The Troublemaker Duo

"A'Yang's here. Sit down."

Wallace Huo pointed to a seat nearby.

Zhang Yang sat down without hesitation, picked up the liquor on the coffee table, poured himself a glass, and downed it.

"Much better."

Leaning back on the sofa, Zhang Yang said casually, "I heard you're interested in that woman?"

He and Wallace Huo had become friends while filming Chinese Paladin 3, and they were even closer than the "Hu-Huo" duo people talked about online.

That whole "It's Hu, not Huo" thing was nothing compared to the Troublemaker Duo.

After all, there were three things that made men brothers for life: visiting brothels together, splitting the loot together, and sharing a jail cell.

He and Wallace Huo couldn't split loot or end up in jail together. They hadn't visited brothels together either, but they'd had their fun.

And Zhang Yang had once helped Wallace Huo fend off a paparazzo trying to take a sneaky photo, so Wallace owed him one.

"I had a bit of a thing for her before. Now she's pursuing me, but I'm not ready to settle down yet," Wallace Huo admitted.

He and Zhang Yang didn't contact each other when there was something going on, and they contacted each other even less when there wasn't. But whenever they met, they'd get together.

They were "bad influences" who clicked, trusted each other, and could speak from the heart.

When they got together now and then, Wallace was used to confiding his feelings in Zhang Yang.

"Then keep things on and off. With her personality, if you reject her outright, she'll probably pursue you even harder. But if you say yes, you'll most likely be the one who gets hurt."

Zhang Yang knew Lin Ziwei's personality all too well, thanks to his bird's-eye view.

After The Legend of Dugu became a success, she grew even more self-obsessed and self-important, and she and Wallace Huo went their separate ways.

But before long, her career began to decline, while Wallace maintained a steady level of popularity. In the end, he returned to the top after The Journey of Flower became a smash hit, and his commercial value soared. He was inundated with acting offers.

By then, Lin Ziwei came back to him again. After plenty of back-and-forth, they eventually got together.

If Wallace said yes now, he'd only end up hurt. But if he refused, Lin Ziwei wouldn't give up, and things would turn into a drawn-out entanglement.

"That's what I'm thinking. I'm keeping her hanging." Wallace sat up and raised his glass to Zhang Yang.

Clink!

Zhang Yang picked up his glass and clinked it against Wallace's. They downed their drinks.

A little while later, the private room door opened again, and two women walked in. They were cute, with gorgeous figures.

To put it in terms that would catch on in the future, they were both innocent and alluring.

The two women were sweet talkers, pouring drinks for Zhang Yang and Wallace Huo.

Zhang Yang and Wallace chatted. When the mood struck, they'd get up and sing, or have the women beside them sing instead.

They drank until almost eleven, then left the private room together. The women were no longer with them.

To them, women in different places meant different ways of having fun. They never crossed the line.

"I always feel more at ease with you. We're into the same things," Wallace Huo said, putting an arm around Zhang Yang's shoulders.

"Hah, are you sure it isn't because our taste in women barely overlaps?" Zhang Yang teased.

"That's fate too." Wallace Huo grinned.

Zhang Shaohan, Chen Qiao'en. He'd seen plenty of scenery himself.

In his eyes, Zhang Yang's tastes were still too tame.

The two of them kept talking nonsense all the way back to Wallace Huo's van.

The driver had seen it all before and drove them back to the hotel.

When they got out, Wallace Huo rubbed his temples. "As long as you don't offend Lin Ziwei on this set, you won't have any trouble. Go to Yan Yikuan for the small stuff, and come to me for the big stuff."

That was exactly what I'd been waiting for you to say.

Zhang Yang pulled a few sheets of paper from his jacket and handed them to Wallace Huo. "Then could you do me a favor and pass these to Lin Ziwei? If she doesn't agree, could you get me a chance to have dinner with her and talk her into it?"

You had to use a favor when you could, or it would expire.

It was only a small favor. He couldn't exactly ask Wallace Huo to give him the male lead role in The Journey of Flower down the line.

Besides, Wallace Huo didn't want to act in another xianxia drama and had already turned down the script for over half a year.

"You want more scenes?" Wallace Huo glanced over the pages and rubbed his temples. "Honestly, I don't think you need to go to so much trouble over Zhao Kuangyin. I don't think the role will stand out."

"You refused roles for years and insisted on studying acting systematically at school. Now that you're willing to take a role, I can introduce you to a third male lead. They're probably starting production in October this year. I'm starring in it with Nicky Wu. It's called The Law of the Lord."

Zhang Yang was a little surprised by how sincere Wallace Huo was. As it happened, he knew a bit about The Law of the Lord.

It was a major production by television standards, but it didn't make much of a splash in China when it aired. However, it did quite well in other Asian countries, and held the record for the most-watched Chinese-language TV drama in South Korea in 2013.

If he wanted to build his profile overseas, it was a good choice.

If he didn't already have a scheduling conflict, Zhang Yang thought he could take the role.

But he had confidence in himself and his cheat.

"Only kids make choices. Can I have both?" Zhang Yang decided to play it safe.

"Typical you." Wallace Huo laughed.

He didn't say whether he'd do it or not. He waved the script in his hand and turned to leave.

Zhang Yang didn't chase after him or say anything more. He trusted Wallace Huo not to let him down.

But he hadn't expected Wallace Huo to get things done so quickly. The man surprised him right away.

The next day at noon, Zhang Yang had just finished lunch on set when Lin Ziwei's assistant called him over to the sun umbrella beside her van.

"I've read it. There isn't much, and it's all material that lets Zhao Kuangyin shine. You've written it well too." Lin Ziwei started by praising him, then changed tack. "But it has nothing to do with the main storyline of our drama. It won't make any difference whether we add it or not."

What she meant was, I have no reason to add these scenes just to give you a chance to shine.

Zhang Yang had already prepared his response. Sitting up straight, he said, "Sister Ziwei, the reason I felt comfortable asking Brother Hua to put in a word was precisely because these scenes have nothing to do with the main storyline."

Lin Ziwei: ?

Wasn't that a contradiction?

"If they were connected to the main storyline, we'd need to trouble a lot of people to film them," Zhang Yang continued. "The production team would have to redo the schedule. We might have to bother some actors who've already wrapped, or even add to the workload for you and the other leads."

"But this is just an expansion of Zhao Kuangyin's side story. We can easily have an assistant director take a crew out to film it with me. It won't affect the rest of the production at all, and the added cost won't be much."

Lin Ziwei, who was now a producer, obviously understood all that.

It was also why she was willing to hear Zhang Yang out.

Otherwise, even if Wallace Huo had put in a word for him, she would have ignored it.

In short, Zhang Yang and the role of Zhao Kuangyin didn't deserve the trouble.

"It won't cost much more, but it'll still cost more, and it'll be a hassle." Lin Ziwei continued, "You still haven't answered my question. How will adding these scenes benefit the drama?"

The benefit?

It'd make the drama feel a little less like a Mary Sue story.

But that wasn't something he could say to her.

"I can't promise it'll benefit the drama, but it definitely won't hurt it." Zhang Yang met Lin Ziwei's eyes without the slightest hesitation. "But it'll definitely benefit you, Sister Ziwei."

"Do you remember what I said yesterday, Sister Ziwei?"

"Zhao Kuangyin has a secret crush on Ma Fuyua. He admires her. She's the White Moonlight he'll cherish in his heart for the rest of his life."

"But how many people even know who Zhao Kuangyin is? And how many know how impressive he really is?"

"People who don't know Zhao Kuangyin won't realize how exceptional Ma Fuyua must be to become his White Moonlight."

"It's like a random person liking you, Sister Ziwei. People will just think it's normal. Lots of people like you."

"But if Brother Hua likes you, people will say, 'Sister Ziwei, you must be incredibly charming. Even Brother Hua can't resist you.'"

"..."

Lin Ziwei understood what Zhang Yang meant.

A flower needed green leaves to set it off. Only if Zhao Kuangyin was a green enough leaf would Ma Fuyua stand out as an even more brilliant flower.

If she let Zhang Yang have more scenes without affecting the production schedule, then the leading lady would benefit too.

It was a win-win.

"Go on ahead. I'll discuss it with the director and screenwriter." Lin Ziwei waved him away.

But Zhang Yang knew there was a good chance she'd agreed.

"Take your time, Sister Ziwei. I'm thinking of myself too, of course, but I know my place. I only want a taste."

After leaving her with that remark, Zhang Yang returned to his place on set.

"A'Yang, what did Lin Ziwei want with you?" Nazha's face was full of curiosity.

Zhang Yang looked at her and smiled. "I got you a special-appearance role. How are you going to thank me?"

Nazha: ?