制霸好莱坞

In her past life, Chen Zhen was idle and aimless, spending her free time reading countless online novels. She was very familiar with the concept of "golden fingers"—those supernatural abilities granted to protagonists. Back then, she often criticized authors for giving their main characters overpowered abilities, making them too strong and draining the fun out of the story.

Now, she certainly had no complaints about having a golden finger herself. If anything, she wished for an unlimited supply of money! If this mysterious power was bold enough, a cross-dimensional trading system would be even better. And if a full-fledged system came with it, unlocking new functions step by step as she progressed, that would be perfect...

Unfortunately, compared to the golden fingers of countless novel protagonists, hers was utterly lackluster—almost pitiful. It had only one basic function.

The Power of the "Acting Space"

Activating it was simple: all she had to do was close her eyes and concentrate. She named it "Acting Space." As long as she willed herself to enter, she would find herself in a pitch-black void, where countless DVD discs floated around her, ready to be selected at will.

However, these discs were not an all-encompassing archive of future global films. Most were movies, TV dramas, and stage plays she had watched before. A small portion came from works she had heard of but never had the chance to see. Essentially, the entire collection was limited to her memory—nothing she had never seen or had no impression of would appear.

Golden Finger Function One: Rewatch Old Films at Will.

She randomly swiped through the floating discs and selected the 1998 classic, Titanic. Instantly, an IMAX-sized screen materialized before her, skipping past the opening production logos and starting directly from the film's beginning.

Time flowed differently in the Acting Space; for every hour in the real world, she had about three inside—meaning she had around four to five hours to leisurely watch Titanic. However, she didn't rewatch the whole movie. Instead, she skipped straight to the heart-wrenching scene where Rose and Jack were floating in the freezing ocean.

Murmuring to herself, she commanded, "Begin simulation."

Reliving the Scene

With a splash, Chen Zhen found herself submerged in icy water.

The weight of her soaked Edwardian-era dress made movement even more difficult. Although the water wasn't freezing, the massive soundstage needed wind machines for ventilation. A gust of air blew past, and she trembled uncontrollably, too weak to even lift herself onto the floating wooden debris.

"Cold, isn't it?" A young Leonardo DiCaprio—Jack—leaned on the edge of the board, speaking to her. His stunningly handsome face was only inches from hers. "Damn, I'm freezing too. Good thing James ultimately decided to shoot this scene in warm water, or we'd have all caught pneumonia."

Around them, a crowd of actors floated in the water, their performances captured by an array of cameras—some mounted on tracks, others submerged underwater. Crew members paced along the pool's edge, and in the distance, James Cameron himself stood with another man, engaged in deep discussion.

Golden Finger Function Two: Recreate Filming Sets.

Of course, in this scenario, Chen Zhen had taken Kate Winslet's place. She gave DiCaprio a quick smile but said nothing before a loud voice rang out in the distance:

"Attention! Scene 293, Take 6, Second Shot—Action!"

"I'm so cold," she urged herself to quickly get into character, tears welling in her eyes as she recited Rose's lines. "I'm so cold, Jack."

"Listen to me, Rose," DiCaprio responded, his performance perfectly mirroring the original film. "You're going to get out of this..."

The five-minute emotional exchange quickly wrapped up. The director never called "Cut"—as soon as her set time ended, she was back in the Acting Space. Now, the once-empty void had a couch and basic furnishings. She sank onto the couch and replayed her own performance.

On the large screen, the classic scene unfolded once more, except this time, Rose's face had been replaced with her own.

Golden Finger Function Three: Generate Completed Film Footage.

This wasn't just raw footage—it was fully edited with post-production effects, dubbing, and color grading. The final result was indistinguishable from an official theatrical release. Essentially, what she saw was "What if Jenny Jane had starred in Titanic?" If she wanted, she could act out the entire movie from beginning to end and watch her own starring version.

Jenny Jane, her simulated persona, was a striking German beauty. Compared to Kate Winslet—who had been unfairly nicknamed "Fat Wins"—her figure was even more slender (though, in reality, Winslet's body in Titanic was perfectly proportionate; the camera just adds weight). While Jenny appeared more visually appealing on screen, Chen Zhen frowned as she reviewed her performance.

"Exaggerated and stiff. Unnatural. Weak line delivery." She critiqued herself mercilessly. "Definitely failing grade."

Of course, this was to be expected. No one could instantly become a leading actress in a blockbuster. Most actors required years of training and experience. Even those with raw talent needed rigorous practice to refine their craft. Acting, after all, was a skill—one that required hard work to master.

Although Chen Zhen had studied acting for four years in her previous life, she had abandoned it entirely for over a decade. Now, after only a month of practice, her biggest issue wasn't her presence—she still carried the aura of a leading lady—but the roughness in her emotional delivery. If a complete amateur had stepped into this scene, it would have turned into a comedy, with lines awkwardly delivered and emotions totally misplaced.

After rewatching her footage twice, she couldn't stand it anymore. Tossing the remote aside, she commanded, "Simulate the scene again."

Once more, she was back in the freezing water.

"You cold?" DiCaprio repeated his line with a charming smile.

"Whatever." She snapped back at him before focusing on preparing herself. After all, no matter how many times she repeated the simulation, DiCaprio would only ever say the same few lines.

This time, as the familiar call of "Action!" rang out, Chen Zhen whispered, "Memory infusion."

A flood of emotions and recollections surged into her mind. It was as if she had lived through Rose's entire life—her privileged yet stifling upbringing, her mother's obsession with wealth and status, the intoxicating whirlwind of love with Jack...

She was freezing. She was trembling, not just from the cold, but from fear. Mustering all her strength, she gazed at her beloved and whispered, "Oh, Jack... Jack, I'm so cold..."

"Listen to me, Rose." DiCaprio's eyes glistened as he held her hand. "You're going to get out of this..."

Golden Finger Function Four: Simulate Character Memories and Emotions.

This, Chen Zhen believed, was the core of her ability.

Actors were often divided into two schools: "Method Acting" (fully immersing in a role) and "Technical Acting" (controlled expression of emotions). While both had merit, Method Acting required exceptional talent, making it harder to teach. But her golden finger allowed her to completely transform into her characters, making her the ultimate, most authentic method actor—at least, in the Acting Space.

In reality, she couldn't summon this ability at will. But by repeatedly practicing in her Acting Space, she could bring lingering traces of emotion back into the real world. With the right film selections, she could refine her acting to a near-perfect level.

Even with this extraordinary ability, breaking into Hollywood wouldn't be easy. As she exited the space and downed a strong iced coffee, she sighed.

Becoming a true Hollywood star… what an uphill battle.