Chapter 1: First, Let Me Apologize to You

7:30 AM. Beijing Subway Line 14.

The crowd was packed like sardines, so tight that it was hard to breathe; there was barely an inch of space between bodies. The air was a pungent, nauseating cocktail of hair product, perfume, and sweat. Zhou Le, standing at 185 centimeters, managed to hold his own, but he had one minor headache: a girl pressed against his chest. She was cute, but her face was flushed, and she was squirming in obvious distress.

"Public space, keep it decent," Zhou Le thought, resisting the contact.

But he soon noticed a flicker of embarrassment in her eyes. Glancing down, he saw a pair of hands roaming over the girl’s hips.

"A subway groper?" Zhou Le’s heart skipped a beat. "I didn't know they migrated from Tokyo to Beijing."

A sudden surge of justice flared within him. He locked eyes with the girl, quickly confirming that she and the owner of those hands were strangers. The groper, meanwhile, was reveling in the pleasure of his victim’s inability to resist, even letting out a soft, satisfied moan amidst the noisy carriage.

But a moment later, his smile froze. He felt a hand kneading his own backside. Given the size and the force, he knew for certain it wasn't a woman's hand.

"???"

His hair stood on end. He spun around, tracing the arm until his gaze landed on Zhou Le. Zhou Le was looking down at him with a warm, sunny smile, though there was an unreadable glint in his eyes.

"Holy shit! Pervert!" the groper shrieked, panic flooding his face.

Just then, the subway announcement chimed like a savior: "Futong Station."

As the train pulled into the station, the groper shoved his way out without looking back. As new passengers squeezed on, the girl was pushed back against Zhou Le’s chest. Once the train moved back into the tunnel, the girl finally spoke.

"Thank you."

She had seen Zhou Le’s move and felt that this tall, handsome guy was incredibly clever to have driven the creep away with such a bizarre tactic. Yet, she couldn't help but wonder if...

"It’s nothing. Don't thank me. Actually, I should apologize to you."

"???"

The girl felt the powerful heartbeat against her flattened chest, but she felt there was something off about his words. Still, the guy in front of her was so handsome, clean, and sunny... she thought it might not be the worst thing.

Soon, the announcement for Wangjing South echoed. The girl looked at Zhou Le and mustered the courage to comfort him: "It's okay. It’s only natural."

Zhou Le laughed. "I wouldn't be so sure."

The train stopped, the doors opened, and Zhou Le used his physical stature to easily squeeze out, disappearing into the bustling crowd.

***

After swiping his card to exit the station, Zhou Le checked the system notification that had appeared in his mind.

【Life is a play, it’s all in the acting. Experience points reached 3000. Reward: Instrument Mastery.】
【Randomly drawing instrument... Congratulations, Host has gained Drum Set Mastery.】

Zhou Le sighed, looking helplessly at the "Best Actor System" he had bonded with six months ago.

"Big brother, I'm an actor! Look at these skills you keep rewarding me with."

"Is that even right?"

He recalled the previous rewards at 1000 and 2000 experience points: 【Street Fighting】 and 【Firearm Mastery】. None of them had anything to do with acting. Though these skills were abstract to possess, his firearm mastery had at least helped him land a part-time job as a shooting range coach, allowing him to afford a decent one-bedroom apartment in Tiantongyuan. But now, drum mastery?

"I can’t exactly go get a second part-time job as a music teacher, can I?"

He hesitated, feeling that with the help of this "Best Actor System," he was drifting further and further away from becoming a movie star.

"Sigh. Whatever. It’s already given."

He decided he’d look for a teaching gig later. With that in mind, he stepped out and grabbed an Ofo bike to head toward the Jiuxian Apartments. Ofo bikes were a recent arrival on the streets of Beijing; they were convenient for the "last mile," though they required a 100-yuan deposit.

Zhou Le had been a civil engineering student, but after three months of working on a construction site, he quit. He realized that if he stayed on that path, his future would just be shades of cement gray, and the only women he'd ever meet would be hostesses at KTVs. He wasn't afraid of hard work; he just didn't want his future to be so dull.

When the system appeared, he naturally entered the entertainment industry. The system was simple: perform, earn experience, and every 1000 points, draw a skill.

Despite his natural advantages, he had no connections and no background. He had the "gift of the gods," but it was a meager serving. Since starting out, he had played a classmate in *Goodbye Mr. Loser*, a Japanese zombie in *Mojin: The Lost Legend*, a mercenary killed in *Wolf Warrior*, and a security guard in *The Witness*. He was now a "foreground actor."

He felt the industry wasn't kind to tall, handsome extras like him; he would steal the spotlight just by standing there, so he rarely got more than half a face on camera. And yet, those lead actors were often untalented and lazy.

"If you can't handle the grind, give the role to me! I came from the construction site; I'm not afraid of anything."

When he arrived at the apartment complex, it was already crowded. Most were hopefuls clutching resumes, dropping them off at every production office they could find. But Zhou Le was different; he was here for a specific role.

It all started half a month ago while filming a movie called *Electromagnetic King: Thunder Father and Son*, where he met Yu Qian, the famous cross-talk comedian. As a fan, Zhou Le had asked for an autograph and chatted with him. When Yu Qian learned Zhou Le was a shooting range coach, he recommended him to the *Wolf Warrior 2* crew.

Excited, Zhou Le had even bought a ticket to see a live performance by the Deyun Society. It was hilarious, though he winced later thinking about how he’d spent 1800 yuan on a show he could have heard online. As for the director, Wu Jing, Zhou Le’s favorite role of his was the assassin A Fei in *The Little Li Flying Dagger*. A trained martial artist and champion, Wu Jing had a bright future, only to lose years of career growth by moving to Hong Kong, yet here he was, now a director.

He registered on the second floor and looked at the staff member, a young woman with glasses.

"Big sister, may I ask when the auditions for this role start?"

Zhou Le said it sweetly—after all, there was a difference between "sister" and "big sister."

The woman saw how handsome he was and softened. "Not until at least nine. The directors won't be here until after eight. You can wait; we'll call you when it's time."

"Thank you, big sister."

Zhou Le nodded, reached into his bag, and mysteriously slipped a bottle of AD Calcium Milk into her hand. The system in his mind pinged. The girl took it, laughing.

"You're trying to bribe me with a bottle of milk?"

Zhou Le smiled. "It's not a bribe. Just thought you looked like you were working hard."

"Alright, I'll take it. But I don't make the calls here; Director Wu has to approve every role."

Zhou Le’s interest piqued. He pulled a vacuum-packed egg from his bag and whispered, "Sister, any more tips?"

"And you say it's not a bribe? It's my first time seeing someone pull out gifts that don't cost more than five yuan," she said, pocketing the egg quietly. "I can only tell you this: Director Wu sold his house to make this movie. He's cutting costs wherever he can."

Zhou Le gratefully shook her hand. "Understood! Thank you, sister."

He pulled a banana from his bag and handed it to her. "I'll go for a walk and be back in a bit."

After he left, another aspiring extra watched, thoughtful. He pulled a Dove chocolate bar from his bag and mimicked Zhou Le. "Sister, about my role..."

Before he could finish, the woman looked at his thirty-year-old face and said coldly, "I don't know." She added, "Take that back. I'm on a diet, I don't eat chocolate."

***

With over an hour left, Zhou Le was bored and decided to wander upstairs. Most of the productions there were obscure, led by directors and writers he’d never heard of, yet they were still bustling with people.

He reached the sixth floor. It was crowded too, but as he moved closer to see what kind of production it was, a staff member walked up to him with a beaming smile. "Teacher, you're here to tune the instruments, right? Come on in, everything is inside."

"???"

Before he could react, he was led into a room filled with guitars, drums, a bass, and a microphone.

"We've been waiting forever. The creative team will be here soon. Please, tune them up. The pay is as we discussed: one thousand yuan."

Zhou Le was about to explain, but hearing there was pay, he immediately agreed.

"Alright."

He only knew how to play the drums, and he had only just learned that. He figured he’d just handle the drums and take three hundred—he didn't even need the rest.

Sitting down, a flood of drum knowledge surged into his mind. He’d seen the system's power before; once he gained firearm mastery, he could handle a gun instantly. After tuning, his hands felt itchy. On impulse, he started wailing on the drums. A thunderous, explosive sound filled the room.

The staff member nodded repeatedly, impressed. Even without musical knowledge, he knew this guy was good. "As expected of a professional."

As he finished, applause broke out behind him, accompanied by a familiar voice.

"The teacher plays a mean set of drums."

Zhou Le, assuming it was another staff member, stopped and stood up, smiling with a Taiwanese accent, "Just so-so, just making a living, you know~"

But when he turned to see who it was, he dropped his drumsticks in shock.

"Holy crap, Jiao... wait, Teacher Qiao Shan?"

As he spoke, the door opened and another man walked in. Zhou Le gasped again.

"Holy crap, Diaosi... wait, Teacher Da Peng?"