Reborn, I Became a Male God - Chapter 166-170

Jing Ling still remembered Zeng Qing. They had worked together before on the film Island. She was a woman with a very good temper. At the time, she had seemed interested in working together again, but in the end, nothing came of it.

“Any idea what kind of situation this is?” Jing Ling casually asked.

Shen Ze briefly explained to him, “Remember the teen film that exploded in popularity toward the end of summer last year? It suddenly boosted the whole market. Zeng Qing’s studio signed a new talent and is preparing to ride the wave to promote them. They just finalized the script and submitted it for filing. They’re now scouting for the male lead. For some reason, they suddenly thought of you.”

It wasn’t surprising that Shen Ze was confused. The standard industry method for promoting new talent nowadays was to stuff them into a hit drama—give them a good character setting and attractive styling, then aggressively increase their screen time. One character is shoved in after another, until the subplots are longer than the main storyline, and the protagonist ends up as mere decoration. This also led to TV series having more and more episodes. After airing, regardless of quality, PR articles are bought in bulk—disparaging the main leads, praising the other supporting characters, or comparing to similar dramas—to stir up buzz. Then the newcomer gets booked on popular variety shows. In a short time, it looks like they’ve become explosively popular overnight and gained countless fans, but in reality, they can’t withstand scrutiny.

Previously, the standard formula for promoting a newcomer was to pair them with already popular stars—one male and one female. That way, at least ratings were somewhat guaranteed. After all, if the project couldn’t make any waves, how could it possibly promote anyone? During the process, they could even hype up a CP (couple pairing), attracting a batch of CP fans who might only support the pair for a few months before fading, helping to purify and solidify the fan base later.

Neither of these two formulas applied to Jing Ling. The first model didn’t fit, and the second didn’t meet the criteria. He hadn’t even debuted for two years. Although his popularity and the quality of his work were both decent, and his fanbase was loyal, the numbers were too small. Also, success was determined by multiple factors—not just him—so it lacked persuasion. The Ode to the Rivers and Mountains was a project he carried, one that he fought hard to get. Although filming had wrapped, it was still in post-production. Since it hadn’t aired yet, it didn’t count for much. No matter how you looked at it, he didn’t seem like someone who could carry the box office. And without box office appeal, promoting a new face would just be a joke.

That was about all the situation they could grasp. The other party wouldn’t explain everything over the phone. They were just asking about his general interest. If there was intent to move forward, more details would have to be discussed in person.

“Got it. Ah Ze, help me book a flight for tomorrow morning.” It was already afternoon. Even if he booked the next available flight, by the time he arrived it would be evening. There was no need to discuss business so late at night. Of course, you could also say he was just lazy. He never played the role of a hardworking person. Besides, he had already arranged to have dinner with Jing Qiu tonight.

Shen Ze probably knew his temperament well and hadn’t expected him to go today anyway. He might not have even been sure Jing Ling would accept the job. So when he heard Jing Ling agree and ask for help booking a flight for the next morning, he audibly let out a sigh of relief over the phone.

“Okay!”

After hanging up, Jing Ling left the tech building and returned straight to his rented apartment. Once it was about time, he went to pick up Jing Qiu for dinner. On his way back, even though he deliberately took the more deserted paths, he still ran into fans—ones who had clearly come prepared. Autographs and photos were inevitable. He had good hearing, and after they parted ways, he heard the girls talking. They were from a neighboring school, not very well-informed and unfamiliar with the Yizhou Transportation University campus, so they had taken a wrong turn—but luck was on their side and they bumped into him anyway.

Yizhou Transportation University was located in Qincheng’s university district, surrounded by many other colleges. College students made up a major portion of celebrity fandoms, so it wasn’t surprising that fans from other schools supported him. In fact, he had already been back on campus for several days. The fact that fans from other schools were just now showing up was actually a bit late. Though, it was also possible they had come earlier and he just hadn’t noticed.

That evening, during dinner with Jing Qiu, he brought it up. She laughed and said, “Xiao Ling, when you said before that you wanted to become a big star—well, you’ve done it! My roommates all really like you. They watch every drama and movie you’re in, and haven’t missed a single variety show either. They even bought the lipstick you endorsed!” Talking about it made her feel proud. This was her little brother, whom she had raised since childhood—so outstanding and dazzling, liked and admired by so many people. Even the most popular campus heartthrob at their university couldn’t compare to him!

Last year, after Qiaowei’s lipstick endorsement came out, Jing Ling asked her which color she liked. Although Jing Qiu had been in a big city for over a year, her old habits were deeply ingrained and hard to change in a short time. She was busy with studies and part-time jobs, so she barely had time to explore makeup. Her job only required light makeup—just powder and lipstick. Domestic brands costing around 100 yuan were enough. She didn’t care much about shades or product lines.

“Anything’s fine,” she had replied at the time. She truly didn’t mind. As long as it was from Jing Ling, she would love it.

The next day, Jing Ling mailed her a large package. When she opened it, it was full of lipsticks—every shade from the Qiaowei Perfect Lover series, including the limited editions! That day, her roommates happened to be there too. When they saw so many lipsticks, they were stunned. Their exclamations even drew girls from the dorm next door, who were also shocked. Word spread like wildfire. By that night, the entire floor knew that Jing Qiu had an amazing cousin who sent her thousands of yuan worth of lipsticks—including a limited edition one that, if you went by its current resale price, brought the total to over ten thousand yuan.

Yes, cousin. They were originally listed as immediate family, but after the Jiang family got involved, their household registration was separated, so they were now technically cousins.

Of course, with so many mouths talking, the story gradually changed. Some said the “cousin” was actually a rich and handsome suitor chasing after Jing Qiu. After all, she was beautiful and had a face that naturally drew people in. She had many admirers.

When she first heard that rumor, Jing Qiu had wanted to clarify things, but her roommates told her to let it go—people could say whatever they wanted. She thought about it and agreed.

There was no way she could finish using all that lipstick before it expired, so she gave one to each roommate and let them pick their own shades. Although none of them lacked the money to buy lipstick, it was the thought that counted. It had a different meaning, and everyone happily accepted.

“Do you want me to give you a few signed photos to take back for them?” Jing Ling asked with a smile. He had met her roommates before—kind-hearted girls who had taken great care of Jing Qiu. They all got along well.

“Sure!” Jing Qiu agreed without hesitation, but then she thought of something and shook her head. “Better not. I’m not a fan. It’d be hard to explain where the autographed photos came from. They know roughly about my situation too.”

Jing Ling reassured her, “Just say your cousin gave them to you. I already sent lipstick once before, didn’t I?”

Jing Qiu thought about it. That made sense. After the lipstick incident, her roommates had been quite curious about this cousin. They sometimes joked about having her introduce them—no need to let good things go to outsiders. As for his background, they just followed the vague version Jing Ling had made up in a little booklet. Nothing too specific—everything was possible.

“Okay!”

While they chatted, their food arrived, and the two began eating. They made casual conversation during the meal. Afterward, they strolled a couple of laps along the tree-lined road nearby. During that time, Jing Ling asked Shen Ze for some photos, went to a photo shop to print them, and used the pen Jing Qiu always carried to sign them. Then he handed them over to her. It was almost 9 p.m., so he walked Jing Qiu back to school.

When Jing Qiu returned to the dorm, everyone else was already there. Two were lying in bed watching dramas, and one was gaming below. When they heard the door open, they each greeted her. The one gaming couldn’t spare any attention since she was in a dungeon, but the drama-watchers paused and came over to gossip.

“Jing Qiu, how could you go out for dinner with my future boyfriend and not bring his future girlfriend—that’s me!” The girl speaking was Chen Zhuyue. She often joked with Jing Qiu about being introduced to her cousin and claimed to be his “future girlfriend.” Everyone knew she was just teasing. Chen Zhuyue was still single, not because no one pursued her, but because she simply wasn’t interested. She was tall and slender with delicate features—definitely a little beauty.

Another roommate chimed in, “Zhuyue, don’t steal him! He’s my future boyfriend!”

Jing Qiu was already used to this and chuckled. As she opened her backpack and took out the photos, she said, “No need to fight. I brought you stuff from your current boyfriend. Want it?”
(*Explanation: In fan slang, people often call their favorite male celebrities their “boyfriend” or “husband.”)

After speaking, she paused. Although her roommates didn’t know the truth, whether it was future boyfriend or current boyfriend—they were talking about the same person: Jing Ling!

That was a bit awkward.

But her roommates didn’t know what she was thinking. They were momentarily confused, asking, “What current boyfriend?” As they asked, Jing Qiu pulled out the photos, with signatures in the lower right corner. Chen Zhuyue, who was on the top bunk, had a clear view of the face in the photo.

“AAAAAAHHHHH! Is this a signed photo of my husband?!” she screamed so excitedly she nearly leaped off the bed.

Seeing her reaction, another roommate guessed what it was and also got excited. She jumped off her bed in seconds, rushed to Jing Qiu, gave her a big bear hug, kissed her on the cheek, then reached for the autographed photo.

Jing Qiu was completely dumbfounded by the unexpected chaos. Her roommate easily grabbed the photo and, despite her overly excited face, handled it with the utmost care. She shouted, “Oh my god, it’s really a signed photo of my idol! Jing Qiu, where did you get this? I love you to death!”

The roommate who had been gaming originally couldn’t spare the time, but when it came to her idol, everything else could wait. She had just been looting gear during a guild raid, mic on open chat: “Guild leader, I’m going to check on my idol—you guys go on without me!” Then she tossed her headset aside.

On the other end of the game, the guild leader saw her character suddenly freeze and heard that familiar phrase on voice chat. He felt utterly scammed. This was the second time she’d done this to him.

Chapter 167

Jing Qiu followed the story Jing Ling had made up and pushed everything onto her cousin, saying that since she knew they liked Jing Ling, she had specifically asked her cousin to help get autographed photos. The reason she said “specifically” wasn’t so much to curry favor with her roommates, but rather because without that word, it was hard to explain how she could get three signed photos just from going out for a meal.

Her roommates didn’t doubt this explanation. Because of the earlier incident with Qiaowei’s lipstick, they knew that all colors from the Perfect Lover series could be bought as long as you had money, and they weren’t particularly expensive—but the two limited-edition ones were different. Qiaowei was a newly rising domestic high-end brand, not widely known before. The limited editions could only be pre-ordered on the official website, and they sold out quickly. Later, their prices skyrocketed. So for Jing Qiu’s cousin to be able to send her so many in one go, he either had money to burn, had connections, or maybe was a fan himself. In that context, getting three autographed photos was understandable.

After the first girl got too excited and bit Jing Qiu, she became guarded. The next two tried to imitate but failed to land a bite, though they did manage to give her a big bear hug. All three had their fun, and only then did the girl who had been gaming remember the guild raid she had thrown to the back of her mind. She quickly squatted back down to continue. On the screen, the guild leader had, as she hoped, left her character lying safely. Switching to the map, she saw all her teammates were already at the last boss. She put on her headset and listened to the guild leader’s commands on YY; the fight was almost over.

Thankfully, she didn’t need any loot anymore—so long as the accessory didn’t drop, it was fine.

Then she heard the guild leader shouting over YY, “Leave the corpse to me!” After some mocking comments about “Africans” (i.e., people with bad loot luck), the guild leader suddenly laughed wildly, “Gui Xiang, are you there, Gui Xiang?! I’m telling you, the accessory dropped! Hahahahahaha!”

Gui Xiang, full name Gui Xiang Lianzi, was Jing Qiu’s roommate’s in-game ID.

“F*ck! Husky, why didn’t you let the cripple use his claws to drag me over? I would’ve paid for the corpse-hauling fee, okay? Just wait, I’m coming to take revenge!”

Shen Ze had booked Jing Ling on a 9 a.m. flight to Rong City. Jing Qiu happened to have class and couldn’t see him off, and he wouldn’t have let her anyway. Once he got to the airport, he sent her a text before boarding. After receiving her reply wishing him a safe trip, he turned off his phone.

Because the flight was delayed, it was nearly noon when he arrived in Rong City. Shen Ze had come to pick him up over half an hour early, driving a regular silver sedan, so the two didn’t need to take a cab.

Mentioning that made Jing Ling suddenly wonder if he ought to buy a car. Although his work locations were all over the country and possibly even abroad, meaning he’d rarely get to use it, it wasn’t like he lacked money, so practicality didn’t matter. And if you talk about cars, you naturally think of houses too. After just one job on the black market, he had nearly 300 million yuan in cash in hand—this kind of off-the-books income wasn’t taxed. Even in the Imperial Capital, he could afford a nice home.

He had once asked Xu Shaohuai if he could possibly negotiate for a siheyuan (traditional courtyard house), but the reply was, “In your dreams!”

So whatever—he’d just buy something random. It all made no difference to him.

“A-Ze, I want to buy a car. And a house too,” he said to Shen Ze.

Shen Ze’s reaction was visible through the rearview mirror: he rolled his eyes and said, “A car is fine, but forget the house unless you’re ready to get a mortgage or settle down in some third-rate town.”

Jing Ling was texting Yunshu and didn’t even look up as he replied, “Who said I don’t have money? I could pay cash for a luxury home in the Imperial Capital.”

Shen Ze shot back instantly, “I manage all your finances—how come I don’t know you have that much money?!”

“You only handle the income from work. Am I not allowed to earn a little on the side and save some pocket money?”

“…Get lost!”

Having a celebrity like this, and being the one who had begged to sign him in the first place—Shen Ze felt he must’ve owed Jing Ling in a past life. He was fuming, and when he remembered how every argument with Jing Ling had ended in his own defeat, he got even angrier. And the little bastard in the back seat had zero sympathy. After sneaking a glance at him, Jing Ling said with a grin, “A-Ze, right now you look exactly like a pufferfish, all puffed up.”

Shen Ze ground his teeth. “I’m warning you—I’m driving. Don’t push me. What if I lose it and do something terrible, huh!”

“Don’t.”

Hearing Jing Ling’s reply, Shen Ze thought he had finally won for once. But then came, “At the speed you drive, barely faster than a turtle, even if something happens, I could get out safely right away. I might suffer a few minor injuries, but I’d survive for sure. In the end, you’d only be hurting yourself. Why go through that?”

“Get out get out get out get out get out!” Even though he knew Jing Ling was just spewing nonsense, he was still furious! Every time he argued with Jing Ling, he lost!

So all the way to the hotel, Shen Ze didn’t say another word to him. Even when Jing Ling tried to coax him with little tricks, he held it in.

After parking in the underground garage and heading up via the VIP elevator, Jing Ling suddenly said, “A-Ze, are you going to keep not talking after this? I don’t mind, but you know I’ve never done anything like this before. What if I say something wrong…”

Shen Ze almost jumped in anger. “I’m warning you—don’t say anything later. Just sit quietly and smile. That can’t go wrong!” Then he saw Jing Ling’s smile and instantly wanted to punch someone. He gritted his teeth and said, “I must’ve been cursed for eight lifetimes to end up with you!”

The elevator quickly reached the 32nd floor. Turn left at the door and walk to the end—that was Room 3209, the destination.

Only a few days after Jing Ling and Shen Ze got in touch with Zeng Qing’s team, some information leaked.

On a certain gossip forum:

Thread Title: Inside scoop from Film & TV First Look—Male lead of an upcoming youth film has had contact with a minor. Any gossipers want to discuss?

Original post: Just saw this on Film & TV First Look’s Weibo. Do you think it’s credible?

1st reply: The only upcoming youth film I know of is Ten Thousand Galaxies by Director Zeng Qing. I think the original novel’s been out for years and sold pretty well?

2nd reply: Can someone in the know tell us—is this considered a major IP by today’s standards?

3rd reply: Focus on the title, people. I don’t think it’s likely. Wasn’t the female lead rumored to be a newcomer signed by Zeng Qing’s studio? Clearly trying to promote someone. How could they cast a minor as the male lead? If they don’t even have a box office draw, who are they even trying to promote?

–

35th reply: Well, there’s also a rumor that both a drama and a movie version are in the works. What if the contact was with the drama version’s actor? A few days ago, that slam dunk GIF of a minor went viral, and the male lead in the novel is also great at basketball, with good looks, a top student—basically tailor-made for that minor. It’d be perfect casting. As someone who’s read the book, I’d love to see it!

36th reply: Just a theory—but what if Zeng Qing saw that slam dunk GIF and that’s why she went for the minor? Seeing the real person do it would be way better than using a stunt double!

37th reply: Speaking only for myself, if Jing Ling really plays this role, I’ll support both the movie and drama versions. He is the classic romance novel male lead—so dreamy it should be illegal. I remember seeing a magazine photo spread of him and thinking, when is he going to do a school drama? He’s every schoolgirl’s fantasy!

–

99th reply: 37th floor girl, wait for me! I want to watch it too!

–

Jing Ling had a manager who loved lurking on gossip forums. After all, what else was there to do when you’re idle? He happened to come across this thread and read through every reply from beginning to end. Then he turned around and saw Jing Ling curled up on the sofa, eating ice cream straight from the tub. Shen Ze couldn’t help twitching at the corner of his mouth. Rong City was cold—people on the streets were all in coats and down jackets. He had no idea what Jing Ling was thinking, eating ice cream in this weather!

“Can you act a little like a celebrity? That stuff makes you fat, you know?!” Shen Ze yelled.

Jing Ling responded by biting the spoon, freeing one hand to lift his shirt and show off his well-defined abs—nothing more needed to be said.

Shen Ze: “…”

Jing Ling added fuel to the fire, “You still remember my weight from the first time I stepped on the scale, right? Want me to weigh myself again? Or after I finish this?”

“I don’t believe it. You’ve been slacking off and gorging yourself these past few days. You have to have gained weight!” Shen Ze glared and pointed at the scale in the corner. “Get on! Even if you’ve gained just a pound, you’ll be going on a diet!”

Jing Ling looked totally unfazed, got up from the sofa in his slippers, still holding the ice cream, and stepped onto the scale. “Look.”

Shen Ze came over to check, and his first reaction was disbelief. “The scale’s broken, right?! Get off!” After Jing Ling stepped down, Shen Ze got on to test it himself. No issues. He tried several times—the result was always the same. He stared at Jing Ling like some kind of strange creature, eyes fixed on his stomach. “You’ve been stuffing yourself with junk for days and haven’t gained an ounce. Where did it all go?!”

Jing Ling once again pointed at his abs, raising an arm for good measure.

Shen Ze seriously felt like stabbing him.

He stayed silent for a long time before finally bringing up the real matter. “So, what’s your decision on the Zeng Qing project?”

“What’s your take?” Jing Ling asked back.

Shen Ze recommended not taking it. He had thought it was a movie deal but turned out to be a drama. It wasn’t that he looked down on TV dramas, but if Jing Ling had wanted to act in one of those campus idol dramas, he would’ve done it long ago. No need to wait until now. Plus, Zeng Qing’s offer wasn’t all that great.

“Okay, let’s go with what you said,” Jing Ling nodded without hesitation, like it required no thought at all.

Shen Ze: “…You agreed that quickly? Don’t tell me you already made up your mind. Why wait for me to ask?”

“No, I really just think you make sense.”

“Get lost—you liar!”

Chapter 168

When Shen Ze replied to Zeng Qing’s agent, the other party spoke with some regret:
“Are you really not going to reconsider? At the best age, with a handsome appearance, excellent academic performance, and incredible basketball skills—he’s practically the real-life version of a male lead from a novel. There’s truly no one more suitable than Jing Ling!”

The agent specifically mentioned basketball—this was actually the real reason they reached out to Jing Ling. That video of the Yizhou Transportation University basketball game played a decisive role.

After all, it’s a campus idol drama—how could basketball be absent? Basketball is hugely popular in the country, and courts are standard features in the national fitness policy. There are over 300 million basketball enthusiasts domestically, and the global industry generates profits of hundreds of billions in universal currency every year.

We’ve now entered an era of entertainment for all. Talented people in every industry have countless fans—whether for their knowledge or skills—even if they look plain, they can still fascinate people. While it’s often said the world judges by appearances, that’s not entirely true.

After learning the reason, Shen Ze went back to watch the full video. Although he already knew the general plot, when he saw Jing Ling dunk the basketball in the final moment—with the frenzied expressions of the spectators in the background and the screams and cheers coming through the speakers—he suddenly felt as if he had returned to his teenage years, to those days sweating on the court with a group of people, hugging one another and cheering for victory… those beautiful, bygone days of youth.

And Jing Ling truly has the kind of appeal that makes people scream—without any need for pretense.

As a viewer alone, Shen Ze would also want to see such a performance. Unfortunately, he was Jing Ling’s agent. No longer driven by youthful passion and reckless ambition, like most adults, he thought in terms of pros and cons. And taking this project, for them, had more disadvantages than benefits—so they ultimately declined.

“There will still be chances to work together in the future!” Shen Ze said with a smile.

The other side didn’t press any further but inevitably sounded disappointed.
“Alright, we look forward to working together next time!”

In theory, that should have been the end of it. Because for every drama or film, the producers always have one or more ideal candidates in mind—and Jing Ling wasn’t even their original top choice. That had been another rising young actor—not one of the very top-tier stars, but still a known face. Jing Ling’s appearance had been an unexpected variable—no one saw it coming.

After Zeng Qing’s studio failed to secure Jing Ling, they naturally returned to their original plan. If they could get their first choice, great; if not, they’d either keep pushing or find someone else. This is the usual process in the entertainment industry. Except for the very top-tier who can choose roles at will, most people are subject to mutual selection.

However, things rarely go as planned.
The process of securing a male lead for Ten Thousand Galaxies was full of setbacks. The original top choice wouldn’t budge no matter how hard the crew pushed—he simply refused to cooperate. They had no choice but to lower their expectations and start contacting others. Still, things didn’t go smoothly—one, two, three—either they also refused or had scheduling conflicts. Eventually, when the crew was about to give up, they finally confirmed someone.

And by coincidence, that someone turned out to be Jing Ling’s “old acquaintance”—Yu Leyang. This guy was already known for stirring up trouble. Add in their “grudge,” and once the male and female leads were officially announced, people in the circle were all eagerly waiting for the drama to unfold.

Sure enough, the drama came a week later.
It began with marketing accounts on Weibo subtly (and not so subtly) dragging Jing Ling—desperately digging up unflattering screenshots, and when that didn’t work, they started posting edited photos. Meanwhile, they hyped Yu Leyang, using a bunch of unrelated celebrities as comparisons to distract the audience.

And that was just step one. Next came paid news articles—essentially the same content reposted across all the major web portals. Lastly, entertainment forums saw a flood of bot posts spreading fake dirt on Jing Ling. Their intent to drag him down into the abyss and never let him rise again couldn’t have been more obvious.

On an entertainment gossip forum—
Topic: Just finished Time Was I—Fu Lingbai is ridiculously handsome! Please recommend similar youth movies or novels to save my fangirl heart!

Post: As the title says! Waiting online, urgent!

1st Reply: Haven’t seen the one in the title, but I’ve watched lots of youth films: Love Across Mountains and Seas, Summer of Silver Star, Faded Gray Memories, etc. You can search online. As for novels, I recommend Ten Thousand Galaxies by Chang Ye Wei Ming. It’s super good and being adapted for film and TV at the same time!

2nd Reply: Fellow book fan here—highly recommended! I also heard the TV version’s male lead is Yu Leyang. His role as Chen Yushen is still my “white moonlight”—so handsome! Can’t wait!

–

18th Reply: Just watching without saying anything. How many posts like this have popped up today? Has anyone counted? Forget the oddly familiar replies—let’s just look at the timestamps. OP posted at 20:03:30. First reply came at 20:04:05—only a 35-second gap. How deep must your love be to scroll through all the posts, instantly spot this one, and type out that whole reply with the speed of a single 30-year-old hand? And that’s not even counting thinking time!
Seriously, can the dead fish fans’ paid posters try a bit harder? You snatched a role no one else wanted and still scream it to the world—do you have brain problems?
@FishFans—maybe stop spending on magazine promotions and instead take your idol to see a neurologist?

19th Reply: You’re too savage. They’re spending money and effort to gain clout, trying to prove they snatched a great resource. Key word: snatched, and from their “old rival” too. Fans are celebrating a comeback—how dare you speak the harsh truth? Be careful, the bots and brain-dead stans might chase you down. LOL 🙂

–

Yu Leyang had clearly spent a fortune—his bots had turned several entertainment forums into his personal backyard. But this time, neither Jing Ling nor Shen Ze—who usually lurked on forums—noticed right away. They were busy with something else.

And it all stemmed from that basketball game.

After Jing Ling stepped in as a substitute in the Computer Science department’s qualifying match, Programming Class 2 advanced to the inter-department competition. Then they got incredibly lucky—drawing two byes in a row and advancing straight to the finals. This was a level no one in Class 2 had expected to reach. Facing off directly, they had no chance—after all, the opposing team had two varsity basketball players. So they wondered if they could bring back their secret weapon: Jing Ling. Technically, he was still part of Class 2.

Since they had no way to contact him directly, they left a comment under his Weibo. Normally, it would have been buried under daily fan check-ins, but unexpectedly, it was pushed to the top—because fans also wanted to see the basketball match.

Shen Ze noticed it while managing the Weibo and casually mentioned it to Jing Ling.
The latter had free time, so he decided to join in for the fun.

After Class 2 submitted the player list, the school apparently wanted to make a splash—so they put the match details right on the homepage. Once word got out, the entire school exploded with excitement. Word spread like wildfire—even reaching other schools. Soon, the whole university town knew.

The match was originally scheduled for the school’s new indoor gym. Normally, it could easily accommodate the expected crowd. But this time was different. The school estimated the turnout and realized even packed shoulder-to-shoulder wouldn’t suffice, so they moved it outside. Even that wasn’t enough—students from other schools came too. With so many universities in the area, even a few fans per school added up quickly.

On game day, the crowd was so large that local police stationed in the university district had to be dispatched to maintain order.

Shen Ze sat courtside, in charge of handing out water and towels. This should’ve been a fan’s job, so he was mentally shredded by the glares from all the girls. But he had no time to worry about that—his attention was on the crowd. Whether true fans or just curious onlookers, the sheer number of people in such a short time proved Jing Ling’s popularity.

“You’re more famous than I thought!” he marveled.

Jing Ling rolled his eyes. “Could you at least act like my agent?”

The match soon began, and the cheers were so loud it felt like they would drown out the loudspeakers.

“Put on a good show!” Shen Ze clapped Jing Ling on the shoulder before he went on.

“Show, my ass. I’m playing seriously—for the honor of my class and department!”

“Get out of here, thanks!”

At that moment, neither of them noticed the special personnel in the stands.

Jing Ling entered the court with his teammates. Normally, team matches are all about cooperation, but his classmates also seemed to want to watch him perform. Throughout the game, they coordinated with him, made him the center, and passed him the ball constantly. With their support, he easily broke through the defense, dribbled past opponents, made three-pointers, slam-dunks—once again, the game turned into his personal highlight reel. Everyone else became background.

Among thousands of people, he was the brightest star!

Qincheng Television broadcast the match live. After the game, viewers saw a somewhat familiar face walk up to Jing Ling, and then school staff introduced their identity.

It turned out to be a coach from the Yizhou basketball team—there to recruit him!

This was the first time people had seen the sports world try to poach someone from the entertainment industry, and the gossip-loving audience instantly caught fire.

Shen Ze was stunned.
He’d just been poached—in front of the entire stadium and all the TV viewers?!

Chapter 169

The coach of the Yizhou basketball team was named Li Xiangqian. It was a very ordinary name, and his appearance was also quite unremarkable, but that didn’t affect his capabilities. He was a well-known basketball player and coach in the country, and had led the Yizhou basketball team to remarkable achievements in national competitions multiple times. He had served as the coach of the Yizhou basketball team for over four years now, and one of the current most popular basketball stars in the country, Zhou Fanghao, was personally discovered and cultivated by him.

Li Xiangqian noticing Jing Ling was purely an accident.

Some time ago, just like usual, he was sitting on the side watching the team members train. Next to him were two young girls, both of whom were girlfriends of team members. Li Xiangqian had seen them several times before and hadn’t paid much attention. But after a while, he noticed that unlike before—when girls who came to watch their boyfriends would keep their eyes on the court—these two were huddled together watching a screen.

Even so, Li Xiangqian wasn’t curious enough to go out of his way to see what they were watching. He only heard them lowering their voices, occasionally unable to contain exclamations like “Ah, so handsome!” “I’m suffocating!” “How can Jing Bao be this good-looking?”—and from that, he could tell they were fangirling over a celebrity. Later, when he got up and happened to walk past them, he glanced casually at their screen. It was a ten-inch tablet with high-definition resolution, and at such close range, he could clearly see the video. It happened to be showing the final scene— a tall, lean young man leaping up and dunking the basketball into the hoop. The crowd in the video instantly erupted with excitement, and the fervor could be felt even through the screen.

Basketball had been a part of Li Xiangqian’s life for as long as he could remember, and with several years of coaching experience under his belt, details that most people might overlook were not lost on him. Though he hadn’t been there in person, just by comparing the person and objects in the video, he could roughly estimate that the person doing the dunk was about 1.85 meters tall, with a margin of error no more than one centimeter. This height was already impressive among ordinary people, but in the world of basketball, it wasn’t particularly outstanding. Top international teams had average heights approaching 1.99 meters, nearly two meters tall. But the dunker in the video was young—definitely under twenty—which meant, for a young man, there was still potential to grow taller.

What mattered most, however, was the explosive jumping ability that this person displayed—this was the trait that Li Xiangqian paid the most attention to. The player he had previously discovered, Zhou Fanghao, was nicknamed “Spring Legs,” and his jumping power alone ranked among the top domestically. But now, seeing the person in this video, Li Xiangqian had a strong feeling that this person’s jumping ability might surpass even Zhou Fanghao’s!

This was practically a natural-born basketball talent!

Li Xiangqian was immediately moved. He walked over and asked the two girls where the video came from.

To the girls, Li Xiangqian seemed like quite a serious person. When he asked, they answered honestly: “It’s a video from the recent Yizhou Transportation University campus basketball game—specifically, the Advancement Round of the Computer Science Department.”

So the young man dunking in the video was a student from Yizhou Transportation University. That surprised Li Xiangqian—he had originally thought the person must be a sports major. But he quickly let go of that assumption. If the guy had really been training in sports, such a good talent would have already been discovered—there’d be no way someone like him would go unnoticed until now.

Afterward, Li Xiangqian went to the official website of Yizhou Transportation University and downloaded the full video to watch again. The more he watched, the more pleasantly surprised he became, and he nearly couldn’t wait to sign the guy onto his team. However, when he saw Jing Ling’s face in the video, he felt a little puzzled—it seemed somewhat familiar, like he had seen him somewhere before, but he couldn’t recall exactly where. People from his generation had grown up before the internet became widespread, and since his life revolved around basketball, he spent most of his time on the court. He didn’t use computers much, unlike the younger generation, who were used to googling everything they didn’t know.

He directly contacted Yizhou Transportation University to request Jing Ling’s contact information, but unexpectedly, even the school didn’t have it.

“This is basic information—how could your school not have it?!” Li Xiangqian didn’t believe it.

The person on the phone explained, “Coach Li, of course we have contact information for regular students. But the student you’re asking about—Jing Ling—is an exception. We only have the work number of his manager. Do you want it?”

As soon as Li Xiangqian heard “manager,” he lost his composure. “He already has a manager? He’s already signed with a basketball team? Which one?”

“He didn’t sign with a basketball team. He signed with a film and television company—Hongguang Entertainment, a well-known name in the industry.”

Li Xiangqian fumed, “With such great talent, instead of playing basketball, he’s acting? Seriously?!”

The school: “……”

Later, Li Xiangqian went online and looked up more information himself. Only then did he learn Jing Ling’s full background, and he immediately realized that his hopes were probably dashed. These days, even though sports stars could also earn money through endorsements, the entertainment industry was still a whole different world. And Jing Ling had a face made for that world. He wasn’t a newcomer either—his debut had gone smoothly, the works he participated in were highly praised, and he’d even won awards. No matter how you looked at it, there was no way he’d abandon such good conditions to join a basketball team.

But as the saying goes—you still have to dream. What if it comes true?

So, upon learning that Jing Ling would participate in the finals of the Yizhou Transportation University campus basketball tournament, Li Xiangqian began thinking about how he might recruit him. However, on the day of the match, seeing the overwhelming crowd and the fans screaming and cheering in a frenzy, Li Xiangqian, who already wasn’t too hopeful, felt even more disheartened.

At the end of the match, he purely went to approach Jing Ling and extended the invitation with the mindset of “Well, I’m already here, asking won’t cost me anything anyway.” But after he said this, the young man beside him wearing gold-rimmed glasses looked at him with an extremely unfriendly gaze.

“May I ask who you are?” Li Xiangqian asked.

“I’m Jing Ling’s manager,” the other party said expressionlessly.

Li Xiangqian felt a bit awkward. He was essentially snatching food from someone else’s bowl right in front of them, no wonder the guy looked at him with hostility.

The olive branch he extended—although Jing Ling didn’t reject it outright—Li Xiangqian knew it was only because media was present and the young man was giving him face. In reality, his offer was doomed.

Sigh.

The match ended around a bit past 3 p.m., not quite 4 p.m., but after media interviews and signing autographs for fans, by the time Jing Ling and Shen Ze returned to the rented apartment, it was nearly 6 p.m.

After entering the door, Shen Ze dragged his heavy steps to the couch, flopped down on it, lay on his back and let out a long sigh. “I’m exhausted!”

Compared to him, Jing Ling looked much better. After playing a full basketball match and going through all that fuss, he still looked fresh and alert. He followed behind, closed the door casually, then walked to the water dispenser in the corner of the living room, poured a glass of water, and handed it to Shen Ze.

“You’ve worked hard!”

“I feel like one of these days, you’re going to get me killed,” Shen Ze said weakly.

Jing Ling glanced at him. “Why would you think that? Haven’t you always hoped I’d become a superstar? Acting, singing, and film—that’s nothing. Look at me, if I wanted to, I could cross into other industries too. And now the sports industry is doing really well. Just think, if I get promoted from the Yizhou basketball team to the national team, and then go on to win a world championship at the Five Continents Games…”

Before he finished making up the story, Shen Ze interrupted him, practically roaring in rage, hysterical, “Jing Ling, you little bastard, I’m telling you, you’d better give up any thought of entering the sports industry. If you dare to take it seriously, do you believe I won’t hang myself at your doorstep?!”

Unfortunately, the artist he managed was a heartless little wretch. Upon hearing this, he replied, “Where do you plan to hang yourself? Back in your hometown? But I don’t go back there anymore, that place is remote. If you really hang yourself there, who knows how long it’ll take before someone finds out. But other than the old home, I don’t have my own place. It’s either rented apartments like this one or hotels. Putting aside whether you can even hang yourself successfully, even if you do, I can just move somewhere else. It wouldn’t affect me much at all…”

Shen Ze was so angry he puffed up like a pufferfish. “Please just go away, I’m begging you, thank you!”

After Jing Ling had enough fun, he started to soothe him. “Alright, think of something cheerful. Like the aftermath of today’s event. Think about the buzz it’s creating. I checked the news today when I had a moment—nothing big happened. If nothing unexpected happens, today’s headline is practically guaranteed. Getting into the hot search without spending a penny, and it’s even a relatively positive topic. Think about that—doesn’t it make you feel less bitter?”

For most celebrities in the entertainment industry, what matters the most? Exposure, of course! There’s even a saying in the industry: “Negative fame is still fame.” That’s why there are so many who use divorce or cheating scandals to hype themselves up and grab attention. In the age of mass entertainment, notable figures from other industries also stream and appear on variety shows like entertainers. But crossing from entertainment into other industries—especially a professional field like basketball—Jing Ling was the first. The buzz it created could be imagined.

Shen Ze was well aware of this too. But after hearing Jing Ling’s words, he didn’t feel any more comforted—in fact, the urge to stab that little bastard to death grew even stronger.

“You actually know I’m bitter, and you still deliberately piss me off?!”

“I was just stating facts.”

“Get lost!”

The entire day passed without any major events, and what Jing Ling and Shen Ze had predicted came true. The news of Jing Ling receiving an olive branch from the Yizhou basketball team quickly took over the headlines of major entertainment portals. Even the sports section carried related reports. On Weibo, marketing accounts jumped on the bandwagon, reposting and commenting. By around 8 p.m., the topic had already climbed to second place on the trending search list.

As for why it wasn’t number one—that was because someone had paid for the top spot. And that someone was Jing Ling’s long-time “rival,” Yu Leyang.

After paying to secure the top spot on the trending list, it didn’t take long before Yu Leyang suddenly saw the name he hated like a thorn in his side shoot up like a rocket. His first reaction was that Jing Ling must’ve bought it too. But when he clicked in and looked, he immediately realized it was real—earned by merit. Yu Leyang instantly flew into a rage, smashing the phone in his hand. It flew across the room and hit the wall, and you could faintly hear the sound of the screen cracking.

What was even more infuriating came after. Not long later, his manager called him to say that the paid trending search spot was about to expire and asked if he wanted to renew it.

Chapter 170

There’s a saying that goes, “It’s not about the bun, it’s about pride.”
“I’ll buy it! Why wouldn’t I?!” Yu Leyang gritted his teeth. The veins on the back of the hand gripping the phone receiver stood out, showing just how furious he was.

On the other end of the line, his manager spoke expressionlessly, “How long?”

“Buy another day!” Yu Leyang said through clenched teeth.

“Alright, got it. By the way, did your phone break? Remember to ask Xiao Yang to buy you a new one.” Just as the manager was about to hang up, he suddenly heard Yu Leyang roar from the other end, “Chen Tongsheng, are you f***ing mocking me?!”

“You’re overthinking it,” the manager said flatly. “I’m just a manager who’s about to be fired by you—what right do I have to mock you?”

His tone was sarcastic, but part of what he said was true—namely, that he was about to be fired. Chen Tongsheng had managed Yu Leyang for nearly five years, ever since he debuted. He didn’t dare claim all the credit, but he had definitely been dedicated. Yu Leyang had a serious personality flaw—he often acted and spoke without thinking. This industry is filled with people lying in wait; no matter how cautious you are, the smallest misstep can get exposed by paparazzi. Yu Leyang, on the other hand, practically handed them dirt on a silver platter.

Back when Yu Leyang had just started gaining traction, he was incredibly popular and had several rivals eager to replace him. He didn’t know how to stay low-profile and stirred up countless incidents. During that time, Chen Tongsheng practically had to shadow him 24/7, losing sleep from fear that something might happen while he was asleep, something that could derail Yu Leyang’s future.

Chen Tongsheng had tried persuading him to change his temper, but back then, Yu Leyang was riding high on fame and wouldn’t listen. Good times didn’t last long—his career soon started to decline. Already hot-tempered, he became even more volatile, like a firecracker ready to explode at the slightest spark. Several assistants quit one after another. One of them even blew the whistle on a major gossip forum, exposing his past. It was Chen Tongsheng who had to clean up that mess.

Later, Yu Leyang found someone new to back him. That person tried boosting him twice but gave up after failing and started giving him only irrelevant resources—just enough to keep him afloat and not completely forgotten. Then came the drama with Jing Ling. The other party probably never even took him seriously, but Yu Leyang resented it deeply.

Chen Tongsheng once called him out for it and ever since, there had been friction between them. Chen had no idea Yu Leyang was already planning to dump him back then.

Jing Ling’s career was skyrocketing, and the chance of any further entanglement with Yu Leyang was shrinking. Just as Chen Tongsheng thought he could finally breathe, a new incident broke out before the New Year. Yu Leyang hooked up with someone new—this time, a major player, one of the shareholders of Shengshi Tianguang. Soon after, Chen received word that Yu Leyang wanted a new manager.

He never imagined that someone he had brought up from the beginning would be so ruthless—even a clean break was too much to ask.

Chen Tongsheng had heard some rumors but couldn’t confirm them. The studio run by Zeng Qing was planning a campus IP adaptation. Shengshi Tianguang was involved in the project, and there had been talk about inviting Jing Ling to star in the film version. But suddenly, overnight, plans shifted to a drama version and eventually fizzled out. Chen suspected Yu Leyang might have interfered, but that didn’t fully add up. If he really had that much sway, he could’ve landed the lead himself instead of being the last option. Still, recent moves suggested Yu Leyang wasn’t acting alone—there seemed to be support from higher up in the company.

The current situation felt like being surrounded by smoke—everything was obscured, hard to see clearly.

“What a shame. If Yu Leyang hadn’t bought the top spot, you’d have been number one.” Shen Ze sighed as he looked at the trending Weibo topics. The news about the basketball world extending an olive branch to Jing Ling was stuck at number two.

Jing Ling sat cross-legged on the living room sofa playing a game, his fingers flying across the screen so fast it was dizzying. Though it was about him, he acted as if nothing was going on, his tone completely nonchalant: “I kept an eye on the timing of his trend boost earlier. It’s probably about to expire.”

Shen Ze blinked. “Wait, you’ve been tracking it?!”

Jing Ling looked up at him. “I’m being slandered, and I was bored—keeping an eye on it is pretty normal. Honestly, it’s boring. Same tricks over and over. Even the doctored images are lazy. If it were me, I’d at least Photoshop something more explosive, leave him with no way to explain it.”

“Anyone can talk big,” Shen Ze scoffed, then circled back. “But even if his trend boost is expiring, so what? The guy’s clearly out to get you. He’ll definitely keep buying time on the trending list. Just one more day, maybe two at most, and the buzz around your news will fade. He’ll keep crushing you.”

“Unless I get lucky and the Weibo backend crashes, and his top spot gets cut off. Then I could slide up.”

“Yeah right. Dream on!”

Sure, systems—even Weibo—could have outages, but Weibo wasn’t some two-bit operation prone to frequent breakdowns. Even if there was a malfunction, what were the odds that it’d happen exactly during this window and exactly affect the trending war between Jing Ling and Yu Leyang?

No wonder Shen Ze dismissed it out of hand.

Then, less than two minutes later—

“Holy sh*t!” Shen Ze suddenly yelled in front of his computer. He whipped his head toward Jing Ling like he’d seen a ghost, completely stunned.

Jing Ling had just defeated his in-game opponent. The word “Victory” flashed on the screen as he looked up. “What?”

Shen Ze stared at him for a long moment before replying, “You’re number one…”

That piqued Jing Ling’s interest. He tossed his phone aside and crawled over to Shen Ze to look at the computer. Sure enough, he was on top—the news about the basketball world inviting him had overtaken Yu Leyang’s trending topic.

“Wow, talk about bad luck!” Jing Ling remarked. He’d once spent a fortune to exchange for a “Lucky Aura” from the system, so his luck had always been good. But just now, he’d been joking—he never expected it to work. After all, the aura shouldn’t be able to affect something like Weibo trends.

Shen Ze eyed him suspiciously. “You seriously didn’t secretly buy your way onto the list?”

Jing Ling rolled his eyes. “Are you dumb? It’s not an auction where the highest bidder wins. Yu Leyang was already in first. You said it yourself—he was sure to keep buying. Under equal conditions, he’d be prioritized. Plus, I don’t even know anyone at Weibo.”

Shen Ze pointed at the screen. “Then what is this?”

“I told you—he’s just unlucky.”

Jing Ling wasn’t a god, so he couldn’t have known that the real reason was not the Lucky Aura but Yu Leyang shooting himself in the foot. When the trend boost was about to expire, Chen Tongsheng had called to ask if he wanted to extend it. After Yu Leyang agreed, they got into a nasty argument. The fight dragged on for nearly thirty minutes before he remembered to renew the trend—and by then, it had already been overtaken. Though he tried to salvage it, the time he lost couldn’t be undone.

Furious, Yu Leyang smashed both his keyboard and mouse.

Jing Ling held the top spot for nearly half an hour. During that time, Yu Leyang’s trend heat steadily dropped, nearly falling out of the top ten before surging back and reclaiming number one. But anyone could tell—it was damage done. The gossip forums were having a field day, roasting him relentlessly.

On a gossip forum:

Topic: Breaking! The dead fish reclaimed #1!
(Note: “Dead fish” is a mocking nickname for Yu Leyang, implying he’s washed-up or lifeless.)

1F: It was all paid promotion anyway. Now he just renewed it. But seriously, what was he doing during that half-hour gap? If you’re going to pay, why wait and let someone else take your spot? Doesn’t he feel embarrassed?

2F: Maybe he ran out of money from buying all those top search spots to trash the minor? Had to hesitate, LOL~ (^__^)

3F: Dude’s just brainless. This whole drama started because of him, acting like the minor dug up his ancestors’ graves or something. Pretty sure the other party hasn’t even acknowledged his existence.

…

45F: It’s not rare to climb over others in showbiz, especially using smear tactics. You don’t need a reason—being better than someone else is a crime in itself ┑(￣Д ￣)┍

46F: Back on topic—this minor’s style is so unique. I’ve seen athletes trying to enter entertainment, but he’s the first one I’ve seen invited into sports. Think he might actually switch to basketball?

47F: There’s a video of the finals from Yizhou Transportation University’s basketball tournament on Weibo. Instantly turned me into a fan!

…

109F: @46F I think it’s totally possible. He doesn’t seem too into the entertainment scene. If anyone else had his looks and buzz, they’d be flooding headlines. But he? Besides his own Weibo, you barely hear a thing.

…

Eventually, the thread genuinely turned into a discussion about whether Jing Ling would jump industries and become a basketball player. A few even imagined him playing in professional leagues. One skilled fan artist even opened up their drawing app and sketched a picture—sparking a whole new wave of excitement.