Aside from the military industry, it seems that only technology related to reproduction has made progress, since war requires a large population. As for research on lifespan, that's not very important; many people die in battle before they even reach fifty, so there's no need to break through the lifespan limit.
Once the war subsided, these seemingly minor details finally regained their vitality. However, the research data from ten thousand years ago still needed to be deciphered before it could be used; they were essentially starting from scratch, groping their way forward. Now, fifty years later, they have finally caught up with the progress of the modern world—a bittersweet experience indeed.
As someone working in the entertainment industry, Chu Jifeng was very concerned about her youth and beauty, so when the system offered to make her stay young forever and live a long life, she agreed without hesitation.
After gaining the agent's approval, the work team began to build momentum for Chu Jifeng's retirement from acting. First, they reduced his appearances and public appearances, gradually fading him from the public eye. After some time, they released rumors of his retirement, allowing netizens and fans to gradually accept it.
Half a year has passed since that conversation, and the results have been remarkable. Many people have believed the rumors and think that Chu Jifeng is definitely preparing to take a break. Although he is currently filming a new drama, everyone knows that this is just a friendly cameo appearance, with few scenes, merely to repay a favor from a senior actor.
"Are you really sure?" the agent asked on the other end of the phone. "You're announcing your retirement after filming wraps up? Can't you wait a little longer?"
Chu Jifeng asked, "When? Wouldn't it be great to generate some buzz for the production when filming wraps up?"
"You can say it when the show is about to be released, then it will attract more viewers. Everyone will know that this is your last show, so they will definitely go to watch it. If you say it now, some people will have forgotten about it by the time it is released."
"There's no need for that." Chu Jifeng felt that it was too deliberate and would easily cause netizens to feel disgusted. "The post-production and promotion won't take much time anyway, and it's only a little over a month before the release. The difference is not significant."
She announced her hiatus during the promotional period, which was just two weeks before the film's release. An extra month wouldn't significantly diminish the buzz; she was confident in her ability to generate media attention.
The agent thought about it and agreed, so he didn't try to persuade him any further.
"By the way, after I retire from acting, I'll be traveling to various places, so it might be inconvenient to contact you anymore," Chu Jifeng said as a precaution. "You know, interstellar space is so vast, and communication with other star systems is not convenient."
Despite its advanced technology, the holographic network was painstakingly developed as a military facility to unite the entire race against a common enemy, enabling interstellar communication. However, even when opened to the public, it's not fully accessible, thus the current holographic network still has many limitations.
For example, communication is limited to within a single galaxy. Those within the same Milky Way can meet on the holographic network or communicate offline via it. However, if one is in the Milky Way and the other in another large galaxy, forget about it; this level of communication is currently under official control.
If Chu Jifeng were to travel to other major star systems, it would indeed be difficult for her to maintain real-time contact with people in her current star system, and it's possible she wouldn't be able to contact them at all. There are so many star systems outside, it's impossible for acquaintances to search for each one individually, and even if they did, there's a high chance they might miss each other, thus preventing her from being reported as a missing person.
Chu Jifeng had no idea that he could actually learn from Jiang Yuexuan and choose the right time to return to his original plane; he could only do his best to prepare.
The agent listened without giving it much thought, nodded, and said, "Your last movie has finally been released in a remote star system recently. This delay is incredibly slow. No wonder everyone wants to migrate to these nearby star systems. When will interstellar communication finally be available? It's been fifty years."
In the past, to avoid putting all their eggs in one basket, intelligent races frantically expanded their inhabited star systems. Now, in this era of peace, they find living outside inconvenient and unsafe, and indeed, they have stationed more troops in the few prosperous star systems at the center.
Unfortunately, the immigration policy is quite strict, and not many people can qualify. Most residents use tourism as an excuse to stay in different star systems each year, and can only stay in one star system for a maximum of three months.
Chu Jifeng gave the topic a perfunctory answer, her mind preoccupied with how to gracefully express her desire to join the interdimensional shop in a couple of days. The key was not to appear overly eager, or she would lose face.
Seeing that she wasn't interested in chatting, the agent hung up the phone and went back to work.
A few days later, Chu Jifeng finished filming her scenes. She couldn't wait to change her clothes, activate the face-swapping function, and personally go to the flagship store of the interdimensional gourmet restaurant. After changing her face, she wasn't recognized by any fans along the way. The loose clothes concealed her figure well. After all, die-hard fans who claim to be able to recognize their idols just by looking at their hands are a minority, and you generally won't run into them on the street.
Since she wasn't there for a meal but for a job interview, Chu Jifeng didn't try to make an appointment beforehand and chose to go directly to the office. She figured she wouldn't be kicked out, so there was no need for any pretense of an "appointment."
When they arrived, the first thing they saw was a group of people lining up to snag some leftovers. Chu Jifeng watched as the person at the very front of the line was called inside and forced to pack food, and his blood pressure spiked.
So that's how it works? Then what was the point of her waiting so anxiously for her assistant to reserve a table?!
Chu Jifeng's mind went blank for a moment, and she walked straight forward. She wanted to stop the waiter and ask him properly if things were as she thought.
"Guest?" The waiter was stopped, a little confused. He scanned the room and looked puzzled. "Guest, it seems you don't have a reservation."
The people in line had assumed Chu Jifeng had made a reservation, which was why they hadn't queued and entered directly. Now, hearing that she didn't have a reservation, they were a little unhappy, thinking she was trying to cut in line. But seeing the robot's reaction, no one said anything to offend her; they just waited with glee for her to be kicked out.
Chu Jifeng didn't care. She keenly sensed that the atmosphere around her was not right and knew that this was not the time to ask about queuing for takeout. She snorted and said, "Where is your manager? I'm here to see him."
Because she was in a hurry to get to the store for the job interview, Chu Jifeng's disguise wasn't perfect this time; she forgot to turn on her voice changer. The moment her unique voice came on, the people around her widened their eyes, exchanging suspicious glances, asking if this person was really Goddess Chu.
No one answered, but the robot patiently indicated that the store manager was inside and it would go and call him.
"No need, I'll go with you." Chu Jifeng took the lead and walked inside.
After the two disappeared from sight, a discussion broke out in the lobby.
Is it her?
I think so.
"I saw a gossip news article the other day that said her assistant came to dine here and packed a lot of food to take away. Was it for her?"
"Definitely! I just saw the news that she finished filming. Did she come here to eat right after finishing filming?"
"She didn't seem to be there to eat; she went straight to the manager."
"Could it be that she couldn't get an appointment and is trying to appeal to the manager's emotions? After all, she's a big star; she still has that kind of influence."
"There's no need. Just have your assistant queue up outside to pack the food. Doing that would be too low-class."
"That's true, so what exactly is she here for?"
"Couldn't it be that she knows the store manager? Judging from her demeanor, she seems to know someone and probably came directly to see him."
"Holy crap, my goddess knows the manager, so she must be so lucky to have the signature dishes every day?"
Everyone was envious, turning to look in the direction where the goddess had disappeared, hoping she would come out with the shop manager to confirm their guesses. If possible, they also wanted to chat with the shop manager, preferably get to know him and become friends.
Unfortunately, they were destined not to see him again. Ye Xucai didn't want to go out and deal with everyone anymore. When the strange woman who entered the room took the initiative to change her true face and introduced herself as Chu Jifeng, he was dumbfounded.
I've seen this person on a variety show before!
Ye Xu used to enjoy watching variety shows to pass the time, choosing top-rated shows from various worlds. He didn't feel anything while watching because he didn't recognize any of the celebrities, had never seen any of them before, and their status didn't matter to him. Later, he became busy with the inheritance and stopped watching, and had no interest in finding out which celebrities were in the current world.
Looking back now, I realize that a variety show I used to watch was actually filmed in this current dimension, and this woman was involved.
What a small world.
The entertainment industry has only been recovering for fifty years, yet it can already produce a perfect variety show, which shows that the cultural development potential of the current dimension is quite high.
Chapter 52 Immersion
Ye Xu quickly came to his senses and realized that this celebrity sister was probably also one of the UR cards. He was just thinking about how to start a conversation when she rushed over first.
The words that came out immediately gave Ye Xu a familiar feeling: "I've been waiting for you for so long, why haven't you come to find me yet?"
Ye Xu: "..."
He seemed to have heard those words from Sister Xuan before. Back then, Sister Xuan had also complained that he was too slow and hadn't been hiring her.
These days, all the older women are so individualistic; Ye Xu can't afford to mess with them. He immediately apologized, saying he'd been a bit busy lately and had forgotten about hiring new employees.
"Hmph." Chu Jifeng reluctantly forgave him. "Then let's go through the process. Didn't the system say we needed to use that Encounter Ticket?"
Ye Xu nodded, just about to take it out to use, when he suddenly thought of something. When Han Yingchen volunteered to come to the system, the system directly made his card appear in the card pool. This time, Chu Jifeng also volunteered, so could he do the same and save an encounter ticket?
Although she didn't know if she would still need UR cards after becoming a freelance shopkeeper, it's always good to stock up on things that don't expire. So Ye Xu opened the card-drawing interface to check.
Sure enough, four cards appeared on the screen, the extra one being Chu Jifeng's. He happily hired him directly, truly saving a coupon.
If I had known this trick would work, I definitely could have saved that encounter ticket from Xiao Yige. Hopefully, the next two UR cards will be as proactive as Chu Jifeng and come knocking on my door.
You've named your shop Dimensional Food Shop, surely you can recognize it?
“Come on, I’ll take you to meet the other people,” Ye Xu said.
Chu Jifeng coughed lightly: "I haven't had lunch yet."
Ye Xu understood her implication and looked over in surprise.
In the virtual world, whether or not you eat three meals a day doesn't actually matter. People are obsessed with eating because there are only three meals a day. After eating three meals, they feel full and can no longer enjoy the food. The general public is very dissatisfied with this and has been hoping the government will remove the satiety attribute.
Chu Jifeng's claim that she hadn't eaten lunch had nothing to do with whether she was hungry; it was purely because she was craving something. Ye Xu never expected that this seemingly aloof female celebrity was actually a foodie in private.
She and Xiaohan must have a lot in common.
Ye Xu decided to send her to Han Yingchen's place to study. Han Yingchen loved gossip, and for entertainment industry gossip, no one was as good as asking her. He had just seen her resume; this Sister Chu was actually the undisputed number one goddess in the interstellar world, definitely possessing a lot of insider secrets.
"Did you reveal your identity when you came in?" Ye Xu had originally planned to take Chu Jifeng to the kitchen to pack some food before leaving, but he stopped when he heard the discussion outside.
Chu Jifeng belatedly realized, "Ah, I forgot to change my voice!"
Exposing her identity isn't a big problem; the shop will close down sooner or later anyway, so there's no fear of trouble. Besides, Chu Jifeng supposedly doesn't have many rivals. In the relatively simple entertainment industry of Interstellar people, the fan wars of modern times probably haven't developed yet, and she has very few haters. Before she runs away, it shouldn't have much impact on the shop's reputation.
"Since we've been exposed, let's go eat at another branch," Ye Xu suggested, seizing the opportunity.
He was just thinking about how to say "I'm going to take you to your hobby group" in a way that wouldn't seem like he was being lazy and unwilling to mentor newcomers. Perfect timing!
Having been in the entertainment industry for so many years, Chu Jifeng had seen it all. She glanced at Ye Xu and immediately understood what he was thinking. Considering she still needed his help, she simply pretended not to notice anything.
She was content as long as there was delicious food to eat; she didn't care about the rest.
And so, Han Yingchen welcomed an intern, becoming a teacher himself and about to mentor a new student. Ye Xu stayed for a while, and seeing that the two were getting along well, he felt relieved and went back to continue practicing.
As soon as everyone left, Chu Jifeng asked the question she was most concerned about: "Is room and board included?"
Han Ying paused for a moment, then nodded: "Yes."
Even without meals and accommodation included, the cost isn't much. Food can be purchased with currency, and Chu Jifeng clearly has plenty of money, so there's no need to worry about that. As for accommodation, it's just a matter of spending 2000 points to buy a studio apartment at the beginning, which is also a small amount.
Chu Jifeng was relieved: "Can I go eat something now? I'm so hungry. Let's chat slowly after I finish eating."
"Of course." Han Yingchen led her directly to the kitchen.
On the way, Chu Jifeng was still touching his clothes, looking utterly incredulous: "I didn't disguise myself this time, but my fans didn't recognize me."
She had tried to stop Ye Xu from taking her to the kitchen earlier, because they would pass through the lobby on the way, and she was worried about the fans causing a disturbance. After all, she had dropped her pretense the moment she met Ye Xu.
Ye Xu told her that she didn't need to worry about it; if she didn't want to be recognized, the interdimensional store would automatically interfere with outsiders' view.
Thanks to Sister Xuan's adjustments, the shop's buffs have long been upgraded and are now highly intelligent. After Ye Xu submitted his 1 billion points to the system to gain his freedom, he also paid the service fee for this dimension in advance. He simply gave the remaining points to Jiang Yuexuan to spend, and finally added some practical functions to the shop, one of which was upgrading the buffs.
Chu Jifeng had never seen such advanced technology before; even interstellar space couldn't achieve this. However, she didn't care. Once she was certain that she wouldn't be exposed, she became excited.
"Can I go out shopping with my own face on?" she pressed.
Han Yingchen thought for a moment and then told her tactfully, "The buff should only be effective within the store."
Chu Jifeng: "Never mind then."
"Once you leave this plane, no one will recognize you."
"How much longer will you be before you leave?"
"It should be a full year."
Chu Jifeng sighed. There were still ten months or so left. During that time, she would still have to disguise herself when going out. Damn the holographic network, why couldn't she completely change her holographic image? She wanted to create a 1.6-meter-tall beautiful girl for herself, so that she would definitely not be exposed.
More importantly, after changing her image, no one would know that she is Chu Jifeng, so she can change her persona.
Chu Jifeng only maintains an idol image in front of her fans, trying to preserve her domineering persona. But in private, she likes many different personas and sometimes feels restless, wanting to experience what it's like to play other characters.
Chu Jifeng entered the entertainment industry because of this hobby. As a result, because her domineering persona was so successful, most of the scripts offered to her were of this type. It wasn't until she proved herself with her talent that she was able to gradually receive other types of roles.
However, there are some roles that she will never be offered, such as innocent young girls. It's not that she can't play them, but her appearance has nothing to do with being a young girl. Even with holographic filming, they won't allow her appearance to be altered. If the production team wants to cast a young girl, they have to find someone who actually looks like a young girl.