Christmas 1988

America, Los Angeles, Koreatown.

The Christmas tree lights in the storefronts swayed in the night, marking the annual Christmas celebration.

In a dark alley, three hulking men dressed in black surrounded a young man. They bared gleaming white teeth in nasty grins. "Hand over the money nicely, kid!"

The young man sighed and set down the paper clothing bag he was carrying. Inside were the clothes he had just bought—Christmas sale items.

"Why bother? Look at me. I have to shop at thrift stores for clothes, and even then only during Christmas discounts. Where would I get any money?"

As he spoke, he deliberately pulled the remaining bills from every pocket in his clothes. "I've only got a little over thirty dollars left. If you guys need it, take it."

"Why pull knives and guns over something like this?"

When he saw them put their hands to their chests, he figured they had guns tucked inside their jackets. The young man immediately backed down!

After all, Los Angeles was famously the city of sin, especially with gangs running rampant—and this was a messy neighborhood not far from downtown.

"Hahaha, see? I told you we'd scare the kid," said the big Black man standing in front as he walked over. He deliberately spread his palms and waved them in front of the young man.

The other two Black men behind him did the same, their faces full of mockery. What weapons? They had none at all.

"Hm, thirty-six dollars. Kid, are you trying to pull something? Looks like you bought quite a bit."

As he spoke, the leader snatched the bills from the young man's hand and shoved him. "Get against the wall!"

"Whoa, James, you're not going to do him right here, are you?" One of the men behind him widened his eyes, looking utterly incredulous.

"What are you talking about? I'm searching him. Who knows whether this kid's got more money on him?"

"What's in the bag on the ground?" As he spoke, he crouched down and began rummaging through it.

Although the young man had been shoved, the moment he confirmed that the three men really had no weapons, he relaxed completely.

"Robbery really is the least skillful thing there is!"

"What did you say—" Before the crouching man could finish, he saw the young man's foot flying toward his face.

Bang! Before he could even cry out after being kicked down, another heavy kick landed on his head, leaving him with nothing but screams.

The other two rushed forward, only for one to be dropped by the young man with an elbow strike followed by a knee to the body.

The last one was kicked in the groin, then put in a chokehold and pinned to the ground!

"Whew." In less than two minutes, the young man had taken down all three Black muggers. He retrieved his money and spat. "Broke bastards. You had the nerve to complain that I didn't have enough money? Take a look at yourselves—you don't even have ten dollars between you!"

He made over a thousand dollars a month, and after finally splurging for once, he had been looked down on by a few worthless punks?

He picked up his bag and left the alley.

"Merry Christmas!" the young man did not forget to say before leaving.

Only the three men remained in the alley, lying on the ground and screaming...

The young man returned to an old three-story apartment building on Sixth Street in Koreatown. His rented apartment was on the third floor.

"This place really is... a mess."

The calendar on the wall read December 25, 1988.

The young man's name was Aaron Anderson. He had been born in 1970, making him eighteen this year, though Christmas had already arrived, so he would soon be nineteen.

It was still the same body, but the soul inside belonged to Wang Juyi, a man in his thirties from across the Pacific Ocean who had traveled from 2025 to 1988!

Aaron Anderson went into the bathroom. After washing his face, he stared at the reflection in the mirror again. He had been here for a week now and had more or less accepted the truth.

He had also grown used to this handsome, youthful face: hazel-green eyes, blond hair, and a height of 185 centimeters—nearly ten centimeters taller than in his previous life!

Aaron Anderson had originally lived with his father, John Anderson, in an East Hollywood neighborhood. But the 1987 Stock Market Crash had driven Old Anderson bankrupt.

The two then moved into a rented place in the somewhat chaotic Koreatown. Unable to bear it any longer, Old Anderson chose to jump from San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge after Aaron Anderson graduated from high school this year!

Aaron Anderson had originally planned to attend California State University, Long Beach this year, but after Old Anderson's death, he gave up on that plan and went to work as a Mailroom Clerk at a Hollywood talent agency.

After enduring six difficult months in the mailroom, he was about to transfer into an Assistant Agent position. He went to a Koreatown nightclub to celebrate for the night, only for Wang Juyi to take over his body.

Wang Juyi had originally run a small entertainment company. His family had started out operating video game arcades, then movie theaters and entertainment venues, before Wang Juyi took over and moved directly into the film and television industry.

Wang Juyi had never been a particularly good person, but he had managed the business well. Not only did the company manage more than a dozen chain cinemas, it had also participated in investments in TV series and films.

Unfortunately, he had been set up. After a powerful figure's money laundering scheme was exposed, Wang Juyi was threatened in a car and told to take the blame alone. Drunk, he immediately lost his temper.

Once he went in, the company would definitely no longer have anything to do with him, and his life would be over. How could he accept that? He viciously grabbed the driver and took everyone in the car down to hell with him...

Lying on the bed, Aaron Anderson threw a few punches. Perhaps it was a perk of being a transmigrator, but his physical condition was exceptionally good now.

Otherwise, Aaron would not have dared to face three hulking men alone in that alley earlier!

As long as they had no knives or guns, Aaron could handle seven or eight big men by himself without a problem.

"The entertainment industry, Hollywood?" Aaron Anderson smiled. Though this era was a little far back, he still remembered all those major events and Hollywood's famous films!

This was his cheat. He only hoped Hollywood would not disappoint him. Hollywood's standards of taste in the nineties were still perfectly normal.

The Christmas bustle on the streets did not affect Aaron's rest in the slightest. Even if Santa Claus really came by, Aaron would pin him to the ground and beat him until he got on his knees and called him Daddy!

Early the next morning, Aaron Anderson put on the suit he had bought at the thrift store the night before and styled his hair to look exceptionally handsome, making himself look like a successful professional.

The fitted Italian suit suited him perfectly. If it had not looked a little worn, Aaron would have thought he was heading to a cocktail party.

Since it was his first official day as an Assistant Agent, Aaron deliberately hailed a taxi. "Beverly Hills, CAA headquarters!"

The driver glanced back and could not help praising him. "Wow, what a handsome young man!"

"You're so young. Did CAA spot you right after you entered Hollywood?"

Aaron Anderson smiled. "Looks like CAA's reputation has been growing louder and louder these past few years?"

"Of course! These days, lots of people take pride in becoming an agent at CAA. The American economy is bad now, but Hollywood's momentum is only getting fiercer!"

Aaron Anderson merely smiled at the driver's rambling. He was indeed going to work at CAA as an agent—just an Assistant Agent.

Hollywood's American entertainment industry