Chapter 17: It’s as if My Little Mouth Has Been Blessed

“A good girl is definitely not to be missed; once you have her, you must cherish her.”
“But a bad girl shouldn’t be wasted either; wasting is a shameful act.”
“Of course, as a person of taste, one must not be indiscriminate in hunger.”

Zhang Yang silently reaffirmed his own code of conduct as a man.

Then, without further teasing, he shifted the topic and spoke seriously with Jiang Mei, expressing his determination to enter the entertainment industry.

[Old Jiang]: “You’re well-suited to delve into the arts, so I’ve always recommended you join the Shanghai Theatre Academy Arts Center, but your image and personality would also pave a smooth path for you as a star in the entertainment world. Since you’ve made up your mind, Old Wang and I will support you.”

[Little Yang]: “Thank you, my dear teachers, for understanding. I’ll need your guidance and protection going forward.”

[Old Jiang]: “You see, we can at most help you network with some alumni. If you make enemies in the entertainment industry, there’s little we can do. If that day ever comes, just return to school to pursue graduate studies and teach, then join the Academy.”

[Little Yang]: “Don’t worry, Teacher Jiang. I won’t let you down. I’ll make you proud.”

“A teacher is one who imparts knowledge, teaches skills, and resolves doubts, isn’t that so?”
“Having a good teacher is sometimes better than having parents.”

Zhang Yang was somewhat moved by Jiang Mei’s words; some promises are not given lightly.

Jiang Mei almost said outright: “We’ll help you navigate the entertainment world. If you make it, great; if not, just go back to school and be a good artist.”

Well, becoming an artist is the safety net?

One can only say talent is a wonderful thing, and he had it.

*Snap! Snap! Snap!*

After pondering some matters, Zhang Yang began immersing himself in scriptwriting.

He created a folder titled: *Detective Chinatown*.

There were many reasons for choosing this script, but simply put: low cost, high returns, can launch a star, can boost a company, and the series could run for a long time!

He had no intention of tackling works too close to his current timeline. Although he knew their release dates and achievements, he wasn’t certain about their production schedules, risking overlap and unnecessary trouble.

The first *Detective Chinatown* film was initiated by Chen Sicheng in early 2015, with ideas likely conceived years earlier, but definitely not at Zhang Yang’s current point in time.

His plan was to first establish a company to register the *Detective Chinatown* copyrights, then find a suitable production team to collaborate, using actors who would become famous in the future but were currently unknown yet talented, and produce a 12-episode web drama as a stepping stone.

With a web drama foundation, the IP would gain popularity, avoiding the scenario where the first film receives the best reviews but suffers from low box office returns.

If development was fast enough, he could even monopolize the market.

The filming schedule for the first installment of the *First Sequence* was tentatively set for 2013, with the release date planned for the 2014 Lunar New Year box office window, or possibly the 2015 Lunar New Year, since both periods were dominated by poor-quality films.

In 2012, there was *Lost in Thailand*, and in 2013, *Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons*, both surpassing one billion yuan in box office earnings. In contrast, the 2014 and 2015 Lunar New Year seasons saw a slew of bad films, with not a single domestic movie reaching the billion-yuan mark.

2015 was a year of box office takeoff, and the 2016 Lunar New Year season gave birth to *The Mermaid*, a blockbuster grossing over three billion yuan, clearly demonstrating the potential.

Besides *Detective Chinatown*, Zhang Yang also planned to bring *Sheep Without a Shepherd* forward.

He even considered whether this film could be integrated into the *Detective Chinatown* universe.

While Zhang Yang was deeply absorbed in work, over on the other side, Reba finally finished class.

“Teacher, I’m sorry I didn’t pay attention in class today,” Reba sincerely apologized to Jiang Mei.

Jiang Mei pushed up her glasses and said, “This time, it’s forgiven. Someone spoke up on your behalf.”

Spoke up?

Reba was momentarily puzzled.

She was just an ordinary freshman; who would plead for her?

“Was it Senior Zhang Yang?” Reba guessed softly.

She wasn’t naive; after some thought, that was the only plausible answer.

“Yes, it was him,” Jiang Mei nodded. “He said because of him, you couldn’t exchange textbooks in time, so the disruption was understandable.”

A warm feeling blossomed in Reba’s heart. She thought this senior was quite thoughtful.

“I also have my own faults. I’ll be more careful next time,” Reba earnestly promised Jiang Mei, then left with a few roommates.

*Ding!*

Time flew during immersive work.

Just as Zhang Yang finished the basic outline, his phone beside him buzzed with a message alert.

[Junior Reba]: “Senior, I’m back in the dorm. Thank you for speaking up for me.”

[Senior Zhang Yang]: “Just telling the truth. I don’t want my good intentions to backfire.”

[Senior Zhang Yang]: “By the way, Junior, I don’t think I’ve asked your name yet.”

[Junior Reba]: “Dilraba Dilmurat. Just call me Reba, Senior.”

[Senior Zhang Yang]: “So you’re Reba. I’ve heard from my roommates—you’re the new campus beauty.”

[Junior Reba]: “What beauty? You’re the real campus heartthrob. You’ve ranked top ten in the all-time campus heartthrob polls.”

[Zhang Yang]: “Maybe because most voters are current students, and I’m still on campus, so I have the advantage. By the way, what’s your QQ number? Add me so we can chat online.”

[Reba]: “X55XX6X89.”

After replying, Reba immediately got out of bed, sat at her desk, and opened her laptop to log into QQ.

Yuan Bingyan, seeing her behavior, teased, “Reba, have you fallen for our senior?”

In the past, Reba had politely declined advances and requests for contact information.

Even if she gave out her contact for some reason, she would firmly refuse or ignore further messages.

This was the first time she carefully replied to messages.

“Don’t say that. Senior helped me today and even made me shine a bit. I just want to thank him,” Reba instinctively explained, then, feeling her words weren’t strong enough, added, “Teacher Jiang thinks highly of Senior. He must be really capable. We can ask him if we ever have questions.”

“He’s already signed with an entertainment company. If we want to enter the industry, we can ask him too.”

Watching her speak so earnestly, Yuan Bingyan’s expression turned serious. “You’re not really Reba. Reba wouldn’t say things like that. Tell me, who are you?”

Reba was speechless.

Meanwhile, after adding each other as QQ friends, Zhang Yang and Reba chatted for a while before he politely ended the conversation.

In interactions between the opposite sexes, being too enthusiastic can easily make one appear desperate or weak.

During this time, he indirectly inquired about what Reba was doing when the opportunity points were credited.

He learned that Reba had showcased his notes a bit and even received public praise from Jiang Mei.

“So, did the opportunity points come because Old Jiang praised me, or because Reba showed off a bit?”

“Or maybe Jiang’s praise made Reba think something?”

Zhang Yang pondered for a moment, not rushing to a conclusion.

Just then, his phone rang, showing Hu Ge’s name on the screen.

“Hello, Old Hu.”

“A cameo?”

“Sister K assigned me a supporting role—to play Zhao Kuangyin?”

Zhang Yang was a bit surprised.

Had his mouth been blessed with magic?