Becoming a Movie Star, System Only Finished Loading After Ten Years

The day Qi Hao was appearing on the show, it was pouring rain outside, so heavy that the ground was covered in water.

The weather has been unpredictable these past few years.

I don't know if it's more rain or what, but many cities start flooding once summer arrives.

Qi Hao was participating in the CCTV program "Artistic Life."

Zhu Jun was the host.

His hosting style is centered on elegance, combined with sincere and straightforward emotional expression and humor.

Qi Hao quite liked his style.

Ordinary celebrities have no right to choose the program.

But Qi Hao does.

He has a pile of invitations to various programs, most of which explicitly state that he could be scheduled anytime he wants to appear.

This time, Qi Hao chose "Artistic Life" from a bunch of invitations.

This is a very serious interview, mainly inviting various celebrities from the art world, whether film, dance, singing, comedy sketches, or folk art.

As long as you have the talent, you might get invited here.

Having connections also works.

Zhang Jingchu was invited before, besides having her crafts, naturally due to Gu Changwei's connections.

Qi Hao is the spotlight of this episode.

Since it's "Artistic Life," naturally it's about life.

"How old were you when you left home?"

Zhu Jun gently helped Qi Hao recall the past.

"Not even sixteen, graduated from junior high but didn't get into high school, so I repeated a year, and when I couldn't focus on studying, I just didn't study anymore."

Qi Hao rarely responds to such questions these years.

Because many media ask such questions with malicious intent, aiming to remind everyone that Qi Hao is illiterate.

No matter if Qi Hao is knowledgeable, it doesn't matter.

They only report what they want to report, not what they hear.

"Was it running away from home at the time?"

Zhu Jun cautiously asked; apart from romance topics, they hadn't prepared other scripts in advance and it was his first time working with Qi Hao, unsure about Qi Hao's adaptability.

Better not have any accidents.

"Actually, it wasn't considered running away, my mom knew I left, she came to find me after a couple of days."

Qi Hao smiled.

Whether good or bad, it's all in the past.

At most, just control the narrative, don't set a bad example for the kids.

Everyone knows Qi Hao dropped out to enter the industry.

Rather than covering it up, it's better to clarify it on the show.

"Do you regret not finishing your education?"

Zhu Jun helpfully posed this question.

"Of course, sometimes seeing peers studying, playing, enjoying the life experiences they should at that age, it's genuinely envious."

Qi Hao had to say he regretted it.

If he said he didn't regret it, not even a bit, and encouraged no schooling, he might as well be doomed.

"So you filmed two youth school movies to satiate your desire for high school, right?"

Zhu Jun chuckled as he said.

"More or less," Qi Hao stated earnestly: "Actually, the shortcomings in education have always restricted my development, often due to reasons of discourse and knowledge causing missed job opportunities, I realized this issue early."

"Then how did you solve it?"

Zhu Jun sighed with relief, Qi Hao is meticulous, even more than us hosts.

"Of course, I turned to learning!" Qi Hao said without hesitation: "After realizing that there's no achievement without knowledge, I began self-learning and even hired teachers, like for English, I hired two teachers who followed me to sets all day."

Zhu Jun thought for a moment, then followed up on Qi Hao's statement: "Why learn English?"

Since you mentioned it, it must be true, so we can discuss it in depth.

"English is a tool, many professional books in the film industry have no proper translations and I could only read the original texts..."

The real reason was to complete a task.

Qi Hao slightly altered the narrative to make it about learning film knowledge.

There's no logical flaw at all.

"Reaching a level to read original texts, really?"

Brother, too much!

Too much!

Pretending ended up looking foolish.

Zhu Jun carefully observed Qi Hao's expression and if Qi Hao seemed evasive, he would immediately change the topic.

Can we switch topics?

Or just tell me the script in advance.

Which talent you want to show, prepare in advance, and I'll assist you.

I'll play along as your supporter.

"You can randomly pick a book, randomly flip a page, and I'll help translate it, the level might not be high, but at least it can be understood."

Actually, this seemed a bit over the top and deliberate.

But to clarify that he is not illiterate, and to set an example of loving to learn for the youth, even if it's over the top, it's very necessary.

Qi Hao has strong idol attributes.

And the age range of his fans is significant; for older fans, it doesn't matter if you go to school.

But those kids still in school have no idea.

They only see Qi Hao succeed.

A person who didn't attend high school gained tremendous success.

They ignore anything about survivor bias, they just use Qi Hao as an example to argue about not wanting to go to school.

Although Qi Hao doesn't need to be responsible for their lives, as an idol, he still needs to be as positive as possible.

Zhu Jun didn't hesitate.

After saying so much, continuing to dither would be unreasonable.

Anyway, it was Qi Hao himself who made the request.

If Qi Hao can't translate it, then they can simply redo the recording.

There was a bookshelf at the recording site.

It was filled with literary books, many of which were cultural monographs and biographies.

Zhu Jun grabbed one randomly.

In fact, he still took care of Qi Hao, neither choosing Mr. Qian Mu's more specialized "Chronology of Pre-Qin Philosophers" nor selecting the relatively niche "Cultural Poetics: Theory and Practice", but opting for the "Early Autobiography of Zhao Yuanren".

Zhao Yuanren was a pioneer of modern Chinese linguistics, known as the "Father of Modern Chinese Linguistics".

This book records his growth from childhood to youth, without providing conclusions or insights; it's purely a record of life.

Therefore, there wouldn't be overly complex vocabulary.

Qi Hao agreed, admitting that he hadn't read this book before.

There are simply too many books in the world.

Even if Qi Hao had the ability to remember everything at a glance, he couldn't possibly read them all, especially since his brain capacity is limited and can't hold too much.

Zhu Jun held the book in one hand and quickly flipped through the pages.

It was the kind where the book is bent and released little by little, at a speed faster than a gale.

Qi Hao reached out with a hand to stop it just at one page.

"I probably developed a hernia of the small intestine when I was about six years old. I only remember my belly always hurting. In our family, we mostly saw traditional Chinese medicine for illnesses, but for surgical issues, we sought Western medicine. At that time, we lived in Baoding. My father took me to Tianjin to see a doctor..."

Qi Hao read it out slowly.

Although Zhao Yuanren was also a translator and translated works such as "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," this autobiography was clearly in Chinese.

Yet what Qi Hao read out was in English.

That means he did a live translation.

Afterwards, Zhu Jun flipped a few more pages and let Qi Hao read a few more passages.

He is a host at CCTV and has a Master's degree in arts from Peking University.

Although his English level isn't considered top among CCTV hosts, he can at least discern quality.

Moreover, there were directors and other staff present on site.

The earphones immediately provided positive feedback.

Awesome!

Accurate, fluent, authentic...

Even professionals in the translation industry might not be much better than this.

"Today truly broadens my horizons. I've come to deeply understand a saying: education level doesn't equate to knowledge, and one must keep learning throughout life."

Zhu Jun was deeply moved.

"I have no choice in this matter; I missed out on formal education and can only double up outside of school, which is actually more arduous. So I always encourage my fans to study hard."

Qi Hao reflected on his dropping out from middle school.

Enough with the illiterate label.

As for the self-study degree from Beijing Film Academy, he didn't actively bring it up.

How could such a thing be casually mentioned?

Others need to slowly discover and realize Qi Hao's multiple talents before it becomes convincing.

One must know when to stop.

Presenting English proficiency is enough to prove he's not illiterate.

"Before you became famous, you spent about two years doing miscellaneous roles, right?"

Zhu Jun moved on to the next topic.

"Yes, for more than two years, without seeing any hope."

Recalling those times now, Qi Hao has to remark on his own "unparalleled stubbornness."

"How did you persist back then, what belief did you hold?"

As a competent host, exploring deeper meanings in topics is a required skill.

"Actually, in the beginning, I thought about giving up; it was too exhausting and completely different from what I imagined. But I thought to myself, it's only been a few months, I can hang on a bit longer; then after pushing through for over a year, I couldn't bear to give it up, so I encouraged myself to keep persisting, which ended up lasting more than two years..."

Qi Hao spoke frankly.

There's not much depth to it; what supported him back then wasn't sunk costs but having the system as a plug-in.

Even if the system seemed useless like it was dead.

But having something others don't makes you feel subtly unique.

Your confidence explodes.

"Actually, many things are similar; as long as we find the right direction and persistently strive towards it."

"Whether we succeed or not is unclear, but it's definitely better than not trying."

The two exchanged words.

The program proceeded very smoothly, showcasing Qi Hao's artistic life and uncovering many mysteries surrounding him.

Many people go through such a phase after becoming famous.

It can be referred to as the gilding process.

Some even need to clear their names.

Qi Hao doesn't need to clear his name, but he does need people to have a new understanding of him, not just stay with the image of a middle school dropout turned entertainment idol.

With fame and fortune, who doesn't want some reputation afterward?

Even coal bosses long for a cultured persona.

Moreover, working in the film industry involves interacting with people from all walks of life, sometimes even official contacts.

If you are constantly labeled an illiterate.

The authorities won't acknowledge you.

Now, through this CCTV program, Qi Hao is gilded; as long as there are no signs of a mishap after the program airs, he will no longer be the hopeless illiterate who couldn't express himself.