Huayu, my cheat code is a bit strange.

Let's go check out Chapter 2.

The tap water was flowing freely over the sink.

Li Haorui bent down, lowered his head, cupped water in his hands, and slapped it onto his face repeatedly.

The chill repeatedly jolted my nerves, and in the mirror, that unfamiliar face was covered in water droplets.

He stared at it for a long time, then slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.

It's been two days.

Praying to gods and Buddhas or calling upon the system had no effect.

The facts are clear—he has taken Gu Xiao's place and must take over her life.

He didn't want to dwell on why time travel was meaningless, nor did he want to engage in any philosophical musings like "I think, therefore I am."

We are born with responsibilities, and living means carrying burdens forward.

Wiping away the condensation on the mirror, Gu Xiao stared at her sharply defined features and chuckled self-deprecatingly:
"At least this face is nice."

Stepping out of the bathroom, the three-bedroom, one-living-room home was quiet and deserted. The space of about 100 square meters felt empty to the father and son.

Aside from the somewhat old wooden sofa and coffee table, the most eye-catching item is a heavy television set.

Gu Xiao returned to her room. The wooden table, the single bed, and the piles of test papers in the boxes all reflected the dullness and ordinariness of high school life.

The only things in the room that could be considered entertainment were a guitar in the corner and a CD player on the bookshelf.

After glancing at it a few times, Gu Xiao turned her attention to the calendar on the wall of the desk, where March 5th and July 7th were heavily marked.

I'm not sure about the former, but the latter should be the time of the college entrance examination.

"What bad luck!"

Gu Xiao walked to the desk and sat down, pulling out a piece of paper covered in messy handwriting from the base of the desk lamp.

Stock market, real estate, internet—each keyword represents enormous future wealth, making his heart burn with excitement.

Unfortunately, I have no money
Even if a high school student knows about emerging trends, without start-up capital and a suitable identity, it is difficult for them to participate in these projects.

After much thought, it seems that the easiest way to make a fortune is through the upcoming 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup.

"Senegal beat France, South Korea pulled off a stunning upset, and Brazil ultimately won the championship." Gu Xiao muttered to himself, as if he could already see money beckoning to him.

But the next second, his shoulders slumped.

This is 2002. The lottery game was simple, and if you won, it was almost always a big prize of over ten thousand, which required you to use your ID card to claim it.

Macau? Macau isn't open to independent travel yet! And minors are prohibited from entering casinos!
Online gambling is a viable option, but it's a murky business, almost entirely a scam.

"This is fucking ridiculous!"

Gu Xiao collapsed weakly onto the table, burying her face in her arms, letting out a desperate sigh.

To have a treasure mountain but not be able to obtain it is simply heartless!
After a moment of silence, he suddenly sat up straight.

He wasn't one to dwell on things, and besides, having been reborn, he had countless opportunities to make money by taking advantage of information asymmetry.

He pressed the paper back under the lamp base and focused his gaze on the calendar.

College entrance examination.

Education cannot determine one's life, but obtaining a good diploma is never a bad thing in any era.

For future development, I must at least get into a school in the capital city.

From a family background perspective, Beijing Forestry University is the most suitable choice.

This is a school with a relatively low ranking. With the memories of my past and present lives, I should have no problem putting in the effort. Even if I fail, I have Beijing Agricultural University as a backup.

Recalling the hamster and the big yellow dog at the hospital two days ago, he joked to himself:

"I hope those sounds were just hallucinations."

The creaking of the metal door interrupted Gu Xiao's thoughts, and footsteps slowly approached the door.

"So early?" He glanced at the clock, his brow furrowing.

The zoo operates year-round, and Gu Hui's position is regional supervisor, which is a responsibility system. He must be available whenever a problem arises.

It's important to know that there aren't many animal experts in this era. As one of the best among them, Gu Hui needs to frequently engage in academic exchanges and technical guidance with other experts, and sometimes even has to travel to other cities.

Counting from the day he went to the hospital, he's already taken three days off. He shouldn't be back so early today, Gu Xiao muttered to herself.

dong dong.

The knocking was muffled and restrained, just like Gu Hui himself.

"Come in," Gu Xiao responded, flipping the calendar on the table back to the current date. Gu Hui pushed the door open and entered, carrying the distinctive smell of a zoo, a mixture of hay, disinfectant, and animal feces.

Gu Xiao used to despise this.

"These were given to me by my company. I don't eat sweets." Gu Hui handed over the transparent plastic box he was carrying, which contained a few small cakes.

But I don't really like it either. Gu Xiao glanced at her cheap father, took the bag, and tentatively asked:
"Isn't the zoo busy?"

"School's started, and the temperature's rising. Aside from repairing and disinfecting the cages, vaccinating the animals, and preventing them from fighting during estrus, there's nothing else to do," Gu Hui replied calmly.

"This is nothing? Were working people in 2002 already this stressed?" Gu Xiao suppressed her inner complaints and changed the subject:
"Is there something you need from me?"

Gu Hui glanced at his son, paused for a moment, and took out a white card with red lettering from his pocket. It was about the same size as an ID card and was full of cracks, like a broken piece of porcelain.

The bright red characters at the top are particularly eye-catching—Beijing Film Academy.

Gu Xiao stared wide-eyed in disbelief as fragments of memory surged back into her mind.

The original owner's obsession with singing, movies, and attention resurfaced.

Gu Xiao swallowed hard, suddenly realizing that things had developed far beyond his expectations.

"I didn't stick it on very well. But I've checked, and the most important thing, the stamp, is fine and can still be used."

After saying that, Gu Hui turned and left without looking back.

Inside the room, Gu Xiao looked at the battered card in her hand, her lips twitching slightly.

Name: Gu Xiao

Examination Admission Ticket Number: 0208127
Department of Performing Arts

Examination Location: Room 301, Acting and Directing Building, Beijing Film Academy
考试时间： 2002年3月05日上午 9:00
……

……

"Are you kidding me?!"

Gu Xiao cursed under her breath.

In his past life, his only connection with the entertainment industry was to start arguments and complaints in the comments section.

As a seasoned internet addict, he has watched countless movies and TV series, and can readily recite various jokes and skits. But acting? That seems no different from forcing Zhang Fei to embroider.

Besides, they've already time-traveled; they can rise to prominence on the spot by relying on the stock market and real estate, so why bother with the arduous task of acting?

Gu Xiaogang was about to throw his exam admission ticket into the trash can when he noticed the fine cracks on it and the guitar in the corner of the room. He froze on the spot, unable to bring himself to do it.

After thinking for a long time, he sighed.

"Never mind, let's just go and take a look."

A new life, it's good to see a different world.

At that time, Yao Chen and Du Xu had not yet graduated from Beijing Film Academy; Dong Xuan was still a sophomore; Huang Shengyi, Jia Nailiang, and Wang Luodan were freshmen who had just entered the academy a year earlier.

As for Zhu Yawen, Jiang Yiyan, Luo Jin, Liu Yifei, and Gu Xiao from the 2002 cohort, they had no hope of passing the preliminary round, so there was nothing to look forward to.

"Just think of it as going to see what future stars look like without makeup," he consoled himself.

……

……

The next day, early in the morning.

At the entrance of the Beijing Film Academy, a large number of art students, their expressions tense, thronged together.

They came from all over the country. Some were accompanied by their parents, repeatedly checking their admission tickets and musical instruments, while others were silently reciting their lines or adjusting their posture alone.

Gu Xiao stood empty-handed in the crowd, looking out of place.

Just as he was about to find a secluded corner to stay in, a young man with a buzz cut stopped him:
"Brother, did you come alone?"

Gu Xiao blinked and nodded, saying, "I'm a local."

The young man suddenly realized, "Oh, I see. Then please take good care of me. No, I mean, let's work hard together. Haha, my name is Luo Jin, I'm from Jiangxi, I'm a little nervous."

Gu Xiao was bewildered, "What's your name, Luo?"

Luo Jin.

"What Jin?"

"Luo Jin!"

(End of this chapter)