Reborn in the Entertainment Industry: This Top Star Has Real Achievements

It was afternoon when the train arrived at the station, and the summer sun slanted across the platform tiles, making them dazzlingly bright.

As the car turned into the familiar street corner, he immediately spotted his family's supermarket sign through the car window.

Inside the counter, that familiar figure was engrossed in reading a fantasy novel with curled edges, not even lifting his head.

Li Xiang paid the money, dragged his suitcase over quietly, stood in front of him for half a minute, and then deliberately coughed.

Mr. Li was startled, and the book in his hand fell to his lap with a "thud." When he looked up and saw it was him, his eyes widened instantly, and even his glasses slipped down to the tip of his nose.

"Son... why are you back?"

"You didn't even call when you got back, so I could have told your mom to buy you an extra fish." With that, she stood up and snatched the suitcase from his hands without another word.

"Come on, let's go upstairs! Your mom was talking about you the other day. You didn't call more often, and your mom and I were worried about disturbing your filming."

The suitcase wheels thumped over the stairwell steps. Just as they reached the second floor, Li Ma, wearing an apron, peeked out.

Seeing Li Xiang, she was taken aback at first, then wiped her hands on her apron and rushed over: "Oh my son! Why did you suddenly come back?"

"You silly child, you didn't even tell me beforehand. We don't have any fancy dishes at home, wait a minute, I'll have Old Li send some over..."

The house instantly became lively. Li Xiang was constantly being pulled aside and asked all sorts of questions, and his arm was being touched and told that he had lost weight.

At dinner, Li's mother piled Li Xiang's bowl to the brim.

Li's father poured two glasses of ice-cold beer and pushed one towards him: "So, how's filming going? You haven't been bullied, have you?"

Li Xiang had just taken a bite of rice when he heard this and laughed: "I'm the male lead, how many male leads have you ever heard of being bullied on set?"

Besides, my role as the male lead was... well, it was a bit of a special one, so who would dare to mess with me?

Li's father then realized what was going on and nodded in agreement: "That's right. You're not only someone with connections, but you're also a student at the Beijing Film Academy. You'll definitely be well-connected on set."

So, staying here was alright? You actually learned something?

"The teachers in this drama are all big names. Acting with them is like attending classes every day."

As he spoke, he suddenly remembered something, got up and rummaged through his backpack to find a stack of film rolls—set photos that his senior sister Fu had helped him develop, which he spread out on the table one by one.

He knows his parents too well; they love these "real things" that come with a celebrity aura.

Sure enough, Li's father's eyes lit up. He put down his chopsticks on the table, forgot about eating, and leaned over to look at each dish one by one, making clicking noises as he did so.

When he flipped to one of the photos, he pointed to the person in the picture and said, "Isn't that Song Jiang? He's actually in your play? I'm so annoyed by him!"

"You're just talking nonsense all day. Let me see. Isn't this Li Xuejian? She played Jiao Yulu. You only remember her as Song Jiang? Don't let your son offend anyone."

"Hey, you acted so realistically, that's all I remember!" Li's father waved his hand, then looked down at the photo again, but couldn't hide the smile on his lips.

"Well done, kid. You've really made the most of your university education by working with these big names."

"It has little to do with the university; it's mainly because Uncle Wang is very helpful." At this point, Li Xiang finally asked the question he'd been holding back for a long time.

"Dad, I have a question—why is Uncle Wang so nice to me? Putting everything else aside, just look at the resources he got for the male lead in Director Zhang's movie this time."

In today's entertainment industry, countless male stars would fight tooth and nail to get him. Why would he go to such lengths to help me? If you don't explain clearly, I'll feel uneasy."

"What's the panic?" Li's father put down the photo in his hand, his tone firm. "Your Uncle Wang and I have a life-or-death bond."

"A life-or-death friendship?" Li Xiang pressed. "There must be something specific going on, right?"

"It's just the same old story, don't pry." Mr. Li waved his hand, refusing to say more.

Li's mother, standing nearby, became displeased and slapped Li's father on the shoulder: "What's with all the mystification? We just saved each other's lives and got along well, what's there to hide?"

Li Xiang then suddenly realized. Thinking about his father's age again, he realized that the security situation was indeed worse when his father was younger.

There were bound to be bumps and bruises, fights and brawls; one can imagine that there must have been some thrilling experiences in the past.

Thinking about it this way, the inexplicable feeling of emptiness in my heart finally settled down.

Honestly, Uncle Wang treated him so well that he was almost like a "golden-finger grandpa" in a novel, granting his every wish. He felt a little embarrassed to accept it.

Now that I know it's a life-or-death friendship from my parents' generation, I have no more reservations—I can always repay them properly in the future.

While flipping through the photos, Li's father suddenly blurted out, "Once you've truly established yourself in the entertainment industry, I'll introduce you to an uncle."

He's doing just as well as your Uncle Wang now, and in terms of ability, he might even be better.

"It's just that their company doesn't deal with celebrity clients, otherwise I would have already brought him over for you to meet."

Li Xiang's heart skipped a beat. He knew that although his father was vain, he never boasted.

To be praised by him as "even more amazing than Uncle Wang," one must definitely be a top-tier figure.

It was also explained that it didn't involve celebrities, yet it still connected with his work, which immediately piqued my curiosity, and I even forgot to eat.

She moved her chair closer to Li's father and said, "Why don't you tell me the whole story now? Let me know what's going on."

"What do you mean, 'reveal'?" Li's father rolled his eyes at him. "Your movie just finished filming, and it's directed by Zhang. You don't need him at all."

When you really need him, just one word from me will do the trick. I'm not saying he'll make you invincible in the industry, but he'll definitely have a smooth ride.

At this point, he added with a hint of smugness, "Otherwise, why do you think I insisted you go into this line of work? I'm not crazy... Your dad has a long-term vision."

Seeing this, Li Xiang didn't press the matter further, but he did feel more confident, or rather, his whole being had been elevated.

She quickly and obsequiously placed a piece of meat in Li's father's bowl: "Alright then, I'll do whatever you say. But don't just hand it over when you need it; it's fine to keep in touch more often."

Li's father was amused and laughed, scolding, "Do I need you to teach me?"

During the next meal, no one brought it up again; the table was filled with small talk and concern—which soothed his fragile heart.

It also made him realize that no matter how far he goes in the future, there will always be a light shining for him.

But the light only stayed on for three days before my parents turned it off.

"Alright, you've rested enough, hurry back to school. It's almost finals, do you want to wait until exams to go back?"

If you, a guy from the film industry, fail your course, you'll really become the laughingstock of the school!

When it came to matters of face, even Li's father, who had been sitting on the sofa pretending to be a good guy, sat up straight and began to subtly encourage Li Xiang, who was still lounging on the sofa:

"Son! Your mother is right. You're not just an ordinary student anymore, you're a big star. So failing a course isn't called failing a course, it's called a scandal!"

On the contrary, if you come back from filming for two months and still get top marks on your exams—that's news!

"Just tell me, do you want a scandal or news?"

"I don't want either of those, I want a scandal!"

"A scandal? Don't even think about it!" Aunt Li immediately glared at her, her tone turning serious.

"Sometimes scandals are more terrifying than real scandals. And if you're so focused on finding a partner, how can you possibly concentrate on acting?"

If you really have someone you like, once you've established yourself, just get married right away. Don't give me any of that ambiguous stuff.

"And those who hide their relationships, do you think everyone is blind? How can you keep it a secret?"

And even if you wanted to hide it, would the girl be willing to waste time with you like this? You're at a crucial time for building your career right now; you absolutely cannot afford to get involved with women.

As she spoke, she seemed to remember something and added, "I have your homeroom teacher's phone number here. I'll call him later and ask him to keep an eye on you."

You better remember this: you're going there to be an actor and build a career, not to fall in love in the entertainment industry.

As she spoke, Li's mother turned around, grabbed a food container from the kitchen, and stuffed it all into Li Xiang's bag:

"You've always been decisive and sensible since you were little. Your father and I haven't had to worry about you much. So, you can definitely do what I just said, right?"

Li Xiang had only meant it as a joke, but he hadn't expected it to really put his mother on edge. He quickly nodded obediently, "I was just kidding with you two."

"That's more like it." Aunt Li's expression relaxed, and she reached out to pat his arm.

"Be careful on the road, and call home when you get to school." Then he pushed him out the door.