Film and TV: A New Life Begins with Blossoms in Golden Years

At thirty-two, earning 4,000 yuan a month, with a receding hairline and a life that had gone completely off the rails, he thought he'd lost at everything. Then the TV Drama Simulator lit up. First stop: My Best Friend's Story.

Li Haoyu opens his eyes and finds himself back in high school as Zhang Anren. The desks, exams, and cafeteria: everything has returned to square one. He has twenty years of industry knowledge ahead of its time. He knows the internet will crush everything, and that real estate still has one last window of opportunity. Jiang Nansun, Zhu Suosuo, and the other names destined to shake up the future are still fresh-faced students on campus.

But he doesn't follow the original script.

Yuanyuan leans against the back of his bicycle, her hair brushing the nape of his neck as the streetlights stretch their shadows into an intimate tangle. He should keep his distance from this "ex-girlfriend," who's destined to be kicked out of the story. But that night, he stops the bike, pulls her into his arms, and kisses her.

"To hell with the plot walkthrough. I'll protect my woman myself."

The simulator displays a notification: Plot deviation continues to increase. The main quest is about to fail. Meanwhile, a sweeping business blueprint spanning real estate, the internet, and short-form video is already taking shape in Zhang Anren's notebook. This time, he's going to make sure everyone remembers his name.

This novel and its characters are entirely fictional. Any resemblance to real people or events is purely coincidental. Do not imitate.