Acting

In the evening, Zhang Yang ordered several local specialties, such as red carp wrapped in lotus leaves and autumn-dried hot pot. After all, the first step in understanding the local customs and culture is to taste the authentic local flavors.

"How do you feel?" Xie Shuting asked.

"Not bad, is this considered Jiangxi style?" Zhang Yang said while tasting it.

"We have both Jiangxi and Huizhou flavors, we have them all." Xie Shuting said with a smile, holding up her chopsticks. "By the way, tell me about you. You came all this way to invite me, acting like you couldn't do without me. Did your manager read my books, or something?"

Zhang Yang blinked.

What do you mean by "it has to be her"? It's just a list provided by the system. After all, it involves a large industry; otherwise, why would he bother coming all this way to hire her?

Of course, I definitely can't say that.

"Yes, both. The person in charge likes your work, and coincidentally, I'm also a fan of your books, so I volunteered," Zhang Yang said.

"You... my fan?" Xie Shuting raised her voice, her eyes full of disbelief.

"Really?" Zhang Yang said without batting an eye.

It's not some profound masterpiece, and Su Xiaoran isn't a prolific writer to begin with. So, he only needs to spend most of the day reading book reviews, figuring out character relationships and evaluations, and then going through the original text again to be able to make it sound pretty convincing.

"For example, in your book [Youth: Seventeen Years Old, Left and Right], my favorite part is..."

He spoke eloquently, Xie Shuting's eyes grew brighter and brighter as he spoke.

At this moment, Zhang Yang stopped revealing his intentions too much; this is called retreating to advance.

"Unbelievable, truly unbelievable." Xie Shuting murmured to herself with a smile, "Come on, let's toast with tea instead of wine."

She raised her glass to clink glasses with Zhang Yang.

Zhang Yang smiled, raised his glass, and clinked it with the artsy young woman's.

Over the next few days, Zhang Yang stopped mentioning serious matters and spent his days enjoying the scenery of Huangling and taking a stroll around the surrounding area. During this time, he naturally took the opportunity to get to know Xie Shuting better.

Whether there's something to do or not, he'd often meet up with Xie Shuting for meals and chats, and occasionally they'd drink a little wine with a low alcohol content.

Under the guise of being a book lover, Zhang Yang had the advantage of proximity, and the two could be considered ordinary friends who had met by chance.

That evening

"Hey, why haven't you mentioned inviting me out these past few days? Are you really planning to travel here?" Xie Shuting asked curiously.

It's rare to see Zhang Yang smoking. His face, shrouded in smoke, looked almost unrealistically handsome.

"What's the point of saying it?" Zhang Yang smiled. "Then I'll ask you one more time, are you going?"

"I'm not going." Xie Shuting shook her head.

"That's it, asking is pointless." Zhang Yang didn't say anything, and his expression seemed calm, but in his heart he was cursing Xie Shuting to death.

This kind of woman deserves to be pursued and dumped a hundred times.

"Achoo!" Xie Shuting sneezed suddenly, pulled her coat tighter, and muttered to herself for a moment, a little puzzled, "By the way, some of my closest book friends are coming to see me tonight, and we're planning to go to Wuyuan County for a get-together. Are you coming?"

"You go ahead, I have some things to discuss with the company," Zhang Yang said casually. "Send me the address."

Staying in Huangling every day really tests your patience. No matter how good a scenic spot is, you need to change things up after a while.

"Alright, I'll head over first. I'll send you the address when I get there." Xie Shuting stood up and swayed into the inn.

Zhang Yang looked up at Xie Shuting's back.

He didn't know if it was just his imagination, but these past few days, looking at Xie Shuting, his male intuition told him that something was off.

But I can't quite put my finger on what's wrong.

Perhaps it was a hint of allure she occasionally revealed, or perhaps it was a swaying silhouette from behind... Also, these past few days, it seems she's been wearing a different outfit every morning and afternoon?

"Tch, he refuses to go out, and insists on using these crooked and shady methods..." Zhang Yang muttered to himself.

···

Outside an open-air tavern in Wuyuan.

As soon as Xie Shuting arrived, several men and women sitting under the canopy raised their hands in greeting.

"Sister Xiaoran."

Yes, her fans mostly prefer to call her by her pen name.

These people in front of me are all her die-hard fans, having followed her for many years. They've helped organize many offline events, and can be considered true confidants.

"You've arrived early, haven't you?" Xie Shuting smiled and sat down.

"I haven't been here long. I just climbed Yellow Mountain a few days ago, and I thought you were in Wuyuan, so I came all the way here." Huanhuan, Xie Shuting's number one die-hard female Huanhuan, pushed a glass of wine over. "How's the new book coming along, sister?"

"It's not even over yet. You know me, I'm always incredibly slow," Xie Shuting said with a smile.

"That's why we only produce high-quality products," they said in unison.

As evening fell, the tavern played the song "Red Dust Inn":

The wind at the Red Dust Inn is like a knife.

Sudden rain falls, fate knocks.

··

A few people sipped their drinks, and a group of longtime friends chatted in a relaxed and comfortable atmosphere.

"Sister Xiaoran, I really envy your free life. Running a Red Dust Inn, watching the world go by, and doing what you love." Huanhuan rested her chin on her hand, listening to the song, and suddenly seemed to get a little emotional and couldn't get out of it.

"Forget it. Turning a hobby into a job might not be comfortable. Besides, running a small inn with little business and watching people come and go every day will get boring after a while." Xie Shuting smiled gently, her cool face exuding an indescribable charm.

"However, speaking of which, I recently met a very special person."

"Feeling the stirrings of spring, Sister Ran?" the group joked, exchanging glances as they spoke.

"Don't joke with me." Xie Shuting smiled, rubbing her forehead. "It's like this..."

She gave a general account of the cause and effect.

"So, do you believe that there are characters in this world who have stepped out of novels and into reality?"

"A protagonist's face? Really?"

"Is he really like what you said, Sister Xiaoran? A male protagonist straight out of a novel?"

The group exchanged bewildered glances, all somewhat uncertain and disbelieving. But this woman before them was a writer, a literary giant; could her perspective and judgment truly be the same as theirs?

If she says yes, then it must be.

"I don't believe it! Sister Xiaoran, you mean we just think he's handsome? But reality isn't a novel, there's no such person." Several boys wearing jackets, who were freedom-loving and had a roguish personality, shook their heads one after another, their tone full of disbelief.

"If you don't believe me, he should come tonight. You'll see for yourselves then," Xie Shuting said, not arguing, but simply sipping her wine.

"Heh, all the male protagonists in novels are heroes who save the damsel in distress. Does he dare to do that?" The boys chuckled. "How about this, Xiao Ran, if you don't mind, we can put on a play later and test the waters to see if he really has the qualities to be a male protagonist."

The hero rescuing the damsel in distress is indeed a cliché trope, but it is a fundamental quality that any male protagonist should possess.

If he doesn't even have the most basic courage, what kind of male lead is he? More like a cowardly male lead!

"Stop fooling around." Xie Shuting shook her head with a smile.

Several die-hard female fans, however, were intrigued. "Sister Xiaoran, let's stop here. Let's just test if the guy you're talking about is really like that... To be honest, we've never actually seen a guy like the male lead in a novel in real life."

Several die-hard book lovers nearby tried to persuade him.

Xie Shuting felt a strange stirring in her heart, and in the end, she could only nod slightly and imperceptibly.

"Okay, then, a few of us guys will sit over there and pretend to be drunk to flirt with you guys later, and see how he reacts," a few tall, burly boys said with great interest.

A moment later, five boys sat down to one side.

Only a few girls remained at the table.

Xie Shuting checked her phone and realized that Zhang Yang had just replied to her message not long ago, saying he was on his way.

"We should be there soon."

"Haha, I'm really looking forward to seeing what the male lead looks like in Xiao Ran's eyes. Why am I even a little excited?" a few girls whispered among themselves.

As for those other so-called male protagonist traits, just listen to them and let them go.

However, there was one thing Xie Shuting said that they deeply believed: this guy was definitely very handsome.

"We've arrived." After a while, Xie Shuting looked up and waved from afar.

The girls at the table followed the gaze, and then, in unison, they all exclaimed in surprise.

"Holy shit."

What did they see?

A tall figure stepped out of the car in the night. As he approached, his thin lips, straight nose, and imposing stature made him look exactly like a male protagonist who had stepped into reality.

This trope can be applied to the ideal male protagonist in every youth romance novel on the market.

What did they do to deserve this? On such a night, in Wuyuan, drinking wine, listening to a song from a folk inn, they met a boy who would change their lives at first sight.

They vaguely heard their male companions at the next table let out a collective, defiant snort.

"Sorry, I just finished." Zhang Yang walked straight to Xie Shuting's table and sat down. "Are you all fans of Su Xiaoran's books? What a coincidence, me too."

"Hello, handsome! Come on, what would you like to drink?"

"I heard you traveled all this way just to ask Sister Xiaoran to come out of seclusion? Sister Xiaoran, just give her some face, go out and relax, clear your mind, who knows, you might get some inspiration."

Several female fans stood by, constantly trying to speak up for them.

Xie Shuting, who was listening from the sidelines, shook her head and chuckled, "Normally, I would definitely help with this, but I really can't be distracted."

"It's alright, I understand." Zhang Yang smiled, said nothing, and casually took the wine glass that was handed to him.

His inner self was certainly not as calm as he appeared on the surface. He seemed calm, but in reality, he was more anxious than anyone else. However, it was precisely at times like these that he couldn't show it.

Several female book fans exchanged glances, their eyes filled with reluctance.

They truly couldn't understand how Xie Shuting could bear to refuse such a trivial request from a boy like that.

As the music played, I downed a glass of wine.

Several girls surrounded Zhang Yang, asking him all sorts of questions out of curiosity.

Zhang Yang naturally fabricated a set of reasons to thoroughly solidify his public image.

After a few rounds of drinks, a tall, muscular young man suddenly stood up from the table behind them, his voice slightly tinged with alcohol, and walked over, holding a glass.

"Beautiful lady, I noticed you just now. I'd like to offer you a toast, and please come sit over here."

"No, I'm not going," the female book lover named Huanhuan resolutely refused.

"Don't be so disrespectful, beautiful?!" The boy emphasized, drawing out his words, while his hand quietly landed on Huanhuan's shoulder.

"You bastard!" Huanhuan shouted angrily, picked up her wine glass and splashed it all over the boy's face.

"Holy shit!" the boy cursed, wiping his face.

Several boys suddenly stood up and surrounded the table.

"What do you mean? If you don't want to go, then don't go. But why resort to violence?"

"I'd like to ask you, what do you mean by hitting me?!" Huanhuan stood up defiantly. "Don't think I'm afraid of you!"

"Ha, a few girls with a silent guy, where do they get their confidence?" the boys laughed.

Zhang Yang drank his wine, feeling somewhat speechless.

Is that right?

Could I really have encountered something so absurd?

"Guys, let's keep things peaceful. Let's talk things out; there's no need to get so worked up," Zhang Yang said calmly. "Girls might have a bit of a temper, so please be understanding."

"Please forgive me? You think one 'please forgive me' is enough?" The leader of the boys sneered. "Who are you to them? Can you stand up for them or take their side?"

Zhang Yang held his wine glass, speechless.

Stand up for them? Stand up for what? He doesn't even know them!

As he fell silent, the boys in front of him exchanged glances, their eyes revealing victorious smiles, while the girls around the table looked at each other, all somewhat disappointed.

"So... the male protagonist in novels can only exist in imagination after all?" Xie Shuting looked at this scene with a somewhat dim expression.

Suddenly, one of the boys reached out a hand and placed it directly on Xie Shuting's shoulder.

"I think you're the prettiest. Come on, have a drink with us guys, it's late. Don't bother with this wimp next to you..."

"Brother, why are you always getting handsy?" Zhang Yang subtly blocked her way.

"What, are you getting all smug and deliberately trying to go against us?" the boy sneered. "Have you thought this through?"

"Why don't we go outside and talk? We don't want to scare the girls." Zhang Yang looked at the girls and finally stood up.

"Going out, huh? Okay, guys, let's go out and have a chat." The boys suddenly got excited, shouting and pointing to a dark alley in the distance.

"Okay." Zhang Yang put down his wine glass, nodded, and stood up.

A few moments later, the group had completely disappeared.

"Sister Xiaoran, that's quite impressive. After all, she stood up in the end and faced several boys. To have that kind of courage is truly remarkable," several girls praised.

"Let's go take a look. I think they're taking it a bit too far. I hope they don't actually hurt anyone." Xie Shuting nodded and stood up.

Several female book lovers also stood up one after another.