My cousin asked me to go to Wuha, and Hanikezi stuck to me.

Current popularity score: 8500!

The numbers stopped flashing, and Chen Yi waved his hand to turn off the blue virtual screen.

The cramped rented room fell silent again. The phone screen remained on the WeChat chat interface, and Hanikezi still hadn't replied.

Chen Yi tossed his phone next to his pillow, pulled the covers over himself, and went to sleep.

At seven o'clock the next morning, Chen Yi was awakened by a series of phone notifications. He grabbed his phone and glanced at it. His Weibo account was flooded with messages. Chen Yi opened Weibo.

The account, which originally had only a few dozen zombie fans, has now surpassed 200,000 followers, and the number is still increasing at a visible rate.

Two of the top ten trending topics were marked with a red "hot" tag.

First place: Chen Yi playing guitar.

Third place: Chen Yihanikezi taking a walk on the beach.

When Chen Yi clicked on the first entry, a marketing account had reposted the complete clip of him playing and singing with a guitar from the show, and the number of likes had already exceeded one million, with the comment section being flooded with comments.

"One minute! I need all the information on this man!"

"Is this really an amateur? This level of skill is enough for her to debut as a celebrity right now!"

"That voice is amazing! I listened to it on repeat all night!"

"A 20,000 yuan appearance fee? Old Wang, don't you have a conscience?!"

Chen Yi exited the entry and clicked on the third one, which was a clip of him and Hanikezi walking on the beach.

The background music was changed to a saccharine love song, and the comments below went completely off track.

"I'm so excited! Honey's eyes are practically drooling when she looks at him!"

"Chen Yi's line, 'The trump card is just a tool left on the table,' was so charming!"

"One person wrote a petition in blood, begging Old Wang to let them stay permanently!"

"I've moved the Civil Affairs Bureau here; you two can get married right here!"

Chen Yi logged out of Weibo and opened a short video app. The homepage recommendations were all clips of the two of them interacting, with hundreds of thousands to millions of likes.

Chen Yi rubbed his temples. Things had gotten out of hand. He threw off the covers, got out of bed, and went into the bathroom.

Just as I picked up my toothbrush, the phone rang. The caller ID showed: Chen Chichi.

Chen Yi pressed the answer button, turned on the speakerphone, and placed it on the sink.

"Bro! You're famous!"

Chen Chichi's loud voice boomed from the receiver, filled with extreme excitement.

"I told you long ago, it's a loss for the Chinese entertainment industry that you're not on TV!"

Chen Yi squeezes toothpaste with one hand.

"Brother, you called so early in the morning just to say this?"

"What kind of reaction is that! Do you know how famous you are right now?!"

Chen Chichi was so anxious on the other end that he was jumping up and down.

"Old Wang called me late last night, saying the comments section was full of people asking if you'd be coming back for the next episode!"

"I'm not going." Chen Yi put the toothbrush in his mouth. "I have to report to the company today."

"What's the point of reporting in! What's so great about your lousy class!"

"Eight thousand a month, plus five social insurances and one housing fund." Chen Yi spat out the foam in his mouth. "Stable."

"Do you know what netizens are saying about me? They're saying that I, a regular cast member, am being humiliated by a nobody like you, my cousin!" Chen Chichi shouted.

"They are stating objective facts," Chen Yi said, wiping his face with a towel.

"Can't you shut your mouth a little?! The whole internet is urging you to be a regular here. If you don't come, Old Wang will eat me alive!"

"That's your business. I'm just filling in; I don't plan to stay in the entertainment industry permanently."

"Old Wang said, as long as you're willing to stay permanently, you can ask for any appearance fee you want!" Chen Chichi threw out the bait.

"How much is 'any amount'?"

"It's definitely more than 20,000! At least ten times more!"

"A worthless check." Chen Yi said calmly, "If Lao Wang were really sincere, he should have sent the contract yesterday."

"Producer Mr. Li has changed his mind too!" Chen Chichi continued, "Yesterday he thought you were a risky newcomer, but this morning he had Lao Wang contact you directly to discuss further collaboration!"

Chen Yi walked out of the bathroom and opened the wardrobe.

"The entertainment industry is too murky; I'm afraid I'll drown." Chen Yi took out a white shirt.

"With your cousin here, who dares to drown you!" Chen Chichi patted his chest and assured him.

"You can't even protect a piece of tripe, how can I expect you to protect me?" Chen Yi retorted.

The person on the other end of the phone was speechless, Chen Chichi was breathing heavily.

"Fine, I won't argue with you. Xiao Fang will contact you right away; you can talk to her yourself!"

"Chen Yi, I'm warning you, if you dare go work for that lousy internet company, your aunt will absolutely not let you off the hook!"

The phone was abruptly disconnected.

Chen Yi tossed his phone onto the table, changed into a white shirt, and tied his tie. He looked at himself in the mirror.

Dressed in typical working-class attire and wearing shoes, Chen Yi went out to his familiar steamed bun shop.

"Boss, two meat buns and a cup of soy milk." Chen Yi scanned the code to pay.

The shop owner, a middle-aged man, kept staring at Chen Yi while packing the buns.

"Young man, you look exactly like that celebrity on TV yesterday." The shopkeeper handed over the bag.

Chen Yi took the bag.

"Just an average-looking face."

Two young girls waiting for steamed buns nearby suddenly came over.

"Oh my god! You're Chen Yi, right!" one of the girls screamed.

Another girl quickly raised her phone.

"It really is him! The living Chen Yi!"

"Chen Yi, can I get your autograph? I love watching you play the guitar!"

Chen Yi took a step back, avoiding the phone camera that was almost right in his face.

"You've mistaken me for someone else. I'm in a hurry to get to work."

He turned and walked away quickly, the excited chatter of the girls echoing behind him.

"It's definitely him! That cold expression is exactly the same as on the show!"

"Quick, post this on Xiaohongshu! We bumped into Chen Yi at the steamed bun shop!"

Chen Yi walked to the subway station entrance and looked at the huge crowd of people during the morning rush hour.

For the first time, he hesitated about this monotonous life.

The phone in my pocket rang again; this time it was Xiao Fang.

"Brother Yi! Don't go to work!" Xiao Fang's voice was even more excited than Chen Chichi's.

"Why don't you go? You'll pay my rent." Chen Yi stood outside the subway entrance.

"Just now, three reality show production teams called me to inquire about your availability!" Xiao Fang spoke very quickly.

Chen Yi stopped holding the steamed bun.

"There's also a lifestyle variety show that's asking for 150,000 yuan per episode!"

"150,000?" Chen Yi raised an eyebrow.

"Yes! And this is just a preliminary quote; there's room for negotiation!"

Xiao Fang was flipping through the papers on the other end, making a rustling sound.

"A sports brand wants you to shoot an advertisement, and they're offering 200,000 yuan."

"A beverage brand wants to sign you as a short-term experience officer, offering 300,000 yuan."

"These commercial properties alone are enough to make a down payment on a house in the suburbs of Shanghai!"

Chen Yi took a bite of the meat bun.

"They're already throwing money at me before I've even debuted?"

"That's the power of traffic!" Xiao Fang exclaimed excitedly. "You're a walking traffic magnet right now! Whoever signs you first will reap the first wave of benefits!"

"If you just nod, I'll immediately turn down that internet company's offer for you!"

"Turning down the offer is just in case I fail next month," Chen Yi said calmly.

"How could you possibly flop! You're now recognized as the most talented amateur dark horse on the entire internet!" Xiao Fang declared confidently.

"The internet has no memory. They praise me today, and they'll trample on me tomorrow."

"Brother Yi, with Brother Chichi and me here, we'll definitely help you steer the course!"

"I've already drafted the contract. It's a short-term brokerage contract, and I promise I won't hold you hostage," Xiao Fang continued to persuade.

"How much is the penalty for breach of contract?" Chen Yi asked.

"No penalty for breach of contract! We'll even pay you your base salary!"

"Those who offer unsolicited favors are either treacherous or thieves."

"This is sincerity! President Li has said that as long as you are willing to sign the follow-up contract with Wuha, you can name your terms."

"This is forcing me to take sides."

"That's called mutual benefit!" Xiao Fang corrected him.

Xiao Fang paused for a moment, then unleashed his trump card.

"Hanikezi's agent also contacted me, asking if you're going to be on the next episode."

Chen Yi's breath hitched for half a second.

The image of the Xinjiang girl on the beach complaining that she was starving and looked emaciated flashed through his mind.

"She asked me what I was doing?" Chen Yiqiang suppressed his emotions.

"Is that even a question? The whole internet is shipping you two as a couple, why not ride that wave?" Xiao Fang grinned slyly.

Chen Yi didn't speak. A breeze blew through the subway station, carrying the sultry heat unique to the morning.

He stood in the crowd, asking Hanikezi about the invitation for the second phase of the "Five Ha" program, which cost 150,000 per phase.

These three things combined are enough to destroy the sanity of any ordinary working person.

But he was used to being in control, and there were too many uncontrollable factors in the entertainment industry.

Especially that girl, once she enters this circle, many things will deviate from their original course. Just as Chen Yi was weighing the pros and cons, that emotionless mechanical electronic voice suddenly rang out from the depths of his mind.

"Ding!"

"A major turning point in the host's life has been detected."

"The system issues the ultimate main quest: A Life Choice."

A semi-transparent blue virtual screen popped up in front of Chen Yi's eyes.

The words on it shimmered with a dazzling golden light.

"Task objective: Turn down the job offer from the internet company and officially choose the path of the entertainment industry."

"Task Reward: Unlock all system functions, access the complete skill tree and hidden task modules."

"Failure penalty: The system will be permanently unbound, and all skills already granted will be revoked."

Chen Yi stared at the line of red text on the screen and withdrew all his skills!

This means he will lose his sense of variety shows, his god-like guitar skills, and his culinary expertise.

He went back to being an ordinary person who stayed up all night making PPTs in an office building for a salary of eight thousand yuan.

"Brother Yi? Brother Yi, are you listening?" Xiao Fang's voice came through the receiver.

Chen Yi tightened his grip on his phone.

The countdown on the screen started ticking.

"Twenty-three hours, fifty-nine minutes, and fifty-nine seconds"

The clock is ticking.