The Whole Thing Was an Act

"You're choosing Jiang Jinfu?" Cai Yinong was utterly surprised, wondering if she'd heard wrong.

She'd thought Zhang Yang had said all that because he didn't want to take Jiang Jinfu and wanted to spend time alone with Nazha instead.

A rugged guy or a gorgeous beauty—any normal man would choose the latter.

Why wasn't Zhang Yang playing by the usual rules?

Was he playing hard to get?

"Is there a problem with me choosing Jiang Jinfu?" Zhang Yang looked genuinely puzzled. "I know what you mean, Sister K. Jiang Jinfu, Nazha, and I are all main cast members of Xuanyuan Sword."

"Xuanyuan Sword won't start filming for nearly two months. If they spend that time with me on set, they can get a head start on adapting to the daily routine of filming. The three of us can also get used to working together, and as their senior, I can give them some pointers on acting."

"But if I take two people with me while I'm also acting, I'll be stretched too thin. So from your perspective, Sister K, it'd be best for Nazha to learn from Sister Shishi. That way, you can avoid any misunderstandings, and they can get used to working together ahead of time."

"Jiang Jinfu is my roommate and classmate. He calls me Brother Yang, so taking him under my wing won't take much effort or affect my filming."

"That's the best solution."

Zhang Yang laid out his reasoning earnestly. Nazha almost wanted to applaud.

Cai Yinong even wanted to praise him: "You're absolutely right. That's exactly what I was thinking."

"If Shi Shi had time, do you think I'd have you take Nazha?" Cai Yinong shook her head. "Before joining the cast of Xuanyuan Sword, Shi Shi is taking two months off."

The corner of Zhang Yang's mouth lifted ever so slightly.

When he'd had lunch with Liu Shishi yesterday, he'd gotten a rough idea of her upcoming schedule.

Cai Yinong's arrangements confirmed his guess. He'd chosen Jiang Jinfu on purpose.

"Then the only option is to have Old Hu take Nazha," Zhang Yang said without hesitation. "Old Hu's agent and personal assistant are both women, so there's no problem with Nazha going with him. She can listen and observe, and build a solid foundation."

"I'll take Jiang Jinfu one-on-one. It'll be more effective."

Cai Yinong didn't think Zhang Yang was putting on an act, and fell into thought.

After a while, she waved them off. "You two go ahead. I'll think it over and give you an answer tomorrow."

She wanted to give it more thought, but the crew of The Legend of Dugu was pressing her for an answer.

"All right, Sister K. We'll be going, then."

Zhang Yang didn't hesitate. He immediately took his leave with Nazha.

The two of them headed to the lounge area. Seeing Nazha looking like she wanted to say something but couldn't, Zhang Yang said, "Nazha, it's not that I don't like you. Any normal guy would want to take a beautiful junior under his wing."

"Then why did you choose Jiang Jinfu?" Nazha stared at him.

She wasn't insisting that Zhang Yang take her, but being passed over for a guy in a one-on-one choice still stung a little.

"Because whether I choose you or not, I wouldn't be the one taking you." Zhang Yang spread his hands. "You could tell from Sister K's reaction to your dorm arrangement that she thinks highly of you. She's probably grooming you to be the company's next top female star."

"In that situation, she definitely wouldn't let me take you on my own. She'd want to avoid the possibility of anything happening."

"Since the outcome was already decided, I might as well say it myself. That way, no one has to feel awkward later."

Nazha might have been a little muddled and not the sharpest, but she wasn't stupid.

As soon as Zhang Yang explained it, she understood.

"You think Sister K is grooming me to be the next top female star?" Nazha immediately latched onto that point.

"Yeah." Zhang Yang nodded. "Apart from Sister Shishi, you have the best prospects of all the women at the company. And you've only just signed with Tangren, so you're a good investment."

"Sister Shishi is already halfway through her contract with Tangren. If she doesn't renew at the end, you can take her place once you've been groomed. If she does renew, you're an exotic beauty, so they can develop you along a path that doesn't compete with hers."

"So it's a sure thing that you'll get special attention. Given Sister K's personality, she'll build you an image and market it. And given her usual approach, she'll base it on your breakout role—that is, Xiao Xue."

"I'm guessing they'll package you as some innocent, youthful sweetheart. So she won't let you have any scandals in your past. Otherwise, if anything gets dug up one day, you'll be stuck taking the Black and Red route."

After finishing his analysis, Zhang Yang glanced at his watch. "I've got to get back to school. That's enough chatting for today. Bye."

"Bye." Nazha instinctively raised a hand and waved.

Zhang Yang went into his own lounge, used the restroom, then picked up his backpack from the sofa and left. Nazha was already gone.

At that moment, Nazha was sitting on a sofa, lost in thought, replaying Zhang Yang's words in her mind.

Cai Yinong would groom her to be the company's top female star. If Liu Shishi didn't renew her contract, Nazha would take her place. If she did, Nazha would be given a different career path.

Didn't that mean that as long as she didn't screw things up, she was bound to succeed?

She was confident in her looks, and she was sure she could get into the Beijing Film Academy. By then, she'd have both talent and beauty. There was no way she'd mess things up.

"I'm definitely going to make it big," Nazha thought, her heart aflame.

Just then, her phone rang.

When she saw who was calling, she instinctively frowned.

Thinking of what Zhang Yang had said—how Cai Yinong might package her, and the talk of the Black and Red route—her expression gradually grew resolute.

She hung up and typed out a message: "Wang Chenggang, I'm honored that you like me, but right now I want to focus on becoming a good actress. I don't want to think about romance so soon. Please don't waste your time on me. Let's just be friends."

A little while later, she got a reply: "Okay, I won't bother you anymore. I wish you success in your acting career. I hope to see you on the big screen someday."

Nazha let out a huge sigh of relief.

She'd been afraid he'd keep pestering her. After all, he was a wealthy second-generation heir with real influence. Thankfully, things had ended well.

"My career!" Nazha silently encouraged herself.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yang had already returned to Shanghai Theatre Academy.

He called Jiang Jinfu and said with a laugh, "Fuzi, I've got something to tell you. It's about a new show. Come to our usual place and let's have a drink."

In less than ten minutes, Jiang Jinfu arrived at a barbecue restaurant near Shanghai Theatre Academy.

The grilled skewers Zhang Yang had ordered had just arrived, and the two of them dug in.

After three drinks, Zhang Yang put an arm around Jiang Jinfu's shoulder and smiled. "Fuzi, Sister K called me earlier and assigned me a job. Your big brother here chose you without a second thought."

"Chose me for what?" Jiang Jinfu asked, confused.

He didn't actually dislike Zhang Yang at all. It was just that everyone around him kept talking about how outstanding Zhang Yang was. That irritated him, and he refused to accept it. He wanted to surpass him and beat him.

In every way.

"Look at me. I'm so happy I forgot to tell you what it was about."

Zhang Yang slapped his forehead, then told him everything that had happened that evening.

He ended by saying, "Fuzi, I don't know if you've met her, but Nazha is really beautiful. She's just as gorgeous as Reba, that junior from the year below us. They're equally stunning."

"But your big brother here still chose you without a second thought."

"Once we get to the set, I'll teach you everything I know."

Jiang Jinfu: "..."

No, you didn't have to choose me!