Xu Zifan's laboratory is under intensive preparation. Li Ping and Liang Fei encountered many difficulties, but after contacting the assistant team of Xu Zifan's business partners, all these problems were easily resolved. They also learned that Xu Zifan's business partners were actually American technology tycoons, the world-renowned Mr. Lawn, and that Mr. Lawn and their boss had hit it off immediately, becoming close friends despite their age difference, and that Mr. Lawn planned to visit their boss's laboratory in person after it was completed!
Upon hearing the news, Li Ping and Liang Fei felt immense pressure, becoming extremely cautious about every detail, afraid of embarrassing their boss. Xu Zifan, on the other hand, didn't seem to care much. Lao En appreciated the ideas in his mind, not the state of the lab. Of course, he was still pleased with his two assistants' hard work in preparing the lab; after all, the better the lab, the easier it would be for him to conduct his research.
The lab couldn't be set up in just a few days, so during his free time, Xu Zifan personally helped Yao Kexin choose an agent, assistant, bodyguard, and driver. Then he discovered something unexpected: one of the girls who came to interview for Yao Kexin's assistant position seemed to be subtly trying to seduce him. He went along with her and chatted with her for a while, realizing she had ulterior motives. So he arranged for her to work as his personal assistant, and also chose a reliable and clever girl to be Yao Kexin's assistant.
Xu Zifan privately showed great interest in his new assistant, and three days later, he managed to uncover her true intentions. It turned out she wanted to lure him to the casino for a few rounds of gambling. With such a clear purpose, Xu Zifan immediately thought of Xu Hao. Knowing Xu Hao's plans, Xu Zifan felt nothing and had no intention of playing along. He couldn't very well pretend to be addicted to gambling to please Xu Hao, could he? He felt it would be much more satisfying to get rid of the "spy" and let Xu Hao suffer countless setbacks. So, the new assistant was fired for a minor mistake and could no longer see Xu Zifan.
Yao Kexin's new agent is a renowned top agent in the industry. Upon taking office, the agent immediately used her connections to secure an audition for Yao Kexin in a film by a major director. Yao Kexin performed exceptionally well, and after the audition, she was quickly cast as the second female lead. A film by a major director carries immense prestige; just getting into the film industry and playing the second female lead is an incredible opportunity. Moreover, this second female lead is extremely likable, a righteous character who sacrifices herself for the protagonist. Although her screen time is limited, she plays a crucial role in driving the plot forward, and her tragic sacrifice occurs during the film's biggest explosion scene, leaving a deep impression and making her a regrettable and heartbreaking character. A well-acted performance would undoubtedly gain her many fans.
"Xia Yi's Story" hasn't aired yet, and Yao Kexin's good work hasn't been seen by the public. Her high popularity is just a bubble created by Xu Zifan. Getting this second female lead role is already the best opportunity she has so far. It's so good that Xia Shuangshuang is envious. She's a second-tier actress, at most playing the female lead in a TV series. She hasn't even had a chance to break into the film industry, and even if she manages to, she can only play unimportant roles. How come Yao Kexin is better than her in every way?
Seeing that Yao Kexin, whose starting point was lower than Xia Shuangshuang's, had developed so rapidly, the system casually remarked, "Host, you should learn from Yao Kexin. Your development speed is too slow. If this continues, you will never become a superstar. If, with the system's help, you haven't become an international superstar by the age of forty, you will be punished and imprisoned in a consciousness from which you will never awaken."
Xia Shuangshuang was startled and asked anxiously, "Never wake up? What do you mean? Will I become a vegetable? And then live in my consciousness like a repetitive exercise?"
[That's right, please strive to achieve the goal.]
Xia Shuangshuang's eyes widened, her face deathly pale as she bit her fingertip, completely bewildered. She thought that being reborn meant she could finally enjoy life, but it turned out that if she didn't achieve her goals by forty, she'd become a vegetable? Being a vegetable wasn't so scary; at least she'd been given a free life from now until forty. But living in a conscious state was terrifying! Absolutely terrifying!
Xia Shuangshuang thought of Xu Hao. As long as Xu Hao promoted her and let her join the cast with her own investment, she would definitely become famous, she definitely would! She was going to find Xu Hao!
Xia Shuangshuang gained followers and completed the system's tasks, which made her incredibly beautiful—not just her face, but also her figure. Xu Hao abandoned his plan to use her to provoke Xu Zifan, but he remained interested in her. After a passionate night together, he casually agreed to Xia Shuangshuang's request and had his assistant arrange a lead role for her in a movie. Although the director wasn't as famous as Yao Kexin's, his previous films had done well at the box office. Xu Hao directly allowed Xia Shuangshuang to bring her own investment to the project, making her the only significant female character in a crime thriller.
Xia Shuangshuang finally relaxed, overjoyed. She remembered that this film in her previous life had a very high box office, a dark horse among its contemporaries. The confrontation between the police, criminals, and undercover agents was considered a classic, and the female lead in it became a star. This time, with the female lead in the film, she was sure she could rise to another level. She would become even more beautiful, her path would be easier, and everything would be better.
She also asked Xu Hao for a favor: to replace her agent with the company's top agent. Having witnessed Yao Kexin's agent's abilities, she became increasingly dissatisfied with her own. Taking advantage of Xu Hao's good mood, she simply replaced her without any reason, even replacing her assistant with someone more to her liking—someone no less capable than Yao Kexin in every way. Finally, she felt relieved.
Yao Kexin and Xia Shuangshuang were both filming their own movies, leaving Xu Zifan with nothing to do. He often streamed himself playing games with Meng Yuncheng and others. One time, someone mentioned, "Brother Fan, you're so good! Join my team! Let's play together!"
Xu Zifan rescued a teammate from the enemy and casually said, "I'm not going. If you want to team up, you'll have to join my team."
He just mentioned it casually, but three of the people he was playing games with said, "You should team up with me, Brother Fan. As long as you form a team, I'll come right away."
Many people in the industry sent comments supporting Xu Zifan's team formation, saying he played incredibly well, even they...
No idol in the industry can compare to Xu Zifan. His lack of success in esports is heartbreaking for everyone; they're desperate to get him involved. At this time, because Xia Shuangshuang is a reincarnation, the esports scene isn't as popular or accepted as it would be in the future. There aren't many outstanding figures yet, and the public's understanding of esports is basically still just about playing games. That's why they pay so much attention after seeing a prodigy like Xu Zifan.
Just like live streaming platforms, Xu Zifan's platform developed so rapidly because there weren't any mature live streaming platforms in the era Xia Shuangshuang was reborn into. Xu Zifan's leading technology and concepts naturally made him a leader in the live streaming industry. Now, the e-sports circle also hopes he can form a super team and become a source of glory for the e-sports world.
Xu Zifan hadn't expected this topic to be discussed for three consecutive days, with #WillXuZifanFormATeam# even trending on social media. He inquired about the lab's progress and calculated that he still had some free time. Even if the lab was ready, research couldn't be done all at once. Given his understanding of things that were ahead of their time, it was only logical to research them step by step, so he did indeed have time to form a team.
Since he had nothing better to do, Xu Zifan was the kind of person who couldn't stay idle. He poached a professional manager with a high salary to help him prepare for the e-sports training base, posted on Weibo that he was going to form a team, and then privately contacted e-sports players who he thought had good skills and good character.
The esports community cheered for his move, and many volunteered to join his team. Even those whose skills weren't yet up to par hoped to receive training and learn from him. Xu Zifan sold all his houses, keeping only the villa he was currently living in, and used the money to build a laboratory and esports base. Before the base was even completed, he had already finalized his team members. He spent his days arranging matches, practicing, and teaching them techniques.
He was, after all, a former world champion, had received formal training, and had even run a game company. He had a lot to teach, and everyone respected him. By the time the base was ready and their members moved in, they had developed excellent team synergy. However, at this point, only people in the esports community knew how good their team was; the general public wasn't interested and didn't pay much attention. They were happy with the peace and quiet and focused on training at the base.
During this time, Xu Zifan encountered an e-sports player who wanted to give him drugs, two staff members who deliberately chatted about how exciting casinos were near him, a chef who tried to smuggle heroin into his food, a hot woman who tried to seduce him, and a "buddy" who kept inviting him out. Xu Zifan decisively dismissed them all, giving them no chance to speak. What use were their abilities if they had no opportunity? Xu Zifan was unmoved, even using the excuse of finding true love and needing to work hard to improve himself to refuse all invitations, causing Xu Hao's plans to fail time and time again!
Xu Hao was getting impatient and berated his assistant several times, questioning why he hadn't yet managed to frame Xu Zifan. But the assistant was helpless; Xu Hao's plan to harm Xu Zifan was failing. Xia Shuangshuang's visit that night had given him an idea. Continuing the stalemate wouldn't work; he needed to provoke Xu Zifan severely, making him lose his temper and potentially make a rash move. There had to be a change; things couldn't remain as stable as they were now. Even if Xu Zifan no longer liked Xia Shuangshuang, seeing his former woman become his aunt would be unbearable, wouldn't it?