Household 002 was a mutant cat with orange fur on its back and pure white fur on its belly. At first glance, it looked no different from an ordinary orange cat—except it was just a tiny bit round.
When Zhang Guangmu had first picked up the little female cat, it had always curled itself into a ball whenever it slept.
Small and round, it looked just like a mooncake.
So the master of naming, Zhang Guangmu, had given it the name "Mooncake."
Despite Mooncake's harmless appearance, it was actually a formidable hunter who kept its abilities hidden. It had a somewhat forceful personality. Although it could have relied on its looks to mooch off Zhang Guangmu, it often went hunting instead, bringing him some prey every few days.
Before starring in "Endless Food Bag," Zhang Guangmu and this cat had depended on each other and supported each other for more than ten years.
Over the past few years, Zhang Guangmu had often encountered situations where his wages were "delayed" or "shorted" whenever he worked odd jobs.
And whenever that happened, the prey Mooncake caught for him could at least improve their meals a little.
Although Empire citizens could receive free nutritional supplements and purified drinking water every day, Zhang Guangmu was still moved every time Mooncake brought something back.
Looking at the unknown bird on the floor, Zhang Guangmu understood the meaning behind Household 002's "meow."
Here, eat!
After closing the door, Zhang Guangmu chuckled and shook the bag of cat food in his hand. "Mooncake, I'm not the same person I was before!"
"I've evolved!"
As he spoke, Zhang Guangmu opened the bag, and the aroma of cat food gradually spread through the room.
Mooncake's cat eyes narrowed. It pushed off with all four paws, leaving behind an afterimage in midair.
Whoosh!
When Zhang Guangmu came to his senses, Mooncake had already licked him once and returned to the top of the bookcase with the bag of cat food in its mouth.
"Meow!"
Mooncake's little eyes had always looked like that whenever it looked at Zhang Guangmu. It lacked even the slightest bit of the aloofness a normal cat should have.
Zhang Guangmu felt that Mooncake was always worried he might suddenly drop dead one day.
That feeling was...
Strange.
"You're not allowed to lick me anymore!"
Zhang Guangmu wiped the spot on his face that Mooncake had licked and threatened, "Don't think I don't understand. In the world of cats, the one who gets licked has the lower status in the family."
"Lick me again, and I might stop giving you cat food."
Mooncake meowed, turned its tail toward him, and munched noisily on the cat food, looking completely unafraid.
Although it could more or less understand what Zhang Guangmu meant, it was already used to this idiot's daily bouts of madness and didn't take him seriously at all.
He was just all talk!
Hmph!
Stupid human!
Mooncake ignored Zhang Guangmu's endless grumbling and shoved its head straight into the bag, happily enjoying the new cat food.
"Meow-oo..." Mooncake made a cheerful sound.
This cat food was delicious!
It absolutely deserved a thumbs-up!
In that case, it would reluctantly let this fellow pet it for a while later.
"Eat as much as you want. There's more after you finish."
Zhang Guangmu chuckled and extended his demonic claws. While the big orange cat was eating, he repeatedly stroked its fur.
After a while, he said with satisfaction, "I'm a one-star Subconscious Actor now, Empire certified!"
Zhang Guangmu emphasized, "I'm really not the same person I used to be!"
"We'll never be short of money again!"
Although it was an assembly-line product costing one Dragon Shield's worth per month, this cat food was nutritious, cheap, and delicious. It even had the effects of essential cat-raising medicines such as dewormers and hairball paste, making it very popular with cats and their owners.
It seemed Mooncake liked this artificial product too.
However...
Looking at the bird that had gone cold on the floor, Zhang Guangmu found himself in a quandary.
The Poplar cabin had only one bedroom, and lighting a fire to cook was forbidden. It had been fine before. Even if a minor was caught, an offense of this level would only result in a verbal warning. Now that he was older, though, getting caught meant immediately reporting to a labor camp.
There was no helping it. He could only take it out and exchange it for money.
A bird with such a bizarre appearance was obviously a deformed species caused by intense radiation in the wilderness. Ordinary people wouldn't dare eat it casually. Being able to sell it for 0.1 Dragon Shields would already count as a generous buyer.
Zhang Guangmu also didn't feel comfortable letting Mooncake eat such a strange creature.
"Mooncake, let's stop eating things caught in the wild from now on. It's not safe."
As he treated the small wounds on its body, Zhang Guangmu said, "If you want meat, I'll buy you some small dried fish."
In the blink of an eye, twenty-eight days passed!
"Your current available balance is: 50 Dragon Shields."
Zhang Guangmu immediately jolted and sprang up from the bed.
He looked at the orange cat on the bookcase, which seemed to have grown a little rounder, then glanced at the potato chip bag and empty cola cans on the floor. He couldn't help sighing. "I really am a thrifty, frugal young man."
"I've brought the fine virtues of Zhonghuajia—thrift and good household management—to the extreme."
"But..."
Zhang Guangmu found himself in a quandary. "Where should I find my next film?"
The Xuanlong Empire stipulated that, as a one-star Subconscious Actor certified by an official institution, he was guaranteed to receive a film offer within six months.
Even if he wanted to lie flat, the big-data algorithm would recommend a suitable role to him.
Whether he accepted it was another matter, but the days when he had met the age requirements yet still needed to spend nearly an entire year fighting for Extra roles were long gone!
But the problem was...
Zhang Guangmu had already stayed home for a month. Although he watched new episodes every day and studied other people's advanced manifesting experiences, he had accumulated enough material over his previous decade-plus of life. He didn't lack input. What he needed most now was output and practice, and he didn't want to waste another five months at home.
One had to know, time was money!
Time was life!
If he could take on one film every month, he would probably rise to a higher level very quickly and earn enough for his surgery at lightning speed, right?!
Just as Zhang Guangmu was pondering how to take the initiative, the Black jade bracelet suddenly trembled.
His Personal terminal reminded him that activity had suddenly appeared in the Endless Food Bucket Group.
"Let's see what good news there is."
As Zhang Guangmu spoke, a screen of light projected from his bracelet.
"Director Qian Yiyuan: @Changhe Guangmu—'Endless Food Bag' has exploded in popularity! I told you! Gold will always shine! Several directors I know have all said they're very interested in you!"
Seeing this message, Zhang Guangmu immediately perked up, brimming with confidence.
In his previous film, he had risen from an Extra, first subduing the Big Villain, then beating down the Protagonist Group. In the final scene, he had even torn the Hunger Apocalypse apart completely through his own efforts. Even by his own assessment, there really wasn't anything to criticize about his performance!
It seemed there were still plenty of people with discerning eyes!
Zhang Guangmu quickly typed.
"Changhe Guangmu: Hahaha! What did you say?"
The other party replied very quickly.
"Director Qian Yiyuan: Of course I rejected them all! I told them you were utterly ordinary, had no special qualities, were too full of yourself, and weren't worth working with... Ah, that definitely wasn't what I really thought! Think about it. With a Subconscious as outstanding as yours, if you didn't work with me, wouldn't that be a terrible waste of talent? How could I hand you over to those gaudy temptresses and let them ruin you? No way! Right?"
What an incurable narcissist.
By the time he finished reading, Zhang Guangmu's eyes had reddened with rage. He was so furious that he wished he could rush to that idiot director's home and beat him senseless to vent his anger.
He had finally found the culprit!
So, because you thought I was gold, you hurried to coat me in a layer of charcoal, afraid someone else would pry me away?
That was intolerable!
With that thought, Zhang Guangmu turned his grief and anger into typing speed and hammered out a message: "Director Qian is as calculating as ever. Speaking of which, are you planning to work with me on your new film? [Bloodstained Knife.jpg]"
The other party quickly replied.
"Director Qian Yiyuan: I have no inspiration, and I haven't even started writing the script. You know I never use other people's scripts. But don't worry, Little Mu. It'll be soon. We'll definitely start filming within five months! We should make it in time before AI uses big data to automatically assign you a role! By then, the original cast of 'Endless Food Bag' will reunite, work together, and create another triumph!"
Great.
Zhang Guangmu rolled his eyes.
This guy was always so good at bragging, but he was completely useless when it mattered!
Zhang Guangmu had seen through Director Qian's cowardly nature.
At that moment, someone else spoke in the Endless Food Bucket Group.
"Li Xiaoxiao Who Was Cried On: @Changhe Guangmu—Brother, you're famous. Screenshot, screenshot, screenshot..."
The day after "Endless Food Bag" wrapped up filming, Li Xiaoxiao had changed his group nickname to its current form. He claimed that he had learned from his shame and was now striving to improve. For the past month, he had been working hard to train his pain tolerance, attempting to strengthen his Subconscious in that area and make up for his shortcomings.
Seeing this, Zhang Guangmu immediately opened the screenshots Li Xiaoxiao had sent. He found that they all contained viewers' personal evaluations of him on various Subconscious Film appreciation and discussion platforms.
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