"You motherf*cker!"
Lu Ze violently sat straight up on his bed with his entire body drenched in sweat. This was the first time he had been crushed to death by a truck in the system space. He was so frightened that he didn't even let the system evaluate his score and he directly jumped out of the bed.
This was much more terrible even compared to VR. Lu Ze had been keeping a zip over his mouth to ensure that he did not utter any profanities. However, this time, he was so scared that he couldn't help but curse out.
In his underpants, he directly ran to the bathroom and turned on the shower without even taking off his underpants, drenching himself under the cold water. However, because perhaps the water was too cold or he was too shocked, he felt an intense current jolting his body as soon as the water touched him.
The feeling right before death…Lu Ze had finally experienced that near-death experience. Perhaps, it would turn out to be useful for this shoot.
After the shower, he rushed to the refrigerator and pulled out a cold beer and gulped it down in one breath. He let out a hiccup with all his might, eventually forcing the discomfort in his body down.
He then changed into new underwear and lay naked on the couch, basking in the sunlight, and played the Shaoxing Opera on his phone, eventually feeling comfortable.
It was a boring day again. There was no new announcement, and he couldn't accept any work by himself. All he could do was wait for updates from his manager. Working hard in the system every day caused him to occasionally feel some exhaustion, making him feel like taking a rest. He hoped that somebody would introduce him to a rich woman so that he didn't have to work so hard.
Therefore, his plan today was to have fun. When it came to men, no matter how old they grew or what kind of work they did, they couldn't resist gaming a bit every once in a while.
Lu Ze went downstairs and arrived at an internet cafe near his neighborhood. It was much cheaper than the internet cafe he'd gone to the last time at five yuan for an hour, which was something Lu Ze was willing to spend.
When he was working part-time in Luhua, he would always game in his free time. However, he hadn't played in recent years. As a result, he could only play Crossfire.
...
"Guy on B."
Looking at his 2-11 battle score, he was as weak as a chicken. At this moment, his phone rang. He glanced at his phone to see the caller name: Shen Jinghan.
"Hello? Aunt Han."
He'd repeatedly pondered over the issue of addressing her. She was indeed even older than his mother by a few years, so calling her "Big Sister" would be too embarrassing, no matter how much care she had taken of her skin and how young she looked. Moreover, from her appearance when she asked him to call her "Aunt", she didn't seem to be merely polite. Therefore, he decided to call her "Aunt".
"Lu Ze, what's with all the noise from your side? Where are you?'
"It's nothing. I'm just playing at an internet cafe. What's up?"
"How is your work with the script going? I've arranged a meal with Director Chen Yuan in a few days. I'll take the chance to bring you along with me. He is still in talks with the investors, but he revealed a little information to me. There is no push for a second male lead from the investors' side. They are only pushing for three roles: the first male lead, the first female lead, and the third female lead. We have a chance for the second lead. Apart from these three roles, he has the right to assign roles. Therefore, go crazy with the script in these few days. We'll try to settle the issue during the meal to avoid potential trouble from any useless delays."
Lu Ze sat straight and logged out of the game before replying, "Don't worry. Aunt Han. I'll give it my best shot. Alright, then when is the meeting?"
"Next Wednesday. You also need to clean up yourself. Since this is a contemporary piece of work, your appearance is the first hurdle. If you can't even clear this hurdle, the rest isn't worth mentioning."
"No problem."
"It's settled then. I'll pick you up in my car that day. Besides, game a little less. You've got to take care of your eyes."
After hanging up, Lu Ze went to the counter and settled the bill. He then went to a fast food shop and ate his lunch before returning back to his room to continue the autobiography of Guo Xiaofei.
In the beginning, the more he wrote, the more his head ached. However, at this moment, the more he wrote, the easier it became. He had begun to immerse himself into the character of Guo Xiaofei. He was now able to draw from his own experience, not merely relying on baseless creativity.
In this manner, his speed increased by a lot, and Lu Ze wrote down every turning point of his life from his childhood until the events unfolding in the script. He'd filled every gap in his story that created his current disposition. It made his character seem much more logical.
In the night, he went out for a stroll to relax his mind. Upon returning, he chose to sleep. However, he didn't expect that as soon as he entered the system space, a lashing would abruptly greet him.
"Ah!!! Why are you suddenly hitting me for no reason? You have a virus! Do you want to download an antivirus program and clean your drive?"
After suffering from the first whip, Lu Ze's anger instantly erupted. As a result, he was viciously whipped again, causing him to immediately shut his mouth. 'Fine, I'm afraid of you, but do I just keep my mouth shut and take your whips?!'
"The third phase is concluded. The time duration is short of the set limit; the course character has died. Score: 0 points. Evaluation: extremely poor. Course terminated. Penalty: double."
Lu Ze's face instantly turned red. He had not suffered such a beating from the system in a long time. Even while taking fundamental training courses in acting, the whipping he suffered would come after he'd recovered from the previous one. However, this time, even before the pain from the first whip dissipated, another whip was already onto him. Who could endure such superimposed waves of pain?! Moreover, the system didn't even specify how many lashings he would be receiving. If he were to take on 10,000 whips, he would go mad from the agony.
This made him feel as if he had escaped from his home in childhood after committing a mistake, and his parents never came looking for him. There were some things that you couldn't escape from. As long as he slept, he couldn't avoid the beating.
"Hey! Can you make it a little lighter?! I'll die! Stop, please! It was my bad! I promise I won't run away the next time! Ah! Hey, hey, hey!!! You can't now, can you? F*ck your ancestors! Just because I'm covering my back, you hit my belly?"
Lu Ze rolled on the other side, thinking that if he lay on his stomach and protected his back, the whips wouldn't come. However, he never expected that not only did the lashings not stop, but it even came with much more strength! The blows on his belly almost caused him to eject himself out of the space. Without any choice, he could only turn around. Taking it on the back was comfortable indeed…
...
On the 18th of December 2016, Lu Ze washed his hair properly, blow-dried it, then applied a little gel over it. His originally somewhat long hair was neatly swept back.
In a swept-back hairstyle, he looked far better than in a crew cut or a student cut. He also exuded a fresher and cleaner feeling. Even Lu Ze couldn't help but admire himself.
Upon returning to the room, he opened his wardrobe. He didn't have many clothes, so he chose the same outfit he'd worn during the interview. With a watch on his hand, he sat on the couch, waiting for Shen Jinghan's call.
His phone rang. Lu Ze picked up the call without even glancing at the number. "Hello, Aunt Han, I'm ready."
"Hello? Big Brother? What's going on? Did you miss me? Today I ate…"
"Get lost."
After hanging up, Lu Ze took a sip of herbal tea. He hugged himself, softly poking his arms with fingers. He then turned on the television to relieve his nervousness. The girl would call frequently at this time. After all, it was five in the evening, and she should be eating after finishing her daily classes.
Thinking for a bit, he picked up the phone and sent her a message, telling her that he was busy at the moment along with a consolation prize of 500 yuan.
His phone rang again. This time, Lu Ze confirmed who the caller was first before connecting the call.
"You're at the company dorms, right? I'm downstairs in a red Maserati with the car plate number SHA0060D. I'm waiting for you in the car."
"Alright, I'll be right there."
Putting on his shoes, he locked his door and took the elevator down before sprinting across the lobby and opening the building door. The red car entered his vision. He walked to the front of the car and ascertained that it was She Jinghan. Thereupon, he opened the passenger seat and sat inside.