You're My Hero Today!

If the internet café owner hadn't desperately held him back for fear someone would die, the blond punk might have gone straight to the ICU.

Unfortunately, the bastard was stubborn. He refused to admit he'd stolen phones before, let alone Shen Qi's.

Officers from the police station came and took the thief away.

Inside the café, everyone was still talking excitedly about what had just happened.

They'd have a story to tell for at least three years!

The three victims pulled Shen Qi outside for some air.

The sky was already pale with dawn.

Thin morning light clung to the treetops, while the distant streets still lay in blue-gray mist.

All three thanked Shen Qi profusely.

"It was nothing, really!"

Shen Qi smiled as though it were no big deal, but inside, he was screaming:

Damn it, don't just thank me with words!

He'd turned down Shu Chang's help because he was only an extra. He had no way to repay her, and her manager had guarded against him like he was a thief.

But these three—he really had saved them from losing a lot of money!

Taking a little reward would be perfectly reasonable.

That blond thief had a sharp eye.

Not one of their phones was worth less than five thousand yuan.

And two of them had bulging wallets besides.

As if he'd heard Shen Qi's silent plea, a red-faced man pulled a large bill from his wallet.

"Brother, I know it isn't much!"

Seeing that, another man hurried to offer money too. He couldn't let someone who'd stepped up to help feel unappreciated!

"To be honest, my own phone was stolen in this café. That's why I couldn't help rushing over when I saw someone stealing one," Shen Qi said, accepting the money without hesitation. "I still haven't saved enough for a new phone. That's generous of you, brother, so I won't stand on ceremony."

He had never pretended to be above accepting money.

Giving him something was kind of them; not giving him anything would have been fair too.

But he'd taken a risk when he threw that kick.

Who knew whether these habitual thieves had a gang behind them? What if they came after him later?

"I'm truly grateful! You're my hero today!"

The balding man finally caught on and hurriedly drew several bills from his wallet...

He had the best phone and the fattest wallet.

Judging by his accent, he was clearly from the south. He didn't know the area, so having all his money stolen would have been a real headache.

"No, no, that's too much!"

Shen Qi quickly waved him off. He took one bill from the handful and refused the rest.

The other two had each given one. If this man gave five, wouldn't that embarrass them on the spot?

The balding man seemed to realize it too and reluctantly gave up.

"Meeting like this must be fate. Why don't I take everyone out for a drink?" the red-faced man suggested warmly. "Too bad I'm leaving Hengdian at noon. Otherwise, I could take you to a brightly lit hair salon tonight. They've got a new girl from Sichuan—sweet-looking, and at least a D cup!"

With a pitch that polished, he was clearly a seasoned believer in drinking and women as protection against every evil.

"No thanks, brothers. I've got to go work as an extra later, so I can't drink!"

Shen Qi waved his hands at once.

Drinking first thing in the morning?

Where would Shen Qi find the time to drink with these men?

Besides, since when did Sichuan have sweet girls?

When Li Xiuzhi fled Sichuan for a ranch in the northwest, she'd taken ninety-seven percent of its gentleness with her.

Of course, Sichuan was still better off than the northeast.

Lin Daiyu had used up the northeast's entire quota of gentleness for the next three hundred years in one breath.

"You're an actor?"

The balding man looked Shen Qi over. That face was almost unfairly handsome. Even the stars back home couldn't quite measure up.

But he didn't recognize Shen Qi at all, and his clothes and manner didn't suggest he'd made it. Most likely, he was a newcomer who hadn't caught on in the mainland yet.

Shen Qi nodded frankly. "Yes. I'm an extra."

"It's too hard for extras to make it," the other man said, slipping into the role of worldly adviser. "Don't listen to those inspirational stories. You'd be better off finding a regular job."

Easy for him to say.

Did Shen Qi not want a steady job?

Circumstances had left him no choice.

One step at a time, he'd been pushed here.

"I'm in the business too, actually. I work in cinematography. If I get the chance, I'll recommend you for a role!"

The balding man switched to clumsy Mandarin and handed Shen Qi a business card from his wallet.

He didn't forget the others, either.

These days, handing out business cards when you met people was standard practice—even more important than offering cigarettes.

Wu Shuixing!

His title was cinematographer, and his listed credits included Fight Back to School and Running Out of Time 2. Those were hardly obscure films!

The question was whether he'd actually been the cinematographer or just a camera assistant.

Still, anyone who worked in cinematography had some skills. Without them, no one would even hire you as a focus puller.

"A pleasure to meet you!"

Shen Qi had never heard of him, but he showed him every respect.

Even if Wu Shuixing was only a camera assistant, he'd worked on enough productions to build connections of his own.

Of course, Shen Qi didn't get his hopes up.

They weren't even in the same circle.

Besides, plenty of film people had come from Hong Kong, and so had plenty of swindlers.

Who knew which kind Wu Shuixing was?

"It's a shame we've already wrapped World's Finest. Otherwise..." Wu Shuixing gripped Shen Qi's hand and declared, "Brother, I'll definitely repay you!"

"Haha, it's fine, really..."

"I mean it! Don't think I'm just saying that!"

Seeing that Shen Qi didn't take it seriously, he grew anxious.

He had a proposal ring in his wallet—one he still hadn't given his girlfriend. Losing it would have cost him far more than a few thousand yuan.

Shen Qi had saved him from that loss.

In a way, he'd saved his relationship too.

Repaying Shen Qi would be easy. Did he have to come right out and say his uncle was Zheng Zhaoqiang?

"I'll look forward to it. Any role will do; I'm not picky." Shen Qi had barely said it before he hurriedly added, "Except adult films. I'm not taking my clothes off..."

He had no desire for anyone to see him in "Chinese subtitles, uncensored HD."

"Now that's a shame! Haha!"

Wu Shuixing burst out laughing.

When the red-faced man saw the balding man handing out business cards, he quickly dug into his pocket and passed his own around.

Piao Yiye.

He was a car dealer from Yanbian.

The third man was more down-to-earth. He had no business card, so he just gave them the name of his restaurant and declared grandly, "Come eat at my place and everyone gets ten percent off!"

They chatted outside the café a little longer before going their separate ways.

Now that he had money, Shen Qi splurged on a few meat buns.

One bun in two bites!

Damn, they were delicious.

So much better than rice mixed with soy sauce.

Shen Qi stuffed his face as he hurried toward the mall. He had to buy a phone!

With one, he wouldn't have to keep hunting for a public phone to contact people.

After all, the business card from the production manager of Lotus Lantern was still in his pocket. Supposedly, there was a small role he could audition for.

Even a tiny role would be a damn wonderful surprise!

Once inside the mall, he headed straight for the phone counter.

He'd already saved a little money, and the three hundred yuan he'd just received for stepping in gave him a bit more room in his budget.

But it was still barely enough to browse the entry-level models.

The mainstream color-screen phones with cameras—like the Nokia 3120, Samsung X458, Philips 535, and Sony Ericsson K700c—even domestic models like the Bird S570 and Amoi CA6, were all priced well into four figures.

As for the heavy hitters with megapixel cameras...

Shen Qi didn't even dare go near that counter. He was afraid one more look would make his wallet revolt.

He stuck to the budget section.

The monochrome Nokia 1108 cost over six hundred yuan. The Sony Ericsson J200C, with a color screen but no camera, cost over seven hundred. The Motorola C266 cost over nine hundred...

That was the absolute ceiling of his budget.

But none of them seemed worth the money, so he turned to the "nostalgia section" to look at models from a year or two ago.

And there he found a treasure: the Motorola E360!

When it launched two years earlier, it had sold for 1,800 yuan as "Motorola's first color-screen phone." Now it sat gathering dust in a corner of the counter, with a "Summer Clearance: 599" sign beside it. Its price had fallen by two-thirds.

If Shen Qi bought the phone for six hundred yuan, he'd still have over two hundred left.

At least he wouldn't starve anytime soon.

It still wasn't enough to rent a place, though.

The saleswoman was so taken with Shen Qi's good looks that she even gave him a spare battery and a universal charger.

A textbook case of cashing in on his looks!

The E360 was a little old, but it could store three hundred contacts and even came with mobile QQ.

Compared with the Motorola C266, which cost over nine hundred yuan yet held only a hundred contacts, it was unbeatable value!

For Shen Qi, an extra who urgently needed to build connections, that was exactly what he needed.

He'd tearfully spent five yuan replacing his SIM card the day after his phone was stolen.

He inserted the card, switched on the phone, and immediately dialed the number on the business card.

The person on the other end didn't give him a hotel and room number—don't get the wrong idea, most auditions really were held in hotels. Instead, he gave Shen Qi a set address. Filming had already started!

Shen Qi headed straight there without another word.

This was a production with Liu Tao!

He had to seize the chance!

Liu Tao had become wildly popular the previous year thanks to Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils. She hadn't been a lead in My Fair Princess III: Heaven and Earth, but she'd still made plenty of an impression.

Getting aboard this production would be like winning the lottery for an extra.

Best of all would be a scene opposite her.

Even a small part like that would beat playing a bit-part extra in the background.