Before the college entrance exams, Lin Yuan's life was super stressful. He shuttled daily between home, tutoring sessions, and mock exams, with all acting gigs and variety show appearances put on hold. Xue Ting strictly controlled his phone use, though Tang Tian occasionally sent him teasing messages.
"Little Movie King, how late are you studying tonight? Want me to bring you some late - night snacks?"
"Shut up. Just looking at books makes me want to puke," Lin Yuan typed, sighing.
He figured it'd be a breeze, thanks to his solid academic history and the mental edge he'd gained from past adventures. But when he actually sat down to hit the books, he quickly realized he was miles behind his studious classmates.
The night before the exams, as Lin Yuan lay in bed staring at the ceiling, Jiuchong suddenly spoke up. [Host, nervous?]
Lin Yuan rolled over. "Not too bad."
[Shall I adjust your mental state for peak performance?]
Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow. "You can do that?"
[Of course. I can boost your focus and ease your anxiety…]
"Fine," Lin Yuan closed his eyes. "Worth a shot. It's not like I'm a stranger to 'cheating' anyway."
In the exam hall, the only sound was the scratch of pens on paper. Lin Yuan scanned the questions, took a deep breath, and got to work. The Chinese essay topic, "Choices and Responsibilities," inspired him to pen a reflective piece drawing from his acting career and life decisions. Math was tough, but tutoring helped him get through it. For the foreign language test, he carefully checked his essay's grammar before handing it in.
When the final bell rang, he finally relaxed. Stepping out of the exam hall, he saw Tang Tian waiting.
"How'd it go?" she asked eagerly.
"Okay, I guess. Shouldn't be too bad," Lin Yuan flexed his wrist.
Xue Ting, standing nearby, nodded. "You've worked hard these past months. Let's get something to eat."
"Freedom at last!" Tang Tian exclaimed, stretching with glee. "I've got the perfect celebration lined up, a huge feast tonight!"
Lin Yuan grinned and trailed after them.
After the exams, Lin Yuan returned to filming movies, TV shows, and commercials. However, he refused all food, beverage, and cosmetics endorsements. When Xue Ting tried to persuade him, saying, "Food and drink endorsements pay well. Are you sure?"
He replied firmly, "No. People trust you with food products, but if you're just an actor taking money to promote them… I can't live with that."
Four years passed. He acted in many shows, popped up on variety TV now and then, and kept climbing in the tough entertainment world. College was hard, but his depression meant he didn't have to do military service, so he could study.
At 22, that winter, Lin Yuan started dating. He and Tang Tian had grown from friends to lovers. At first, Lin Yuan rejected her advances, worried about his uncertain future and the possibility of leaving this world after completing his mission. But loneliness, Tang Tian's words— "No matter what happens, I want to be with you now!"—and his longing for a home eventually swayed him.
It's said that when a woman pursues a man, there's little resistance. Tang Tian, always cheerful, didn't hold back. She even told Xue Ting, "Auntie, your godson finally said yes!"
Lin Yuan scoffed, "You're overreacting."
Just then, Jiuchong's voice sounded in his head. "Relax. This mission will keep us busy for a while."
Lin Yuan smiled. "That's a relief."
===================
高考前夕,林远的生活充满了紧张感.
每天,他都要在家里,补习班和考场模拟测试之间来回奔波,甚至连拍戏和综艺都被完全暂停.薛婷把他的手机严格管控,唐甜偶尔会发消息调侃他.
"小影帝,今晚复习到几点?要不要我给你送夜宵?"
"闭嘴吧,我现在看到书就想吐." 林远一边打字,一边叹了口气.
他本来以为自己还能轻松应对,毕竟他从小学习不错,又在之前的位面中锻炼了精神力,但真正静下心来复习时,才发现自己和那些埋头苦读的学生比起来,差距不小.
考试前一天,林远躺在床上,盯着天花板,九重突然冒出来:[宿主,紧张吗?]
林远翻了个身:"还行吧."
[要不要我帮你调整精神状态,让你进入最佳考试状态?]
林远挑眉:"你还能干这个?"
[当然,我能优化你的注意力,减少焦虑感...]
"行吧." 林远闭上眼睛,"那就试试看,反正我又不是第一次作弊了."
...
考场内安静得只剩下笔尖划过试卷的沙沙声.林远扫了一眼题目,调整好呼吸,开始认真作答.
语文考试的作文题目是 "选择与责任" ,他笔走龙蛇,结合自己演戏,面对人生选择的经历,写出了一篇既有思考又感性的文章.
数学部分让他皱了皱眉,不过凭借之前的补习,他倒也不算太吃力.
外语考试时,他写完作文后,特意回头检查了一遍语法,确保万无一失.
当最后一门考试结束,铃声响起时,他终于松了口气.
林远走出考场,发现唐甜已经等在外面.
"怎么样?" 唐甜一脸期待.
"还行." 林远活动了下手腕,"应该不会太差."
薛婷也站在不远处,看了看他,点头道:"你这几个月很努力了,我们先去吃点东西吧."
"终于解放了!" 唐甜兴奋地伸了个懒腰,"我已经帮你安排好庆祝行程了,晚上吃大餐!"
林远笑了笑,跟着她们往外走.
高考结束后,林远的生活回到了拍戏,拍电影,拍广告的节奏中.
不过,他有个原则,从不接食品,饮品和化妆品的广告.
薛婷一开始还想劝他:"食品和饮品代言费很高,你确定不接?"
"不了." 林远很坚定,"吃的东西不一样,观众信任你,但你却只是个拿钱说话的演员,我过不了自己这一关."
时间就这样过去了四年.
这四年里,他主演了多部电影和电视剧,偶尔上综艺节目刷刷存在感.虽然演艺圈风云变幻,但他依旧保持着低调而稳定的上升趋势.
大学的课程并不算太轻松,还有就是,因为非典型忧郁症的原因,他被免除了服兵役,所以可以专心完成学业.
22岁这一年的某一个冬天,林远谈恋爱了.
他和唐甜,从最初的朋友,一步步走到现在的关系.
起初,林远并没有接受唐甜的追求.他觉得自己的生活太过特殊,未来不确定性太大,甚至可能在任务结束后离开这个世界,不想给她带来困扰和伤害.
但后来,或许是因为太过寂寞,或许是唐甜的一句 "无论未来如何,至少现在我想和你在一起!" 打消了他的顾虑,或许是他真的渴望拥有一个家,他最终还是接受了她的感情.
女追男,隔层纱.
唐甜一向活泼开朗,丝毫不觉得有什么不好意思的,甚至在和薛婷聊天时,直接说:"阿姨,你的干儿子终于答应我了!"
林远:"...你夸张了."
而在他脑海里,九重淡淡地开口:[安心吧,这次的任务,恐怕不会那么快结束.]
林远低声一笑:"那就好."