The Two Founders of Xianyu Gate

"Do you think I should be happy?" Liu Shishi rolled her beautiful eyes, which only added a touch of liveliness to her expression.

"That depends on whether you consider yourself a star or an actor, Sister Shishi." Zhang Yang leaned forward slightly, closing the safe distance between them.

"Is there a difference between the two?" Liu Shishi was quite interested in Zhang Yang's take, and her body naturally relaxed.

Zhang Yang took note of this, pushing the vegetable salad toward Liu Shishi as he spoke eloquently: "For an actor, if a character is remembered, it means the performance was a success, and that is worth being happy about."

"But for a star—whether they are an actor, a singer, an athlete, or any other profession—everything they do is for the sake of fame. If a character is remembered, it's also worth being happy about, but only because it increases their popularity."

"If the show is a hit but the person isn't, the mood might not be so pleasant."

Liu Shishi nodded thoughtfully: "Then I suppose I count as half a star?"

"Half?" Now it was Zhang Yang's turn to be curious: "How so?"

"I think the desire for my character to be recognized and the desire for myself to be famous each account for half," Liu Shishi said with a gentle smile. "Actually, when I first debuted, I wanted to be famous."

"Now that I've experienced more, I feel that fame isn't that important. On the contrary, playing a role well and leaving something behind in this world feels pretty good."

If anyone else had said this, Zhang Yang would have certainly scoffed.

But coming from the most laid-back actress among the 85 Flowers, nicknamed "Xianyu Si," he believed it.

"Sister Shishi, I think we should shake hands." Zhang Yang suddenly reached out his hand.

"Hm?" A look of confusion appeared on Liu Shishi's face.

"I have the same mindset as you." Zhang Yang flashed a brilliant smile and said solemnly: "Chasing fame and fortune too aggressively makes you lose your true self and the people around you, but if you live in this world without any pursuits, it feels hollow. Your mindset is just right."

"You aren't just flattering me, are you?" Liu Shishi's beautiful eyes brightened.

"How could I be?" Zhang Yang shook his head: "I'm not flattering you. I genuinely feel that we are like-minded; we could even start an organization."

"An organization? What kind of organization?" Liu Shishi used her fork to eat some vegetable salad.

"The Xianyu Gate!" Zhang Yang blurted out the three words.

"Xianyu?" Liu Shishi frowned slightly.

Did these two words really suit her, Liu Shishi?

"Sister Shishi, you've heard of a salted fish turning over, right?" Zhang Yang explained to Liu Shishi, then continued: "Our Xianyu Gate aims to avoid pursuing high achievements in life, preferring a relaxed, Zen-like lifestyle, and taking a laid-back approach to the challenges and competition in life."

Liu Shishi's brow immediately smoothed out.

Come to think of it, she felt the word "Xianyu" suited her perfectly.

"So we are the two founding members of the Xianyu Gate, then?" Liu Shishi smiled. "And how should we go about scouting for new members?"

"Actively scouting people doesn't fit our party's principles." Zhang Yang first shook his head, then nodded. "If you happen to meet like-minded partners in life, then bring them in, but don't go out of your way to recruit."

Liu Shishi gave a thumbs up and chatted away with Zhang Yang about the Xianyu Gate.

Meanwhile, Hu Ge was sitting in a car, rolling down the window to enjoy the breeze.

His personal assistant asked with some confusion, "Brother, you had me call you to leave—was it just to come to the Bund to catch some air?"

"That's right, just catching some air." Hu Ge looked indifferent.

In truth, he had heard from Cai Yinong that Nicky Wu was pursuing Liu Shishi, and he wanted to make things a bit more difficult for the latter.

Nicky Wu was certainly outstanding; his overall stats surpassed over 95 percent of men, and even though he had been married before, he was a match for most women.

However, Liu Shishi was seventeen years younger than Nicky Wu. She had never had a boyfriend, had looks, a figure, fame, and money. She was a rising star with no need to settle for an older man.

He viewed Liu Shishi as a little sister, but he couldn't just say anything directly regarding her love life.

Seeing Zhang Yang today, he had a sudden inspiration and thought he could help facilitate things. It wasn't about forcing a match, but rather letting Liu Shishi interact with a young, handsome guy to provide a point of comparison.

If, even after that, Nicky Wu could still win Liu Shishi over, then he, Hu Ge, would offer his blessings.

"A'Yang, don't let me down. You're both rookies when it comes to romance, and you're a good-looking pair," Hu Ge said, slowly rolling up the window.

If Zhang Yang knew what Hu Ge was thinking, he would definitely say to him, "You're actually a pretty decent guy."

Pleasant times always pass quickly. It wasn't until her assistant called that Liu Shishi realized it was already past three in the afternoon.

If she kept chatting with Zhang Yang, they would be eating dinner next.

She hadn't even been this engrossed in conversation when having afternoon tea with Tang Yan and Yang Mi in the past.

After Liu Shishi hung up the phone, Zhang Yang took the initiative to say, "Sister Shishi, it's getting late. I have plenty to do back at school, so let's set a time to meet for another 'meeting' later."

The word "meeting" amused Liu Shishi again. She usually appeared cold and indifferent, but in reality, she had a low threshold for laughter.

"Alright, let's meet again next time." Liu Shishi smiled beautifully.

Zhang Yang was momentarily dazzled and silently recited the Scumbag Sutra in his heart: Do not give up the whole forest for a single tree, do not...

Zhang Yang dropped Liu Shishi off at the underground parking garage of the building where the restaurant was located, where her assistant had already pulled the car around.

"Do you want me to drop you off at school?" Liu Shishi asked after getting into her car, rolling down the window.

"No need, I have some other things to take care of." Zhang Yang declined her kind offer.

Liu Shishi didn't say anything more. She waved at Zhang Yang and rolled up the window.

After driving out of the parking garage, the assistant asked Liu Shishi, "Sister Shishi, you seem very happy today."

Are you happy?

Thinking of the things Zhang Yang had said—humorous and witty—the corners of her mouth curled up involuntarily.

"I'm truly happy."

"Because I founded a party today."

Assistant: ?

On the other side, Zhang Yang stood in the elevator, debating whether to fly to Xiamen.

The reason, naturally, was the updated content in the Entertainment Opportunity Guide.

[Time: March 11, 2011, 12:13 PM]

[Location: Xiamen Tong'an Film and Television City, Yangxin Hall]

[Guide: (Locked/1 Character Point)]

Zhang Yang was no stranger to the Yangxin Hall at Xiamen Tong'an Film and Television City.

At this current time, it was being rented by the production crew of Palace Lock Pearl Curtain (Palace 2).

Last night, while scrolling through Weibo, he had seen Yang Mi update her status, saying she was going there to make a cameo appearance in a few days.

Could this opportunity be related to Da Mimi?

Actually, as long as I can help the crew, I can earn a favor from Yu Zhen.

Even though that guy is shameless, brazen, and a plagiarist, the dramas he produces really do launch people's careers.

To be honest, he wanted to go there and try his luck.

But the next moment, his thoughts changed, because the Opportunity Manual updated once again.

[Time: March 11, 2011, 3:33 PM]

[Location: Magic City Drama Academy, X Teaching Building, outside Room X]

[Guide: (Locked/1 Character Point)]