Chapter 0122: The Stars

A little past six in the evening, the sky was dim when a man carrying a suitcase suddenly appeared and asked where the girls' dormitory was.

Zeng Li felt that this was exactly like something out of a horror novel that had long been circulating among the girls.

If it weren't for the two companions beside her and the occasional students passing by not far away, she would have been ready to turn and run.

Looking at Zhao Fusheng in front of her, the girl asked warily, "Who are you looking for? What's the matter?"

The next moment, if the man in front of her couldn't come up with a good reason, Zeng Li swore she would immediately shout for help to catch a bad guy and have him subdued.

If Zhao Fusheng had known what this woman had been thinking in the less than a minute just now, he would have been deeply impressed. After all, such a wild imagination would have left even the so-called public intellectuals and internet trolls of later generations far behind. It was a waste of talent that she wasn't a screenwriter.

"I'm from Ninghai, here to see my sister. She's a sophomore in the acting department," Zhao Fusheng said honestly.

Fan Baobao was a month younger than him, so calling her that was fine.

Zeng Li paused, carefully scrutinized Zhao Fusheng, and found that although he was a bit dark and not the handsome type, the good thing was that he looked so ordinary that even after a close look, you couldn't find anything about him that made your heart race.

In short, Zhao Fusheng was completely a harmless ordinary person.

Moreover, for some reason, Zeng Li always felt that there was a special quality about the man in front of her, especially his eyes—they were unforgettable eyes that seemed to see through people's hearts.

Actually, the reason was simple. The former Zhao Fusheng had never known much meaning in living; a wife, children, and a warm bed were his best pursuits in his previous life. But now, having suddenly realized that after living a quarter of his life, he had a chance to start over, he naturally wanted to desperately absorb all the essence useful to him from this world. It was like a person who had been poor, starved, and drowned suddenly grabbing a lifeline or a meaty bone—he could really chew and swallow even the marrow and bones.

Although education level doesn't determine a person's quality, it can indeed change a person's temperament.

This was a conclusion Zhao Fusheng had drawn from living two lives.

Tan Kaixuan once said that a man can only see far if he stands high. This principle is simple, but without experiencing certain things, it's hard to understand the meaning beyond the words.

Zhao Fusheng knew very well that his life in this lifetime was like being at a crossroads. If he took the wrong turn, it was like running a red light. He didn't have the ability to crash into an oncoming truck, but the truck could make it impossible for him to get up again.

Everyone knows that people strive to move upward, just as water flows downward, but not everyone acts on it and can ensure that what they do is right and that the direction they are heading is correct.

The Zhao Fusheng of his previous life couldn't, but the current him could.

"What's your sister's name?" Zeng Li's voice sounded, pulling Zhao Fusheng back from his tangled thoughts.

He was like that—always scattered in his thinking, but with a stubbornness that wouldn't give up until he hit a wall. Otherwise, after failing, he wouldn't have started from the lowest position as a salesperson in an advertising company and worked his way up to deputy manager.

Neither particularly emotional nor rational, Zhao Fusheng felt that his personality was actually the same as most people's.

"Her name is Fan Baobao. She's a sophomore this year." Seeing the girls' wariness, Zhao Fusheng tried to appear as amiable as possible.

"Fan Baobao?" Zeng Li frowned slightly, clearly finding the name familiar.

"Ah, isn't that the 'clear-mouth girl'? I remember she really is in the sophomore acting department," a girl beside Zeng Li said quietly.

"Really? Are you really her brother?" Hearing her classmate's words, Zeng Li looked at Zhao Fusheng strangely and asked seriously.

She was like that—usually quiet, not talkative, and disliked saying pretentious or hypocritical things, but she was quite cultivated. If Zhao Fusheng really was a student's family member visiting, she was willing to help point the way, since she was also in the acting department, though she would graduate next year.

"Yeah, we grew up together. Not biological siblings, but she's my mother's goddaughter." Zhao Fusheng was very honest and even took out his student ID to hand to Zeng Li. "This is my student ID."

"Hmm, Ninghai Normal University." Zeng Li didn't stand on ceremony; she took the student ID, looked it over, and then relaxed.

"We're also in the acting department. You can follow us," Zeng Li said after a moment's thought. "My name is Zeng Li. Hello."

"Hello, I'm Zhao Fusheng."

Zhao Fusheng said with a smile, looking completely harmless.

Walking through the campus of the Central Academy of Drama, surrounded by handsome men and beautiful women exuding youthful vitality, Zhao Fusheng, though he didn't think himself ugly, was completely at the level of an extra compared to these people.

Along the way, Zhao Fusheng chatted casually with Zeng Li and the others, subtly extracting information, and soon learned that they were students of the 1996 undergraduate acting class, now seniors starting this semester.

"I'll only be able to see you on screen from now on," Zhao Fusheng said to Zeng Li with a smile.

"Of course, our Zeng Li is the school beauty..." the girl beside Zeng Li said with a giggle.

Clearly, at this time, they were full of hopes for the future. After all, studying acting wasn't something just anyone could do back then. Not many applied, and even fewer passed the exams. Often, a class would have only a dozen or twenty-some students.

Of course, that was for undergraduate classes.

If it were a junior college program, like the Ninghai Film and Television Academy where Fan Baobao had been, a class could have one or two hundred students. They didn't study seriously, often just coasting for a few years to get a diploma, so they could save face later.

Looking at the spirited girls beside him, Zhao Fusheng shook his head, smiled bitterly, and said nothing.

In his memory, Zeng Li hadn't become famous. Occasionally, he saw her playing supporting roles or in some ridiculous anti-Japanese dramas. Anyway, in Zhao Fusheng's impression, she was just an ordinary third-tier actress.

On the other hand, her classmates seemed to have produced quite a few first-tier stars. He couldn't remember exactly which ones; Zhang Ziyi was one, and Liu Ye seemed to be another.

He didn't remember the rest clearly. Zhao Fusheng had heard this from others. Since he worked in advertising, which was somewhat related to the entertainment industry, he occasionally caught some gossip.

Time had passed, and he could recall little, just fleeting flashes.

"By the way, is there a girl named Zhang Ziyu in your class?" Zhao Fusheng asked Zeng Li after a moment's thought.

After all, he wasn't sure about some things. In his memory, the hugely popular TV series "My Fair Princess" had never appeared on TV after his rebirth. The group Little Tigers existed, with the same three members, but the problem was that they still hadn't disbanded.

Sometimes Zhao Fusheng wondered if this world had been randomly altered. The changes in some people and events were truly frustrating.

"Yes, have you seen her movies?" Zeng Li smiled and said. She had a good relationship with Zhang Ziyu; they were in the same dorm. There were only eight girls in the class, known as the "Eight Golden Beauties."

"I've seen a bit. Not bad," Zhao Fusheng nodded, but inwardly he smiled bitterly. If he remembered correctly, she should have already taken on Ang Lee's famous "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and was heading toward becoming an international star.

He had neither fondness nor dislike for this woman; mixed reviews were normal for a celebrity. The only thing that left a deep impression on Zhao Fusheng was her performance in Wong Kar-wai's "The Grandmaster." Without exaggeration, it was one of the few martial arts films he had seen, and it was truly memorable.

Along the way, people kept greeting Zeng Li, both men and women. It was clear she was quite popular on campus.

Zhao Fusheng tried hard to recall, as being in a place like the Central Academy of Drama made everyone he saw look familiar.

But unfortunately, most people left no impression in his mind. It seemed that the acting profession was indeed a process of natural selection. While many became famous, more remained unknown.

Just then, Zeng Li said, "Here's our dormitory. I'll go call Fan Baobao down for you?"

Zhao Fusheng was startled, then smiled and nodded, "Okay, thank you."

Taking a deep breath, he watched Zeng Li and the other two go upstairs, put down his suitcase, and prepared for battle.