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Stars and Light
墨書 Inktalez
Prologue
I stood by my wife's hospital bed, the doctor urging me to make a decision quickly.
The phone rang, the million-dollar contract pressing me to sign.
I clutched my wife's diagnosis report tightly, my heart aching.
In the end, I decided to give it up...
Looking at my wife, who was struggling to breathe on the bed,
my thoughts drifted back hazily to that year.
---------------
Chapter One
The first time I saw her was in the Wonton Noodle Shop.
"Hello, do you still have wontons?"
A voice like silver bells rang out.
A stunning woman dressed in ancient attire stood before me.
"Hello, do you still have wontons?" she asked again.
"Oh, yes. How many bowls would you like?"
"One bowl, to go."
A friend had an emergency, so I was helping out at the shop.
With clumsy movements and at a painfully slow pace, I prepared a bowl of wontons.
The way she looked at me made me feel like a thief in this establishment.
I awkwardly packed up the wontons and sent her on her way.
Little did I know I would see her again soon.
.........
After finishing my statement at the police station, I relaxed my shoulders.
I thought about the group of thugs who had come to my house demanding money, rubbing my still aching fist.
I hated my Gambler Dad with a gnawing bitterness.
Speaking of my family felt like recounting a melodramatic soap opera.
I don't know when it started, but my once formidable father fell into gambling and lost all his money. After accumulating a mountain of debt, he vanished without a trace. People may disappear, but the debts remain, and soon the creditors began showing up at our door every few days.
Thus, I grew up under constant pressure, learning to navigate life amidst threats and violence. To pay off the debts, I dropped out of high school, enduring ridicule and severing ties with my family as I took on various jobs. Often, I could only lament the unfairness of fate—why did such misfortune have to befall my family?
A gust of evening wind swept by, sending a chill through me and pulling my thoughts back to the present. I huddled closer, suddenly hearing faint cries carried by the wind. My curiosity piqued, I followed the sound.
Out of nowhere, a white figure dashed past me, quickly followed by two dark figures in pursuit. Squinting, I realized it was a White-Clad Woman being chased by two men in black. The scene felt ominous; a bad premonition crept over me. "This is bad; that woman is in danger."
Without thinking further, I hurried after them. Sure enough, around the corner of a dimly lit alley, I found the woman cornered. The men exchanged muffled words before bursting into sinister laughter as they lunged at her.
I picked up a brick and charged forward, smashing it against the man in front before leaping to stand protectively in front of the woman. A piercing scream echoed through the air.
Time seemed to freeze; only the man I'd struck groaned in pain. The other man appeared momentarily stunned, staring blankly at me.
【Chapter Two】
"What’s going on? Where did this person come from?" A booming voice startled me out of my daze.
The lights around me suddenly brightened, blinding me.
As my vision gradually cleared, I found myself surrounded by a group of people, along with cameras...
"I... seem to have stumbled into a filming set," I muttered.
"What? A filming set?"
"Oh no, that means...?"
"The person I just hit with the brick... is an actor?"
Realizing this, I hurried over to help the man in black and apologized.
"It's you..." a woman exclaimed in surprise.
Only then did I recognize her as the woman who had come to buy wontons.
Before I could say anything, I was restrained by the crew members.
After some explanations, the situation was finally clarified. Fortunately, the crew didn't pursue any further action and agreed to settle privately. However, the man was injured quite badly, and it ended up costing me more than half a month's wages.
Standing in front of the Payment Counter at the hospital, looking at my empty pockets, I was feeling distressed...
A bright female voice said, "I'll pay."
I turned around to see the wonton-buying woman.
I awkwardly replied, "No way! It was my fault that he got hurt; how can I let you pay?"
She responded, "But you were trying to save me! I haven't even thanked you yet. By the way, my name is Cui Jie. What's yours?"
I quickly said, "I'm Guo Hua. I never expected we would meet like this."
She smiled and said, "We met at the wonton stall last time."
I nodded, "Yes, I remember."
Cui Jie asked, "You... look like you're a bit short on cash."
I could feel my face heating up; admitting I was short on money felt embarrassing, but denying it would be a lie.
Cui Jie leaned slightly and whispered, "After you left, director Zhang praised your agility. Have you trained before?"
I nodded, "I learned a bit from a master in my village when I was young."
Cui Jie said excitedly, "That's great! Would you be interested in acting? Our crew is looking for action actors."
I chuckled awkwardly and replied, "I've done extra work before; it's exhausting and doesn't pay well."
Cui Jie shook her head. "I'm talking about signed actors, not extras."
I scratched my head and stammered, "But I can't act."
Cui Jie said, "It's simple; you can learn. The production team has a training program that's free, but you have to sign a contract after graduation."
I perked up at that and quickly asked, "Free? What kind of contract? How can I get in?"
Cui Jie smiled. "Yeah, it's internal to the company. After graduation, you must serve the company for a certain number of years. As long as you can pass the entrance exam, you're in."
After saying that, Cui Jie took a dumpling. "Think about it, and when you've made up your mind, come find me in the production team."
Her words blew through my heart like a breeze, creating ripples on the surface of my thoughts. I decided that no matter the outcome, I had to give it a try. Because if I succeeded, not only would I earn money, but I would also get to see her every day.
The audition was a bumpy ride but somehow I passed. The bumps were because Deputy Director Sun thought I wasn't good enough. The reason I passed was that director Zhang believed I had potential.
And just like that, I joined the production team and ran into an old classmate of mine who was now a photographer, Cao Feng.
With the help of Cao Feng and Cui Jie during our training, I successfully entered the Huaxing Film and Television Company training program. What surprised me even more was that Cui Jie was in the same class as me.
"Surprised?" Cui Jie asked with a smile.
"You... you've already taken roles and acted so well. How are you still a student?" I stammered in response.
Cui Jie laughed lightly. "I want to further my studies; before this, I was just learning on the side."
I said, "You’re almost becoming the company's leading lady without even finishing your studies! Imagine how amazing you'll be once you graduate."
Cui Jie feigned annoyance. "You've learned to make jokes now?"
I chuckled awkwardly. "No, no! I really didn't mean it that way."
Cui Jie playfully hit me. "Come on, class is starting..."
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