"April 11, 2015, Hengdian, clear skies."

"Today I came to Hengdian from Huaicheng, spent twelve or thirteen hours on the road, took a nap along the way, so even now (midnight) I don't feel sleepy. Hengdian is just as I imagined, and also not as I imagined, but no matter what, it's an important stop in my life (does this sentence sound like I'm imitating Jiaoshou?)."

"Met the kind-hearted Julia Howard big sister, who helped me find a place to rent, then discussed with James Mason Brother Mason about taking over his place. Tomorrow, Brother Mason promised to take me out to look at some listings. Changed my phone number (159XXXX3869, short number 934628), got a CCB bank card, and after I find a place tomorrow, I'll go get a temporary residence permit, and after that, I'll get an actor's permit."

"I heard from the seniors that this isn't the best time to come, summer is coming soon, and Hengdian gets really hot in the summer, filming can get you sunburned. But I don't care, I can handle hardship, what's a little sun? I've always thought my face was too pale, I should get a bit tanned, that's what being a man is about."

"What is a man? It's bronzed skin, a stubbly chin, and a weathered, sharp gaze. Hmm, tomorrow I'll buy a small mirror, so I can practice my gaze anytime. Also need to buy some incense, they say when actors are filming, their eyes often lack focus, kind of scattered, so I need to practice that. Watching incense burn can help train your eyes to focus (will I end up cross-eyed?)."

"And I need to pick up drawing again, in Hengdian, being an extra, having a skill makes you more popular (what skills do I have? Does the one below count? Haha!). Suddenly I really want to act, will the director take a liking to me at first sight and give me a role? Should I stir up a scandal with a female star for publicity?"

"My mind can't settle down, feeling restless, just called my mom, promised her that in a year I'll definitely make something of myself. In a year, I will definitely succeed, I will! Who is Henry Clark? How strong am I inside? I can feel it, I won't give up!"

"So what if I failed the art exam, I believe I can carve out a brilliant path of my own!"

"Ade, my friends! Ade, my youth and XYZ (I don't want to say her name). In short: I won't be able to see you all often anymore (did I copy this from Lu Xun?)."

"Huaicheng, please forget me tonight (I copied this too, from Xuecun)!"

"Good night, have a nice dream."

Chapter 004: Leaving Two Dumbbells

Early in the morning, the cleaning lady at the internet café came to tidy up, and Henry Clark was woken up by the sound of chairs being dragged. He looked at his smart watch on his wrist; it showed 7:30 a.m. Rubbing his eyes, Henry Clark got up from the chair, his shoulder sore from leaning against the backrest all night.

Luckily, he's young and healthy, and after stretching his chest a bit, the soreness faded.

The computer was already shut down; the overnight session was from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. The cleaning lady was almost done cleaning this area, so Henry Clark ran to the restroom, took a leak, then slung his shoulder bag on, grabbed his suitcase, and walked out of Baxian Internet Café. At a bun shop diagonally across from the café, he had a bowl of porridge and a few shumai.

And so, a new day in Hengdian began.

Seeing that it was getting late, Henry Clark called James Mason: "Brother Mason, are you up yet?"

"Oh, Henry Clark, right? Come over first, I'm just about to get up."

Henry Clark hurried to James Mason's rental, put his suitcase and backpack inside, waited for James Mason to wash his face and lock the door, then they went out together to look for a place.

James Mason had an electric scooter that looked like it was about to fall apart, but surprisingly, it still ran well. With Henry Clark on the back, they started from Yatang Village, went along Medical Road and Wansheng South Street, and checked out places on Denglong Road, Qingming Shanghetu Road, and other areas, asking about quite a few rentals.

"In Hengdian, there are only a few types of places. A single room with one bed and a shared bathroom outside is about 200 yuan; if there are multiple bathrooms or cabinets, it's at least 300; and then there's a place like mine, with a water heater and a desk, you can't rent it for less than 350. If you really have money, you can go for one with appliances, more air conditioners or TVs, those are all 500 and up."

They walked and stopped, and by 11 a.m., James Mason took Henry Clark into a small restaurant, ordered two dishes and two bottles of beer: "We've been running around all morning, you saw it yourself, there's no place better than mine. Except for the deposit and paying three months upfront, it's better than the others in every way, and I'm even giving you three months at a discount, 300 a month isn't much, right?"

"It's not much." Henry Clark nodded. After running around with James Mason, he basically had a good idea of the rental situation in Hengdian. There were better places than Henry Clark's, but they were definitely more expensive. After comparing, James Mason's place was still the best deal.

"How about this, you really want to rent, and I need to hand it over quickly, so I'll give you a better deal. One thousand yuan, I'll transfer the contract to you. Also, I'll leave you two stools, and in my cabinet there's a hand gripper and two dumbbells, I'll leave those for you too, how about it?"

James Mason really wanted to get rid of the place.

Henry Clark was grateful he spent the whole morning helping him look, and the place was indeed pretty good, so he finally nodded: "Alright, one thousand yuan, I'll take it."