Song Shi'an

Biodata

Power Progression

Song Shi'an develops through system rewards, Affection Point purchases, and practical training rather than cultivation realms.

Background / History

Original Life and Transmigration

In his original world, Song Shi'an had ordinary looks and grades and received educational support from an old principal. He died after staying up late in his dormitory to finish his thesis, experiencing a sudden seizure of pain in his heart before losing consciousness 2 16.

He transmigrates into the body of a character whose lifespan has already ended. After learning about Shen Lingshu and Pei Zhiyan, he realizes he has entered a domineering-CEO novel as a cannon-fodder character who died from taking pills. His knowledge of the original story is limited because he had not properly read it 2 15.

He initially worries about what happened to the body's original owner. The system eventually reveals that the original owner was also matched to another world and received a Male Lead Performance System, easing Song Shi'an's guilt 124.

Early Work and University Life

Short of money, Song Shi'an asks his neighbor Liu Bin to take him to a film studio, initially hoping that working as an extra will at least provide meals. He secures the personal-guard role Ying Qi and begins balancing filming with rent, utilities, food expenses, and other jobs, including takeout delivery 2 6 13.

At Jingchen University, he moves into a dormitory with Jiang Ye, Chi Xun, and Pei Zhiyan. Their group chat, “Jingchen F4,” becomes a regular point of contact while he is away filming 15 23. Despite his acting schedule, he continues attending classes and remains academically accomplished 34 105.

Appearance

• Face: Clean-cut features with a natural air of aloofness; makeup artists repeatedly remark that he is unusually easy to style 6 19 42.
• Eyes: Deep, dark irises, slightly upturned outer corners, and a beauty mark at the corner of one eye. Fans learn to recognize him by his eyes because Ying Qi usually wears a mask 41.
• Hair: Initially hidden beneath the original owner's long bangs; later wears neat, short hair 6 16.
• Build: A lean waist, supple muscles and joints, and strong core stability provide a foundation for physical performance 9 19.
• System enhancement: His appearance improves over several months until all visible parameters are maximized, although he does not understand the cause until the system explains it 22 161.

Personality

Song Shi'an is strongly motivated by financial security. His original goal is to finish one hundred cannon-fodder roles, collect the reward, and retire. He welcomes featured-actor pay, laments that follower gains are not cash, and remains attached to his inexpensive food cart even after becoming famous 9 40 67 187.

His preference for supporting roles is initially a survival strategy, not indifference to money or professional opportunities. He repeatedly refuses lucrative leading roles because they interfere with the system mission, and he negotiates his agency contract to protect his studies and choice of work 9 32. When he accepts a task, however, he can be exceptionally persistent: he rehearses sword choreography beyond his instructor's approval and takes special-police training seriously 9 151.

He is considerate toward family, friends, and fans, sending money home, helping with his aunt's hospital visit, and asking fans to confirm that they have returned home safely 26 49 104. He is also oblivious to flirting and often mistakes romantic interest for ordinary friendliness 10 16.

His private reactions are playful and irreverent. He enjoys gossip, bickers with the system, and is easily won over by cats. That warmth has limits: after hearing Song Qiaoyun belittle his mother, he gives her a formally polite greeting without genuine friendliness 58 107 113 127.

Cannon Fodder Performance System

Mission and Restrictions

Relationship with the System

Song Shi'an calls it “Brother System” and regularly argues with it over prices, rewards, and withheld information. Despite these disputes, he acknowledges that it has not failed him when it mattered and becomes reluctant to part with it 124 184.

Before its departure, he complains that his cooking tastes worse and accuses it of taking back his skills. The system disputes the accusation; the exchange does not establish that all his abilities have actually been removed 187.

When it finally unbinds, he thanks it for a year of companionship—then immediately regrets leaving his Affection Points unspent. It later returns as the Male Lead Performance System 188 189.

Abilities & Skills

Acting

• God-Level Acting Skills: A system reward obtained after completing Ying Qi 14.
• Emotional and physical expression: Before receiving that reward, he chooses a difficult death-scene audition dependent on eyes and body language rather than extensive dialogue 13.
• Rapid immersion: Enters Si Qinglan's dragon-marrow extraction scene immediately and completes the demanding performance in one take, earning praise from the director and Zhou Yiyang 118 119.
• Character contrast: Performs roles built around concealed or conflicting impressions, including the two-faced Su Wenli and a film character whose apparent innocence sets up a later revelation 101 116.

Athletics and Action Performance

• Sword choreography and wirework: Memorizes Instructor Zhao's initial sword sequence after three practice runs, then rehearses for hours. Director Wang chooses him to perform the fight instead of a stunt double 9.
• Tennis: Basic Tennis Technique supplies muscle memory, reliable returns, and anticipation sufficient to reverse his disadvantage against Cheng Haotian 27.
• Skiing: Progresses from beginner to intermediate slopes through repeated falls, later demonstrates expert-level skiing, and performs some advanced-slope commercial footage himself. A double handles difficult skiing shots 91 92 94.
• Archery: Phantom Feather Lost Trace makes the bow feel like an extension of his body. His first demonstrated shot afterward strikes the bull's-eye with enough force to nearly penetrate the target 141.
• Ice skating: Performs crossovers, acceleration, glides, and increasingly fast spins during filming 185.

Culinary Arts

• Breadth: Top-Tier Culinary Arts supplies knowledge of the eight great cuisines, knife work, heat control, ingredient combinations, and seasoning proportions 37.
• Practical use: Operates a food stall and cooks barbecue praised by his film crew 80 104.
• Limit: Culinary expertise does not eliminate his hesitation over slaughtering a live chicken; he hands that task to Father Song 130.

Music and Dance

• Voice: His singing at Ye Qinghe's concert attracts attention because his tone remains distinctive even within a crowd 47.
• Dance: Quickly memorizes music-video choreography and impresses Jiang Yue, though he still receives corrections on details 158.
• Swan Song Talent: Grants musical perception beyond technique and allows his violin performance to convey emotion directly, without extensive theoretical study 161.
• On-set violin performance: Subsequently produces a rich, clear tone and plays for a director before filming 162.

Survival and Tactical Training

• Rainforest survival: Navigates toward the coast with a compass, catches and stores food, and constructs a shelter from palm leaves and dry branches 68 71.
• Physical conditioning: During special-police training, progresses from trailing the group on the first day to helping carry others' loads by the fourth 151.
• Firearms handling: Disassembles and reassembles a Type 92 pistol in forty-three seconds without mistakes 151.
• Team tactics: Takes the number-two position in a building-entry exercise and performs well enough for the team leader to ask whether he would consider joining the special police 151.

Acting Roles

Story Role / Major Arcs

Agency Contract and Growing Fame

• Negotiates directly with Shen Lingshu before signing with Stars Entertainment. He rejects compulsory leading roles and unwanted events, although the revised contract retains the manager's final say 32.
• Gains more than 300,000 Weibo followers during a two-hour promotional livestream; afterward, his D Station dashboard shows an increase of over 400,000 followers 40.
• Builds a commercial profile through endorsements, including Fengtu and Serenoir. His airport photographs also cause old LUMIERE sunglasses stock to sell out, prompting the brand to inquire about an endorsement 94 151.
• By the time Number One Winner exceeds five billion yuan at the box office, his Weibo following has reached thirty million 135.

Survival Show and Skiing Rescue

• Undergoes ten days of intensive preparation for a solo wilderness show, then travels to Costa Rica. He parachutes into the Osa Peninsula rainforest from two thousand meters, initially becoming caught in a treetop 66 68.
• Begins navigating toward the coast without knowing his journey is being livestreamed 68.
• Later participates in an avalanche rescue using expert-level skiing. News coverage and footage of his athletic ability lead Xie Hanzheng to reassess him 92 94.

Reputation and Support Network

• Pays off his loan and returns to find that his dormmates have spent the night defending him online. His Weibo following has increased by more than a million 80.
• Faces another public-opinion crisis connected to Cloud-Watching Entertainment. Ji Shuyao supports him without demanding an explanation and mobilizes the company's legal and publicity resources 109.
• His popularity eventually makes even driving lessons a public spectacle, complete with an “An'an's Driving God Dream Support Club” at a filming kickoff 180.

Mission Completion and First Leading Role

• Accelerates his mission by taking short supporting parts on weekends while continuing university classes 105.
• Completes the one hundred-role objective immediately before his birthday 186.
• At his fan meeting, responds to a question about leading roles by promising to choose his first lead script carefully 186.
• Visits the Fu Residence for his grandmother's seventieth birthday, receives confirmation of his final reward, and says goodbye to the system 187 188.
• While sorting the many lead-role scripts subsequently sent to him, discovers that his former system has returned under a new designation 189.

Equipment / Items

• Electric scooter — Used for commuting to the studio and working delivery jobs 9 13.
• Tennis racket — Borrowed from Pei Zhiyan when the cost of buying one worries him 26.
• Violin — Purchased for 180,000 yuan to prepare for filming; he initially regrets the expense 161.
• Green turtle protective pad — Worn while skiing, including during his expert-level descent in dangerous snow conditions 91 92.
• Good Luck Card — Mentioned during the avalanche rescue, when he hopes it will help him through unstable terrain 92.
• Food cart — An inexpensive cart he refuses to dismiss as junk, even after its connection to his food stall becomes public 187.

Relationships

• Cannon Fodder Performance System — Lifeline, source of abilities, and frequent verbal sparring partner; eventually returns as his Male Lead Performance System 2 184 188 189.
• Father Song and Mother Song — Parents of his current body, whom he treats as family. He sends money home, cooks for them, and celebrates his birthday with them 26 127 187.
• Liu Bin — Neighbor and fellow actor who introduces him to the studio. His sincere encouragement and pride in their shared scene move Song Shi'an 2 6 22.
• Pei Zhiyan — Roommate and the original novel's male lead. Lends him a racket, helps defend him online, and gives him a 50,000-yuan New Year transfer; Song Shi'an jokingly calls him “Godfather” 15 26 80 135.
• Jiang Ye — Roommate and member of “Jingchen F4”; maintains contact during filming and visits when Song Shi'an is ill 23 149.
• Chi Xun — Roommate who explains flirting cues, shares entertainment news, and helps defend him online 16 80.
• Shen Lingshu — Stars Entertainment boss and the original novel's female lead. Negotiates his contract, arranges medical care when he is ill, and plans to take his career international within three years 32 112 150.
• Ji Shuyao — Agent, commonly addressed as “Brother Yao.” Manages his work, pushes him toward leading roles, and vigorously protects him during controversy 34 41 109.
• Lin Fan — Assistant and regular travel companion; handles daily support, documents rehearsals, and welcomes him back from demanding training 66 68 151 158.
• Shen Xingluo — Child Song Shi'an helps return home safely. Only at his birthday banquet does he discover that Xingluo is Shen Lingshu's younger brother 11 187.
• Sun Sinuo — Cousin who admires his celebrity persona before realizing that the actor is her relative 127 128.
• Old principal — Benefactor from his original life who funded his education and once bought him a birthday cake 2 183.
• Old Madam Fu — Maternal grandmother whose seventieth-birthday banquet brings him to the Fu Residence 187 188.

Notable Quotes

“I'm fine. I just think it's good to be alive.” 15

“Supporting roles are still the best. They don't pay much, but at least they wear you out.” 41

“Every character has their own moment to shine.” 186

“I'll have to choose my script carefully and try not to disappoint everyone with my first leading role.” 186

“Thanks for keeping me company this past year, Brother System. Goodbye.” 188