Chapter One

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“My name is Meng Kaiyan, I am sixteen years old and come from Shanghai. I have acted in several productions including ‘Legend of the Ming King’ and ‘Bloody Eve,’ and I possess rich acting experience...”

Before the mirror, the young girl’s lips curled slightly into a smile, her eyes bright and lively. Her voice was not particularly strong or commanding, but it was crisp and clear, like wind chimes hanging by a window.

She greeted first, then introduced herself, speaking clearly and confidently, with a steady tone that subtly conveyed some excitement and enthusiasm.

“I love the character Zhong Qiaohua deeply, and I look forward to meeting her. She was born in old China but grew up in the new society. Through her, I can clearly understand the society of the last century, that vibrant and flourishing society... Mom,” the girl in front of the mirror suddenly furrowed her brow and turned to the woman leaning by the door, “This phrase isn’t quite right. ‘Vibrant and flourishing’ doesn’t quite fit.”

The woman straightened up and thought carefully, “Indeed, it’s not quite right. The last century is divided into two parts.”

“Ah!” The woman grew anxious and paced around, “Change it, find another word to replace it.”

“Let’s leave it like this!” The man in the living room, sweating profusely, took a big gulp of water and said to the two women, “We need to get going. This time we have to be there early. That Chen Wangba is a pain—damn casting director’s assistant, with more airs than the director himself. If you need something from him, you have to arrive half an hour early and wait for him!”

“Come on, let’s drop it. It’s fine to say that at home, but if you call him Chen Wangba out loud, Kaiyan will lose this chance again.”

The woman hurried to tidy up their things.

Meng Kaiyan’s shoulders slumped a little as she intently stared—no, observed—herself in the mirror.

Not exactly beautiful, but not ugly either.

First, her skin wasn’t fair enough.

They say fair skin hides a hundred flaws—that’s true. Even with ordinary features, as long as the skin is fair and delicate, a person’s beauty level can leap up several notches.

Unfortunately, she inherited her father’s complexion and had never been fair or delicate since childhood, until... early last year.

So, to put it cautiously, she wasn’t fair, but not exactly dark either.

What about the rest?

Her eyebrows were average, but thankfully the distance between her eyebrows and eyes was good, and her eyes were quite striking.

When she was little, a well-known director once said, “This girl has good eyes, bright and spirited. She has potential. When she grows up, I’ll still want to cast her.”

Back then, that director was just starting out and was very tolerant of the temporary little actor they found on set. That offhand praise stuck with her parents, who have since tirelessly used connections to get her into various productions over the past decade.

She had acted in a few shows, but only appeared on screen in the two mentioned, totaling less than ten minutes of screen time.

Barely enough to be called a child star, but a child star nonetheless, which at least gave her some buzz.

Looking further, her nose and mouth followed.

Her nose was slightly flat, and the tip was a bit fleshy—not sure if it was baby fat or what.

But the biggest issue was at the base of her nose. She took after her mother, who had a slight depression there, making her profile less flattering than her frontal view. So Meng Kaiyan had to be very careful whenever she took photos.

Her lips lacked a good natural color, and their outline was ordinary.

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Yet, the word “ordinary” was the result of her efforts.

The young girl had a clear understanding of herself: this face of hers was simply not one for the entertainment industry.

In other words, she was perfectly fine being an ordinary person. With her photogenic and friendly appearance, she could play minor roles on the sidelines, but to make a big splash in the entertainment world—she didn’t qualify.

But Meng Kaiyan was undeterred. If she couldn’t make it big, she would at least make it. She was a determined and purposeful girl.

“Nier, hurry up.”

Meng Kaiyan’s mother, Mrs. Jian Zhenzhu, had already started calling.

“Okay!”

She put on a smile again, unchanged from before. Taking a deep breath, she whispered “Good luck,” patted her new blue dress, and then walked out of the room.

This audition was for a major production, and she was aiming for the role of the young female lead.

Meng Kaiyan had already checked on her phone and found that she bore some resemblance to the actress already cast as the lead, which was her advantage.

“Out again in this heat?” a neighbor asked.

Jian Zhenzhu smiled, “Yes, Sister Xu, you’re living the good life now, staying home to watch your grandchild in this weather.”

Meng’s mother was now very sweet-tongued, always able to say just the right words that people liked to hear.

Sister Xu immediately felt proud and ran back inside to grab an ice cream, handing it to Meng Kaiyan, “Here, Kaiyan, have this.”

Meng Kaiyan’s face lit up with joy, “Thank you, Aunt Xu.”

“No problem!” Sister Xu looked her over twice and thought to herself: “Girls really do change as they grow up. Look at Meng’s daughter—what seemed ugly as a child might not have been truly ugly.”

She must have blossomed recently, looking a bit more delicate than before. But no one knew when exactly she started changing—it seemed to happen in the blink of an eye.

Sister Xu sighed twice and quickly closed the door to go back inside.

The heat made the air conditioning bill quite expensive!

After going downstairs, Meng Kaiyan handed the ice cream to her father, Meng Minghai.

The ice cream was too sweet; she should eat less.

Meng Minghai couldn’t stand it, “Eating one won’t hurt.”

Meng Kaiyan shook her head—one would lead to two.

She was disciplined, no wonder that strange system called her a qualified “big star.”

At first, she didn’t believe it. Big stars had to be beautiful, right? But now she understood better—making someone look pretty was as easy for the system as drinking water.

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In the entertainment industry, looks are paramount, but for the system, that hardly mattered.

[Host, you truly have insight.]

A voice echoed in her mind.

Meng Kaiyan no longer startled at such things. She had bonded with the system on her birthday early last year, and a year and a half later, she was well accustomed to its occasional disappearances and sudden appearances.

After going downstairs and walking along the shaded path to an open area, Meng Minghai handed a cigarette to the elderly gatekeeper, then moved their car from behind the security booth to the roadside.

It was hot, and in the afternoons, the shaded spot behind the booth was coveted by many car owners. Fortunately, Meng Minghai was close friends with the old man and could always snag that spot.

Their neighborhood was an old one from the last century, without a parking lot. Before renovations, there wasn’t even an elevator or a designated area for garbage collection. Passing by in the summer, one had to hold their breath to avoid the sour stench.

After renovations, it looked considerably better.

Once inside the car, the family of three began to sweat.

Jian Zhenzhu took out some tissues to wipe Meng Kaiyan’s face and said, “Your skin has lightened quite a bit recently. Looks like that pearl cream really works. I’ll ask your aunt to send you two more bottles tomorrow.”

Meng Kaiyan obediently replied, though she believed the cream wasn’t the main reason.

“Still, you must protect yourself from the sun. By the way, Nier, have you lost weight recently? Don’t get too skinny—that would affect your development.”

“I haven’t lost any. I actually gained weight a few days ago,” Meng Kaiyan answered.

“That’s good! Ah, your aunt once had a classmate who entered the entertainment industry. I wanted her to help connect you, but it turns out she’s not in movies or TV—just working on some variety show as a junior planner.”

Jian Zhenzhu looked a bit disappointed. Right now, Nier could only hope to get some screen time in films and TV shows; only after becoming famous could she appear on variety shows.

Meng Minghai clicked his tongue, “You say I’m harsh, but what you said was even harsher—‘junior’ planner, huh?”

The couple went back and forth with teasing remarks, then after less than two minutes, the room fell silent again.

To be honest, they were very much alike—bold in private but timid in public, with words sharper than their hearts.

Jian Zhenzhu handed Meng Kaiyan a water bottle. The car’s air conditioning gradually spread a coolness that made everyone sigh with relief.

As the car moved forward, Meng Kaiyan slowly closed her eyes. A game interface floated in her mind.

To her, this was a game—yes, a special kind of face-customizing game.