Chapter 1

"I now announce the winner of the third annual Interstellar Alliance Aether Cup for Best Actor is..."

"Zhong Jin from Blue Star!"

Countless cheers and screams erupted. Urged on by his agent's fluffy paws, Zhong Jin took a deep breath, adjusted his smile, and strode toward the lavishly decorated stage.

His gaze swept across the audience, where species of every color—red, orange, yellow, green, blue, purple, black, and white—were seated. He then looked up at the tens of thousands of floating screens in the air and offered them a respectful bow.

Presenting the award was Zhang Man, a renowned interstellar author and screenwriter. Zhong Jin reached out and accepted the retro-styled microphone offered by a pink tentacle.

Just as he was about to begin his acceptance speech with a smile, the floating screens suddenly went dark without warning. Even the faces of the audience members blurred into indistinct shapes.

Zhong Jin froze in shock, his consciousness plummeting like a stone.

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"Zhong Jin, wake up."

Zhong Jin was gently nudged awake and looked up, feeling disoriented.

The blurry vision before him gradually sharpened, and the indistinct figure resolved into a face both unfamiliar and strangely familiar.

The person patted his shoulder. "Why are you spacing out? Are you too nervous? Stay calm—it'll be your turn soon."

Zhong Jin hesitated. "...Dong Ku?"

Dong Ku looked puzzled. "Yeah, it's me. What's wrong? You seem so dazed."

Zhong Jin suddenly snapped back to reality, his gaze sweeping across the surroundings.

Many people stood or sat waiting in the long corridor. Not far away, the door to the small theater remained tightly shut. Zhong Jin looked down at the paper clutched in his hand, a number scrawled on it.

This was the place he'd been before transmigrating. He'd been nervously awaiting his first-ever audition.

But before he could take a single step into the entertainment industry, he'd already stepped into another world.

He still remembered that the transmigration had been as sudden and unexpected as his return. Nothing special had happened. He'd simply sat down on a chair, and when he looked up, he'd become a new human in an interstellar world.

As Earth ascended into a high-dimensional world, humanity underwent a physical transformation, evolving from two genders to three. The original body Zhong Jin inhabited was an omega.

The original owner was an orphan who had graduated high school but failed to get into university, leaving him adrift and uncertain about his future.

Zhong Jin, however, was not lost. Gazing at his identical face, he decisively decided to submit résumés to several interstellar entertainment companies.

He had always been deeply interested in acting. He had even enrolled in a film academy in university, but before he could make his mark in the entertainment industry, he had been transported to another plane. Yet his ambition remained unchanged.

With his striking looks and solid skills, he was quickly hired by an interstellar entertainment company as a minor artist. His manager was equally green, full of passion and drive. They hit it off immediately, and after six years of relentless effort, Zhong Jin finally stood on the grandest stage in the interstellar entertainment world, hosted by the Interstellar Alliance, and claimed the Best Actor award.

At that moment, Zhong Jin returned to his original world.

Mixed emotions surged through him. Returning home was certainly ideal, but couldn't he at least have delivered his acceptance speech? That carefully crafted speech, which he and his manager had spent days refining!

Thinking of his manager, Zhong Jin felt a pang of wistfulness. After all, who could resist having a leopard as their agent?

Zhong Jin instinctively reached for his wrist to check the time on his light computer, only to realize his wrist was bare. He pulled his phone from his pocket.

He didn't remember the exact time he'd crossed over, but since he hadn't yet entered the audition, he could infer that time in this dimension hadn't changed. Of course, it might have advanced by a few seconds, but he couldn't tell.

Zhong Jin stood up, walked a few steps, and sat back down.

Good, the scene hasn't changed. No historical reenactment.

Transmigration? Parallel universe?

Has the rift in spacetime closed? Have the distorted and folded dimensions returned to normal?

Zhong Jin had only a vague understanding of these concepts and didn't care to delve deeper. He'd always been one to go with the flow.

What he could be certain of was that his golden finger had arrived.

Even if it had all been a dream, the rigorous acting training he'd undergone hadn't vanished with his return. It was all still there, etched in his mind.

He was no longer the same Zhong Jin from yesterday, no longer the rookie who'd nervously awaited his first audition.

Zhong Jin almost laughed aloud. Returning home in glory is like wearing brocade at night—a wasted effort. Heaven had been truly kind to him.

"Bro, are you okay?" Dong Ku asked, watching Zhong Jin pace back and forth before breaking into a wide grin. He suspected the man was so tense that he'd lost his grip on reality.

Zhong Jin nodded at him. "It's fine. It's good."

Dong Ku, his roommate, had come specifically to accompany him to the audition today.

Although Zhong Jin had transmigrated six years ago, he had been preparing for this invitation for a long time, and due to the significance of his first audition, he still remembered the requirements for the role.

This was an audition site for a historical drama. The director was Zou Hongkuo, who had previously helmed historical dramas broadcast on CCTV. His current project was also a historical political intrigue drama.

As an ordinary film academy student, Zhong Jin would normally have no access to such film and television resources. However, a Senior Sister he knew, who was part of the screenwriting team, had secured him an audition slot.

Of course, it was only a very minor role: playing the younger version of the ninth male lead, with fewer than five appearances in total. But the opportunity itself was invaluable. Being able to observe and learn from a capable director's crew was a once-in-a-lifetime chance, and Zhong Jin treasured it deeply.

Zhong Jin took a sip of water, contemplating how to approach the scene.

He had discarded all his previous preparations. With his current perspective, his earlier performances now seemed too raw, with many aspects poorly handled.

Given Zhong Jin's non-existent status, he naturally didn't receive any scripts. All he knew was the character profile for the role he was auditioning for: a profligate and overbearing prince.

His Senior Sister, who worked as a junior scriptwriter, knew more details. She told him the complete character description: a naive yet malicious and profligate prince who ultimately died in a refugee riot.

Previously, Zhong Jin's limited abilities had led him to focus primarily on portraying the prince's malice, overbearing nature, and profligacy. Now, he realized that the "naive" aspect was the most crucial element to convey.

"Naive" is a positive word, but when combined with the prince's other traits, it takes on a darker meaning.

Zhong Jin quickly settled on his performance plan. Looking at the human-filled environment, his heart grew calm.

Though the bizarre species and dimension-defying technologies filled the setting with magic and romance, Zhong Jin found comfort in the familiar species and gender dynamics.

"Number 56, you can come in now."

The assistant cracked the door open and announced the number. Zhong Jin immediately stood up.

Dong Ku clenched his fist. "Good luck!"

Zhong Jin nodded at him and walked toward the door, handing his number tag to the assistant.

The small theater was lit, and four people sat in the audience.

Zhong Jin didn't recognize everyone, but he knew the man in the center, wearing a black jacket and with graying hair, was Director Zou. His senior sisters had told him the others were the assistant director and two head screenwriters.

Small roles didn't usually require the director's personal attention, but Director Zou was strict and insisted on reviewing even minor characters.

In the second row, Zhong Jin spotted someone unexpected. The man met his gaze, his cool, indifferent eyes unchanged. No one would guess they were roommates.

Zhong Jin was surprised but also felt it made sense. Shang Yansi had been a child star and naturally had connections and resources in the entertainment industry. He was just surprised he was acting in a TV drama; he'd assumed Shang Yansi would stick to big-screen films.

Suppressing his irrelevant thoughts, Zhong Jin walked onto the stage and bowed to the seniors below before introducing himself.

"Hello, mentors. I'm Zhong Jin, a student from the 24th class at Qingying. I'm auditioning for the role of the young Twelfth Prince."

When the director nodded for him to begin, Zhong Jin retrieved a chair from the corner of the stage, using it as a prop, and moved it to the center.

As he sat down, he leaned back naturally, his demeanor shifting effortlessly.

He reclined against the chair, not completely slouched, but relaxed yet still possessing a certain vitality.

His hands hovered in the air as he gazed ahead, his head tilted slightly and his lips parted as he chewed. He grinned and said, "Yellow River flood? What's that got to do with us? The water won't reach my place anyway."

Suddenly remembering something, he abruptly pulled his hands back and straightened up. "Ah, I wonder if that Gyrfalcon I had trained will arrive in time," he said with a frown. "I promised to show them a real spectacle the day after tomorrow."

He seemed to hear some news, his eyes widening suddenly.

"The Imperial Father wants me to go with the disaster relief efforts?" he exclaimed loudly. "This young prince won't go! It's too tiring and too far. I'm living a comfortable life in the Capital City—why should I go delivering grain? Can't someone else do it? Who cares who delivers it, as long as those people get fed?"

"The Imperial Father is truly senile," the Young Prince grumbled, his face puffing up. He then lowered his gaze and said dismissively, "Fine, fine. I'll be careful what I say. As if the Imperial Father could even hear me."

Hearing something else, he said with a shrug, "Corruption? Who dares to be corrupt? We'll just have them beheaded."

The young man had the almond-shaped eyes and rosy cheeks of a beautiful youth, but his casual tone when discussing executions and his dismissal of the court's troubles as others' overthinking revealed his naivety and foolishness. He was utterly out of touch with the hardships of the world, a spoiled noble who had never known hardship.

Zhong Jin's performance lasted less than five minutes. He rose from his seat, instantly regaining the demeanor of a college student, and bowed to the audience.

"Teachers, I'm finished," he said.

Director Zou nodded. "Alright, go wait for the results."

He offered no judgment, neither positive nor negative. Zhong Jin nodded calmly and left the stage.

Exiting through a side door, Zhong Jin passed by Shang Yansi. They exchanged no greeting, brushing past each other as if they were strangers.

Dong Ku was waiting at the exit and immediately asked, "How did it go?"

"I think it went well," Zhong Jin replied. He had noticed the director sitting up straighter during the performance.

Dong Ku's slightly round face lit up. "That sounds promising!"

"Not necessarily, but even if I don't get it, there will be other opportunities." Zhong Jin remained relaxed, confident that he would eventually find his chance here.

"You're right. Come on, I'll treat you to hot pot. If you get the part, you can treat me back." Dong Ku waved his hand with swagger.

"No problem," Zhong Jin agreed.

As they waited for a car by the roadside, Dong Ku exclaimed, "That car over there looks like the Boss's."

Dong Ku described a black business car, and having ridden in similar ones several times, he felt it was a good match.

In Dorm 319, the four roommates were ranked by age: Shang Yansi was the oldest, followed by Zhong Jin, then Dong Ku, and the youngest was Chen Cheng.

Zhong Jin glanced over and said, "That should be it."

Dong Ku was curious. "How do you know? You can't even see the license plate."

"I saw him at the audition," Zhong Jin replied casually, spotting a car pulling up to the curb. "Come on, our taxi's here."

Dong Ku understood and didn't press the matter of Shang Yansi being at the audition. Instead, he asked, "After things got so tense between you two, will it be okay acting together?"

Zhong Jin pulled open the car door as he spoke. "Stop worrying. I don't even know if I'll get the part."

Undeterred, Dong Ku pressed on with his gossip. "What exactly happened to make things so bad?"

Originally, Zhong Jin and Shang Yansi had been the closest in Dorm 319, but a few months ago, they suddenly started a cold war, creating an awkward atmosphere.

"Nothing," Zhong Jin said, closing the car door and dismissively ending the conversation.

But even after crossing time and space and returning, Zhong Jin still remembered the answer. It was unforgettable.

That year, under a light spring rain, Shang Yansi didn't know he was gay, and he didn't know Shang Yansi was homophobic.