Chapter 11: The Two Founders of the Slacker Club

"Do you think I should be happy?" Liu Shishi’s beautiful eyes rolled slightly, which only added a touch of liveliness to her expression.

"That depends on whether you consider yourself a star or an actor, Shishi-jie," Zhang Yang said, leaning forward slightly to shorten the comfortable distance between them.

"Is there a difference?" Liu Shishi, intrigued by his remark, visibly relaxed.

Observing this, Zhang Yang pushed the vegetable salad toward her and spoke with ease. "For an actor, if a character is remembered, it means the performance was a success, and that is worth being happy about."

"But if you're a star—whether you're an actor, singer, athlete, or any other profession—everything you do is for the sake of fame. If a character is remembered, it’s worth being happy about, but only because it boosts your popularity."

"If the show is a hit but the person remains obscure, the mood might not be quite so pleasant."

Liu Shishi nodded thoughtfully. "Then I suppose I might be half a star?"

"Half?" Now it was Zhang Yang's turn to be curious. "How so?"

"I think the feeling of having a character recognized and the feeling of being famous each account for half," she said with a gentle smile. "Actually, when I first debuted, I wanted to be famous."

"Now that I’ve experienced more, I don’t think fame is that important. It feels quite good to play a role well and leave something behind in this world."

If anyone else had said this, Zhang Yang would have scoffed. But coming from the most "Buddhist" actress among the '85 flowers—nicknamed "Salted Fish Shi"—he believed it.

"Shishi-jie, I think we need to shake hands," Zhang Yang said, suddenly extending his hand.

"Hm?" Liu Shishi looked puzzled.

"I feel the same way as you," Zhang Yang said with a radiant smile, his tone earnest. "Chasing fame and fortune too hard can make you lose your true self and the people around you, but living without any pursuit at all feels hollow. Your mindset is excellent."

"You aren't just flattering me, are you?" Her beautiful eyes sparkled.

"Not at all." Zhang Yang shook his head. "I’m not flattering you. I genuinely feel we are kindred spirits. We could even start an organization."

"An organization? What kind?" Liu Shishi began eating her salad with a fork.

"The Salted Fish Party!" Zhang Yang blurted out.

"Salted fish?" Liu Shishi’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. Did those words really suit her?

"Shishi-jie, you’ve heard the expression 'a salted fish turning over,' right?" Zhang Yang explained, then added, "Our Salted Fish Party aims to avoid chasing high achievements in life, preferring a relaxed, 'Buddhist' lifestyle, and meeting life's challenges and competition with a laid-back attitude."

Liu Shishi’s brow immediately smoothed out. Actually, she felt the term "salted fish" suited her quite well.

"So, we are the two founding members of the Salted Fish Party?" Liu Shishi smiled. "How should we go about recruiting new members?"

"We don't need to actively recruit; that wouldn't fit our party's mission," Zhang Yang said, shaking his head before nodding. "If we happen to meet like-minded partners in life, we can bring them in, but we shouldn't force it."

Liu Shishi gave him a thumbs up, and they continued to chat enthusiastically about the Salted Fish Party.

Meanwhile, Hu Ge sat in a car, rolling down the window to enjoy the breeze.

His assistant asked with some confusion, "Brother, you had me call and tell you to leave—was it just to come to the Bund to catch some wind?"

"That’s right, just to catch some wind," Hu Ge said nonchalantly.

In truth, he had heard from Cai Yinong that Wu Qilong was pursuing Liu Shishi, and he wanted to make things a bit more difficult for the latter.

Wu Qilong was undoubtedly excellent, statistically surpassing ninety-five percent of men; even if he was divorced, he was a match for most women. But Liu Shishi was seventeen years his junior, had never had a boyfriend, was beautiful, fit, famous, and financially independent—a rising star who had no need to settle for an older man.

He viewed Liu Shishi as a younger sister, but he couldn't interfere directly in her personal affairs. Seeing Zhang Yang today, he had a sudden idea that he could facilitate a connection—not by forcing a match, but by letting Liu Shishi interact with a young, handsome guy to provide a point of comparison. If Wu Qilong could still win her over after that, then he, Hu Ge, would offer his blessings.

"A-Yang, don't let me down. You're both newcomers to romance, and you're a good-looking pair," Hu Ge murmured as he slowly rolled up the window.

If Zhang Yang knew what Hu Ge was thinking, he would surely say to him, "You're actually quite a decent guy."

Happy times are always short-lived. It wasn't until her assistant called that Liu Shishi realized it was already past three in the afternoon. If she kept chatting with Zhang Yang, it would be time for dinner. She hadn't felt this engrossed in conversation since having afternoon tea with Tang Yan and Yang Mi.

After she hung up, Zhang Yang said, "Shishi-jie, it's getting late. I have plenty to do back at school. Let's set a time for another meeting later."

The word "meeting" amused her again; she appeared cool and indifferent, but she actually had a very low threshold for laughter.

"Alright, let's meet again," Liu Shishi said with a lovely smile.

Zhang Yang was momentarily dazzled. He silently recited his "Playboy Mantra": "Do not give up the forest for one tree, do not..."

Zhang Yang walked Liu Shishi to the underground parking garage of the restaurant, where her assistant had already pulled the car around.

"Do you want me to drop you off at school?" she asked through the window after getting in.

"No, I have other things to attend to," Zhang Yang declined her offer.

Liu Shishi didn't press the matter, waved goodbye, and rolled up the window.

As they drove out of the garage, the assistant asked, "Shishi-jie, you seem very happy today."

Was she happy? Thinking of what Zhang Yang had said—humorous and witty—the corners of her mouth curled up involuntarily.

"I am, actually."

"Because I founded a political party today."

The assistant: ?

Elsewhere, Zhang Yang stood in the elevator, considering whether to fly to Xiamen. The reason was an update in his "Entertainment Opportunity Guide."

[Time: March 11, 2011, 12:13 PM]
[Location: Yangxin Hall, Tong'an Film City, Xiamen]
[Guide: (Locked/1 Character Point)]

Zhang Yang was no stranger to Yangxin Hall in Tong'an Film City. At this time, it was being rented by the production team of *Palace II*. Checking Weibo last night, he had seen Yang Mi post that she would be making a guest appearance there in the coming days.

"Could this opportunity be related to Mi-mi?"

"Actually, just helping the production team would be enough to earn favor with Yu Zheng."

"Even though that guy is shameless and a plagiarist, the shows he produces really do make people stars."

He was tempted to try his luck. But the next moment, his thoughts shifted as the guide updated again.

[Time: March 11, 2011, 3:33 PM]
[Location: Entrance of Classroom X, Building X, Shanghai Theatre Academy]
[Guide: (Locked/1 Character Point)]