Reborn, I Became a Male God - Chapter 14

Signing a contract with Hongguang Film & Television was as ordinary to Jing Ling as eating or drinking. Before signing, he had taken the time to look into related information, but once it was done, he no longer concerned himself with it and continued filming as usual. They shot the indoor scenes first before moving to the outdoor ones, with night scenes still to be filmed in the evenings. Almost every day, he had to get up before dawn to prepare, and staying up until eleven or twelve at night was a regular occurrence.

Day after day, it was as if he didn’t know what fatigue was.

The crew was so busy following his pace that they were like spinning tops. After putting in such effort, they finally managed to finish filming before the new semester began.

On the day the director announced the wrap, everyone’s first feeling was a sense of relief. After the wrap party, Jing Ling quickly rushed to report to school. However, upon arriving in Yizhou, he first accompanied Jing Qiu to register at Yizhou Normal University. After the airing of The Song of Eternal Joy, he was considered someone who had entered the entertainment industry. Coupled with his excessively outstanding appearance, to avoid causing any trouble for Jing Qiu, he made a simple disguise before going out.

But by his standards, “simple” wasn’t quite the same in others’ eyes. For instance, Jing Qiu didn’t even recognize him until he walked up, patted her on the shoulder, and called out, “Sis.”

Only then did she react, though she still seemed unsure. She tentatively asked, “Xiao Ling?”

Jing Ling nodded. “You’re not mistaken. It’s me.”

Jing Qiu looked at him in astonishment. “Xiao Ling, your face… and your hair?”

Jing Ling took her hand and placed it behind his ear. “Can you feel it? Just a wig and a human-skin mask. They sell these online. Your little brother is so good-looking, and there are so many girls at Normal University—I just want to quietly accompany you to register.”

Jing Qiu laughed at that, not arguing, since what he said was the truth.

The two siblings arrived at Normal University at 9:00 a.m. By around noon, Jing Ling had helped Jing Qiu complete the entire freshman registration process—enrollment, payment, dormitory assignment, setting up the bed, and buying daily necessities. Afterward, he rented a bicycle at the school gate, gave her a simple tour of the campus, and only then dropped her off at her dormitory building.

“We’ve been running around all morning. Go get some rest,” Jing Ling said, handing her the snacks he had bought earlier and giving her some reminders.

Jing Qiu nodded. “Mm. You’d better go report now—don’t be late.”

Jing Ling waved to her and rode off on the bike.

Jing Qiu’s dorm room was on the fifth floor, Room 502, at the end of the hallway. Just as she turned onto the second floor with her belongings, she saw a girl ahead of her drop something. Jing Qiu picked it up for her and noticed the other girl was carrying a lot, so she helped share the load. After asking about their floor and room number, they discovered they were roommates.

In college, the closest relationships are often with dormmates, since they live together day and night for four years. As the two of them climbed the stairs carrying things, they started chatting and soon reached the fifth floor. Since Jing Qiu was carrying less, she went ahead to unlock the door. In that moment, the other girl suddenly asked, “Oh right, Jing Qiu, I saw you downstairs earlier. Was that handsome guy on the bike your boyfriend? I only saw his side profile, but he looked so handsome—and so considerate too!”

Jing Qiu chuckled. “That’s my younger brother.”

The girl exclaimed with envy, “I want a considerate and handsome little brother like that too!”

—

After leaving Normal University, Jing Ling didn’t rush to return the bike. Instead, he rode around the campus for a bit, and only returned it once it was close to working hours. After completing the full registration process, it was already past five and almost six in the evening. Actually, he could have finished earlier, but he was recognized while waiting in line to pay his fees. His appearance was already eye-catching, and while most people only stole glances, once someone recognized him, the line suddenly stirred—several girls came over asking for autographs and photos.

To avoid disturbing others, Jing Ling promised the girls he wouldn’t leave right after paying and would wait nearby instead. This delayed things. Even so, he had to rush off quickly; if more people had shown up later, who knows how long it would have dragged on.

The other three people in his dorm hadn’t arrived yet. After unpacking, Jing Ling took a quick shower and went to bed early. And while he was asleep, what had happened that afternoon quickly became a trending topic on the Nanzhou Forum.

—

Thread title: Ran into my idol at school this afternoon—SO EXCITED AHHHHHHHHH!!!

no.0 RabbitLittleJin: I went to register at school today, and while I was in line to pay, I noticed someone diagonally across from me who looked really familiar. After a few more glances, I realized it was HIM—my idol! I got so excited I couldn’t control myself and just bolted out of line to ask for his autograph and a photo. His voice is so nice, and he looks even better in real life than on TV. When he smiled at me, my knees went weak. After getting his autograph, I suddenly realized how silly I’d acted and, under the surprised stares of those around me, I totally chickened out. I didn’t have the courage to ask for a photo and just blushed and thanked him before fleeing back to the line.

no.1 zzzzZZZZ: So jealous, OP. I saw him once at the airport, but I’ve never had a random encounter like this.

no.2 AhHua: Sharing your good fortune! I hope I get to bump into him too!

no.3 CreamRoll: Just a passerby eating popcorn here—curious who OP’s idol is.

—

no.27 RabbitLittleJin: Just got back—continuing now. After me, several other girls also asked him for autographs. One of them was even braver than I was—she didn’t care what others thought and asked for a photo. I was SO jealous and regretful! But he didn’t take the photo then—he said earlier that we were all in line and there were too many people, so he was worried about disturbing others. But he promised to wait after paying and take photos then. HE’S SO SWEET! Thanks to that girl’s bravery, I got my photo too. I instantly made it my wallpaper and I still feel like I’m floating!

no.28 HulaHoopNoTears: Curious who OP’s idol is. Checked all entertainment news, and none of this year’s new students at the big arts colleges have debuted, right?

no.29 YouCanHearMe: Lol, maybe it’s just some nobody trying to hype himself up.

—

As the thread went on, the tone got stranger. Some people started making veiled personal attacks and throwing around negativity.

The original poster had just wanted to share her happiness but didn’t expect things to blow up like this. Outraged, she posted the photo she took that afternoon—thankfully remembering to blur her own face.

no.536 RabbitLittleJin: Since some people insist I’m just clout-chasing, let’s make it official. Here’s the photo. My idol really is this handsome. If you can’t handle it, too bad! [Image]

no.537 YouCanHearMe: See? Couldn’t hold it in after all. Some nobodies these days are so thirsty for fame it practically oozes off the screen.

no.538 SunshineEarlySummer: These days anyone dares say someone’s handsome. I’m starting to forget how to write the word “handsome.”

—

no.666 AhNi: Seriously, do some people upstairs need their eyes checked? If this guy isn’t handsome, I really don’t know what “handsome” even means anymore.

no.667 ZhiZhu: OMG! The guy in the picture is Jing Ling! So jealous, sob sob sob! Tell me what school this is—I want a chance to bump into him too!

—

Jing Ling had no idea about the drama unfolding on the forum. After the new student registration ended, the month-long military training began. At Yizhou University, the training was always held within the military unit itself. On the morning of September 5th, the campus was packed with buses that transported the new students in batches to the base. After getting settled in, the training began the next morning.

After a full morning of drills, Jing Ling realized something—his instructor seemed to be targeting him. But it didn’t make sense. They had no prior contact, didn’t even know each other. There was no reason for him to be singled out. Because of this, Jing Ling wasn’t sure if he was imagining things.

But something that happened that afternoon confirmed it: the instructor was targeting him.

The weather that day was perfect—clear skies, no clouds, and a blazing sun that felt like it could roast someone alive.

The girl standing in front of Jing Ling couldn’t handle the heat and suddenly fainted. Reacting quickly, he caught her before she hit the ground, picked her up in his arms, and rushed her to the shade while shouting, “Reporting, Instructor! Someone’s fainted from heatstroke!”

After delivering the girl to the medical room, Jing Ling returned to continue training—only to be called aside by the instructor.

“Kid, you’re pretty good at playing the hero, huh? Ran real fast just now. Since you like running so much, go do 20 laps around the training field. You can rest when you’re done. If you can’t finish, don’t bother eating dinner.”

Twenty laps wasn’t a big deal to Jing Ling, but he wasn’t about to let it slide. Smiling faintly, he looked at the instructor and asked, “Instructor, even when interrogating a prisoner, you still need to sign a statement. You’re targeting me like this—you could at least give me a reason, right?”

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