Chapter 4

The ringing of the mobile phone grew louder. Li Zhengxi, who had been studying the Devil Entertainment System for most of the night and had just fallen asleep, turned over without opening his eyes, still half-asleep, and reached out to grope on the floor beside him (Koreans rarely use beds, they usually sleep on the floor with quilts laid out).

Finally, he grabbed the phone, opened the flip cover, and, still half-asleep, instinctively said in English, "Hello!"

The person on the other end was clearly taken aback for a moment before reacting, "Uh, hello, is this Mr. Li Zhengxi? I'm from the KBS Television Production Department Two..."

Hearing KBS and the Production Department Two, Li Zhengxi instantly woke up and sat up with a jolt, "Yes, hello, what's the matter?"

"It's like this, the script you submitted, 'Blue Love and Death,' has passed the review by the department head and has been approved by the deputy director of our department. Now, I formally notify you to come to the KBS main office at 9:00 AM next Monday, where we will discuss the contract with you..."

"Oh, right, please bring your identification and any other necessary documents. If you have any questions, you can call this number for consultation..."

It's here! After the other side hung up, Li Zhengxi muttered to himself, his heart surging with excitement.

If everything last night still felt like a dream, now everything was set in stone. He had finally seen the power of this game. He hadn't submitted any script, but KBS was already waiting to sign a contract with him.

His thoughts raced, and after a long while, Li Zhengxi calmed down, even lightly slapping his own face a couple of times, muttering, "If it's here, it's here!"

Since it had started, a negative attitude wouldn't do. He had to face it positively to survive. Besides, although he was tired of the entertainment industry, he still had regrets. Now, this game was undoubtedly the best opportunity for him to realize his dreams and leave no regrets.

Thinking of this, he became excited again, and the drowsiness vanished. He got up, put on his clothes, and walked out.

Just as he stepped out the door, he met Kim Mi-yeon coming in from the yard. Kim Mi-yeon was exactly fifty years old this year. She was Korean, originally a primary school teacher, and became a housewife after immigrating to the United States.

"I have nothing to do back home, so I plan to stay a while longer to take good care of your grandmother," Kim Mi-yeon, like Li Zhengxi, was tall and slender, and Li Zhengxi's handsome face was inherited from her good looks. "You've grown up, so this time, you can go back by yourself!"

Li Zhengxi nodded, thought for a moment, and then said, "Mom, I want to take a year off from school!" Seeing her stunned, he quickly explained, "Mom, it's just a leave of absence. Don't worry, I promise I'll complete my studies."

In his previous life, he had dropped out of school decisively. This time, he wouldn't be so foolish. "I'm still young, and economics requires more practical experience to validate the knowledge in books. This way, when I get my Ph.D., I can better integrate into my future work..."

Kim Mi-yeon was a very open-minded mother, but she didn't approve of him abandoning his studies to pursue the entertainment industry. In his previous life, due to his stubbornness and capriciousness, Kim Mi-yeon almost severed ties with him.

Therefore, this time, although Li Zhengxi would complete his studies at Harvard, he didn't dare to tell her directly about his next choice.

"Is that so!" Kim Mi-yeon frowned slightly. Li Zhengxi had been obedient and intelligent since childhood, and as the youngest child, he was her favorite.

Thinking about it, even if Li Zhengxi took a year off, he would still get his Ph.D. at twenty, while most people hadn't even graduated from college at that age.

Therefore, she didn't stop him, but she didn't say yes right away either. Instead, she said, "Ask your father's opinion first," adhering to the Korean tradition of deferring to the husband, and then added, "Also, what do you plan to do during your leave?"

Li Zhengxi naturally didn't dare to tell the truth, so he vaguely replied, "I'll travel around and look for practical opportunities."

Then, with Kim Mi-yeon's reminder to "not let your heart wander," he quickly ran back to his room to call his father.

Li Zhengxi's grandmother lived in Yeonnam-dong, Mapo-gu, which is also the area in Seoul with the most Chinese residents.

Around noon, Li Zhengxi left home. He had already called his father, Li Gongtang, and even talked to his two older brothers. Regarding his plan to take a year off, like his mother, the rest of the family didn't have many objections, so he could now proceed with his plans with peace of mind.

After leaving, he turned right as usual, passed through two alleys, and stopped at a typical, slightly dilapidated Korean courtyard. He knocked on the door.

After a moment, the sound of footsteps, and the door opened. A tall, sturdy man with a square face opened the door. Seeing him, he was initially surprised, then smiled and patted his shoulder, saying, "Hey, little genius, when did you come back?"

"A few days ago!" Li Zhengxi also smiled and gave the man a light punch on the shoulder, "I just heard that Brother Dongguo is back from the military, so I came to visit!"

Zhang Dongguo, known as Brother Dongguo, looked slightly uncomfortable when he heard this, glanced at him, and seeing that Li Zhengxi seemed unaware, quickly returned to normal, saying, "Oh!" and changed the subject, pulling him inside, "Come in quickly, it's cold outside!"

What he didn't know was that Li Zhengxi was fully aware of everything that had happened to him.

The Zhang family and the Li family were very close, and Zhang Dongguo had been close to the three Li brothers since childhood.

He was twenty-six years old this year. After graduating from Yonsei University at twenty-two, he didn't immediately start working but chose to serve in the military for four years, eventually becoming a lieutenant. However, just as his future seemed bright, he was forced to leave the military at the end of last year because he offended the son of a superior officer, who found a pretext to discharge him.

In a country like South Korea, where character is highly valued, being forced out of the military was a serious matter. Despite being a graduate of the prestigious Yonsei University and a former military lieutenant, he couldn't find a decent job for months after his discharge.

This was why his face darkened when he heard Li Zhengxi's words.

The courtyard was small and old, but the thick layer of snow on the ground made everything look clean and beautiful.

After passing through the front yard, they entered the inner room. Li Zhengxi followed Zhang Dongguo inside and didn't see his old father but saw a very familiar figure, which made him feel a sense of the strange twists of fate.

It was a short but sturdy man with a scar about an inch long on his forehead, giving his round face a hint of ferocity.

This man was named Kim Byung-joong, a figure in the Seoul underworld. Li Zhengxi knew him because in his previous life, about two years later, the struggling Zhang Dongguo joined him, and soon after, Zhang Dongguo became Li Zhengxi's agent.

However, Kim Byung-joong was not a good person and didn't treat the struggling Li Zhengxi well. Eventually, this led to a falling out with Zhang Dongguo, and Zhang Dongguo even broke one of his legs...

Zhang Dongguo didn't know any of this. Seeing Li Zhengxi's surprise at seeing Kim Byung-joong, he immediately introduced him with a smile, "Oh, this is my senior, Kim Byung-joong, who used to take good care of me!"

Then he introduced Li Zhengxi to Kim Byung-joong, "This is Zhengxi, our local super genius. He's only eighteen and is about to get his Ph.D. in economics from Harvard..."

If graduating from university at eighteen was impressive, getting a Ph.D. from Harvard at eighteen was even more so. Kim Byung-joong was surprised, "Harvard, the one in America?"

Li Zhengxi didn't want to deal with this guy and even planned to settle old scores if he had the chance. He deliberately wore a faintly proud expression and didn't respond.

Zhang Dongguo, on the other hand, proudly said, "Of course!"

As he pulled Li Zhengxi to sit down, he turned to ask, "Are you graduating this year?"

Li Zhengxi smiled and nodded, then, to Zhang Dongguo's surprise, shook his head and said, "I originally planned to complete my doctoral thesis this year, but I have other plans and want to take a year off..."

Zhang Dongguo frowned and asked, "Why, are you?"

Before he could finish, Li Zhengxi interrupted him, "It's nothing, just some new plans. That's why I came to see Brother Dongguo."

"Oh, I see. If you have anything, just let me know!" Zhang Dongguo, as always, was very straightforward.

But Li Zhengxi deliberately glanced at Kim Byung-joong, and although the suspicion wasn't obvious, it was enough.

Kim Byung-joong wasn't stupid. He saw Zhang Dongguo's enthusiasm for Li Zhengxi, which clearly exceeded his own.

Li Zhengxi had come to Zhang Dongguo because he valued his knowledge and genuine character, hoping he would help him in the future. However, this wasn't something that could be achieved immediately, especially since he was involved in illegal activities.

Therefore, he decided to leave gracefully, standing up and saying, "Dongguo, I have some things to do, so I won't disturb your reunion."

Zhang Dongguo and Kim Byung-joong hadn't seen each other in a long time, and although they had some connection, it wasn't deep. Kim Byung-joong was a figure in the underworld, and if not for his persistence, Zhang Dongguo wouldn't have talked to him much.

Now, he smoothly agreed, nodding, "Oh, I see! Alright, senior, we'll talk again later!" and politely saw him to the door.

Turning back, he smiled at Li Zhengxi, "You little guy, you were deliberately trying to get him to leave, weren't you?"

Surprised that he had been seen through, but glad that Zhang Dongguo had understood some human relations, Li Zhengxi smiled and didn't hide it, "I know that guy and have heard about the dirty things he's done."

Then, he earnestly advised Zhang Dongguo, "Brother, you should avoid people like him in the future!"

"You little guy, you're lecturing me now," Zhang Dongguo didn't know how Li Zhengxi knew about Kim Byung-joong but didn't mind, chuckling and nodding. After sitting down again, he asked with some doubt, "By the way, what was the purpose of your visit...?"

"I wrote a script that KBS liked, and I have to go there next Monday to discuss the contract."

Because of their friendship from the previous life, except for the Devil Entertainment, Li Zhengxi didn't hide anything and explained the details. Finally, he said, "I don't spend much time here and am not familiar with the area. If you don't have anything to do for now, I want to ask you to be my agent..."

He spoke quickly and simply, but Zhang Dongguo was stunned, staring at him for a while without questioning the truth of the matter, and said, "A script, you're taking a year off because of this? Why not focus on your studies and do these useless things...?"

Familiar words, but now they were particularly heartwarming. Li Zhengxi didn't respond as he used to, but smiled gently, "Yes, but I'm not giving up on my studies. I just want to take a break, like a vacation. Then I'll come back and prepare my doctoral thesis..."

Before Zhang Dongguo could continue to persuade him, he shrugged and said lightly, "It's just one year, and I'm only eighteen, Brother!"

Zhang Dongguo laughed, shook his head, and patted his shoulder, "You little guy..."

Suddenly, he realized something and stared at him in surprise, "Wait, you already knew I was forced out of the military, didn't you? Otherwise, why would you suddenly say I don't have anything to do...!"

Li Zhengxi nodded and said seriously, "Brother, no matter what, the past is the past. Now, you should look forward and make a name for yourself..."

Hearing his mature words, Zhang Dongguo chuckled, not sure if it was self-mockery or amusement at Li Zhengxi's pretense of maturity. After a long pause, he said, "You said you want me to be your agent, but I don't even have the qualifications..."

"That's not a problem!"

Seeing his agreement, Li Zhengxi grinned, with a teasing and relaxed tone, "We can take it step by step. Start as my assistant and help me with daily arrangements..."

"You little guy!" Zhang Dongguo, influenced by his attitude, laughed and patted his shoulder, "It's not impossible, but are you sure you can afford my salary? I'm very expensive, you know..."

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