Chapter 20: The Entire Act Unfolds

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“You chose Jiang Jinfu?” Cai Yinong was utterly astonished, wondering whether she had heard him wrong.

She had assumed that Zhang Yang had said so much because he did not want to bring Jiang Jinfu and was hoping to spend some time alone with Nazha.

One was a rough-looking man, while the other was a stunning beauty. Any normal man would choose the latter.

Why was Zhang Yang refusing to follow the usual script?

Was he playing hard to get?

“Is there a problem with my choosing Jiang Jinfu?” Zhang Yang asked, genuine puzzlement naturally appearing on his face. “I understand what you mean, Sister K. Jiang Jinfu, Nazha, and I are all principal members of Xuanyuan Sword.”

“There are still nearly two months before Xuanyuan Sword begins filming. If the two of them spend this time with me on set, they can get accustomed to the daily routine of filming ahead of time, and the three of us can start building our rapport early. As their senior, I can also offer them some guidance on acting.”

“But if I have to act while looking after two people, I’ll certainly be stretched too thin. So, from your perspective, Sister K, the best arrangement would be for Nazha to learn from Sister Shishi. That would avoid any possible misunderstandings while allowing them to establish a working relationship in advance.”

“Jiang Jinfu is my roommate and classmate. He calls me Brother Yang, so looking after him won’t take much effort and won’t affect my own filming.”

“This is the optimal solution.”

Zhang Yang delivered his analysis with such seriousness that Nazha nearly applauded.

Cai Yinong even felt like praising him: “You’re absolutely right. That’s exactly what I was thinking.”

“If Shishi had the time, do you think I would have arranged for you to take care of Nazha?” Cai Yinong shook her head. “Before joining the cast of Xuanyuan Sword, Shishi is taking two months off.”

The corners of Zhang Yang’s lips lifted almost imperceptibly.

When he had lunch with Liu Shishi yesterday, he had gained a general understanding of her upcoming schedule.

From Cai Yinong’s arrangements, he had already guessed the situation. That was precisely why he had deliberately chosen Jiang Jinfu.

“Then we can only arrange for Old Hu to look after Nazha,” Zhang Yang said without hesitation. “Old Hu’s manager and personal assistant are both women, so there won’t be any problem with Nazha staying with them. She can listen and observe more in her everyday life and build a solid foundation.”

“I’ll work with Jiang Jinfu one-on-one. The results will be better.”

Cai Yinong studied Zhang Yang, and he did not seem to be pretending. She immediately fell into deep thought.

After a while, she waved her hand. “You two go for now. I’ll think it over and give you a definite answer tomorrow.”

She would have liked more time to consider the matter, but the production team of The Imperial Harem was pressing her for an answer.

“All right, Sister K. We’ll be going, then.”

Without hesitation, Zhang Yang and Nazha took their leave together.

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The two arrived in the lounge area. Seeing that Nazha looked as though she wanted to say something but could not bring herself to, Zhang Yang said, “Nazha, it’s not that I dislike you. If you put any normal man in my position, he would want to bring along a beautiful junior sister.”

“Then why did Senior Brother choose Jiang Jinfu?” Nazha asked, staring at him.

It was not that she absolutely needed Zhang Yang to take her along. But having been rejected by a man when the choice was between the two of them, she naturally felt somewhat uncomfortable as a woman.

“Because even if I chose you, I still wouldn’t be the one taking care of you.” Zhang Yang spread his hands. “You could tell from Sister K’s reaction to your accommodation arrangements. She clearly thinks highly of you and is probably grooming you to become the company’s next leading actress.”

“In that case, she certainly can’t let me look after you alone. That would eliminate the possibility of certain things happening.”

“Since the result was already decided, I might as well say it myself and spare everyone the awkwardness later.”

Nazha was merely absentminded and not particularly clever, but she was by no means stupid.

After hearing Zhang Yang’s explanation, she understood immediately.

“You said Sister K is going to groom me as the company’s next leading actress?” Nazha’s attention shifted at once.

“Mm.” Zhang Yang nodded. “Apart from Sister Shishi, you have the best qualifications among all the company’s female artists. And since you’ve only just signed with Tangren, investing in your development offers excellent returns.”

“Sister Shishi’s contract with Tangren is already more than halfway over. If she ultimately chooses not to renew, you can step into her place once you’ve been fully developed. If she does renew, then as an exotic beauty, you can be given a career path that doesn’t conflict with hers.”

“So you’re certain to receive special attention. Given Sister K’s personality, she’ll create and manage a public image for you. And judging by her usual methods, that image will be based on your debut role—Xiaoxue.”

“I estimate she’ll package you as some innocent, sheltered young beauty. That means she won’t allow you to have any scandals in your past. Otherwise, if anything gets dug up one day, you’ll have no choice but to take the scandal-driven route.”

After finishing his analysis, Zhang Yang glanced at his watch. “I still have something to do at school. That’s all for today. Bye.”

“Bye.”

Nazha instinctively raised her hand and waved.

Zhang Yang entered his own lounge, used the restroom, then picked up the backpack from the sofa and left. He discovered that Nazha had already gone.

At that moment, Nazha was sitting on a sofa, lost in thought, repeatedly turning Zhang Yang’s words over in her mind.

Cai Yinong was going to groom her as the company’s next leading actress. If Liu Shishi did not renew her contract, Nazha would become the leading actress. If Liu Shishi did renew, Nazha would still be given a career path different from hers.

Did that mean that as long as she did not hold herself back, she was destined to succeed in the future?

She was extremely confident in her looks, and she was certain she could get into the Beijing Film Academy as well. By then, she would possess both talent and beauty. There was no way she would fail.

“I’m definitely going to become famous,” Nazha thought, her heart burning with ambition.

Just then, her phone rang.

When she saw the caller ID, she instinctively frowned.

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Thinking of what Zhang Yang had said—the career path Cai Yinong might design for her and the possibility of becoming famous through scandal—her gaze gradually hardened.

She hung up at once, then composed a message and sent it:

“Wang Chenggang, I’m honored that you like me, but right now I want to focus on becoming a good actress. I don’t want to think about personal relationships so early. Please don’t waste any more time on me. Let’s just be ordinary friends.”

It was not long before she received a reply:

“All right. I won’t bother you anymore in the future. I wish you success in your acting career, and I hope that one day I’ll be able to see you on the big screen.”

Seeing that, Nazha let out a long, heavy sigh of relief.

She had truly been afraid that he would refuse to let go. After all, he was a wealthy heir with considerable ability. Fortunately, things had ended well.

“Career!” Nazha secretly encouraged herself.

Meanwhile, Zhang Yang had already returned to the Shanghai Theatre Academy.

He called Jiang Jinfu and said with a laugh, “Fuzai, I have something to tell you. It concerns the new production. Come to our usual place and have a drink with me.”

Less than ten minutes later, Jiang Jinfu arrived at the XX Barbecue Restaurant near the academy.

By coincidence, the skewers Zhang Yang had ordered had just been served, and the two immediately began eating with gusto.

After downing three glasses of liquor, Zhang Yang draped an arm around Jiang Jinfu’s shoulders and said with a smile, “Fuzai, Sister K came looking for me just now to assign me a job. Your big brother here chose you without the slightest hesitation.”

“Chose me for what?” Jiang Jinfu asked in confusion.

He did not actually dislike Zhang Yang at all. It was just that everyone around him kept talking about how outstanding Zhang Yang was, which irritated and infuriated him, a man who had always been confident in himself. He wanted to surpass Zhang Yang and beat him.

In every possible respect.

“Look at me. I’m so happy that I forgot to tell you what happened.”

Zhang Yang slapped his forehead and proceeded to recount the entire evening’s events in detail.

At the end, he said, “Fuzai, I don’t know whether you’ve seen her, but Nazha is truly beautiful. She and that junior sister Dilraba from the freshman class each have their own appeal. It’s impossible to say who’s better.”

“But your big brother still chose you without hesitation.”

“Once we join the production, I’ll teach you everything I know.”

Jiang Jinfu: “…”

No. You really didn’t have to choose me!

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