Chapter Two: This Person Is Too Stingy

Although Liu Qingshan was still foggy about the classification of these levels, at least he now understood where his efforts should be directed.

Each level naturally came with corresponding skills, such as the two display columns for physical skills and professional skills that followed—these detailed the specifics for each level.

Only when every bar reached the full value of 100 could the unlocking condition for advancement be satisfied.

Each single point of energy value had to be earned through study; additionally, for every ten thousand fans accumulated, one energy point would be gained.

A question about the Exchange Mall arose in his mind, and immediately, shifting lights and shadows appeared, much like a game’s shop, filling his sight with a dense array of square tiles.

However, most remained locked, with only one tile illuminated, displaying five words: Skill Practice Room.

Connecting his thoughts to that tile, the scene before Liu Qingshan shifted once more, and he found himself in an empty classroom.

Other than the lectern at the very front, the classroom was lined with rehearsal mirrors on all four walls.

In the space between himself and the lectern, a line of text suddenly appeared: "Detected that the host has one upgrade reward, do you wish to accept?"

As his mind consented, a sudden dizziness overtook him, and when he opened his eyes again, he was back on the previous set of data.

Total Fans: None
Reputation: 1 (Exchange Mall Points/100/1)
Title: c1 (1/100)
Physical Skills: Optional—Gan Fengchi’s Combat Techniques: Flowery Fists, 36 Forms (1/100); Seventy-two Divine Grabs (0/100); Eighteen Falling Techniques (0/100)
Professional Skills: Beginner—Facial Expression Control (1/100); Line Delivery and Tone (1/100); Blocking and Body Language (1/100)
Mall Points: 1 (point)
System Lottery: 1 (draw)

Understanding dawned in Liu Qingshan’s mind. The specific techniques listed under physical skills were those that the Supernova Star-making Device, based on his physical condition, had selected as the most suitable for him.

Each of the three skills in Gan Fengchi’s Combat Techniques required 100 points of study accumulation, and only upon reaching this limit could he qualify to learn the next skill.

His own physical condition would improve with each skill mastered; already, he could feel himself far stronger than when he held the "Extra" title, and he’d even grown two centimeters taller.

As for his professional skills, he could now sense a wealth of specialized knowledge he’d never possessed before.

For instance, in facial expression control, line delivery, and the use of blocking and body language, he now had a clear perception he’d never experienced.

As per the established rules, each item required 100 energy points to unlock.

The mall itself required five points to open, and each time it was accessed, the corresponding points would be reset to zero.

Having grasped the basics of this suddenly appearing learning system, Liu Qingshan chose to exit the display and return to reality.

This was because he heard the voices of people nearby, saying that if he didn’t wake up soon, he’d have to be rushed to the county hospital for emergency treatment.

When he opened his eyes and saw Li Qi’s worried face, he felt a bit moved, even though the man’s anxiety was largely because he was the one who had brought Liu Qingshan here.

But upon seeing him awake, the joy on Li Qi’s face was genuine, the excitement in his eyes impossible to conceal.

“Brother Qi, did I faint?” Liu Qingshan did his best to look dazed and just-awoken.

“Haha, Brother Shan, thank heavens you’re awake—you had me worried sick!” Li Qi’s tone had shifted from calling him “Little Shan” to “Brother Shan.”

Before he could finish, the man in the white coat beside him was pushed aside, and the blond-haired stagehand Li came rushing over. “Good brother, as long as you’re awake! I’ll go get Brother Lin!”

Once that man left, Li Qi said, “Shan, it’s not your fault. It was Assistant Director Lin who forgot. Of course, he didn’t do it on purpose—there were lots of scenes shooting at the time, too many people, and by the time he remembered, three minutes had already passed!”

“Brother Qi, no one’s to blame. It’s inevitable that mistakes happen when there are so many people—nothing to fuss about!”

This was truly what Liu Qingshan felt. In fact, he was grateful for the mistake, for otherwise, how could such a bizarre thing as the Supernova Star-making Device have appeared?

Although he was still only half-understanding it all, he knew he’d stumbled upon a great opportunity.

With this mindset, his mood soared, and he soon forgot about his brush with death.

“Shan, you’re surprisingly generous. I was planning to make a scene with the crew if something had really happened to you!” chimed in Ma Shengli, the tattooed strongman, giving him a thumbs-up as he spoke.

But Li Qi smacked him hard on the arm. “Victory, do you have to jinx it? If Shan really had suffocated to death, what good would making a scene do? He’d still be gone! Bah, I’m talking nonsense!”

Liu Qingshan tried to sit up, feigning a struggle. “Brother Qi, Brother Victory, I haven’t followed you two in vain—I’ll remember this kindness!”

Ma Shengli was, in truth, just a stunt extra; the real leader was Li Qi, but the two were great friends.

At that moment, Director Lin arrived and, as expected, began with a flurry of apologies.

After Liu Qingshan magnanimously let him off the hook, Director Lin’s face bloomed with a wide smile. “Here’s a little personal compensation—not much, but I’ve already told Li Qi: you’re a truly rare extra, so I’ve asked him to promote you to a featured extra!”

A featured extra is a minor character in a film, usually with a few lines or a brief dramatic moment—also called a “bit part.” It’s still within the ranks of extras, divided into large, medium, and small categories. Even a small featured extra earns a hundred yuan per day, and having a couple of lines and a quick shot of your face is already double what he’d made before.

A medium featured extra earns four to five hundred yuan a day, requiring decent acting and experience; a major featured extra can earn several thousand per day and is somewhat known in the industry.

After several polite refusals, when Director Lin finally left, Liu Qingshan casually squeezed the red envelope handed to him—at most, it contained five hundred yuan.

Understanding the situation, Ma Shengli muttered under his breath, “That guy from Treasure Island is really stingy, brushing my brother off with a few hundred yuan?”

Li Qi shot him a warning look. “Watch your mouth. If Shan hadn’t fainted, we wouldn’t even have these few hundred yuan!”

He then explained to Liu Qingshan, “We kept this from the director. Assistant Director Lin is just a hired hand too—if the director or producers found out, he’d be out of a job!”

“But since he’s said it, he’ll remember to use you in the future—your professional standards are just too high!” Ma Shengli reminded him.

In his heart, though, Liu Qingshan had already written off this production team. Now that he had a magical cheat device, he would never consider working for such a heartless troupe again.

He didn’t show any of this, merely signaling Ma Shengli to help him back, and never brought up the matter again.

Once he was delivered to his temporary lodging and Li Qi, having brought a pile of nutritional supplements, left with a few more rounds of exhortations, Liu Qingshan finally found himself alone and able to reflect on the changes in his mind.

The QQ group that had only been set up this year was now how extras like him exchanged information about different productions, so he wasn’t in a hurry to go out looking for work.

Trying to land a job by roaming the film city was called “picking up pigeons”—the chances were extremely slim, especially for men. Only through the notices posted by the group leaders was there any real chance.