Chapter 2: Strawberries
Falling into water wasn’t a serious condition, and after finishing his meal, Jiang Yin underwent a simple examination to confirm that everything was fine. He then checked out of the hospital with Chen Dan.
“Goodbye,” Jiang Yin bid farewell with a smile while holding a large box of strawberries to the nurses at the front desk. Chen Dan declined the offer of ice cream, using the excuse of Jiang Yin catching a chill from falling into the water.
The vibrant vitality of youth was in full display, causing the young nurses to blush and their hearts to race.
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At that moment, Jiang Yin fell deeply in love with strawberries.
“I didn’t tell Uncle and Auntie about your incident. Remember not to let it slip,” Chen Dan instructed carefully as they got into the car. “Also, if Han Lingran and the others come looking for you, ignore them. They already know about your accident. Who knows what they might say behind your back? I’ve temporarily confiscated your phone. I’ll give it back to you in a couple of days so that you won’t have any random thoughts about it.”
Jiang Yin had many good qualities, but he was too easily influenced and had a tendency to focus on the negative. Even if there were a hundred compliments and only one criticism, he would fixate on the latter. No matter how much he tried to persuade him otherwise, he wouldn’t listen. Chen Dan hoped that this experience would help him grow.
“Okay.” Jiang Yin’s attention was fixed on the steering wheel. Although he knew what a car was, seeing it in person was still impressive.
There was also the smooth and wide road outside the window, towering skyscrapers, and even the streetlights could captivate him for quite some time.
As the traffic light turned red, pedestrians walked and laughed on the zebra crossing. Couples held hands, girls linked arms, children hopped and skipped, and middle school students rode bicycles…
At that moment, Jiang Yin finally felt the reality of crossing over.
This was the future, the present, without the Great Zhou dynasty or an emperor.
There were no calamities dictated by fate, no incessant wars, and no starving masses.
It was an era of prosperity.
This was good.
Jinrong Community was home to numerous celebrities, large and small, due to its excellent environment and security measures. The only difference was whether they bought or rented their residences.
“Jiang Yin,” a relatively unknown star, certainly couldn’t afford to buy and could only rent.
The company did offer allocated apartments, but since “Jiang Yin” was underage and needed someone to take care of him, the company arranged for a single room. Chen Dan communicated with the company and changed it to a subsidy, allowing them to rent a two-bedroom apartment in Jinrong Community.
Throughout the week, Chen Dan would stay here for two days, while during other times, he would come during the day and leave at night. In the beginning, it was the opposite, staying for five days and going home for two. They only felt at ease leaving “Jiang Yin” alone once he turned seventeen.
The apartment was on the sixteenth floor, with four households on each floor.
Jiang Yin and Chen Dan parked the car and entered the elevator.
“Wait a moment!”
The sound of high heels clicking echoed, and a woman hurriedly entered.
“Sister Fang,” Chen Dan greeted her with a smile.
Jiang Yin looked up and recognized the person, nodding politely as the original owner of his body would have done.
Fang Xiao, a senior colleague in the company, a third-tier female star who remained moderately popular throughout the years. She was a classically trained actress, having graduated from the drama school. She filmed her first drama at the age of fourteen and was now thirty-two, making her a well-respected senior in the industry. Even though Chen Dan was one year older than her, he still addressed her as “sister.”
The original owner had once worked with her, or to be more precise, he had played a small supporting role to complement her character.
However, the original owner paid attention to Fang Xiao not because of that, but because she was secretly dating a recently popular young male actor. The original owner accidentally discovered this secret.
The original owner had been jealous of this young actor. Although Fang Xiao was only a third-tier star, she had a classical background and had been in the industry for many years, so she had a good network and resources. Any discerning person could see that the young actor had benefited greatly from their relationship.
Especially since Fang Xiao was beautiful and had a charming demeanor, if the original owner didn’t have a preference for men, he wished he could replace the young actor himself.
Fang Xiao smiled, “Finished with work?”
“Yes, is Sister Fang done as well?” Chen Dan’s expression was somewhat awkward. Due to the publicity stunt from Han Lingran and the others, pretending to care about Jiang Yin’s well-being, news of his failed attempt to get a sugar daddy and nearly drowning had spread throughout the industry. Although everyone dared not openly say anything due to Young Master Zhaoās influence, they still mocked and ridiculed in private.
Jiang Yin was completely unaware, wholeheartedly focused on eating the strawberries. He had fallen deeply in love with them and couldn’t resist their allure. He had finished the box of strawberries that he bought from the hospital and this was the second box he had just purchased from a fruit supermarket on the way.
Having been in the industry for so many years, Fang Xiao was accustomed to people and events trying to take shortcuts to climb the ladder. She smiled faintly and replied, “Yes, just finished shooting a commercial.”
“Is it for the promotion of ‘Heart Detective’? I’ve seen the trailer, it’s really interesting. Sister Fang, your acting skills are amazing. Just from watching the trailer, it gives me chills,” praised Chen Dan.
Fang Xiao just smiled and said, “It’s mainly thanks to Director Liang’s expertise.”
“Heart Detective” was a movie that Fang Xiao had participated in filming half a year ago. It was a horror film disguised as a detective film and was currently in the promotion phase. Horror films weren’t very popular in the current market and were generally associated with bad movies. Fang Xiao’s main focus was television dramas, so she usually only made guest appearances in movies as a favor to friends.
That was the case with “Heart Detective.” She had a guest role as a beautiful female ghost in it.
As Jiang Yin continued to eat and digest the information that came to mind, he realized that the reason the original owner had paid attention to this obscure news was that he had almost auditioned for the male second lead in this movie. However, he had another script at the time and decided to choose between the two, thinking that a horror film wouldn’t become popular.
Chen Dan and Fang Xiao engaged in meaningless small talk while Jiang Yin had intimate contact with his beloved strawberries. These greenhouse-grown milk strawberries were quite large, too big to be eaten in one bite. It took at least two or three bites to finish each one. This box of strawberries was perfectly ripe, exuding a mouth-watering sweetness. Of course, the price was equally “sweet.”
With strawberries the size of a child’s fist, he took three bites for each strawberry. In the narrow elevator, the sound of him biting into the strawberries was clearly audible, occasionally accompanied by a small sound of juice.
Fang Xiao couldn’t help but look over. It was the first time she felt that someone eating could be described as “serious.” In the confined space of the elevator, the sweet aroma of strawberries wafted in the air, and her mouth involuntarily salivated.
Jiang Yin noticed her gaze and glanced at her before handing her the box, saying, “Sister Fang, have a taste.”
In his memory, female celebrities were very particular about their diet, which is why he didn’t inquire right away.
Fang Xiao felt a little embarrassed but took one and pinched it, saying, “Thank you.”
Ding.
The elevator reached the seventeenth floor, and Jiang Yin carried the strawberries as he and Chen Dan walked out one after the other.
Fang Xiao watched their receding figures, lost in thought.
Although they were from the same company, she didn’t have much of an impression of Jiang Yin before. However, the news of Jiang Yin’s failed attempt to curry favor withYoung Master Zhao yesterday had caught her attention. She had grown indifferent to such matters, neither feeling resentment nor favor towards them. But now, as she observed, Jiang Yin didn’t seem like the type of person who was eager for quick success.
Either he was exceptionally good at pretending, fooling even her, or there was more to the situation than met the eye.
However, upon further reflection, she realized it had nothing to do with her. As the elevator doors closed, she brushed aside these thoughts.
Upon reaching the door of his apartment, Jiang Yin intentionally entered the password first, while stealing a glance at Chen Dan’s expression.
Chen Dan didn’t suspect for a moment that he had changed. Cheerfully, he followed Jiang Yin into the apartment. However, he didn’t stay for long. Some appointments could be rescheduled over the phone, while others required face-to-face discussions to show sincerity. They weren’t famous enough to handle everything over a single phone call. There were still personal relationships and other matters to consider. Jiang Yin had caused quite a stir this time, and he needed to find a way to mitigate the situation.
After Chen Dan left, Jiang Yin toured every corner of the apartment except for Chen Dan’s room. On one hand, he wanted to deepen his impression, and on the other hand, he was curious.
Although he had the memories of his original self, they paled in comparison to experiencing them firsthand.
At least, when he turned on the TV, he was greatly shocked.
He flipped through the channels one by one, and various scenes triggered memories that kept flooding back. The entire afternoon, Jiang Yin sat in front of the television, devouring the memories of his original self as if starved for them.
However, many of the original memories had already become blurry. For example, he had attended primary and secondary school, but the detailed contents of the textbooks had been forgotten, leaving only a few basic outlines and general knowledge.
Childhood and insignificant daily memories all belonged to the fuzzy part. After all, it was impossible for a person to remember every minute of what they did each day. Only occasionally would a few deeply imprinted fragments flash through his recollection.
Jiang Yin skimmed through everything, knowing some things without fully understanding them. But precisely because of this, it only took him an afternoon to trigger and digest the memories of his original self.
This also piqued his interest, and he planned to seize the opportunity to seriously study those unheard-of subjects.
Holding the remote control, he flipped through more than a hundred channels, eventually stopping on the news channel. It was broadcasting the floods in the eastern region, presenting a realistic depiction of the disaster-stricken areas.
Jiang Yin recalled the official documents that Regent Wang had allowed him to have. His understanding of various disasters was limited to the information contained in those documents. He knew which areas were affected by disasters, the number of casualties, and the level of urgency. However, he had no knowledge beyond that, nor any way to find out. Watching the scenes of the flood on the TV now gave him a sense of reality.
Unfortunately, he was no longer the emperor, and he didn’t need to worry about the severity and urgency of disasters anymore.
The TV host continued to talk, but Jiang Yin sneered, turned off the TV, and retrieved paper and pen from the drawer of the coffee table. He intended to sort out the current situation through his memories.
Using a fountain pen for the first time, he took a few strokes before getting used to it.
First and foremost, he needed to hide his identity. Crossing over like this was too bizarre and must never be discovered. He had to quickly adapt to the habits of his original self, which wasn’t difficult for him. He had learned to conceal his preferences since he was six years old, and now he had the memories of the original self to assist him.
There were two people he needed to pay special attention to: Chen Dan and his younger sister, Jiang Ai. Chen Dan was self-explanatory. He had spent four years with the original self, so he was very familiar with him. He could slowly change through this life-and-death experience and the passage of time, but sudden drastic changes would definitely raise suspicions.
The original self had left his hometown and came to the capital at the age of fifteen. In these four years, he had hardly returned home except for the Mid-Autumn Festival and Chinese New Year. There was even a year when he didn’t go home for Chinese New Year due to filming. Plus, this was a period of significant growth and change. Dealing with his parents became easier, but there was only one person in the family he needed to be cautious aboutāhis younger sister, Jiang Ai.
Jiang Ai was two years younger than the original self, and they had an extremely close relationship as siblings. The original self would confide in Jiang Ai about many things he wouldn’t tell their parents, including his fondness for the same gender. In his memories, Jiang Ai seemed to be even more intelligent and mature than the original self, often advising him. They would exchange messages on WeChat almost every day, keeping each other informed about their respective situations. During summer and winter vacations, Jiang Ai would even come to assist the original self.
Jiang Yin emphasized Jiang Ai’s name with two lines beneath it. It is currently April, and Jiang Ai will be taking the college entrance examination soon. In two months, she will come here. Within these two months, he had to integrate all the habits of the original self with his own.
Chen Dan was a man, lacking the attentiveness of a woman. Even if he noticed something was off, he might not think deeply about it. Jiang Ai, on the other hand, was a woman and had a blood relationship. There was no guarantee that she wouldn’t notice something.
Of course, he had to consider the worst-case scenario as well. Although he didn’t voluntarily choose to cross over, it was only after the original self died that he took over the body. However, for the loved ones of the original self, emotions would outweigh reason in such matters. They might not think the same way.
Therefore, he had to delay as much as possible. The later they discovered the truth, the more advantageous it would be for him. In his memories, both the Jiang couple and Jiang Ai were good-hearted people. He would treat them sincerely and with genuine care. After three to five years, even if they found out and developed emotions, and got to know his character, they would hopefully be able to understand each other.
Although this approach seemed a bit despicable, his life was at stake, and he had no other choice.
Next, he needed to plan for the future.
Jiang Yin pondered for a moment and decided to continue following the original self’s path.
Being a celebrity was the original self’s dream. He had abandoned his studies and entered the entertainment industry wholeheartedly in order to become famous. Everyone who knew him was aware of this. It didn’t make sense for the original self to suddenly retire from the industry, especially since he was willing to set aside even the last bit of pride to find financial backers for fame.
This didn’t align with the original self’s behavioral logic. Perhaps Jiang Yin could gradually reveal his disillusionment through this incident and slowly withdraw from the entertainment industry over the course of one or two years. However, he didn’t intend to do so.
In the course of this afternoon’s understanding, Jiang Yin realized that to survive and thrive in modern times, money was essential. The original self came from an ordinary background. His parents were workers in a small county town, and they were not wealthy. They were both laid off last year, and his mother fell ill after suddenly having nothing to do. Although the original self aspired to the entertainment industry and rarely went home, he was filial by nature. He persuaded his parents to stop working and focus on taking care of his sister during her college entrance exams, and he gave the majority of the money he earned in the past two years to his parents, enough for the family to live comfortably in the small county town.
If the original self were still in university, Jiang Yin might consider spending one or two years accumulating some money before seriously considering quitting the entertainment industry and going back to school. However, the original self wasn’t in university. He entered the industry at the age of fifteen, and his high school education was just a name under an art college, which he himself had never attended. Even the graduation certificate was obtained by Chen Dan on his behalf.
Chen Dan did hire tutors for the original self, but the original self’s interests were solely focused on gaining fame through acting and enjoying himself. His college entrance exam scores were abysmal, and he eventually gave up on the idea of attending university. Besides, he wasn’t famous, so nobody would care about this matter. As for the future, as long as he didn’t pursue the image of a top student, his fans wouldn’t mind.
Although Jiang Yin was interested in modern subjects, he couldn’t guarantee that he could get into university here. In this place, ordinary people spend twelve years from primary school to university. He didn’t consider himself a genius, and starting from scratch, who knew how many years it would take for him to achieve satisfactory results? Moreover, there was also the issue of age. Whether he could get into university or not was still a question.
*********
Based on the memories of the original self, even if he managed to enter university, there was no guarantee of getting a good job after graduation. On the other hand, entering the entertainment industry and becoming an actor was a lucrative opportunity.
Since there was already a ready-made and decent path in front of him, why should he seek unnecessary trouble by choosing a different route?
As for thoughts of lowering his own status as a celebrity or actor, Jiang Yin had absolutely none. Not to mention that his birth mother was already the lowest-ranking dancer in the palace, modern-day celebrities were in no way comparable to ancient actors. In this era, being a celebrity carried high status and was highly sought after. Shouting that actors were lowly, arrogant, and disdainful was either foolish or ignorant. He was no longer an emperor and didn’t have a superior position. This was the social rule, and he had to learn to adapt after coming here unless he had the ability to confront the entire society.
Even if he wanted to exploit loopholes and do something unconventional, he needed to fully understand and grasp the situation first.
If he genuinely didn’t like it or couldn’t cope after trying, then he could consider other options. However, for the time being, it was best to stay put and endure. It also gave him the necessary time to buffer and truly understand this era firsthand.
Jiang Yin carefully reviewed his thoughts and plans regarding becoming a celebrity, and after going through them twice, he firmly underlined the words ācelebrityā. Then, he took out a lighter and burned the paper filled with his writings.
********
Tragic Pregnancy In The Interstellar
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Lol, I’m glad he burned the paper