Extra Four: Precious Moments of Siming Taming Chen Chang’an in Early Days

By the 21st century, Siming had been renamed Siming Department, and with its fully automated intelligent fate operation system, it achieved first place in performance year after year.

Even the most precise machines have their errors. After running for less than thirty years, the first bug in the fate system appeared on Chen Chang’an.

In the rain-drenched alley, He Zhizhou walked up to Chen Chang’an, who was lying on the ground, and asked with an inscrutable expression, “Chen Chang’an, how did you end up like this?”

“Ding—Character confusion emotion triggered system self-check—Self-check in progress (individual: Chen Chang’an)—Self-check completed, bug in the system detected—”

At that moment, Siming was transported to this small alley by the fate system, nearly stumbling as he steadied himself, “Oh, it’s been so many years since I last worked, my head is still a bit dizzy.”

Time did not pause. He Zhizhou, seeing a sudden appearance of another person, did not show much confusion. His warm eyes quietly gazed at Siming, calm and unruffled, as if he had witnessed even stranger occurrences.

He Zhizhou spoke first, “What’s going on? Who are you?”

Siming leaned in to check Chen Chang’an’s breath and smiled, “Head of the Siming Department from the Heavenly Palace, your friend is dead.”

“He is not Chen Chang’an,” He Zhizhou asserted, “Something must have gone wrong.”

Wow, this mortal knows quite a bit, Siming sighed inwardly.

“Ha ha, let me take a look.” Siming pulled out a fate plate and dug out a manual, starting to study it, “The youth’s fate star is weak, the star chart is reversed… cough, preliminary judgment indicates that Chen Chang’an has been possessed.”

“This is clearly a problem with your management.” Beneath He Zhizhou’s seemingly gentle exterior lay a soul skilled in negotiation, “My friend has been possessed and hasn’t lived to his proper age; shouldn’t you take responsibility for this?”

“Um, responsibility, of course, we will take responsibility.” Siming mumbled, “Definitely responsible, must be responsible.”

He Zhizhou was not swayed by his vague responses, “How will you take responsibility?”

Siming scratched his head, “Hmm… how about I arrange a good next life for him?”

He Zhizhou’s expression darkened, and without allowing for discussion, he said, “Bring him back.”

“Why must he come back?” Siming did not understand, “I guarantee he will have a better life in his next one!”

“That is not him.” He Zhizhou lowered his gaze, “He lost his parents at a young age, entered the entertainment circle as an extra in his teens, and dreamed of becoming an actor. You can provide him with those things in his next life, but what about the efforts he made in this life?”

—

He Zhizhou was a direct senior of Chen Chang’an during high school.

At a private art school with small class sizes, they had even established a mentoring system early on. In the new school year, Chen Chang’an was adopted by Zheng Rongyu and transferred to the art school where He Zhizhou studied.

He still remembered the obedient and well-behaved Chen Chang’an from high school, whose not-yet-mature face already hinted at future brilliance. His black hair, styled with idiot hair, looked incredibly soft, exuding a kind of naive cuteness.

“This is the most famous school hunk under my tutelage, studying vocal music,” the mentor introduced Chen Chang’an, “He Zhizhou, a talented musician who has released an album, accomplished at a young age.”

Chen Chang’an blankly greeted, “Hello, senior.”

“Not your senior.” Under Chen Chang’an’s anxious gaze, He Zhizhou smiled, “Call me brother.”

Having lost his parents at such a young age, Chen Chang’an was a bright young boy, yet often stared blankly into space alone.

Everyone has a desire to be beautiful. He Zhizhou always paid a bit more attention to this junior who had taken his place as the school hunk.

Chen Chang’an’s performance in his major courses was average. To keep up with everyone, he secretly approached He Zhizhou, “Senior, I plan to be an extra; can you introduce me?”

“Being an extra is really tough,” He Zhizhou stated the facts. In this private school, everyone was brought in with funding to play leading roles; starting as an extra was unheard of, “Have your uncle arrange a role for you.”

Chen Chang’an shook his head, a bit shy, “I don’t want a leading role; I can’t act well. I just want to be an extra, to see the camera angles and the set.”

He Zhizhou usually didn’t meddle in others’ affairs, but he made an exception for Chen Chang’an. After all, it was just a small role, not a difficult task.

What was truly difficult was that Chen Chang’an was determined, and he played extras for many years.

On the day He Zhizhou graduated, he held a small gathering and invited Chen Chang’an.

Due to his gentle personality and slight fame, He Zhizhou was very popular, surrounded by many people. Chen Chang’an couldn’t squeeze into the circle and often found himself unable to join the conversation.

He wasn’t anxious, sitting quietly in a corner, very well-behaved. Occasionally, someone would approach him because of his face, but they would leave disappointed due to his awkward reactions.

He Zhizhou inexplicably felt a pang of regret; perhaps he shouldn’t have brought Chen Chang’an to such an occasion.

Chen Chang’an was like crystal, untouched by the brilliance around him, pure and transparent, unaffected by anyone.

It wasn’t until the crowd dispersed that he slowly walked up to He Zhizhou, “Brother, safe travels.”

“Will do.” He Zhizhou nodded, “You too.”

“Of course.” Chen Chang’an grinned, “I’m going to become a movie emperor!”

The memory of that spirited youth remained vivid; He Zhizhou had spent over a decade in the entertainment circle and had never seen such a vibrant person again.

The world was a uniform black, while Chen Chang’an radiated an unrefined white.

—

Later? The next time he heard Chen Chang’an’s name, it was associated with various scandals.

Malicious, arrogant, bullying rivals, unscrupulous.

He Zhizhou found it hard to connect these words with the cheerful junior he once knew.

He firmly believed that this was not Chen Chang’an until Chen Chang’an hit a wall, was expelled from the entertainment circle by Jiang Baiqing, abandoned by Zheng Rongyu, and ended up homeless, suffering from poverty and illness.

He Zhizhou couldn’t help but take a look, and that glance gave him the confidence that Chen Chang’an had been possessed, prompting him to say that sentence, triggering the fate system’s self-check, and giving Chen Chang’an another chance.

“This might be a bit difficult; his soul has been reincarnated for five years. Although the underworld has limited numbers, after five years of waiting, he’s probably already crossed the Naihe Bridge.”

He Zhizhou succinctly replied, “Where is your complaint channel?”

“Wait, wait, wait! I’ll handle it right away.” Siming resignedly pulled out his phone and called Meng Po, “Hello, is this little Meng? It’s Siming! I need your help! Find someone named Chen Chang’an… What? He already drank the Meng Po soup? Oh, he hasn’t finished it, he drank two-thirds, ugh, this is a bit tricky. Can you stop him and bring his soul back? Oh, right, there’s also the one who possessed him; they just went down, stop that person too. Do you know he broke the heavenly rules?”

In the next moment, Chen Chang’an on the ground struggled to get up, his face displaying a clear foolishness.

Siming hung up the phone and enthusiastically introduced, “He has irreversibly lost most of his memories; he only has vague impressions of the past. But anyway, at least he’s back, right?”

He Zhizhou was satisfied, “What about compensation?”

“What? You want compensation?” Siming had never dealt with such matters.

“What do you think? Now Chen Chang’an’s reputation has been tarnished by that possessor. What’s the point of bringing him back to the present?” He Zhizhou pointed out sharply, “This fortune is given to you; do you want it or not?”

“No, no, no.” Siming shook his head repeatedly, “But reversing time is a very difficult task. My authority allows me to reverse time for a maximum of three days.”

“Then three days.” He Zhizhou breathed a sigh of relief; three days ago, Chen Chang’an hadn’t completely offended Jiang Baiqing, and everything was fine.

He Zhizhou understood his junior well; he was so likable.

Giving Chen Chang’an three days was enough for Jiang Baiqing to change his mind.

“Alright, I’ll first implant some memories of the possessor into him, trying not to let his memories have too many gaps.” Siming gritted his teeth and agreed, “But you seem to know too much, don’t you? Yet the fate system shows you’re fine; what’s going on…”

“Because this life of mine is the compensation given by your neighboring department.” He Zhizhou turned to leave, “The rebirth experience is quite nice; give me a five-star review.”

—

After He Zhizhou left, Siming and Chen Chang’an stared at each other.

“I didn’t expect that implanting a memory would be so troublesome.” Siming slapped Chen Chang’an’s head, “Why does this guy’s head work like an hourglass, with information going in one ear and out the other?”

The situation on site was roughly like this—

Siming: You are a big star.

Chen Chang’an’s memory: What big sea star?

Siming: You have an uncle.

Chen Chang’an’s memory: I have a box of big fries.

Siming: …You want to deal with the movie emperor.

Chen Chang’an’s memory: Why did I think of dealing with the movie emperor?

Siming: Can’t hold it anymore.

“Think of another way, think of another way.” Siming patted his own head, “If hard implantation doesn’t work, let’s find a roundabout way; how about making it into a novel?”

Setting a male lead for the novel, um, “Chen Chang’an” isn’t suitable; he has done too many bad things. Let the movie emperor take on a better role.

With a flourish, Siming created a novel.

“See?”

He tossed the book to Chen Chang’an, and this time, it seemed like Chen Chang’an was absorbed in it.

Once Chen Chang’an fully finished reading, Siming could no longer hold back and kicked Chen Chang’an back three days.

Realizing he had crossed into a novel and become a minor character with the same name, Chen Chang’an was in despair.

The author has something to say:

Happy Qixi Festival! But here’s a supplementary plot extra~ (dog head)

In Zheng Rongyu’s eyes: Chang’an = little pig

In Chen Chang’an’s eyes: Uncle Rong = big fries

Isn’t it true that families that aren’t related don’t enter the same door!

(…Did I leave an unfinished pit for the white lotus king He Zhizhou again in this extra? Haha, I won’t fill it in this book; if there’s a chance, I’ll write one for him. Feeling guilty.jpg)

——“Don’t Mock Me”——

Li Chang Gong X Wei Jixiang

Beijing’s young master, sharp-tongued stand-up comedian X Jiang-Zhe’s young master, marketing influencer B-king

One-sentence summary: Sharp tongue paired with a dog, lasting forever.

——Below is a more detailed version——

Round One

The internet celebrity “He Yang” with millions of fans, obsessed with maintaining a high-cold persona, has a sea of paid posters and mountains of press releases.

Responding to the platform’s call, he was forced to go online with his real name—Wei, Jixiang.

Ten years of pretending to be cool, one day he was exposed, and netizens flocked to mock him.

The ninth group of netizens, the well-known stand-up comedian Li Chang Gong, turned this incident into a joke to hit back at his former “rival.”

Li Chang Gong: Someone whose name itself has a dramatic flair, “Don’t come, He Yang, may the emperor be auspicious,” naturally adds drama to himself.

Wei Jixiang held his head: No, don’t mock me!

Then Li Chang Gong performed a false act of letting him go.

—

Round Two

Beijing stand-up comedian Li Chang Gong, full of scholarly air, has been in the industry for ten years, focusing on both virtue and skill.

But every time Wei Jixiang encounters him, he’s either digging a pit in his words or on the way to dig one.

Wei Jixiang: Hey, I’m just a bit handsome and happened to have a past with your white moonlight.

Wei Jixiang: Is it fair for you to chase me and scold me like this, given your “virtue and skill” reputation?

Li Chang Gong: I concede, I’ve been practicing virtue and skill for over a decade; virtue is hidden virtue, skill is verbal skill.

Wei Jixiang grinned: I’ll bite you!

Then Wei Jixiang performed a true verbal skill on Li Chang Gong.

—

Round Three

Touching the bite mark on his face, Li Chang Gong felt satisfied and decided to confess.

Li Chang Gong: Jixiang, I lack hidden virtue too much; I might be left without descendants.

Wei Jixiang: That’s quite tragic; your white moonlight is now a male doctor; don’t give up on treatment.

The question arises—should he take him home to learn about physiology or take him to the hospital to check his brain?

Li Chang Gong: Ugh, if you can’t argue, you resort to biting; are you a dog?

Wei Jixiang: Sharp tongue paired with a dog, lasting forever; biting you is a bargain for you!

——For more details, move to the next door——