The Cannon Fodder Became a Superstar After Joining a Dating Show with the Film Emperor [Transmigration] - Chapter 1

Sunlight streamed over his eyelids, and Lu Ren’s lashes fluttered. He cracked his eyes open just a sliver.

Blinking groggily, he was immediately met with the harsh, piercing glare of the sun. Lu Ren let out a sharp yelp.

“Fatty, close the curtains,” he groaned, his voice muffled as he threw an arm over his face. “What time is it…”

A deep, magnetic voice replied from beside him.

“11:47.”

11:47… It’s not even noon yet.

Anyway, I don’t have any scenes today.  Lu Ren pulled the duvet higher, burying his head into the pillow. He mumbled, “I’m going to sleep for one more—”

He stopped mid-sentence, falling silent.

…That voice. Why does it sound so unfamiliar?

The duvet was snow-white and soft, gentle against his skin. The pillow, made of some unknown plush fabric, emitted a faint, pleasant fragrance. It was obvious this wasn’t his hard dorm bed.

Lu Ren’s eyes snapped open.

He shot his gaze downward.

A vibrant, youthful-looking Lu Ren greeted him, his expression a mask of pure shock.

Lu Ren, huddled beneath the covers, was frozen in disbelief.

*A hotel.*

*A strange man.*

*And I’m not even wearing underwear?!*

*Holy shit,* Lu Ren cursed inwardly, his face flushing crimson. He couldn’t bear to stay in bed for another second. He bolted upright in one swift motion.

Pulling the blanket higher to shield his bare chest, Lu Ren glanced beside him, his heart still racing. The next moment, his eyes widened, and he stared, transfixed.

Just a few feet away, a stranger leaned against the headboard.

Sunlight streamed through the spotless glass, casting a faint golden glow over his profile.

Silhouetted against the light, the man radiated an indescribable, commanding aura. A wave of pressure washed over Lu Ren. Though they were both merely sitting, meeting those unfathomable eyes made him feel like a tiny ant being looked down upon.

Lu Ren swallowed hard and instinctively tugged the blanket higher. “You… Who are you?”

As he spoke, his gaze was drawn, almost against his will, to the man’s hand.

Lu Ren had a thing for hands.

The man was exceptionally handsome, and even his hands were a first-rate sight, well-defined knuckles, fair and clean, with fingertips like carved jade. He was leisurely fiddling with a palm-sized black camera, his movements both alluring and provocative… Wait.

…A camera???

What the hell was going on?

…Had he been set up in a honey trap? Holy shit!

Lu Ren’s mind was a chaotic mess. His first instinct was to call 110, but he didn’t know whether to do that or to humbly ask the man what he wanted.

But in that very second, memories flooded back like a broken dam. A torrent of fragmented recollections surfaced, bringing a pain more intense than the worst hangover, forcing Lu Ren to clutch his head.

After three or four seconds, Lu Ren tentatively looked up. “Yin… Yin Beilin?”

Yin Beilin gave a noncommittal grunt. “Sobered up yet?”

He turned, closing the distance between them.

His tone sounded amused, but his phoenix eyes, their inner corners curving down and outer corners sweeping up, were utterly cold.

Lu Ren’s heart hammered against his ribs under that gaze, the hair on his back standing on end. He managed a dry, strained smile. “S-sobered up…”

Not only was he sober, but he was so painfully awake that he wanted to jump off a building. *Damn it!*

How the hell did he transmigrate into a novel?!

Though his memories were still fragmented and hazy, he knew Yin Beilin was none other than the male lead of *The Road to Best Actor*—a wildly popular “feel-good” novel from the Point-system site he had been obsessively reading.

Yin Beilin was the quintessential all-around heartthrob: rich, handsome, and utterly captivating.

In his debut film, *Wealthy Detective*, he had single-handedly salvaged the super-trashy production. His portrayal of the cynical, playboy chaebol detective was so brilliant that he became an overnight sensation.

The reason was simple: Yin Beilin was rich in real life.

It was as if a tycoon had chartered a plane to shower the city with bills, and Yin Beilin had personally exchanged them for USD.

From then on, just like the author’s blunt and straightforward title, Yin Beilin began his direct ascent to Best Actor.

Of course, this kind of setup was all too common in Point-system male-oriented novels.

After all, in this day and age, the “grassroots underdog” trope, where a man’s fortunes shift every thirty years was long outdated. Besides, the author, Dongfang Zhuzhu, was a master of fluff. The descriptions of slapping faces in the film industry and the petty schemes were all painfully childish.

But why is this novel so popular? The key is Dongfang Zhuzhu’s character design for the male lead!

Yin Beilin’s character has literally fought his way through a sea of Dragon Protagonists, carving out a bloody path to success!

*The Road to Best Actor* is, after all, a male-oriented “feel-good” novel. Naturally, it features countless stunningly beautiful young women and mature *onee-san* types. But unlike other Dragon Protagonists who build expansive harems in typical “stallion” novels, Yin Beilin takes a different approach he plays the role of the unswayable, passionless monk, leaving readers to bet on which girl will eventually win his heart.

But even if he’spassionless, how can he survive in a male-oriented novel without any women?

So, even though Yin Beilin is practically a block of ice, the women in the book still throw themselves at him with reckless abandon!

Unfortunately, no matter how hard the starlets, second female leads, first female leads, and even the Best Actress winners try to seduce him, the male lead remains utterly indifferent, focusing solely on his career as a Film Emperor with a single-mindedness that knows no bounds.

Finally, under the admiring, longing, and secretly affectionate gazes of a crowd of beautiful women—he walks onto the award stage, the center of everyone’s attention, with a cold and distant air.

That’s the kind of *class* they’re after!

That’s the kind of *thrill* they crave!

When Lu Ren first started reading this book, he was a freshman in college. By the time he was a junior and had started working on film sets, this epic novel, which was nearing seven million words, was only just approaching its finale.

The reader comments section had long been flooded with countless bets on which female character would win. Yet, even after Yin Beilin became the Film Emperor, Dongfang Zhuzhu stubbornly kept the readers dangling, refusing to reveal who the final female lead would be.

Because Dongfang Zhuzhu was deliberately dragging out the plot, the comments section had already erupted in fury. The top-voted comment read:

“Dongfang Zhuzhu is definitely a eunuch with no balls, and a gay one at that. Diagnosis complete.”

The second comment followed:

“Dongfang Bubai, if you don’t choose Luo Jiuge as the final female lead, I’ll sodomize you through the screen right now. Just you wait, bitch.”

There were so many such violent comments that Dongfang Zhuzhu probably developed a rebellious streak. In the novel, he even wrote that there were rumors Yin Beilin wasn’t interested in women and was actually gay.

Then, last week, Lu Ren was utterly exasperated to see a new chapter featuring a cannon fodder character, who not only shared his name but had it spelled exactly the same way, without a single character’s difference!

This sissy gay man, who was in the same film crew as Yin Beilin, harbored wicked intentions and drugged Yin Beilin. He even climbed into the male lead’s bed with a camera, intending to assault him.

His end was naturally tragic.

Although Yin Beilin was aloof and detached, as a Dragon Protagonist, his methods of punishing cannon fodder were just as ruthless as those of other male-oriented feel-good novel protagonists.

Moreover, to feed shit to the fans, Dongfang Zhuzhu specifically wrote a brain-dead plotline designed to infuriate the haters.

This cannon fodder character, Lu Ren, ended up naked and drugged, being violated with a rag while being filmed. He was forced to say, “Yin Beilin isn’t gay! Yin Beilin isn’t gay! I was wrong! I’m the retard! I’m the gay one! I’m the gay one!”

Lu Ren: “…”

*What the hell is wrong with this author?! Who’s going to understand my frustration at getting caught in the crossfire for no reason?!*

The plot was utterly toxic, leaving the comment section a toxic wasteland. Countless readers threatened to drop the novel.

Lu Ren couldn’t stand it either.

But out of habit, he kept reading the next few dozen chapters.

Who knew there would be something even worse than the worst?

Dongfang Zhizhu took “giving up” to a new level. Out of nowhere, the author introduced a new female character, an extra who didn’t even deserve a scene with Yin Beilin in the production crew and had her sign a marriage agreement with him.

At this point, Lu Ren truly couldn’t take it anymore.

Although he hadn’t invested in the Movie Queen Luo Jiuge and preferred the gentle and elegant TV Queen Su Xi, Dongfang Zhizhu’s latest move still struck him like a bolt of lightning, leaving him utterly disgusted.

Who would have thought he would actually transmigrate into this book?

And not just any character, but this very same cannon fodder!!!

And judging by the current situation, Lu Ren stared at the camcorder Yin Beilin was fiddling with and couldn’t help but shiver… *Had he already drugged Yin Beilin?*

*Had they already filmed it?*

*Was it already over??*

Lu Ren was completely in the dark. After the breakup yesterday and having his role cut, his future was already bleak enough.

Now, it wasn’t just bleak this was a fucking death sentence!

He couldn’t even force a dry laugh. Instead, he broke out in a cold sweat, too terrified to even move.

Yin Beilin’s expression was cold and calm, just as handsome and inscrutable as described in the book.

He had been completely wasted yesterday and couldn’t remember a thing.

Moreover, he didn’t even know if it had been him or the original host who was in control…

If it had been the original host…

The more Lu Ren thought, the more desperate he became, his face going completely blank.

*Wait, is it too late to grovel and beg for forgiveness now?*

Yin Beilin scoffed at Lu Ren’s vacant expression.

The sound of that cold laugh snapped Lu Ren back to reality. He hurriedly looked up at the male lead, his heart pounding in terror.

Yin Beilin had shifted his position without Lu Ren noticing. He had been leaning against the headboard, but now he was propped up on one elbow, his legs crossed.

The movement caused his already loose, unfastened robe to gape open, revealing a deep V-neck. The dark ink-colored fabric contrasted sharply with his fair skin.

Being so close, Lu Ren’s eyes were practically electrified by the sexy deep-V. He hurriedly lowered his head.

But the next second, the quilt dipped. A camera appeared in Lu Ren’s line of sight as he kept his head down.

Lu Ren’s face turned deathly pale.

Yin Beilin’s deep, magnetic voice sounded.

“Didn’t you want to take pictures?”

His voice was still cold, but if Lu Ren had looked up, he might have seen an indescribable, wicked playfulness on his face.

Unfortunately, Lu Ren just froze, as quiet as a chicken, keeping his head down, not even daring to breathe.

“Why don’t you see for yourself what ‘good deeds’ you did yesterday?”

This time, Lu Ren’s face turned even paler. The hair on his back stood on end in terror.

…Can I not look? I’ll… I’ll beg you!

Lu Ren screamed in his heart, but he didn’t dare move a muscle.

Even as he felt Yin Beilin’s gaze on him, heavy as a physical weight, he obediently picked up the camera with his pale face though his hands were shaking like a sieve.

The original owner must have spent a fortune on this camera. It was a foreign brand and looked very high-end.

Lu Ren clicked around haphazardly, following the prompts to the video page.

He couldn’t decide whether to curse the original owner for being so stupid, or Dongfang Zhuzhu for writing such a brain-dead plot.

If you’re going to film, just film. Can’t you use a pinhole camera these days?

Why bring a camera the size of a palm? Who’s going to go to the Western Heaven if you don’t!

Soon enough, Lu Ren found the “goodies” Yin Beilin wanted him to see.

Because the video was so blatantly obvious, the thumbnail alone was already explosive it was a shot of himself, completely naked.

The lighting was dim, but this high-performance camera clearly demonstrated the saying “you get what you pay for,” capturing him in crystal-clear detail.

Coincidentally, this cannon fodder not only shared his name but looked exactly like him.

As soon as the audio started, a rustling sound filled the air the unmistakably suggestive sound of clothes being removed.

Lu Ren’s face flushed first, then his expression shifted to that of the “old man on the subway looking at a smartphone,” unable to bear the sight of “himself” seductively undressing before Yin Beilin.

On the bed, Yin Beilin’s eyes were closed, indeed appearing to be unconscious.

He’s faking it. He’s totally faking it.

The hand Lu Ren used to watch the video trembled slightly. *Don’t go…*

Yet the original host went anyway.

And as if that wasn’t enough, the next second, Lu Ren watched with utter mortification as “himself” climbed onto the bed, knelt before the “unconscious” Yin Beilin, and began to put a condom on “little Lu Ren.”

Lu Ren: “…”

Lu Ren’s vision went black, his expression turning visibly wretched.

Fuck, “The Bamboo of the East” never went into detail about this… Was the original host trying to top Yin Beilin?!*

Look at your own small frame, you who doesn’t even like working out. How could you possibly pin him down?

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