Chapter Fifteen: Follow Me, and I'll Make You a Superstar!

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Gao Yuanyuan is seventeen this year. Still a high school student. Well, technically a vocational high school student. At most, she’ll go on to a junior college in the future. Academically, she’s not very strong. This makes it hard for her to hold her head up in front of her parents. She’s often scolded. But… hmm, she is frequently complimented on her looks. However, being pretty doesn’t put food on the table. Studying well is the right path. Seventeen-year-old Gao Yuanyuan tries very hard. Yet she knows her talent is limited. Still, she pushes on. Later, she plans to finish junior college and find a job as a receptionist or clerk at some company. That’s not bad at all. This is Gao Yuanyuan’s plan for the future.

Today she came to Xinhua Bookstore with a classmate to buy books. Unexpectedly, someone suddenly appeared. “Miss.” “I-I’m not a miss,” she replied. “Hey! What are you doing?” “Oh, you’re still a student, right?” The classmate spoke sternly but couldn’t resist for long. “I’m talking to her; why are you in such a hurry? Here, this is my card.” The classmate took the card and looked surprised. The man said, “I’m a talent scout. I spotted you from afar. Trust me, big brother here? I’ll bring you into showbiz. You’ll definitely become a big star!” Gao Yuanyuan naturally didn’t believe him. “What big star? Don’t joke around.” The seventeen-year-old girl politely smiled and turned him down. But the man wouldn’t give up. “You really have potential! Nowadays, it’s all about looks. You’re so beautiful... just that face alone can feed you in the entertainment industry!” Huh? Can being pretty really feed you? Gao Yuanyuan didn’t buy it, but the man was so enthusiastic. She politely refused again. Unexpectedly, he pulled out a camera. “Here, let me take a couple of photos of you to show others. Trust me, soon someone will come looking for you to act in movies or TV shows.” He was really proactive, ready to snap photos immediately. Gao Yuanyuan didn’t know how to refuse, but her classmate stepped in front of her. “You wanna take photos? Who agreed?” Upon hearing this, the talent scout laughed. “You two can take pictures together. Maybe you’ll get noticed too.” Smooth talker... So Gao Yuanyuan instantly switched sides. “Ah, just a couple of photos, it won’t cost anything anyway.” “Well, this...” Gao Yuanyuan lacked a firm stance. Her classmate encouraged her, so... “Alright, let’s do it. Let’s see how timid you are.” “Okay then.” Gao Yuanyuan was easily persuaded and agreed.

Her classmate suddenly became enthusiastic. “What do we do with our backpacks?” “They’d be bulky to carry; just put them aside.” The talent scout was delighted and began directing the two girls to pose. But just then! “Who told you to take pictures? Who do you think you are?” A tall, handsome man appeared and snatched the camera away. “Hey! Don’t touch my equipment, do you understand?” Gao Yuanyuan was dumbfounded. She didn’t yet know this tall guy’s name was Ma Xun.

In fact, Ma Xun hadn’t planned to act. He had just encountered Gao Yuanyuan by chance on the street. But so what? Is there some rule that something must happen when two people meet? No. Besides, Ma Xun had other matters to attend to. Unexpectedly, this talent scout showed up. Ma Xun couldn’t stand it. He knew Gao Yuanyuan had been discovered this way—some photos taken, then someone from advertising noticed her. That’s how many people become famous. Simply put, some faces are just too striking. There have been many examples. Like Ze Tian, right? And Chen Duling. Especially Duling—her student ID photo went viral online overnight, with netizens claiming, “Ten thousand bucks, I want to know everything about this girl!” Of course, that might have been talk, but that was how she rose to fame.

Gao Yuanyuan was that type, while her classmate was practically from another planet. That’s no exaggeration. But now, with this talent scout appearing... what about me, Ma Xun? Sometimes people are strange. If Ma Xun and Gao Yuanyuan had just crossed paths, that’d be it. No big deal. But seeing someone else poach first... I’m a time traveler; how can I let you go first? It felt like someone was stealing his property. Oh, that thought sounded a bit like the Sixth Prince. But Ma Xun said nothing more. First, he snatched away the guy’s meal ticket!

The talent scout was unlucky. He was a legitimate talent scout, quite common in the capital. He also did a bit of paparazzi work on the side. Today he encountered a truly eye-catching girl and thought his luck was good. But unexpectedly, a wrench was thrown in. There’s a saying: fortune never comes in pairs, and misfortunes never come alone. Suddenly, a green Changjiang 750 motorcycle came barreling down the street! In the capital, people riding sidecar motorcycles like that are usually old-timers. But this guy wasn’t old, just fierce.

“Grandson! Finally caught you!” It was Bai Xiaohang! Yes, the Haidian War God made a dazzling entrance. He was nearly 1.9 meters tall, dressed in a sharp suit. Now he tossed off his helmet and took off his goggles—pretty handsome, actually. Gao Yuanyuan and her classmate were stunned. What was going on today? One surprise after another. Even the talent scout was shocked. Did I forget to check the almanac before going out? The key was, nobody knew who this guy was! But Ma Xun did.

“Here!” He shoved the camera back into the talent scout’s arms. The camera was expensive! Ma Xun acted decisively and grabbed Gao Yuanyuan’s hand. “Come with me!” “Huh?” Yuanyuan was confused. Why run? But... well, she went along anyway. She was soft-hearted and could clearly see the tall man in the suit was ruthless! Indeed, she was quite scared. But just moments ago, she was dreaming of becoming a star... now she was wide awake? Too fast. Having no choice, Gao Yuanyuan followed this stranger, still not understanding why she was running.

Behind them, the tall man shouted, “Ma Xun! You’re such a coward! Where’s your buddy Sun Donghai? Damn it! I went to Yuetan Park to check! Sun Donghai is nothing! And you’re even worse! Damn! We were both fooled by you two!” Hearing Bai Xiaohang’s insults, Gao Yuanyuan felt she made the right choice running. Because this guy was a thug! She might have been implicated otherwise. Well, that wasn’t quite enough reason though. Ma Xun paid no mind to Bai Xiaohang’s yelling. Let him scream; it doesn’t cost me anything.

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Ma Xun pulled Gao Yuanyuan through the bustling parts of the capital, weaving through crowds. Finally, they turned into an alley. The city’s infrastructure still lagged behind the future. The alley was narrow and dim—perfect for action.

“Wait, help me out,” Ma Xun said.

“Huh? Help? How?”

He yanked Gao Yuanyuan’s backpack off. She was still a schoolgirl! But the situation was urgent. Ma Xun stuffed his own belongings into her backpack and handed it back to her. Then he demonstrated something.

Gao Yuanyuan understood immediately. “You want me to hit him?”

“That guy’s arrogant.”

No sooner had he said this than Bai Xiaohang charged over. “Haha... you coward, run!” Sweating profusely, his suit was soaked, but a smile spread across his face. It looked like Ma Xun was his target.

But Ma Xun wasn’t afraid; he retreated. Soon Bai Xiaohang passed by Gao Yuanyuan, who was confused. This had nothing to do with her. So...

“Ma Xun! Come on! Be a man!” Bai Xiaohang wanted a one-on-one fight.

“Bai Xiaohang, I was saving you back then, you know?” Ma Xun’s excuse made some sense.

Could Bai Xiaohang accept it? “I’m not afraid of that Long Wu!”

“But he’s the triad leader, don’t you know?”

“Damn it! Stop the nonsense! Today—”

Just then, Gao Yuanyuan suddenly swung her backpack hard. Bang! Bai Xiaohang took a hit on the head and froze. He had ignored this little girl, and she actually dared... “Damn, that hurts...” The nearly two-meter-tall giant collapsed! Of course it hurt. Gao Yuanyuan’s backpack wasn’t only filled with her books but also Ma Xun’s old-school cell phone and other things. Together, it made a painful strike!

Ma Xun’s plan was to use Gao Yuanyuan’s “innocent and harmless” appearance. He was sure Bai Xiaohang wouldn’t dare harm a schoolgirl like her. Now, the first strike succeeded! But there was one thing Gao Yuanyuan hadn’t figured out yet.

“Thanks.” Ma Xun came over and kicked Bai Xiaohang twice in the back of the head—an execution move. Gao Yuanyuan was bewildered. “Um... I don’t even understand why I helped you.” That made sense. The backpack strike was pure impulse. Now that she’d calmed down, she was confused.

Ma Xun joked, “Because I’m handsome.” Gao Yuanyuan blushed and kicked him. “Behave yourself!”

Huh? Somehow they felt familiar all of a sudden. Even though she didn’t know his name... no, she did. He should be Ma Xun. But Ma Xun then got serious. “There’s a saying: heroes save beauties. Today the beauty saved the hero. How about this—I'll take a loss. You come with me, and I’ll make you a big star.” That was not Ma Xun’s original intention, but once said, the thought was clear! He wanted to be a big shot in the business world. Making a star was a small matter. Why not start with Gao Yuanyuan?

Gao Yuanyuan paused, then kicked him again. “I don’t believe it!” She slung her backpack and ran off. But after running out, she came back. “Your stuff!” Ma Xun jumped, and the backpack came flying at him... Ah!

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