Chapter 11: The Founders of Two Laid-back Party Groups

“Should I be happy?” Liu Shishi’s beautiful eyes flickered with a hint of exasperation.

“That depends on whether you see yourself as a celebrity or an actress,” Zhang Yang said, leaning slightly forward and closing the safe distance between them.

“Is there really a difference?” Liu Shishi’s interest in Zhang Yang’s perspective was evident as she relaxed her posture naturally.

Noting this change, Zhang Yang pushed the vegetable salad towards Liu Shishi and began eloquently, “For an actress, having their character remembered signifies a successful portrayal—certainly something to celebrate.”

“But if you’re a celebrity, regardless of being an actor, singer, athlete, or any other profession, everything you do is about increasing your own fame. While it’s great for characters to be remembered, that primarily matters because it boosts popularity.”

“If a show becomes popular but not its stars, they might feel less thrilled.”

Liu Shishi nodded thoughtfully. “So perhaps I’m half-celebrity then?”

“Half?” Now it was Zhang Yang’s turn to be curious. “How so?”

“I think both the recognition of my roles and my personal fame bring me equal satisfaction,” Liu Shishi smiled warmly. “In truth, when I first started out, I wanted nothing more than to become famous.”

“After experiencing so much, I’ve come to realize that fame isn’t everything. What matters more is playing your role well and leaving a mark on this world. That feels pretty good.”

If anyone else had said these words, Zhang Yang would have dismissed them with a sneer.

But coming from the number one laid-back actress of the 85 generation, known as “Xianyu Si” or Lazy Shi, he found it believable.

“Sister Po-Shi, I think we should shake hands,” Zhang Yang suddenly extended his hand.

“Hm?” Liu Shishi looked at him quizzically.

“I share your views,” Zhang Yang said with a radiant smile. He added earnestly, “Pursuing wealth and status too aggressively can make you lose sight of what truly matters and alienate those close to you. Yet living without goals seems pointless. Your mindset is spot-on.”

“You’re not just flattering me, are you?” Liu Shishi’s bright eyes sparkled.

“Not at all,” Zhang Yang shook his head. “I’m not here to flatter you. I genuinely believe we share common values. In fact, I was thinking we could even form an organization together.”

“An organization? What kind of organization?” Liu Shishi continued eating her salad with a fork.

“The Xianyu Party!” Zhang Yang blurted out.

“‘Xianyu’ as in ‘laid-back’? But does that really fit someone like you, Liu Shishi?”

“Have you heard of ‘the lazy fish turning it around’ before?” Zhang Yang explained to Liu Shishi. “We Buddhists aim for a carefree life without striving for high achievements; we prefer an easygoing approach and take challenges and competition in stride.”

Liu Shishi’s frown instantly smoothed out.

Surprisingly enough, she felt that lazy fish suited her perfectly.

“So we’re the two founding members of the Buddhist Party then?” Liu Shishi smiled. “How should we go about recruiting new members?”

“No need to actively seek them out,” Zhang Yang shook his head at first, but then nodded and added, “If we encounter like-minded individuals in our daily lives, we can invite them in, but let’s not make it our goal.”

Liu Shishi gave him a thumbs-up as they enthusiastically discussed their newfound party.

Meanwhile, Hu Ge sat in a car with one window rolled down, enjoying the breeze on his face.

His personal assistant, somewhat puzzled, asked, “Brother, did you have me call you just so you could come to the Bund and feel the wind?”

“That’s right, just feeling the wind.” Hu Ge looked utterly relaxed.

In truth, he had learned from Cai Yining that Wu Qilong was pursuing Liu Shishi and wanted to make things a bit more challenging for him.

Wu Qilong was indeed exceptional—his overall stats surpassed more than 95% of men, making him a suitable match for most women even if he had been married before.

However, Liu Shishi was seventeen years younger than Wu Qilong, and she’d never dated anyone. With her good looks, figure, fame, and lack of financial worries, she was a rising star who didn’t need an older man.

Hu Ge viewed Liu Shishi as his little sister but couldn’t directly address matters of romance between them.

Today, upon seeing Zhang Yang, Hu Ge had a sudden idea that might help. It wasn’t about randomly pairing people up; rather, it could give Liu Shishi exposure to young, handsome men so she’d have someone to compare Wu Qilong with.

If this led to Wu Qilong successfully pursuing Liu Shishi, then Hu Ge would gladly offer his blessings.

“A-Yang, don’t disappoint your bro,” Hu Ge said slowly while rolling down the car window. “Both you two are newbies when it comes to relationships, and tall, handsome guys and beautiful girls do make quite the couple.”

If Zhang Yang knew what Hu Ge was thinking, he’d surely tell him, “You’re actually not bad at matchmaking.”

Happy times always seem fleeting. It wasn’t until Liu Shishi’s assistant called her that she realized it was already past three in the afternoon.

If they continued chatting with Zhang Yang much longer, it would be time for dinner.

In her past life, she used to have such engrossing conversations over afternoon tea with Tang Yan and Yang Mi.

When Liu Shishi hung up the phone, Zhang Yang took the initiative to say, “Po Shi-jie, it’s getting late. I still have quite a few things to do at school. Let’s schedule another meeting next time.”

The word “meeting” once again amused Liu Shishi; despite appearing cool and detached most of the time, her actual threshold for finding something funny was very low.

“Alright, let’s plan for next time,” Liu Shishi said, looking lovely as she smiled.

Zhang Yang felt slightly unsettled, silently reciting his mantra about not missing the forest for the trees.

He escorted Liu Shishi to the underground parking garage beneath the restaurant building, where her personal assistant had already driven their car around front.

“Do you need me to drive you back to school?” Liu Shishi asked after getting into the car and rolling down the window.

“No, thanks. I’ve got some other errands to run.” Zhang Yang declined Liu Shishi’s offer.

Liu Shishi didn’t press the matter further, waving goodbye before rolling up the window.

After pulling out of the parking garage, the secretary turned to ask Liu Shishi, “Po Shi-jie, you seem really happy today.”

Am I truly happy?

Recalling Zhang Yang’s words, filled with humor yet不失风趣, her lips curved into a smile despite herself.

“I am indeed very happy.”

“Because today, I founded a party.”

Meanwhile, on the other side, Zhang Yang stood in an elevator, contemplating whether to take a flight to Xiamen.

The reason, of course, was the update to the Entertainment Industry Opportunities Guide.

Zhang Yang was no stranger to the location at Xiamen Tong’an Film Studio known as the Palace of Tranquility Mind.

At this moment, it was being rented by the set of Palace Locks and Pearls—commonly referred to as “Palace 2.”

Last night, while browsing Weibo, he had seen Yang Mi update her status, mentioning she would be visiting to play a guest role in the coming days.

Could this opportunity have something to do with Big Honey?

In truth, just helping out the production team would suffice; it could earn Yu Zhen some gratitude.

Despite his shamelessness, lack of dignity, and penchant for plagiarism, the dramas he produces genuinely can launch careers.

To be honest, he wanted to go there and see if luck might smile upon him.

But then, his thoughts shifted as the opportunities handbook updated once more.