Rebirth: How A Loser Became A Prince Charming

Everyone in the room focused on the match. The stars were favoring the Chinese team. Several shots from UAE were unsuccessful.

Another shoot from Qi Hong!

"We’re still at 19 minutes! Another goal!"

Qin Guan roared along with everyone else. After so many years of the same experience, he was still as crazy as ever.

Boxes of iced beer were opened. A match without beer was no match after all.

The chef of the club had also made some simple tuna salad for them and stolen some pot-stewed meat from the buffet in exchange for a seat in front of the TV.

Being considerate, the girls finished their work early. Their customers were not in the right mood to enjoy their skills.

They thought wrong though. The boys might not have quit midway if they’d known what would follow [1].

"It’s the 33rd minute, and Hao Haidong has scored a third goal! We’re less than half-way through the game! This is a good beginning in the competition!" The goals were all shown in replay.

"What a powerful national team!"

"We will have a place at the World Cup in South Korea and Japan."

"This is our rising National Soccer Team!"

Qin Guan suddenly calmed down at those words.

Recalling the development of Chinese soccer, he sighed in sorrow. The god of destiny makes fools of people.

The Chinese team didn’t score any goals in the second half, but nobody was upset about that. 3:0 was enough for everyone.

After the match, they finished all the food and drinks in excitement. When they went out of the room, they saw that the stars were shining in the sky.

They stumbled towards Qin Guan’s car. It was not the wine that had intoxicated them. It was the drinker who got himself drunk.

"When’s the next match?"

"August 31st, China versus Oman."

"They’re playing here in SY."

"F*ck! Should we buy tickets and go watch it live?"

"Stop dreaming, they were sold out a month ago," Wang Lei ruined their dreams with only a few words.

"How do you know?"

"I couldn’t depend on you guys. I tried to buy tickets myself, but there weren’t any." Wang Lei sighed.

"Let’s just stay home and watch the match on TV then."

They didn’t insist on it. Before getting in the car, someone said, "There’s another KTV club around here. Take us there to watch the next match, Qin Guan!"

Those boys were insatiable.

Qin Guan carried his drunk roommates into their room, finding them both funny and annoying.

Meanwhile, he was thinking of something.

Sister Xue had made a serious call to Qin Guan and Huang Bo, forbidding them to attend any parties or balls related to celebrities.

There was a storm all over the entertainment circle, and they could be crashed with the slightest misstep.

There had been an incident concerning the 19th China Silver Eagle TV Festival, which had been scheduled to open in November, 2001. The festival had some kind of connection to Qin Guan.

The TV show "The Legendary Swordsman" had applied for some festival awards, and for the first time, the awards would be decided by the audience’s vote.

The powerful directors preferred to see their works judged in a dignified, imposing contest.

It was a pity that they wouldn’t get their wish. Zhang Jizhong had failed for some strange reason. Unexpectedly, Zhao Baogang’s city life show had failed to get chosen.

This was a great influence on the actors. Those stars who had been likely to win awards were confused.

Qin Guan, Huang Bo and Sister Xue were in a small office at New Silk Road, analysing the situation in the domestic entertainment circle.

Sister Xue lit up a cigarette and shared all the gossip with them in a low voice. "Several days ago, Zhang Jizhong called me. He said he was planning on taking you to the award ceremony of the Silk Eagle Festival. If the show passed the primary selection, he would recommend you for best male supporting actor. "

"His application was turned down though, and no other CCTV show succeeded either. I wanted to know more about it, but the director and producer changed the topic. They’re guarding the secret closely. I gathered information from the crew though."

"Do you know who the most famous actress is right now? Zhao Wei! What happened to her this year though? The army flag incident!"

"This reminds us that arrogance can’t withstand wind or waves. It is said that some other superstars are not on the list of winners either. You’d better be good boys these days. Consider it carefully before you accept any offer. Understand?"

Qin Guan and Huang Bo nodded conscientiously.

Huang looked a little worried. He stared at Sister Xue with pathetic small eyes. "But I have a family to support. I can’t stay at home."

Sister Xue smiled meaningfully. "Don’t worry. We can’t participate in the official competition, but there’s another way."

"Another way?"

Sister Xue looked at them excitedly. "I’ll take you to Zhang Yang’s party. You have to grab that opportunity! We should stay away from popular films, but we can work in indie films."

Translator’s Thoughts

Lan Lan

[1] Some skills men would enjoy.