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

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

The countdown numbers jumped on his retina. Chen Yi stood at the entrance of the subway station, being pushed and shoved forward by the morning rush hour crowd. All he could hear were hurried footsteps and the beeping of cards being swiped.

He did not enter the station.

The meat bun in my hand had gone cold, starch paste had settled at the bottom of the soy milk cup, and Xiao Fang's phone call was still hanging on his ear.

"Brother Yi? Are you going to work or not?" Xiao Fang's voice came through the receiver.

Chen Yi stuffed the steamed bun into his mouth, chewed it twice, and swallowed it.

"Let me think about it."

"What are you thinking about! You're still thinking about 150,000 per installment? Your lousy company only makes around 100,000 a year!" Xiao Fang's voice changed from anxiety.

"Give me a day." Chen Yi hung up the phone.

He turned and walked out of the crowd in the subway station, found a bench by the roadside and sat down. The blue virtual screen in his mind was still floating in the corner of his vision, and the countdown numbers were dropping second by second.

Recall all skills.

These six words carry more weight than anything else. Without a sense of variety show appeal, he's just an ordinary person in front of the camera. Without intermediate guitar playing skills, he can't even play a complete song.

The system gave him a ladder and now requires him to climb it, or they will take the ladder away.

Chen Yi finished his soy milk in one gulp, stood up, and walked towards the rented room.

Back in the room, which was less than 20 square meters, Chen Yi sat on the edge of the bed and dialed his mother's number.

It rang twice before being answered.

"Mom, there's something I want to tell you."

"What is it? Speak." The mother's voice was crisp and clear.

"I might not take that offer from the internet company."

There was a three-second silence on the other end of the phone, and Chen Yi was prepared to be scolded.

"What are you planning to do if you're not going to work? You can't just lie around all day, can you?" The mother's tone was unexpectedly calm.

"Recording a variety show," Chen Yi said directly. "It's the show I recorded with my cousin last time. Now someone is offering me a high price to continue recording it."

How tall?

"The first phase starts at 150,000, with commercial transactions priced separately."

There was silence on the other end of the phone again, this time for even longer, until Chen Yi almost thought the signal had been lost.

"mom?"

"Your aunt sent me the link to your show yesterday," the mother suddenly said. "I watched it three times."

Chen Yi was stunned.

"You look even more energetic on TV than your dad did when he was young." His mother's tone carried a ease that Chen Yi had never heard before. "Your second aunt and third aunt all called me, asking if you're going to become a star."

"So you mean—"

"You're young, give it a try if you have the chance," his mother interrupted him. "If it doesn't work out, you can always come back and find a job. You're only twenty-three, you can afford to waste your time."

Chen Yi held his phone, and the corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

"But," the mother's tone suddenly changed, "if you cause any trouble for me outside, I'll take the train to Shanghai to deal with you."

"understood."

"Also, that Xinjiang girl is quite pretty."

"Mom, I'm hanging up."

Chen Yi hung up the phone, his ears burning. Even his mother, Hanikezi, had noticed. Just how many people watched this show?

The phone screen lit up as Chen Chichi's voice messages bombarded him, one after another. Chen Yi didn't listen to them; he simply dialed back.

"elder brother."

"Have you figured it out?" Chen Chichi's voice carried a hint of expectation.

"My mom agreed."

"I knew Auntie would be on my side!" Chen Chichi slapped his thigh excitedly on the other end of the line. "Don't worry, with your cousin here, what's there to be afraid of? I know the ins and outs of this industry inside and out. If anyone dares to bully you, I'll be the first to step in!"

"Don't rush to get emotional," Chen Yi said calmly. "Listen carefully to my conditions: First, it's a short-term contract, three months. Second, the agent must be Xiao Fang; I won't accept anyone parachuted in from other companies. Third, I have the final veto power over all announcements."

"Okay, okay, whatever you say!" Chen Chichi readily agreed. "Xiao Fang's contract has already been drafted; you just need to sign it this afternoon!"

"What about the penalty for breach of contract?"

"I absolutely refuse! I swear on my honor!"

"Your character is worthless."

"Chen Yi, can't you watch your mouth a little!" Chen Chichi said angrily.

Chen Yi didn't reply. He walked to the window and looked at the street below. Pedestrians were rushing to work. He had been one of them a week ago.

At 2 p.m., Xiao Fang arrived at Chen Yi's rented room with the contract.

After reading the entire document word by word and confirming that there were no hidden clauses, Chen Yi signed his name.

The moment the pen touched the paper, the mechanical electronic voice in my mind rang out precisely on time.

"Ding!"

"A selection has been detected from the host."

"Ultimate Main Quest: Life Choice - Completed!"

"Rewards being distributed..."

"All system functions unlocked."

"The complete skill tree is now available."

"Hidden quest module is now available."

The blue virtual screen in front of me flickered violently, and the entire interface was completely refreshed. The skill tree expanded from the original five branches to twelve, with gray lock icons hanging under each branch.

Before Chen Yi could take a closer look, Xiao Fang was already excitedly waving the contract around beside him.

"Yi-ge! It's all signed! From today onwards, you're my artist!"

"Don't get excited, let's get down to business." Chen Yi regained his focus. "When will the second season of 'Five Ha' be recorded?"

"The day after tomorrow!" Xiao Fang opened her phone's notes app. "Old Wang is urging us to film. He said the second episode will be filmed in an ancient town near Hengdian, and this time it's a traditional Chinese style theme."

"Guest appearance or permanent resident?"

"You're a guest star, but Lao Wang said that as long as you perform well this episode, you can sign a permanent contract anytime."

Chen Yi nodded.

Xiao Fang put away the contract and walked towards the door, but turned back halfway there.

"By the way, Yi-ge," Xiao Fang smiled somewhat strangely, "Hanikezi's agent replied, confirming that she will also participate in the second phase."

Chen Yi paused for a moment.

"What does this have to do with me?"

"Of course it has something to do with you! The whole internet is waiting for the second episode where you two appear together!" Xiao Fang winked.

"Get out," Chen Yi said, pointing to the door.

Xiao Fang closed the door with a grin, and her footsteps faded into the distance in the corridor.

The room quieted down again. Chen Yi picked up his phone, and the profile picture of him holding a cat at the top of his WeChat list lay there quietly.

He hesitated for two seconds before clicking on it.

Before I could even type anything, the other person's message popped up.

"I heard you're coming back next time?"

The second point follows immediately.

"Great! I want to be on your team this time!"