Chapter 1: Betrayed by Brothers at the Very Start

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Inside the washroom, Chen Mo tossed aside the towel and stood before the mirror, gazing at the unfamiliar yet familiar handsome face reflected back at him, his heart brimming with emotion.
"Being good-looking is such a crime, my friend!"
Chen Mo had been reborn—or rather, transmigrated.

On Earth, Chen Mo was an online film director. Though directors of online films were often dismissed by the mainstream film industry, his life was still quite comfortable.
Years of directing web movies had earned him a decent nest egg. Ambition was a human trait, and he was no exception.
With all his might, he wanted to break into the mainstream film world. When no one was willing to invest, he took out his own savings to finance a real theatrical release.
However, the difference between web films and theatrical releases was vast, and the result was predictable.

Years of hard work went down the drain in an instant; his dreams shattered, he drowned his sorrows in alcohol.
What he never expected was that this drunken stupor would lead him to another world.

This world felt both familiar and strange, as many things were the same—current stars, works, and so forth—yet many things were different.
What surprised Chen Mo most was that the identity of the body he had taken over and its past was also eerily familiar.

Chen Mo was a recent graduate from the Performance Department of a prestigious film academy in the capital city.
He had debuted in his sophomore year, playing more than a dozen named roles, including leading roles in low-budget productions and significant supporting roles in some well-regarded dramas.
He was considered a rising star with a bright future.

But this year, everything changed.
It all began when he auditioned for the third male lead in a drama called "Watching the Meteor Together."

He encountered the casting couch. Had it been the usual kind, he might have gritted his teeth and endured it.
But this time, the one propositioning was the director—and not just any director, but a man!

At first, Chen Mo had no idea. When asked to meet at a hotel to discuss the script, he didn't suspect anything.
But reality proved he was too naive, too inexperienced.
The chaos of the entertainment industry exceeded anything he had imagined.

So he ran away.
The outcome was obvious: the role of the third male lead was lost.

But what followed was far beyond his expectations.
During the filming of a drama, a female supporting actress, who had been cooperating well with him, suddenly lost her temper during a scene, inexplicably pointing her finger at him and berating him harshly.
He instinctively pushed her away.

That push plunged him into a whirlwind of public opinion.
He was accused of physically assaulting the actress after a dispute on set and labeled as a diva who bullied others.

Chen Mo immediately posted a statement denying he had touched the actress in any way.

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However, to his shock, the actress involved, Fang Xiaoxiao, refused to back down. She repeatedly accused Chen Mo of “evil deeds” in interviews and on her official social media.
“Chen Mo, you’re despicable! You pushed me and grabbed my hair in front of the whole crew. If it weren’t for the crew stopping you, who knows what you’d have done? And now you have the nerve to say you didn’t touch me? What kind of man are you?”

The original Chen Mo was dumbfounded.
He was utterly speechless.
What shattered his worldview even more was the emergence of the so-called “Backstabbers’ Club.”

His so-called brothers, once close as siblings, began with: “Brother, come out and apologize!”
That was the first stab in the back!

Then they shamelessly discussed the scandal with netizens in the comments, delivering another stab.
“Those who are innocent will be proven so. I never stir up trouble. If so many people are sharing this, don’t you get it?”

They stabbed him again and again, and when in a good mood, even more so!

At the forefront was Du Chun, leader of the Backstabbers’ Club, flanked by four male and four female loyalists who “protected” him.
One after another, they came forward to continue the attacks:
“Chen Mo, you’re surrounded by public opinion. I advise you to let go of your illusions and apologize to Fang Xiaoxiao and the crew!”
“I’ve worked with Fang Xiaoxiao and trust her character. I called yesterday just to say, don’t cry, girl!”
“Confirmed—this really happened!”
“Director Lai, hire me next time—no hitting, no script changes, gentle personality, high quality, fair price.”
“Worked together many times, trust the lady’s character!”
“Apologize! There’s nothing wrong in standing up and apologizing...”
“Personal attacks and character assassination—after the truth came out, they still said he deserved it. What’s wrong with this world?”

Although some of Chen Mo’s industry friends spoke up for him, it was all to no avail.

But did it end there?
What followed was nothing short of spectacular.

Thanks to Chen Mo’s efforts, the full surveillance footage was soon released, and crew members confirmed his innocence in interviews.
It seemed everything was finally clear, yet the Backstabbers’ Club, unwilling to lose face, couldn’t even fake forgetfulness. Instead, they nitpicked words and twisted facts, refusing to admit Chen Mo’s innocence.

What was worse, the Backstabbers’ Club was numerous and powerful. Chen Mo’s agency, under pressure, even demanded he apologize.

Only then did Chen Mo learn that all this had stemmed from his refusal to give in to the casting couch.

This incident shattered Chen Mo’s acting career.
He lost his most valuable endorsement, which was won instead by his former “brother” Du Chun!

To this, Du Chun explained: “I didn’t steal the endorsement; I earned it on my own merit!”

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But how did it just happen to work out that way?

It didn’t stop there.
Soon, much of Chen Mo’s screen time was cut, and he was demoted from the second male lead to an extra.

He was forced by his agency to apologize, or else face being blacklisted and shelved.

He drowned his sorrows in alcohol once again, and when he woke, he had become the current Chen Mo.

Rubbing his slightly throbbing forehead, he muttered to himself, “Sure enough, being a celebrity is really a high-risk profession!”

The original Chen Mo’s resentment ran deep.
But, ironically, he had almost decided to swallow his pride and apologize, even though he was innocent.
He just hadn’t gotten the chance yet.

Chen Mo could understand the original’s mindset—after all, he clearly still wanted to continue in this circle, still wanted to be an actor.
So he would consider compromise, apologizing even if wronged and framed.

But now that Chen Mo had inherited everything, naturally he would repay kindness with kindness and repay enmity with enmity.

And as for being an actor?

He had literally transmigrated here—why bother being an actor?

Blacklisting?

Fine by him! After all, the original had only signed an acting contract with Xingyu Entertainment. Blacklist or not, the contract was almost up. He didn’t care.

How he would repay kindness and enmity—that was a story for another day.

For Chen Mo, this wasn’t a bad starting point.
The original had been in the industry for three years—not making much money but still with a decent amount of disposable cash. That’s how being a celebrity really makes money.

Chen Mo found it a bit hard to understand the original. From the integrated memories, the original wasn’t a top-tier rich second generation, but he was somewhat wealthy.
His family was in real estate. After the incident, his parents wanted him to give up acting and take over the family business.

But Chen Mo seemed to disdain the family business.

Why?

Because others built real estate for the living, but his family built real estate for the dead.

Though the profits might not be much worse, he despised it so much he was even embarrassed to say what his family did.

Chen Mo could only think: youth is narrow-minded!

Since ancient times, none have escaped death. Whether early or late, death comes. What’s wrong with the ancestral tomb business?
The money is real money—they’re not dealing in pretend currency. Making money is nothing to be ashamed of.

Besides, money in the entertainment industry is money; does money from tomb real estate somehow not count?