Korean entertainment: I can steal the luck of celebrities with bad records.

The next day, a phone call from a strange man woke Lin Puzhi from his sleep.

"Mr. Lim Pak-ji? I'm the personal agent your father arranged for you, surnamed Choi. Go to the SBS Tanhyeon Production Center in three days for the drama 'Will It Snow for Christmas?' The script reading and casting were completed in October, but your father put in a good word and arranged a role for you. It's not a big role, only about ten minutes, but it's an SBS drama after all."

The phone hangs up.

Lin Puzhi lay on the bed, staring at the ceiling.

A cameo role lasting only ten minutes or so. He got the part through connections.

He rolled over, feeling nothing in particular. Climbing the ladder through connections wasn't his intention, but since the opportunity had presented itself, he wouldn't be coy and refuse.

The problem is—I have to join the production team in three days.

He glanced at his remaining charity points.

Current good deeds score: 1 points

Yesterday, dealing with Kim Sung-woo cost me 5 points in assessment and 10 points in luck, completely draining my resources. Now, my remaining balance isn't even enough to review the "villain's" detailed information again.

He needs good deeds points, and he needs a lot of them.

Lin Puzhi sat up, took out his phone, and checked the calendar. November 12th, a month and a half before Christmas. The streets of Seoul were already adorned with colorful lights, and the air was filled with the dry chill of approaching winter.

An idea popped into my head.

orphanage.

He searched online and found a children's welfare home in the JB district called "Starlight Home".

There isn't much information online, except for a news report from three years ago: an anonymous donor donated a batch of winter supplies to children, accompanied by a photo of a group of children laughing around a Christmas tree.

Lin Puzhi, wrapped in the faded down jacket that belonged to the original owner, took the subway for forty minutes and then transferred to a bus for twenty minutes before finally finding the place at the entrance of a secluded alley.

The orphanage was older than he had imagined.

The three-story red brick building had peeling paint on its exterior walls, and a handwritten sign on the iron gate read "Welcome." In the courtyard stood a bare ginkgo tree, beneath which were several plastic slides, their original colors faded beyond recognition.

He pushed open the door, and a woman in her fifties poked her head out from the gatehouse.

"May I ask who you are...?"

"Hello, my name is Lin Puzhi. I'd like to volunteer." He bowed and said, "I'd like to see if there's anything I can do to help."

The woman's expression changed from wary to gentle. She looked him up and down—the faded down jacket, the clean-cut appearance—he didn't seem like a bad person.

"A volunteer..." She pushed open the door to let him in. "We haven't had anyone here in a long time. Are you a student?"

"Yes, I haven't been in Seoul for very long."

"Come in, it's cold outside."

The woman introduced herself as Ms. Cui, the vice director of the orphanage, who had worked there for over ten years.

Vice Dean Cui led him inside, muttering as they walked, "These days, everyone's willing to donate money, but fewer and fewer people are willing to spend time with their children. Especially young people, they're all busy making money, chasing celebrities, and using their earnings to get plastic surgery to look like their favorite stars. Who remembers these things anymore..."

Lin Puzhi listened silently.

Vice Dean Cui led him into the activity room.

As soon as the door opened, a blast of warm air mixed with the laughter of children rushed out. The activity room was small, furnished with a few low tables and colorful plastic chairs, and the walls were covered with crayon drawings—crooked houses, the sun, and a family holding hands.

A dozen or so children sat together, the oldest looking to be around ten years old, the youngest probably just starting kindergarten. They were drawing, with crayons and colored paper scattered on the table.

"Children, this is your older brother who's here to play with you." Vice Dean Cui clapped his hands. "Everyone, say hello."

"Hello, brother!"

The sounds were uneven, like a flock of sparrows.

Lin Puzhi felt a little uncomfortable. He hadn't had much contact with children in his previous life, let alone facing more than a dozen at once. But the children's eyes were bright as they stared at him like a group of curious little animals.

"Um..." He squatted down, picked up a red crayon, "I'm pretty good at drawing, want me to teach you?"

"Really?"

"Brother, can you draw dinosaurs?"

"I can draw rabbits!"

The children immediately surrounded them.

Lin Puzhi drew a Peppa Pig on a piece of paper; it was the only simple drawing he knew how to do in his previous life.

Because it's simple.

It was crooked and uneven; the nose was drawn too big and the eyes were drawn crooked, but the children looked at it very carefully.

"It's so ugly," a little girl with a ponytail said honestly.

"……Thanks."

"But I like it," the little girl added, reaching out to touch the pig's nose on the paper. "It looks happy."

Good Deeds Value +1

Accompany a child while they draw, +1.

Help another child pick up their dropped crayon, +1.

Wipe the snot from the youngest child's nose, +1.

System notifications popped up like raindrops.

While spending time with these children, Lin Puzhi had a strange feeling in his heart—not the utilitarian feeling of "accumulating points," but a feeling that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

It felt like drinking ginseng chicken soup in the dead of winter.

"Brother." The little girl with the ponytail tugged at his sleeve. "My doll is broken. Can you fix it for me?"

Lin Puzhi took the rabbit doll from the little girl and noticed that the cotton wool was showing through the arm because of the pulling.

In the original owner's memories, his grandmother taught him how to sew. Although his skills weren't great, he should be able to mend a doll without any problem.

"Okay, I'll fix it for you."

"Really?"

"real."

The little girl's eyes lit up, like two stars.

Good Deeds Value +5

Lin Puzhi was stunned for a moment. So tall?

Sincere kindness is more valuable than mechanical acts of charity. When an act of kindness touches the heart of another, it will trigger additional rewards.

Around 3 p.m., Lin Puzhi was helping Vice Dean Cui repair some old toys in the warehouse when he suddenly heard the sound of a car engine outside the door.

"Today is really unusual. We only get a few people all year round, but today two have come."

Vice President Cui wiped his hands and went out to greet him.

Lin Puzhi didn't pay attention and continued squatting on the ground repairing a toy truck that was missing a wheel.

"Hello, I'm here to..."

A woman's voice came from the doorway; it was gentle, with a hint of tentative hesitation.

Lin Puzhi looked up.

A woman was standing at the door.

She was wearing a beige down jacket, a light gray scarf, and her long hair was draped over her shoulders. She was holding a huge gift box in her arms. Snowflakes landed on her hair, not yet melting, like a handful of shattered diamonds.

He recognized her.

Jang Nara.

She was thinner than she appeared on TV, with a face so small it was only the size of a palm, but her eyes were large, and the corners of her mouth would turn slightly to one side when she smiled.

"Hello, I'm Jang Nara." She bowed slightly to Vice Dean Choi, her voice a little nervous. "I'd like to... volunteer. Is that alright?"

Vice Dean Cui paused for a moment, feeling that the woman looked somewhat familiar, but without thinking much of it, he warmly greeted her, "Come in, come in, it's cold outside."

She entered the room and was momentarily stunned when she saw Lin Puzhi squatting in the corner repairing toys.

"Are you here to volunteer too?"

"Hmm." Lin Puzhi stood up, brushed the dust off his knees, and said, "Lin Puzhi, a college student."

Jang Nara tilted her head and glanced at him, seemingly to confirm that he was neither a reporter nor a sasaeng fan.

"Hello." She extended her hand. "Let's cheer each other on."

Lin Puzhi squeezed her hand. Her fingertips were icy cold; she must have been standing outside for quite a while.

"Your hands are so cold."

"Ah... I'm a little nervous." She withdrew her hand shyly. "This is my first time in a place like this, I don't know what to do."

"It's very simple." Lin Puzhi pointed to the activity room. "Just play with the kids. They don't discriminate, as long as you're genuinely good to them."

Jang Nara nodded, took a deep breath, and walked towards the activity room with the gift box in her arms.

Lin Puzhi followed behind her, watching her back.

"System, assess Jang Nara."

[Would you like to spend 5 points of good deeds to get more details?]

"yes."

[Jang Nara | Good Person, Perpetually Distressed | Misfortune Value: 65%]

After reviewing the test results, Lin Puzhi seemed to be deep in thought.

65% of his bad luck—higher than Kim Sung-woo after he used [Steal Luck].

He knew about the money-grabbing scandal. It was one of the two biggest news stories in the South Korean entertainment industry in 2009—the other being the suicide of Jang Ja-yeon earlier that year.

He had seen the news online in the past few days.

Jang Nara said on a variety show, "Whenever production costs are tight, I go to China for activities," which led to her being criticized by South Korean netizens as a "traitor" and a "money-grubbing woman."

What the truth is doesn't matter. What matters is what the audience believes.

……

Inside the activity room, Jang Nara was already surrounded by children.

"You're that one! That singing sister!"

"I've seen your TV series! 'The Love of Red Bean Girl'!"

"Sister, you're so beautiful!"

Jang Nara squatted down, her eyes crinkling into crescent moons with a smile. She opened the gift box she had brought, which was full of colored pencils and sketchbooks.

"Come on, everyone choose one."

The children cheered and crowded together to choose their favorite colors. Jang Nara was jostled around, her hair all messed up, but she laughed heartily—not the standard, practiced smile seen on television, but a genuine, heartfelt laugh.

Lin Puzhi leaned against the door frame, watching this scene, and the corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up.

Good Deeds Value +2

[System Description: Witnessing others' good deeds and experiencing a positive emotional response will also earn you a small amount of merit points.]

Is this also possible?

Good deeds are contagious. When one person's kindness influences another to do good, both the originator and the disseminator are rewarded.

Lin Puzhi seemed to be deep in thought. He walked over and squatted down next to Zhang Nara.

"You drew it so well." He glanced at the Christmas tree she had drawn—golden stars, green branches, and red ornaments.

Lin Puzhi had to admit that it was better than his Peppa Pig.

"Thank you." Jang Nara didn't look up, focusing intently on coloring the stars. "I used to draw when I was stressed. Drawing helps calm my mind."

"Have you been under a lot of stress lately?"

Her hand paused for a moment.

"A little," she said softly. "A lot of people have been criticizing me online lately."

Lin Puzhi didn't press the matter. He sat quietly to the side, picked up a blue crayon, and drew a sky on the paper.

Jang Nara was silent for a moment, then lowered her voice:

"They say I...only care about money." Her voice was soft. "They say I went to China to make money and don't care about my Korean fans."

"That's not true, is it?"

"Of course not." Her voice was a little muffled. "I did go to China for promotional activities, but that's because... my father's business is in trouble and he needs money. Besides, my Chinese fans are genuinely kind to me; they've been very good to me..."

"That's enough."

"What?"

"It's enough that you know you're not the kind of person they describe." Lin Puzhi put down his crayons and looked at her. "You can't control what other people say, but you can control your own heart."

Jang Nara looked at him, something flickering in her eyes.

"You talk like an old man."

"……Thanks."

"It's me who's thanking you," she said softly.

Good Deeds Value +3

……

At five o'clock in the afternoon, it got dark. The snowflakes fell heavier and heavier, and the ginkgo tree in the yard was covered with a layer of white.

Lin Puzhi and Zhang Nara helped Vice Dean Cui tidy up the activity room. The children tugged at their clothes reluctantly, asking when they would come again.

"I'll definitely come for Christmas." Jang Nara squatted down and gave each child a high five. "Pinky promise."

"Pinky promise, for a hundred years, never to be broken!"

Lin Puzhi stood at the door, watching this scene, and a corner of his heart was gently touched.

Lin Puzhi looked at the text above Zhang Nara's head.

Once the authentication is completed, lifetime access is guaranteed.

Current misfortune level: 62%, decreasing by 3%.

[Reason: Today's volunteer activity alleviated her anxiety and slightly changed her bad luck.]

Lin Puzhi glanced at his charity points balance: 35 points.

---

At the entrance of the orphanage, Jang Nara wrapped her scarf tightly around herself and exhaled a puff of white breath.

Lin Puzhi.

"Um?"

"Why did you come to the orphanage today?"

Lin Puzhi thought for a moment and then told the truth: "Because I need to do good deeds."

Jang Nara paused for a moment, then smiled.

"You're so honest."

"No, I am Pinocchio."

"What?"

"It's nothing," Lin Puzhi smiled. "And you? Why did you come?"

Jang Nara remained silent for a while.

"Because I want to prove that I'm not the kind of person they say I am."

"You've proven it," Lin Puzhi said, "at least in front of me."

She looked at him, snowflakes falling on her eyelashes like tiny stars.

"I promised the children I'd come for Christmas," she stated, her voice a little soft. "Are you coming too?"

Lin Puzhi paused for a moment, then replied:

"OK."

"Then...see you at Christmas?" She looked up, smiling.

See you at Christmas.

Jang Nara waved and turned to walk towards the van parked by the roadside. Lin Puzhi watched her retreating figure until the car disappeared at the end of the alley.

Lin Puzhi put his hands in his pockets and walked towards the subway station.

Snowflakes landed on his shoulders, feeling cool.

Will it snow on Christmas Day, a month from now?

Just like today.