Chapter 32: Launching the Promotion Plan

Ma Jun threw off the tagalong. Though he still lingered on the taste left on his lips, he had a crowd of sandbags before him that needed dealing with.

“You’re finished! You damned brat!” The arch-villain Banning, seeing his long-laid plans collapse and all his beautiful dreams turn to dust, trembled with rage, his face flushed. Waving his arms, he bellowed at his underlings, “What are you waiting for? Grab him! I want him to suffer every torment imaginable!”

A smile played on Ma Jun’s lips; he couldn’t wait to show his skills.

This battle, truth be told, held no interest for him. Battles were never meant to be entertaining. At the brink of life and death, who cared about putting on a good show? With swift, efficient movements, Ma Jun unleashed his full force in a fight that, unsurprisingly, held no surprises.

Half an hour later, Ma Jun, breathing heavily, straightened his clothes, lit a cigarette and took a deep, satisfying drag before swaggering away from the wailing heap of enemies sprawled on the ground. Before leaving, he made sure to pocket some bottles of virus-laced water.

“Xiaohua, can we go back now?” Racing through the night in a convertible was a delight in itself. As Ma Jun sped forward, he spoke.

“Uncle, you’re amazing!” Xiaohua’s image flickered onto the passenger seat, her face aglow with adoration. “You totally stole the show in the Tuxedo Dimension! You’ve earned two thousand reputation points! I used ten thousand energy to siphon off the source of the plane. We can return now, but about those reputation points—”

“Enough! I’m not drawing any prizes!” Ma Jun cut her off with a laugh, resolute in his refusal.

“Hmph!” The infatuation on Xiaohua’s face vanished instantly. “Go to hell, then!”

Ma Jun burst out laughing. Now that he knew something was fishy with those reputation points, he wasn’t about to use them again before getting to the bottom of it!

With the system shop at his disposal and free access to three planes, he could fetch whatever he needed himself! Why risk everything on a lottery? Food you cook yourself always tastes best!

“Xiaohua, how many energy points to upgrade to system level three?” Ma Jun asked.

“Ten thousand.” Xiaohua’s image faded, her reply sullen.

Only after upgrading the system could he access higher-level planes, and the shop would expand with new items. For Ma Jun, the only limitation now was his finite lifespan.

On the surface, Ma Jun still looked just eighteen, but in truth, his combined age across the three planes was over twenty-three.

To enjoy life to the fullest and enter higher-level planes, Ma Jun was determined to proceed, though cautiously and methodically.

With the Tuxedo Dimension’s story arc concluded, Ma Jun’s only regret was not sharing a passionate night with the leading lady. After all, Mr. James Bond never saved the world without a romantic interlude.

Though a bit disappointed, Ma Jun decided to return to his primary plane; a beautiful life awaited him there.

In the study of the Yanjing villa, Qian Moduo sat stiffly in a chair. In the next instant, Ma Jun appeared in the seat across from him.

“Boss, you’re back!” Qian Moduo said with a bright smile. In fact, he’d been with Ma Jun just a moment before. After the business was done, everything felt different—as if he hadn’t seen his beloved boss in ages.

Ma Jun shot him a look, took another tuxedo from his dimensional pocket—the one Dave Flynn had prepared for Jimmy Tang—and tossed it over. “Here, something nice for you. Wear the watch in the pocket, and figure it out yourself.”

“Thank you, boss!” Qian Moduo stood up, deeply moved, carefully folding the suit before asking, “Did you already seize the plane, boss?”

Ma Jun had originally planned to bring Old Qian along, but Xiaohua had tricked him, leaving him to act alone. He replied casually without going into detail.

“Congratulations, boss!” Qian Moduo grinned. “Since that’s done, our promotional campaign for you will start right away.”

Before heading to the Tuxedo Dimension, everything had been arranged. First, they would use a handful of high-quality songs to make Ma Jun an online sensation, centering on his image as the heartthrob of the Yan Film Acting Department.

Once he’d gained enough fame, he’d immediately be cast as the second male lead in a youth drama. Naturally, Junma Pictures was among the investors.

All this had Ma Jun’s approval—no need for him to worry about the details.

After a day of rest at home, Ma Jun went back to Yan Film the next morning to attend classes and apply for off-campus housing. He’d already informed the school; now it was just a matter of formalities.

Though he now had a personal assistant, Ruan Xinyue, it was easier to handle these matters himself. Besides, everything so far had been preparation; there wasn’t much for Ma Jun to do, so Ruan Xinyue had taken the chance to slack off.

Ma Jun wondered if Ruan Xinyue really saw him as some rich playboy, worried he’d try something inappropriate, hence her avoidance.

After lunch in the school cafeteria, Ma Jun returned to his dorm and announced to his roommates, “Guys, I’m moving out—got scouted by a big film company, already signed the contract!”

“Really, Old Ma?” Gu Xinghua was the first to speak, grabbing Ma Jun by the shoulder. “Not bad, man! Looks like you’ve got connections.”

“Jun, you’re not even that good-looking—how did you land a sugar mama?” Feng Deye punched him in the chest. “Don’t get swindled, alright? Did you have a pro look over the contract? Make sure you’re not signing your life away!”

His words were sharp, but he meant well. Ma Jun laughed, assuring everyone the contract was above board.

Liu Lemin was busy booting up his computer for a quick game of “Decisive Moment,” but turned to say, “Shame, really—there were only four of us. Now that you’re gone, we’ll be even shorter for five-man teams!”

It was still early in their university days; no one felt the anxiety that crept in before graduation. They just admired Ma Jun’s connections and sincerely wished him well.

After a brief chat, Ma Jun’s phone rang. It was his assistant, Ruan Xinyue.

“Jun, Sister Qi asked me to take some candid shots of you at school today. Bring your guitar down—meet me by the pyramid!”

Candid shots, but you tell me in advance? Ma Jun thought wryly, hung up, and turned to his roommates. “Guys, I’m off. I’ll leave my stuff here and crash sometimes if I’m around. I’ll treat everyone to a meal this weekend—don’t miss it!”

“Go on, then—another girl, huh? Just keep your pants on, and don’t end up in trouble!”