Chapter 16: Good Girls Don't Miss Out on Love

“What happened with Huo Ba?”

Zhang Yang leaned back on the sofa, pondering carefully.

In his first opportunity, he earned opportunity points when Hu Ge followed Liu Shishi’s advice and asked if he wanted the male supporting role in Xuanyuan Sword.

At that time, he had guessed that delivering the “Buddhist Scripture Pavilion” to Liu Shishi to gain her favor was secondary. The real goal was to use it to facilitate something else—like having her secure a role for him—which would constitute perfectly seizing this chance.

However, since it was his first time obtaining an opportunity, he couldn’t be entirely sure his analysis was correct.

So this time, he consciously paid attention to when the opportunity points appeared.

“When I lent the book to Huo Ba, no opportunity point emerged.”

“When I guided the situation forward by saying I’d help her find books at the library, still nothing.”

“After finding the book in the library and sending her a message about it, again, not a single point.”

“But now one has finally popped up.”

Zhang Yang glanced at his watch and realized exactly five minutes had passed since he sat down in the library.

That meant something must have occurred with Huo Ba during this span of time.

He’d find the right moment to ask Huo Ba about what exactly had happened.

“It’s a bit like a single-player game,” he mused. “Actually pretty interesting.”

Zhang Yang pondered for a while, then stuffed Huo Ba’s textbook into his backpack and got ready to leave.

Since he’d already snagged the opportunity point, there was no reason to stick around any longer waiting for Huo Ba to come swap books.

If he returned the book today, wouldn’t he lose a chance to meet up with her again?

By not returning it, he could keep her wondering, make her reach out to him often, and thus deepen their relationship.

This little trick? Zhang Yang knew it all too well.

He walked straight off campus, hailed a taxi to Tangren, and slipped into a nearby café where he requested a private booth. There, he sipped coffee while typing away at a script on his laptop.

As a reborn individual blessed with memories of future entertainment industry developments, he could easily navigate his way through life without resorting to idleness just because fate smiled upon him.

In this world, Gao Qiqiang was the kingpin controlling everything from behind the scenes, and Jinghai dominated the entertainment scene. Whether you were a top-tier celebrity, Movie Star, ratings or box office draw—all had to bow before the almighty capital.

Half an hour had passed since obtaining that opportunity point. He pulled out his phone and began drafting a text message:

Buzz~

In a classroom at Shanghai Theatre Academy, Huo Ba felt her phone vibrate on her leg.

She was currently taking an open-book quiz during class. With Zhang Yang’s textbook in hand, she practically had divine inspiration flowing through her pen.

Confident that she would ace today’s test, Huo Ba remained calm and composed.

Glancing towards the podium, she confirmed Ms. Jiang was engrossed in reference materials before discreetly opening her phone.

Senior Zhang Yang: Hey there, junior! I won’t have time to swap books back with you today. The company suddenly called me for work-related matters. Sorry about that.

No time to return the book? Huo Ba blinked, feeling oddly pleased inside.

She decided it wasn’t such a bad thing if they couldn’t switch books right away—ideally, not anytime soon.

The reason certainly wasn’t because she hoped this might give her a chance to get closer to Zhang Yang; she simply loved the exhilarating feeling of having insider knowledge.

Junior Huo Ba: No worries, senior! We can arrange a time and place tomorrow or even the day after. It’s all within school grounds, so meeting up is easy.

Senior Zhang Yang: Let’s hope so.

Junior Huo Ba: “Let’s hope so”?

Senior Zhang Yang: The company reached out, likely because there’s new work coming up. I might be joining a project soon, which could delay our exchange considerably.

Huo Ba (Junior): Joining a production team? Senior, you’re filming a new show?

Zhang Yang (Senior): Mm-hmm. I don’t have class today; I’m just at school to get my absence approved.

Huo Ba (Junior): Good luck, Senior! Once the drama airs, tell me so I can contribute to your viewership or online clicks.

Zhang Yang (Senior): What if I told you there’s a chance it might be a movie instead?

Movie?! Huo Ba’s breath hitched.

As someone aspiring to enter the entertainment industry, she was well aware that movies were far more prestigious than TV shows.

Is our senior this incredible?!

Then again, given his talent and the praise from teachers, signing with a major company like Tangren, it made sense he’d have opportunities to act in films.

With this thought, she began crafting a new message.

Zhang Yang (Senior): You wouldn’t believe it, but I was just joking. It’s actually one of our company’s original series, and I’m signed with Tangren as an actor.

Huo Ba hesitated, then silently deleted her partially written response before sending a new one.

Huo Ba: I must admit, I fell for it. So, Senior, turns out you’re not as amazing as I thought.

Zhang Yang: Hey, now you’ve hurt my feelings. Looks like I still need to work harder. :(

A smile inadvertently graced Huo Ba’s lips.

Zhang Yang: Hey, junior! If my timing is right, you should still be in class. How dare you play with your phone during Old Jiang’s lecture?

Huo Ba’s heart skipped a beat at these words. She instinctively raised her head towards the podium, but Jiang Mei was nowhere to be seen.

An ominous feeling welled up within her as she belatedly turned around, only to find Jiang Mei standing behind her chair, expressionlessly staring at her smartphone screen.

Crash!

Huo Ba, already prone to blushing, felt her face burn from her cheeks all the way down to her neck. Her ears seemed so hot they could have dripped blood, while her mind went utterly blank.

“M-Ms. Jiang, I…” Huo Ba found herself momentarily speechless.

Surprisingly, Jiang Mei didn’t reprimand her harshly. Instead, a hint of a smile appeared on her face. “Your project work looks good. Chatting is fine too, but make sure you complete your tasks first, wouldn’t you agree?”

“Yes, Ms. Jiang!” Huo Ba promptly responded.

Jiang Mei nodded and walked back to her own seat.

Seeing that she wasn’t too upset, Huo Ba let out a sigh of relief.

Huo Ba: Thanks to you, Ms. Jiang caught me off guard. I need to finish my work now; we can chat after class. (Crying emoji)

“What a coincidence,” Zhang Yang found this amusing and chuckled softly.

She no longer even bothered with “Senior” and went straight to “you”—clearly some resentment there.

Given Huo Ba’s personality, he knew she’d remember this incident for years to come, often reflecting on it.

So, does this count as our first shared memory?

After a moment’s thought, Zhang Yang sent a message to Jiang Mei.

Xiao Yang: Hey, Lao Jiang, don’t be too hard on her—it was all my fault.

Jiang Mei had just picked up her phone, and a hint of amusement flickered in her eyes as she read the text. She glanced at Huo Ba, who had started diligently working on his assignment, then replied from her seat.

Lao Jiang: You’ve got your eye on her, huh? Not bad taste.

Xiao Yang: Anyone with eyes can tell this junior is easy on them. She’s got what it takes to make it in showbiz, though whether she’ll become a great actress remains to be seen. But hey, you know me well enough—right now, acting isn’t exactly top priority.

Lao Jiang: That would be best. Huo Ba is very prone to blushing; she’s a pure and good kid. If you feel any attraction, go ahead and pursue her openly. Cherish her if you succeed. But if you have no interest, don’t tease her or I’ll teach you a lesson.

Xiao Yang: You certainly have an eagle eye. Any girl you recommend must be great; I’ll give it serious thought.

Xiao Yang: But you already have new sweethearts now? Am I not your favorite student anymore?

Lao Jiang: With your minor in screenwriting, do you really think “sweethearts” should be used like that?

Xiao Yang: Oh, typing too fast—forgot to add quotation marks.

Lao Jiang: …

“This little rascal.” Lao Jiang chuckled softly, shaking his head.

Good looks, sunny disposition, witty personality, diligent studies, and natural acting talent—all wrapped up in one student.

It was hard for teachers not to favor such a pupil.

And few women could resist him either.

Lao Jiang: Don’t miss out on good girls. Treasure them.

Zzzt!

Zhang Yang slapped his own hand.

He’d almost let loose and retorted: “Don’t waste time on bad girls.”