"Later?"
"I understand now."
Watching Nazha walk into the hotel, Zhang Yang looked at himself in the rearview mirror and chuckled.
He started the car and drove to a nearby teahouse to meet Lin Feng. The two eagerly discussed the action choreography, dialogue, and set design.
In his previous life, Zhang Yang had been a director. He had experienced the lives of characters from his own scripts through Dream Entry, so he had plenty of concrete ideas about setting up scenes. Lin Feng couldn't help thinking, What a genius.
"A'Yang, it's a shame we didn't meet sooner. Otherwise, I definitely would've recommended you for a few of those fight roles."
That evening, Lin Feng had been drinking a little, and his words took on more of a martial artist's bluntness.
"Hey, sometimes it all comes down to fate."
"Come on, Brother Lin. Let me fill your glass."
Zhang Yang poured Lin Feng another drink without the slightest doubt about what he'd said.
Before becoming an action director, Lin Feng had worked as a martial arts instructor on shows like Fong Sai Yuk (starring Zhang Weijian), The Smiling, Proud Wanderer (starring Li Yapeng), and Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (starring Liu Yifei), not to mention his earlier days as a stunt performer on Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. He really did have connections across the industry.
Otherwise, Lin Ziwei wouldn't have invited him to work with Liang Xin Quan on her first production as a producer.
Unfortunately, The Legend of Dugu was mostly a costume drama, so Lin Feng didn't have much room to show what he could do.
The material Zhang Yang had added to the script was exactly what Lin Feng had been hoping for.
"There'll be plenty of opportunities in the future. I hope you'll look out for me, big brother." Zhang Yang smiled sincerely. "If there aren't any acting roles, action-director work is fine too. I'd be glad to help."
He still had more than two years left with Tangren, but that didn't mean he couldn't start a company, sign and train his own talent, or assemble a crew to make films and TV dramas.
There might be some restrictions, but there was no problem with getting started early. Being able to do something didn't mean he'd do it well. Just look at what would happen to Tangren and Rong Shida in the future. Running an entertainment company wasn't easy.
He could use his foresight to snap up IP rights and recruit top talent, but finding entry-level staff and industry veterans would take time and exposure.
Lin Feng was a valuable connection. Through him, Zhang Yang could meet all kinds of people and lay the groundwork for starting a company one day.
At the very least, Lin Feng could get him quality roles. That would be profitable too.
"I'll consider you my little brother." Zhang Yang's sincerity pleased Lin Feng. "You've got real talent. When the time comes, I won't stand on ceremony. Come on, drink up."
Zhang Yang kept smiling and accepted every drink.
It was nearly ten that night when he walked Lin Feng back to his hotel room and called his assistant to look after him. Then he returned to his own room, showered, and went to bed.
"Ding~ Ring!"
At 6:25, the alarm went off.
Zhang Yang opened his eyes, reached over to silence it, and stared at the ceiling for five minutes before getting up.
After a quick wash, he put on a hat and jacket and headed to Old Hengdian Bun Shop.
The shop was famous in Hengdian. Many extras went there, and celebrities filming nearby often stopped in for a meal.
Zhang Yang got lucky and found an empty seat. He ordered soy milk, fried dough sticks, and ten pork buns.
As someone who practiced martial arts, he always had a healthy appetite. He could eat as much as he liked and burn it all off, so he didn't worry about gaining weight.
"Hey, you train in martial arts, don't you?" asked the man sitting at the same table.
"What gave me away, sir?" Zhang Yang replied with a smile, while his gaze swept over the shop and the street outside.
For him, keeping an eye on everything around him and listening in every direction was no mere figure of speech.
"What's there to guess?" The man gave a simple-minded grin. "You're so good-looking, you wouldn't be doing manual labor. You came to Hengdian to become an actor, and you eat so much because you have to train."
Zhang Yang nodded, then shook his head. "I do know a few moves, but you've got one thing wrong, sir. Even a handsome guy like me can do manual labor."
"What woman would let you put yourself through that?" the man objected.
"If she won't let me suffer, I can have something sweet instead." Zhang Yang grinned.
A baffled look appeared on the man's face.
What kind of manual labor was sweet instead of grueling?
But before he could ask, Zhang Yang suddenly stood and walked toward the cashier.
At that moment, anyone checking their watch or phone would have seen that it was already seven o'clock.
"Two pork buns, one red bean bun, one vegetable bun, and a cup of sweet soy milk. Eight yuan."
The cashier put three small bags and a cup of soy milk into a large plastic bag and handed it to the woman at the counter.
She had a round face, a hint of baby fat, and skin full of youthful plumpness. Her big, expressive eyes gave her an adorable, slightly dazed look. At first glance, she seemed like a college student who had just started school.
"Thank you." The adorable woman took the bag with one hand and reached into her pocket with the other for money.
She rummaged around and found nothing. Switching the bag to her other hand, she checked another pocket, but all she found was her phone.
A bad feeling came over her. She checked her trouser pockets too, only to find they were empty.
It was confirmed: she'd left in such a hurry that she hadn't brought any money.
Looking at the breakfast bag in her hand, she was so embarrassed her toes curled up. She could've dug a three-bedroom apartment out of the floor.
The packed breakfast couldn't be returned. But if she went back to the hotel for money, the round trip would take thirty or forty minutes, and she'd be late to set.
She could call someone for help, but her manager had refused to let her return to the production for free reshoots, so she'd come alone. She couldn't think of anyone to ask.
She didn't know the term "public humiliation," but that was exactly what she was experiencing.
If only she could pay by phone. Maybe she could ask whether the shop owner accepted Alipay?
When she didn't respond, the cashier asked again, "Hello? That'll be eight yuan."
"Um, I forgot to bring money." The woman told the truth, not daring to meet the cashier's eyes.
She felt sure her face must be bright red.
And it was—red as a tomato. Some unscrupulous person had even captured it on his phone.
"Packed food can't be returned," the cashier said in a perfectly ordinary tone.
People forgot their money when buying breakfast all the time. It wasn't as if she couldn't afford to pay.
After a moment's thought, the woman decided to leave her actor's ID as collateral and come back to pay after filming.
But before she could finish speaking, a pleasant male voice came from beside her. "Eight yuan, right? I'll pay for her."
The woman turned and saw a tall, sunny, very handsome young man with bright, alert eyes.
The handsome guy took out eight yuan, set it on the counter, and smiled at her. "Don't forget next time."
Then he walked straight out.
The woman froze for a moment, then hurried after him. "Wait! Wait!"
"What is it?" Zhang Yang stopped.
"Thank you for covering the cost of my breakfast. Let's exchange contact information, and I'll pay you back later. Are you filming here in Hengdian?" she asked.
A guy that handsome had to be an actor.
"No need." Zhang Yang shook his head. "It's only eight yuan. There's no need to go to all that trouble to pay me back."
"If you feel bad about it, just help someone out if you run into a similar situation someday."
With that, Zhang Yang left her with a radiant smile and strode away.
Watching him go, the woman felt a warmth spread through her.
Then her brows knitted together.
"I offered to exchange contact information, and he actually turned me down?"
"Am I, Zhao Liying, not pretty... or cute?"
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