Dong Qi typed the final character leisurely, set the writing software to auto-publish, and then closed it with satisfaction.

  "Finally, today's writing quota is done. I need to head into the city for supplies this afternoon. The forecast says a cold snap is coming, so I should stock up a bit more."

  As the protagonist, Dong Qi was naturally a transmigrator. However, unlike the epic tales of other transmigrators, his journey and life on Blue Star had been utterly uneventful.

  When his soul crossed over from Earth, he awoke in the body of a sixteen-year-old. Upon realizing Blue Star had its differences from Earth, he decided to get into the entertainment industry early, thinking fame should be seized while young.

  For a newcomer with no connections, singing was often the simplest path into showbiz. The initial investment was low, and success could bring quick recognition.

  After uploading several original songs that unexpectedly went viral, only to have them plagiarized by another artist who gained fame as a "creative genius,"

  Dong Qi—the actual creator—was instead labeled a plagiarizing clown.

  It was then Dong Qi truly understood: breaking into the entertainment world without backing was incredibly tough.

  To be fair, a few entertainment companies did reach out to him in between, but the contracts they offered were simply unacceptable.

  If the music scene was this difficult, the film and television industry seemed even more impenetrable. So, Dong Qi turned to the field with the lowest barrier to entry: writing novels.

  As the saying goes, read three hundred Tang poems, and even if you can't compose one, you'll learn to recite.

  Having read countless novels, even if he were back on Earth around 2005, he could rely on all kinds of fresh tropes. He might not become a top author, but securing a comfortable, middle-class life was certainly achievable.

  Dong Qi didn't just think it; he acted on it.

  Having become an orphan after transmigrating, by the time he left the orphanage at eighteen, he was already earning a steady monthly income of no less than 5,000.

  At that time, Blue Star's standard of living was roughly comparable to Earth's around 2010.

  On this similar planet, a monthly income of 5,000 might place you in the lower-middle class in a first-tier city.

  But in a third-tier city, as long as your expectations weren't too high, you could live quite comfortably.

  Precisely because of this, by age twenty-five, Dong Qi had saved enough for a down payment on a home. Preferring to live alone, he took out a loan and bought a standalone villa with a yard in the suburbs of a third-tier city.

  Don't think buying a house and car in just a few years was that impressive—it actually didn't cost much.

  Despite being a villa, its location in the suburbs of a third-tier city meant its price tag was still far lower than a few square meters of bathroom space in a first-tier city.

  Consider Earth's Hegang, where you could get a hundred square meters for just tens of thousands—it really puts regional price disparities into perspective.

  Since it was a loan down payment, it only involved tens of thousands. However, because it was in the suburban outskirts, Dong Qi also purchased an electric vehicle.

  Given the need to drive into the city center for supplies, Dong Qi didn't opt for a sedan or SUV but chose an Iveco with more interior space.

  As for why not a box truck, that's because even in his third-tier city, certain daytime rush hour restrictions applied within city limits.

  Although Dong Qi's suburban neighborhood had shops selling daily necessities, just like on Earth, suburban markets often stocked brands you couldn't find downtown, like "Mountain Stream" soda, "Chef Boy-ar-dee" instant noodles, or "Cola-Cola."

  So, except for fresh vegetables, even for meat like pork, Dong Qi preferred buying frozen cuts in bulk once a month from the city's large supermarkets rather than small quantities from the suburban markets.

  The main reasons were his dislike for haggling and his inability to spot the vendors' sleight of hand when weighing produce.

  So, even if downtown supermarket prices were slightly higher, Dong Qi still chose to shop there.

  After a busy afternoon, it was already evening by the time Dong Qi returned from the downtown supermarket to his nest.

  Looking at the supplies packed into the cargo area, Dong Qi, exhausted from the afternoon's work, couldn't be bothered to move the newly purchased items into storage.

  The vehicle was already parked in the underground garage. After moving the frozen goods into the freezer in the storage room, he decided he'd organize the rest of the supplies tomorrow when he had time.

  The villa consists of a basement level and two above-ground floors. The main reason Dong Qi chose to purchase this villa was its underground garage, which provides direct access to the other rooms on the basement level, making it convenient to transport supplies to the storage room.

  Perhaps due to the exhaustion of the afternoon, after a simple wash-up, Dong Qi lay down in bed and quickly fell asleep.

  When Dong Qi woke again, not only was his mind still somewhat foggy, but his body also felt extremely uncomfortable.

  Only after fully coming to his senses did Dong Qi realize that the bedsheet beneath him and the quilt covering him were now soaked with large stains, as if someone had splashed water on them.

  Being an orphan, Dong Qi had a few acquaintances, but none of them had a key to his home. Therefore, the water stains on the bed couldn't possibly be the result of a prank by anyone else.

  If not for the excessive amount of moisture, the situation closely resembled sweating from illness. However, even illness-induced sweating wouldn't produce such a large volume of water.

  Just as Dong Qi was feeling puzzled, the sound of the doorbell ringing from outside the courtyard echoed in the living room.

  Unable to figure out the situation with the bed for now, he decided to set it aside and first see who had come to visit at this hour. He could deal with the other matters later when he had time.

  After casually throwing on his fleece pajamas, Dong Qi finally left the bedroom.

  Hearing the incessant ringing of the doorbell in the living room, Dong Qi called out loudly as soon as he stepped out of his room, "Coming, coming! I'm on my way, I'll open the door right away."

  Opening the side door, Dong Qi noticed it was Dong Hao, a patrol officer from the nearby police station.

  (To avoid restricted terms, some professions in the book are referred to by their historical names, but the protagonist remains in a modern setting.)

  "Oh, Brother Dong, what brings you here today? Let's talk inside." Dong Qi then stepped aside, inviting Dong Hao into the house.

  "It's alright, I won't come in. I just wanted to make sure you were okay after seeing you come out. I mean, you're not getting any younger. With a car and a house, shouldn't you hurry up and find a wife? Living here alone, if something happens, there's no one to lend a hand."

  Hearing Dong Hao say this, Dong Qi felt somewhat helpless. After knowing each other for a while, perhaps due to compatible temperaments, the two men, who otherwise seemed unlikely to cross paths, had gradually become friends.

  Although Dong Qi lived alone due to his long hours of writing, he wasn't an introverted person. However, perhaps because of his past experiences on Earth, he wasn't very proactive in matters of the heart.

  While he went for foot massages in the city from time to time, such things only cost a bit of money. Even if caught, it was just a fine of a few thousand; he had never heard of anyone going bankrupt over it.

  But blind dates and marriage were different. A single misstep could lead to losing both the person and the money. With worse luck, it might even result in legal troubles. So, delaying and procrastinating, Dong Qi, who had crossed over at sixteen, was now in his thirties.