HDIEUMDBTSB Chapter 2: Seems Promising
Volume 1: The Road to Fame
Chapter 2: It Seems Promising
"System?" Even though Chu Zhi didn't enjoy reading novels before crossing over, he had some understanding, so he wasn't entirely unfamiliar.
After pondering for a moment, he tried communicating with the system silently through his thoughts: "System, could you please explain your functions?"
The communication was effective. The cold mechanical voice of the system immediately sounded in Chu Zhi's mind—
[This system originates from the M79 Nebula. It is an auxiliary program designed to create unique celebrities.]
[Main functions: The host can achieve specific goals to earn Personality Coins. Five Personality Coins can be exchanged for one entertainment blind box.]
[Current Personality Coins: 3]
"System, the three Personality Coins I currently have, are they given by the system, or were they accumulated by the original host through his actions?" Chu Zhi asked cautiously.
[They are a gift. The system accompanied the host's soul during the crossover.]
Receiving the answer he wanted, Chu Zhi secretly breathed a sigh of relief. The system was not originally part of the host, which meant there wouldn't be any hidden dangers of the original host's soul still being conscious and trying to reclaim the body.
"Then I have a small question that I hope can be answered. Does my crossing over have anything to do with the system?" Chu Zhi continued, "Let's be honest, Chinese people don't deceive Chinese people."
[This system does not belong to China, Earth, the Milky Way, or even humans.] The system responded.
"So, my sudden death and subsequent crossing over were caused by the system?" Chu Zhi's words were in the form of a question, but he stated them as if making a declaration.
The system didn't reply, choosing to remain silent.
Chu Zhi asked, "Can you send me back?"
[The host's crossing over was due to a temporal and spatial disturbance during the system binding. The original timeline's location is currently being searched for.] The system responded.
The technological and historical aspects of the world before and after crossing over were quite similar. The only differences lay in the cultural industry after the 19th century, with many things missing and many others added.
"I'm not a petty person, but before crossing over, my company was about to go public. It wouldn't have been long before I could cash out, living a high life with low behavior," Chu Zhi said. "But now, after crossing over, I owe more than 47 million RMB. It's a miserable situation, if not from heaven to hell. Isn't that a bit unfair?"
Despite his anger, Chu Zhi was more focused on extracting benefits. The past couldn't be changed, but the future was still open.
About two minutes of silence passed before the electronic voice sounded again: [Congratulations to the host for receiving a Newcomer Privilege—Entertainment Blind Box *1.]
Receiving a tangible benefit, Chu Zhi's feigned desolate expression eased slightly. He said, "In any case, I'll rely on the system to cheat in the days to come."
After greeting the system in his mind, Chu Zhi began to ponder the system's functions. The name [Personality Star System] indicated it was designed to create unique stars, suggesting an unconventional path.
Chu Zhi continued to explore and found a section mostly shrouded in darkness, with only a few lit-up achievement lists—
[Wine Immortal (Throughout history, sages have been lonely, only drinkers have left their names.)
Getting drunk *1, 1 Personality Coin★.
Getting drunk *3, 2 Personality Coins.
Getting drunk *5, 3 Personality Coins.
Getting drunk *10, 5 Personality Coins.
(Click to expand)
Heartless Butcher (People from Sichuan are not afraid of spicy food, people from Guizhou are not afraid of it being not spicy, people from Hunan are not afraid of spicy, you are a mix of Sichuan, Guizhou, and Hunan.)
Eat spicy food *3 times, 1 Personality Coin★.
Eat spicy food *5 times, 2 Personality Coins.
Eat spicy food *10 times, 3 Personality Coins.
(Click to expand)]
The rest of the options were pitch black and unreadable, requiring unlocking. Currently, only the achievements "Wine Immortal" and "Heartless Butcher" could earn Personality Coins, making it seem more like a food system.
"Since the rest are hidden, does that mean there are hints?" Chu Zhi still had a bit of hope in his heart.
[Please explore on your own.]
The system's answer was as he expected. After some thought, Chu Zhi quickly grasped two points. First, the asterisks likely indicated completed tasks. The three Personality Coins were probably accumulated after binding the system in his previous life.
A celebrity encompasses a series of influential professions in a certain field, including actors, singers, dancers, hosts, etc. So—
"Singers, to protect their vocal cords, usually avoid eating spicy foods. Some strict singers even abstain from spicy food altogether."
"As for being hungover, it affects the control of facial expressions and actions. Hangovers might correspond to actors or behavior that public figures shouldn't exhibit."
"The system aims to create a unique and unconventional persona, seemingly encouraging me to do things that celebrities typically avoid."
Chu Zhi felt he needed to plan carefully. Celebrities must spread positive energy on the surface, or the state wouldn't tolerate them, but he could navigate around that.
With many plans forming in his mind, Chu Zhi, who appeared honest and naive, was actually very shrewd. He had navigated the business world and brought his company to the brink of going public, proving he was no ordinary person.
"Can I open the entertainment blind box now?" Chu Zhi asked.
[Yes.]
"Then please, draw the blind box." Chu Zhi said.
As soon as he spoke, the prize pool selection began. Six options appeared before Chu Zhi:
- [Perfect Voice (non-lyrics)]
- [Perfect Body (decorative version)]
- [Special Item: Thousand Cups Not Drunk Wine God Pill]
- [“In the Name of the Father” Gift Pack]
- [“Elopement to the Moon” Gift Pack]
- [Special Grand Prize: Piano Poet Frédéric Chopin’s Piano Skills]
The six options were quickly shuffled into six small boxes with incredible speed. Even with full concentration, Chu Zhi couldn't keep track.
"It all depends on luck now."
Chu Zhi suddenly stood up, taking two steps to the bathroom in three strides. On the left was the toilet stall, on the right was the shower room, and in the middle was the sink. The soap dispenser was empty, and no one had refilled it.
He repeatedly washed his hands to get rid of bad luck. It was time to show what true luck looked like!
"My goal is simple. I must get the special grand prize."
Just kidding, who was Chopin?
His "Nocturnes" were all composed by him. Nicknamed the "Cannon buried in flowers," he was Poland's greatest pianist, bar none.
With Chopin's skills, even if Chu Zhi didn't make it in the entertainment industry, he could switch to the classical music scene, follow the path of someone like Lang Lang, and become a revered pianist. Paying off his debts and reaching the pinnacle of life would be a piece of cake, right? Plus, being a pianist comes with high prestige.
"It's settled, then!" Chu Zhi mentally selected the blind box he felt most connected to.
The blind box slowly opened, with its patterns clearly visible. Chu Zhi felt he could hear his own breathing as golden light shone from within.
It was a golden legend: [Perfect Voice (non-lyrics)].
"Ah, this..." Chu Zhi experienced a brief moment of disappointment but quickly adjusted his mindset. After all, it was just compensation. He muttered, "I'll let it slide this time. Next time, I'll definitely get the special grand prize."
The prize turned into a white rainbow and merged into Chu Zhi's body. His throat felt ticklish. He felt different yet unchanged, a sensation he couldn't quite pinpoint.
"Perfect Voice is easy to understand, but what does non-lyrics mean?" Chu Zhi noticed the content in the parentheses.
The system replied: [Please explore independently.]
"Really mysterious, everything needs to be explored."
After half an hour of trying, Chu Zhi roughly understood the prize's nature. The original body's voice quality and vocal conditions were ordinary, lacking any distinctive traits. Now, they were exceptional. The reward's definition of non-lyrics was anything that wasn't complete lyrics. He could produce a heavenly voice with elements like the "di-di-di-da-da" refrain in "Once Upon a Time" or Mao Buyi's whistling.
"This definition of non-lyrics is interesting." Regardless of whether it made sense, the system's rules were set, and there was no point in discussing their rationality.
"What key is the song 'Tan Te' in? This song has no lyrics throughout; I should be able to produce heavenly sounds the whole time."
Even though Chu Zhi quite enjoyed listening to music before crossing over and often wore earphones on the subway, he couldn't write out the lyrics of a song from memory, not even his favorites, though he could hum a few lines.
"Even if it's a hellish start, there's still hope for a comeback." Chu Zhi sighed with relief.