The Last Supper

Whoosh!

Nazha's pretty face turned bright red, as if it could drip blood.

Her beautiful eyes fixed on Zhang Yang, gradually growing misty, as though she might burst into tears at any moment.

Her silent accusation made Zhang Yang feel as if he were sitting on pins and needles.

This is bad. Zhang Yang knew he was in trouble.

Nazha was still too thin-skinned. She hadn't been tempered by the entertainment industry, and she wasn't close with Hu Ge and the others. She couldn't take a joke that easily.

In this situation, apologizing or trying to comfort her was out of the question. Nazha could burst into tears in an instant, and then things would really go wrong.

But he couldn't pretend to be clueless, either. Otherwise, this might become a thorn in Nazha's heart, one that would be hard to pull out later.

Hu Ge and the others could tell something was wrong, too. Their minds raced as they tried to figure out how to save the situation.

Got it.

At the crucial moment, Zhang Yang had a sudden flash of inspiration and came up with a plan.

He pretended not to notice Nazha's reaction and rested his chin on his hand, as if deep in thought. "Well, that's settled. Next time I see Reba, I can tease my junior about it. So Uyghur people aren't all good at singing and dancing after all."

Nazha's eyes widened reflexively.

Had she brought shame upon the Uyghur people?

Wait. Reba. Uyghur.

"Who is this Reba you're talking about?" Nazha's attention was diverted.

"Dilireba. I think her full name is..." Zhang Yang thought for a moment, then turned to Nazha. "Dilireba Dilmurat. Right, that's it."

"She was my high school classmate." The emotion in Nazha's eyes faded, replaced by excitement.

She and Dilireba had been on good terms in the past. They'd been the same-age friends in the singing and dancing troupe, and they hadn't been rivals.

"What a coincidence." Zhang Yang's face showed just the right amount of confusion. "But how come you're a year below Reba?"

As soon as he said it, Zhang Yang seemed to realize something. "That's right. You told me you missed last year's college entrance exam, so you repeated a year. That means you and Reba were actually in the same year."

"Exactly! Last year, we both auditioned for the role of Consort Yu in Lu Chuan's The Last Supper. But I was eliminated pretty early, so we didn't get a chance to meet up afterward." Nazha's face was full of regret.

Seeing this, Zhang Yang discreetly gestured to Hu Ge and took charge. "That's easy enough. When I get back from Hengdian, I'll treat the two of you to a meal."

Hu Ge gave Zhang Yang a thumbs-up in his heart, then turned to start picking a song.

Qi Wei clicked her tongue, scooted a little closer to Tang Yan, and whispered in her ear, "A'Yang has the makings of a player."

Tang Yan had been eating Hami melon. Hearing Qi Wei's comment, she couldn't help glancing at Zhang Yang.

In the dim, flickering light, his features looked even more defined, adding another layer of charm to an already handsome face.

Tang Yan nodded in agreement. "Like us, he's blessed with good looks. Handsome people have plenty of admirers, but that doesn't necessarily make him a player. Brother Qi, you're being one-sided."

Qi Wei: "..."

There were too many things to pick apart, and for a moment she didn't know where to start.

She'd meant that Zhang Yang was good with sweet talk and could lead a pretty airhead around by the nose.

"Good thing A'Yang probably isn't interested in you. Otherwise, you'd be done for," Qi Wei said sincerely.

"You don't think I'm pretty?" Tang Yan touched her face. "I'm beautiful too! Maybe A'Yang likes older women?"

"But you got one thing right. If he pursued me, I might not be able to turn him down."

Qi Wei: "..."

This silly sweet was beyond saving. Whatever. Let her do as she pleased.

Zhang Yang had no idea Qi Wei had seen through him. He was still talking to Nazha about Reba.

Nazha had already forgotten what happened earlier—or perhaps she'd chosen to forget. Either way, she didn't sing again.

"I'm getting sleepy. We have filming tomorrow, so I'm heading back to bed." Qi Wei checked the time and called it a night.

No one objected. They all rode back to the hotel together.

Qi Wei and Tang Yan took their assistants and went straight upstairs. Hu Ge's female assistant took Nazha to get her room sorted out. Zhang Yang and Jiang Jinfu didn't need to go to that much trouble. Since they were leaving for Hengdian the next day, they could make do for the night in Hu Ge's suite.

"I'll get a room of my own."

As they crossed the lobby, Jiang Jinfu's gaze passed over Nazha, who was checking in at the front desk, and he suddenly stopped.

"There's no need to go to all that trouble, is there?" Zhang Yang guessed what was on his mind, but pretended not to understand why Jiang Jinfu wanted to waste money.

"I have my reasons." Jiang Jinfu didn't mention that he'd called Cai Yinong.

He saw Zhang Yang as a rival he needed to surpass, but he didn't want another enemy.

"Suit yourself." Zhang Yang didn't press him and left with Hu Ge.

"A'Yang, you really have guts."

In the hotel elevator, Hu Ge gave Zhang Yang a thumbs-up.

Thinking of Nazha's bright red face earlier, he couldn't help admiring Zhang Yang's nerve.

"Don't remind me. I regret it already." Zhang Yang took a tissue from his pocket and wiped his hand, then turned to Old Hu. "When you're with her tomorrow, remember to help fix my image."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Hu Ge spread his hands. He wasn't good at manipulating people.

"Just tell her I was actually trying to train her." Zhang Yang had already prepared his explanation and wasn't worried in the least. He pursed his lips. "In the entertainment industry, she'll face all kinds of interviews and situations with strangers. Forget friendly teasing—there'll be hostile attacks and hidden daggers, too. She needs to learn to tell the difference."

"As for why I didn't explain myself tonight, of course it was because I didn't want to upset her too much or make her feel wronged."

After he finished, Zhang Yang saw that Hu Ge hadn't responded and raised an eyebrow in confusion. "Is there something wrong with that explanation?"

"No problem." Hu Ge's expression turned strange. "If you hadn't told me in advance that this was your damage control, I'd have thought it was what you were actually trying to do."

"Oh..." Zhang Yang nodded thoughtfully, then smiled at Hu Ge. "Right. That was exactly my goal. I'm a responsible senior, unlike you, you goofball."

Hu Ge: "..."

Get lost!

Meanwhile, Jiang Jinfu held out his ID to Hu Ge's female assistant. "Could you get me a room, too? I'll be following Senior Hu Ge from now on."

The assistant looked a little confused, but didn't ask. She simply did as he requested.

Nazha, who'd been lost in thought, didn't bother to hide her confusion. "Weren't you going to Hengdian with Brother Yang tomorrow?"

"I'm just following Sister K's arrangements." Jiang Jinfu didn't explain further.

"Oh." Seeing that Jiang Jinfu didn't feel like talking, Nazha couldn't be bothered with him.

She watched the assistant finish booking the room, took back her ID and key card, then turned and walked away with her suitcase without even saying goodbye.

Jiang Jinfu clenched his fists.

Nazha treated him completely differently from the way she treated Zhang Yang.

He had to win!

Nazha had no idea what he was thinking. If she had, she would definitely have said, "Isn't it because you look like you don't want to talk to anyone?"

She went to her room alone. After setting down her suitcase, she flopped onto the bed and sent a text.

[Guess who I am.]

"Hm?"

Reba had just finished washing up and climbed into bed, ready to sleep, when she looked at her phone screen.

She saw the message and a smile appeared at the corner of her mouth.

[Reba]: Do I get a prize if I guess right?

[What kind of prize do you want?]

[Reba]: Treat me to three meals—no, ten! (Each meal must cost no more than a hundred.)

"This foodie hasn't changed at all." Nazha happily kicked her feet.

[Fine, take a guess. I won't give you any hints.]

[Reba]: Okay, Nazha owes me ten meals.

[Nazha]: How did you know it was me?

[Reba]: Senior Zhang Yang texted me a few minutes ago. He said you'd become his junior at the same school and gave you my contact information. Was it really that hard to guess?

[Nazha]: You're all picking on me.

"Huh?"

Reba scratched her cheek.

Why had she said "all"?