Reborn in the Chinese Entertainment Industry: My Childhood Sweetheart is Boss Yang

The calendar on the wall has been changed to 2001, and the stars in the magazines have changed from the Four Heavenly Kings of Hong Kong and Taiwan to F4.

Gu Heng and Yang Mi proudly became middle school students.

Gu Heng sat by the window, resting his chin on one hand, his gaze drifting towards the playground outside.

The girl in the blue and white school uniform was chasing and playing with her female classmates.

The soft, chubby little dumpling has now grown into a graceful young woman, and its fierce spirit has also increased exponentially.

Gu Heng's lips curled up slightly.

In his comprehensive plan, which spanned dozens of pages, the first key milestone had arrived.

On the way home from school.

"Heng-ge, what are you thinking about? You've completely lost your mind."

Yang Mi nudged Gu Heng beside her with her elbow, her canvas backpack swaying on her back.

"I was thinking about your big life event," Gu Heng said, half-jokingly, as he snapped out of his reverie.

Yang Mi immediately rolled her eyes at her.

"I don't believe you for a second."

She leaned closer, her eyes narrowing to slits, and asked in a low voice.

"Tell me, what are you plotting this time?"

Years of experience with him had taught her that whenever this guy made that charlatan-like expression, it was never a good sign.

Gu Heng didn't keep her in suspense any longer. He took a magazine out of his bag and handed it to her.

Rayli.

A fashion magazine that was practically a must-have for every young woman at that time.

"I think you could give this a try."

His finger touched the face of the smiling model on the cover.

Yang Mi was stunned for a moment.

She took the magazine, looked at it from left to right, and then looked down at her loose and unattractive school uniform.

"Me? A model? Can I even do it?"

Her tone was full of insecurity.

Although she was a child star when she was young, she was limited to being a mascot on set. For professional print models, it's all about looks, figure, and temperament.

"Why not?"

Gu Heng grabbed the magazine and spread it out in front of her.

"You, look at her. Then, look at yourself. Do you still need to think? If the two of you stand together, any judge with eyesight above 0.1 wouldn't choose her."

Yang Mi was amused by his nonsensical logic and revealed her two little tiger teeth.

My slight lack of confidence was blown away by this wave of flattery.

"Then... what should we do?"

She was clearly tempted.

Which girl doesn't love beauty? Which girl doesn't wish her photo could be printed in such a beautiful magazine?

"Simple."

Gu Heng snapped his fingers.

"Just send the photos over. As for the photos, I, the master, will handle them myself."

On the weekend, in the Gu family's courtyard.

Gu Heng was holding an old-fashioned point-and-shoot camera and was seriously directing his personal model.

"Yes, I'll wear this white T-shirt; it's simple and clean."

He made Yang Mi stand under a pomegranate tree.

"Don't look at me, look at the sky... Yes, imagine that right now, pies are falling from the sky, and they're even Donglaishun meat filling."

"Laugh! A genuine laugh! Remember when you got a 61 on your math test last time!"

"Hahaha!"

Yang Mi couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Click.

The girl in the photo has no heavy makeup and no fancy clothes.

She was just standing in the warm afternoon sun, amused by Gu Heng's comment that she had passed the math exam.

Gu Heng looked at the developed photos and nodded in satisfaction.

He personally dropped the envelope containing the photo and registration form into the mailbox.

If you compete with an aesthetic that's a decade ahead of its time, it's hard to lose.

Two weeks later, Yang Mi's phone rang.

It was a call from the editorial department of Rayli magazine, informing her to come for an interview.

The result is no suspense.

Another month later, the latest issue of Rayli magazine was released.

The girl on the cover is none other than Yang Mi, who is smiling brightly in the sunlight.

That day, Yang Mi rushed to Gu Heng excitedly, holding a brand-new magazine and three hundred yuan in royalties.

"Heng-ge! I'm on the cover! Look! They even gave me three hundred yuan!"

Gu Heng looked at her naive and unsophisticated appearance, curled his lips in disdain, but his hand honestly reached out and ruffled her smooth long hair into a bird's nest.

Great, the first step of the plan has been successful.

Now, it's time for him to get down to business.

……

Time flies, and it's now 2002.

A wave of fervor swept the globe.

World Cup.

For boys, the meaning of the ten-minute break between classes has been completely overturned.

In the back corner of the classroom, there's always a bunch of heads gathered, spitting as they talk.

"This year it's definitely Argentina! With Batistuta, the god of war, and Aimar, the clown, who can stop their attack?"

A boy waved his arms excitedly, as if he were the head coach.

His deskmate immediately retorted.

"Come on, France is the real favorite. Zidane, Henry, Trezeguet—do you understand the defending champions' strength? They'll crush you!"

"If you ask me, it's still England. Beckham's free kick is just plain cool!"

Gu Heng sat in his seat, resting his chin on one hand, listening quietly.

He didn't even need to consciously recall it; those memories of the summer of 2002 would automatically surface in the depths of his mind.

The Samba Army, Ronaldo the Alien, Rivaldo, Ronaldinho.

An unofficial team song, "Samba de Janeiro," is played throughout the entire performance.

Just then, a voice forcefully interrupted the discussion.

He was the class's sports representative, a boy who was 1.8 meters tall and as strong as a calf.

"Hey, how could you forget about our own people!"

His expression was serious, and his fists were clenched.

"This is the first time in our national football team's history that we've qualified for the World Cup! Although we've been drawn into a group with Brazil, Türkiye, and Costa Rica."

"But what if? What if they qualify?"

Upon hearing this, the group of people who had been arguing heatedly fell silent.

The atmosphere was a little awkward.

Brother, your enthusiasm is invaluable.

But reality is harsh.

In his past life, Gu Heng was also one of these excited and naive fans. He watched helplessly as the national football team was handed a luxurious record of 0 goals, 0 points, and 9 goals conceded, and was brought back to square one.

"Well, qualifying is a bit difficult; scoring just one goal would be a success!" someone tried to smooth things over.

"Yes, yes, it's all about participation!"

The Argentine fan who started the conversation quickly changed the subject, "I heard that the sports lottery center has even created a special World Cup betting game where you can guess who will be the champion. A lot of people at my dad's workplace are studying it!"

Sports lottery.

Gu Heng's heart stirred.

This is what he's been waiting for.

These teenagers only know how to fanatically idolize sports stars and argue about who is stronger.

But only he knew.

This is a chance to change your destiny.

An opportunity to turn one dollar into tens or hundreds of dollars in just one month.

A master once said...

Going all in is a form of wisdom.

They won; the young models from the club.

Oh no, I mean we won, we rang the Nasdaq bell.

We lost?

He can't possibly lose.

This isn't any other lottery; it doesn't have the time traveler's number one enemy—the lottery director.

"Heng-ge, what are you looking at?"

After finishing her homework, Yang Mi saw Gu Heng staring blankly at the group of boys, so she nudged his arm with her pen.

She followed his gaze and pursed her lips.

"They're talking about football again. I really don't understand them. It's just twenty-two people chasing a ball around. What's the point?"

Yang Xiaosong clearly had absolutely no interest in this world's number one sport.

In her world, her recent worries are about whether or not to get a shampoo boyfriend, while her happiness comes from having more space for herself in the latest issue of the magazine than before.

Gu Heng withdrew his gaze and looked at her.

He lowered his voice and said mysteriously.

"Girl."

"what?"

"I've come up with an idea."

Gu Heng paused for a moment, then said.

"It will allow you to buy all the pretty dresses you like in all the magazines in the future."

He winked at her.

"I'll tell you when no one's around."