Chapter 17: My Little Mouth Seems to Have Been Blessed

Good girls must not be missed; once obtained, they should be cherished.

But bad girls shouldn’t be wasted either; wasting is a shameful act.

Of course, as a man of taste, one cannot lower their standards in times of need.

Zhang Yang silently recited his personal code of conduct.

He then dropped the banter, shifting to serious matters as he spoke with Jiang Mei about his determination to enter the entertainment industry.

“A teacher imparts knowledge, instructs in skills, and dispels doubts,” Zhang Yang mused, somewhat moved by Jiang Mei’s words. Some promises, however, are best left unspoken.

Jiang Mei came close to saying outright, “We’ll pave your way in the entertainment industry. If you make it big, great; if not, you can always return to school and be a good little artist.”

So being an artist is the backup plan now, huh?

All Zhang Yang could say was that talent was indeed a wonderful thing—and he had it.

“Crack! Crack! Crack!”

After mulling over these thoughts, Zhang Yang began losing himself in his scriptwriting.

He created a folder named Tangren Street Detective.

There were many reasons for choosing this project, but they boiled down to: low cost, high potential earnings, ability to launch careers, capacity to boost the company, and the possibility of creating a long-running series!

Zhang Yang didn’t want to touch works too close to his current time period. Though he knew their release dates and achievements, he wasn’t certain about the前期制作时间—the early stages of production. This could lead to conflicts and unnecessary complications.

The first Tangren Street Detective film was initiated by Chen Sicheng around mid-2015, though the idea might have been brewing and preparing for a few years prior. But as of now, it definitely hadn’t materialized yet.

His plan was to establish a company and secure copyrights related to Tangren Street Detective, then find suitable production teams to collaborate with. Using actors who would become famous in the future but currently had little name recognition despite their skills, he’d shoot the 12-episode web series first—a classic case of borrowing someone else’s resources to achieve one’s own goals.

With the web series as a foundation, the IP would gain popularity, ensuring that the first movie wouldn’t suffer from excellent reviews but dismal box office sales—an all-too-common phenomenon.

However, with such rapid development, there was also an opportunity to capitalize on exclusivity.

The filming schedule for the first part of the Tangren Street Detective series was tentatively set for year 13, with a release date definitely aimed at either the Year 14 or Year 15 Spring Festival box office, both periods known for attracting a glut of subpar films.

In year 12, Taxi to Thailand had broken through the one billion yuan mark, followed by Western Journey: The Demon Subduing Chapter in year 13, which also surpassed ten billion yuan. Yet, despite these successes, neither the Year 14 nor Year 15 Spring Festival seasons produced a single domestic film that could reach the ten billion yuan milestone—instead, they were flooded with mediocre releases.

Year 15 marked a significant leap in overall box office performance, culminating in year 16’s Spring Festival season, where Mermaid grossed over thirty billion yuan—a clear testament to the market’s potential.

Apart from developing Tangren Street Detective, Zhang Yang also planned to bring forward the production of Killing in the Name of Love.

As he pondered this, it occurred to him that perhaps he could integrate this latter film into the Tangren Street Detective universe as well.

While Zhang Yang immersed himself in his work, Huo Ba, on the other side, finally awaited the end of her class.

“Ms. Jiang, I’m truly sorry for not paying attention during today’s lesson,” Huo Ba said earnestly as she approached Jiang Mei.

Jiang Mei pushed up her glasses perched on her nose and replied, “I’ll let it slide this time; someone spoke on your behalf.”

Spoke on my behalf? Huo Ba felt suddenly bewildered.

As just an ordinary freshman student, who would speak on her behalf?

“Was it Senior Zhang Yang?” Huo Ba whispered, more to herself than anyone else.

Though confused, she wasn’t foolish. After careful consideration, this seemed like the only plausible answer.

“It was him,” Jiang Mei nodded. “He said it was because of his mistake that you couldn’t get your textbook back in time, so he’s apologizing for disturbing you.”

Huo Ba felt a warm sensation in her heart, thinking to herself that this senior student seemed quite considerate.

“I also have my own issues; I’ll definitely be more careful next time,” Huo Ba promised earnestly. Then she left with her roommates.

Ding!

Time flew by quickly when fully immersed in work.

As Zhang Yang finished drafting the outline, his phone beeped from where it lay on the side, signaling an incoming text message.

Just telling the truth, Zhang Yang thought. I don’t want to mess things up despite good intentions.

After sending her reply, Huo Ba immediately got out of bed and sat down at her desk. She opened her laptop to check her QQ messages.

Yuan Bingyan noticed her behavior and teased, “Hey, Huo Ba, have you developed a crush on our senior?”

In the past, Huo Ba always politely declined when others tried to strike up conversations or ask for her contact information. Even if she gave it to someone due to certain circumstances, she would strictly refuse further interaction or ignore their subsequent attempts to communicate.

This was the first time anyone had seen her eagerly waiting for a response like this.

“Don’t be silly,” Huo Ba instinctively explained. Perhaps feeling her initial explanation wasn’t convincing enough, she continued, “The senior helped me today and even put me in the spotlight. I just want to thank him properly.” She added, “Since Ms. Jiang has such high regard for him, he must truly be skilled. We can also consult him if we ever need help with anything.”

“He’s already signed with an entertainment company, so if any of us want to enter the industry in the future, we could certainly seek his advice too.”

Observing her eloquent demeanor, Yuan Bingyan’s expression turned solemn. “You’re not Huo Ba,” she said firmly. “Huo Ba couldn’t possibly say such things. Tell me who you really are—quickly!”

Huo Ba fell silent, caught off guard by this revelation.

Meanwhile, after adding each other on QQ, Zhang Yang and Huo Ba engaged in a brief chat before he gracefully ended the conversation.

In interactions between opposite sexes, excessive enthusiasm can often be misinterpreted as acting like a clingy admirer or appearing too eager.

During their exchange, Zhang Yang subtly probed about what Huo Ba had been doing when the opportunity point was awarded.

He learned that Huo Ba had showcased his notebook, impressing everyone, and prompted Jiang Mei to publicly praise him.

“So, did I earn this opportunity point because Old Jiang complimented me, or because Huo Ba put on a display?”

“Or could it be that Old Jiang’s praise gave Huo Ba some ideas?”

Zhang Yang pondered these possibilities without rushing to any conclusions.

Just then, his phone rang, and he saw it was Hu Ge calling.

“Hey, Lao Hu.”

“A guest role?”

“K-sis booked me a minor part—playing Zhao Kuangyin?” Zhang Yang sounded somewhat taken aback.

Is there some divine blessing on my mouth? he wondered.