Chapter 17

"Why?"

The one who spoke was not Zhao Sen, but Zhao Yinxue.

She opened her bright eyes wide and stared intently at Bai Xiaofei, her face showing a hint of confusion and bewilderment.

She advised, "Xiaofei, aren't you in dire need of money? Isn't this a great opportunity? Once you pass the audition, you can become a star, and gain both fame and fortune! Why would you refuse?"

Bai Xiaofei smiled and said, "Being a star is too tiring!"

Too tiring?

Upon hearing this, Zhao Yinxue's heart trembled, and her eyes, like autumn water, dimmed.

Bai Xiaofei's words struck a chord in her heart.

Although she had never been a star, she had interacted with at least eighty of them, if not a hundred. She often heard these stars talk about their lives, which seemed glamorous and enviable on the surface, with countless fans and endless opportunities.

But in reality, they were far from happy!

Every day, they rushed to appointments, memorized scripts, filmed movies, and appeared on TV... like wound-up robots, they had no time to rest even during holidays. No matter where they went, there were always paparazzi and fanatical fans who pursued and harassed them, making it necessary for them to be fully armed just to go out!

Over time, the stars began to yearn for a normal life.

On ordinary days, they would have dinner with friends, chat, watch movies, and gather for parties. During holidays, they would stay home to be with their loved ones.

Actually, not only the stars, but also the people working in the production crew felt the same way.

Outsiders envied their close proximity to the stars, but they did not know how hard their work was. Regardless of the weather, whether it was snowing, raining, scorching hot, or bitterly cold, they toiled day and night for a meager salary, selling their youth and time.

Living a nomadic life, enduring wind and rain, whether in the wilderness or the desert, nothing could stop them from working. However, this fierce fighting spirit meant they could not be with their parents, loved ones, friends, and partners, and their inner pain was no less than that of the stars. At least the stars had a wealthy life, but most of these hardworking crew members did not.

Zhao Yinxue fell silent.

Zhao Sen, who had finally found a suitable candidate, was not willing to let go easily.

He patted his chest and said, "Mr. Bai, aren't you in need of money? If you pass the audition, you can earn a lot of money to support your parents, and you won't have to work so hard every day! I, Zhao Sen, can guarantee that you will definitely be able to make a living as an actor! If you find it troublesome and want a quiet life, that's fine too. After finishing this movie, you can earn the money and quit. Many stars do it this way!"

Although Bai Xiaofei was somewhat envious of the glamorous life of the stars, he did not aspire to it. He preferred to be a low-key tycoon.

With the time-traveling device, he was confident he could achieve this goal.

Bai Xiaofei sighed and was about to firmly reject Zhao Sen's request, but unexpectedly, the cold, mechanical voice of the time-traveling device suddenly echoed in his mind.

"Host, agree to it!"

"Huh?"

Bai Xiaofei was instantly bewildered.

What was going on with this time-traveling device? It was one thing for the lottery content to be silly, but now it was even interfering with his life choices? This was absolutely unacceptable!

Bai Xiaofei was about to refuse, but the time-traveling device coldly said, "Host, if you don't want the time-traveling device to become powerful quickly, feel free to refuse. After all, you will be the one who suffers!"

Bai Xiaofei was immediately hit where it hurt and asked, "Why? There must be a reason, right?"

"Because of the power of will!"

"I don't understand!" Bai Xiaofei said, bewildered.

"The power of will is the purest form of soul energy, born from faith. A single thread of will is insignificant, but when millions of threads of will converge, it becomes a formidable force! This force is beneficial for refining one's consciousness, accelerating cultivation, and solidifying one's foundation... In short, it has countless benefits, and even deities and Buddhas covet it! The time-traveling device is no exception!"

"Is this force the same as merit?" Bai Xiaofei suddenly realized.

"Exactly! Different times and places have different names for it, but in essence, as long as the host becomes a celebrity and gains influence, people will believe in you, generating a thread of will! Although a single thread of will is very weak, the sheer quantity can make up for it. If thousands or even millions of threads of will converge from all directions, reaching a certain amount, they will undergo a qualitative change and evolve into destiny!"

"Destiny!" Bai Xiaofei was surprised, never having thought that destiny came from this.

"Exactly! The ruler of a country, by gathering the will of the people, embodies the country's destiny! When the people are united, the country prospers and the people live in peace; when the people are divided, the country's destiny dissipates, leading to its downfall! When the host performs tasks in the mission timeline, it is essentially taking advantage of the chaos to steal the destiny and the fundamental power of that timeline! In the real world, the host cannot steal the fundamental power, but can gather the power of will to form a body of destiny, strengthening both the host and the time-traveling device!"

"So, I have to become a big star in the future?" Bai Xiaofei said, feeling helpless.

"Not necessarily! It's just that the host currently has no foundation, and becoming a star is one of the easiest ways to gather the power of will. Once the host becomes powerful, you can be like Tony Stark in 'Iron Man,' a tycoon with significant influence, and still gather a considerable amount of the power of will!"

"I see!"

Bai Xiaofei immediately felt relieved.

Since he needed to gather the power of will, there was no reason to hesitate.

Bai Xiaofei's serious expression instantly turned into a smile. "Since Director Zhao is so sincere, I'll give it a try!"

Zhao Sen was overjoyed and said, "Great! Then quickly change into a military camouflage uniform. I'll inform the director right away, and you'll audition immediately. I'm sure the director will be very impressed when he sees you!"

Bai Xiaofei smiled slightly, thinking to himself, "I hope so! If I fail the audition, it will be a huge embarrassment!"

Liu Manjing and Zhao Yinxue were somewhat stunned, unable to understand why Bai Xiaofei had suddenly changed his mind. However, they were still happy for him.

Upon hearing that the audition was about to start, the two of them immediately got busy.

As members of the costume department, it was not difficult for them to find a suitable and advantageous outfit for Bai Xiaofei. Soon, Bai Xiaofei, dressed in a special forces camouflage combat uniform, emerged from the dressing room, looking spirited and confident.

Everyone felt a sudden brightness.

Bai Xiaofei walked over with a determined expression, the military aura he had cultivated over two months in the "Wolf Warrior" timeline radiating from him.

At that moment, Bai Xiaofei looked like a genuine special forces soldier!

"This is..."

Director Zhao Yichao's heart skipped a beat the moment he saw Bai Xiaofei. He found that his eyes were unable to look away.

Admittedly, Bai Xiaofei did not look extraordinary at first glance.

But a bright light appeared on Zhao Yichao's face, and he couldn't help but murmur, "Great! Absolutely great! This is exactly what I was looking for. You are the lead role!"

Zhao Yichao made the decision on the spot, immediately casting Bai Xiaofei as the male lead!

Liu Manjing and Zhao Yinxue were somewhat stunned.

Acting, scenes, emotional outbursts... none of these audition elements had been tested yet, and he had already passed?

This audition seemed like a farce to them!

Deputy Director Zhao Sen, seemingly noticing their confusion, thought to himself, "What do you know? For an actor, the most important thing is not acting, appearance, or physique, but chemistry! Some stars or actors, despite being ordinary or even ugly and fat, can become extremely popular, all thanks to their unique chemistry! For example, Sun Honglei, Wu Mengda, and Huang Bo! The audience just likes these guys, with no reason at all!"

As a deputy director, Zhao Sen had been in the industry for many years and had worked with countless actors. However, he had only encountered fewer than five people with this mysterious aura.

He never expected to be so lucky today to discover such a rare gem, truly a stroke of luck!

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