Chapter 46 Celestial: I Am Nothing But a Joke

Zhang Yang recognized the elegant woman before him; it was Liu Yifei’s mother, Liu Xiaoli, who had been quite fond of him back on the set of *Chinese Paladin*.

“Auntie Liu, long time no see,” Zhang Yang said, greeting her.

Liu Xiaoli, who had been lost in thought, turned to look at him with a look of suspicion in her eyes. Was this young man someone she knew? He had such striking looks that, logically, she should have remembered him instantly.

“Are you… Xiao Yang?” Liu Xiaoli asked uncertainly.

She recalled what Liu Yifei had mentioned to her a few days ago—that she had seen Zhang Yang on the set of *The Imperial Princess*. Zhang Yang was doing very well for himself now, having been invited by Director Chen to take over the role previously held by Mu Panlong. Once she worked backward from that answer, Zhang Yang’s face did indeed overlap with the youthful one in her memory.

“That’s right, Auntie Liu, I’m Zhang Yang,” Zhang Yang replied with a polite smile. “Sister Xixi must have mentioned me to you. If you calculate the time, it’s been seven years since we last met.”

A gentle smile appeared on Liu Xiaoli’s face. “Indeed. You were just a shy little boy back then; now you’re so much taller than me and have become quite a manly young man.”

As she spoke, Liu Xiaoli took a few more looks at Zhang Yang’s face. Over the years, she had accompanied her daughter in the entertainment industry and had seen many male stars, most of whom were A-listers. Compared to them, Zhang Yang’s appearance was definitely among the best.

“Auntie Liu, you look exactly the same as in my memory,” Zhang Yang said, his words as sweet as honey. “If Sister Xixi stood next to you, outsiders would surely think you were sisters, not mother and daughter.”

A smile instantly bloomed at the corners of Liu Xiaoli’s mouth. The same words sound very different coming from different people. Even though Zhang Yang was clearly buttering her up, she found it very pleasant.

However, when it came to Liu Yifei, she immediately pulled her expression back. “Xiao Yang, I can’t chat with you for now. Xixi strained herself during an action scene earlier, and we’ve run out of liniment. I need to check if any of the crew’s stunt coordinators have some; if not, I need to get someone to buy some quickly.”

Liniment for bruises? A flash of brilliance crossed Zhang Yang’s eyes. If he wasn’t mistaken, this was the exact opportunity shown on his Opportunity Guide. What a coincidence. He could secure this opportunity point without even needing to spend any character points.

“Auntie, no need to trouble yourself. I happen to have some right here.” Zhang Yang reached over, took the bag from Nazha, and handed it to Liu Xiaoli. “Safflower oil, Yunnan Baiyao spray, and some medicated plasters...”

Liu Xiaoli took a quick look, her eyes filled with delight. These were exactly what Liu Yifei needed; Zhang Yang was truly a timely arrival. “Thank you, Xiao Yang,” Liu Xiaoli said, not standing on ceremony with him.

These were just small items, but since they were urgently needed right now, she would have her assistant buy double the amount to return them later. Since Zhang Yang had joined the crew, she would look out for him whenever she could.

“Come inside with me. Later, I’ll have Xiao Qin tell you about the situation on set,” Liu Xiaoli said, inviting Zhang Yang into the studio.

The so-called "situation on set" naturally meant telling Zhang Yang about the temperaments of each actor, who was close with whom, which staff members in key positions had connections, and whom it was best not to provoke. This was the kind of intelligence Zhang Yang had tried to gain by befriending the makeup artist, Sister Sun, when he first arrived on the *The Imperial Princess* set—all to navigate the crew more smoothly.

The information provided by Liu’s mother would certainly be more detailed and clear; this was the advantage of having connections and a background. Of course, if you were powerful enough, you wouldn’t need to learn these things—you would make others learn about you!

“Is it convenient for me to go in, Auntie Liu?” Zhang Yang didn’t intend to refuse, but he asked one more question. If the timing wasn’t right, walking in directly might cause offense. It was better to confirm with Liu Xiaoli first; that way, even if they ran into something, it wouldn't be his fault.

Liu Xiaoli lifted the door curtain. “Come in, it’ll be fine.”

Zhang Yang immediately reached out to help hold the curtain for her. Liu Xiaoli carried the items into the studio. Zhang Yang followed her inside, his gaze filled with curiosity. Only after Nazha entered did he close the curtain behind them.

The interior of the studio was vast, partitioned into small, open-plan rooms. People were sitting in each of these rooms. The room on the far right was the largest, filled with many storage bins. In the middle of the bins sat a long bench, where Liu Yifei was lying face down, her costume revealing a pair of long legs. Four or five people were sitting next to her, likely her small team, including her personal assistant and makeup artist.

Zhang Yang followed Liu Xiaoli to Liu Yifei’s resting area. Because she was lying down, she only saw Liu Xiaoli approaching. “Mom, you’re back so soon. Did you manage to borrow the medicine?”

“I did,” Liu Xiaoli said, sitting down beside Liu Yifei and taking out a bottle of safflower oil. “But I didn’t borrow it from the stunt coordinator. I just happened to run into Xiao Yang.”

“Xiao Yang?” Liu Yifei wondered who that was. A thought crossed her mind, and she guessed, “Zhang Yang?”

“That’s right, it’s me,” Zhang Yang spoke up abruptly.

“Ah!” Liu Yifei was startled and nearly fell off the bench.

“Lie still,” Liu Xiaoli said, steadying Liu Yifei’s waist. Once she was stable, she opened the bottle of oil, poured a little on the spot just above Liu Yifei’s knee, and began to massage it gently. Liu Yifei had been doing martial arts films since she was a child, so getting injured was a daily occurrence.

They say that long-term illness makes a good doctor, and Liu Xiaoli had practiced her technique on Liu Yifei over the years.

“A-Yang, you scared me!” Liu Yifei turned her head to the other side and glared at Zhang Yang.

“I’m innocent. I heard you call my name, so I answered,” Zhang Yang said, crossing his arms and looking down at the “Ruthless” version of Liu Yifei with a smile in his eyes.

“Who wanted you to answer like that?” Liu Yifei was annoyed, but she didn’t make a big deal out of it. Instead, she asked, “You joined the crew?”

“Obviously,” Zhang Yang shrugged. “I even brought my own medicine, just in time to save your life.”

“It’s not ‘saving my life,’ it’s just a minor injury,” Liu Yifei said, feeling that Zhang Yang was exaggerating.

Liu Xiaoli suddenly chimed in, “I don’t know who was just saying it hurt so much that they were going to die if they didn't get medicine. Surely that wasn’t me, was it?”

“Mom!” Liu Yifei’s pretty face flushed, and she said irritably. How could her own mother undermine her in front of Zhang Yang? Besides, she hadn't really been in that much pain—she had just been acting spoiled.

Zhang Yang smiled and said, “Even if it was a life-saving favor, if Sister Xixi doesn't want to, you don’t have to specifically... thank me, since Auntie Liu has already expressed her gratitude.”

He deliberately emphasized the word "specifically," and the implication was clear.

Liu Yifei gritted her teeth. “That’s different. I definitely want to... personally... thank you.”

“That would be too embarrassing,” Zhang Yang said, as if he hadn't understood Liu Yifei’s threat. He laughed, “I’m not greedy. Just treat me to dinner for ten days or half a month. If you cook it yourself, that would be even better. Auntie Liu’s cooking is so good that I still can’t forget that sweet and sour pork, and surely Sister Xixi isn’t much worse.”

A touch of amusement appeared in Liu Xiaoli’s eyes. She was very pleased to have her cooking praised.

Liu Yifei felt very frustrated. “Fine, as long as you dare to eat it.”

“Uh,” Zhang Yang blinked. “Never mind. Sister Xixi looks like the type who wouldn't touch a kitchen, I don't want to get food poisoning.”

Liu Yifei shot a fierce look at Zhang Yang. “Do you want me to hit you?”

Zhang Yang locked eyes with her for a few seconds and said solemnly, “As you are now, can you even jump high enough to hit my knees?”

Liu Yifei: “...”

“Pfft.” Someone nearby couldn't help but laugh.

Feeling Liu Yifei’s murderous gaze, the person said sheepishly, “I just thought of a joke.”

Liu Yifei: !

I think I *am* the joke.