Chapter 241: Clear Thoughts

Chapter 241: A Clear Mind

"Ding! One hundred voice-acting roles completed, with ten thousand minutes logged in the studio. Task [Studio Rat] finished. Achievement title [Studio Rat] unlocked (Voice-acting technique +5, Vocal expressiveness +3)."

Sleeping, idling, and leveling up!

This sensation was absolutely exhilarating.

After opening his eyes and savoring the refinement of his technique, he turned on his equipment to test the results, fully integrating the system-awarded attributes into his own skill set.

The boost to his voice-acting technique brought improvements across the board; without testing and feeling them out, Meng Fan could never have fully mastered them.

He tried out several classic segments, listening back to compare the changes and searching for the underlying patterns.

"Holy crap, Iron God, are you still up or just getting started?"

Meng Fan hadn't had much work lately, and whatever Lou Lan brought over were just small tasks. Lou Lan clearly had his own schedule; he had been grinding all night and it wasn't even five in the morning yet. He was heading to bed when he passed the studio, peeked inside, and saw Meng Fan already at work.

"You're way too intense!"

Lou Lan gave a thumbs-up before yawning and heading off to sleep.

Meng Fan recorded for a while longer before stepping out. He left the creative park and jogged all the way back to his apartment. With his experience bar full, there was no need to keep punishing himself in the studio.

Back home, he rinsed off and sank into the bathtub. Once his mind relaxed and his body felt at ease, he managed to catch a rare, refreshing nap.

"It's already December!"

Waking up and checking the date, Meng Fan realized the month had turned. This meant the day of the major catastrophe from his previous life was drawing ever closer.

It had been over two and a half months since his rebirth.

In this short time, his life and his path of study had diverged drastically from the original.

Before his rebirth, he was the kind of person who could live comfortably with only occasional effort. Whether in school or life, he was a lazy fish, drifting along and enjoying a carefree existence.

If things had gone as planned, he would have graduated from the Fine Arts Academy, landed a decent job thanks to his solid skills, and never worried about housing, cars, or money. He would have chased celebrities, attended concerts, and perhaps even had the audacity to share a meal with his idols.

He would play games when he wanted, dabble in voice acting, tip streamers hundreds or thousands, and eat whatever he craved. Perhaps if something major happened—like falling for a girl or falling ill—he would grit his teeth and hire the best trainer to lose weight.

Without the rebirth, Meng Fan’s life would certainly not have been bad; in fact, it would have been quite enviable. He was a wealthy, idle fish, a master of the "birth lottery" who started with better material conditions than 99.999% of people who spent their whole lives struggling.

Of course, life is unpredictable. Perhaps he would have been spurred into action, ignited a soul of diligence, succeeded in his fitness goals, and become a famous manga artist. At the very least, the latter was quite possible, given his solid foundation.

After his rebirth, he gained the system—a golden finger that guaranteed rewards for every ounce of effort!

This cheat turned a lazy fish like Meng Fan into someone incredibly diligent.

Everyone in this world knows they should work hard, but most give up before the harvest because their efforts yield no immediate results.

There are two types of people who are truly impressive: those who work until they reap the rewards, and those who see results the moment they start working.

Of course, the most impressive are those who continue to work hard even after they have already succeeded.

Because of this, Meng Fan's life had changed profoundly. He was no longer a lazy fish, no longer drifting. He went to bed later than the roosters and rose earlier, working with a fervor that didn't suit someone born with a silver spoon.

He was thicker-skinned than before, bolder, leaner, and stronger. He had encountered people and experiences he never would have known otherwise, was walking further toward his two dreams, and had even met the person he loved.

If asked if he liked his life before the rebirth, Meng Fan’s answer was yes.

If asked if he regretted his past laziness, his answer was no.

And did he like the changes since his rebirth? The answer was, of course, yes!

Would he be willing to give up these changes to return to the past?

Absolutely not!

Therefore, since his rebirth, Meng Fan had never wanted to—nor dared to—think about the rebirth itself, especially that specific moment in time.

There were few overlaps between his new life and the old, but they existed—like Su Qingcen’s concert or Chen Daqiang getting beaten up. Especially the latter; even though Meng Fan had intervened, Chen Daqiang was still cornered by Wei Zhiqian’s ex-boyfriend. Though, in the end, instead of getting beaten, Chen Daqiang ended up with Wei Zhiqian.

The overlaps made Meng Fan worry that the hijacking would still happen, but Chen Daqiang’s improved outcome gave him a glimmer of hope. Perhaps the hijacking could also turn out differently.

He hoped, above all, that it wouldn't happen at all!

If it did, should he hide, or should he grit his teeth and face it?

If he hid, what would be the outcome of the hijacking?

If he faced it head-on, would his current transformation be enough to change the situation for the better?

These were things Meng Fan had never dared to contemplate.

There was one more crucial time node: his cousin Meng Caitang calling him to go to Lion City!

In his previous life, he only went to Lion City because Meng Caitang won an award, and it was after attending her ceremony that he flew from Lion City to Japan for an anime expo and a voice actor concert.

The hijacking occurred on that very flight from Lion City to Japan.

As for the specific reasons or motives, Meng Fan still had no idea.

"If Tangtang doesn't call, does that mean the trajectory of this event has changed?"

"But what if, even if she doesn't call and I don't go, the hijacking happens anyway?"

Meng Fan’s head began to ache.

He hadn't dared to think about it before, but now that he did, he realized how incredibly complex the situation was.

"Damn it! Whether Tangtang calls or not, I have to go to Lion City. Otherwise, I’ll regret it for the rest of my life! With my current physique, my skills, my hat, and my black technology, could I really be killed again?"

Meng Fan remembered that in his previous life, he had managed to buy some time by unleashing his "light of life," and the hijackers were eventually subdued. The plane had been saved, which meant the hijackers weren't invincible. That gave him confidence.

If his past self could be the deciding factor, his current self certainly could be—he might even find a way to keep those hijackers off the plane entirely!

Once he thought it through, his mind felt suddenly clear.

Buzz.

A WeChat message arrived. It wasn't from Meng Caitang, but from Wu Tong.

"I'm coming back this afternoon, landing around 4:20. Will you come to pick me up?"

"Do you want me to?"

"Yes."

Seeing that "yes," Meng Fan’s mind wasn't just clear; it felt enlightened, as if he had pierced through the void and touched the divine.

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(End of chapter)