At last, the golden finger has finally arrived.

[Ding!]
[“Superstar System” reminder: Please exercise caution while filming; harmony ensures safety.]
[“Masked Gourd Hero Shooting Guide” has been delivered.]
[“Film Fire and Explosion Effects Technical Classification” has been delivered.]
[“Action Scene Analysis and Production Tutorial” has been delivered.]
...
[Wishing you swift success in raising production funds—may you present a classic to this beautiful world!]

What the—?!

Li Jie stared blankly, utterly bewildered. “Seriously? I’ve been out of the spotlight for years...”

After crossing into this world, Li Jie had muddled his way into becoming a so-called “child star” by plagiarizing, but in just a few years, he faded from the screen due to “creative exhaustion.” Without genuine talent, he couldn’t sing, his acting was mediocre, and as for his looks... well, they were passable at best.

He simply hadn’t been blessed by the gods.

Never in his wildest dreams did he expect that, after languishing in obscurity for so long, a cheat would finally arrive.

On the indescribable system panel, Li Jie found his own talents to be absolutely pathetic.

[Host: Li Jie]
[Works: “Heaven’s Vastness,” “Only Mother Is Good in This World,” “Orchid Grass,” ...]
[Talent: Acting 38, Singing 25, ...]
[Reputation Points: 233,233,233]

He shut the panel off immediately.

According to the “Superstar System,” an average person who can hum a tune without going off-key would score a 36.

As for his works...

They were all songs he copied after crossing over, just to put food on the table.

He had no choice—upon transmigrating, his body regressed to that of a three-year-old, and he was left lying at the doors of the Red Star Welfare Home.

Li Jie grew up in the welfare home, with a total of twelve “mothers” over the years.

All those copied songs were just to keep the Red Star Welfare Home afloat; when he was seven, the place nearly got demolished to make way for office buildings. But after he became a “child star,” the media attention kept the home safe.

But the “child star” halo didn’t last long. By eleven, Li Jie was washed up, surviving these years by living off the royalties from his plagiarized songs.

Originally, he could have just carried on quietly—gone to college, found a job... or not. The songs he’d copied were valuable enough for a lifetime of comfort.

But now, with a cheat in hand...

Everything was different.

He’d have to study this carefully.

Especially this “Reputation Points”—why did he have over two hundred million? What did it mean?

He was pondering this when voices rose from outside his room.

“Why are you still dawdling? Do you know what time it is? Don’t miss your train!”

“I’m coming, I’m coming! What’s the rush? If I miss the train, I’ll just take the coach.”

“Oh, you think you’re grown now? Getting tired of my nagging?”

At the door stood a middle-aged woman in an apron, wielding a large spoon, scolding him non-stop. She sneaked a glance at Li Jie’s suitcase before continuing, “Your Mama Niu fried you some baby potatoes. I didn’t put too much chili powder, it’s in your lunch box—eat it on the way if you get hungry.”

“It tastes better with more chili powder!”

“You! It was all that spicy food you ate as a kid—that’s why your voice went bad and you can’t sing on key. It’s all my fault. You were so young and growing, eating all that stuff that’s bad for your throat...”

“Enough, enough! That’s nonsense. I was born tone-deaf with a raspy voice—what’s that got to do with chili powder?”

“Who says so? When you were little, you sang beautifully. You were so sweet and considerate, everyone adored you. But after eating too much spice, you grew big and burly—not a single girl fancies you now...”

...

Looking at his arms, each with a circumference of nearly forty centimeters, Li Jie thought, “Maybe the girls aren’t interested, but the aunties at the local gym are always happy to see me.”

“Did you pack your ID?”

“Yes, I did.”

“What about your admission letter?”

“It’s not a big deal if I forget. The school has my record.”

“Don’t talk nonsense. When I was your age, someone lost their admission letter and couldn’t go to college.”

“Aunt Shu, times have changed. Everything’s digital now—you can check it on your phone.”

“Right, you got into university. You know more than me now. I’m useless, can’t do anything...”

“That’s enough already!”

Shouldering his backpack and dragging his suitcase, Li Jie put an arm around Aunt Shu, one of his twelve mothers, whose hair was already turning white. She was both the deputy director and nutrition coordinator at the Red Star Welfare Home.

From the start of her career, Shu Xiuqin had worked at the Red Star Welfare Home—back then, it was called the Little Red Star Children’s Welfare Home, later renamed to Pingjiang Industrial New District Red Star Welfare Home, or simply Red Star Welfare Home.

The home was in a prime location, surrounded by mountains and water, with convenient transport. It used to be a street of county government offices on the outskirts of Pingjiang; after the county became a district, upscale residences and office buildings sprang up nearby.

The environment improved, and life here was peaceful and pleasant.

But eleven years ago, the home was almost relocated. The new site was twenty-five kilometers away, next to a psychiatric rehab center and a massive cemetery.

Li Jie had planned to bide his time until he was sixteen before plagiarizing again, but at seven, he was forced to become a “prodigy songwriter” to save the Red Star Welfare Home with his “child star” fame.

But truly, he had no other talents, and there was little left to copy. Before the transmigration, he hadn’t cared for music, shows, or films, and his only hobby was fishing. Even games were limited to “Happy Landlord.”

So, “creative exhaustion” came swiftly—he simply had nothing left in the tank.

Without singing or acting skills, he faded into obscurity within a few years.

The media would occasionally dig up his story to “reheat leftovers,” sometimes interviewing him as a cautionary tale...

To his twelve mothers at the home, all of whom had cared for him, this was their failure—they felt they’d let him down.

I was a fool, truly. I only knew he could sing “Only Mother Is Good in This World,” never realizing he’d later have “Heaven’s Vastness” too...

Those two songs moved his twelve mothers to tears.

“The taxi’s been waiting ages. Did you pack your autumn jacket?”

“Come on, I’m going to college, not leaving forever!”

“You don’t understand! The next holiday is in winter—take your down jacket, just in case. I’ll fetch it for you.”

“Aunt Tu, Aunt Tu, I packed it already—the down jacket’s in my bag, don’t go rummaging.”

“Really? Are you sure?”

“Really, I swear! I’m leaving now.”

Li Jie hurriedly grabbed his bag and rushed to the taxi, not daring to wait for his twelve mothers to get sentimental. He urged the driver, “To Baxianqiao Train Station—step on it!”

He handed over a crisp hundred-yuan bill.

The cabbie, who had been losing patience, brightened immediately, pocketed the money, slammed the car into second gear, and roared off. “Hold on tight!”