That Black-and-Red Top-Tier Star

The main story is told in third person.

My name is Gu Qi. When I met Wang Qingyan, I'd dropped out of school and was working at a factory.

The assembly line paid three thousand a month, with meals and lodging included.

But in my fourth week, a woman suddenly showed up at the electronics factory gate. She wore a crisply pressed suit and looked completely out of place standing there.

She said she was an agent and wanted to take me into the entertainment industry to act in a film.

My first thought was that she was a scammer.

My second thought was still that she was a scammer.

Come on, I may have dropped out of high school, but I'm not an idiot!

She said she could offer me a contract. I told her I wouldn't sign it because I couldn't understand it and was afraid of getting ripped off.

She froze for a moment, then smiled.

"Eight thousand a month, with meals and lodging included. Come with me to shoot a film first. If you still don't trust me afterward, you can leave anytime."

Eight thousand, a full five thousand more than I was making then.

I accepted.

The day I left with Wang Qingyan, I looked back at the drab gray factory.

I'd been there almost a month, and I was already getting used to that repetitive, numb life where I could see exactly what lay ahead.

When someone stays at the bottom of a well long enough, they really can start to believe that the little patch of sky above them is the whole world.

I didn't want to mistake that patch of sky for the whole world.

Later...

I became famous.

More accurately, I became very famous.

Famous enough to be recognized wherever I went, famous enough for my name to be a regular trending topic.

But the applause was accompanied by more than just praise. Controversy came pouring in from every direction.

Some people said I was born to be a star. Others said I was nothing but a publicity hound.

Some loved me so passionately they were crazy about me; others hated me with every fiber of their being.

But one thing was certain: whether they liked me or hated me, they couldn't take their eyes off me.

They watched my films, discussed my posts, and endlessly analyzed everything I said.

Wang Qingyan called it my "controversy magnet" constitution.

But I didn't care whether it was love, hate, or some controversy magnet constitution. I just wanted everyone to look at me!

Theme: Never stop moving forward