pulled the thin blanket over her shoulders.
In her dream, the girl instinctively snuggled closer to him, buried her face in the pillow, and began to snore softly again.
Li Si'an lay back down, letting her rest her head on his arm, her gaze fixed on the ceiling.
The physique this system provides is truly worthwhile.
In his past life, he was a dog who was worn out from working overtime. He had all sorts of problems with his cervical and lumbar spine, and he would be out of breath even after climbing three flights of stairs.
Once my constitution reaches level fourteen in this lifetime, my body will be completely transformed.
The most obvious example is what just happened.
He was still full of energy, but the person next to him was already fast asleep.
He withdrew his gaze, his mind settled down again, and he began to seriously consider his path into the entertainment industry.
In fact, from the moment he transmigrated and found himself in the 1990s as a student at the Affiliated High School of Beijing Dance Academy, he had already made up his mind—he must enter the entertainment industry in this lifetime.
It's not some kind of artistic pursuit; I just want to live a different way.
In my past life, I was coding in Zhongguancun, staring at the screen all day. My life was as dull as plain water, and I rarely saw a decent member of the opposite sex around me.
He wanted to live a more exciting and glamorous life.
To put it bluntly, he just wanted to date female celebrities.
This may not be polite, but it's true.
A 40-year-old bachelor, reborn from the ashes, is single-mindedly throwing himself into the entertainment industry. What else could he be after? Is he supposed to save Chinese cinema?
He's not that noble.
Li Si'an herself has little interest in singing or acting.
In his past life, he was tone-deaf, too lazy to even go to karaoke, and always huddled in a corner eating fruit at work gatherings. Singing was never a pleasure for him, but a burden.
My voice is better now, I have a better figure, and I have a solid foundation in music, but my mindset hasn't changed—singing is just a means, not an end, and I certainly don't love it.
But he also knew that turning from a street-side record store owner into someone with influence in the entertainment industry was by no means easy.
He has a fatal weakness.
In his previous life, he was born in 1986, so he was only ten years old in 1996, and only fourteen years old in 2000.
A teenager has only a vague impression of the economic trends and social developments from the 1990s to the early 2000s.
Even with the cheat code of being reborn, without firsthand experience, any amount of imagining is just theoretical.
He couldn't explain how the real estate market would take off, what opportunities the financial market would have, or which industries would explode at what point; he could only give a general idea.
This superficial understanding is far from enough to allow him to truly earn money across social classes in those fields.
Even after traveling to the present day, the businesses he can run are all very basic: audio-visual stores, video arcades, dealing in phone cards, and selling export clothing.
He can make money, but it's all hard-earned money and small amounts from information asymmetry, far from enough to make him rise to the top overnight.
I have some savings now, but I'm still a long way from having "capital".
But there was one opportunity that was closest to his time, which he remembered exceptionally clearly.
In 1997, Hong Kong returned to China, which was followed by the Asian financial crisis.
If he could accumulate enough capital before then—not too much, a few million would be enough—he could take advantage of the storm to short sell or buy at the bottom.
The original owner's mother was in Hong Kong, and she was married to a senior executive at HSBC. This meant he had a ready-made channel to get involved.
A single transaction can multiply your wealth several times or even ten times; it's not a dream.
That was one of the most certain and reliable opportunities for him to achieve upward social mobility in his lifetime.
But that's precisely the problem.
How can we earn back these millions of dollars in principal?
With our current assets, throwing them in wouldn't even make a splash.
Writing articles, selling credit cards, opening shops... even if you work yourself to death, you can only earn a meager ten or twenty thousand a month. If you want to save up millions, you'll be waiting forever.
Therefore, he had to take a faster route.
To debut as a star.
He rose to fame quickly thanks to his face and the countless hit songs he knew.
Once you become famous, the money comes quickly—album sales, commercial performances, GG endorsements... If managed well, making millions a year is not out of reach.
But relying solely on looks and songs is far from enough.
The industry has no shortage of talented people; what it lacks is exposure, resources, and people willing to promote them.
If no one pushes you or helps you, even if you're a diamond, you'll never see it if you're buried in the sand.
Therefore, he needs connections.
Tonight's meal was worth it.
Wang Xiaojing has been working in the industry for many years, and the resources and connections he has are more useful than if he had tried to make a living on his own for ten years.
Jiang Shan was at the height of her popularity; a single word or recommendation from her was worth more than him running himself ragged.
Making a good impression on the two of them is paving the way for your own future.
Especially Jiang Shan.
She invited me to sing in person; this was a real opportunity.
He had to write well, to write two pieces that were truly suitable for her and would satisfy her.
If this goes through, it won't just be a simple matter of earning money from selling songs.
More importantly, Jiang Shan will remember him, speak up for him in the industry, and lend him a hand when he needs it.
Moreover, if Jiang Shan makes his song popular, as popular as "Water Town in Dreams".
That will be his first stepping stone into this industry.
First, become famous and earn enough capital, then wait for the storm of 1997.
Li Si'an gently pulled her arm away and turned to face the window.
Insects chirped outside the window, and the June night was sultry, but the person in my arms felt cool and kept snoring softly.
He pulled the blanket up a bit, covering her shoulders more completely.