Chapter 37: The Correct Way to Open the Opportunity Manual?

"Future?"
"I understand it now."

Watching Nazha walk into the hotel, Zhang Yang chuckled at his own reflection in the rearview mirror. He started the car and headed to a nearby teahouse to meet Lin Feng. The two were enthusiastically discussing action choreography, dialogue, and set design. Having been a director in his past life and having experienced the lives of the characters he wrote through dreams, Zhang Yang spoke with real substance regarding scene setups, prompting Lin Feng to internally exclaim that he was a "genius."

"Ah Yang, we met too late. Otherwise, I definitely would have recommended you for a few of the action roles I had earlier." During dinner that evening, a slightly tipsy Lin Feng spoke with the straightforwardness typical of a martial artist.

"Haha, roles are sometimes a matter of fate. Come on, Brother Lin, let me top you off." Zhang Yang proactively poured wine for Lin Feng, not doubting a word he said.

This man, who had appeared in *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon* during his days as a stuntman and served as a martial arts choreographer for dramas like *Fong Sai-yuk (Dicky Cheung)*, *Laughing in the Wind (Li Yapeng)*, and *Demi-Gods and Semi-Devils (Liu Yifei)* before becoming an action director, truly had extensive connections. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been invited by Lin Ziwei, a first-time producer, to collaborate with Liang Xinquan. However, as *The Glamorous Imperial Concubine* was mostly a drama-heavy production, Lin Feng had little room to showcase his skills. The script additions Zhang Yang proposed played right into his hands.

"There will be plenty of opportunities in the future. I hope for your guidance, brother." Zhang Yang smiled sincerely. "If there are no roles, even stunt coordination work is fine; I’d be more than happy to help."

Although he still had over two years to serve at Tangren, that didn't mean he couldn't start his own company, sign and cultivate his own artists, or lead a team to film movies and dramas. There might be some constraints, but starting early was definitely not a problem. Just because one can do it doesn't mean one will do it well—thinking of the eventual decline of companies like Tangren and Rongsindai, it was clear that entertainment companies weren't easy to run. He could rely on his foresight to hoard intellectual property and recruit top talent, but basic staff and industry veterans needed to be unearthed through contact and understanding. Lin Feng was a valuable connection; through him, he could meet all kinds of talent to lay the groundwork for his future company. In the worst-case scenario, having Lin Feng provide him with high-quality roles was a win in itself.

"I acknowledge you as my little brother." Lin Feng was moved by Zhang Yang's sincerity. "You have real talent. When the time comes, I won't stand on ceremony with you. Come, drink."

Zhang Yang smiled, accepting every glass of wine. By ten o'clock that night, he escorted Lin Feng back to his hotel room, called his assistant to look after him, and returned to his own room to shower and sleep.

"Ding-ling-ling."
At 6:25 AM, the alarm went off. Zhang Yang opened his eyes, reached out to turn it off, stared at the ceiling for five minutes, and then got up.

***

After a quick wash, he put on a cap and jacket and headed to the Old Hengdian Steamed Bun Shop. This shop was famous in Hengdian, a top choice for many extras, and stars filming nearby often came here to eat. When Zhang Yang arrived, he was lucky enough to find an empty table. He ordered soy milk, fried dough sticks, and ten large meat buns. As a practitioner of martial arts, he had always had a hearty appetite; he could burn off whatever he ate and had no fear of gaining weight.

"A fellow practitioner, aren't you?" a man at the same table struck up a conversation.

"How could you tell, big brother?" Zhang Yang responded with a smile, though his eyes swept across the shop and the street outside. Observing everything in all directions was a literal description for him.

"What's hard to guess about that?" The man gave an honest smile. "You're so handsome, you wouldn't be doing manual labor. You're here in Hengdian to be an actor, and since you can eat so much, you must be training your body."

Zhang Yang nodded first, then shook his head. "I know a few moves, but you're wrong, big brother. I’m handsome, but I could still do manual labor."

"What woman would let you suffer that kind of hardship?" the man disagreed.

"If she doesn't let me suffer, I can just have something sweet," Zhang Yang laughed.

A look of bewilderment appeared on the man's face. What kind of manual labor is sweet instead of bitter? Before he could ask, he saw Zhang Yang suddenly stand up and walk toward the cashier. If anyone looked at their watch or phone then, they would see it was exactly 7:00 AM.

"Two meat buns, one red bean, one vegetable, and a cup of sweet soy milk. Eight yuan." The cashier packed three small bags and a cup of soy milk into a large plastic bag and handed it to the woman standing at the counter.

The woman had a round face, looking slightly chubby with collagen-filled cheeks that gave her a fleshy, adorable look. Her eyes were large and expressive, giving her the impression of a cute, naive college student.

"Thank you." The girl took the bag with one hand and reached into her pocket with the other to get money. She dug around, found it empty, switched hands to hold the bag, and checked her other pocket, only to pull out a phone. A bad premonition arose in her heart. She checked her pants pockets, but they were empty too. It was confirmed: she had rushed out and forgotten her money.

Looking at the packed breakfast in her hand, she was so embarrassed her toes curled up in her shoes. She couldn't return the food, but if she went back to the hotel, it would take thirty to forty minutes, and she would be late for the set. As for calling someone to help, her agent disapproved of her returning to the set to reshoot scenes for free, so she had come alone and couldn't think of anyone to turn to. The woman didn't know what "social death" was, but that was exactly the situation she was in.

If only she could pay with her phone. Perhaps she could ask the owner if they had Alipay? The cashier, seeing her silence, spoke up again: "Hello? That's eight yuan total."

"Um, I forgot my money," she admitted, not daring to look the cashier in the eye. She felt her face must be burning red. It was true; her face was as red as a tomato, and she was being recorded by some unscrupulous person with a phone.

"I can't take back packed food," the cashier said in a neutral tone. Forgetting money for breakfast was a common occurrence; it wasn't like she couldn't afford it.

The woman thought for a moment and decided to leave her actor's ID card as collateral and come back to pay after filming. But before she could speak, a pleasant male voice came from beside her: "Eight yuan, right? I'll pay for her."

She turned to see a tall, sunny, handsome man with sharp, bright eyes. The handsome man placed eight yuan on the counter and smiled at her. "Don't forget next time."

With that, he walked away. The woman stood frozen for a moment before chasing after him. "Wait, wait!"

"What is it?" Zhang Yang paused.

"Thank you for covering my breakfast. Let's exchange contact information so I can pay you back later. You're filming here in Hengdian, right?" she asked. Someone this handsome had to be an actor.

"No need," Zhang Yang shook his head. "It's just eight yuan, no need to go through the trouble of paying it back. If you feel bad, just help someone else out if you run into a similar situation."

After saying that, Zhang Yang gave her a brilliant smile and strode away. The woman watched his back, feeling warmed by the gesture. But immediately after, her brows furrowed.

"I took the initiative to ask for contact info, and he actually refused?"
"Am I, Zhao Liying, not pretty... or cute enough?"