In Henry Clark’s view, he was a rare gem with extraordinary talent, and he had come to Hengdian to shine his light on the world. If others couldn’t make it big, was there any way he wouldn’t?

He was very confident: first, he’d work as an extra, then, relying on his excellent performance, he’d become a featured extra—that is, a special kind of extra. Once he gained experience and honed his acting skills, he’d move on to minor roles. Then, by giving his best and impressing the director, the director would appreciate him and give him a part.

Once he got a part, he’d start moving toward supporting roles, then turn the tables from supporting to leading roles, and become famous overnight.

What a wonderful future, isn’t it?

“Besides, I still have Xiaobao, a high-tech product from over 1,200 years in the future. If it just gives me a little benefit through its fingers, I’ll be set for life!”

The apartment James Mason rented was on the second floor. The stairwell had only a single 20-watt incandescent bulb, making it quite dim. But after opening the door, Henry Clark was still quite satisfied. This single-room apartment, costing 350 a month, was about ten or twenty square meters, the kind of old house that had been repainted and renovated.

The walls had been painted not long ago and were still very white. There were a few posters on the wall, one of which was a poster for “The Empress of China,” with Fan Bingbing playing Wu Meiniang, her cleavage almost bursting out.

After this TV series aired, all the cleavage scenes were cut. When it aired in Hong Kong, they even added a piece of fabric to the chest, causing countless “sports fans” to wail in disappointment. Who would have thought James Mason was also one of those who liked to “watch the game,” and even got such a racy promotional poster.

“But, wasn’t Fan Ye’s cleavage just pushed up?”

Henry Clark never really believed in female celebrities’ bust sizes—too much padding.

“How is it? My place isn’t bad, right? I like to keep things clean, so the apartment is well taken care of. Look at this table—not too high or too big, just right for one person. I bought two stools myself: one is a tall one with a backrest, which you can move to the balcony to read or sunbathe; the other is a small folding stool you can carry to the set and sit on when you’re not filming. If you rent the place, I’ll give you both stools for free. How about it?”

Henry Clark asked curiously, “Does everyone bring a stool to the set?”

“Not necessarily. Usually, it’s the featured extras who like to bring stools. Extras and regular featured extras just sit on the ground. But in winter, it’s too cold to sit on the ground, so it’s better to carry a stool. Sometimes you might not get a turn to film all day, and without a stool, you’ll be exhausted.”

Henry Clark nodded in understanding.

James Mason continued his sales pitch: “This big wardrobe is a bit worn out—it belongs to the landlord. The water heater is still good; just heat up water when you need it. Come check out the bathroom—it’s a bit small, the shower and sink are squeezed together, but since we’re all guys, standing up to wash is good enough, right? And this balcony faces south, so it gets great sunlight.”

“Not bad, not bad, Brother Mason, your place is really decent.”

“Little Henry, do you want to rent it? Let me be clear: the landlord requires one month’s deposit and three months’ rent upfront. I’ve only lived here for 10 days this quarter, so there are 80 days of rent left plus one month’s deposit, totaling 1,283 yuan.”

“Over twelve hundred? That’s too expensive, Brother Mason.” When Henry Clark heard the price, he hesitated. Before coming, he’d heard that newcomers should live somewhere cheaper, since there are so many places to spend money here. If the rent is too high, you’ll soon have no money left for food.

“How about this: I’m in a hurry to leave, so I’ll count it as 300 a month for you. You give me 1,100, and I’ll still throw in the two stools.”

Henry Clark said a bit embarrassed, “Brother Mason, over a thousand for rent is beyond my budget. I still want to look at other places. One month’s deposit and three months’ rent is too much—I want to find a place with just one month’s deposit and one month’s rent. After all, I just got here and don’t know the rules in Hengdian yet.”

James Mason, eager to transfer the lease, tried to persuade him: “Little Henry, I’m telling you, the price I’m giving you is really cheap. If you go rent on your own, you’ll never find a place this good for this price. If I weren’t in a hurry to leave, I wouldn’t lower the price at all—there are plenty of people who want to rent.”

“But 1,100 is still too expensive.”

“Rent is fixed. Once you pay, you won’t lose out, and you won’t have to pay again for a while. I also have Wi-Fi here, so it’ll be convenient for you to get online.” Seeing Henry Clark’s determined expression, James Mason patted his forehead. “How about this: tomorrow I’ll go with you to look for apartments, and you can compare for yourself—see if my place is better or if you can find something better.”

……

So that’s how it was decided: tomorrow morning, James Mason would take Harry Howard to look for a place to rent.

Henry Clark went back to the internet café. He still needed to keep posting in the Hengdian forum and the Hengdian actors’ group, and at the same time absorb some of the experiences of his seniors about living and acting in Hengdian. Although Henry Clark was young—only eighteen this year—he wasn’t naive or clueless. When he was studying art, he often used summer vacation as an excuse to travel to other places for “fieldwork.”

As an outsider suddenly arriving in a place as complex as Hengdian, he had to know how to protect himself and how to fit into this social system.

He stayed up until midnight, and when the group was basically empty, Henry Clark stopped posting. After thinking for a bit, he wrote a diary entry in his QQ space.

“From Huaicheng to Hengdian.”

His writing was terrible—mostly stream of consciousness.