"What happened on Reba's end?"
Zhang Yang leaned back on the sofa and began to think it over.
The first time he got Opportunity Points, it had been when Hu Ge followed Liu Shishi's suggestion and asked if he wanted the male second lead role in Xuanyuan Sword.
At the time, he'd guessed that giving the Scripture Pavilion to Liu Shishi to win her favor was only part of it. The real way to seize the opportunity perfectly was to use it to make something happen, like getting her to help him secure a role.
But since it was his first time getting an Opportunity Point, he couldn't be completely sure his analysis was right.
So this time, he'd deliberately kept an eye on when the Opportunity Point appeared.
"When I lent Reba the book, the Opportunity Point didn't appear."
"When I nudged things along and said I'd help her look for the book in the library, it still didn't appear."
"Even after I found the book for her in the library and sent her a message, it still hadn't appeared."
"But now it has."
Zhang Yang glanced at his watch. It had been exactly five minutes since he sat down in the library.
That meant something had happened on Reba's end during those five minutes.
He could just ask her about it when the moment was right.
"It's kind of like a single-player game. Pretty interesting."
After thinking it over for a while, Zhang Yang put Reba's textbook in his bag and got up to leave.
Now that he'd gotten the Opportunity Point, there was no reason to stay and wait for Reba to come exchange books.
If he returned the book today, wouldn't he lose his excuse to arrange another meeting with her?
If he held on to it, she'd keep thinking about it and contact him of her own accord from time to time, bringing them closer.
Zhang Yang knew all these little tricks.
He headed straight off campus, took a cab to Tangren, and went into a nearby coffee shop. After ordering a private room, he drank coffee while writing a script on his laptop.
As someone reborn with an enhanced memory of the entertainment industry's future, he could make it on his own with ease. He wasn't going to coast just because he had a cheat.
Gao Qiqiang was the big shot in the business world; Jinghai was the entertainment industry. No matter how popular a star was, or whether they were a Best Actor, a guarantee of ratings, or a guarantee of box office success, they still had to bow their heads before capital.
Half an hour had passed since he got the Opportunity Point. He took out his phone and typed a message.
Buzz~
In a classroom at Shanghai Theatre Academy, Reba felt the phone on her lap vibrate.
They were taking an open-book quiz, and with Zhang Yang's textbook in front of her, the answers practically flowed from her pen.
She knew she was sure to get a good score today, so she was in a relaxed mood.
After checking that Teacher Jiang was looking at her notes, Reba opened her phone.
[Zhang Yang, senior]: Junior, I probably won't have time to exchange books with you today. The company suddenly called me in to talk about work. Sorry about that.
"No time to exchange books?" Reba blinked, feeling oddly pleased.
She thought it was pretty nice not to get the book back—ideally, they wouldn't exchange them for a while.
It definitely wasn't because she thought it would give her a chance to get closer to Zhang Yang. She just liked the feeling of having a cheat.
[Reba, junior]: It's okay, senior. We can pick a time and place tomorrow. The day after tomorrow or the day after that works too. We're both at school, so it's easy to meet.
[Zhang Yang, senior]: Hopefully.
[Reba, junior]: Hopefully?
[Zhang Yang, senior]: If the company called, it's probably about work. I might have to join a production, so it could be quite a while before I'm free.
[Reba, junior]: Join a production? Are you going to shoot a new drama, senior?
[Zhang Yang, senior]: Yeah. I don't have classes today, so I came to school to get leave approved.
[Reba, junior]: Good luck, senior! Tell me when the show airs, and I'll help boost the ratings or online views.
[Zhang Yang, senior]: What if I told you there's a chance I'm shooting a movie?
"A movie!?" Reba's breath caught.
She wanted to break into the entertainment industry, so she knew better than most people how much more prestigious movies were than TV dramas.
Was her senior really that impressive!?
Then again, with his looks and the way the teachers praised him, it made sense. He'd signed with a big company like Tangren, so of course he might get the chance to act in a movie.
Thinking this, she began typing a new message.
[Zhang Yang, senior]: You didn't actually believe me, did you? I was joking. It's really a show produced by our company. I'm a Tangren artist.
Reba: "..."
She silently deleted the half-written message and sent a new one.
[Reba]: I really did believe you. So my senior isn't as impressive as I thought.
[Zhang Yang]: That hurts. I guess I still have to work harder. (sad)
A smile crept onto Reba's lips.
[Zhang Yang]: Junior, if I've got the time right, you're still in class. You dare use your phone during Old Jiang's class?
Reba's heart jumped. She instinctively looked toward the spot beside the lectern, but Teacher Mei wasn't there.
A bad feeling crept over her. She turned around a moment too late and saw Mei standing behind her, staring at her phone with a blank expression.
"Yikes!"
Reba had always been shy. Getting caught chatting during a test made her blush all the way from her face to her neck, and her ears felt like they might start bleeding. Her mind went completely blank.
"T-Teacher, I..."
For a moment, Reba had no idea what to say.
Mei didn't scold her. A faint smile appeared on her face. "You're doing well on the assignment. If you want to chat, that's fine, but finish the assignment first. What do you think?"
"Yes, Teacher!" Reba answered at once.
Mei nodded and returned to her seat.
Seeing that she didn't seem too upset, Reba breathed a sigh of relief.
[Reba]: Thanks to you, Teacher Jiang caught me. I need to finish the quiz first. I'll chat with you after class. (sob)
"What a coincidence."
Zhang Yang found it amusing and gave a soft laugh.
She'd stopped calling him "senior" and gone straight to "you." She must have been a little annoyed.
Given Reba's personality, she'd definitely remember this and think back on it from time to time.
Did that count as a shared memory?
After a brief pause, Zhang Yang sent Mei a message.
[Xiao Yang]: Old Jiang, don't give her a hard time. It's my fault.
Mei had just picked up her phone. When she saw the message, amusement flickered in her eyes.
She glanced over at Reba, who had begun diligently working on her quiz, then picked up her phone and replied.
[Old Jiang]: You've got your eye on her? You have good taste.
[Xiao Yang]: Anyone with eyes can tell she's a pretty junior and suited for the entertainment industry. Whether she can be a good actress is another matter, but you know me, Old Jiang. I'm not thinking about that right now.
[Old Jiang]: You'd better mean it. Reba blushes easily and she's an innocent, good girl. If you're interested, be sincere and pursue her; if you win her over, cherish her. If you're not interested, don't lead her on. Otherwise, I'll teach you a lesson.
[Xiao Yang]: You've got an eye for people. If you say she's a good girl, she must be. I'll give it serious thought.
[Xiao Yang]: But you've already got a new favorite? Am I not your favorite student anymore?
[Old Jiang]: You're minoring in screenwriting. Is that how you use the phrase "new favorite"?
[Xiao Yang]: Oh, I typed too fast and forgot the quotation marks.
[Old Jiang]:
"That little rascal." Old Jiang chuckled and shook her head.
Handsome and sunny, funny and outgoing, hardworking and ambitious, with a real talent for acting.
It was hard for a teacher not to like a student like that.
And plenty of women would find him hard to resist, too.
[Old Jiang]: Don't let a good girl get away. Cherish her.
"Yikes!"
Zhang Yang smacked the back of his hand.
He'd gotten a little carried away. He'd almost replied, "Don't waste your time on a bad girl."
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