Huayu: From the Era of Ringtones to Becoming a Legend

"Today is auspicious; it's a good day to make money!"

Picking up the bamboo root yin-yang divination stick from the ground, Lu Jiuge shielded her eyes from the sunlight leaking through the hole in the roof, a self-deprecating glint in her eyes.

In 2025, he will be the artist director of a top-tier media group in China, overseeing three top-tier artists and five first-tier artists.

But who could have imagined that during a commercial event he attended with an artist, chaos erupted on the scene, and he was pushed and shoved by the frenzied fans, falling from the second-floor booth.

When he opened his eyes again, it was already 2005. He had become a sixteen-year-old boy with the same name, following a paralyzed old Taoist priest, and going hungry for three days and nine meals in a dilapidated temple.

To fill his stomach, Lu Jiuge could only make a living around Hengdian by relying on a copy of "Plum Blossom Divination" by an old Taoist priest, which was riddled with worms and only half remained.

Of the ten divination methods, nine are inaccurate.

His skill in deceiving people has reached a level of perfection.

Over time, "Hengdian is unlucky" became his nickname.

Even the old lady selling roasted sweet potatoes by the roadside knows this, and shakes her head in regret when she sees her:

"This young man is handsome and quick-witted, but his fortune-telling accuracy is worse than flipping a coin. What a pity!"

……

Pulling herself back to reality, Lu Jiuge gave a wry smile and shouted into the inner room:

"Old man! There's still half a bowl of porridge in the pot, and two eggs I bought on credit yesterday on the table! I'm going to Hengdian to try my luck today, I won't be back until tonight, so eat sparingly!"

From the inner room came the old Taoist priest's muffled "hmm," which could be considered a response.

Lu Jiuge picked up a burlap sack, went out the door, and walked down the mountain path.

An hour and a half later, he jumped onto a modified tricycle parked by the national highway and skillfully turned off the song "Mice Love Rice" playing from the external subwoofer.

"Uncle Longsong! Let's go to Hengdian World Studios!"

"You little brat, you're running up your tab again!"

Longsong turned his head and laughed, scolding:

"I've practically become your personal chauffeur!"

"Year-end settlement! It's a year-end settlement! I'll calculate the interest for you then!"

"Interest? You said you'd tell my fortune and improve my luck last time, and the next day you got a flat tire!"

Amidst laughter and conversation, Longsong started his tricycle, which sputtered loudly as it headed towards Hengdian.

Lu Jiuge gazed at the farmland rushing past the window, her fingers unconsciously tapping her knees.

five years.

He tried working as a construction worker, a waiter in a restaurant, and even considered copying a few later hit songs to try his luck at a record company.

But a sixteen-year-old boy with no education or background can only become an object of ridicule.

In the end, he returned to his old path of being a charlatan, at least he wouldn't starve.

But today is different.

Last night, Lu Jiuge had a dream in which a cold, mechanical voice repeated:

"Negative emotions...System binding...Key figure..."

"If you encounter someone in pink, block their path, warn them of danger, and the system will activate."

When Lu Jiuge woke up in the morning, although he couldn't remember all the details of his dream, he cast a divination for good fortune. Originally, he wanted to lie down for the day, but he still decided to go to the film studio to try his luck.

Half an hour later, the tricycle stopped at the entrance of Hengdian World Studios.

Lu Jiuge jumped off the car, pulled out the cloth banner with the words "Iron Prediction" written on it from the burlap sack, slung it over his shoulder, and plunged into the bustling crowd.

"Fortune telling! Twenty yuan a time! No charge if it's inaccurate!"

He walked and called out as he went, his eyes scanning the passersby like radar.

Soon, the target appeared.

A woman wearing a pink down jacket and a mask walked quickly by with her head down, followed by a middle-aged woman carrying a bag and looking wary.

Although the mask covered most of her face, Lu Jiuge recognized her at a glance because of her temperament and figure, having spent more than ten years in the entertainment industry in her previous life.

Liu Yifei.

In 2005, she became a sensation with her role as Zhao Ling'er in Chinese Paladin, and her pure and fairy-like image was deeply rooted in people's hearts. It was the time when she became a super popular star.

Lu Jiuge's heart skipped a beat.

It's her!

Recalling his dream from last night, he took a step forward and stood directly in front of the woman:

"Young lady, please wait! Your forehead is etched with inauspicious energy, and your destiny palace harbors evil spirits. You may soon be embroiled in a storm of rumors, affecting your reputation and even leading to personal attacks!"

As soon as she finished speaking, Liu Yifei looked up at Lu Jiuge, her eyes filled with shock, anger, and disgust, and whispered angrily:

"Get out of my way! If you keep bothering me, I'll call the police!"

"It's Liu Yifei!"

"Fairy Sister!"

Keen-eyed passersby recognized it and took out their phones to take pictures.

Liu Yifei's agent, Sister Li, stepped forward and stood between the two, pulling out two ten-yuan bills from her wallet and handing them over.

"Young man, take the money and get out of here quickly, don't cause trouble!"

Lu Jiuge didn't take the money. Instead, she took half a step forward and said quickly in a voice that only the three of them could hear:

"Ms. Liu, I'm not joking. In less than six months, someone will spread rumors that you're not a woman, forcing you to appear on CCTV and present a forensic medical examination to clear your name. And the person spreading these rumors is surnamed Song."

boom!

Liu Yifei's pupils contracted sharply, and her fingers clenched tightly around her down jacket until her knuckles turned white.

The company's senior management has indeed discussed this matter privately recently, because a paparazzi surnamed Song has been inquiring about her privacy, but all of this is top secret!

"How did this charlatan know?"

"you……"

Liu Yifei's voice trembled, and she pointed at Lu Jiuge, unable to speak.

"Leave your contact information!"

Looking into Liu Yifei's eyes, Lu Jiuge had confirmed her suspicions:

"I can help you break this deadlock. Remember, be wary of people with the surname Song, especially in the second half of the year."

After saying that, he stuffed a piece of paper with a mobile phone number on it into Sister Li's hand without saying another word, and then turned and left.

Even after walking more than ten meters, Lu Jiuge could still feel the cold, angry gaze behind her.

After walking a few steps, Lu Jiuge's head suddenly buzzed!

A sharp pain exploded!

Immediately afterwards, a cold voice resounded deep within his mind:

[High-intensity negative emotions detected: resentment, anger, disgust]

[Emotional Source: Top-tier celebrity (Liu Yifei), Influence Assessment: Level A]

[Meets the binding requirements of the anti-fan harvesting system]

[System binding in progress... 10%... 50%... 100%]

[Binding successful!]

Lu Jiuge was shocked, then overjoyed.

"Five years, a full five years!"

"That damn system is finally here!"

Suppressing her excitement, Lu Jiuge focused her mind on her brain.

A pale blue virtual screen floated in the air, displaying several lines of text clearly:

[Host: Lu Jiuge]

Age: 21

Current status: Normal physique (mild malnutrition)

[Positive Faith Value: 0 (Transformation of positive emotions such as approval/admiration/like from others)]

[Negative Faith Value: 219 (Transformation of negative emotions such as resentment/mockery/resistance/disgust from others)]

[Source record: Liu Yifei (219 points)]

[System Shop: Not yet unlocked (requires accumulated negative faith points ≥ 1000)]

Below are two lines of smaller print:

1. Negative faith points can be exchanged for cultural and entertainment resources (songs, scripts, professional skills, etc.).

2. Positive faith value can enhance one's own abilities (memory, adaptability, physique, etc.).

"219 points? Is that all the resentment of a top-tier actress is worth?"

Lu Jiuge pouted:

"But this system—the more haters I have, the stronger I become? Interesting!"

"In the entertainment industry, getting people to genuinely like and admire you is incredibly difficult!"

"But wanting people to curse you, hate you, and mock you? That's incredibly easy!"

"So what I have to do is deliberately invite criticism?"

Lu Jiuge's eyes lit up:

"And the higher the status of the person criticizing me and the more intense their emotions, the more negative faith points I receive?"

"This system is practically tailor-made for the entertainment industry!"

Looking into the gray [System Shop] deep within my consciousness, it showed that 1000 points of negative faith value were required to unlock it.

781 points to go.

"We need to find a few more high-profile celebrities and give them a good scolding to accumulate 1000 negative faith points!"

Lu Jiuge licked her lips and looked towards Tang Garden in the film and television city.

There, director Wu Ziming is filming "The Song of Zhenguan".

"Criticism equals money. A top-tier artist's resentment is only worth 219? Not enough! We need to find more big names to contribute their 'faith points' to exchange for a divine song, and turn this music scene upside down!"

"Today, let's use Wu Ziming and Tang Guoxiang, you two big shots, to kick off my system's online store!"