Zhang Yang recognized the beautiful woman before him. She was Liu Yifei's mother, Liu Xiaoli, who had liked him very much back when they were filming Chinese Paladin.
"Long time no see, Aunt Liu," Zhang Yang greeted her.
Liu Xiaoli, who had been thinking about something, turned to look at him, suspicion in her eyes.
Did she know this young man?
He was very handsome. Surely she would remember him if they'd met before.
"Are you Xiao Yang?" Liu Xiaoli asked uncertainly.
She remembered what Liu Yifei had told her a few days ago: she'd run into Zhang Yang on the set of The Legend of Dugu.
Zhang Yang was doing very well now. Director Chen Jiashang had invited him to take over Mu Panlong's work.
Putting the clues together, Liu Xiaoli realized that Zhang Yang's face matched the boyish one in her memories.
"That's right, Aunt Liu. I'm Zhang Yang." Zhang Yang gave her a polite smile. "Sister Xixi must have told you about me. It's been seven years since we last saw each other."
Liu Xiaoli smiled warmly. "That's right. You used to be such a shy little boy. Now you're so much taller than me, and quite the young man."
As they talked, Liu Xiaoli took a few more glances at Zhang Yang's face.
Over the years, she'd accompanied her daughter in the entertainment industry and met many male celebrities, most of them A-listers. Compared with them, Zhang Yang's looks ranked near the top.
"You haven't changed at all, Aunt Liu," Zhang Yang said, his words as sweet as honey. "If you stood next to Sister Xixi, people would think you were sisters, not mother and daughter."
A smile immediately bloomed on Liu Xiaoli's lips.
The same words sounded different coming from different people.
Even though Zhang Yang was flattering her, she was delighted to hear it.
But at the mention of Liu Yifei, her expression quickly turned serious. "Xiao Yang, I can't chat with you just now. Xixi strained something while filming a fight scene. She's run out of her liniment, so I need to ask the stuntmen if they have any. If they don't, I'll have someone buy more right away."
Medicine for bruises and sprains?
A glint flashed in Zhang Yang's eyes.
If he wasn't mistaken, this was the opportunity shown in the Opportunity Guide.
What a coincidence.
This time, he could get Opportunity Points without spending Character Points.
"Auntie, no need to trouble yourself. I happen to have some." Zhang Yang reached out and took the bag from Nazha, then held it out to Liu Xiaoli.
"Dit Da Jow, Yunnan Baiyao spray, and medicated plasters..."
Liu Xiaoli glanced through the bag, her eyes brightening with delight.
These were exactly what Liu Yifei needed. Zhang Yang really was a timely rain.
"Thank you, Xiao Yang." Liu Xiaoli didn't stand on ceremony.
They were just little things. She simply needed them urgently right now. She'd have her assistant buy twice as much later to pay him back.
Now that Zhang Yang had joined the production, she'd look out for him where she could.
"Come in with me. I'll have Xiao Qin tell you about the production." Liu Xiaoli invited Zhang Yang into the studio.
By "tell him about the production," she meant explaining each actor's temperament, who got along with whom, which influential people had brought in the key crew members, and who was best avoided.
This was exactly the kind of information Zhang Yang had wanted when he'd first joined The Legend of Dugu. He'd hoped to get it by befriending Sister Sun, the makeup artist, so he could navigate the production more easily.
The information Liu Xiaoli could give him would surely be more detailed. That was the benefit of having connections.
Of course, if you were influential enough, you didn't need to learn any of this. You could make everyone else learn about you instead!
"Is it all right for me to come in, Aunt Liu?"
Zhang Yang had no intention of refusing, but he asked anyway.
If the timing wasn't right, barging in might annoy someone.
Better to check with Liu Xiaoli first. That way, if anything happened, it wouldn't be his fault.
Liu Xiaoli lifted the curtain. "Come in. It'll be fine."
Zhang Yang immediately reached out to hold the curtain for her.
Liu Xiaoli walked into the studio with the bag in hand.
Zhang Yang followed her inside, looking around curiously.
Only after Nazha had entered did he let the curtain fall shut.
The studio was spacious, and it had been divided into a series of open-plan rooms.
People sat in each room. The largest was on the far right, filled with storage boxes.
A long bench stood among the boxes. Liu Yifei, wearing her costume and showing off a pair of long legs, was lying facedown on it. Four or five people sat nearby, probably members of her team, including her personal assistant and makeup artist.
Zhang Yang followed Liu Xiaoli into Liu Yifei's dressing room. Since Liu Yifei was lying facedown, she only saw Liu Xiaoli when she came close. "Mom, you're back so soon. Did you borrow some?"
"I got some." Liu Xiaoli sat beside her and took out a bottle of Dit Da Jow. "But I didn't borrow it from the stuntmen. I happened to run into Xiao Yang."
"Xiao Yang?" Liu Yifei wondered who that was.
A moment later, she guessed, "Zhang Yang?"
"That's right. It's me." Zhang Yang spoke up unexpectedly.
"Ah!" Liu Yifei jumped, nearly falling off the bench.
"Stay put."
Liu Xiaoli steadied Liu Yifei by the waist. Once she was settled, she opened the bottle of Dit Da Jow, poured a little onto the spot just above Liu Yifei's knee, and began massaging it gently.
Liu Yifei had been filming action scenes since she was little, so getting injured was routine.
They said that a long illness made one a doctor, and Liu Xiaoli had become skilled at treating Liu Yifei's injuries.
"A'Yang, how dare you scare me?" Liu Yifei turned her head the other way and glared at Zhang Yang.
"Unfair. I heard you call my name, so I answered." Zhang Yang folded his arms and looked down at Liu Yifei in her "Wuqing" getup, amusement in his eyes.
"Who answers like that?" Liu Yifei was so annoyed she almost laughed, but she didn't make a big deal of it. Instead, she asked, "You've joined the production?"
"Obviously." Zhang Yang shrugged. "I even brought medicine for bruises and sprains, and happened to save your life."
"Since when did you save my life? It's just a minor injury." Liu Yifei thought Zhang Yang was exaggerating.
But Liu Xiaoli immediately piled on. "I wonder who was just saying it hurt so much that she'd die if she didn't get medicine. Surely it wasn't me?"
"Mom!" Liu Yifei's pretty face flushed, and she protested.
How could her own mother undermine her in front of Zhang Yang?
Besides, she hadn't really been unable to bear the pain. She'd mostly just been acting cute.
Zhang Yang smiled. "Even though I saved your life, Sister Xixi, you don't have to thank me in any special way if you don't want to. Aunt Liu has already thanked me."
He put extra emphasis on the word "special," making his meaning obvious.
Liu Yifei gritted her teeth. "That's different. I'll definitely thank you properly. Personally."
"Oh, you don't have to go to all that trouble." Zhang Yang pretended not to understand her threat and smiled. "I'm not greedy. Just treat me to meals for ten days or half a month. Better yet, cook them yourself. Aunt Liu is such a good cook, I still remember the guobaorou she made. I'm sure Sister Xixi is just as good."
There was a hint of amusement in Liu Xiaoli's eyes.
She was very pleased to have her cooking praised.
Liu Yifei was fuming. "Fine. If you dare eat it."
"Uh..." Zhang Yang blinked. "Never mind. Sister Xixi looks like she's never lifted a finger around the house. I don't want to end up sick from eating your cooking."
Liu Yifei shot him a fierce look. "Do you want me to hit you?"
Zhang Yang held her gaze for a few seconds, then said with a perfectly straight face, "The way you are right now, could you even jump up and hit me in the knee?"
Liu Yifei: "..."
"Pfft." Someone nearby couldn't stop themselves from laughing.
Seeing Liu Yifei's murderous glare, the person said sheepishly, "I just thought of a joke."
Liu Yifei: !
I think I'm the joke.
Before you continue