Showbiz: Reborn, From a Nobody Extra in Hengdian to the Top

The alarm hadn't gone off yet, but He Zheng was already awake.

He stared at the underside of the upper bunk for a few seconds. A piece of white foam board, scrap material discarded by a film crew, was stuck to it. He had brought it back to pad the bed frame. A photo was tucked into the lower right corner of the foam board, with only one corner showing. He knew who it was without looking.

6:42.

He sat up, and the metal bunk creaked.

The single room was fifteen square meters, facing north. In summer, it was even stuffier inside than out. Beyond the window was the landlord's vegetable patch. The air conditioner unit was mounted on the wall, dripping one drop at a time into a plastic bucket below with a loud plink.

The bucket belonged to the landlord, who said he collected the water to irrigate the vegetables. In reality, it had gone foul.

He Zheng put on his training uniform. It was old and had become stiff from washing; the cuffs were frayed. He bent over to tie his shoes. One lace had snapped, so he tied a knot in it and carried on. The other lace was close to breaking too. He glanced at it and left it alone.

He went out without locking the door. An electric scooter was parked downstairs, secondhand, bought for 1,200 yuan. Two pieces of foam board were tied to the back seat with plastic cord, wrapped around three times.

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