Chapter 1: Was I Really Getting Pampered by the Luxurious Sweet Princess?
Shen Lang stared at his reflection in the mirror, his tone brimming with unprecedented confidence.
The young man in the mirror had sharp eyebrows, starry eyes, an imposing aura, a straight nose, thin lips, a face as fair as jade, and fair skin. Dressed in a white shirt, he looked every bit the dashing young gentleman.
With such extraordinary looks, he was bound to attract the admiration of countless love-struck girls.
Who knew which temptress would get to claim him?
As for who would benefit in the future, Shen Lang didn’t know yet.
But tonight, he would belong to Sweet Princess.
Sweet Princess… also known as the Luxurious Flower of the Mortal World!
From his awakened memories, he learned one thing:
Shen Lang was being pampered by Sweet Princess?
At this point, the two hadn’t even been intimate yet.
However, Sweet Princess had given him an ultimatum.
Today, February 14th—Valentine’s Day—Shen Lang would offer himself to her.
The original host… no, he himself, before regaining his memories, had refused.
But after awakening his past life’s memories, Shen Lang realized he was a reincarnator—a transmigrator.
—A fetus transmigration!
For over twenty years, Shen Lang had lived without any memories of his past life.
But just moments ago, all those memories came flooding back.
Not only that, but Shen Lang was also a second-generation star.
His uncle was Shen Teng, the future billion-dollar box office king.
In his past life, Shen Teng only had an elder sister.
But in this life, Shen Teng had an older brother who didn’t exist before—Shen Lang was the son of that brother.
Shen Lang’s parents were both military personnel, rarely home, always stationed at their base.
He grew up under the care of his grandparents.
Under the influence of his uncle Shen Teng, Shen Lang also developed a love for acting. Instead of joining the military arts academy, he enrolled in the Beijing Film Academy (BFA), becoming part of the 2015 intake.
Shen Lang was born on July 1, 1997—the day Hong Kong returned to China!
His entanglement with Sweet Princess was also tied to his own circumstances.
After entering university, Shen Lang kept a low profile, focusing on his studies.
Last year, he happened to run into Sweet Princess on campus, and she immediately took notice of him.
At first, Sweet Princess didn’t plan to pamper him—she just thought her junior was handsome and wanted to collaborate on a project.
But after learning more about Shen Lang, she started considering the idea of keeping a young lover.
The two had been in a push-and-pull dynamic until today, when Sweet Princess issued her ultimatum.
That was Sweet Princess!
How could Shen Lang refuse?
Thinking about it, he hadn’t actually refused.
Tonight, Sweet Princess would come to see him.
Shen Lang didn’t return home—instead, he rented an apartment near BFA.
It was practically his love nest with his girlfriend!
Not dating in college was a waste of youth!
So, after starting university, Shen Lang wasted no time jumping into relationships—though none lasted long.
The shortest lasted a week, the longest barely a semester.
If Sweet Princess had framed it as a passionate romance rather than a transactional arrangement, Shen Lang would have agreed immediately.
There would’ve been no hesitation, no back-and-forth.
Pampering? Or romance?
Shen Lang preferred the latter—that was a man’s pride!
Thinking of Sweet Princess, Shen Lang began anticipating what would happen tonight.
Right now, Sweet Princess was at CCTV, rehearsing for the 2018 Spring Festival Gala.
This was her first time performing at the Gala, collaborating with Jiang Shuying and Li Yifeng on the song “Praise the New Era.”
This year, Shen Teng would be absent from the Gala.
Just days ago, news broke that his skit had been cut at the final stage.
Truthfully, until the actual performance, no one could be sure their act wouldn’t get axed.
The anti-corruption-themed skit by Shen Teng and Happy Mahjong was said to carry strong moral lessons.
But its plot resembled a scene from In the Name of the People (starring Hou Yong), and its rehearsal reception was lukewarm, leading to its cancellation.
Of course, that was just the official explanation.
The real reason remained unknown.
The cancellation left Shen Teng and Happy Mahjong disheartened—months of preparation wasted, and the skit couldn’t even be performed elsewhere.
Shen Lang had seen the skit. While not as gripping as In the Name of the People, it was still a solid act by the Gala’s declining standards.
With the skit scrapped, Shen Teng and the team stayed in Beijing, celebrating the New Year with Happy Mahjong before heading to Xiamen to film Hello Mr. Billionaire.
At least without the Gala, they could focus entirely on the movie.
After Goodbye Mr. Loser and Never Say Die became box office hits, Happy Mahjong kept adapting their stage plays into films.
However, Hello Mr. Billionaire’s investors insisted on Song Yunye as the female lead, forcing Happy Mahjong to rewrite the script—leaving Ma Li out of the role.
As Shen Teng’s nephew, Shen Lang was practically Happy Mahjong family.
He had minor roles in Goodbye Mr. Loser and Never Say Die but didn’t appear in Hello Mr. Billionaire—because he was busy filming The Wandering Earth!
Yes, Shen Lang was the male lead of The Wandering Earth.
Originally, Chen Ruoxuan was cast as the lead but backed out, doubting Chinese sci-fi’s potential. He paid 50,000 yuan in penalty fees and left to film Novoland: Eagle Flag instead.
The Wandering Earth (lead role in a film) vs. Novoland: Eagle Flag (third-billed in a TV series).
Chen Ruoxuan bet on the latter, expecting it to be a hit.
The result? The exact opposite happened.
After Chen Ruoxuan’s exit, director Guo Fan searched for a replacement, and through twists of fate (or butterfly effects), Shen Lang landed the role.
A few days ago, The Wandering Earth wrapped filming.
After wrapping, Shen Lang returned to BFA—only for Sweet Princess to corner him with her ultimatum.
Reflecting on the past twenty years, this reincarnation (transmigration) had been worth it.
He dated in college—no wasted youth there.
He acted in several films, even if only in supporting roles.
His first lead role, The Wandering Earth, would release next year during the Spring Festival, skyrocketing him to fame upon its massive success.
The Wandering Earth would also mark the dawn of Chinese sci-fi cinema.
Even if Shanghai Fortress later “closed the door” on the genre, it wouldn’t count.
After The Wandering Earth’s success, sequels would follow.
Would The Wandering Earth be the exception?
Or would Shanghai Fortress be the fluke?