Cai Yinong had originally wanted to maintain her composure in front of Zhang Yang, but his unruffled, utterly confident demeanor had made it impossible for her to hold back.
Zhang Yang was so capable now that he had surely seen through some of her intentions. Wasn't he worried she would hold up his contract and prevent him from playing Cen Chong?
"Sister K is a smart woman. Why should I be afraid?" Zhang Yang asked calmly. Before Cai Yinong could speak, he continued, "Signing the contract is a win-win-win. I get the role and I'm happy; Director Chen finds a suitable actor he can work with and he's happy; Tangren makes a little money, and you, Sister K, can use this opportunity to build a connection with Director Chen."
"Not signing is a lose-lose-lose. I'll hold a grudge against you and the company; Director Chen will think Tangren doesn't play fair and will have a poor opinion of you; Tangren gets nothing, while you, Sister K, gain a few enemies."
"Or have I, Zhang Yang, become so outstanding that you'd rather burn bridges and freeze me out for three years just to force me to renew my contract?"
Cai Yinong fell silent.
Whether you looked at it from one side or the other, anyone who wasn't stupid would know what to choose.
There were, in fact, plenty of other consequences, such as Tangren's reputation in the industry.
Unless Zhang Yang had seriously offended her, she had no reason to freeze him out.
"Looks like two years of serious studying really have helped you improve a lot—not just your bearing and acting."
Leaving him with that remark, Cai Yinong got into the back of the car and told the driver to set off.
There was something she hadn't said: if Zhang Yang kept proving himself, she would find it hard to resist doing something about it.
Unless he suddenly became so exceptional that she couldn't hope to catch up with him—but that was absolutely impossible.
After watching the car disappear around the street corner, Zhang Yang turned and went back into the restaurant. He saw Nazha standing behind the glass door.
"When did you learn to eavesdrop?" Zhang Yang teased.
"I wasn't eavesdropping on purpose." Nazha came out, indignant despite having no real grounds to be. Concern lurked in her eyes. "Brother Yang, what you said to Sister K just now made perfect sense, logically speaking, but..."
Zhang Yang watched her, a smile tugging at his lips as he waited for her to continue.
"But Sister K is a woman," Nazha said.
Women weren't always so rational and levelheaded.
Even Cai Yinong, a businesswoman, could have her impulsive moments.
Zhang Yang nodded slightly. "Good. You've learned to think things through."
Nazha blinked and ventured, "You're not worried?"
"If Sister K isn't being rational, I'll help her be rational," Zhang Yang said with a smile. "Have you forgotten how we resolved your role as Zhao Jingniang?"
"If Sister K holds up my contract, I'll sign a work contract with Director Chen as a martial arts instructor. Tangren can't control that. I'll still get the pay I'm due, and I can even cut out the middleman and pocket the difference."
"I can definitely work as a stunt double. I'm the obvious choice for Director Chen. The downside is that without a contract protecting me in a supporting role, I'd be taking some risks. For instance, Director Chen could replace me whenever he wanted. But I could just as easily walk away whenever I wanted, so it would still be fair to both sides."
"After all, it's only a supporting role. Director Chen has no reason to ruin his reputation over it. And when it comes to stunt work, he's the one who needs me, so I have the upper hand."
"As for Cai Yinong, all she'll do is shoot herself in the foot."
Nazha was speechless.
Being smart seemed exhausting.
"As long as you'll be all right." Nazha smiled and let the subject drop.
Zhang Yang nodded. "Get some sleep early. Once you've finished shooting tomorrow morning, you'll be done with your role."
It was the first time in her life that one of her roles had wrapped. That was worth remembering.
Nazha gave a slight nod, already looking forward to it.
The next day.
At a nunnery.
Under Zhao Jingniang's gaze, Zhang Yang left, feeling despondent.
"Love from the falling flowers, none from the flowing stream. I have failed someone who loved me so deeply."
"Big Sister Yaya, in the end, I'm just like you."
"Cut!"
Lin Feng called out.
"Let's congratulate Nazha on wrapping!" Lin Feng led the applause.
The crew members readily joined in.
After spending this time together, they'd grown fond of Nazha, with her fair skin, pretty face, and adorably clueless personality. Besides, Zhang Yang was always treating everyone to snacks and fruit, and he knew how to handle people.
"Junior, congratulations."
Zhang Yang took out a box he had prepared earlier.
"What's this?" Nazha took it and opened it, finding several photographs inside.
They showed her and Zhang Yang in their costumes, along with a group photo of their little crew. The date, March 28, was written on the back of each one.
They made for a meaningful keepsake.
"Thank you, Brother Yang." Nazha smiled sweetly, making no attempt to hide the emotion in her eyes.
Zhang Yang acted as if he hadn't noticed and said with a chuckle, "You may be done shooting, but I'm not. From now on, you can keep playing my assistant."
"I'll do a great job," Nazha said, agreeing without a second thought.
The busy filming days continued.
The following afternoon, Zhang Yang finished shooting all his scenes as well, and his role wrapped.
Lin Ziwei was generous enough to invite him and Nazha to dinner, calling it a wrap party for their roles.
"When the whole production wraps, you have to come to the celebration dinner," Lin Ziwei said, inviting Zhang Yang.
Zhang Yang certainly wasn't going to turn down a chance to expand his network. He readily agreed.
Early the next morning, he checked out of the hotel arranged by the Legend of Dugu crew, then contacted the Four Great Constables crew's production staff and checked into the hotel they had arranged.
After checking the time, Zhang Yang called Nazha over. "Let's buy some medicine for bruises and sprains, especially red medicated oil."
"The Four Great Constables is a martial arts movie. Are there a lot of fight scenes?" Nazha asked, voicing an incredibly silly question.
Zhang Yang didn't criticize her. He patiently explained, "Director Chen is shooting lots of wirework scenes for this film. They can easily cause strains and bruises. If you don't treat them right away, they could turn into chronic injuries."
Nazha nodded thoughtfully, thinking that action movies were really hard to make.
Zhang Yang took Nazha to a nearby pharmacy to buy the medicine they needed, then headed straight to the set to report in.
When they reached the set, the crew was filming a fight scene featuring Zhui Ming, played by Hong Kong actor Zheng Zhongji.
Zhang Yang didn't barge in and interrupt. He glanced around, then walked toward a soundstage.
Time: March 29, 10:21 a.m. Location: Hengdian World Studios, XX Zone, Soundstage No. XX Guide: (Locked / 1 Character Point)
This was an opportunity that had appeared the previous morning.
After looking into it, he had found that it was at the Four Great Constables set.
He hadn't used a Character Point to unlock it. He wanted to see if he could solve it on his own.
Outside the soundstage, he stopped a nearby crew member and asked, "Is this the actors' lounge?"
The other person looked Zhang Yang over a few times and nodded. "Yes, but it's the women's lounge. The men's is across the way."
As he spoke, he pointed to another soundstage opposite this one.
Zhang Yang was speechless.
He should've just walked in.
"Thank you."
His heart was bleeding, but Zhang Yang still thanked him politely.
Just then, someone pulled aside the soundstage's door curtain and came out.
Zhang Yang instinctively sized the person up and saw a well-dressed woman with an air of elegance.
His eyes suddenly lit up. "Talk about perfect timing."
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