In Ruan Xing’s previous world, the entertainment industry wasn’t very developed. The figures people talked about were powerful mages and warriors, not celebrities. So, by his standards, the face he wore in this life still looked a bit young—maybe with more age and experience, it would have more character.

But others didn’t see it that way.

The young man revealed an almost perfect face. His emerald green eyes were like deep pools, and his pale skin was so fair that even the veins under his jaw were visible. His face still held a hint of youthful innocence, but his expression was steady and composed, exuding an air of mystery while retaining a childlike clarity.

For a moment, the entire classroom fell silent. Even the instructor said nothing. All the faces on the instructor’s body opened their eyes and stared straight at Ruan Xing.

In the stillness, Ruan Xing spoke: “Instructor, can I pass this round?”

The face growing from the top of the instructor’s head slowly nodded. “You truly don’t need any further enhancements.”

So perfect—too perfect. More perfect than any of the faces the instructor had ever possessed.

What to do? I want it.

The instructor bit their lip but eventually suppressed the desire. Half the faces on the body forcibly shut their eyes.

The trainees whispered among themselves. Chen Fan had always known Ruan Xing was good-looking, but he hadn’t realized just how striking he was without the glasses to obscure his features!

Chen Fan made up his mind: time to go back and give this love another shot.

Beside him, Lulu also wore a shocked expression. At the same time, jealousy flickered in his eyes.

So he was pretending to be a pig to eat the tiger, just to shock everyone?

Lulu recalled how he had to struggle through the first round of selection, being rejected twice before finally being recognized and climbing to his current position. So why did this guy get to pass painlessly just by relying on his looks?! Then what were all his past sufferings for?

Something beneath Lulu’s long hair began to stir restlessly.

“The trainees who passed the first round may return to their dorms to rest. The others will continue training,” said the instructor.

Ruan Xing asked, “Instructor, what happens if no one meets your standards?”

At that moment, many people turned to watch that corner. The instructor smiled, his tone drastically gentler than before—completely different: “They’ll be sent to the makeup room for further training until they pass the first round.”

Those in the makeup room were already on the verge of corruption. It was hard to imagine what would await them after a long training period—a new chance at debut or the fate of becoming pollutants and being forgotten by all.

Fu Gui: [Most of the pollution is concentrated on the top floor. Even the makeup room’s levels won’t kill anyone right away. Worst case, their mental state deteriorates, and they bleed out a bit. After all, we can’t expect everyone to have top-tier surgical techniques.]

Ruan Xing: [How much time do we have left?]

Fu Gui: [If you’re asking how long before they turn into what you saw earlier... probably at least a week.]

The instructor pointed at a man’s hairline and said, “Your hairline’s too high. No good.”

The man raised his hand and made a cut on his own forehead, then took out a needle and thread and stitched his hairline three centimeters lower.

“Your skin’s too rough. No good.”

A trainee took out a scalpel, made a circle around his face, and peeled off his own skin.

The instructor then pointed at a young man with a wide jawbone. “Your jawbone’s too broad. No good.”

The young man picked up a saw and sliced his face. Two L-shaped pieces of bone fell off.

Perhaps due to the effects of the drugs, these people didn’t feel pain. Though they were bleeding heavily, the injuries weren’t fatal. Still, the methods were gory, and they inflicted them upon themselves without hesitation.

After creating a double eyelid on himself, Li Yuan also successfully made it to the next round of selection.

Ruan Xing returned to the dorm. Based on his outstanding performance this time, he moved openly into an S room.

Chen Fan wanted to share a room again and was rejected once more. Instead, Ruan Xing extended an invitation to Li Yuan.

Once they entered the room, Fu Gui immediately warned: [Watch out for surveillance.]

Pollutants had entered while Ruan Xing was away.

Obediently, the mycelium divided into little fluffy cotton balls and blocked several suspicious hidden vents under Fu Gui’s direction.

Li Yuan was startled. “You’re not an ordinary person.”

Ruan Xing replied, “I never said I was.”

Li Yuan’s eyes reddened slightly. “You’re…”

He mouthed the word: Awakened.

Ruan Xing nodded.

Li Yuan opened his mouth as though he had a thousand things to say but swallowed them all.

“But you still won’t be able to help me. They’re too powerful. Even an awakened… wouldn’t stand a chance.”

Ruan Xing was a little curious now. Do I look that weak?

He told Li Yuan to stay quiet while he examined the collar around the latter’s neck.

It was tightly secured but not immovable.

Thin threads snuck inside and gave a tug. The mycelium began to tremble violently—it had been electrocuted.

Does this thing have that much voltage?

Ruan Xing tried again, but the electricity was even stronger this time. Even Li Yuan’s hair stood on end. “No, this can’t be forced.”

Ruan Xing muttered, “Quite a tricky device.”

Li Yuan sighed. “When I woke up, it was already on me. I guess only specialized equipment can break it.”

Ruan Xing nodded and gave up for now. “Alright. Then I’ll ask you questions—you just nod or shake your head.”

“Did you come here because you were looking for your brother?”

Li Yuan nodded.

“They tricked you into coming here?”

Shakes head.

“You were trafficked here?”

Nods.

Through this simple Q&A, Ruan Xing roughly understood what had happened to Li Yuan.

His older brother had disappeared some time ago. That brother also held another identity—a reserve for the Quarantine Center.

He had noticed something unusual within the base and began investigating but vanished during the process. No matter how much Li Yuan asked, he couldn’t get any information.

Until one night, he was knocked unconscious. When he woke up, he was in an unfamiliar place. He tried to escape but ended up with a broken leg.

Later, they tried to sell him somewhere else, seemingly outside the base, but because of his good looks, he was sent to Beautiful Entertainment instead. That was also when the collar appeared on his neck—one that couldn’t be removed.

It wasn’t until he arrived that Li Yuan realized that the company his brother was investigating was exactly this Beautiful Entertainment.

With this collar on, he couldn’t reveal his background or say any sensitive words. Even his range of movement was restricted. He’d tried escaping again, but before he could even reach the front desk, he was shocked unconscious.

Li Yuan gave a bitter laugh. “At least the goal was achieved. I’ve managed to learn a bit about this place. The reason I wanted you to leave earlier is because... if your friend is here, their chances don’t look good.”

Ruan Xing: “I never said it was a friend.”

Li Yuan blinked in surprise. “Didn’t you say it was someone you knew?”

Ruan Xing smiled, eyes squinting. “Yeah, an acquaintance I met once. I plan to kill them.”

Because the trainees performed quite well in the first round, the instructor was very satisfied with their progress and announced that the next round of selection would begin the very next day.

Aside from Li Yuan, Chen Fan, and Ruan Xing, the other trainees didn’t seem to have rested well. Some still had bleeding wounds on their faces; others were so swollen they looked like pig heads with eyes barely open—but their spirits were unusually high.

“Why are you wearing your glasses again?” Chen Fan looked visibly disappointed, casting a pitiful glance between Li Yuan and Ruan Xing. He clearly had something on his mind.

Ruan Xing put on a stern face: “Since this is a talent show, we must use the strictest standards to filter contestants. How can I lower the standards just because I’m good-looking? I’m eliminating distracting variables.”

Righteous and firm—even the instructor, who was eavesdropping from behind, couldn’t help but give him a thumbs-up. “Good kid, such high ideological awareness.”

Fu Gui: [Aren’t you just worried about being recognized? You think I don’t know you?]

Initially, the classroom was full, but now, barely half the trainees remained. The others had been forcibly sent to the intensive makeover training camp to wait for another selection opportunity. Just one round had such a high elimination rate—it was hard to imagine how many more would vanish after multiple rounds.

The instructor said meaningfully, “Passing the first training round is just the first step. The real difficulty lies ahead. I hope everyone keeps up. Don’t fall behind—I believe you all can succeed.”

Fu Gui: [That was the least inspiring pep talk I’ve ever heard. You could do better in your sleep.]

Ruan Xing nodded.

Instructor: “As I mentioned before, those who pass the first round will receive a reward. Now is the time to claim it.”

He clapped his hands, and Lulu pushed in a cart stacked with bowls of red liquid.

These liquids emitted a stench—identical to the one Ruan Xing had smelled on Su Su.

Ruan Xing frowned in disgust. To his nose, it smelled like fermented rotten eggs and salted fish sauce. But to the other trainees, it was as if robbers had laid eyes on treasure—they couldn’t look away.

“If you drink this, you’ll become like me,” Lulu patiently explained.

Someone eagerly picked up a bowl and drank it all in one go. Visibly, their facial wounds healed immediately. Even the stiff scars from bone shaving and skin stretching disappeared. Their features softened, masculine traits diminished, and their hair began to grow longer.

Though their facial shapes differed, they all started to look the same—long hair, delicate features, high noses, and big eyes.

Ruan Xing felt like he had just witnessed a live transformation show, watching previously unique appearances morph into cookie-cutter versions of Lulu.

Fu Gui: [Honestly, they shouldn’t be running an entertainment company—they should open a plastic surgery clinic. They’d definitely make a fortune.]

Li Yuan didn’t drink it, citing poor health as an excuse.

Ruan Xing: “No need. None of them are more beautiful than me.”

The instructor nodded in satisfaction. “Indeed. You don’t need chemical enhancement—you’re already perfect as is.”

Lulu’s gaze became even more unfriendly.

The instructor clapped again. “Now that everyone has received their rewards, let’s begin the second round of selection. The theme this time is: Celebrity Body Management.”

Ruan Xing opened a nearby box. Inside were even larger bone saws, bone forceps, bone scrapers, bone knives, bone hammers… and even a giant electric pressure cooker.

Fu Gui: [I now think they’d be even better if they open an orthopedic hospital.]

Ruan Xing wholeheartedly agreed.